The sermon from Sunday morning titled "Life in Christ: The World and the Believer [pt 2]" covering John 15:18-16:4a in now available on our podcast.
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com/
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Jan. 23rd – Jan. 28th)
Monday – John 15.18-16.4a
Meditation: Much of our daily Bible reading this week will be similar to last weeks, because my “grave sickness” forced me to only preach half of my sermon. This week we focused on the text’s message of our relationship with the world. What will the world think of the Christian? The Bible’s answer: the world will hate the Christian. Are you ready for the world to hate you? What if that hatred carried with it greater blessing than this world could ever promise?
Tuesday – John 15.18-16.4a; John 3.19-20; Gal. 6.14; Romans 6.5-11
Meditation: The world is going to hate us. At least it should. Christ warns us that if we abide in the vine like he calls us to, we should not expect the world to roll out the red carpet and slather us with encouragement. The world will instead despise us. Why? Because our lives will shine into their sin and expose them. The result: they will hate, reject, despise, and want to kill us. Are you ready for that response? Do you love Christ enough to stand with him even if that means the rejection of some of the people you might genuinely love? The odd reality is that if we really love the lost in the world, standing apart from them is exactly what they need. Don’t blunt the edge of the gospel sword. Kill your friends, your family members with the gospel. Because trust me, Jesus says, they are trying to kill you.
Wednesday – John 15.18-16.4a; Acts 5.41-42; Rom. 5.1-5; 1 Pet. 4.12-14
Meditation: “You are surrounded by billions of people who hate you and will want to kill you. Hope things go okay. I’ll see you in heaven. Later, Jesus.” Jesus farewell message to his disciples sounds like anything but a pep rally. Yet encouraging them is exactly what he says he is trying to do. How? Is he wanting us to just accept that suffering is somehow good? Yes. Again, how? Jesus and the rest of the NT encourages us that our persecution will be used by God to bless us – it will show us that Jesus knew what was coming, it will encourage us that we are a part of his people, and God will use the world’s hatred to draw us closer to himself and further from the world enticements. If you are anything like me, these don’t sound like random blessings, these sound like some of the most heartfelt desires I have for my life. Suffering is not purposeless or outside of God’s control, he is using it for our good. We can rest in that.
Thursday – John 16.1-4a; 1 John 2.17
Meditation: Are we losing this war? Will Christianity fall by the wayside as morality seems to continually plummet? Is our hope in the power of the gospel lost? The answer, Jesus tells us, is no. The world might seem at times to be winning the battle, but Jesus is clear: this is only their “hour”. Christ is not seeking fifteen minutes of fame, he knows that eternity is his. Even if the world does go to hell in a hand basket, Jesus knows that even hell itself cannot prevail against his kingdom. Do you believe that? Is your life one of fighting against moral degradation because you know the gospel wins? We must fight. Christ has/does win.
Friday and Saturday– John 15.1-16.4
Meditation: What does your life look like? What does the world see when they look at you? Do they see Christ or do they see just a version of themselves? This whole chapter Jesus has taught us that must abide in the vine and if we do, the world will notice. Are you abiding?
Meditation: Much of our daily Bible reading this week will be similar to last weeks, because my “grave sickness” forced me to only preach half of my sermon. This week we focused on the text’s message of our relationship with the world. What will the world think of the Christian? The Bible’s answer: the world will hate the Christian. Are you ready for the world to hate you? What if that hatred carried with it greater blessing than this world could ever promise?
Tuesday – John 15.18-16.4a; John 3.19-20; Gal. 6.14; Romans 6.5-11
Meditation: The world is going to hate us. At least it should. Christ warns us that if we abide in the vine like he calls us to, we should not expect the world to roll out the red carpet and slather us with encouragement. The world will instead despise us. Why? Because our lives will shine into their sin and expose them. The result: they will hate, reject, despise, and want to kill us. Are you ready for that response? Do you love Christ enough to stand with him even if that means the rejection of some of the people you might genuinely love? The odd reality is that if we really love the lost in the world, standing apart from them is exactly what they need. Don’t blunt the edge of the gospel sword. Kill your friends, your family members with the gospel. Because trust me, Jesus says, they are trying to kill you.
Wednesday – John 15.18-16.4a; Acts 5.41-42; Rom. 5.1-5; 1 Pet. 4.12-14
Meditation: “You are surrounded by billions of people who hate you and will want to kill you. Hope things go okay. I’ll see you in heaven. Later, Jesus.” Jesus farewell message to his disciples sounds like anything but a pep rally. Yet encouraging them is exactly what he says he is trying to do. How? Is he wanting us to just accept that suffering is somehow good? Yes. Again, how? Jesus and the rest of the NT encourages us that our persecution will be used by God to bless us – it will show us that Jesus knew what was coming, it will encourage us that we are a part of his people, and God will use the world’s hatred to draw us closer to himself and further from the world enticements. If you are anything like me, these don’t sound like random blessings, these sound like some of the most heartfelt desires I have for my life. Suffering is not purposeless or outside of God’s control, he is using it for our good. We can rest in that.
Thursday – John 16.1-4a; 1 John 2.17
Meditation: Are we losing this war? Will Christianity fall by the wayside as morality seems to continually plummet? Is our hope in the power of the gospel lost? The answer, Jesus tells us, is no. The world might seem at times to be winning the battle, but Jesus is clear: this is only their “hour”. Christ is not seeking fifteen minutes of fame, he knows that eternity is his. Even if the world does go to hell in a hand basket, Jesus knows that even hell itself cannot prevail against his kingdom. Do you believe that? Is your life one of fighting against moral degradation because you know the gospel wins? We must fight. Christ has/does win.
Friday and Saturday– John 15.1-16.4
Meditation: What does your life look like? What does the world see when they look at you? Do they see Christ or do they see just a version of themselves? This whole chapter Jesus has taught us that must abide in the vine and if we do, the world will notice. Are you abiding?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Announcements (Jan 16-22)
Is there such a thing as "Truth" anymore?....sign up for "The Truth Project" (a small group study) on the biblical answers for a questioning world.
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Jan. 16th – Jan. 21st)
Monday – John 15.18-16.4a
Meditation: What kind of life should we expect as Christians? We live in the midst of a lost world and wait for a hope that is yet to come. Are our hopes wrongly placed? What if we’re wrong about what God wants from us? Can we trust Jesus? Are we alone in our struggles? These questions have plagued the church, and, in this chapter, Jesus himself will answer our doubts. Pray that your faith would be strengthened by the words of your Savior this week.
Tuesday – John 15.18-25, 16.1-4a; John 3.19-20; John 7.7
Meditation: What response should the Christian expect from the world? The same response Jesus himself received: HATE. The world will hate us, Jesus says, because it hated him, because we are not a part of it anymore, and because it hates the Father. It will hate us even without reason. As Christians, we will always have a tenuous position with the world, because we show love to the world by showing it how broken it is. No one likes to be told their wrong and the wayward sinner is the ultimate example of that truth. Jesus warns us, “the world won’t like you. It won’t be able to stand you.” Are you ready for this response from those you love, those who need to hear the truth? You better be for their sake and yours.
Wednesday – John 15.18-27; 1 Cor. 2.14; Ezek. 36.26-27; Ezek. 37.13-14
Meditation: We are in a battle for the truth. We know the truth and yet the world is blind, deaf, and dumb to it. It hears from the Father and yet kills the messenger. It sees the works and yet hates the worker. And they will hate us without reason if they must. The things of God are unknowable to their dead hearts. So what must we do? We must not lose hope. We can rest in that we are resting in the Truth no matter what the world says. And we can share the gospel knowing that the Spirit who changes dead hearts is exactly the one who testifies with us. Do you have confidence because of Christ to face the world? How about to share the gospel with that family member or friend who needs to hear it? Will you?
Thursday – John 16.1-4a; 1 John 2.17
Meditation: Persecution is promised to the Christian but what is also promised is that that persecution will last for only an hour. It may seem like the world and its morals have conquered the kingdom of God but that is not the truth. Christ’s kingdom will advance. They may win the hour, but rest assured we are promised the eternity. Is that your hope?
Friday – John 15.20
Meditation: One verse today and it’s meant to draw us to consider our own lives. How foreign does this verse sound to you? Are we having to turn discomforts into persecutions, mockery into martyrdom? Why does the American Christian see little of the persecution that Christ promises in this passage will come? Is it because God has blessed us with peace? Then take advantage of that peace and share gospel during this blessed time. Or is it because when the world sees us, they don’t see Christ? Does the world love you, because, when they see you, they see themselves? Or does it hate you, because, when they see you, they see Jesus? If you’re like me, what frightens you more than persecution might just be your answer to that question.
Saturday – John 16.4b-33
Meditation: What kind of life should we expect as Christians? We live in the midst of a lost world and wait for a hope that is yet to come. Are our hopes wrongly placed? What if we’re wrong about what God wants from us? Can we trust Jesus? Are we alone in our struggles? These questions have plagued the church, and, in this chapter, Jesus himself will answer our doubts. Pray that your faith would be strengthened by the words of your Savior this week.
Tuesday – John 15.18-25, 16.1-4a; John 3.19-20; John 7.7
Meditation: What response should the Christian expect from the world? The same response Jesus himself received: HATE. The world will hate us, Jesus says, because it hated him, because we are not a part of it anymore, and because it hates the Father. It will hate us even without reason. As Christians, we will always have a tenuous position with the world, because we show love to the world by showing it how broken it is. No one likes to be told their wrong and the wayward sinner is the ultimate example of that truth. Jesus warns us, “the world won’t like you. It won’t be able to stand you.” Are you ready for this response from those you love, those who need to hear the truth? You better be for their sake and yours.
Wednesday – John 15.18-27; 1 Cor. 2.14; Ezek. 36.26-27; Ezek. 37.13-14
Meditation: We are in a battle for the truth. We know the truth and yet the world is blind, deaf, and dumb to it. It hears from the Father and yet kills the messenger. It sees the works and yet hates the worker. And they will hate us without reason if they must. The things of God are unknowable to their dead hearts. So what must we do? We must not lose hope. We can rest in that we are resting in the Truth no matter what the world says. And we can share the gospel knowing that the Spirit who changes dead hearts is exactly the one who testifies with us. Do you have confidence because of Christ to face the world? How about to share the gospel with that family member or friend who needs to hear it? Will you?
Thursday – John 16.1-4a; 1 John 2.17
Meditation: Persecution is promised to the Christian but what is also promised is that that persecution will last for only an hour. It may seem like the world and its morals have conquered the kingdom of God but that is not the truth. Christ’s kingdom will advance. They may win the hour, but rest assured we are promised the eternity. Is that your hope?
Friday – John 15.20
Meditation: One verse today and it’s meant to draw us to consider our own lives. How foreign does this verse sound to you? Are we having to turn discomforts into persecutions, mockery into martyrdom? Why does the American Christian see little of the persecution that Christ promises in this passage will come? Is it because God has blessed us with peace? Then take advantage of that peace and share gospel during this blessed time. Or is it because when the world sees us, they don’t see Christ? Does the world love you, because, when they see you, they see themselves? Or does it hate you, because, when they see you, they see Jesus? If you’re like me, what frightens you more than persecution might just be your answer to that question.
Saturday – John 16.4b-33
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Podcast Now Available
Podcasts for this Sunday's sermons are now available!
Life In Christ: Love and the True Believer (John 15:12-17)
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com
Life In Christ: Love and the True Believer (John 15:12-17)
http://fbcbeggs.podomatic.com
Announcements (Jan 8-15)
Join us Sun nights @ 5pm - "Jars of Clay/Vessels of Honor - How God uses ordinary people for his glory"
Sun nights @ 6pm - Book club: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Monday nights - BASKETBALL! Schedule coming soon
Jan 17th - Women's Fellowship---- Hostess needed
starts at 6pm - potluck supper
Saturday, January 7, 2012
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Jan. 9th – Jan. 14th)
Monday – John 15.1-17
Meditation: The life of the believer is a life totally found in Christ alone. He is our salvation, the foundation of our hope, he is the source of our life. He is the vine, we are the branches. To live, we must abide in him. Jesus tells us of the great joy that comes to those who abide in him and thus abide in his love. We surely want to abide in his love, so what must our lives look like? As we answer that question this week, pray that you would abide in him and in his love. That Christ would be your life and your joy. What an earnest prayer. Isn’t it?
Tuesday – John 15.12-13; 1 John 3.10-18
Meditation: Christ commands us “That you love one another as I have loved you.” What a simple and yet deeply difficult command? In our world, we are often taught to seek our own good first. To try and get our way. To speak our mind. Because after all we must be true to ourselves. We are saturated with a “me first” world. Here and in 1 John, God warns us that that attitude will kill us. To abide in the vine, we must love each other to the point of being willingly to lay down our lives for one another? Is that how you love the others in our church? It must be. We cannot survive and you are not abiding in Christ if it is not. Pray that God would work in your heart this love that he commands.
Wednesday – John 15.14; John 15.10; 1 John 3.6-10; 2 John 8-9
Meditation: Not everyone is Jesus’ friend, but only those who keep his commands. He is not saying that keeping his commands is what makes us his friend, but rather that we obey him because we are his friends. It is simply what we do if we are abiding in him. As fruit comes naturally from the vine, so obedience comes naturally from Christ’s friends. So the question this verse begs is “Do you keep his commands? Are you living like one who is a friend of Christ?” Pray that this week you would live like a friend not of the world but of Christ.
Thursday – John 15.15; Romans 10.17; 2 Timothy 3.14-16; Nehemiah 8.8,12
Meditation: The blessing of knowing God’s word is a gift meant to be cherished by Christ’s friends. Believers have been told by Christ the will and word of God. What a blessing! How essential is this word? The entirety of the Christian life is said to revolve around this blessing of his word. It is his word that leads us to salvation. Making clear his word is the job of those called to lead the church. The Holy Spirit is sent to teach and remind us of that word. The word of God is a gift like nothing else. If we understand our lives as his friends, then we will cherish that word - that word that is a testimony to our friendship…to our salvation.
Friday – John 15.16; Ephesians 1.4; Ephesians 2.8-9
Meditation: How easy it would be to be puffed up after reading this passage. We are the “friends of Jesus”. Yet God is quick as always to remind us that we are his friends, not because we chose him but because he chose us. What great humility there is in our salvation? Enemies made his children, children of the devil made friends of Christ. Rejoice in your salvation this week. And when you do, you will be rejoicing not in yourself but in God through Christ - in the vine who gives life to the branches.
Saturday – John 15.12-17
Meditation: The life of the believer is a life totally found in Christ alone. He is our salvation, the foundation of our hope, he is the source of our life. He is the vine, we are the branches. To live, we must abide in him. Jesus tells us of the great joy that comes to those who abide in him and thus abide in his love. We surely want to abide in his love, so what must our lives look like? As we answer that question this week, pray that you would abide in him and in his love. That Christ would be your life and your joy. What an earnest prayer. Isn’t it?
Tuesday – John 15.12-13; 1 John 3.10-18
Meditation: Christ commands us “That you love one another as I have loved you.” What a simple and yet deeply difficult command? In our world, we are often taught to seek our own good first. To try and get our way. To speak our mind. Because after all we must be true to ourselves. We are saturated with a “me first” world. Here and in 1 John, God warns us that that attitude will kill us. To abide in the vine, we must love each other to the point of being willingly to lay down our lives for one another? Is that how you love the others in our church? It must be. We cannot survive and you are not abiding in Christ if it is not. Pray that God would work in your heart this love that he commands.
Wednesday – John 15.14; John 15.10; 1 John 3.6-10; 2 John 8-9
Meditation: Not everyone is Jesus’ friend, but only those who keep his commands. He is not saying that keeping his commands is what makes us his friend, but rather that we obey him because we are his friends. It is simply what we do if we are abiding in him. As fruit comes naturally from the vine, so obedience comes naturally from Christ’s friends. So the question this verse begs is “Do you keep his commands? Are you living like one who is a friend of Christ?” Pray that this week you would live like a friend not of the world but of Christ.
Thursday – John 15.15; Romans 10.17; 2 Timothy 3.14-16; Nehemiah 8.8,12
Meditation: The blessing of knowing God’s word is a gift meant to be cherished by Christ’s friends. Believers have been told by Christ the will and word of God. What a blessing! How essential is this word? The entirety of the Christian life is said to revolve around this blessing of his word. It is his word that leads us to salvation. Making clear his word is the job of those called to lead the church. The Holy Spirit is sent to teach and remind us of that word. The word of God is a gift like nothing else. If we understand our lives as his friends, then we will cherish that word - that word that is a testimony to our friendship…to our salvation.
Friday – John 15.16; Ephesians 1.4; Ephesians 2.8-9
Meditation: How easy it would be to be puffed up after reading this passage. We are the “friends of Jesus”. Yet God is quick as always to remind us that we are his friends, not because we chose him but because he chose us. What great humility there is in our salvation? Enemies made his children, children of the devil made friends of Christ. Rejoice in your salvation this week. And when you do, you will be rejoicing not in yourself but in God through Christ - in the vine who gives life to the branches.
Saturday – John 15.12-17
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Jan. 2nd – Jan. 7th)
Monday – John 15.1-11
Meditation: What will the life of the believer look like? As Jesus prepares to go away, that is exactly what he talks to his disciples about. This week we will look at how vital our relationship to Christ is for our spiritual life. Without him, we are nothing more than dead branches that are to be thrown in the fire. Could you say you abide in Christ? As we read and review what Jesus is saying, ask yourself everyday this week, “Is my life lived in Christ?”
Tuesday – John 15.1-11; 2 Corinthians 12.9; 2 Corinthians 10.17
Meditation: The main point of this passage is that Jesus alone is our life. With Jesus, we live and bear fruit. Without him we are withered branches, dead and lifeless. We live in a world that believes there are so many talismans that can fix our relationship with God: going to church, praying, being a good person. But none of these can actually bring us life. Jesus is the vine, our source of life, and as branches if we are going to prove ourselves to truly be his disciples then we must abide in him. There is humility here as well as Jesus reminds us that without him it’s not that we can only do little things. Without him, we can do nothing. Ask God to show you if that is how you are living.
Wednesday – John 15.1-3; 2 Timothy 3.16-17
Meditation: One of the roles of the vinedresser is to clean/prune the vines so that they are the most healthy and are able to produce the most fruit. The tool he uses: the word of God. The Bible is God’s tool to lop off sin in our hearts and to cause our hearts to produce an abundance of godly fruit. If you and I seriously want to get rid of sin, want our temptations pruned off and gone, then we must be fervent in the word. It is God’s word that he uses to mortify sin in our lives and lead us to greater growth. John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” As branches we kill sin by the power of God that rests in his word.
Thursday – John 15.8; Ephesians 2.1-10
Meditation: Who am I seeking to glorify with my life? I don’t know about you but Jerry’s sermon on that very question in John 14 really struck me. So I asked myself, “How can I glorify God?” Well, here God gives us an answer. We glorify God when we bear fruit and prove ourselves to be his disciples. If someone told you they could bring the dead to life, you’d probably scoff at their ridiculous claim. But if people started coming out of their graves you would marvel that they were telling the truth. That is what our fruit does. It shows all creation that our God can do the impossible: give life to dead hearts. The proof: our fruit. What does your life testify? Are you bringing glory to God by the fruit in your life?
Friday – John 15.1-11; Psalm 37.4
Meditation: Farming is a difficult and tedious job. And our need to grow fruit of the Spirit might seem like a burden, an objective that we must sacrifice the happiness of our lives to achieve. Yet Jesus wants us to know that nothing could be further from the truth. Life in the vine, cared for and pruned by the vinedresser, is the only life of real joy. The Christian that bears fruit is sacrificing nothing and will end up gaining everything.
Saturday – John 15.12-17
Meditation: What will the life of the believer look like? As Jesus prepares to go away, that is exactly what he talks to his disciples about. This week we will look at how vital our relationship to Christ is for our spiritual life. Without him, we are nothing more than dead branches that are to be thrown in the fire. Could you say you abide in Christ? As we read and review what Jesus is saying, ask yourself everyday this week, “Is my life lived in Christ?”
Tuesday – John 15.1-11; 2 Corinthians 12.9; 2 Corinthians 10.17
Meditation: The main point of this passage is that Jesus alone is our life. With Jesus, we live and bear fruit. Without him we are withered branches, dead and lifeless. We live in a world that believes there are so many talismans that can fix our relationship with God: going to church, praying, being a good person. But none of these can actually bring us life. Jesus is the vine, our source of life, and as branches if we are going to prove ourselves to truly be his disciples then we must abide in him. There is humility here as well as Jesus reminds us that without him it’s not that we can only do little things. Without him, we can do nothing. Ask God to show you if that is how you are living.
Wednesday – John 15.1-3; 2 Timothy 3.16-17
Meditation: One of the roles of the vinedresser is to clean/prune the vines so that they are the most healthy and are able to produce the most fruit. The tool he uses: the word of God. The Bible is God’s tool to lop off sin in our hearts and to cause our hearts to produce an abundance of godly fruit. If you and I seriously want to get rid of sin, want our temptations pruned off and gone, then we must be fervent in the word. It is God’s word that he uses to mortify sin in our lives and lead us to greater growth. John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” As branches we kill sin by the power of God that rests in his word.
Thursday – John 15.8; Ephesians 2.1-10
Meditation: Who am I seeking to glorify with my life? I don’t know about you but Jerry’s sermon on that very question in John 14 really struck me. So I asked myself, “How can I glorify God?” Well, here God gives us an answer. We glorify God when we bear fruit and prove ourselves to be his disciples. If someone told you they could bring the dead to life, you’d probably scoff at their ridiculous claim. But if people started coming out of their graves you would marvel that they were telling the truth. That is what our fruit does. It shows all creation that our God can do the impossible: give life to dead hearts. The proof: our fruit. What does your life testify? Are you bringing glory to God by the fruit in your life?
Friday – John 15.1-11; Psalm 37.4
Meditation: Farming is a difficult and tedious job. And our need to grow fruit of the Spirit might seem like a burden, an objective that we must sacrifice the happiness of our lives to achieve. Yet Jesus wants us to know that nothing could be further from the truth. Life in the vine, cared for and pruned by the vinedresser, is the only life of real joy. The Christian that bears fruit is sacrificing nothing and will end up gaining everything.
Saturday – John 15.12-17
Monday, December 26, 2011
DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE (Dec. 26th – Dec. 31st)
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
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
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
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