I hope this week has helped you understand the power of reconciliation. To see people reconcilied to God is an amazing thing and shows us just how loving God is. He is the God of second chances.
Last time we talked about being in this wonderful family of His, once we've been reconciled. Today we will talk about the blessings of Him as our father.
When I think about fatherhood, immediately I think of my father. An obvious observation is that he provided for me. He provided a roof over my head. He provided food on the table and clothes on my back. Those things are everyday needs and I am grateful he provided them. Plus, my dad was always there at my sporting events. Whenever I played baseball, football, wrestling and many other activities, he was there to support me.
What was your father like? Take a moment and think about him.
When we believe in Jesus, the bible says that we are reconciled with God and become a part of His family. He becomes our father. What kind of a father is He? Take a look at Him as a father in the garden of Gethsemane.
Read John 17 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17&version=NIV (Click back arrow on your browser to return here)
There are two major blessings I want you to see in this passage:
1. He is a protector. Jesus prays for the fathers' protection from the enemy for us. And if Jesus feels it important to pray for our protection, don't you think we ought to too? He is a protector. He watches over us and nothing happens to us without His awareness. That is an awesome thought. Sometimes I wonder why God is allowing me to go through difficult moments, but that I should have hope knowing that He is aware that He is protecting me even when I don't realize it.
2. He is a provider. I see clearly that the father provides for our needs. He took care of Jesus and He will take care of us. Everything comes from Him and He deposits it into our lives so we can be taken care of. He knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and why we need it. Isn't that amazing? He is a great provider. Think back over your life and notice how God the Father has taken care of you.
These are just two major ways we benefit from Him as our Father. But in this family, we will make mistakes. We will stumble and fall at times. Will God forgive us or will He kick us out of His family because of our mistakes? Tomorrow we will wrap up this week regarding God's forgiveness.
As you finish: Pray for Brighton IN. Pray that God will help us to reach out and care for the people in our community. Pray that many will come to know Jesus and become a part of this church family. Pray for God to break our hearts with compassion for these families.
God Bless!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Reconciliation - Day 3
"Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Is that the expression of your heart today? Why not stop and thank God for another day? This day is a gift from God to you.
Why should we be so moved by the gift of another day? Because everyday we have is another day to enjoy the family of God here on earth. When we surrender our life to Jesus Christ, the Bible teaches us that we become reconciled to God. When we believe in Jesus we are reconciled to God and we become a part of His family once again.
Once again? What does that mean? In the beginning, prior to the fall, Adam and Eve were a part of God's family. It was perfect. It was unbelievable. He provided for them and they lived in His provision. It was beautiful. And then sin, the choice of Adam and Eve to rebel against God destroyed that family. You know very well how sin destroys a family. An alcoholic, an adulterer, greed, along with many other destructive sinful habits destroys a family. Sin destroyed the family God had built.
Remember Cain and Abel? Sin destroyed that family. Read about it in Genesis 4:1-16 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A1-16&version=NIV (Click back arrow on your browser to return here)
Sin destroyed Cain and Abel and forever changed their family. That is what sin did with us and God. Sin destroyed His family and we were never the same. Until...Jesus. God has been relentlessly pursuing reconcilation with us and He finished it with Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, His final words were, "It is finished!" The dividing wall has been broken down. Reconciliation between us and God is here.
John 1:12 says that we become the children of God when we believe in Jesus as our Savior and He becomes our father.
Luke 11:11-13, says that God is our Father and that He knows how to give us what we need. What exactly does He do for us? Tomorrow we will talk about the blessings of Him as our Father!
As you close today: Pray for Pastor Rustin. Pray that God will lead him as he leads our church family. Pray that God protects his mind and heart from sin. Pray for his family.
God bless!
Why should we be so moved by the gift of another day? Because everyday we have is another day to enjoy the family of God here on earth. When we surrender our life to Jesus Christ, the Bible teaches us that we become reconciled to God. When we believe in Jesus we are reconciled to God and we become a part of His family once again.
Once again? What does that mean? In the beginning, prior to the fall, Adam and Eve were a part of God's family. It was perfect. It was unbelievable. He provided for them and they lived in His provision. It was beautiful. And then sin, the choice of Adam and Eve to rebel against God destroyed that family. You know very well how sin destroys a family. An alcoholic, an adulterer, greed, along with many other destructive sinful habits destroys a family. Sin destroyed the family God had built.
Remember Cain and Abel? Sin destroyed that family. Read about it in Genesis 4:1-16 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A1-16&version=NIV (Click back arrow on your browser to return here)
Sin destroyed Cain and Abel and forever changed their family. That is what sin did with us and God. Sin destroyed His family and we were never the same. Until...Jesus. God has been relentlessly pursuing reconcilation with us and He finished it with Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, His final words were, "It is finished!" The dividing wall has been broken down. Reconciliation between us and God is here.
John 1:12 says that we become the children of God when we believe in Jesus as our Savior and He becomes our father.
Luke 11:11-13, says that God is our Father and that He knows how to give us what we need. What exactly does He do for us? Tomorrow we will talk about the blessings of Him as our Father!
As you close today: Pray for Pastor Rustin. Pray that God will lead him as he leads our church family. Pray that God protects his mind and heart from sin. Pray for his family.
God bless!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Reconciliation - Day 2
Good to see you again! Today we are talking about how God was able to bring about a reconciliation between Him and mankind.
Read Romans 3:21-28 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A21-28&version=NIV (Click back arrow on your browser to return here)
Jesus was given the responsibility to come here and live a righteous life and then to die on a cross. Two things were needed from Jesus in order that we might be reconciled to God.
1. Jesus needed to live a life without ever sinning. Paul writes in 2 Corinthains 5:21 that Jesus knew NO sin. That means He lived a righteous life. There was never a time that He rebelled against God. He never had a sinful thought, word or even action. He was righteous.
We needed Him to live a righteous life because He would transfer our account for His. Ours is full of debt because of sin and as a result we would never be able to be with Him in heaven. Our debt is paid in full by Jesus on the cross. All of God's anger and hostility is put on Jesus because of us. He took all of our sin, past, present and future upon Himself. God has to punish sin and Jesus took it for you so you don't have to. Wow!
2. He needed to die in our place. As Paul writes in Romans 5 that one sin judged us all, so one act of righteousness could be a blessing for all. He died so that we would have life in Him instead of death through Adam. Death is death physically, spiritually and eternally. God accepted His sacrifice. We know that because of the resurrection. In that moment God raised Jesus from the dead God was saying, "I accept the sacrifice that was made for all of mankind through Jesus. Whoever believes in Him will never die but have eternal life with Him.
Reconciliation was possible because Jesus lived and died for you and me. That is what we call grace. We don't deserve the possibility of eternal life but it is available. It is not something you earn or buy. Reconciliation is a gift through faith in Jesus. When you surrender to Him, you and God are no longer enemies but a family.
Tomorrow we will talk more about this family we now become a part of.
As you close: Pray for our worship services. Pray that God will touch every heart that attends. Pray that many find Jesus for the first time. Pray that many will surrender completely to Jesus.
God Bless.
Read Romans 3:21-28 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A21-28&version=NIV (Click back arrow on your browser to return here)
Jesus was given the responsibility to come here and live a righteous life and then to die on a cross. Two things were needed from Jesus in order that we might be reconciled to God.
1. Jesus needed to live a life without ever sinning. Paul writes in 2 Corinthains 5:21 that Jesus knew NO sin. That means He lived a righteous life. There was never a time that He rebelled against God. He never had a sinful thought, word or even action. He was righteous.
We needed Him to live a righteous life because He would transfer our account for His. Ours is full of debt because of sin and as a result we would never be able to be with Him in heaven. Our debt is paid in full by Jesus on the cross. All of God's anger and hostility is put on Jesus because of us. He took all of our sin, past, present and future upon Himself. God has to punish sin and Jesus took it for you so you don't have to. Wow!
2. He needed to die in our place. As Paul writes in Romans 5 that one sin judged us all, so one act of righteousness could be a blessing for all. He died so that we would have life in Him instead of death through Adam. Death is death physically, spiritually and eternally. God accepted His sacrifice. We know that because of the resurrection. In that moment God raised Jesus from the dead God was saying, "I accept the sacrifice that was made for all of mankind through Jesus. Whoever believes in Him will never die but have eternal life with Him.
Reconciliation was possible because Jesus lived and died for you and me. That is what we call grace. We don't deserve the possibility of eternal life but it is available. It is not something you earn or buy. Reconciliation is a gift through faith in Jesus. When you surrender to Him, you and God are no longer enemies but a family.
Tomorrow we will talk more about this family we now become a part of.
As you close: Pray for our worship services. Pray that God will touch every heart that attends. Pray that many find Jesus for the first time. Pray that many will surrender completely to Jesus.
God Bless.
Reconciliation - Day 1
This week we will be taking a look at the word "Reconciliation." Reconciliation is an important word to consider because it is weaved throughout the entire Bible. If God made sure its theme was throughout His Word, then it must be something very important to Him and we need to pause and consider it.
What does the word, "Reconciliation" mean? The word means to make oneself or another no longer opposed; to become friendly after estrangement; to settle a quarrel or difference. The idea is to stop the hostilities between two people and reestablish peace.
God brought reconciliation to humanity. Paul writes, "...when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of his son..." God went to unbelievable lengths to bring reconciliation between us and him. Why?
First of all we are God's enemies and He wanted to change that. According to the scriptures we are either with God or against Him. To be with Him is to follow His leadership and His guidelines. To be against Him is to rebel against Him, do what we want, believe what we want and live how we want. To rebel against God is what we call sin. For that is exactly what sin is.
Second, enemies deserve the wrath of God and He wanted to give us an alternative. Paul writes, "for the wages (what we deserve) of sin is death." We identified that death last week as death physically, spiritually and eternally.
Finally, God loves us so much that He desires to give us a second chance. An opportunity to have our sins paid for and a new life to live and look forward to.
So HOW was He able to reconcile us? That is what we will look at tomorrow.
In closing read this passage of scripture from James 4:1-10 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A1-10&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
As you read you will be reminded again that your heart needs to be submissive to the savior.
As you finish: Pray for our Adult Sunday School. Pray that God will use the teachers to teach the scriptures well.
God Bless!
What does the word, "Reconciliation" mean? The word means to make oneself or another no longer opposed; to become friendly after estrangement; to settle a quarrel or difference. The idea is to stop the hostilities between two people and reestablish peace.
God brought reconciliation to humanity. Paul writes, "...when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of his son..." God went to unbelievable lengths to bring reconciliation between us and him. Why?
First of all we are God's enemies and He wanted to change that. According to the scriptures we are either with God or against Him. To be with Him is to follow His leadership and His guidelines. To be against Him is to rebel against Him, do what we want, believe what we want and live how we want. To rebel against God is what we call sin. For that is exactly what sin is.
Second, enemies deserve the wrath of God and He wanted to give us an alternative. Paul writes, "for the wages (what we deserve) of sin is death." We identified that death last week as death physically, spiritually and eternally.
Finally, God loves us so much that He desires to give us a second chance. An opportunity to have our sins paid for and a new life to live and look forward to.
So HOW was He able to reconcile us? That is what we will look at tomorrow.
In closing read this passage of scripture from James 4:1-10 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A1-10&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
As you read you will be reminded again that your heart needs to be submissive to the savior.
As you finish: Pray for our Adult Sunday School. Pray that God will use the teachers to teach the scriptures well.
God Bless!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Condemnation - Day 5 (final for this week)
What happens when we fully surrender to Jesus? Yesterday I gave you a hint. It is found in the third chapter of the gospel of John.
Read John 3:1-19 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:1-19&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
Nicodemus apparently was convinced that there was something special with Jesus. The Jewish Ruling Council had been aware of Jesus and his activiites. They had been debating if Jesus was a lunatic or someone they should consider as a prophet/teacher. It's possible that Nicodemus had been selected to visit with Jesus in search of some answers or he came to Jesus on his own in his search of his own answers. Regardless, here he is with Jesus.
Jesus cuts to the chase and tells him, "...no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Born again? What is that?
As a result of our condemnation, our spirit within us is dead. Paul says that we (our spirit) is dead in our sins. We have no ability to have a living relationship with God until our spirit is made alive. So, how can our spirit be made alive?
Our spirit is alive when we are born again. When we surrender to Jesus Christ as Savior, our spirit is made alive, we are born again. It's that simple. When we believe in Jesus as he tells us in verse 15, "...that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life..." our spirit is made alive. We now have a personal living relationship with Jesus.
Actually, there are many things that happen in that instant we place our faith in Jesus. Let me highlight 3 of them in connection with our sentence on Day 3.
1. Death Physically: Jesus tells us that we will die physically but we will be resurrected with a new body, one that will never die.
2. Death Spiritually: Jesus tells us that we will be made alive, born again, as a result of believing in Him. We will have a living relationship that will never end.
3. Death Eternally: Jesus teaches us that when we believe in Him we will never perish, meaning never experience Hell, but we will have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
Believing in Jesus is more than just saying a prayer to confirm your faith. It is a LIFE transformation that takes place. The Condemnation has been lifted and we have been Reconciled to him.
What does that word, Reconciled, mean? That is what we will explore this next week.
As you finish: Thank God for lifting the condemnation we are due because of our sin. We have been accused of breaking His law and He is right. The evidence is enormously against us. The sentence fits the crime. But Jesus lifts that condemnation when we believe in Him. What an amazing Savior we have. Thank Him today.
God Bless and see you next week!
Read John 3:1-19 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:1-19&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
Nicodemus apparently was convinced that there was something special with Jesus. The Jewish Ruling Council had been aware of Jesus and his activiites. They had been debating if Jesus was a lunatic or someone they should consider as a prophet/teacher. It's possible that Nicodemus had been selected to visit with Jesus in search of some answers or he came to Jesus on his own in his search of his own answers. Regardless, here he is with Jesus.
Jesus cuts to the chase and tells him, "...no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Born again? What is that?
As a result of our condemnation, our spirit within us is dead. Paul says that we (our spirit) is dead in our sins. We have no ability to have a living relationship with God until our spirit is made alive. So, how can our spirit be made alive?
Our spirit is alive when we are born again. When we surrender to Jesus Christ as Savior, our spirit is made alive, we are born again. It's that simple. When we believe in Jesus as he tells us in verse 15, "...that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life..." our spirit is made alive. We now have a personal living relationship with Jesus.
Actually, there are many things that happen in that instant we place our faith in Jesus. Let me highlight 3 of them in connection with our sentence on Day 3.
1. Death Physically: Jesus tells us that we will die physically but we will be resurrected with a new body, one that will never die.
2. Death Spiritually: Jesus tells us that we will be made alive, born again, as a result of believing in Him. We will have a living relationship that will never end.
3. Death Eternally: Jesus teaches us that when we believe in Him we will never perish, meaning never experience Hell, but we will have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
Believing in Jesus is more than just saying a prayer to confirm your faith. It is a LIFE transformation that takes place. The Condemnation has been lifted and we have been Reconciled to him.
What does that word, Reconciled, mean? That is what we will explore this next week.
As you finish: Thank God for lifting the condemnation we are due because of our sin. We have been accused of breaking His law and He is right. The evidence is enormously against us. The sentence fits the crime. But Jesus lifts that condemnation when we believe in Him. What an amazing Savior we have. Thank Him today.
God Bless and see you next week!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Condemnation - Day 4
So far we've talked about some pretty heavy stuff. It appears that life under this "condemnation" is quite depressing. Most of us can handle a little discouragement but we thrive on encouragment. Is there anything encouraging about condemnation? Is there any hope?
Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..."
The hope Paul is talking about is in Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us encouragement to our dire situation. He offers us hope that life doesn't have to stay the way that it is. Jesus gives us a detour from the road we are traveling and a better detination to pursue. The condemnation over our lives can be lifted.
How do we get this "condemnation" status lifted?
Jesus says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." - John 3:18 NIV
The condemnation can be lifted when we choose to believe in him. What does it really mean to believe?
I can believe that something exists but I don't entrust my life to it. I can say that I believe my purple hotrod that I drive will get me somewhere but until I actually get in the drivers seat, put the key in the egnition, I will not have acted on that belief. That is the struggle between passive belief and active belief.
When we believe in Jesus, and that belief is considered active, we are saying that we need him to get to heaven. We need him to get this condemnation lifted. We can't do it. We entrust our lives to him. That is what Jesus is meaning when he says we need to believe in him.
Have you fully surrendered your life to Jesus? Are you willing to follow him wherever he leads you? Are you entrusting your life to him as if your life depended on it?
Read Mark 5:21-34 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+5%3A21-34&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
This woman realized that there was no other way to be rescued. She needed Jesus. All she needed to do was to touch His garment. You and I can only have the "condemnation" status lifted when we fully surrender to Jesus, when we reach out to him. Have you fully surrendered to him?
If not, pray this simple prayer: Dear Jesus, I fully surrender to you today. I can't save myself from this condemnation. But you can save me from it. I believe in you as my savior and I fully surrender to you. I entrust my life into your hands. In Jesus name, Amen.
To be fully surrendered to Jesus is to know the Hope that God has for everyone of us. But what happens to us when we fully surrender? Is there a change in us? (Hint: John 3)
As you finish today: Pray for Pastor Rob and all his staff as they serve our youth and children. He is such a great pastor and his staff is truly outstanding. I believe God has great things in store for our youth and children's ministries.
God Bless!
Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..."
The hope Paul is talking about is in Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us encouragement to our dire situation. He offers us hope that life doesn't have to stay the way that it is. Jesus gives us a detour from the road we are traveling and a better detination to pursue. The condemnation over our lives can be lifted.
How do we get this "condemnation" status lifted?
Jesus says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." - John 3:18 NIV
The condemnation can be lifted when we choose to believe in him. What does it really mean to believe?
I can believe that something exists but I don't entrust my life to it. I can say that I believe my purple hotrod that I drive will get me somewhere but until I actually get in the drivers seat, put the key in the egnition, I will not have acted on that belief. That is the struggle between passive belief and active belief.
When we believe in Jesus, and that belief is considered active, we are saying that we need him to get to heaven. We need him to get this condemnation lifted. We can't do it. We entrust our lives to him. That is what Jesus is meaning when he says we need to believe in him.
Have you fully surrendered your life to Jesus? Are you willing to follow him wherever he leads you? Are you entrusting your life to him as if your life depended on it?
Read Mark 5:21-34 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+5%3A21-34&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
This woman realized that there was no other way to be rescued. She needed Jesus. All she needed to do was to touch His garment. You and I can only have the "condemnation" status lifted when we fully surrender to Jesus, when we reach out to him. Have you fully surrendered to him?
If not, pray this simple prayer: Dear Jesus, I fully surrender to you today. I can't save myself from this condemnation. But you can save me from it. I believe in you as my savior and I fully surrender to you. I entrust my life into your hands. In Jesus name, Amen.
To be fully surrendered to Jesus is to know the Hope that God has for everyone of us. But what happens to us when we fully surrender? Is there a change in us? (Hint: John 3)
As you finish today: Pray for Pastor Rob and all his staff as they serve our youth and children. He is such a great pastor and his staff is truly outstanding. I believe God has great things in store for our youth and children's ministries.
God Bless!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Condemnation - Day 3
We've already established that we are declared guilty by God. The standard is perfection and we find that standard simply described in Exodus 20, the ten commandments. If we have committed even one crime against the law, we have failed and are therefore guilty. That guilt has consequences. What is the sentence? What is the punishment?
Paul says in Romans 1:32, "...they deserve death..." Paul is describing our culture and the condition of the human heart in chapter one of Romans. Because of our depravity, our desire to rebel against God, Paul says that we deserve death. God says to Adam, "...for when you eat of it, you shall surely die."
The punishment for our crime, our guilt before God, is death.
That death is describe through the Bible in three areas:
1. Death Physically. For Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity, are now subject to physical death. Everyone will die some day. Death is a stench in God's nostrils that He will end some day. But until then, everyone will experience a physical death.
2. Spiritual Death. God is spirit and in order for us to communicate with God we must have a spirit to have that connection. According to scripture our spirit is dead because of sin. Since our spirit is dead, we have no ability to have a personal relationship with God.
3. Eternal Death. The bible calls this place Hell. Because we are guilty, we will spend eternity in Hell.
What is Hell like? Lot's of people want to explain what Hell will be like. The best way to understand Hell is to look in scripture for God's perspective.
Read Luke 16:19-31 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
Sounds terrible doesn't it? We've been accused of crime. We've been told the evidence and declared guilty. Now to top that all off, our punishment is Hell. Sounds terrible.
Is there any good news? Yes, there is. His name is Jesus. Tomorrow we will talk about that hope we have in Him.
As you finish, take a moment and pray for our Teen Ministry. They need us to stand up for them and pray for them. When you see one of our teens from church, let them know that you are praying for God to do great things for His Kingdom in and through them.
God Bless!
Paul says in Romans 1:32, "...they deserve death..." Paul is describing our culture and the condition of the human heart in chapter one of Romans. Because of our depravity, our desire to rebel against God, Paul says that we deserve death. God says to Adam, "...for when you eat of it, you shall surely die."
The punishment for our crime, our guilt before God, is death.
That death is describe through the Bible in three areas:
1. Death Physically. For Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity, are now subject to physical death. Everyone will die some day. Death is a stench in God's nostrils that He will end some day. But until then, everyone will experience a physical death.
2. Spiritual Death. God is spirit and in order for us to communicate with God we must have a spirit to have that connection. According to scripture our spirit is dead because of sin. Since our spirit is dead, we have no ability to have a personal relationship with God.
3. Eternal Death. The bible calls this place Hell. Because we are guilty, we will spend eternity in Hell.
What is Hell like? Lot's of people want to explain what Hell will be like. The best way to understand Hell is to look in scripture for God's perspective.
Read Luke 16:19-31 or click to view http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16%3A19-31&version=NIV (Click back arrow on browser to return here)
Sounds terrible doesn't it? We've been accused of crime. We've been told the evidence and declared guilty. Now to top that all off, our punishment is Hell. Sounds terrible.
Is there any good news? Yes, there is. His name is Jesus. Tomorrow we will talk about that hope we have in Him.
As you finish, take a moment and pray for our Teen Ministry. They need us to stand up for them and pray for them. When you see one of our teens from church, let them know that you are praying for God to do great things for His Kingdom in and through them.
God Bless!
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