Monday – Luke 1.26-38; Matthew 1.18-23; Luke 2.22-35
Meditation: What is Christmas about? Why is it such an important day? What are we supposed to think about or rejoice in in the midst of all our festivities? Well, on the first Christmas, God made sure we knew exactly why this was going to be such a blessed time. We’ll look this week at why God says the child Jesus is going to be so important that we would celebrate his birth unlike any other birth in human history.
Tuesday – Luke 1.26-38
Meditation: Jesus is the sinless Son of God. We are just the opposite - neither sinless nor naturally his children. The wickedness of the human heart has separated us from God and his will. The amazing thing about Christmas is that God sends his own son to purchase our pardon and to make us his children. Jesus comes as the forever king, the one who will reign in a righteousness that we could never have. This isn’t just a child in a manger bed; this is the son of God come to take on his reign over all the earth. Does he reign in your heart?
Wednesday – Matthew 1.18-23
Meditation: Jesus is our savior. We must understand: our sins have brought us death. They have separated us from God. That is why the angels shout with such joy that there is being born a Savior. It is Jesus who will bring us peace. Not just peace from war, or peace about who we are, he brings peace between ourselves and God. He removes the guilt of sin and replaces it with a salvation. Think this Christmas about how different your life would be if you were still dead in your sin, blind to the truth. You still would be - were it not for Jesus who brings us a salvation we should never have known.
Thursday – Luke 2.22-35
Meditation: Jesus is our death and our life. Simeon rejoices when he sees Jesus because he knows this child is the “consolation of Israel”. Burdened by sin, guilty before God, you and I trudge along a path of destruction. Without hope and without God. Jesus was sent to fix that. But the fix comes not with our praise or encouragement, but with our death. The baby in the manger carries in his right hand a sword able to break the sin-crusted rock of our hearts and kill the old us. Yet the amazing thing about the work of God is that it is that death that brings us life. He is our consolation, our peace, our hope. Jesus is our salvation. Remember this week, you don’t celebrate a baby there to coo and bring joy, you celebrate the Son of God who comes to kill you…that you might truly live.
Friday – Luke 1.26-38; Matthew 1.18-23; Luke 2.22-35
Meditation: What is the content of your Christmas? Why are we to be so excited at the birth of Jesus? God has shown us exactly why: Jesus changes everything. God tells us in Luke 2.35 that Jesus reveals our hearts. What does he reveal about you? Are you alive? Praise God for Christ who made you what you shouldn’t be. Is your heart still dead? You see the Savior there. Know his story and his name, why don’t you find out about his purpose, his mission, his salvation. That’s what this baby in the manger is bringing to sinners just like you and me.
Saturday – Luke 2.1-52
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Dec. 19th – Dec. 24th)
Monday – Luke 1.5-44; Luke 2.22-38; Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: How is a Christian supposed to prepare for Christmas? It’s a special time in the life of the Christian, a time where we celebrate the birth of our Savior. What is that supposed to look like? This week, we’ll take a look at how the Bible describes the expectations of the first Christmas. We will try and capture those same expectations to make sure that our Christmas time is one filled with praise of God in Christ.
Tuesday – Luke 1.5-44
Meditation: Christmas is a time of great rejoicing and it is appropriate for the Christian home to be a place of celebration during the Christmas season. Yet the rejoicing and praise in the Christmas story is always centered on a central truth: the coming of the Savior. We must be careful that we don’t just fill our houses with joy, but rather joy with a focus, a foundation – Jesus Christ. How joyous is your house during the Christmas season? Is that joy centered around gifts and family and fun or is it built on a foundation of the coming of Christ. Good Christian men and women rejoice, but rejoice in a way that rest of the world can mimic but never duplicate – a rejoicing centered on Jesus.
Wednesday – Luke 2.22-38
Meditation: It might seem obvious, but one way we can anticipate the Christmas season is to anticipate it. Too often the time can be rushed or hurried and before we know it, Christmas is over. We anticipate so much and fill our time with so many things it is odd at how easily Jesus and thinking about him can be left out. What if I sat and contemplated Jesus as much as I did that perfect gift? What if I searched for him as hard as I did that ultimate sale? Our Christmas season would be a hundred times more enjoyable if our greatest anticipation centered on Jesus. Take the rest of the day today and get rid of all the holiday trappings. Maybe it will be an hour or just 30 minutes, but take some time to think of nothing but who Jesus is and what his birth means for you.
Thursday – Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: Christmas is also a time of worship. We are not celebrating the Christmas season rightly if our hearts are not drawn to worship Christ. Take that as a good barometer for your Christmas season. How much has your heart been drawn to God during this time? In Matthew even these pagans know what Christmas is about and they endanger life and limb to come and worship him. Pray that this week would be a time of worship for you. You have been given so much by God. Here in Jesus we see that all his promises aren’t just so much fluff. Here we see his promises made flesh. What a great reason to worship.
Friday – Luke 1.5-44; Luke 2.22-38; Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: We’ve seen the heart of the Christmas season this week. Look back at these stories and compare their anticipation to your own. Their focus to yours. Their actions to your own. Where is your joy, your anticipation, your worship? Christmas is coming. It’s not too late to set your heart on him.
Saturday – Luke 2.1-52
Meditation: How is a Christian supposed to prepare for Christmas? It’s a special time in the life of the Christian, a time where we celebrate the birth of our Savior. What is that supposed to look like? This week, we’ll take a look at how the Bible describes the expectations of the first Christmas. We will try and capture those same expectations to make sure that our Christmas time is one filled with praise of God in Christ.
Tuesday – Luke 1.5-44
Meditation: Christmas is a time of great rejoicing and it is appropriate for the Christian home to be a place of celebration during the Christmas season. Yet the rejoicing and praise in the Christmas story is always centered on a central truth: the coming of the Savior. We must be careful that we don’t just fill our houses with joy, but rather joy with a focus, a foundation – Jesus Christ. How joyous is your house during the Christmas season? Is that joy centered around gifts and family and fun or is it built on a foundation of the coming of Christ. Good Christian men and women rejoice, but rejoice in a way that rest of the world can mimic but never duplicate – a rejoicing centered on Jesus.
Wednesday – Luke 2.22-38
Meditation: It might seem obvious, but one way we can anticipate the Christmas season is to anticipate it. Too often the time can be rushed or hurried and before we know it, Christmas is over. We anticipate so much and fill our time with so many things it is odd at how easily Jesus and thinking about him can be left out. What if I sat and contemplated Jesus as much as I did that perfect gift? What if I searched for him as hard as I did that ultimate sale? Our Christmas season would be a hundred times more enjoyable if our greatest anticipation centered on Jesus. Take the rest of the day today and get rid of all the holiday trappings. Maybe it will be an hour or just 30 minutes, but take some time to think of nothing but who Jesus is and what his birth means for you.
Thursday – Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: Christmas is also a time of worship. We are not celebrating the Christmas season rightly if our hearts are not drawn to worship Christ. Take that as a good barometer for your Christmas season. How much has your heart been drawn to God during this time? In Matthew even these pagans know what Christmas is about and they endanger life and limb to come and worship him. Pray that this week would be a time of worship for you. You have been given so much by God. Here in Jesus we see that all his promises aren’t just so much fluff. Here we see his promises made flesh. What a great reason to worship.
Friday – Luke 1.5-44; Luke 2.22-38; Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: We’ve seen the heart of the Christmas season this week. Look back at these stories and compare their anticipation to your own. Their focus to yours. Their actions to your own. Where is your joy, your anticipation, your worship? Christmas is coming. It’s not too late to set your heart on him.
Saturday – Luke 2.1-52
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (December 11th-17th)
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (December 11th-17th)
Monday –John 14
This week we will look at the final section of John 14. Jesus has come to make a new race of people who are loyal to God. This race though will not be defined by skin color or any other outward marks but will be distinguished by certain traits that are nonetheless as obvious as external marks. Make it a point to examine your life this week in light of these distinguishing marks of God’s people.
Tuesday –John 14.15-31; 1 John 5.2-3
The first mark of God’s people is that they will be filled with love for God. This love will be manifest not through mere lip service but will be seen as they keep God’s commands. Jesus says three times in this passage that love for God is defined by obedience to God’s word. This includes more than just the ethical stipulation. It means that God’s people will have a love for all of God’s word. They will delight in keeping God’s commands b/c of their great love for God. This obedience is not spurred on simply by duty but comes from a grateful heart for God’s great love given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Does your life demonstrate that you love God? Pray that God would give you a greater love for him?
Wednesday – John 14.15-31; Acts 1.8; Joel 2.28-29
A second mark of the new people of God is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The greatest distinction between the Old Testament people of God (Israel) and the New Testament people of God (the church) is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus leaving his disciples will be better for them than if he stays on this earth for having the Spirit of Christ living inside is far greater than walking with Christ physically on this earth. The Spirit will do a great work inside of God’s people as he carries on the ministry of Christ among the church. He will bring us life, give understanding of God’s word and will transform our lives so that they conform to the image of Christ. If you are a child of God, know today that God’s Spirit lives inside you and is working in your life. What a wonderful blessing and gift from our great God and Father!
Thursday – John 14.15-31; Romans 8.12-17
A third mark of the church is adoption into the family of God. While Jesus is physically leaving his disciples, he gives them a promise that he will not leave them as orphans. A child without parents is vulnerable to many dangers for he cannot care for or defend himself. Christ’s people never have to worry about being left helpless in this world for he will never forsake us. He will not leave us as orphans. What a wonderful promise to carry in our hearts and minds throughout a life filled with difficulty and sorrow! Even on our deathbeds, we can know for sure that our God will never leave us defenseless but is always present with us even during the darkest of hours. Praise God today for bringing you into his family and always caring for us as a Father cares for his child.
Friday – John 14.15-31
A final mark of God’s new people is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Jesus gives to his disciples peace in the midst of uncertain days that will be filled with confusion, doubt and fears. They can face these trying days with a peace that it sure. Christ’s peace is unlike the peace of the world for his peace is lasting and comes from his own blood that was shed on the cross. This peace has also been given to us. The world talks a lot about peace, yet our world is never able to secure any lasting peace. However, God’s children can know a real peace. We can have peace with God, others and ourselves b/c of what Christ has done for us on the cross. Praise God for bringing about peace in our lives and seek to make God’s peace known to others this week through the preaching of the gospel.
Saturday – John 15
Tomorrow we will gather as a people to worship our great God. Pray that God would speak to you through his word. Pray that you would submit to the King of Kings as he speaks to you in worship tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Podcast Now Available
The podcast for this Sunday's sermon (December 4th) is now available.
"When World's Collide: Jesus Vs. Oprah"
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com
"When World's Collide: Jesus Vs. Oprah"
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com
Monday, December 5, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (December 4th-10th)
Monday – John 14.1-31
This week we will look at the second section of John 14. Jesus will make several statements that will show his uniqueness over and above all religious leaders of all times. He makes statements that show he was far more than just a spiritual man, but was indeed God in the flesh. The truths we see this week regarding Christ are the very bedrock of our faith. Pray that these truths would be solidified in our church and in your mind this week.
Tuesday – John 14.4-14; Acts 4.12; Romans 1.16
Jesus is the way to the Father. Many religious leaders over the course of human history have taught about how to get to God, but no one has ever made a claim as radical as that of Jesus. He is not simply telling people how to get to the Father. He is saying that access to the Father comes only through Him. Any attempt to reach God or gain eternal life that comes outside of Jesus Christ is futile and will only lead to destruction. While this exclusivity is not popular in our day, it is central to the message of Christianity and is a truth we must hold fast.
Wednesday – John 14.4-14; Colossians 1.15-20
Jesus is the revealer of the Father. His teaching and ministry are doing more than just explaining to people what God is like. His very life is an exact representation of the Father so that to see him is to see the Father. This is an amazing statement for Jesus is claiming equality with the Father. This truth is crucial to the Christian faith. In order to be saved, one must confess that Jesus was more than just a man. He was God in the flesh. Anything less than this is to deny the core of our faith.
Thursday – John 14.4-14; Ephesians 3.1-13
Jesus is the sharer of the Father. Jesus says that those who have faith will do the same works that the Father has done through Him. What’s more is that they will do even greater works b/c Jesus is returning to the Father. This does not mean that the disciples will do more spectacular works but that the message they will carry will have more clarity b/c it will come after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. What is amazing is that Jesus’ followers will share in his life and his work. God will work through them just as he worked through Christ to bring glory to His name. Do you see this truth in your life? Does your life display the continuation of the work of Christ?
Friday – John 14.4-14; Matthew 6.9-15
Another aspect of the lives of the disciples will be prayer. After Jesus returns to the Father, the disciples will have a new access to prayer. Prayer will be one of the great gifts and commands that Christ will give his people. Jesus promises that he will answer the prayers of his people that are asked in his name. This means that prayers that seek to bring glory to the Father will be answered by Christ. Anything we ask in his name will be answered by Christ. What a great promise and invitation! Do you find yourself taking advantage of this great privilege? If we are to be a people that bring glory to God by continuing the ministry of Christ on this earth, we must be a people who pray fervently.
Saturday – John 14.1-31
Look over the meditations from this week. Was there any truth that stood out to you in particular? Pray God would instill the truths from John 14 in your heart and mind. Tomorrow we will look at the final section from John 14. Pray that God would speak to you through the preaching of His word tomorrow.
This week we will look at the second section of John 14. Jesus will make several statements that will show his uniqueness over and above all religious leaders of all times. He makes statements that show he was far more than just a spiritual man, but was indeed God in the flesh. The truths we see this week regarding Christ are the very bedrock of our faith. Pray that these truths would be solidified in our church and in your mind this week.
Tuesday – John 14.4-14; Acts 4.12; Romans 1.16
Jesus is the way to the Father. Many religious leaders over the course of human history have taught about how to get to God, but no one has ever made a claim as radical as that of Jesus. He is not simply telling people how to get to the Father. He is saying that access to the Father comes only through Him. Any attempt to reach God or gain eternal life that comes outside of Jesus Christ is futile and will only lead to destruction. While this exclusivity is not popular in our day, it is central to the message of Christianity and is a truth we must hold fast.
Wednesday – John 14.4-14; Colossians 1.15-20
Jesus is the revealer of the Father. His teaching and ministry are doing more than just explaining to people what God is like. His very life is an exact representation of the Father so that to see him is to see the Father. This is an amazing statement for Jesus is claiming equality with the Father. This truth is crucial to the Christian faith. In order to be saved, one must confess that Jesus was more than just a man. He was God in the flesh. Anything less than this is to deny the core of our faith.
Thursday – John 14.4-14; Ephesians 3.1-13
Jesus is the sharer of the Father. Jesus says that those who have faith will do the same works that the Father has done through Him. What’s more is that they will do even greater works b/c Jesus is returning to the Father. This does not mean that the disciples will do more spectacular works but that the message they will carry will have more clarity b/c it will come after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. What is amazing is that Jesus’ followers will share in his life and his work. God will work through them just as he worked through Christ to bring glory to His name. Do you see this truth in your life? Does your life display the continuation of the work of Christ?
Friday – John 14.4-14; Matthew 6.9-15
Another aspect of the lives of the disciples will be prayer. After Jesus returns to the Father, the disciples will have a new access to prayer. Prayer will be one of the great gifts and commands that Christ will give his people. Jesus promises that he will answer the prayers of his people that are asked in his name. This means that prayers that seek to bring glory to the Father will be answered by Christ. Anything we ask in his name will be answered by Christ. What a great promise and invitation! Do you find yourself taking advantage of this great privilege? If we are to be a people that bring glory to God by continuing the ministry of Christ on this earth, we must be a people who pray fervently.
Saturday – John 14.1-31
Look over the meditations from this week. Was there any truth that stood out to you in particular? Pray God would instill the truths from John 14 in your heart and mind. Tomorrow we will look at the final section from John 14. Pray that God would speak to you through the preaching of His word tomorrow.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Podcast Now Available!
The podcast for this Sunday's sermon (November 27th) is now available!
"The Cure For the Troubled Soul (John 14:1-3)"
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com/
"The Cure For the Troubled Soul (John 14:1-3)"
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com/
Book Club
We are starting Book Club!
Book: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Sunday nights at 6pm in Fellowship Hall (excluding December 4th)
All are welcome...great fellowship and snacks...don't need to read the book to have a good time and be encouraged in your Christian walk
Christmas Train!
We will be going to the Christmas Train on December 4th! We will be leaving the church at 4:30 so we can make it there by 6:00.
Tickets have come in - pick them up from Chris or Jerry
Make checks out to FBC Beggs - write Christmas Train on check memo line
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Nov. 28th-Dec. 3rd )
Monday –John 14.1-3
This week we will look at the first section of John 14. Jesus has just told his disciples very troubling news. He will leave them soon. He is going to die. One of them will betray him, and Peter is going to deny him. This causes a very somber mood to fall upon their evening, but Jesus seeing that his disciples are troubled in their hearts will offer four encouragements that they might remain faithful during the dark days that are coming. We will find these encouragements to be beneficial as we face a life filled with trials and troubles.
Tuesday –John 14.1-3; Psalm 9.9-10; Psalm 25.1-3
The first directive Jesus gives his disciples is to believe in God and believe in Him. The key to facing difficult days is to trust in God’s sovereignty, wisdom and power. The disciples will be tempted to believe that God is not in control of the events that will transpire over the next few days. They need to trust that the Father and Christ are in complete control over all things. We, too, need to trust in God during trying circumstances. The most difficult of days can be faced with confidence and hope when we look to God in faith. We must not focus upon our difficult situations but upon a God who is ‘greater than all.’
Wednesday – John 14.1-3; Revelation 21.1-8
A second aspect of facing troubling times is an understanding that ‘in the Father’s house are many rooms.’ The focus of this statement is not on the lavishness of each individual room but on the intimacy his disciples will have with the Father and the spaciousness of His house. One of the great hopes of the Christian life is the reality that those who trust in Christ will spend their life and their eternity in a relationship with God. The disciples need not worry about being excluded from heaven for there is ample room for all who believe. This, too, is a great hope for us—the reality that we will spend all of eternity living in the Father’s house. Praise God and Christ for bringing this great blessing about!
Thursday – John 14.1-3; Habakkuk 1.13; Hebrews 10.19-22
A third source of comfort for dark days is the fact that Jesus has ‘prepared a place’ for us. It is better for the disciples if Jesus leaves b/c when he does he will prepare a place for them. Preparing a place does not mean that Jesus is going to heaven to finish building it for us but instead means that he is preparing a way for us to go to heaven. Scripture is clear that sinful man cannot dwell in the presences of a holy God, yet we believe that we will one day go and live in the very presences of God. This is why Jesus must go and prepare a place for us. He does this by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. By doing so, he opens up access for us to live with Him in His Father’s house forever.
Friday – John 14.1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11
A final cause for hope during trying times is the certainty of Jesus’ return. He tells his disciples that after he goes and prepares a place for them he will return to get them and take them to be with Him. Jesus will not forsake his people. He will return for them. It is inconceivable that having gone through all the difficulty to reconcile man and God that Jesus would not bring it to its consummation. He will return for his bride and take his people to heaven with him. What a wonderful truth to sustain us during difficulty! No matter how hard life gets, we can always take comfort in knowing that this world is not the end for us. We are destined for an eternity with God and Christ.
Saturday – John 14
Pray that God would speak to you through the preaching of His word tomorrow
This week we will look at the first section of John 14. Jesus has just told his disciples very troubling news. He will leave them soon. He is going to die. One of them will betray him, and Peter is going to deny him. This causes a very somber mood to fall upon their evening, but Jesus seeing that his disciples are troubled in their hearts will offer four encouragements that they might remain faithful during the dark days that are coming. We will find these encouragements to be beneficial as we face a life filled with trials and troubles.
Tuesday –John 14.1-3; Psalm 9.9-10; Psalm 25.1-3
The first directive Jesus gives his disciples is to believe in God and believe in Him. The key to facing difficult days is to trust in God’s sovereignty, wisdom and power. The disciples will be tempted to believe that God is not in control of the events that will transpire over the next few days. They need to trust that the Father and Christ are in complete control over all things. We, too, need to trust in God during trying circumstances. The most difficult of days can be faced with confidence and hope when we look to God in faith. We must not focus upon our difficult situations but upon a God who is ‘greater than all.’
Wednesday – John 14.1-3; Revelation 21.1-8
A second aspect of facing troubling times is an understanding that ‘in the Father’s house are many rooms.’ The focus of this statement is not on the lavishness of each individual room but on the intimacy his disciples will have with the Father and the spaciousness of His house. One of the great hopes of the Christian life is the reality that those who trust in Christ will spend their life and their eternity in a relationship with God. The disciples need not worry about being excluded from heaven for there is ample room for all who believe. This, too, is a great hope for us—the reality that we will spend all of eternity living in the Father’s house. Praise God and Christ for bringing this great blessing about!
Thursday – John 14.1-3; Habakkuk 1.13; Hebrews 10.19-22
A third source of comfort for dark days is the fact that Jesus has ‘prepared a place’ for us. It is better for the disciples if Jesus leaves b/c when he does he will prepare a place for them. Preparing a place does not mean that Jesus is going to heaven to finish building it for us but instead means that he is preparing a way for us to go to heaven. Scripture is clear that sinful man cannot dwell in the presences of a holy God, yet we believe that we will one day go and live in the very presences of God. This is why Jesus must go and prepare a place for us. He does this by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. By doing so, he opens up access for us to live with Him in His Father’s house forever.
Friday – John 14.1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11
A final cause for hope during trying times is the certainty of Jesus’ return. He tells his disciples that after he goes and prepares a place for them he will return to get them and take them to be with Him. Jesus will not forsake his people. He will return for them. It is inconceivable that having gone through all the difficulty to reconcile man and God that Jesus would not bring it to its consummation. He will return for his bride and take his people to heaven with him. What a wonderful truth to sustain us during difficulty! No matter how hard life gets, we can always take comfort in knowing that this world is not the end for us. We are destined for an eternity with God and Christ.
Saturday – John 14
Pray that God would speak to you through the preaching of His word tomorrow
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Daily Bible Reading Guide (Nov. 21st – Nov. 26th)
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Nov. 21st – Nov. 26th)
Monday – John 13.31-38
Meditation: What is the mark of a true Christian? What quality/characteristic would I find to tell me “Hey, this person is a Christian!”? We’ll look this week at what Jesus says every Christian must possess. Are you a Christian? What about your family, friends? Then you and they must have the marks of genuine faith: love for one another.
Tuesday – John 13.31-38; 1 John 3.14; 1 John 4.7-8
Meditation: Jesus gives us a new command in this passage. His command: love one another. We always want to know what a Christian should look like, and here Jesus tells us – a Christian will love other Christians. This teaching from Jesus about the importance of loving one another will be found repeatedly in the rest of the New Testament. To be a Christian is to love other Christians – that is what Jesus tells us. How about you? When you look at your life do you see the type of love that Jesus says will be there?
Wednesday – John 13.31-38; Matthew 5.23-24; 1 Corinthians 6.7; 1 John 5.2
Meditation: We like to define love. And we often define it whatever way best fits us. What does loving the Christian look like? Well we aren’t supposed to just come up with our own definition. Scripture gives us guidelines on what real love looks like, and not surprisingly it looks a lot like how Jesus lived – humble and not self-seeking. When there are disagreements, what does the Bible say we must do? “Be reconciled.” Not go somewhere else. Not avoid. Be reconciled. But what if we are right? “Be wronged, be cheated.” Why? Because our love for one another is more important than any minor issue of saving face. In the end, it’s not about you – it’s bigger than you and bigger than me. It’s about the gospel and the type of love that the bride of Christ must possess. Is this the love you show to other Christians?
Thursday – John 13.31-38, esp. v. 35
Meditation: Why is God so adamant that we fix our relationships and that love be obvious in our fellowship? Why does he tell us to seek reconciliation and to be wronged if that’s what it takes? Because our love for one another affects the spread of the gospel. The world is watching us and the way they will know we are truly disciples of the Savior is by our love for one another. Why doesn’t the world believe? Maybe it’s because what’s supposed to convince them isn’t there. Or maybe its been covered up by things we think will convince them even more. Yet God tells us, “You want the world to believe? Then love one another.” Would you say your love for others is helping or hurting the spread of the gospel?
Friday – John 13.18-30; 1 Peter 2.3; 1 Peter 4.8
Meditation: What drives us to this type of love? Seeing and understanding the love of Christ for us. A love that is powerful enough to promise us eternity (“you will follow afterward” – v. 36) and a love greater than our disloyalty (ex. Peter). It is a “grace that is greater than all our sin” and we must show that same grace to all within the family of God. Not because they deserve it or have earned it, but because we didn’t either and yet by the grace of God love is what we got anyway. Praise God. Bring him glory – by loving one another.
Saturday – John 14.1-31
Monday – John 13.31-38
Meditation: What is the mark of a true Christian? What quality/characteristic would I find to tell me “Hey, this person is a Christian!”? We’ll look this week at what Jesus says every Christian must possess. Are you a Christian? What about your family, friends? Then you and they must have the marks of genuine faith: love for one another.
Tuesday – John 13.31-38; 1 John 3.14; 1 John 4.7-8
Meditation: Jesus gives us a new command in this passage. His command: love one another. We always want to know what a Christian should look like, and here Jesus tells us – a Christian will love other Christians. This teaching from Jesus about the importance of loving one another will be found repeatedly in the rest of the New Testament. To be a Christian is to love other Christians – that is what Jesus tells us. How about you? When you look at your life do you see the type of love that Jesus says will be there?
Wednesday – John 13.31-38; Matthew 5.23-24; 1 Corinthians 6.7; 1 John 5.2
Meditation: We like to define love. And we often define it whatever way best fits us. What does loving the Christian look like? Well we aren’t supposed to just come up with our own definition. Scripture gives us guidelines on what real love looks like, and not surprisingly it looks a lot like how Jesus lived – humble and not self-seeking. When there are disagreements, what does the Bible say we must do? “Be reconciled.” Not go somewhere else. Not avoid. Be reconciled. But what if we are right? “Be wronged, be cheated.” Why? Because our love for one another is more important than any minor issue of saving face. In the end, it’s not about you – it’s bigger than you and bigger than me. It’s about the gospel and the type of love that the bride of Christ must possess. Is this the love you show to other Christians?
Thursday – John 13.31-38, esp. v. 35
Meditation: Why is God so adamant that we fix our relationships and that love be obvious in our fellowship? Why does he tell us to seek reconciliation and to be wronged if that’s what it takes? Because our love for one another affects the spread of the gospel. The world is watching us and the way they will know we are truly disciples of the Savior is by our love for one another. Why doesn’t the world believe? Maybe it’s because what’s supposed to convince them isn’t there. Or maybe its been covered up by things we think will convince them even more. Yet God tells us, “You want the world to believe? Then love one another.” Would you say your love for others is helping or hurting the spread of the gospel?
Friday – John 13.18-30; 1 Peter 2.3; 1 Peter 4.8
Meditation: What drives us to this type of love? Seeing and understanding the love of Christ for us. A love that is powerful enough to promise us eternity (“you will follow afterward” – v. 36) and a love greater than our disloyalty (ex. Peter). It is a “grace that is greater than all our sin” and we must show that same grace to all within the family of God. Not because they deserve it or have earned it, but because we didn’t either and yet by the grace of God love is what we got anyway. Praise God. Bring him glory – by loving one another.
Saturday – John 14.1-31
Monday, November 21, 2011
November 20th Sermon Available!
This week's sermon titled "On Loving and Leaving: Washed Feet and Wayward Believers [part 2]" is now available to download!
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com/
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com/
Monday, June 6, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (June 6th – June 11th)
Monday – John 6.1-71
Meditation: What do you want? Do you want to be satisfied or do you want to be saved? That is the question that this passage lays out. The answer, Christ tells us, comes only from the bread of life. He is the bread of life. If we want anything in this life, it comes from him. Is Christ the bread of your life? Is he your satisfaction? Or are you still trying to find pleasure in the things this world has to offer?
Tuesday – John 6.36-71; Luke 8.4-15
Meditation: How do you know if you shared the gospel right? What proves to you that you didn’t mess up? Jesus makes one thing clear: don’t grade your performance on peoples’ responses. Here Jesus gives a clear gospel message, and is in fact the gospel living right before their eyes. This is perfect evangelism. Yet what happens, the entire crowd leaves him. Fifteen thousand people walk away. We think if one person isn’t convinced by our witness we are a failure. Take hope in the same thing Christ did; he knows the Father is working, his job is to just do his will. Share the gospel, not judging your success on the people who flock to follow you, but on doing the Father’s will. You’ll find more happiness in that than you will 500 false conversions.
Wednesday – John 6.36-71; John 17.14-17
Meditation: This world does not like the gospel. But that doesn’t mean we should back down from the truth. When the crowds respond negatively to Christ, he doesn’t change strategies. He continues to give them what they need to hear: “Believe in me to find life.” In the same way, when the world or our friends or family ridicules us, we should not be shocked or swayed. Our hope rests in the truth. That is a foundation that will never be shaken.
Thursday – John 6.36-71
Meditation: What does unbelief look like? Is it the atheist or agnostic? Is it the one who hates the Bible or lives in blatant sin? Jesus shows us here that unbelief is more than that and that’s why it’s so dangerous. Sometimes unbelief reigns in a group that is following Jesus daily. Sometimes it’s even in those who call themselves his disciples. Belief isn’t passive – being in a certain group, claiming a certain title (whether it’s “disciple” or “Christian”). Belief is actively pursuing and consuming Christ – seeing him as your only food, your only satisfaction, your only salvation.
Friday – John 6.36-71; 1 John 5.3
Meditation: Do you have a problem with Jesus? The crowds didn’t believe who he was. They didn’t like what he had to say. What about you? Do you have a problem with him? How can you tell? God tells us to look at our lives. Believing what Jesus says isn’t about just nodding our heads at the right time, or giving an “amen”. It’s demonstrated in our changed lives. Dead lives, lives of unbelief, they look dead. And changed hearts, alive hearts, hearts that believe who Jesus is and what he says, they show it too. Your life testifies what you believe. What is it saying?
Saturday – John 7
Meditation: What do you want? Do you want to be satisfied or do you want to be saved? That is the question that this passage lays out. The answer, Christ tells us, comes only from the bread of life. He is the bread of life. If we want anything in this life, it comes from him. Is Christ the bread of your life? Is he your satisfaction? Or are you still trying to find pleasure in the things this world has to offer?
Tuesday – John 6.36-71; Luke 8.4-15
Meditation: How do you know if you shared the gospel right? What proves to you that you didn’t mess up? Jesus makes one thing clear: don’t grade your performance on peoples’ responses. Here Jesus gives a clear gospel message, and is in fact the gospel living right before their eyes. This is perfect evangelism. Yet what happens, the entire crowd leaves him. Fifteen thousand people walk away. We think if one person isn’t convinced by our witness we are a failure. Take hope in the same thing Christ did; he knows the Father is working, his job is to just do his will. Share the gospel, not judging your success on the people who flock to follow you, but on doing the Father’s will. You’ll find more happiness in that than you will 500 false conversions.
Wednesday – John 6.36-71; John 17.14-17
Meditation: This world does not like the gospel. But that doesn’t mean we should back down from the truth. When the crowds respond negatively to Christ, he doesn’t change strategies. He continues to give them what they need to hear: “Believe in me to find life.” In the same way, when the world or our friends or family ridicules us, we should not be shocked or swayed. Our hope rests in the truth. That is a foundation that will never be shaken.
Thursday – John 6.36-71
Meditation: What does unbelief look like? Is it the atheist or agnostic? Is it the one who hates the Bible or lives in blatant sin? Jesus shows us here that unbelief is more than that and that’s why it’s so dangerous. Sometimes unbelief reigns in a group that is following Jesus daily. Sometimes it’s even in those who call themselves his disciples. Belief isn’t passive – being in a certain group, claiming a certain title (whether it’s “disciple” or “Christian”). Belief is actively pursuing and consuming Christ – seeing him as your only food, your only satisfaction, your only salvation.
Friday – John 6.36-71; 1 John 5.3
Meditation: Do you have a problem with Jesus? The crowds didn’t believe who he was. They didn’t like what he had to say. What about you? Do you have a problem with him? How can you tell? God tells us to look at our lives. Believing what Jesus says isn’t about just nodding our heads at the right time, or giving an “amen”. It’s demonstrated in our changed lives. Dead lives, lives of unbelief, they look dead. And changed hearts, alive hearts, hearts that believe who Jesus is and what he says, they show it too. Your life testifies what you believe. What is it saying?
Saturday – John 7
Monday, April 25, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (April 25th – 30th)
Monday – Luke 22.1-24.53
Meditation: Easter is said to be the greatest day in the Christian calendar. But how do the truths we celebrate at Easter impact the rest of our year? By the grace of God, when Jesus does rise on Easter morn he spends his remaining time here teaching his disciples about this greatest of days and how they are now to live. Pray today that God would make Easter more than a day of celebration, but an event that shapes every day to follow in your new risen life.
Tuesday – Luke 24.13-49; Romans 8.28; John 20.24-29
Meditation: The greatest time in Christian history also seems to have been the most chaotic. The events of the week leading up to Sunday left those how followed Jesus confused and afraid. So when Jesus meets with them, his first response is to remind them that those things were far from chaotic but rather the plans of God. He also reassured them that he was real and that if he was real, so was their salvation. Easter is a time of life back from the dead. A day God promised in Scripture and worked out not in chaos but by his plan, and in that day accomplished our salvation, a salvation just as real as our resurrected Lord.
Wednesday – Luke 24.49; John 16.4-11; Acts 1.8
Meditation: Jesus promises that his departure will be a time of great blessing for us, because he will send the promised Holy Spirit to reside in our hearts. It is the Spirit that will empower us to do all that Christ has called us to do. When Jesus is telling them this he puts extra emphasis on the power of the Spirit to change the hearts of the world. How is that we have the force behind bringing hearts to life residing inside of us and we sit twiddling our thumbs and talking about how ineffective we would be in evangelism?
Thursday – Matthew 28.9-10
Easter is also just a time of great celebration, for God has done great things for us. A time of good news to be spread among all God’s people. A lot of times we can be guilty of celebrating without thinking about what or why we are celebrating. We lose the point of Easter in the midst of celebrating Easter. Make sure you don’t do that. Fill your mind today with what we are celebrating, let no other thought come in but Christ risen for you, and let those thoughts serve as the foundation for your happiness and rejoicing today and for your life.
Friday – Matthew 28.18-20
Meditation: What do we do now that Easter is over? Easter is not the ending of the story but the beginning of the disciples’ task. What is that task? Make disciples. Go, baptize, teach them. This is our new call that springs from the truths that Easter brought to life. Jesus is alive, you are alive, now tell the world how they can live. But how can we possibly be responsible for such a great task? Jesus calms our fears by assuring us, he is with us the whole way. Are you celebrating Easter by living out your new purpose in life? Are you living like Jesus is right there with you? Helping you, guiding you, but also watching all that you do?
Saturday – John 5.1-47
Meditation: Did you celebrate Easter this whole week? Prepare your heart to continue that celebration in worship tomorrow.
Meditation: Easter is said to be the greatest day in the Christian calendar. But how do the truths we celebrate at Easter impact the rest of our year? By the grace of God, when Jesus does rise on Easter morn he spends his remaining time here teaching his disciples about this greatest of days and how they are now to live. Pray today that God would make Easter more than a day of celebration, but an event that shapes every day to follow in your new risen life.
Tuesday – Luke 24.13-49; Romans 8.28; John 20.24-29
Meditation: The greatest time in Christian history also seems to have been the most chaotic. The events of the week leading up to Sunday left those how followed Jesus confused and afraid. So when Jesus meets with them, his first response is to remind them that those things were far from chaotic but rather the plans of God. He also reassured them that he was real and that if he was real, so was their salvation. Easter is a time of life back from the dead. A day God promised in Scripture and worked out not in chaos but by his plan, and in that day accomplished our salvation, a salvation just as real as our resurrected Lord.
Wednesday – Luke 24.49; John 16.4-11; Acts 1.8
Meditation: Jesus promises that his departure will be a time of great blessing for us, because he will send the promised Holy Spirit to reside in our hearts. It is the Spirit that will empower us to do all that Christ has called us to do. When Jesus is telling them this he puts extra emphasis on the power of the Spirit to change the hearts of the world. How is that we have the force behind bringing hearts to life residing inside of us and we sit twiddling our thumbs and talking about how ineffective we would be in evangelism?
Thursday – Matthew 28.9-10
Easter is also just a time of great celebration, for God has done great things for us. A time of good news to be spread among all God’s people. A lot of times we can be guilty of celebrating without thinking about what or why we are celebrating. We lose the point of Easter in the midst of celebrating Easter. Make sure you don’t do that. Fill your mind today with what we are celebrating, let no other thought come in but Christ risen for you, and let those thoughts serve as the foundation for your happiness and rejoicing today and for your life.
Friday – Matthew 28.18-20
Meditation: What do we do now that Easter is over? Easter is not the ending of the story but the beginning of the disciples’ task. What is that task? Make disciples. Go, baptize, teach them. This is our new call that springs from the truths that Easter brought to life. Jesus is alive, you are alive, now tell the world how they can live. But how can we possibly be responsible for such a great task? Jesus calms our fears by assuring us, he is with us the whole way. Are you celebrating Easter by living out your new purpose in life? Are you living like Jesus is right there with you? Helping you, guiding you, but also watching all that you do?
Saturday – John 5.1-47
Meditation: Did you celebrate Easter this whole week? Prepare your heart to continue that celebration in worship tomorrow.
Monday, April 18, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (April 18th – 23rd)
Monday – John 4.43-54
Meditation: “Just give me a sign.” Have you ever asked that of God? Just a little more proof and your faith will be bolstered. You’re not alone. Many people think signs will spur them into greater faith, but “seeking signs” we are going to see is often a sign itself…a sign of unbelief. This week’s lesson isn’t a focus on sign-seeking but rather the problem of unbelief that plagued the nation of Israel and that plagues the world today. Do you believe? That’s the question for this week and I hope your answer will be, “Most definitely I do.”
Tuesday – John 4.43-45; John 1.11; Revelation 3.17
Meditation: Why do you need Jesus? Many people sought Jesus because they thought he could fix their problems. From diseases to demons, Jesus was the one who could right your ship. This was what the Jews were looking for and Jesus rebukes them for it. But why? Because in seeking signs and fixes of those problems, they missed their greatest problem. They needed Jesus, but not to fix their world. They needed him to fix them. Their hearts were the problem. Until they believed that, Jesus tells them they will never truly believe. What do you need Jesus for? Do you think he fixes what wrong in your life or do you believe that he fixes your biggest problem: YOU? The first seeks for signs, but the second finds a savior.
Wednesday – John 4.46-49
Meditation: This story serves as the example of unbelief. Here is a man who just wants Jesus to come and fix the greatest problem he has in his life. Or at least what he thinks is his greatest problem. Serving as an example of God’s wayward people, he longs for a sign, but doesn’t really believe that Jesus is the Savior of his soul. Would your life fit with this example? Someone who wants Jesus in their life but doesn’t necessary think they need to be saved?
Thursday – John 4.50-54; Hebrews 4.12
Meditation: Something happens when Jesus speaks to this man. Jesus’ words change this man’s heart in a way that will bring about a new hope for himself and for his whole family. The man realizes that Jesus is more than a miracle worker and finally the man believes. And this change is wrought by a simple response from Jesus. There is great power in God’s word, and that same power is available to you. Every time you open the Bible, you meet words that carry the same life-changing power. Are you looking for God to speak to you too, while the whole time his word sits unopened and his voice muted in the Bible you don’t read?
Friday – John 4.43-54
Meditation: Do you believe? Or are you just wanting God to fix your world without realizing what he really needs to fix is your heart? What a great testimony to the power of God that when we listen not only does he change us, but he can change those we love as well. This man journeyed from unbelief to belief and Jesus worked a greater sign than the man could have imagined: eternal life for him, his little boy, and his whole family.
Saturday – Luke 22.1-24.53
Meditation: Easter approaches. Is your heart alive? Christ’s return from the tomb is what bore that great hope. Rejoice in the resurrection that brings you life
Meditation: “Just give me a sign.” Have you ever asked that of God? Just a little more proof and your faith will be bolstered. You’re not alone. Many people think signs will spur them into greater faith, but “seeking signs” we are going to see is often a sign itself…a sign of unbelief. This week’s lesson isn’t a focus on sign-seeking but rather the problem of unbelief that plagued the nation of Israel and that plagues the world today. Do you believe? That’s the question for this week and I hope your answer will be, “Most definitely I do.”
Tuesday – John 4.43-45; John 1.11; Revelation 3.17
Meditation: Why do you need Jesus? Many people sought Jesus because they thought he could fix their problems. From diseases to demons, Jesus was the one who could right your ship. This was what the Jews were looking for and Jesus rebukes them for it. But why? Because in seeking signs and fixes of those problems, they missed their greatest problem. They needed Jesus, but not to fix their world. They needed him to fix them. Their hearts were the problem. Until they believed that, Jesus tells them they will never truly believe. What do you need Jesus for? Do you think he fixes what wrong in your life or do you believe that he fixes your biggest problem: YOU? The first seeks for signs, but the second finds a savior.
Wednesday – John 4.46-49
Meditation: This story serves as the example of unbelief. Here is a man who just wants Jesus to come and fix the greatest problem he has in his life. Or at least what he thinks is his greatest problem. Serving as an example of God’s wayward people, he longs for a sign, but doesn’t really believe that Jesus is the Savior of his soul. Would your life fit with this example? Someone who wants Jesus in their life but doesn’t necessary think they need to be saved?
Thursday – John 4.50-54; Hebrews 4.12
Meditation: Something happens when Jesus speaks to this man. Jesus’ words change this man’s heart in a way that will bring about a new hope for himself and for his whole family. The man realizes that Jesus is more than a miracle worker and finally the man believes. And this change is wrought by a simple response from Jesus. There is great power in God’s word, and that same power is available to you. Every time you open the Bible, you meet words that carry the same life-changing power. Are you looking for God to speak to you too, while the whole time his word sits unopened and his voice muted in the Bible you don’t read?
Friday – John 4.43-54
Meditation: Do you believe? Or are you just wanting God to fix your world without realizing what he really needs to fix is your heart? What a great testimony to the power of God that when we listen not only does he change us, but he can change those we love as well. This man journeyed from unbelief to belief and Jesus worked a greater sign than the man could have imagined: eternal life for him, his little boy, and his whole family.
Saturday – Luke 22.1-24.53
Meditation: Easter approaches. Is your heart alive? Christ’s return from the tomb is what bore that great hope. Rejoice in the resurrection that brings you life
Monday, April 11, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (April 10th-16th)
Monday – John 4.1-42
This week we will look at Jesus encounter with the woman at the well focusing on the 2nd half of the narrative. Pray that God would use these meditations to transform your life.
Tuesday – John 4.27-30; Matthew 28.19-20
The woman, upon discovery of who Jesus is, leaves her water jar and makes a beeline for the town. She must tell others of this man who told her everything she ever did. She has experienced the grace of God, and she wants others to know of the salvation that can be found in Christ. She is very excited about what God has done in her life, so she tells others. Do you see a similar excitement in your life over what God has done for you? Do you have a similar zeal to share your faith with others? Pray that God would give us an excitement for evangelism like this woman.
Wednesday – John 4.31-38; Deuteronomy 8
Jesus uses his encounter with the woman as a teaching tool for his disciples regarding his priorities. He tells them that his food is ‘to do the will of Him who sent Him.’ Food is one of the most basic desires and needs we have and a topic our thoughts are often consumed with (especially men!). Jesus tells his disciples that his food is to do His Father’s will. The most basic need Jesus had while walking this Earth wasn’t what he was going to eat for dinner but how he was going to accomplish His Father’s will. Do you have a like desire to accomplish God’s will? What do you think about more: what you are going to eat or how you can do God’s will? Sadly, we are far too often much more concerned with our next meal than we are with doing God’s will. Pray that God would show you that ‘man does not live by bread alone but by ever word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
Thursday – John 4.31-38; Matthew 9.37-38
One of the most often used metaphors for God’s work of salvation is sowing and harvesting. Jesus tells his followers to look up and see that the fields are ripe for harvest. This probably occurred while the Samaritans were coming out of the town in the distance. Jesus knew that a great reaping of souls was about to take place. God’s work of harvesting souls is not complete. He is still gathering his people, and there are still those in our community who need to be harvested unto the Lord. God allows us to work with him in this great work of harvest. Are you working with God in the harvesting of souls?
Friday – John 4.39-42; 1 Corinthians 1.18-31
The story of the woman at the well shows us that salvation is of the Lord and that God’s candidates for salvation often go against what would be expected. Nicodemus was everything a person would have looked for in starting a religious movement. The woman at the well would have been everything a person would not have looked for. However, at the end of the day, she has believed in Jesus where as Nicodemus leaves his meeting with Christ confused and disappointed. We can often have unbiblical expectations about what type of people would make good candidates for salvation. We want those who seem to have it together, who have money and prestige. However, God’s ways are not ours, and he often chooses those who we would least expect.
Saturday – John 4.1-42
John 4 ultimately shows us that Jesus and Jesus alone is the Savior of the world. Have you trust in Jesus? If so, then praise God that he sent his son into the world to save you. Prepare yourself today as we will gather for worship tomorrow.
Monday, January 3, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (January 3rd – 8th)
Monday – John 1.1-18, esp. 1-3; John 20.31
Meditation: John’s purpose in this gospel is that people may believe Jesus to be the Son of God and therefore find life in him. The first thing John wants the people to know is that Jesus is none other than God himself. John explicitly calls him “God” and also notes that Jesus is eternal and that he is the Creator. These are titles and descriptions that are only true of God himself. This is important. If Jesus is indeed God then what he says and does carries with it an authority like never before and means that John is right…our eternity hangs in whether we believe him or not.
Tuesday – John 1.4-9
Meditation: Jesus comes and brings with him life and light. John is making it clear: Jesus has come to save. He will bring a light to open the eyes of the blind and life to bring the dead back to life. And Jesus will succeed in what he sets out to do. The darkness may try to overcome the light and continue to blind the world, but it will fail. Jesus’ work cannot be stopped. Thank God today for the light in which you live and the life that he has given your once dead heart.
Wednesday – John 1.10-13
Meditation: The great grace that is the coming of the Word is met not with joy but with opposition. The world refuses to recognize it. Even God’s own people love sin too much to run for their Savior. But Jesus does not leave us without hope. God promises that he will cause people to be born again, that his will will make sons and daughters even out of those in love with the world. Thank God today for your salvation and pray that you would never seek the things of the world over him again.
Thursday – John 1.14-17; 1 John 1.1-4
Meditation: How does God save? Not from a distance. The Savior is here. In Jesus, God’s glory is now on display like never before. It has left the temple and now shines for all to see. Jesus is also the fulfillment of grace and truth. Jesus doesn’t just speak the word of God, he is the Word. He doesn’t just promise salvation, he is the salvation. God’s promises are true, they are real, they are here. Thank God that you can trust him to keep his word. Pray for greater faith to always believe it.
Friday – John 1.18; Isaiah 6.1-7
Meditation: No one has ever seen God, yet in Jesus not only is God seen, he is made known. Relationship with God that should be impossible for sinners like you and me is now ours because of what Jesus has done. If you pray to God, recognize how undeserving you are to have an audience with the One True God and thank Jesus who not only reveals God to you, he makes him known.
Saturday – John 1.19-34
Meditation: Prepare your hearts for worship tomorrow by soaking up these next verses. Tomorrow, we hear the first witness to who Jesus is. John the Baptist will make it very clear. This is no mere man; this is the one we have been waiting for.
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