The Attributes of God:

A Changed Life Galatians 5:16-26, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”               We often focus upon what we are saved from and overlook what we are saved to.  In Galatian 4 Paul highlighted what we are saved from.  Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we are now free from our bondage to the law and the condemnation of the law.  The Law was given to show humanity the need for salvation, for the more the people tried the obey the law, the more they failed and came under the condemnation of the law.  By taking upon himself the guilt of our sin, we were liberated from the judgment of the law.  Of greater importance is that we were elevated to being a child of God so that we are free to enjoy the status of being God’s children.             Today, there are many who state that because of God’s love for us, it no longer matters what we do; God will save everyone regardle

The Event that Redefines You Gal. 4:1-7 “Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”                   Some statements are so profound that we cannot even begin to comprehend their significance.  We look back in history; some statements radically shifted the world and our view of life. Sometimes, these statements changed the course of the geopolitical world. One such statement was when Martin Luther King Jr. defined the civil rights movement on August 28, 1963, by stating, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”  Other statements were innocuous at the time but ushered in a new era.  The words of Alexander Gram Bell, “Mr. Watson—come here--I want to see you,”  were not profound. Still, they inaugurated the start of one of the greatest communication revolutions in history.                     The most significan

Am I Good Enough Gal. 3:1-14 “Now that no one is justified by the Law before god is evident; for the righteous man shall live by faith.”                     From the beginning of time, when sin entered the world, people have sought to obtain eternal life by being good enough.  The common belief is that if we are good moral people it will be enough to gain entrance into heaven.  This was the. Viewpoint of the Jews.  They sought to obey and fulfill the religious laws by following the customs and regulations established by the religious leaders.  As long as they were faithful in their external religious duties, it would be sufficient for them to be accepted by God.  However, when Christ came, he agitated the religious leaders by attacking their external religion.  Christ made it clear that not the external actions determine our acceptance into heaven, but our inward heart condition.  This does not mean that Christ set aside the law, but that he confronted those seeking salvation based upo

The Integrity of the Gospel Galatians 1:6-10  “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”                   The most important truth in history, one upon which the hope of all humanity rests, is the truth of the gospel.  When Paul heard the report that the churches of Galatia were following those who desired to make obedience to the law necessary for salvation, he was deeply troubled.  This was not just a minor theological difference; it was an attack upon the very message of the gospel.  To distort the gospel message in any way is to distort the grace of God and proclaim a different gospel.  In response, Paul gives the strongest rebuke possible.  If anyone, whether an angel or apostle, distorts the gospel in any way, they face the condemnation of hell itself. This is not a light warning, but a serious and grave one.  To further drive his point home, he repeats the warning again.  If our eterna

The Paradox of Weakness 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”                   Sometimes, the most significant answer to prayer is not when God miraculously intervenes but when God remains unmoved.  In verse 7, Paul described his urgent and passionate prayer for God to deliver him from his “thorn in the flesh.”  Commentators have widely speculated upon what the thorn was.  Some suggest it was a spiritual battle.  Others suggest it was a physical problem.  But in the end Paul does not tell us what specifically it was.  However, there is a possible hint in verses 9-10.  Paul mentions how he will boast about his weakness.  In his letters to the church at Corinth, Paul provides insight into his inward struggles, which he does not describe in his other epistles.  In 1 Corinthians 2:1-4, he describes his fear

Money:  A Tool or a Want 2 Corinthians 9:5-15 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”                   What is the hardest thing to surrender to God?  We readily give God the guilt of our sins because he has promised forgiveness.  We continually give God our problems and concerns, for he promises to help us in our time of need.  We even give God our time, for that seems noble, and assisting others always gives us a good feeling that we have benefited someone else life.  However, when asked to give up our money, we clutch our wallets like Scrooge and cry, “Mine!”  Of all the things God asks of us, the hardest thing to give up is our money because we see money as the tool we use to buy our happiness and security in this world.  We are reluctant to give it up.                     As Paul writes to the church at Corinth, he commends them for their generosity and sets forth why we

The Transforming Power of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” For many people, the past remains like a specter in the night, continually haunting them with their failures so that the past defines the present. No matter where they turn, they are reminded of past mistakes and events that remain like an iron ball and chain, preventing them from any joy and peace. A small voice in our heads tells us that we will never be good enough and never overcome our guilt and regret. In these verses, Paul desires to point us in a new direction by giving us a different perspective of ourselves and others.  In verse 16, he speaks of the new outlook we have upon others and upon ourselves because of the work Christ did on the cross (vs 14-15).  When Christ died on the cross, he paid in full the penalty of sin, offering us freedom from guilt and regret.  No matter how bad our life has been or

The Tyranny of the Insignificant 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”                   In 1967, Charles Hummel wrote a best seller titled “The Tyranny of the Urgent.”  In this book, he reminds us that “your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.”  He rightfully points out, “There is an insidious tendency to neglect important tasks that do not have to be done today—or even this week.”   Nevertheless, there is a greater danger we face, one that we all fall into its snare, and that is the tyranny of the insignificant.       We spend the bulk of our lives pursuing goals, careers and plans that ultimately become nothing but long-forgotten dreams.  We direct our focus, time, energy, and resour

The Surpassing Comfort of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we are comforted by God.”                   Eliphaz captured the struggles we face in life when he stated, “For man is born to trouble, as sparks fly upward.”  All the joys and triumphs of life are soon forgotten in the face of our continual troubles.  Hardly a day goes by without being confronted with sorrow and suffering.  Paul was not ignorant of suffering.  He was one who had experienced continual suffering in life, to the point that he even despaired of life itself.  In verse 8, he describes the affliction he faced, that they “were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (vs. 8).  Paul was not just writing about the comfort of God as a theorist or as a theologic

The Hope of the Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15 “The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”                   Our greatest fear is our confrontation with death. We can endure many trials, but when the reality of death comes knocking on the door, it brings fear, apprehension, and hopelessness. Death robs us of our dreams, removes loved ones, and its finality leaves us with a deep sense of loss. When we are confronted with our mortality, we feel helpless. It is the ultimate adversary that we have no power to defeat. Of all the circumstances we face in life, the threat of death remains the one event we fear the most. To live with the prospect of death is to live in the realm of uncertainty and apprehension.                   The apostle knew what it was like to live with the constant threat of death by his side.  This threat was not a terminal illness but the threat of execution by the hands of th

The Sovereignty of God and Our Bodies 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”                   Today's mantra is that “my body is my own,” so we can do what we desire with our bodies. However, Paul confronts when we use our autonomy and self-determination as a basis for sexual perversion and a justification for any type of sexual expression.  In 1 Corinthians 6:12-18, Paul addresses those who would argue that sexual immorality is justifiable since we have authority over our own bodies. Just as people do today, they argued that all sex is permissible since we have the rights over our own body. This argument then leads to the right to have an abortion. The argument is that the woman has the right to her own body, and so if she desires to have an abortion, it is permissible. Yet Paul reminds

The Wonder of God’s Wisdom 1 Corinthians 2:6-15 “Things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.” In verse 9, we find a statement that is beyond our grasp. The New English translation captures the wonder of this verse when it writes, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” When we read these words, our minds immediately go to the wonders and joys of heaven and the abode that Christ promised to prepare for us in John 14:3. However, when we place the verse in context, we find a different perspective. Within these verses, Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God. Sin has corrupted all things, including our perspective of life and how we are to live. Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that sin and Satan have distorted our minds and our moral thoughts so that the things of God appear foolish

The Infinite Value of Nothing 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”                   In Greek culture, oration was highly valued and sought. People who could bedazzle the crowds were praised and honored and received rich rewards for their ability. People would then flock to hear these great orators who could impress them with their eloquence and capture their attention with their ability to paint verbal pictures. The focus was not on what they said but how they said it.                   Tragically, we see the same thing in the church today. People are enamored with eloquent preachers who can entertain them with their perfectly timed jokes, ability to speak with flair, and ability to capture the audience’s attention with their words. However, they fail to proclaim the whole counsel of God’s word that confronts people with sin, points them to the grace of God, and challenges them to live a life surrendered to God. Paul w

Responding to God’s Grace Romans 11:33-12:2 “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable His ways...Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.                   In Romans 1-11, Paul meticulously lays out the effects of sin and the hope of grace. Paul confronts us with the reality that we are sinners by birth and by choice. Sin has penetrated all aspects of our lives, distorting all our thoughts and actions so that we are worthy of divine judgment. However, God, in His infinite grace, has made salvation possible through the redemptive work of Christ. Christ accomplished what we could never achieve: the forgiveness of our sins and the freedom from its mastery over our lives. Furthermore, God allows sin to enter the world so that He might have the opportunity to manifest His grace and m

Hope while Suffering Romans 8:18-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”                   How do we find joy amid the suffering and tragedies of life?  When we are going through difficult circumstances that reveal our helplessness and confront us with the reality of our frailty, where do we find hope in the present?  In verse 18, Paul reminds us of the hope we have in eternity, that the joy and glory we will experience in heaven will far surpass the worst suffering we experience in the present. While we affirm this to be true, that can be little consolation when we are suffering and heartbreak in the present.  Paul is not the blind optimist who does not understand what it is like to suffer.  In his life, he had experienced physical and mental suffering.  He had to be beaten so severely that he was on the threshold of death.  He wrestled with fear and depression.  So, Paul understands

Obtaining Victory over Our Greatest Battle Romans 7:14-25 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?                        The hardest thing to change is ourselves.  With all the advanced technology, the discoveries of medicine, and the discoveries of science, we can manage and overcome problems and obstacles that previous generations thought impossible.  However, for all our advancements in science, industry, and engineering, the one thing we still cannot manage is the beast within, the inward struggle with our sinful nature.  We can try to deny its existence but it reveals itself daily as we journey through the daily affairs of life.  We get angry and speak regrettable words to the people we care about most.  We try with all our might to break unwanted and harmful habits, only to succumb to them at the first provocation.  However, the problem with sin goes far deeper than just acting in ways we do not want and are hurtful to others.  It stems from a h

The Wonder of God’s Grace Romans 5:1-21 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”                   If we just read the first three chapters of Romans, we could easily conclude that man is hopeless in his sinful condition, and rightfully so, for that is the point Paul is making.  Paul confronts us with the reality that sin alienates us from God and leads us to the certainty of judgment.  In our sinful state, we are without hope, for we are depraved.  This does not mean that we are as wicked as we can be but that everything in our lives is tainted by sin.  Paul affirms with the psalmist that “none seek God, all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none that does good, there is not even one” (3:11-12).  This does not mean that sinful humans cannot do good things, but that even the good we do is tainted by sin.  As a result, we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).  If Paul stopped th

The Justice and Grace of God Romans 1:18-2:4 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” The Book of Romans is considered one of the most important books of the Bible. Similar to how the books of Genesis and Exodus are crucial for understanding the Old Testament, the Gospel of John and the book of Romans are central to comprehending the New Testament. The book of Romans starts by affirming the revelation of God. Paul challenges the idea that people can plead ignorance about God’s existence and His supreme rule over the entire universe and thus avoid the certainty of judgment. Just like a painting reflects the hands of the painter who created it, the intricate complexity of creation reflects the hand of the creator. When people deny God's existence or claim ignorance about Him, Paul directs our attention back to creation. The struggle for faith is not about evidence or the lack of i

Resting in God’s Sovereignty Acts 23:1-11 “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”                   It is always frustrating when our plans and desires are thwarted by the actions and decisions of others. We strive for a promotion only to have someone less deserving get the job because the boss likes them better. As much as we want to think that we are the masters of our own destiny, the reality is that our destiny is often determined by circumstances that are outside of our control. As a result, we become resentful and discouraged.                    Undoubtedly, Paul was frustrated.  When He arrived in Jerusalem, he related to the church leaders how God had done remarkable work in the lives of the Gentiles.  As a result, James and the other Elders in the church rejoiced (21:19-20). However, Jews from Asia arrived seven days later, and th

Trusting in God’s Plan. Act 16:22-40 “And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their woods, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.”                   In Acts 12, we find the remarkable story of Peter’s arrest and deliverance.  After Peter was arrested for preaching the gospel, he was put into prison with four squads of soldiers to guard him.  However, in the middle of the night, an Angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, Peter’s chains fell off, and the prison doors were opened. Peter freely walked out of prison to continue preaching the gospel.                   In Acts 16, Paul is confronted with a very similar circumstance.  Like Peter, Paul was also arrested for preaching the gospel and cast into prison.   Just as the chains fell off and the doors to the prison were open for Peter, the same thing happened to Paul.  Both Peter and Paul were arrested for preaching the gospel.  Both were placed in chains to ensure that they would not escape. Both miracu