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Southern Missionary Baptist  Church Southern Missionary Baptist Church

A Spirit Led And Bible Based Church A Spirit Led And Bible Based Church

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    Southern Missionary Baptist Church
    921 Bissell St., P.O. Box 38 Map
    Madison, IL 62060
    Phone: 618-877-1305, Fax:618-688-4351, Pastor's Home Ph. 618-235-8299

    · Southern Missionary Baptist Church
    · Statement of Beliefs
    · Church History

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    Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

    Sunday Worship : 10:45 a.m.

    Children's Church Is Open During Sunday Worship

    Prayer Meeting:  Tuesday 7:00 p.m.

    Bible Study: Tuesday 7:00 p.m.

     

    CHURCH IS NOW OPEN!

    PLEASE FOLLOW ALL GUIDELINES

    BIBLE STUDY WILL CONTINUE ON FACEBOOK

    SIMPLY GO TO "SHERRELL LAVELL BYRD JR."

     

     

    SUNDAY WORSHIP IS AT

    10:45 A.M. Central Time

    BIBLE STUDY EACH TUESDAY AT

    7:00 PM Central Time on Facebook

    DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY AT 7:00 PM Central Time on Facebook

    Simply go to our Pastor's Facebook page.

     

    SOUTHERN MEMBERS, YOU MAY SEND YOUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS BY:

    MAILING THEM TO SOUTHERN M.B. CHURCH, 921 BISSELL ST., P.O. BOX 38, MADISON, IL 62060

    OR MAIL THEM TO DEACON TERRYL CURRY, SR. OR SIS MARY TRICE

    OR USE OUR CASHAPP: $9446church

     

    We would like to welcome you to the Southern Missionary Baptist Church of Madison, Illinois.  We are a church with a warm heart and where no one is considered a stranger.  We believe in following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who exemplified love for all.  We believe in being led by the Holy Spirit in all that we do, praising God and giving Him the glory for His grace and mercy.  Here, at Southern, you will be greeted with open arms and you are invited to praise God with us.  Our Sunday and Bible Study is designed for all ages, with excellent teachers who exited about teaching and ready to answer your questions.  We have a mandate to win souls to Christ.  So if you're looking for a Spirit Led and Bible Based Church, come visit us.

     

    Pastor Sherrell and First Lady Mauristine Byrd

     

     

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      A LETTER FROM THE PASTOR

       

      SOUTHERN HAS GONE "MASK OPTIONAL"!

      WHICH MEANS THAT YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK DURING SERVICES, BUT IS STILL RECOMMENDED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE SAFETY BY KEEPING HANDS SANITIZED, TEMPERATURE CHECK POINTS AND CURRENT SEATING ARRANGEMENTS. WE WILL REMAIN IN OUR PLACES DURING ALTAR CALL AND OBSERVE THE INSTRUCTIONS BY OUR USHERS.

       

       

      For those who wish to send their Offerings and Tithes, You may mail them to Deacon Terryl Curry, Sr. or Sis. Mary Trice.  Or you may mail them to the church address: Southern Baptist Church, 921 Bissell St. P.O. Box 38, Madison, IL 62020.  Or use our CashApp: $9446Church.

       

      Yours In Christ,

      Pastor Sherrell L. Byrd, Jr.

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      Southern Missionary Baptist Church

      PASTOR SHERRELL L. BYRD, JR., TEACHER

       

      ROMANS 8 – A NEW AND WONDERFUL LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

       

      How often do you condemn yourself or allow others to condemn you? We often forget that God never stops loving us, although we sin from time to time. Satan wants to isolate us from God and prevent us from seeking Him, especially in times of need. He is our accuser and adversary. He tries to create, “self-condemnation”, resulting in us condemning ourselves. We must remember that God has not condemned us and that we must rely upon the Holy Spirit, so that we can walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The flesh is at war with the Spirit, seeking to drag us down into the pits of Hell. But we are more than conquerors, but not of ourselves. A new and wonderful life is ours through Our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ!

      I believe that this lesson, although a bit lengthy, will re-enforce our belief! For the Members of Southern and our Friends on Facebook, Let’s prepare to be blessed.

       _ Pastor Byrd

      Outline:

      Section A: Life in the Spirit contrasted with life in the flesh.

      (1) No condemnation.

      (2-4) The contrast between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh.

      (5-8) The futility of trying to please God in the flesh.

      (9-11) Christians are empowered to live in the Spirit.

      Section B: Our obligation: to live in the Spirit.

      (12-13) Our debt is to the Spirit, not to the flesh.

      (14-15) Living in the Spirit means living as a child of God.

      (16) The evidence we are children of God: the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

      (17) The benefits and responsibilities of being God’s children.

      Section C: Life in the Spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering.

      (18) Paul’s analysis of the present suffering and our future glory

      (19-22) All of creation is awaiting and anticipating this coming glory.

      (23-25) We also groan and wait with perseverance for the coming glory.

      (26-27) God’s help through the Spirit is available to us now.

      (28-30) God’s help is an enduring promise; He has the ability to work all things for good and to see us through to glorification.

      Section D: The triumphant victory of the life in the Spirit.

      (31) Paul begins his conclusion to this section: If God be for us, who can be against us?

      (32) Evidence that God is for us: the gift of Jesus Christ.

      (33-39) The security of the believer in God’s love.

       

      A. Life in the Spirit contrasted with life in the flesh.

       

      1. (1) No condemnation.

      There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

       

      a. There is therefore now no condemnation: The simple declaration of no condemnation comes to those who are in Christ Jesus. Since God the Father does not condemn Jesus, neither can the Father condemn those who are in Jesus. They are not condemned, they will not be condemned, and they cannot be condemned.

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      i. Paul’s therefore is important. It means that what he says comes from a logical argument. It’s as if Paul begins, “I can prove what I say here.” This is what he proves: if we are one with Jesus and He is our head, we can’t be condemned. You can’t acquit the head and condemn the hand. You can’t drown the foot as long as the head is out of water. Joined to Him, we hear the verdict: “no condemnation.”

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      ii. In Christ: “This phrase imports, that there is a mystical and spiritual union betwixt Christ and believers. This is sometimes expressed by Christ being in them… and here by their being in Christ. Christ is in believers by His Spirit, and believers are in Christ by faith.” (Poole)

      iii. The verdict is not “less condemnation.” That’s where many believe they are – thinking our standing has improved in Jesus. It has not been improved, it’s been completely transformed, changed to a status of no condemnation.

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      iv. We perhaps need to consider the flip side: If you are not in Jesus Christ, there is condemnation for you. “It is no pleasant task to us to have to speak of this matter; but who are we that we should ask for pleasant tasks? What God hath witnessed in Scripture is the sum and substance of what the Lord’s servants are to testify to the people. If you are not in Christ Jesus, and are walking after the flesh, you have not escaped from condemnation.” (Spurgeon)

      Question? Have you escaped the condemnation?

       

      b. No condemnation: This place of confidence and peace comes after the confusion and conflict that marked Romans 7. Now Paul looks to Jesus and he finds his standing in Him. But this chapter is more than just the answer to Romans 7; it ties together thoughts from the very beginning of the letter.

       

      i. Romans 8 begins with no condemnation; it ends with no separation, and in between there is no defeat.

       

      c. Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit: These words are not found in the earliest ancient manuscripts of the Book of Romans and they do not agree with the flow of Paul’s context here. They were probably added by a copyist who either made a mistake or thought he could “help” Paul by adding these words from Romans 8:4.

       

      i. While it is true that those who are in Christ should not and do not consistently walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, this is not a condition for their status of no condemnation. Our position in Jesus Christ is the reason for our standing of no condemnation.

      Question. Where do you stand in Christ?

      Are you on “good standing with Him?

      Question? Is there a need for adjustment in your life?

      Do you feel condemned and why?

       

      ii. “The most learned men assure us that it is no part of the original text. I cannot just now go into the reasons for this conclusion, but they are very good and solid. The oldest copies are without it, the versions do not sustain it, and the fathers who quoted abundance of Scripture do not quote this sentence.” (Spurgeon)

       

      d. No condemnation:

      • We receive this glorious declaration from God’s court.
      • We receive it though we certainly deserve condemnation.
      • We receive this standing because Jesus bore the condemnation we deserved and our identity is now in Him.
      • As He is condemned no more, neither are we.

       

      2. (2-4) The contrast between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh.

      For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

       

      a. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death: The law of the sin and death was a strong and seemingly absolute law. Every sin we commit and every cemetery we see proves it. But the law of the Spirit of life in Christ is stronger still, and the law of the Spirit frees us from the law of sin and death.

       

      i. We are free from the law of sin. Though he inevitably does, the Christian does not have to sin, because he is freed from sin’s dominion. We are free from the law of death; death therefore no longer has any lasting power against the believer.

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      ii. Romans 8:1 tells us we are free from the guilt of sin. Romans 8:2 tells us we are free from the power of sin. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh: The law can do many things. It can guide us, teach us, and tell us about God’s character. But the law cannot give energy to our flesh; it can give us the standard, but it can’t give us the power to please God.

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      i. Morris, quoting Manson: “Moses’ law has right but not might; sin’s law has might but not right; the law of the Spirit has both right and might.”

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      ii. “The law is weak to us, because we are weak to it: the sun cannot give light to blind eye, not from any impotency in itself, but merely from the incapacity of the subject it shines upon.” (Poole)

       

      c. In that it was weak through the flesh: The law is weak because it speaks to our flesh. It comes to fleshly men and speaks to them as fleshly men. But the work of the Spirit transforms us by the crucifixion of the old man and it imparts the new man – a principle higher than the flesh.

       

      i. “A vine does not produce grapes by Act of Parliament; they are the fruit of the vine’s own life; so the conduct which conforms to the standard of the Kingdom is not produced by any demand, not even God’s, but is the fruit of that divine nature which God gives as the result of what he has done in and by Christ.” (Hooke)

       

      d. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son: The law could not defeat sin; it could only detect sin. Only Jesus can defeat sin, and He did just that through His work on the cross.

      (So, look at the Ten Commandments) What does it do?

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      e. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh: In order to defeat sin, Jesus had to identify with those bound by it, by coming in the likeness of sinful flesh. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul carefully chose his words here, indicating that Jesus was not sinful flesh, but He identified with it entirely.

       

      i. We could not say that Jesus came in sinful flesh, because He was sinless. We could not say that Jesus came in the likeness of flesh, because He really was human, not just like a human. But we can say that Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh because although He was human, He was not sinful in Himself.

       

      ii. He condemned sin in the flesh: Sin was condemned in the flesh of Jesus as He bore the condemnation we deserved. Since we are in Christ, the condemnation we deserve passes us over.

       

      f. That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us: Because Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law, and because we are in Christ, we fulfill the law.

      • The law is fulfilled in us regarding obedience, because Jesus’ righteousness stands for ours.
      • The law is fulfilled in us in regard to punishment, because any punishment demanded by the law was poured out upon Jesus.

      i. Paul does not say that we fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. He carefully says that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us. It isn’t fulfilled by us, but in us.

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      ii. Simply put, Jesus is our substitute. Jesus was treated as a sinner so we can be treated as righteous.

       

      g. In us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit: The people who enjoy this are those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Their life is marked by obedience to the Holy Spirit, not by obedience to the flesh.

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      i. God wants the Spirit to rule over our flesh. When we allow the flesh to reign over the Spirit, we find ourselves bound by the sinful patterns and desperation that marked Paul’s life in his “Romans 7” struggle. Our walk – the pattern of our life – must be according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh.

      ii. Walking in the Spirit means that the course, the direction, the progress of one’s life is directed by the Holy Spirit. It is continued and progressive motion.

      iii. “Observe carefully that the flesh is there: he does not walk after it, but it is there. It is there, striving and warring, vexing and grieving, and it will be there till he is taken up into heaven.

      It is there as an alien and detested force, and not there so as to have dominion over him. He does not walk after it, nor practically obey it. He does not accept it as his guide, nor allow it to drive him into rebellion.” (Spurgeon)

       

      3. (5-8) The futility of trying to please God in the flesh.

      For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

       

      a. Set their minds on the things of the flesh: Paul gives an easy way for us to determine if we walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh – to simply see where our mind is set. The mind is the strategic battleground where the flesh and the Spirit fight.

       

      i. We shouldn’t think those who set their minds on the things of the flesh are only notorious sinners. They may be noble people who have good intentions. Peter meant well when he told Jesus to avoid the cross, but Jesus responded to Peter with these strong words: you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men (Matthew 16:23). 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

       

      b. For to be carnally minded is death: When our minds are set on the things of the flesh (carnally minded) we bring death into our lives. But walking in the Spirit brings life and peace.

       

      i. We must, however, guard against a false spirituality and see that Paul means the flesh insofar as it is an instrument in our rebellion against God. Paul is not talking about normal physical and emotional needs we may think about, only the sinful gratification of those needs.

       

      c. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: The flesh battles against God because it does not want to be crucified and surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not want to live out Galatians 5:24: those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. In this battle to tame the flesh, the law is powerless.

       

      i. Paul didn’t say that the carnal mind was at enmity with God – he put it even stronger than that.

      The carnal mind is enmity against God. “It is not black, but blackness; it is not at enmity, but enmity itself; it is not corrupt, but corruption; it is not rebellious, it is rebellion; it is not wicked, it is wickedness itself. The heart, though it be deceitful, is positively deceit; it is evil in the concrete, sin in the essence, it is the distillation, the quintessence of all things that are vile; it is not envious against God, it is envy; it is not at enmity, it is actual enmity.” (Spurgeon)

       

      d. It is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be: We can try to do good in life without being subject to the law of God. We may hope to put God “in debt” to us by good works, thinking God owes us. But it doesn’t work. In the flesh we cannot please God, even if the flesh does religious things that are admired by men.

      Enmity defined: 1. The quality of being an enemy; the opposite of friendship; ill will; hatred; unfriendly dispositions; malevolence. It expresses more than aversion and less than malice,and differs from displeasure in denoting a fixed or rooted hatred, whereas displeasure is more transient.

      I will put enmity between thee and the woman. Gen.3.

      The carnal mind is enmity against God. Rom. 8. 2. A state of opposition.

       

      i. Newell on Romans 8:7: “Perhaps no one text of Scripture more completely sets forth the hideously lost state of man after the flesh.”

       

      4. (9-11) Christians are empowered to live in the Spirit.

      But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

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      a. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you: Because the Holy Spirit is given to each believer when they are born again, every Christian has within themselves a principle higher and more powerful than the flesh.

      If indeed? _________________________________________________________

       

      i. “Many sincere people are yet spiritually under John the Baptist’s ministry of repentance. Their state is practically that of the struggle of Romans Seven, where neither Christ nor the Holy Spirit is mentioned, but only a quickened but undelivered soul in struggle under a sense of ‘duty,’ not a sense of full acceptance in Christ and sealing by the Holy Spirit.” (Newell)

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      b. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His: This means every believer has the Holy Spirit. It is a misnomer to divide Christians among the “Spirit-filled” and the “non-Spirit-filled.” If a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit, they are not a Christian at all.

       

      i. However, many do miss out on living the Christian life in the constant fullness of the Spirit because they are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit as Paul commanded in Ephesians 5:18. They have no experience of what Jesus spoke about when He described rivers of living water flowing from the believer (John 7:37-39).

      37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[a] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. NIV

       

      ii. How does one know that they have the Spirit? Ask these questions:

      · Has the Spirit led you to Jesus?

      · Has the Spirit put in you the desire to honor Jesus?

      · Is the Spirit leading you to be more like Jesus?

      · Is the Spirit at work in your heart?

       

      c. And if the Spirit of Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin: Because Jesus lives in us, the old man (body) is dead, but the Spirit lives and reigns, and will live out His salvation even through our mortal bodies through resurrection.

       

      i. Not only are we in Christ (Romans 8:1), but He also is in you, and because God cannot abide a sinful home, the body (old man) had to die when Jesus came in.

       

      B. Our obligation: to live in the Spirit.

      1. (12-13) Our debt is to the Spirit, not to the flesh.

      Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

       

      a. We are debtors – to the flesh, to live according to the flesh: The flesh (again, in the narrow sense of sinful flesh in rebellion against God) gave us nothing good. So we have no obligation to oblige or pamper it. Our debt is to the Lord, not to the flesh.

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      b. For if you live according to the flesh you will die: Paul constantly reminds us that living after the flesh ends in death. We need the reminder because we are often deceived into thinking that the flesh offers us life.

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      c. By the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body: When we put to death the deeds of the body (force the sinful flesh to submit to the Spirit), we must do it by the Spirit. Otherwise we will become like the Pharisees and spiritually proud.

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      i. Paul tells us that not only are we saved by the work of the Spirit, but we also must walk by the Spirit if we want to grow and pursue holiness in the Lord. We cannot be like some among the Galatians who thought they could begin in the Spirit but then find spiritual perfection through the flesh (Galatians 3:3).

      Saved: ___________________________________________________________

      Walk: ____________________________________________________________

      Grow: ____________________________________________________________

      Pursue: __________________________________________________________

      Galatians 3:3. KJV. 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

      Galatians 3:3. NIV. 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

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      2. (14-15) Living in the Spirit means living as a child of God.

      For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

       

      a. These are the sons of God: It is only fitting that the sons of God should be led by the Spirit of God. However, we should not think that being led by the Spirit is a pre-condition to being a son of God. Instead, we become sons first and then the Spirit of God leads us.

       

      1. Paul didn’t say, “As many as go to church, these are the sons of God.”
      • He didn’t say, “As many as read their Bibles, these are the sons of God.”
      • He didn’t say, “As many as are patriotic Americans, these are the sons of God.”
      • He didn’t say, “As many as take communion, these are the sons of God.”

       In this text, the test for sonship is whether or not a person is led by the Spirit of God.

       

      ii. How does the Holy Spirit lead us?

      · We are led by guidance.

      · We are led by drawing.

      · We are led by governing authority.

      · We are led as we cooperate with the leading. “It does not say, ‘As many as are driven by the Spirit of God.’ No, the devil is a driver, and when he enters either into men or into hogs he drives them furiously. Remember how the whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. Whenever you see a man fanatical and wild, whatever spirit is in him it is not the Spirit of Christ.” (Spurgeon)

       

      iii. Where does the Holy Spirit lead us?

      · He leads us to repentance. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He leads us to think little of self and much of Jesus. __________________________________________________________________

      · He leads us into truth. __________________________________________________________________

      · He leads us into love. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He leads us into holiness. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He leads us into usefulness. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption: Living as a child of God means an intimate, joyful relationship with God, not like the bondage and fear demonstrated by the law. A child of God can have a relationship with God so close that they may cry out, Abba, Father! (Daddy!)

      c. We cry out, “Abba, Father.” It is easy for us to think of Jesus relating to the Father with this joyful confidence, but we may think we are disqualified for it. However, remember that we are in Christ – we have the privilege of relating to the Father even as Jesus Christ does.

       

      i. “In the Roman world of the first century AD an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate; he was no whit inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature.” (Bruce)

       

      ii. Under Roman adoption, the life and standing of the adopted child changed completely. The adopted son lost all rights in his old family and gained all new rights in his new family; the old life of the adopted son was completely wiped out, with all debts being canceled, with nothing from his past counting against him any more.

       

      3. (16) The evidence we are children of God: the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

      The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

       

      a. The Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God: Plainly put, Paul says that those who are God’s children, born again by the Spirit of God, know their status because the Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit that this is so.

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      i. NOTE: This is not to say that there are not those who wrongly think or assume they are God’s children apart from the Spirit’s testimony. There are also Christians whose heads are so foggy from spiritual attack that they begin to believe the lie that they are not God’s children after all. Nevertheless, the witness of the Spirit is still there.

       

      b. We are children of God: We don’t have to wonder if we are really Christians or not. God’s children know who they are.

       

      i. Jewish law stated that at the mouth of two or three witnesses everything had to be established (Deuteronomy 17:6). There are two witnesses to our salvation: our own witness and the witness of the Spirit.

       

      4. (17) The benefits and responsibilities of being God’s children.

      And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

       

      a. And if children, then heirs: Because we are in Christ, we have the privilege of relating to the Father as Jesus does. Therefore, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

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      i. Being a child of God also means having an inheritance. In Luke 18:18 the rich young ruler asked Jesus, “what must I do to inherit?” But the rich young ruler missed the point because inheritance is not a matter of doing, it is a matter of being – of being in the right family.

       

      b. If indeed we suffer with Him: Because we are in Christ, we are also called to share in His suffering. God’s children are not immune from trials and suffering. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      c. If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together: In fact, our sharing in present suffering is a condition of our future glorification. As far as God is concerned, it is all part of the same package of sonship, no matter how much our flesh may want to have the inheritance and the glory without the suffering.

      How do we suffer? __________________________________________________

      Give examples of suffering with Christ. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      C. Life in the Spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering.

      1. (18) Paul’s analysis of the present suffering and our future glory: they cannot be compared to each other.

      For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

       

      a. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared: Paul was not ignorant or blind to the sufferings of human existence; he experienced more of them than most any of us today. Yet he still considered that the future glory far outweighed the present sufferings.

      b. The glory which shall be revealed in us: Without a heavenly hope, Paul considered the Christian life foolish and tragic (1 Corinthians 15:19). Yet in light of eternity it is the wisest and best choice anyone can make.

       

      Hope: _____________________________________________________________

      c. Revealed in us: This coming glory will not only be revealed to us, but it will actually be revealed in us.

       

      i. God has put this glory into the believer right now. In heaven the glory will simply be revealed. “The glory will be revealed, not created. The implication is that it is already existent, but not apparent.” (Morris)

       

      2. (19-22) All of creation is awaiting and anticipating this coming glory.

      For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

       

      a. The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits: Paul considers that creation itself is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. This is because the creation was subjected to futility on account of man’s sin, and will benefit from the ultimate redemption of men.

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. Isaiah 11:6-9 describes this redemption of creation in that day: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. Him who subjected it in hope: Only God could subject creation in hope. This was not ultimately the work of either man or Satan.

      _________________________________________________________________

      c. The glorious liberty of the children of God: This benefits not only the children of God themselves, but also all of creation. Until that day, creation groans and labors with birth pangs.

      ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      d. The revealing of the sons of God: Certain groups with a “super-Christian” mentality take the idea of the revealing of the sons of God to say that all creation is waiting for their particular group of super-spiritual Christians to be revealed in an incredibly powerful fashion. This is a purely egotistical fantasy.

      ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      e. The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now: “Creation is not undergoing death pangs… but birth pangs.” (Morris)

      __________________________________________________________________

       

      3. (23-25) We also groan and wait with perseverance for the coming glory.

      Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

      a. Who have the firstfruits of the Spirit: This means we have a taste of the glory to come. Can we be faulted if we long for the fulfillment of what we have received in the firstfruits?

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. Eagerly waiting for the adoption: We are waiting for our adoption. Although there is a sense in which we are already adopted (Romans 8:15), there is also a sense in which we wait for the consummation of our adoption which will happen at the redemption of our body.

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. God does not ignore our physical bodies in His plan of redemption. His plan for these bodies is resurrection, when this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53).

      53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. KJV

      53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. NIV

       

      c. We eagerly wait for it with perseverance: The fulfillment of our redemption is something still distant, yet we hope for it in faith and perseverance, trusting that God is faithful to His word and the promised glory will be a reality.

      Perseverance: _____________________________________________________

      i. Morris on perseverance: “It is the attitude of the soldier who in the thick of battle is not dismayed but fights on stoutly whatever the difficulties.”

       

      4. (26-27) God’s help through the Spirit is available to us now.

      Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

       

      a. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses: When we are weak, and do not know exactly how we should pray, God Himself (through the Holy Spirit) helps by making intercession for us.

      ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. Groanings which cannot be uttered: This help from the Spirit may include praying with the spiritual gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2, 14-15), but it is certainly not limited to praying in an unknown tongue.

      ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. The idea is simply of communication beyond our ability to express. The deep groanings within us cannot be articulated apart from the interceding work of the Holy Spirit.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      ii. This, of course, is the purpose of the gift of tongues – to enable us to communicate with God in a manner that is not limited to our own knowledge or ability to articulate our heart before God. The purpose of tongues is not to prove that we are “filled with the Spirit” or to prove that we are especially spiritual.

       

      c. According to the will of God: The Holy Spirit’s help in intercession is perfect because He searches the hearts of those whom He helps, and He is able to guide our prayers according to the will of God.

       

      5. (28-30) God’s help is an enduring promise; He has the ability to work all things for good and to see us through to glorification.

      And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

       

      a. And we know that all things work together for good: God’s sovereignty and ability to manage every aspect of our lives is demonstrated in the fact that all things work together for good to those who love God, though we must face the sufferings of this present time (Romans 8:18). God is able to make even those sufferings work together for our good and His good.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. All things: God is able to work all things, not some things. He works them for good together, not in isolation. This promise is for those who love God in the Biblical understanding of love, and God manages the affairs of our life because we are called according to His purpose.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      c. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son: The eternal chain of God’s working is seen in the connection between foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. God didn’t begin a work in the Romans simply to abandon them in the midst of their present suffering.

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. “Paul is saying that God is the author of our salvation, and that from beginning to end. We are not to think that God can take action only when we graciously give him permission.” (Morris)

       

      ii. “Of course I believe in predestination, since it’s plainly taught in the Scriptures. The doctrine could be assumed, even if the word was never explicitly used. It’s a thrilling truth that doesn’t upset me at all. The fact that He chose me and began a good work in me proves that He’ll continue to perform it. He wouldn’t bring me this far and then dump me.” (Smith)

       

      d. To be conformed to the image of His Son: However, our participation in this eternal plan is essential, reflected in its goal: that we might be conformed to the image of His Son; and this is a process that God does with our cooperation, not something He just “does” to us.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      e. That He might be the firstborn among many brethren: This is the reason for God’s plan. He adopts us into His family (Romans 8:15) for the purpose of making us like Jesus Christ, similar to Him in the perfection of His humanity.

       

      D. The triumphant victory of the life in the Spirit.

      1. (31) Paul begins his conclusion to this section: If God be for us, who can be against us?

      What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

       

      a. If God is for us, who can be against us? If all we had were the first few chapters of the Book of Romans, some might believe that God was against us. Now that Paul has shown the lengths that God went to save man from His wrath and equip him for victory over sin and death, who can doubt that God is for us?

      __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. “Our weak hearts, prone to legalism and unbelief, receive these words with great difficulty: God is for us… They have failed Him; but He is for them. They are ignorant; but He is for them. They have not yet brought forth much fruit; but He is for them.” (Newell)

       

      ii. Most all men say or think that God is for them – terrorists commit horrible crimes thinking that God is for them. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit guards this statement with an “if,” so we may know that just because a man thinks God is with him does not make it so. God is only for us if we are reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      b. Who can be against us? Likewise, despite the suffering Christians face, if God is for them, what does it matter if others are against them? One person plus God makes an unconquerable majority.

      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      i. We certainly can be deceived into thinking that God is for us when He actually is not (as do cultists and those like them). Yet it cannot be denied that for those who are in Jesus Christ, God is for them!

       

      2. (32) Evidence that God is for us: the gift of Jesus Christ.

      He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

       

      a. He who did not spare His own Son: If the Father already gave His ultimate gift, how can we think that He won’t give us the smaller gifts?

       

      3. (33-39) The security of the believer in God’s love.

      Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

       

      “For Your sake we are killed all day long;

      We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

       

      Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

       

      a. Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? We are secure from every charge against us. If we are declared “not guilty” by the highest Judge, who can bring an additional charge?

      __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      b. Who is he who condemns? We are secure from all condemnation. If Jesus is our advocate, promoting our benefit, then who can condemn us?

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      c. More than conquerors through Him who loved us: No matter what our circumstances, none of the sufferings of this present time can separate us from the love of God. This makes us conquerors and more.

       

      i. Earle on nakedness: “This term today suggests indecency on parade. Then it meant a lack of clothes simply because one had no ways or means of getting any.”

       

      ii. Sword: This word implies execution. It is the only item on the list that Paul had not yet personally experienced (1 Corinthians 4:11, 15:30).

       

      d. More than conquerors: How is the Christian more than a conqueror?

      ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He overcomes with a greater power, the power of Jesus. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He overcomes with a greater motive, the glory of Jesus. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He overcomes with a greater victory, losing nothing even in the battle. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

      · He overcomes with a greater love, conquering enemies with love and converting persecutors with patience. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

       

      e. Nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord: Nothing which appears to be good or nothing which appears to be evil can separate us from the love of God.

      There are several verses in the Bible that say God is always with us. Romans 8:35-29 tells us that no matter what God is always there.

      We all face times in our walk with faith that test our commitment to God when it feels like those promises are no longer true.

      You could have done something that you're ashamed of or you've been living a good life, tithing, volunteering and spending time with God, then suddenly you are laid off from work or are going through a sudden, untimely death of someone close to you.

      During those moments, it appears that God has left you and that you are no longer precious to Him. If you were, why would bad things happen to you? What made you deserve to suffer? And where is God?

      When tough times come you are at risk of stopping two things that keep us close to God and starting two things that make us feel even more distant.

      1. Stop making God a priority.

      One of the first things to go out of the window is our regimen with God.

      2. Stop communicating with God.

      We forget to do our bible study, and sometimes we pray and then stop.

      3. Start to avoid God's people.

      We stop going to church.

      4. Start living life our own way.

      Maybe we even indulge in un-Christian like acts.

      The most important thing to remember when you find your faith slipping is that you have nothing but time to improve your relationship with God. He walks with us through the good times and the bad times. God doesn't define love in the same way we do, and sometimes he's working on a character of love vs just the romantic and sweet parts.

      God can tell when you are struggling, and He will align your life to get you back on track. All He asks for is your faith in Him. You can also look to Romans for reassurance in God's faith in us.

      Romans 8:38 tells us, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

       

    • Custom Text

      Where is God in our Grief?

      Lessons from C.S. Lewis

      In The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis takes his readers through a wardrobe to a world of witches and a heroic lion named Aslan. In Mere Christianity, he takes his readers through an intellectual sparing match with some of the toughest arguments against Christianity. But after his beloved wife, Helen Joy, dies of cancer, Lewis candidly takes his readers through the dark, empty hallways of despair in A Grief Observed.

      The level of anguish and grief Lewis experiences and shares surprises some readers. He writes about God’s seeming absence amidst his grief …

      Lewis’s writing strikes a somber note, similar to many psalms in Scripture – full of anguish, anger, and unanswered questions … 

      The Messiness of Grief

      A Grief Observed mimics the psalms of lament in many ways. They raise hard questions. They express difficult feelings. They don’t always resolve in a nice and neat way. But that’s the point. Grief isn’t nice and neat. It’s messy. Grief can feel so overwhelming that it can cloud our ability to hear from God. Lewis writes …

      Although Lewis’s grief seems to have hindered his ability to hear from God, Lewis did not stop knocking on heaven’s door. And that’s what faith does – it turns to God, not away from Him.

      Like grief, faith can be messy – not always neat and tidy. Faith is not always a mountaintop experience. Sometimes it leads to walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Sometimes it brings your broken cries and questions before the Lord. And as Lewis continually pours out his heart and his hurt, he begins to sense God’s presence. He writes …

      Grieving with God

      Death and heaven raise many questions and difficult feelings, especially for the bereaved. Bring them to the Lord. He can handle your questions, your emotions, your thoughts, your fears, and your sorrows. He encourages us to pour out our hurting hearts to Him, however broken they may be. The Bible says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8)

      The Bible, and in particular the Psalms, is filled with people courageously expressing their difficult feelings. They serve as a model to us for what it looks like to come to God when we feel angry, bitter, confused, depressed, grieved, fearful, or hopeless. C.S. Lewis understood this. His grief and that of the psalmists remind us that no matter what we’re feeling, God invites us to give Him our burdens … “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

      For the bereaved or for those approaching death, bring whatever you’re feeling before the Lord. Pour your heart out to God and bring your questions and feelings to Him as an act of trust, faith, and obedience. God will not be shocked or surprised. Answers to some questions can be found in His Word. But more important than the what and why behind the pain is the Who.

      The Promise of Hope

      We may not receive all the answers to our questions in this life. But we have God – His presence, His promises, and His peace. He invites us to come to Him, regardless of how we feel. And we have His Word. We have His promise that in heaven, our pain will melt away, our questions will be answered, and our tears will be wiped away as we live in the light of His love.

       

       

       

       

       

      10 WAYS TO GET CLOSER TO GOD EVERY DAY

      Barrett BoganKnowing God3 Comments

      10 WAYS TO GET CLOSER TO GOD

      If you want to grow closer to God, think of Moses in the tent of meeting, Mary at the feet of Jesus, and Jesus Himself, constantly stealing away to be with the Father. Every great leader and hero of the faith had this one thing in common: they never considered themselves close enough to God.

      Take Paul in his letter to the Philippians:

      Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

      -Philippians 3:13-14

      It’s really all of Chapter 3, so you should go read that for sure. But basically he says that even he hasn’t come to a place where he can relax and kick back.

      But instead he has this intense desire to press on, to push closer, to know Christ more, to grow closer and more intimate, more fellowship. Even Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, wanted to get closer to God.

      We definitely need this encouragement, this attitude, this heart posture.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

       

      WHAT IS YOUR HEART POSTURE?

      Praise God that He is patient with us and that He loves us, His Church, even with our blemishes. But if we are to truly walk closer to God, we have got to realize that true love is ever-pursuing, ever-increasing, ever-responding, and ever-growing closer every day.

      It doesn’t stay put. It goes with God… it moves… it follows… it pursues.

      Jesus is in the process of preparing and purifying us, His bride, more and more, so we should be engaged in that process as well.

      That being said, there is a deep, disgusting disease in the Church today that we definitely need a cure for. It is unseen and unspoken of, and it is rampant throughout our churches and our hearts. It is the posture in our hearts that we are close enough.

      We might never say it out loud or even realize it sometimes, but it plays out in how we spend our time. It plays out in our worship services. It plays out when there is an altar call, and the majority of us don’t go up. And mostly, it plays out in our hearts.

      “I’M GOOD”, OR “GIVE ME MORE?”

      We sit back thinking, “I don’t need that. I’m good. I don’t want people to see me going forward. What would other people think of me?”

      Whatever we’re thinking, it’s not, “Give it to me! Show me your glory Lord. I want more of you, so here I come.”

      Instead of staying put if there is an invitation for prayer, we, the people of God, the ones who have spent the most time at church, should be the ones that are up at the altar most often.

      The altar should be full of us; the altar at church, the altar in our homes, and the altar in our hearts. We should live in close pursuit and die daily. Daily laying our lives at His altar and letting Him prune and shape us more into His likeness. It should be a pursuit, and a passionate one at that.

      Almost everyone in the whole church should be up there seeking more of Jesus, every time, any chance we get, every day. We should be seeking more of Jesus, every week, all the time, Sunday after Sunday, every other day too, in our homes, in our living rooms, with our families, with our friends, with each other.

      Imagine what kind of atmosphere our churches would have if God looked down and saw passionate, longing hearts instead of indifference. 

      IMAGINE WITH ME

      What if He saw us at the altar instead of in our chairs?

      If He saw pursuit and desperation and love in our hearts?

      What would God do if He looked down and saw everyone in your church up at the altar, over and over, and over again each week? I guarantee you He would match that pursuit and meet you in power!

      “I’m good!?!”

      Why would we ever say that to God?

      Again, we don’t realize we are saying it, but we are. We are giving God the stiff arm. We are saying, essentially, “I’m close enough. I don’t need to go any further. I’m good right here. I don’t need any more of you. I’ve done that. Jesus cleansed me. I’m thankful. But now I’m good.”

      If God is offering something, I don’t care if it’s something we’ve already received from Him before, we should want more of it, more of Him, every time. That altar should be full of all of the people that are hungry for more of Him.

      I fear though that it already is. We’ve got to stoke our hunger for Him again.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

       

      REKINDLE THE FIRE

      We have got to rekindle that fire inside of us and be hungry for Him again.

      We have got to recapture that flame, that heart ablaze, that worshipful spirit that is thankful, and grateful, and awestruck, and in love, and can’t for the life of us get enough of Him.

      You see, we don’t completely push Him away. We make sure to keep Him within reach, but definitely an arms length away. You know, just in case we need Him for something, but on our terms.

      WE KEEP GOD AT AN ARMS DISTANCE.

      It’s as if we don’t need more cleaning and don’t need Him anymore. Like we’ve forgotten and are no longer enthralled and hungry and thirsty and in love.

      I do this too. It’s easy to get to the point where you just want to be comfortable AND God’s. But that’s not exactly in the cards bro.

      I mean, He is our great Comforter. But we don’t really want Him to be our comforter because that would mean that the circumstances He allows us to be in are UNcomfortable, and we definitely don’t like that. If we’re really honest with ourselves, we want the situation to be comfortable already.

      On the contrary though, God says that our flesh will die when we are close to Him.

      “But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

      -EXODUS 33:20

      COME UP THE MOUNTAIN

      God is inviting you up the mountain to be with Him, to come closer, to know Him more intimately than you ever have. Will you come up the mountain and come closer to God?

      Will you recapture that love and fire and pursue God again? It may be painful. There may be some dying and some burning, but hardness produces goodness, and He is making us more Holy.

      Death is always the required course for resurrection life. 

      As far as what side of the fence to choose, there have always been people on both sides of passion and jade. But Jesus wants us to come back to Him. He spoke to it in Revelation.

      I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

      Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

      Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

      -Revelation 2:2-6

      There have always been people who have been in love with Jesus, and there have always been people who have hated Him. But the group that Jesus had the biggest issues with was the group that claimed to love God, but was actually quite far from Him.

      A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

      Let’s be honest. Most of us have experienced a season of decreased passion and fervency in our walk with Christ once or twice before.

      David expressed it too.

      Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
      Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.
      Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

      -PSALM 51:10-12

      Even King David, the man after God’s own heart, had lost it somehow.

      He had lost the joy and the enthrallment. He had lost the zeal, the worship, the pursuit.

      This is the same thing that we struggle with today. We have lost the pursuit. Our posture is no longer one of pursuit and hunger for the Lord. And we have got to recapture that pursuing heart!

      It’s as though we have forgotten or grown accustom to our freedom and have started to take it for granted. But you only stay truly free when you stay close to Jesus every day.

      WHO WILL YOU BE?

      Will you be the Israelites, who stayed away from the mountain? Or will you be Moses, who desired to meet with the Lord face to face?

      Will you be Martha, who considered the dishes and house chores to be more important? Or will you be Mary who put all that aside to be with Jesus?

      Will you be the Christian who is comfortable with how close you’ve come? Or will you be the Jesus follower who is passionately pursuing Christ and coming closer to God because your heart is so enthralled and can never ever be close enough?

      10 WAYS TO GET CLOSER TO GOD

      Whether you’re just getting to know the Lord or you’ve been following Him for years, getting to know God closer is actually quite simple. That’s because He has made Himself available to us.

      If you’re looking for more ways to get closer to God and spend more time with Him, here’s a list of 10 easy things you can do to engage or re-ignite a passionate and thriving relationship with Jesus.

      1. PRAY

      Just talk to God like you would any other person. Pray out loud. Listen for Him to answer you. He has made Himself incredibly available to us through prayer. No matter where you are, talk to Him, and He will talk back to you. And when He does, it will change your life.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?
       
      2. GO ON A WALK TOGETHER

      This is what Jesus did. There’s something about going on a walk or a hike OUTSIDE with God. Out in the breeze, out in creation. You get out of whatever you were in and you meet with Him. The important thing here is that you get up and move with Jesus. It helps you put your life in His hands instead of just sitting there stuck in your own head and circumstances. It very practically gets some motion in your life and really helps you keep moving with God. I even do this at Church during worship sometimes. Just pray and pace a little as you seek Him. You don’t have to move to pray, but it can definitely be really great and extremely helpful sometimes.

      3. READ THE BIBLE

      This may be obvious, but there are too many of us that don’t dig into Scripture on a regular basis. God will without a doubt reveal Himself to you through His Word. Read the Bible and you will get to know Him more and more. If you want to get to know somebody, you talk to them. Between prayer and reading the Bible, these are the 2 best ways to talk to God and get to know Him. But read with an expectation to hear from God! His Spirit is ready to speak to you through His Word. Pick it up today and come alive with the Lord’s voice in your heart.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

       

      4. FILL YOUR LIFE WITH WORSHIP

      There are so many things we put into our lives these days. But we may not realize the affects they have on our spirit. Just like junk food to our bodies, certain things can have a negative affect on our spirits as well. The fact is that God has said multiple times in Scripture that worldly things separate us from Him. So if you want to get closer to God, cut out some things you normally do, watch, listen to, and think about, and fill your life with worship.

      Become a worshipper of God. Spend time in the car singing and praying and talking with Jesus. Spend time worshipping in your living room. Filling your life with worship will have a MASSIVE affect on your relationship with God, and it will have an ENORMOUS affect on your entire life. If you need a list of great worship music, I’ve got a list of some of my personal favs here on my website to get you started.

      5. FIND A GOOD CHURCH

      There are some places in the world where there are literally churches on every corner. And other places where you can’t even gather legally together as Christians. But the fact of the matter is that Godly community is a HUGE blessing for growing in Christ. Find a Church where people really know God, really love Him, and really love you. Get involved. And eventually, make sure you’re not just there to get but to give and serve as well.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

       

      6. TALK TO A PASTOR OR GODLY MENTOR

      God has equipped everybody for specific service to others. If you’ve got a great Church and great Pastors, get to know them and spend a little time together. They can make some of the best mentors. Other than that, find someone in the Church that is older and wiser than you who you can meet with and chew on life together. 

      Also, if you want to get mentoring from me, I do have some 1-on-1 coaching packages available you can check out HERE. You can be anywhere in the world because we meet over video chat, and I will help you maximize your potential and pursuit of Christ and grow as a leader as we spend 1-on-1 time together. All you have to do is be hungry and ready to invest in your personal, spiritual, and leadership growth.

      7. GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

      Talk To a Close Friend Who Knows God. You may not share everything with everybody. But it is extremely healthy to have one or two friends who know pretty much everything about you. And I mean the good, the bad, and the ugly. Find someone you can trust and grow together. Confess sin, confess temptation even before sin to stay out of sin, pray together, pursue God together, have fun and live the adventure together.

      When God gives you a really great friend, they can end up becoming even closer than a brother. But to get a friend, you’ve got to be a friend, so make sure you are the kind of friend to them that you want them to be for you in return. Meet regularly and talk about what the Lord is teaching you. Challenge each other and grow closer to God together. And always keep it same sex when you’re dealing with accountability. (Side note: if you struggle with purity & sexual sin, don’t stick with just an accountability partner. Get help from a Pastor/mentor as well who can help you overcome and get healthy.)

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

      Click Here To Download My FREE “Get Closer To God Workbook” So That You Can Start Growing Closer With God Today!

      8. READ A BOOK

      I’ve never really been a big natural reader. But over the years I have learned to love it. As I look back on some of my most intimate seasons with the Lord, I was reading the Bible in the mornings and reading a challenging book at night before I went to sleep. Mostly some sort of Christian self-help type book on life with God, who He is, etc. If you need a list of great books to read, I’ve got a list of some of my personal favs here on my website to get you started.

      9. TAKE A COURSE

      It’s incredible what we can learn from people whom God has appointed to help show us the way. There are lots of great online courses out there about all different topics. But if you’re looking for online courses on walking with God, building confidence, finding your contribution, leading well, or making the difference in the world that you were born to make, then check back here often as I am constantly putting together courses for your growth and walk with the Lord.

      Make sure you’re subscribed to my email list so you get updates about new courses before they drop. And also, I’m always looking to tailor my content to your specific needs, so hit reply on any email I send you and come chat on Facebook or even right here on any blog post in the comments. I would love to hear back from you and get to know you so that I can know what you’d like help with most and how I can help you grow.

      I love helping you grow closer to God and grow as a leader, and I have made sure to put only the best, most actionable content into my courses so you get incredible results from every course you take. If you follow the steps I lay out for you in my courses you will without a doubt get closer to God & grow as a leader. It’s one of the best ways to go deeper, take things to the next level, and to grow together.

      WANT TO GROW EVEN CLOSER WITH GOD (EVEN IF YOU’RE CLOSE ALREADY) AND LEARN HOW TO GROW CLOSER WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM HERE ON OUT?

       

      10. DROP ME A LINE

      My absolute passion is helping people just like you know and walk closer with God every day. I am here for you, so if you ever need anything, have a question, or just need someone to pray for you or help show you the way, you can drop me a line right here in the blog comments or even here on my Facebook page. I would love to help you any way that I can.

      These 10 things have absolutely changed my life so much that I could write a whole book on each one. Well, the first 9 I guess 😉

      Here they are again to recap.

      1. Pray
      2. Go on a Walk Together
      3. Read the Bible
      4. Fill Your Life With Worship
      5. Find A Good Church
      6. Talk To a Pastor or Godly Mentor
      7. Get An Accountability Partner
      8. Read A Book
      9. Take a Course
      10. Drop Me A Line

      Walking with God is an absolute treasure, one that nothing in this world could ever match in a million years. Not in a billion kajillion years could anything in this world measure up to living life with Christ. His Spirit and His love and His life and His Words are everything we truly crave. And it is just so satisfying to walk with Him that you could never be close enough.

      We have got to re-spark that passion and come closer to God.

      The closer you get to Jesus, the more you just want to get closer and closer and closer, because He is so infinite and amazing.

      No one else can make you strong. Only Jesus is strong in your weakness. And only He sees all of you AND loves you more than you can even imagine. Trust wholly in Him & put Him first before everything else. It will change everything in your life.

      I’m praying for you 🙂


      Lord draw us close. Forgive us of our apathy and distance. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. Show us the depths of your love for us, and create in us a deep desire to respond to you with passion and pursuit and love right back. We dare to pray the dangerous prayer that asks you to burn away our flesh, meaning our self, if it means we can be close to you and be fully alive in your Spirit. Restore to us the joy of our salvation. Give us sight Jesus. Heal our hearts. Come and be our first love again. We love you Lord, and we want more of you. Lord draw us close.

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      7 Day
       
       
       
    • Prayer List and Birthdays

       

      PRAYER LIST AND BIRTHDAYS

       

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      Pray for those who are on our prayer list. SICK/SHUT

       

       

      Claudia Ball

      Etta Banks

      Melvin Bell

      Renard Bell

      Yvonne Bell

      Stanley Boyd

      ​Daphne Buckels

      George Buckels

      Lester Buckels

      Geraldine Brewer

      Eva Davenport

      Rhonda Fletcher

      Madeline Foster

      Bobby Foster

      Sandra Glover

      ​Martin Griggs

      Ernestine Hardin

      Brenda Isom

      Ricky Johnson
       
      Joyce King
       
      Mimi London
       
      Mark Madgett
       
      Ed Petty
       
      Gloria Petty
       
      Deloyd Prothro
       
      Allease Rich
       
      Yvonne Rhodes
       
      Theresa Smart
       
      Christianna Trice
       
      Alice Ward
       
      Arietta Walker
       
      Ollie Walker
       
      Eleanor Wiggins
       
      Ann Wilson
       
       

      MARCH BIRTHDAYS

       

      DEIONNE FLETCHER......................................MARCH 5

      LAUREN CHAVIS............................................MARCH 9

      AMIYAH JOHNSON.........................................MARCH 21

      DARRELL BOOTH............................................MARCH 25

      MAURISTINE BYRD........................................MARCH 29

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       
       
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      OUR HIGHER CALLING DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY

      Each Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook.  Central Time. Just go to the Pastor's Facebook page

       

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      SOUTHERN HAS GONE "MASK OPTIONAL"!

      WHICH MEANS THAT YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK DURING SERVICES, BUT IS STILL RECOMMENDED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE SAFETY BY KEEPING HANDS SANITIZED, TEMPERATURE CHECK POINTS AND CURRENT SEATING ARRANGEMENTS. WE WILL REMAIN IN OUR PLACES DURING ALTAR CALL AND OBSERVE THE INSTRUCTIONS BY OUR USHERS.

       

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