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How many of you are experiencing this life of being more blessed like Jesus described? Do you realize how much more happiness is in store for you when you learn to be a giver?
In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul reminded the elders of the church of Ephesus of Christ’s words that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We can understand why Jesus said that it is more blessed to live generously. Why it is more blessed to live generously?
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God invited total strangers (the shepherds) to his son’s first birthday party. But did you know you were on the guest list too? The Christ was born for all of us, “unto you” is for me and you. Have you accepted His invitation? You’re on the guest list.
In the gospel of Luke, he recorded the story of Jesus’ birth which an angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds, inviting them to come and see the promised Savior, who is Christ the Lord. We too are on God’s guest list. We are invited to come to the Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
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Parents have been using the lines from this song ever since to help make their children behave. “You better be good. You better go to bed. You don’t want to be on Santa’s “naughty list. You won’t get any presents…” So, every American child born since 1934 has been taught about this so-called “Naughty or Nice List.”
And that might sound innocent enough until we realize that many of those same children have grown up to believe that God is keeping such a list, and that the way to please God and receive the gift of eternal life in heaven, is to be good enough to be on His “Nice List” and work hard to stay off of His “Naughty List.”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus told a Pharisee named Nicodemus that the only way to receive God’s greatest gift of salvation is through believing in His Son. We can receive God’s greatest gift.
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Our wishes, our longings, are really a kind of worship. Because that’s what worship is. Worship is seeing something or someone that we count worthy of our affection and longing, our love, and then, recognizing that worthiness, we seek to give them what they’re worth.
In the book of Matthew the story of the birth of Jesus was told within the political backdrop of the times. Jesus was the one prophesied to be King, but He came in the most unexpected way. And from the beginning there was a battle between His Kingdom and the false king that usurped His Throne. The challenge for us is to remove our worship from the false king and to put our worship on the true King, Jesus Christ. After all, it’s His birthday we’re celebrating. Not ours.
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Our flesh, our sin nature, constantly desires the easy way, the short cut, it wants its own way. But the way of discipleship, the way of following Jesus begins with a decision to “deny ourselves.” In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus described what it meant to answer the call to come after Him and be one of His disciples. We can answer the call to be a disciple of Jesus.
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Is your life is filled with anxiety and trouble? Do you often wonder whether anyone loves you, much less God? Are you surrounded by hurt and broken relationships? Some of it you blame on others, but if you’ll admit it, you blame yourself for most of it. Where’s the love?
That’s the question that Paul closes this powerful chapter with, it’s the question of God’s love. In fact, the final verses of Romans 8 are made up of 5 questions, each progressing like stair steps up to the 5th and highest step, which is this question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” In Romans 8:31-39, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that they could rest in the fact that nothing could separate them from God’s love. We can rest in the fact that nothing can separate us from God’s love
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Our future glorification of ultimately becoming like Christ will make the difficult journey worth it all. In Romans 8:18-30, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that in spite of the suffering in this present world they could be encouraged by hope in God’s ultimate purpose for their future glorification of becoming like Jesus. We can be encouraged by hope in God’s future glorification of becoming like Jesus.
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How do you view God? Does He seem distant and far away? Do you see Him as a Judge? Or do you see Him as near and close? How many of you see Him as your Father, your ever present Abba?
That’s where Paul is taking us today. As he continues to talk about how God is making us holy like Jesus, which is our sanctification, he saves the best for last. That we can relate to God as Father changes everything! In Romans 8:12-17, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that they had received the Spirit of adoption which enabled them to live as God’s children. As believers, we have received the Spirit of adoption enabling us to live as God’s children
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Do continue to do what you hate? You’ve received Christ, but you have feelings of guilt and shame because you want to do what pleases God, but you continue to give in to your old sin nature? Or maybe you’ve never received Christ, but you’re sick and tired of living life on your own. You’re ready to admit you need help.
What the apostle described in Romans 7 is the futility of trying to live the Christian life without the Spirit of God. Just as it’s impossible to earn God’s favor apart from faith, so it’s impossible to please God without depending on His indwelling Spirit. In Romans 8:1-8, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that overcoming the flesh is only possible by a total reliance on the work of God’s Holy Spirit for their sanctification. We can understand why overcoming the flesh is only possible by relying on the work of God’s Spirit for our sanctification.
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Who’s winning the wrestling match inside of you? The truth is, no matter how long you’ve been a Christ- follower, in this world we will never be so mature in Christ as to no longer see sin in ourselves. The accusation that the church is full of hypocrites is only true if we claim to be without sin.
No, we are sinners saved by grace! We are no longer under law, but under grace. And having been saved by grace, we are being sanctified, made holy by God’s grace too. So, again we ask, “What good is the law?” In Romans 7:7-25, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that the purpose of the Law for the Christian was never to deliver them from sin, but to expose their sin and drive them back to total dependence on Christ. We can understand that the purpose of the law is not to deliver us from sin, but to expose our sin and drive us to total dependence on Christ.