Happy Thanksgiving!
What are you thankful for?
I’m thankful that God’s is faithful to me. God is gracious to all those who repent and to those He has chosen (past, present, and future). God’s Sovereignty is so beautiful. “God’s dominion is total: He Wills as He chooses and carries out all that He wills, and none can stay His Hand or thwart His plans” (Packer, 1993).
I’m also thankful that my petition to become official on the Davenport University campus is pending acceptance. God is great and whatever happens He will always be great. It reminds me of that movie “Facing the Giants.” After the coach repented and turned his life around, he made a speech to the football team. I love what he said, “If we when we praise Him. If we lose…we praise Him.” God’s worthiness of continuous praise is eternal. God’s Hand is always at work. Even when it does not seem like it. I will still preach the Gospel if I become official on the campus. I will still preach the Gospel if I don’t become official. My life is for Christ. It’s a daily molding process, but I surrender all to Christ. Please keep CCN Davenport in prayer. I want to rock that campus for Jesus Christ. I want to rock other campuses for Jesus Christ. Long live the eternal King Jesus Christ. I’ll leave you with scripture that I live by daily. Remember…
“We are the laborers and God is Sovereign.”
Romans 8:28-39
28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reference
Packer, J.I. (1993). Concise Theology. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishing, Inc.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Psalm 34
Psalm 34
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8O Taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
11Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
13Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
21Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
I was going to only use part of this Psalm, but I couldn’t. The whole context of it all makes sense; only using a section takes the meaning out of it. The psalmist was proclaiming the Lord continually with his mouth. We have to stand up for what’s right. The only thing that is right is the Lord. The Lord is the only perfect thing in existence.
The psalmist only boasted in the Lord. I love the way God works. He died so He could take the credit. What better way to Glorify His name. No way can there be boasting outside of God. Only in Christ there is boasting. Boasting that we are forgiven, boasting we are redeemed, and boasting that He still loves us. We can’t get to Heaven on our own. No works will do, but only repentance and putting your full trust in Christ. When we go to Heaven we will be only praising and worshiping the Lord for what He did. Not what we did.
Once one taste and see the Lord they will never be the same. I know from experience. Those who find refuge will be blessed. You will be holy and you will have joy that can only be found in the Lord. This joy can’t be found in money, sex, porn, drugs, fame, or any earthly form. It will only be found at the foot of the cross, with complete humility and surrender.
When you surrender your all you know what the Fear of the Lord is.
Luke 12:5
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”
What beauty we have in a promise that once we repent we escape Hell. What we have in a God that truly judges righteously and just. We fear the Lord because He is the Creator and finisher of everything. Also there is wisdom in the Fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.
Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.
*It should be noted that no man can fear the Lord if he/she does not know the Lord. If you do not fear the Lord reevaluate your faith to take if you are in the faith.
I love that the Lord redeems His servants. A beautiful promise from God. Our work is not in vain. Are service is met with sacrificial love that has redeem us from the curse of the law. If we are truly saved we have Fear in the Lord and we are redeemed. There is so much to be said from that. That’s why I said context. If you look and search in the Word you get deeper and deeper. There is much that we can learn from God. Some people think when you get saved that’s it and study prophecy and other things. When you truly study the cross you can spend your entire life studying it. The beauty of the cross, the victory of the cross, the meaning of the cross, the wages of the cross, and so much more.
Please study the complexity of the cross. Your jaw will drop and your heart will swell. It will fill you with humility. The cross will make the strong cry and the weak lift their head in strength. The Lord is near the broken hearted, and the humble. The Lord will break the hardest of hearts so that He can get all the Glory. He deserves all the Glory and Honor. Remember we are the servants and God is Sovereign.
Romans 8:28-39
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8O Taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
11Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
13Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
21Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
I was going to only use part of this Psalm, but I couldn’t. The whole context of it all makes sense; only using a section takes the meaning out of it. The psalmist was proclaiming the Lord continually with his mouth. We have to stand up for what’s right. The only thing that is right is the Lord. The Lord is the only perfect thing in existence.
The psalmist only boasted in the Lord. I love the way God works. He died so He could take the credit. What better way to Glorify His name. No way can there be boasting outside of God. Only in Christ there is boasting. Boasting that we are forgiven, boasting we are redeemed, and boasting that He still loves us. We can’t get to Heaven on our own. No works will do, but only repentance and putting your full trust in Christ. When we go to Heaven we will be only praising and worshiping the Lord for what He did. Not what we did.
Once one taste and see the Lord they will never be the same. I know from experience. Those who find refuge will be blessed. You will be holy and you will have joy that can only be found in the Lord. This joy can’t be found in money, sex, porn, drugs, fame, or any earthly form. It will only be found at the foot of the cross, with complete humility and surrender.
When you surrender your all you know what the Fear of the Lord is.
Luke 12:5
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”
What beauty we have in a promise that once we repent we escape Hell. What we have in a God that truly judges righteously and just. We fear the Lord because He is the Creator and finisher of everything. Also there is wisdom in the Fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.
Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.
*It should be noted that no man can fear the Lord if he/she does not know the Lord. If you do not fear the Lord reevaluate your faith to take if you are in the faith.
I love that the Lord redeems His servants. A beautiful promise from God. Our work is not in vain. Are service is met with sacrificial love that has redeem us from the curse of the law. If we are truly saved we have Fear in the Lord and we are redeemed. There is so much to be said from that. That’s why I said context. If you look and search in the Word you get deeper and deeper. There is much that we can learn from God. Some people think when you get saved that’s it and study prophecy and other things. When you truly study the cross you can spend your entire life studying it. The beauty of the cross, the victory of the cross, the meaning of the cross, the wages of the cross, and so much more.
Please study the complexity of the cross. Your jaw will drop and your heart will swell. It will fill you with humility. The cross will make the strong cry and the weak lift their head in strength. The Lord is near the broken hearted, and the humble. The Lord will break the hardest of hearts so that He can get all the Glory. He deserves all the Glory and Honor. Remember we are the servants and God is Sovereign.
Romans 8:28-39
Monday, November 10, 2008
Creation vs. Evolution
Finally...finally I have the video up.
Here I am teaching on Creation vs. Evolution. Fun...fun!
Have fun watching this, I had fun editing it. I get anxious when preaching/teaching anything about God.
It’s close to 20 minutes, so sit back and relax.
Do the Lord's work is awesome, and a lot of work.
"We are the laborers and God is Sovereign."
Thursday, November 6, 2008
How Could God Do This to Us?
Everyday I check my mail. Wondering what I will would get. Like all of us we want something good, something that can benefit us for eternity. I received an email from Desiring God, written by John Piper. Everyday I think of the Sovereignty of God. Everyday I get more and more in awe. I get these mixed feelings of confusion and humility. This could only bring one to their knees. If not, too tears, if not that, make sure you are right with God.
Everyday I thank God for His Sovereignty. Everyday I thank Him for being Faithful to me, even when I’m not. This was a really hard thing to say at first, “Lord, thank You for being Faithful to me.” Especially when I have fallen face first into sin and know that without Jesus Christ I’m nothing but a dead man. “Lord, thank You for being Faithful to me.” Oh, how much that hurts and oh, how good it feels. To know that the Living God, the Living Christ is Faithful to us, for what? For His Glory!
God is Merciful more than we can imagine, how that brings me to tears. WHY.....for His Glory! The Lord is Faithful, yes indeed. The following is the indirect email I got from John Piper:
How Could God Do This to Us?
Posted: 01 Nov 2008 02:34 AM CDT
(Author: John Piper)
Thursday in Minneapolis it was so gorgeous walking home I thought: I should write a post on how astonishing it is that no earthquake swallowed up this city today.
Instead God sent warmth and crystal skies and cool breezes and golden leaves and hanging sea gulls over Elliot Park.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing!
We deserved the 52-story IDS tower to fall, and bridges to collapse, and poisonous gas to kill thousands. But instead God gave us over-the-top foretastes of heaven.
This is why everyone is crying out, where was God on Thursday! Where were you God! How could you do this? Why did you let this happen?
Everybody is saying that, aren't they?
Lord, thank You for being Faithful! Here’s a prayer I feel I should say:
Father, I thank You that we are able to come before you. Something we don’t deserve, but whom do we have in Heaven but Jesus Christ. I thank You for bringing us home safely; instead we could be died on the side of the road. Thank You for being Faithful and helping me stay away from sin that hinders my walk with You. I’m humbled by the smallest things, because You are at work in everything (Romans 8:28). For every sun ray and every drop of rain, there You are. For every smiling, for every distress, there you are. All for Your Glory. Father, thank You for being Faithful to us with every little thing and big thing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Remember “we are the laborers and God is Sovereign.” Like in Romans 8:28 everything happens for a reason, and it happens for the Glory of God. God Bless.
Everyday I thank God for His Sovereignty. Everyday I thank Him for being Faithful to me, even when I’m not. This was a really hard thing to say at first, “Lord, thank You for being Faithful to me.” Especially when I have fallen face first into sin and know that without Jesus Christ I’m nothing but a dead man. “Lord, thank You for being Faithful to me.” Oh, how much that hurts and oh, how good it feels. To know that the Living God, the Living Christ is Faithful to us, for what? For His Glory!
God is Merciful more than we can imagine, how that brings me to tears. WHY.....for His Glory! The Lord is Faithful, yes indeed. The following is the indirect email I got from John Piper:
How Could God Do This to Us?
Posted: 01 Nov 2008 02:34 AM CDT
(Author: John Piper)
Thursday in Minneapolis it was so gorgeous walking home I thought: I should write a post on how astonishing it is that no earthquake swallowed up this city today.
Instead God sent warmth and crystal skies and cool breezes and golden leaves and hanging sea gulls over Elliot Park.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing!
We deserved the 52-story IDS tower to fall, and bridges to collapse, and poisonous gas to kill thousands. But instead God gave us over-the-top foretastes of heaven.
This is why everyone is crying out, where was God on Thursday! Where were you God! How could you do this? Why did you let this happen?
Everybody is saying that, aren't they?
Lord, thank You for being Faithful! Here’s a prayer I feel I should say:
Father, I thank You that we are able to come before you. Something we don’t deserve, but whom do we have in Heaven but Jesus Christ. I thank You for bringing us home safely; instead we could be died on the side of the road. Thank You for being Faithful and helping me stay away from sin that hinders my walk with You. I’m humbled by the smallest things, because You are at work in everything (Romans 8:28). For every sun ray and every drop of rain, there You are. For every smiling, for every distress, there you are. All for Your Glory. Father, thank You for being Faithful to us with every little thing and big thing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Remember “we are the laborers and God is Sovereign.” Like in Romans 8:28 everything happens for a reason, and it happens for the Glory of God. God Bless.
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