Who Made You My Judge?

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 1 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any [...]

Hard Teaching

Hard Teaching: What do you do?… when you come across one of teachings of Jesus that simply goes against your grain? We are tempted to: ignore it rationalize a way around it Let me share what I believe a proper response would be: 1. ask for God’s help in understanding it, 2. explore the context, [...]

What About Temptation?

Last week we began with these questions Can anyone really live what Jesus taught? and Do I believe I Can actually live what Jesus taught? Since Jesus, the apostles and the writers of the New Testament answer with an resounding YES, we moved on to the question: What does it take? 1. A new way [...]

Where, What, When, How

Our spiritual growth doesn’t depend on who teaches us, where we go to church or who we’ve read recently. Those are all tools we use to build our spiritual lives, but ultimately, there’s no boasting in human influence. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (I Corinthians 3:6). We have [...]

Live What Jesus Taught

Can anyone really live what Jesus taught? Consider just a little piece of what he taught: Matt 5:1-10, 21-22, 27 -28 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. The Beatitudes He said: 3 “Blessed [...]

Time To Grow Up

Paul is frustrated that the people of the new Corinthian Church aren’t responding to his lessons; they aren’t learning as quickly as he thinks they should. He’s concerned about the company they’re keeping. Instead of relying on the constancy of God, they bend to the latest ideas they hear. Who do we listen to, and [...]

When It All Comes Down

Psalm 51 1 Have mercy on me, O God,  according to your unfailing love; 
according to your great compassion 
blot out my transgressions. 
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Revelation – God gets the message through Realization – We accept that he is right Repentance – We acknowledge our [...]

Try Living Faithfully

In John Wesley’s sermons it has been discovered that he “explicitly spoke of happiness as the goal of Christian life.” Like the psalmist, Wesley linked happiness and holiness. Psalm 112 ties happiness not only to fear of the Lord but also to “delight in his commandments.” The psalmist probably had in mind the Mosaic Law [...]