The Gift Of Hope - I Peter 1:3
Jesus comes to this world bearing gifts. The first is his gift of hope, the certainty of the living Savior.
Trust And Sorrow - Romans 9:1-5
At the beginning of Romans 9, we begin to see Paul’s heart for those who do not know Jesus, particularly those who share his Jewish background. Here we see that trusting in God’s purposes in salvation does not keep us from loving and reaching others for Christ.
Fighting Fear - Romans 8:35-39
This last paragraph of the 8th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans expresses the promise of Jesus’ unlimited, unconditional, unchanging love which eternally secures our salvation. Inspired by God, Paul conveys three types of fear that may cause us to doubt this truth: (1) Fear of things in our world, (2) Fear of things in the world beyond, and (3) Fear of things in you and me. Yet, nothing can separate Jesus and His followers!
Secure In Our Father’s Zealous Favor - Romans 8:31-34
If the God of the universe is for us… inclined towards us.. finds favor in us… then the opinion or opposition of any other person just really doesn’t matter ultimately.
The Father’s Comprehensive Promise - Romans 8:28-30
Our Father is aware of and using every detail and element of our life to create true and best good for us. Those he touches, he promises to complete and shape them progressively into the image of Jesus.
Help For Prayer - Romans 8:26-27
Because of our flesh, prayer can be hard. Thankfully, God has given us his Spirit to help us in our weakness, and because the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God we can trust that our prayers will be heard and answered according to the will of God.
The Emerging Of The Majestic You - Romans 8:16-25
The promised sonship of salvation is legally accomplished by the work of Jesus and carried out by the indwelling Spirit. The unforeseen effect of us becoming sons is that we eventually become co-heirs with Christ, and in are transformed in our resurrected bodies and in role into such majestic significance that God describes it as our revelations and being glorified with Him. And there we find that all of creation and our souls yearns for the freedom and joy of us finally being fully us.
Do You Have The Spirit? - Romans 8:12-16
While it is not the only description and demonstration of authentic salvation, the presence of the indwelling Spirit who leads us is an essential sign of salvation. If you are not led by the Spirit, then why would you consider yourself a child of God?
Life In The Spirit - Romans 8:1-11
Romans 8 begins with the grand declaration of there being no condemnation for those who are in Christ. We then see Paul highlighting our new freedom, our new mindset, and our new indwelling presence that God gives his people through his glorious gospel.
The Mostly Obsolete Tool of the Law - Romans 7:7-25
The Mosaic Obedience Code was God’s good gift to believers before Christ came and gave us the Spirit by which He would lead us. Spiritual under that Law was very difficult and not a way of life any New Covenant believer should desire, admire or mimic.
Belonging To The One Who Leads By The Spirit - Romans 7:1-6
The God who gave the Law as the obedience code has now brought his children out from under its leadership by their death with Christ. He now leads them by the Spirit into lives of fruit for life and his pleasure.
Death Or Life? - Romans 6:15-23
As we close out chapter 6, Paul is reminding us that our new life in Christ frees us, but it frees us to rightly put ourselves under the lordship of Christ. And the new hearts that Christ gives us, now have the ability to choose life or choose death as we are being sanctified by his Spirit.
Call Me Forgiven - Matthew 18: 21-35
There is tremendous, needed freedom and power found in discovering the greatness of your forgiveness.
Died Once To Live On - Romans 6:5-15
We have gained the true opportunity to live with and for God today by dying with Christ on the Cross. The old master is dead!
The Answer Is In Your Baptism- Romans 6:1-4
Baptism is the whole hearted… whole bodied statement of the absolute end of my old self by my death happening with Jesus’s death. I am no longer the old me. I am now unified with Christ and there is not a single category of my life aside from that. The new life of living with God is our new life and it is, as promised.. the sweetest, deepest, richest life. God gives us three calls to action to live in this new freedom for God.
How To Grow Out Of Boredom With Jesus - Romans 5:12-21
Look at the horrible situation that we all existed in and then how powerfully, thoroughly and magnificently Jesus crushed the whole situation and brought us far greater good out if it than we started with.
Building Up The Body - Ephesians 4:11-16
This week we look at Paul’s words to the church from Ephesians 4. God has put us together to walk with one another and help each other grow up by his Spirit as we speak the truth to one another in love.
Hope Invites: A Unique Result From A Cross City Diagnostic - Titus 2:11-14
God’s people is a spiritual and true family of His adopted children saved by grace, away from sin and to good and zealousness to implement and express it in good works.