Love Doesn't Seek to Please People

1 John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us" (ESV). 1 John 4:10 says, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (ESV). When Christ laid down His life a propitiation for our sins, people opposed Him. The most direct opposition to the cross came from the apostle Peter, to whom Jesus rightfully responded, "Get behind me, Satan!" Peter was among the three disciples who were closest to Jesus, and even he opposed Christ in going to the cross. Jesus' own hometowan opposed His Messianic ministry, trying to stone Him. The religious leaders opposed His Messianic ministry and also tried to stone Him. Satan tempted Jesus to avoid the cross. What was it that kept Jesus on course to do what no one on earth wanted Him to do? Among other things, it was love for the world, and an even deeper love for His people. Love moved Jesus to do for people what they didn't want Him to do for them. And we are instructed, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." This is to be with the same sort of love we have received--a love that doesn't seek to please people but seeks their true good, unto the glory of God.

Dave Harvey on marriage and parenting

I would like to recommend some sermons by Pastor Dave Harvey on marriage and parenting.

I believe Dave Harvey really addresses the fundamental problems in our marriages head-on. If we apply what he is saying, we would really grow in Christ. The first one on marriage is foundational for the others and is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Sin." Pastor Harvey applies to marriage 1 Tim 1:12-17, where Paul calls himself "the chief of sinners." The second one is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Mercy." Here Luke 6:27-36, in which Jesus commands us to be merciful to our enemies, is applied to marriage. The last one on marriage is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Grace." Here Titus 2:11-15, about God's grace in Christ, is applied to marriage. These messages really are applicable to all our relationships with people.

There is also one message on parenting titled, "Parenting in Weakness," that applies to parenting 2 Cor 11:30-12:10 in which Paul boasts in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ might rest on him. I am in the middle of this one right now. What I have listened to so far is excellent.

You can download recordings of these sermons at http://www.metrolife.org/marriage/. There you can also download the sermon notes.

The Significance of the Local Church

I came across an article on the significance of the local church. I encourage all Christians to read it! Being a part of a local church is not optional for Christians. It is as vital as having a family when you are born. How can a child thrive without a family? More importantly, how can a child of God thrive without being in God's household? We as Christians need to better understand the significance of the local church. The Enemy seeks to persuade us that it is OK to stay home on Sunday every once in a while, or that it is OK to limit our church involvement to 90 minutes a week. God's Word turns this thinking upside down, not so much by commanding us to be an active part of our church (though it does), but more so by telling us the significance of the local church. We should LOVE the local church. We should lay down our lives for the local church. We should "eat and breathe" the local church, so to speak. This article makes a good attempt at explaining some of the signifiance of the local church. Read it. Look up the Scripture references. Pray about it. Apply it! The article is, "Pastoral Pensees: The Church-A Hidden Glory (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

Perfect Peace

I just ran across a great prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith, posted by Tim Challies. The prayer is based on Isaiah 26:3-4 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." Here is a link to the prayer.

Enjoy!

Evidence for Christ's resurrection

I ran across a couple blog entries by Michael Patton that give evidence for the resurrection of Christ. You may find them helpful:

Internal evidence for the Resurrection

External evidence for the Resurrection

The Glory that Will Be Revealed

This morning the Lord blessed me with Romans 8:18-21:

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.... the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (NIV)

Paul says something that is vital for us to believe, that the weight of our present sufferings is nothing compared to the weight of the glory that will be revealed in us! Just as creation will be liberated from the curse upon it, so we, as adopted sons of God, have been liberated from the curse contained in the Law, a curse upon anyone who does not do everything written in the Law. Yet it is not obvious to the world that we are the adopted sons of God. However, there is a coming a glorious time when it will be revealed, a time when we will be finally and completely transformed into the image of Christ, both spiritually and bodily! We will be transformed into an existence perfectly suited for face-to-face enjoyment of God Himself! Pray that God opens your eyes to understand more of the great weight of this future glory, and how the weight of our present sufferings is nothing in comparison.

Who shall separate us from Christ's love?

Again this morning I was really blessed by Romans 8, this time by verses 35-39:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be abled to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

These verses acknowledge that we may very very well face trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakendess, danger, or sword. In fact, the Old Testament speaks of facing the threat of being killed for the Lord's sake all day long. The question is, will such things separate us from the love of Christ? The answer is, absolutely not! Instead, in the midst of all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. As was mentioned back in verses 28-30, God has determined a day in the future when He will glorify us, finally and completely conforming us to the likeness of Christ! On that day, all the hardship will come to an end. And as verse 28 indicates, right now God is using the hardship to bring about His plan of conforming us to the likeness of Christ. This is the greatest love, to be freed from sin to stand face-to-face with Christ in holiness and purity, to be freed from sin to truly gaze upon Christ without shame! He is the greatest treasure!

Who will bring any charge against God's elect?

In my devotions yesterday, I was memorizing and meditating upon Rom 8:32-34. I was really blessed by them. Here they are:

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemnds? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (NIV)

Paul raises the same question twice: Who will bring any charge against us? Who condemns us? Notice how he answers. The only person who has the right to condemn us is God the Father and His Son. Yet God, far from condemning us, has justified us, has declared us righteous! And His Son, far from condemning us from the throne of God, is interceding for us from the throne of God! So the implied answer is, no one condems us! Just the opposite is the case! Our judge has justified us and is praying for our well-being as we speak!

Often my flesh and the Evil One condemn me. My thoughts can go wild with self-condemning thoughts. These verses are so useful for combatting such thought patterns.