OnlyJesus.Life: Recent Episodes
Walter Spires
These podcasts are the full audios from Walter's video Bible messages requested by those who want to listen when they cannot watch.
Series finale. We wrap this powerful and necessary series today examining worldviews, especially that which born-again Christians must have to live and love more like Jesus in our world that is desperate for hope.
Perhaps the most famous question of all time is when Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" People today who deny the existence of God and biblical truth still grope around trying to find it. This message gives clear biblical answers.
This is the audio version from the third message in our series. Last week I hope His Word convinced you that God is the only and ultimate authority in the world He created. This messaage will encourage you to know how you came into this world - it was His intention; no random act of any kind. God loved and wanted you here with Him before you were even conceived. Listen and you will know with certainly.
Two weeks ago, we began this series with the premise: “Everyone is a believer.” Secularists, atheists, agnostics, and religious people. Everyone believes in something. We began by looking at three subject areas that form our belief systems and two results or outcomes: Existence. Purpose. Authority. Truth. Worldview.
Last week we began the WHO We Beliecve part of this series by examining Authority: Who’s in Charge? This message examines our Existence and answers the question, "How did we get here?"
Last week I began this new series by discussing WHAT you believe and how those belief sets form in your life. This message flips the script to look at Who we should believe from a totally biblical perspective. The focus on this message is Authority - Who's in Charge?
Everyone is a believer. My emphatic statement includes secularists, atheists, agnostics, and religious people. What people believe matters for all the reasons I am about to discuss in this message.
Key Bible Verse: "Now after (Jesus) had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons." Mark 16:9
EncourageExhortAdmonishRepentCall to ActionThose are the five key words for this messsage. I pray the Holy Spirit uses them and this message to connect with your spirit, wherever you are.
Key Bible Verses: "For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15: 16-19
Key Bible Verse: "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." John 19:30
Key Bible Verse: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9
If we are honest, everyone at some time in our lives (including Christians) has experienced such disappointment. Isn't that blasphemy? Won't that insult God when we suggest such an outrageous thing? This series was designed to answer those and other questions that help us grow in our relationships with the one true God, our Father and Creator.
We looked at each of the four stages along this pathway to eternal life: follower, disciple, apostle, and martyr. This message briefly reviews each one and ends with the challenge Jesus gave all those who consider themselves born-again. The Apostle Paul gave those within the churches he planted very articulate and explicit examples of what Jesus' commands looked like in his life and should in ours.
Last week I discussed "followers" and "disciples". This week we examine the next stage apostles: those spelled with upper case A and those with lower case a. What's the difference?
There are four stages to complete surrender for those who are truly born-again in Christ.
This message covers the first two: Follower and Disciple
There is very little I can say or should to begin this message that is both exciting and terrifying. So let me simply say listen and rejoice or listen and tremble. The Good News is always a message of hope, and I pray you find it here today before I say the last Amen.
Re-establishing your priorities before another day passes in 2024.
First Look
First Love
First Fruit
Key Bible Verse: "But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”" Luke 9:62
From His Deity in Heaven before time as we know it began to His incarnation as a baby in a manger to the Cross and His Resurrection to His triumphant return we long for, this week we celebrate the Jesus.
Key Bible Verse: "“And seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd..." Matthew 9:35
Key Bible Verses: "But Jesus, knowing whatthey were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, andsaid to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all ofyou, this is the one who is great.” Luke 9:46-47
In this min-series with the LIVING PROOF Series, we have discussed what worldview means, how they are formed, and the secular worldview as well as the cultural Christian and progressive Christian views. After a brief review, today I taught on what it means to be a biblical Christian and how our worldview is formed by the Word of God and how Jesus saw His world.
Key Bible Verses: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving,irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters ofgood, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than loversof God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.” 2 Timothy 3: 1-5
Last week week we examined the first three of seven commands Jesus gave His disciples before His ascension. This message considers the last four:
- Love One Another
- Develop a Prayer Life
- Make Disciples
- Be a living testimony of the Holy Spirit in You
Key Bible Verse: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you— unless indeed you fail the test?" 2 Corinthians 13:5
Key Bible Verse: "Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
We start this new series with questions Jesus asked His disciples who were with Him. He asks the same of Christians today. How do you answer them?
Key Bible Verse: "but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13
Understanding what God meant when three times, Paul told us, "God gave them over to"...
The Rainbow Belongs to God (P3)
Key Bible Verses: "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.God blessed them; For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh." (from Genesis 1:26-28a; 2:25)
Key Bible Verses: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. " Galatians 6: 7
Key Bible Verse: "God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;" Genesis 9:12
Key Bible Verse: "And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”6Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.7“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son." Revelation 21:5-7
Key Bible Verse: “You are of your father the devil...He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Here is the link to the edited version of my message yesterday, The Origin of Demons.
Message #1 of this series we examined what Jesus had to say about and His interactions with satan and demoms
Message #2 we examined the origin of angels and the much-discussed "origin of evil"
This week we did the same with demons. Who are they? Where did they come from? Do they still exist today?
This series is necessary to help people, even Chrhistians, understand and answer the questions people have today as our culture continues to spiral downward deeper into the demonic realm of darkness.
Key Bible Verse: "For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’" Isaiah 14: 13-14
Key Bible Verse: "And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6: 13a
Key Bible Verse: "But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep." 1 Corinthians 15:20
Key Bible Verse: "The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!”" Matthew 21:9
Key Bible Verse: “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 1 Corinthians 15: 54-55
Key Bible Verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (made Him available)..."
Key Bible Verse: "For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."" Isaiah 57:17
Key Bible Verses: "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," Hebrews 9:27
The rest of the title and challenge in this message is those same qualities can and should be applied to and evident in the lives of all who claim to be "born-again" Christians.
"But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9: 62
In this message we examined five things Christians should know about Jesus Christ. We did this by allowing the Word of God to speak on these five statements:
- Who Jesus Is
- Why Jesus Came
- What Jesus Did
- Where Jesus is Now (and what He is doing)
- When Jesus Returns
Key Bible Verse: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
When It Comes, When It Does Not, and Why? Did you know God never intended that there would be a need for healing? Tonight we begin our study by examining what caused the need to arise and examples of biblical healing in the OT and NT.
Key Bible Verse: "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2
Last week I began one of the strongest messages the Holy Spirit ever breathed into mine. This week we continue to the hard part that shows clearly how this nation has gone well beyond those two cities and how the Christian church must respond biblically.
In the first two messages of this series, the Jewish religious leaders questioned Jesus. His answers pointed them first to the "sign of Jonah" and then "the days of Noah". In this week's message, the questions came from His disciples. He gave them a lot of insight about the signs of the times - what they were and were not. Again He closed this discussion pointing them to the "days of Noah". I will also give you a short history lesson on the Temple(s) in Jerusalem, what has come to pass already, and what is yet to come. Christians need to know these things; otherwise why did Jesus tell them to His disciples?
This is the second message in our new series, The Signs of the Times in Jesus' Own Words. If you missed last week's message, "The Sign of Jonah", it is available on this channel as well as our website www.onlyjesus.life. The video and written blog versions may be found there as well.
Key Bible Verse: "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;" Matthew 12: 38-39
A question for the church aka the Christians who fill the pews. Today we close this series that went a lot longer than I thought when I taught the first of these Five "Callings" (actually they were commands). I briefly review all five and the ONE WORD answer to this question will become self-evident.
This is the fifth of Jesus' five "love" commands as He made His way toward Calvary. This section of the Gospel of John, deemed the Upper Room discourse, was vital information for the eleven disciples that remained. His words are equally vital for Christians today!
Key Bible Verse: "You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Matthew 5:43-44
Key Bible Verse: "You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD... The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself," Leviticus 19: 18,34
Key Bible Verse: "but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD." Leviticus 19: 18b,34; Matthew 19:19; 22:39
Key Bible Verse: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16: 24-25
Key Bible Verse: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." John 15:4
This week my message is a "fill in the blank" one where we are going to examine a lot of scriptures to see how Moses, David, Isaiah, Mary, Jesus, and Paul filled in these blanks. The words they chose are words we can all identify with. You will be encouraged by them and the explanations I provide that give context to them in our lives today. WS
Key Bible Verse: "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD; Praise the LORD!" Psalm 150: 6
This message is a series of prayers that follow the outline I laid out in the last two messages on Prevailing Prayer
Learning how to pray, plead, and persevere from the depths of your soul to the throne of grace, mercy, and love from biblical examples
Key Bible Verse: "Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." Psalm 139:16
Key Bible Verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Today we go deeper in this study to show that the verses decrying these licentious lifestyles - now being flaunted and celebrated in our nation - are not isolated ones, but are found from Genesis to Jude. I also address what it means to "speak the truth in love."
It is sad that many Christians are afraid to speak up on matters God clearly addressed in His Word. Fear that we will be called haters or not exemplifying the love of God. Neither is true, and we know it. In Part One of this message, born out of frustration over the constant celebration of these unbiblical, sinful lifestyles, I address many of the verses that speak directly or indirectly to the sins of practicing homosexuality. I am very clear on what God considers sin and what He does not. For example, temptation is not sin. Falling into it or giving in is. By sitting back and allowing such an agenda to grow and permeate our society as cultural norms, we allow them to affect our children and grandchildren. That is a key piece of their agenda. Christians need to have the courage to "speak the truth in love" and disagree. Disagreement on positions of religion and even political matters is a constitutional right or at least it was.
Twice Jesus told His disciples the reason for the problems in this world and the persecution and hardships they would face after He left this world. He called satan, “the ruler of this world.” John 12:31; 16:11
For the weary Christian fighting the battles of spiritual warface, here are four promises of God to encourage you to win and rise above the fray and what we must do to realize them.
Key Bible Verse: "Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Proverb s 31:28-29"
Key Bible Verse: "You have taken account of my miseries, put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?...This I know, that God is for me." Psalm 56: 8,9
Key Bible Verse: "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15: 14, 16
Understanding the days of what Christians refer to as Holy Week (Sunday - Thursday)
Key Bible Verse: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
This message closes the series with the final three symptoms: (5) Chronic fatigue syndrome (6) Loss of Apetite (Cravings) (7) Heart Disease
From the series, "7 Symptoms Christians May Be Dying Spiritually"
Key Bible Verses: "For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3-4
Key Bible Verses: "For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
The whole world is watching. Jesus made clear what His true disciples look like and how we are to live in a world full of hate and despair. This series will help us see where we may be failing and how to correct the course of our lives.
Key Bible Verse: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
Key Bible Verse: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” Luke 12:2-3
Key Bible Verse: Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind and said, “Who is this who darkens the divine plan by words without knowledge?Now [a]tighten the belt on your waist like a man, and I shall ask you, and you inform Me! Job 38: 1-3
Key Bible Verse: "Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he [m]blame God." Job 1:22
Key Bible Verses: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43: 18-19
Key Bible Verse: "an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Husband, wife, mom, dad, son, daughter, I have bad news for you. According to the Bible, most of us are guilty of murder with our tongues. It gets worse: Jesus said all of us will give an account of "every careless word" we have used. That strikes fear in my heart. It should yours as well. But there is hope. Thank God there is always hope!
Key Bible Verse: "For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Romans 8: 22
Ultimately each type of dirt was compared to our hearts. Listen to understand which one best describes yours?
Key Bible Verse: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:9
Key Bible Verse: "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2Corinthians 7:10
Key Bible Verse: "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples;" John 8: 31
Key Bible Verse: "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son," Matthew 5: 22
Key Bible Verse: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Corinthians 7: 10
John the Baptist probably shouted it in the wliderness. Jesus taught it wherever He went. This verse as shared with us in Matthew came toward the end of John' ministry and the beginning of Jesus'. REPENT. It is the keyword that precedes our salvation. This message makes clear what it means from their use and the consequences of failure to do so.
Key Bible Verse: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in [b]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1: 3-5
Key Bible Verse: Jesus went on to call satan “a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him…for he is a liar and the father of lies." fromJohn 8: 43-44
Key Bible Verse: "He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him,There is no beauty that we should desire Him" Isaiah 53: 2
Key Bible Verse: "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Ken Bible Verses: "And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly." Luke 22: 61-62
Key Bible Verse: "Then it happened [a]in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem." 2 Samuel 11: 1
Key Bible Verse: "Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and rested there." Joshua 2:1
Key Bible Verse: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
Key Bible Verse: "for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses." 2 Corinthians 10:4
Key Bible Verse: "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10: 3-4
Key bible Verse: "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36
Key Bible Verse: "but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57
Key Bible Verses: "Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory." Deuteronomy 20: 3-4
Key bible Verses: "The righteous person will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courtyards of our God. They will still yield fruit in advanced age; They will be full of sap and very green, to declare that the LORD is just; He is my rock, and there is no malice in Him." Psalm 92: 12-15
Key Verse: “For this people's heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.'” Matthew 13: 15
Key Verses: "Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”Matthew 11: 28-30
Key Bible Verse: "Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you." Isaiah 46:4
We live in a world in which sooo many people are heavily burdened. God did not intend for His people to live that way. This week we examine three sources of burdens and the solutions people come up with to try to remove them that often make things worse. We begin to look at God's answers and will finish that study next week.
Key Bible Verse: "Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent." Revelation 2: 5
Key Bible Verse: "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Revelation 2: 4
Key Bible Verse: "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Hebrews 10: 14
Key Bible Verse: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."John 1: 14
Key Bible Verse: "For by him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him." 1 Corinthians 1: 16
Key Bible Verse: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds," James 1: 2
Key Bible Verse: "Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."John 15: 9-11
Happiness is circumstantial. JOY is not.
Key bible Verse: "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8: 10b
Key Bible Verse: "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD." Jeremiah 23: 24
In Part One, we examined four wrong motives that too often drive people, including Christians. In Part Two we dared to examine the motives of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and why they think and act as they do toward us. Today I closed this series - juxtaposing the four wrong motives by filtering them thru the motives of God. The result is four biblical motives straight from the heart and mouth of God that Christians and the church MUST own if we are to save our nation and world for Christ's sake alone. It begins with each Christian allowing God the Holy Spirit to shine a light on every dark nook and cranny that you think you are hiding and every idol you cling to. He needs total access to our lives to conform us to the image of Christ. If you will not surrender all, how can you say you have been crucified with Christ?
Let God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) answer in His own words some of your why" questions.
Key Bible Verse: "(Adam) said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”Genesis 3: 10
Key Bible Verse(s): "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12: 2-3
Key Bible Verses: “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in trickery nor distorting the word of God, but by the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4: 1-4
Key Bible Verses: ""For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”" Romans 1: 16-17
Key Bible Verse: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1: 18
The Reason for the Season (Part 3)
Key Bible Verse: "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1: 21
Three Gifts Fit for Our Divine King Eternal, Our only High Priest, Our Risen Savior
Key Bible Verse: "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. " Matthew 2: 11
In Part One we examined the first two things God is doing in the lives of Christians if they submit and allow it - Pruning and Purging. Today we examine the last three. Three of the five are painful but necessary to become who we need to be especially in our world today.
I began this message with a short biblical commentary on political matters of our day. Then we get into this challenging message. I share five things God is "up to" in the lives of His people. We cover the first two today. Warning - they are part of a painful process.
Yes, absolutely Yes! It matters to God. This message turned into a three-part series to help those who are struggling with doubts, discouragement, even depression understand, not who you are, but Whose you are in Christ. The first two answers are discussed today.