Abortion in our land

As a father with a little girl that is about to be born next month, abortion has been weighing especially heavy on my heart in recent days. I have stayed awake in bed almost every night for the past month praying for my baby girl, and my heart is already with her. It makes me wonder how as a nation we tolerate the murders of millions of defenseless children? And from a Biblical perspective, how long until we receive God's judgment. I pray that on account of the many believers in our country that God would have mercy. God has already spoken on this issue! But in an age where God is mocked and his existence is questioned, his word is not valued. As we say in the Marine Corps, "Stand-by!" Our time is coming. Do not be fooled, what we sow we will also reap.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/01/13/chilling-almost-beyond-belief/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlbertMohlersBlog+%28Albert+Mohler%27s+Blog%29

Knowing God Chapter 15 - The Wrath of God

-Wrath: old English word which means intense anger and indignation

-God's wrath, fury, and anger are referred to more in Holy Scripture than His love.

-Strong verse in OT that refers to God's wrath:

Nahum 1:2-8

-Strong verse in NT that refers to God's wrath:

2 Thess. 1:7-10

2 Points about God's Wrath:

1.) God's wrath is always judicial.

Romans 2:5-6

2.) God's wrath is something people choose for themselves

John 3:18-19

The meaning of God's Wrath:

God resolute action in punishing sin

Romans 2:5

Romans 5:8-9

Romans 3:5-7

The revelation of God's Wrath:

God's wrath is imprinted on our conscience

Romans 1:18

The deliverance from God's Wrath:

Romans 5:8-9

Romans 3:24-25

Knowing God Chapter 14 - God As Judge

Genesis 18:25 - "Will not the Judge of the earth do right?"

Psalm 75:7 - "It is God who judges."

Hebrews 12:25 - "God the judge of all."

Think in your mind about the worst sins. . . God will right every wrong.

God does not judge in a whimsical or capricious way.

Old Testament Examples:

-God judged Adam and Even and expelled them from the Garden.

-God judged the world in Noah's day (Gen. 6-8).

-God judged Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19).

- God judged Israel's Egyptian captives (Ex. 7).

-Myriad of other OT examples.

New Testament Examples:

-Judgment falls on the Jews for rejecting Christ (Matt. 21:43-44).

-Ananias and Sapphira for lying to God (Acts 5).

-Herod judged for his pride (Acts 12:21-23).

-The Christians in Corinth for irreverance to the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:29-32).

Ecclesiastes 12:14 - "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."

The Bible speaks of a Future Judgment:

-James 5:9

-1 Peter 4:1-6

-2 Timothy 4:6-8

-Acts 17:30-31

-John 5:22

4 Thoughts or Qualities about our God:

1.) God has ultimate authority.

-God made us and everything in the universe

-God has a right to demand righteousness

2.) The Judge is both good and right.

-God loves righteousness and hates iniquity

-God sent His son to die for sinners

3.) The Judge is a person of wisdom, able to discern truth

-There is NO instance where wrong goes unpunished

4.) The Judge has the power to execute a sentence

-God is his own executioner

Retribution:

-Romans 2:6-11

-The character of God guarantees that all wrongs be righted.

-Jesus is the ultimate agent of God's justice.

-Matthew 25:31-46

-Those that are justified will not be cast aside

-But Christians have to give an account for their actions.

-1 Cor. 3:12-15

-2 Cor. 5:10

Romans 8:1 - "There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those in Christ..."

Christmas ABF Fellowship

Knowing God Ch. 13 - The Grace of God

The Grace of God

“God’s riches at Christ’s Expense.”

No Grasp of Grace

1. The moral ill-desert of man.

-“For modern men and women are convinced that, despite all their little peccadilloes-drinking, gambling, reckless driving, sexual laxity, black and white lies, sharp practice in trading, dirty reading, and what have you-they are at heart good Christian folks.”

Young Life

-You can’t be a slave to two masters!

-Fail to realize that are image is tarnished in the fail.

-Doctrine of original sin…our hearts are evil from the beginning.

2. The retributive justice of God.

-God must punish sin (Gen 18:25).

-Many simply want to cast themselves on the character of God, thinking that God is a God of love, but he has to be a God of justice as well.

-Morality? Where does that come from? Have you ever had a discussion about ethics without Scripture?

3. The spiritual impotence of man.

-Rom 3:20 – “No one will be declared righteous in his sight observing the law.”

-We strive in this place where we think our actions will please our savior!

-You can’t please him by your actions.

-Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

4. The sovereign freedom of God.

-We think we are the good guys. And God is obliged to love us and take care of us.

-God is perfectly free and is not served by human hands. He doesn’t need you on His time. But you should desire to be on His team.

Not Earned or Deserved

-Grace and salvation go together hand and hand (Eph 2:8-9).

-Rom. 5:8 – God paid the highest price for us.

-Lemon Lot – God buys you. But that’s not the incredible thing…he pays top price.

1. Grace is seen as the source of the pardon of sin.

-Change from a condemned criminal to a joint-heir.

-Free to us, but costly to God.

-Eph 1.7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will…”

2. Grace is the motive of the plan of salvation.

-God planned redemption before the earth was created. Because God gets glory when his grace is praised. (Eph 1)

3. Grace as the guarantee of the preservation of the saints.

-1 Peter 1:5 “who by god’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

The Marks of a True Christian

This is GraceAnna :-)

For those interested, I posted a link to Grant's recent sermon from MY BLOG.

Grant started another training cycle on Parris Island, but hopefully he will be able to update his class notes soon.

Merry Christmas!

Knowing God Chapter 7

Read Hebrews 11

Abel – Genesis 4

Enoch – Genesis 5:18-24

Noah – Genesis 5:29-10:32

Abraham – Genesis 12-25

Sarah – Genesis 12-23

Isaac – Genesis 17-35

Jacob – Genesis 25-50

Joseph – Genesis 37-50

Moses - Pentateuch

Rahab - Josh 2:1, 3; 6:17-25

Gideon - Judges 6-8

Barak - Judges 4-5

Samson – Judges 13-16

Jephthah – Judges 11-12; 1 Samuel 12:11

David – Ruth 4, 1 & 2 Samuel

Samuel – 1 Samuel

How can we relate to these people? Many of us when we open up the Scriptures, it’s so hard to enter into this world! Why? When the pleasures of simple entertainment are so readily available? Why even open the Bible? Because our lives our in the balance! And life is so short. The God is the same that the Old Testament saints worshipped. God is directing our lives. Your destiny is in His hands. The Bible reveals God’s unchanging character.

God is immutable!

1.) God’s life does NOT change!

Psalm 93:2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Psalm 102:26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Our lives are so short. Story of my dad’s things…that have outlasted us. Trees outlast us. The Broad River will be here long after your gone…God the unchangeable one is here and wants to have a relationship with you.

We need God! Christianity is not a religion where we go to feel good about ourselves. We need God for our every breath.

2.) God’s character does NOT change!

Exodus 3:14-15 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, “The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Exodus 34:5-8 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.

We change. And you become what you worship. Are you the person you want to be? Are you being daily transformed even more into the image of Christ. Progressive Sanctification. The Holy Spirit brings it about in our lives, but we have to follow Christ! That’s our responsibility. Don’t be the same person you were two years ago or fiver years ago. If you are, you are wasting time.

3.) God’s truth does NOT change!

Our words are always changing and they’re not always true! Sometimes we think we’re right but we’re wrong!

Story about LIZ at school.

Seriously, how many things have we said that have been flat out wrong?

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

4.) God’s ways do NOT change!

God has not changed. God is not more advanced. God wasn’t primitive when he was destroying villages. The people were evil and had rebelled against God. God deals with us the same way we he did with OT saints. If you’re hear today, I think the LORD has a special hand on your life. God loves everyone, but there are some that the LORD loves more.

5.) God’s purposes do NOT change!

1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the LORD your God.”

God doesn’t change his mind or his intentions!

We can believe God’s promises!

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Psalm 33:11 The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

6.) God’s Son does NOT change!

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.