# 2 Encouragements to bolster our hope in believing and sharing of the gospel!

# 2 Encouragements to bolster our hope in believing and sharing of the gospel!

Psalm 78: 4 "We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generati the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done."

Not only are there blessed promises that God makes to our own children but also to the coming generation. What a stimulant this should be to us in our preaching and evangelism, that God is absolutely committed to saving sinners in all generations. This Psalm doesn’t give us any room for excuses when it comes to sharing the wonders of the One True and Living God! So, what shall we say to these thing? Lets strengthen our resolve and be encouraged to persevere in this blessed labor of the service of the King of Kings!

Our shearing of the gospel should be peppered with the reality that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. Our evangelistic success in winning sinners isn’t because of our winsomeness or our ability to share the gospel but is based on the power God in the proclamation of His truth! We don’t save men, the gospel does!

"It is not your weaknesses that will get in the way of God's working through you, but your delusions of strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness” (Author unknown)


The Triune God of the Bible is The God of all Hope!! This is true of the sinner and saint alike!

What is biblical hope?
The Biblical understanding of our idea of hope is very different from our normal thinking about hope. We might say to someone: I Hope that your favorite team wins the game tonight? And they say: I don't know; I hope so. In other words, hope, as we typically think about it, is a desire for some future thing which we are uncertain of attaining. That is not the way Paul or Peter, or the rest of the Scriptures’ thinks about hope. And so, that’s not how you and I ought to thing about hope. When Paul says May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing," he does not mean we should desire it and be uncertain of it.

The promises of Christ are a matter of complete confidence for all the writers in the Old & New Testament alike. ( 2 Corinthians 1:20-21 “ For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.)

Every promise that we uncover in the scriptures should boom within our hearts with a never ending amen!!!!

As we consider the staggering evidence that leaves us no room to doubt, let us run the race with endurance and keep our eyes fully upon Him who is the essence of all of our hope and stay in the present world and the world to come!!

Jesus Christ is worthy that we should place our hope fully upon Him and that is the bottom line. For apart from him there is and can be no hope. (John 14:6)

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ”

ENCOURAGEMENTS TO BOLSTER OUR HOPE IN THE TRIUNE GOD!

Encouragements to bolster our hope in the Triune God!
Psalm 78

This is one of my favorite Psalms. The words contained in this Psalm are a healing balm and for many weary pilgrims has been a blessed assurance to their hope in God for mnay generations! In his Psalm the Gospel is laid out before us clearly and very convincingly. This Psalm was written as a reminder to God’s chosen people and to those throughout every generation to place the full weight of their hope in the God Jacob, the God whose mercies are from ever lasting to everlasting!

It’s an encouragement to bolster our hope in The God whose covenant love will triumph thru all generations because; He is the God of Jacob! It’s and encouragement to bolster our hope in the omnipotent hand of Sovereign God whose power has no limits, in order that we should never; never for one moment forget His works. It’s and encouragement to place our hope steadfastly on the display of the enormous love and longsuffering of God toward His people. For, He is full of compassion and in spite of all our floundering and sometimes week embarrassing faith; He remembers that we are but flesh.

This Psalm is like a musical instrument with a hundred strings ready to play a thousand sermons from its beautiful text but my purpose is to just pluck a few strings from this Psalm to help encourage and bolster our hope and faith. Today we will just pluck one string.

1. Let’s be encouraged in our commitment to the gospel of God which is our hope.
Psalm 78:1-8
Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

In verses 1-8 God sets before us a gracious command. We are commanded to take those things which we have heard and known and declare it to our children and to the coming generation.

We should be encouraged for what God has commanded He is committed to bless. Oh! how this should strengthen our love for the gospel! The commandments of God should never be grievous to us, but are given to us for our greater good! When God instructed Adam and Eve not to partake of tree of knowledge of good and evil it wasn’t that God was withholding something from them but it was the exact opposite. His command was for there ultimate and eternal good.

How much despair and anguish could we be free of if the commandments of God would become to as us as they were to the Psalmist in Psalm 119:26-32 "My soul clings to the dust;give me life according to your word!26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts,and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow;strengthen me according to your word! Put false ways far from meand graciously teach me your law!30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandmentswhen you enlarge my heart!

May these truths in these verses encourage us to never lose sight of the blessed promises God makes to us as we declare and teach the gospel to our children. Let us be committed in teaching our children His glorious deeds, His might, and His wonders. Dear Christian lets take this verses with us each time we go to family worship or seek to instruct our children.

May the exhortation from Moses the man of God in Deuteronomy be used in union with

Psalm 78.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 " And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Family worship can be difficult at times, but let’s not lose heart for the God Jacob knows our hearts! Brothers, let this gracious command fuel our hearts toward the conversion of our children and pray Proverbs 22:6 daily for our children. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

May our heavenly Father be pleased to use our children and our childrens childrens for genertions come to until the clounds are rolled back as a scroll

“CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!”

John 5:24

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life."

These are words that almost everyone is familiar with. The 2007 political campaign of the Democratic nominee used this saying as a key-note phrase in its march to the White House. In all likelihood you are reading this blog because the title of this familiar phrase caught your eye.

Well, I hope that I don’t let any of you down who are reading this blog. My intention is not to discuss politics or discuss whether or not the democratic nominee who won the White House is truly carrying out his campaign promises.

For, if we are all honest, no matter what political party we are affiliated with, at the end of the day men and women will always let us down. The best man with the best intentions will fall short and in the end we will be disappointed in the decision that was made.

My purpose is to set before us one who will never let us down, who will never make a wrong decision, and will never lead us into any danger. The One I’m referring to is Jesus. When Jesus promises change, this is change that we can hang our hats upon, or we could use a biblical phrase, Jesus is the anchor of the soul! (Heb 6:19).

Men offer change. We have all had someone who has let us down, and we have had some who have let us down big-time. And to our shame we could all list many times that we have not been faithful in a promise and have let some one else down!

The faithfulness of Christ is absolutely amazing! The God-man came to this earth and the very ones He created refused to worship, or to love Him, yet thrust Him upon a cross.

So, with that in view, let’s take a few moments to look at an event which powerfully presents to us the unrelenting love of God, which gives us the confidence to say, “Jesus does provide for us change we can believe in!”

The testimonies of scripture are too numerous to mention, so I will just highlight one here and seek to glean from others later. The woman of Samaria is one who is well worth noting. John, the gospel evangelist, records for us the meeting of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in Chapter Four. Jesus and His disciples are on their way from Galilee to Judea, and upon there travels Jesus tells His disciple that He must pass thru Samaria. In other words what Jesus was saying is that He had some real change to accomplish in this city!

The disciples are unaware of the purpose of this stop, but the Son of Man was on a mission to bring real change in the heart of a woman living in adultery and others living in that town as well. Jesus sits down beside the well in anticipation of the Samaritan woman who is on her way. She arrives, and Jesus explains to her that He is the living water and all who drink of Him and look to Him will have everlasting life. John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

At first the woman was not convinced that the change this Jewish man was speaking of to her could bring change she could believe in. But upon the prophetic words of her adulterous lifestyle and the fact that Jesus knew that she had five husbands and the one that she was presently living with was not her husband was a shell-shocker.

The woman perceives that Jesus is a prophet, but He explains to her that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of Sinners and that thru Him only true worship can take place.

I love the account of her wonderful response. John 4:28-29 “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"

“Change you can believe in” was her testimony! She went thru the whole town declaring the news about Christ. What is fascinating is that upon her word the whole town went to see this man who promised such great change. Her excitement about this man sparked others’ great excitement. Surely the people thought that there was no hope for this woman. She’d been living in slavery to sexual immorality for years what in the world could cause such excitement?

What is even more astonishing is that the people of the town, upon hearing the words of Him who is the fountain of life, were convinced that in Him there was change they could believe in! These words reveal to us the change that took place. John 4:39-42 “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

The same change that Jesus offered to the woman at the well is the same change that He is offering to all who are reading this blog right now. The only way that real change that we can believe in can take place is that there must be a real faith and trust put in Him who alone can save ruined sinners. Saving faith came as the people of Samaria believed the words of Christ. The scripture teaches us that saving faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

This day believe in Him who offers real change. Trust Him with all your heart and believe His word and He will not only be the Savior of the world, but today He can be yours!

YOU'VE STOLEN MY HEART!

Jeremiah 24:7

'Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart."

Some may ask, "What does a stolen heart have to do with being a Christian?" to which I reply, "Everything." The Bible is a book which details for us the amazing work and love of God who transforms hearts!

The gospel is the good news that God is all about the transformation and radical reformation of the heart of man! Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Jesus describes the new birth this way in Matthew 13:44-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 " Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian - Jesus steals our hearts! How does he do this? Jesus primarily does this thru the preaching of His word, the sharing of the gospel! Mankind suffers from a condition known as bad heart syndrome! All men and women without exception have this disease. Some may say, "No, not I," but an honest dealing with the true inner workings of your heart will reveal that your heart is exactly the way the Job describes it in, Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? "

So, Jesus steals our hearts! He describes it as a man who found a great treasure hidden in a field. This is how the gospel saves men, women, boys and girls. They are brought to see that Jesus Christ is of infinite worth! They recognize thru the supernatural work of God, thru the gospel, how precious Jesus is! They feel the eternal weight of His cross and go and relinquish all ties to this world with joy, because there is nothing in this world which can compare to knowing and being united to the King of Glory!!

Our hearts are stolen in a most gracious way! We don’t deserve our hearts to be stolen, but He who searches our hearts (Rom 8:27) loves to rescue ruin sinners! His mission is to save His people from their sins, which in realty is freedom from the bad heart syndrome. There is only one who can steal our hearts and cause them to love righteousness and holiness as never before, and that is simply - Jesus!

If you have time, pick up the Bible and read of all the hearts that were stolen for His glory, be amazed at the transformations, and long for your heart to be transformed as well!

I love these words which describe for us the beauty of what takes place when our hearts are stolen for His glory!
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”

Let us pray that these words found in Psalm 110:3 will be our testimony. “Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.” Enjoy this song which highlights the glorious grace of God in transforming our hearts!

GLORIOUS FREEDOM = GREAT GRACE!

John 8:36
"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Glorious Freedom

For a prisoner of war or anyone who has suffered under the hand of an evil taskmaster these are the words he or she longs to hear-freedom, glorious freedom. What exuberance must fill the soul of who has been held in bondage for days or possibly decades!

The sunrise and sunset will hold a peculiar beauty as never before. The stars that fill the heavens will burn brighter than ever. Every relationship which this horrific slavery has severed will be reunited with unfettered joy. No matter how strained or difficult the relationship was prior to the slavery, all wrongdoing and ill-will will be lost and seem absolutely minuscule at that very moment.

I’ve never been a prisoner of war or been held in slavery under human authority upon this earth and, therefore, I cannot adequately explain the utter joy that true freedom will bring to the individual that has been set free from these awful conditions.However, I can speak on slavery and being under the sway of an evil taskmaster. I am one who has been set free and liberated from the wages of sin and the one who held me captive for almost 20 years. In this bondage I tasted many things that the prisoner of war and slave tasted.

Yet there is one difference between sin’s stranglehold on the sinner and the enslavement of prisoners and slaves. The prisoner of war or slave never doubted for one second that they were being held in utter slavery.The scriptures speak clearly about the condition of every human being to ever take a breath upon this earth.

Humanity’s condition is bondage and slavery to sin. And what makes this bondage and slavery 100 times worse than the P.O.W. or slave is that this spiritual bondage actually deceives man into thinking that his or her condition of being in bondage and slavery to sin actually does not exist.

There are two crucial texts which poignantly teach this reality. Jesus, the Son of God, God of very God, speaks to this condition in John 8:34. “Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”And the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-3 said, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

”Humanity is all in the same boat. We all have the same condition. We all suffer from the same disease. Before anyone’s eyebrows are raised to this accusation, just look around at all the devastation around us. Everyone we know has some blemish, even the ones we hold in high esteem have skeletons in the closet. If we’re truly honest with ourselves we know deep within our heats that we are greater sinners than anyone could ever imagine or think that we are. In honestly dealing with ourselves, each and everyone of us would have to confess that the prophet Jeremiah was indeed right when he spoke these words concerning the heart of humanity. Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Even our best days are tainted! Our best offerings are as filthy rags.

Come on! Let’s be real. We live in a day that hates to be real. We are always looking for some way to pass the buck. Let’s call a spade a spade and deal with the sin which reigns in the heart of us all.Jesus said in Matthew 15:17-19 “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

All of these things are absolutely true concerning the plight and condition of our hearts. What we need most of all are new hearts. We don’t need to turn over a new leaf. We don’t need to paint the outside of the house when the inside remains a pig-sty. What we need are new hearts, hearts given by King Jesus who came with full and resolute determination as the ultimate heart surgeon. Jesus said in Luke 5:31-32 “Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." In Christ there is real freedom-freedom from what we need most. The bondage and dominion of sin have been overthrown by Him conquered death, hell and the grave!

Great Grace

Bondage, slavery, and freedom are what the gospel is all about. Man’s condition is utterly horrific. His plight and destination is an eternity separated from a Holy God who demands peerless perfection! But none of us have peerless perfection. In the words of Paul, “No one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:11-12; 23)

The great question we must ask ourselves is, “Who can deliver me from this heart that is in bondage and slavery to sin?” Praise God there is a glorious answer! There is deliverance! We read about it in these verses.1 John 3:8 "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."John 8:31 "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."Jesus came to save sinners.

One of the greatest deceptions in the world that men often claim is, “I’m too bad to be saved. If you only knew how bad I’ve been then you can fully understand why Jesus could never save me.” These words are a cop-out. What unconverted men and women fail to understand is just how bad they actually are. We are greater sinners than we could ever image and that’s why we need a great savior. Jesus left His throne in glory to save rotten, hell deserving sinners from the fury of God’s wrath. Praise God He sent such a One!!

So, dear friends, without delay put all pride away and run to Him and Him alone who can free us from the bondage of sin! Let us plead for new hearts. Let us pray to see the true state of our souls and let us pray that we might be given the grace say with Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

HOLD FAST! PREVAILING UNDER MIGHTY GRACE!

Corinthians 9:24-26

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

Fight, run, wrestle, and strive with all your might! What comes to mind when you hear these words? These are words used to describe the DAILY activity of the true child of God. Christians are in a great fight. A tremendous battle is raging inside and out!! If you profess to be a follower of Jesus, here is a stone-cold fact, you are in an intense battle for the eternal well-being of your never-dying soul!

The daily activities mentioned above are not the works of religious fanatics hoping to gain God’s heaven and smile by good works. These daily activities flow from an earnest heartfelt passion to live every breathing moment of our lives before the eye of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us, in adoration of His atoning sacrifice! In Romans chapter twelve the apostle Paul defined it as “our reasonable service.”

There are many topics that people, even Christians, disagree on. However, there are teachings in the scriptures that are clear as a crystal bell, and one of those teachings is the doctrine of HOLDING FAST. Theologians have called this “the perseverance of the saints.” One of the greatest things about the teaching of the Bible is that God requires us to be real. There is no way to be fake and have honest dealings with your Bible.

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus, time and time again pointed out Rank hypocrisy. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus said if you are not willing to leave father or mother to follow me you are not worthy of me. Also in John’s gospel Jesus said to the rich young ruler, if you are not willing to sell everything that you have in order to follow me you cannot be my disciple.

To be a Christian is to be real. That means that the crux of biblical Christianity is not based on what Jesus would do but what Jesus has done! This should be the philosophy of all Christians. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us! The cross has proved victorious, the grave has been overwhelmed, and Jesus is alive and seated at the right hand interceding for the ones for whom His blood was shed!

So, Christian, if God be for us, who can be against us? There are no excuses that we can offer to be lazy, cold or indifferent in our pursuit of Christ and His word. So, let us run, fight, wrestle and strive daily to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Heb 12:1)

May these words of exhortation quicken our hearts to flee cold, dead religion!

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain.”

Colossians 1:21-23 “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight - if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Hebrews 3:14 "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."

Now is a good time to stop and consider the topic that is before us. Are we holding fast to Jesus Christ and His gospel? The question is not, “Do you have good thoughts about Jesus? or “Do you believe the Bible to be true?” The question that the scriptures set before us is, “Are we holding fast?”

The words hold fast means to prevail, so are you prevailing in your walk with Christ? Is sin being defeated? Are you growing in your love for holiness and righteousness? Is there a deep hunger to feed upon the word that is a light and lamp unto your feet? Can you say the following along with the Psalmist? Psalm 19:7-10 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

These words leave us with the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” The answer is, “No one!” There is no Christian on the face of this earth who can, in and of his own strength, run, fight, wrestle or strive without falling flat upon his face. All of our success comes solely as we prevail under the mighty grace of God.

We are a people who, from the very beginning to the very end of our lives, are totally dependent upon grace. We are called to run, wrestle, fight and strive, but at the end of the day we must say along with Paul in Romans 9:16 "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

The prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said,
“Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, “Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me.” Today, let us plead for mercy, that we may be given feet to run, arms to wrestle, a willingness to fight, and a renewed mind to strive and seek first His kingdom.

HOLD FAST! There is coming a day when all running, fighting, wrestling and striving will be no more, but until that day comes let us continue to look unto Him who is the author and finisher of our faith!

Jeremy camp eloqeunty sings of this in his new song.

# 6 "JOY" THE RIPEST FRUIT OF GRACE!

Psalm 16:11

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

What do you find the most joy in? Our lips may quickly spout out one thing but would our hearts tell a different story? What proceeds from our lips is very important, but the real passion of our hearts is of monumental importance. Jesus made these two statements that should grab our attention. The first is, "There are people who draw near to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me (Matt 15:18)." And secondly, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:21)."

The bottom line is this. The grace of God makes all the difference in the heart and soul of the believer, even in their affections.This is especially seen in the Christian's life when the things he or she once sought after become as nothing and the seeking of Him and His righteousness becomes center stage. When this happens the Christian experiences true joy. It is then that the real meaning of life explodes, and our life's new disposition is dominated by joy in the Holy Ghost!

I agree with Mr. Spurgeon that joy is the ripest fruit of grace. Joy is the trademark of our Christian experience. It is etched in the heart of every true child of God. In Galatians chapter 5 Paul list certain marks that should be conspicuous and radiating from the believer. They are identified as the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT! The fruits are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If someone were to ask you what it means to have biblical joy, how would you respond? Do we define Christian joy as someone just being excited or giddy?

Our text before us mentions that the joy that is alive and well, indwelling within the heart of the believer, is fullness of joy! It is a joy that is rooted and grounded in the awesome love of the Savior, a Savior who has broken into our lives, removed us from the path of eternal destruction, commanded light to shine out of darkness, and has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6).

Christian joy springs from our new life in the risen, glorified lamb of God! The Psalmist notes that it is sweet communion with the Triune God of heaven that explodes the fullness of joy in the heart of the believer.

"In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

John Piper defines what the essence of Christian joy is.

"The Gospel is the good news of our final and full enjoyment of the glory of God in the face of Christ. That this enjoyment had to be purchased for sinners at the cost of Christ’s life makes his glory shine all the more brightly. And that this enjoyment is a free and unmerited gift makes it shine more brightly still. But the price Jesus paid for the gift and the unmerited freedom of the gift are not the gift. The gift is Christ himself as the glorious image of God - seen and savored with everlasting joy."

Christian joy arises from a heart that has found its supreme satisfaction in the living, dying and Resurrection of the God-man! My heart breaks when I see people trying to find joy in cars, houses, or anything that this passing world offers instead of seeking to find that supreme satisfaction that can only be found in Christ!

If our joy in Christ is going to burn white hot it must be cross centered, saturated and running over, with daily endeavors to know Him and the power of His resurrection. This sounds wonderful doesn't it? If this is what is promised to the believer, why don't we experience this at all times? For way too many of us our joy ebbs and flows with the ocean's tides, and time and time again we have cry out with the apostle Paul,

Romans 7:24

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

We must remember we have a great enemy! He is real and he is out to steal, kill and destroy everything, and that includes your joy in Christ! It would be naive to think that the enemy of our faith in Christ doesn't want to demolish every trace of joy in Jesus. If joy in Christ is to be our daily portion we must fight, run, and do whatever it takes to drink from its life-giving sustenance. We must keep these precious words of our Savior in front of us at all times.

John 10:10

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

What does it mean to have life more abundantly? The word in the Greek means to have something over and above, more than is necessary -to have something exceeding abundantly,something further, more, much more than all, more plainly more superior, more extraordinary, more surpassing, more uncommon, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent, beyond measure.

Wow! That is what Jesus came to do and will do in a Christian's heart. To have life more abundantly is to have real solid joy in who Jesus is and what He has made us to be! Surly this is why Nehemiah exhorted the people with these words,

Nehimaih 8:10

"Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

To sustain a healthy joy in the God of our salvation we must cast ourselves upon the rock of ages,who is the fountain of all our joy! He is a anchor for our joy. He is the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Joy is a gift just as grace is and we must seek Him daily to fill our hearts. Let us cry out with David,

Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, it is only for now we see in a mirror dimly, but there is coming a day when we will see face to face. At this present, we only know in part; But one day when we ALL shall KNOW the JOY of knowing Him FULLY! OH! May God give us the grace to drink deeply upon the river of His pleasures!!

So much can can be said on this topic. One of my favorite books of all times is John Piper's book "How to fight for Joy, When I don't desire God". It's a must read and Lord willing in the future we may cover the themes of his book. It's my purpose in this blog entry to wet your appetite to ascertain real lasting joy in the one who loved us and purchased us with His own blood!

REGENERATION: GRACE'S ULTIMATE GOAL

John 3:3
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Regeneration. How familiar are we with this word? If we are united to the Lord of Glory we ought to be able to define what regeneration is. Regeneration is the essence of the gospel and exclusively what Jesus came to do in the heart of sinners! This is what the cross of Jesus Christ is all about, rescuing, delivering and truly saving sinners from sins, vices, and chains!!

Regeneration separates Christianity from all other religions, especially when it comes to reaching man's final destination! Without regeneration there is no hope of gaining heaven! The gospel is about good news, and the good news is that Jesus has come to make us new. Regeneration is the work of God, a supernatural work by which God, through the cross and the implanting of the Holy Spirit into the life and soul of the believer, RADICALLY transforms the unbeliever's life!!

Here is a good time to stop and ask yourself this eternal question. Is my life radically different than my neighbor's who does not profess Christ to be his deliverer? Is the same power that raised Christ from the dead alive and at work within your very own soul (Romans 6)? To be wrong about this issue is absolutely no joke! Eternity hangs in the balance.

Christianity is not a feel good religion, however, there is no greater joy and peace than to be saved by Christ! Salvation (regeneration) is not based upon what man can do but is totally dependant upon what JESUS HAS DONE. Hallelujah! The work of Christ is finished! We must remember that the one who claims to have been regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit has a peculiar phrase attached to his or her new identity as a Christian. Regeneration means to be IN CHRIST! Over 6o times this identity is attached to the one who has been regenerated. "In Christ" is who and what we are!!

While we acknowledge that a large amount of the people who claim to be Christians live and act no differently than those outside of Christ, this reality should cause us to ask a most important question. Where does the fault lie? Is the power of the gospel deficient in it's ability to transform the sinner? No way! To say that the gospel is deficient, is to say that God is not omnipotent. The prophet Jeremiah clears this issue with these words found in

Jeremiah 32:17-19

"Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 'You show loving-kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them -- the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings."

The work of regeneration, in which God calls a sinner out the dominion and slavery of sin, is a power which liberates the believer!! The gospel is the power of God unto Salvation (Rom 1:21). So, to say the gospel can't transform or has the inability to do the job is to call into question the omnipotent power of the One True and Living God, which is ludicrous! The scriptures are absolutely clear about regeneration. The apostle Paul presents this truth in

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Can we say with honesty that we are a new creation? The question is not are you are a perfect Christian, because there are none, but is our life largely lived out with Jesus Christ being our most treasured possession? May Him who came to redeem move within our hearts to consider the solemn call to forsake all to follow Him who is worthy of our every affection! Praise God we can rejoice with Paul in

1 Timothy 1:15 15

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

Regeneration. Are you in Christ? Is that grace which God chiefly gave in the giving of His Son, living and active within your heart?

# 4 THE PINNACLE OF MERCY! THE FREE OFFER OF GRACE!

What would you consider to be the greatest act of mercy? There are many acts of mercy all across this globe that could be mentioned. For the sake of time I would like to consider with you, the greatest act of mercy that has ever taken place in the universe. Some have pinned the pinnacle of God's gratuitous love as "sinners receiving the matchless love of God at Christ expense". This act of mercy is beyond our ability to comprehend or fathom, yet according to the Scriptures we are invited to revel in the awesome love of God!

Paul used words like these to encourage the believers in Ephesians. Ephesians 3:16-19 "that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

If we are to be grounded in the surpassing love of God for sinners we must be willing to take valuable time to consider the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love. Real progress in this arena can take place and we ought to be encouraged to be a people to not just have lip religion. Real heartfelt adoration for the stupendous love God begins when we truly seek a genuine, daily, relationship with Jesus, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3)

So, now we come to consider the pinnacle of grace! The free offer of God's love in the gospel of Christ! How can we define the free offer of God's grace? The free offer of God's grace is that incredible love which reaches and extends to all humanity, to have there sins forgiven and washed in the precious blood of His only begotten Son! All throughout the gospel, when this theme is preached men were moved to great bliss and holy joy. The apostle Paul was willing to have his life cut short, just to preach the free offer of grace to those who have never heard of God's mercy in Christ (Rom 15:20)! And ultimately in the end Paul did die a martyr.

Let's take just a moment to meditate on a few verses which highlight this reality. One of the most famous verses every quoted is John 3:16. Yet, to get the full weight and meaning of this beautiful verse it must be followed by verses 17,18. John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Also we read in, 1 John 4:9 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

And lastly, 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Many things run through our minds when we read such startling and amazing words as we have just read. We must ask ourselves, how can this be? How can God love those who nailed His Son to a tree. How can God love those who for years and most of their lives lived in rebellion and hatred toward Him! What could move such a Holy and Just Creator to humble Himself, and take the form of a servant. To be born in the likeness of men, to be found in human form, to become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8)?

Only grace!!! For God has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet still living in gross sin and rebellion, He chose death, so we who believe might have life! The hymn writer nailed it when these words were pinned- "Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon And cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater Than all my sin.

Dear friends, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Revel and marvel at the free offer of grace and may we all with all that is within us run to that great Fountain that is filled with blood!

May we sing with the hymn writer-

"There was nothing in us to merit esteem,
Or give the Creator delight.
'Twas 'Even so, Father!' we ever must sing,
Because it seem'd good in thy sight."

For further study read Spurgeon's sermon- http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0233.htm

# 3 The foundation of Grace: Its built upon a ROCK!

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

When you think of a rock what do you think about? A small stone that you find in your drive way? Or do you thing of a rock sitting in a field? If we are thinking biblically, when the word rock is mention we should be drawn to one of the attributes of the one true and living God of the bible! The word rock is attributed to our God conspicuously throughout the scriptures.

So, what does grace have to do with God being a Rock? According to the scriptures it matters a lot. In a world in which things pass away like the morning dew, what significance is it to the Christian that our God be a Rock? To properly understand why God would choose to be acquainted with a rock we must understand what kind of rock we are talking about. We are not talking about some rock that someone can pick up and Skip across a lake. We are not talking about a rock that is sitting in some field. When we think of God as a rock we need to be thinking "UNMOVEABLE" "IMPENETRABLE".

A good focus point would be to think of Mount Augustus in Australia. This is the largest rock in the entire world! It is absolutely immovable. No machinery could move this massive rock. Indeed that rock is there to stay. So is our God! All those who are truly saved and indeed have tasted that Jesus Christ is precious can rejoice that our God is indeed our rock. Our salvation is secure because the rock of our salvation has procured it for us by His grace! When trials come we can say with the Psalmist in Psalm 62:2 "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." We can also stand on this solid reality that God is guiding our every step. For the Psalmist recites, Psalm 31:3 "For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me."

God is our rock for His namesake!! It is for His glory that He has chosen to pull undeserving sinners out of a life dominated and ruled by sin. We ought to praise God that indeed He is our ROCK! The prophet Isaiah's exhortation is one that we should seek to follow- "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock."(Isaiah 26:4)

Jesus in the rock of our salvation. Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Roman Catholicism totally misses the meaning of this text. They make the rock to be Peter. But Peter is no rock. Peter is not immovable. Peter is a mere man who is trusting in the rock which is Jesus Christ of Nazareth! The foundation of Christianity is built upon the back of the Man of Sorrows. Jesus is the one that built the gate that Satan cannot penetrate, (HALLELUJAH!!). He's the only one that can bring sinners into a right relationship with God! But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.(Eph; 2:13)

Let us seek to build upon that rock which the whole foundation of Christendom is built upon and drink deeply into that rock who is Christ Jesus! Ephesians 2:18-22, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

Praise be to our Rock, our foundation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE FOUNDATION OF GRACE! # 2

Is your house on a good foundation? If a severe flood were to ravish your neighborhood could your house sustain its force? We all hope so! If we did not build our house or supervise the installation we would have to depend on the builder or architect who built our homes.

As Christians one of the aspects of our faith that should cause us to rejoice is that the foundation of our faith does not rise or fall based on our doings or building. Praise God we can rejoice that indeed He is the great master builder! The Psalmist declares this truth in, Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

The essence of this passage is grace, marvelous grace! It's the Lord that builds the house. The Lord of glory did not ask our permission to build. The giving of His only begotten Son and the building of His Chruch originated in the grace and love of a sovereign God! The apostle Paul reflecting on the insurmountable task of his apostleship was overwhelmed that not only did God call him to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ but that any and all success comes from Him from whom all blessings flow! For we read in 1 Corinthians 3:6-11 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

The foundation of grace is to be found in the love of God before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." As Christians if we miss the mark in our understanding concerning the foundation of grace every aspect of our Christian life and ministry will be skewed by seeking to please God and endeavor to build His Church in our own strength, with man being the main emphases (the center of the stage).

At this point take a quick look at your christian experience and see if the grace of God is its main feature, or are we leaning on our efforts or His, which cannot fail! (Proverbs 3:5) It is absolutely critical for the proper maintenance of our souls that we get grace right!!! Its God's grace and only God's grace that will and can sustain us when the sorrows and trails of this world come our way. If God's grace is flowing through our souls we can say with Job even when disaster destroys all that he held dear in this world in Job 19:24-27 "Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me"
Or with the Psalmist in Psalm 73:26 26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"

Surly we should sing with John Newton with great fervor, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me.I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.

Next Post: The foundation of Grace: Its built upon a ROCK!

THE FOUNDATION OF ALL THAT IS CHRISTIAN! # 1

Romans 5:2

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

If someone where to ask you what separates Christianity from all other religions how would respond? There are many ways to respond but there is one thing that places real biblical Christianity in a league of its own when placed beside all other religions and that is GRACE! Anything that says it is Christian and is based on mans ability's, or places its trust outside of Christ merit and worth is absolutely foreign to the teaching that is found in the inspired Scriptures!

Grace was preached by the Apostle Paul as the very foundation of Christianity. Grace is the key element in each of the thirteen Epistles of the New Testament which includes evidence of authorship by Paul, from the very first word of the body of each letter, "Grace to you," to the final, "Grace be with you." The very gospel that Paul preached is called "the gospel of God's grace" in Acts 20:24! If we say we have all from his fullness received, grace upon grace we ought to live with this being the center piece of all we say and do! (John 1:16)

It is my intention in this blog to highlight the grace of God in every aspect of christian living! Anyone that is a regular attender of church should know the definition of grace. Grace is UNMERITED FAVOR! Grace is the mercy of God by which He gave His only begotten Son to save, rescue, ruined sinners. Or we could define God's grace by quoting from 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The love and grace of God by no means finds any merit in man but is based totally on God choosing to love for the praise of glorious grace!

If grace is unmerited favor why do so many professing Christians live out their daily life and evangelize with man being the center and God's grace ending up in the background? Do we conduct our church life, our married life the raising of our children, and every thing we do as Christians according to this wonderful reality! The apostle Peter was convinced that we should! 1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

May our Heavenly Father increase our understanding of His wonderful grace. Let us seek the grace to be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom we desire to shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:15)

Next post: Building on the foundation of grace!