Sharing is Caring

Slaves to obedience           [Romans 6:15-23]     Last week, during a wedding service for a couple in our church's English ministry, I gave three recommendations under the title of the sermon titled “By Faith,” centered on Hebrews 11:23-26.   One of those three exhortations was to have higher values by faith, refuse to enjoy the sinful pleasures of the world, but choose to be mistreated and to suffer for Jesus Christ.   I took Moses as an example.   What did Moses do with faith?   He made the right choice “by faith”.   Moses made the right choice with faith in the choice between to be called the son of Pharaoh's princess (v. 24) or to be called the son of God, to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a short time (v. 25) or to suffer with the people of God (v. 25), to choose all the treasures of Egypt or suffering disgrace for the sake of Christ (v. 26).   In this way, faith makes the right choice on the path o...

  ‘The very commandment  that was intended to bring life’ (1)       [Romans 7:8-13]                         Look at Romans 7:10 – “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.”    Here, “the very commandment” is the commandment that God gave to the first Adam, and it is recorded in Genesis 2:16-17 like this: “And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”    If Adam had not eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil according to the very commandment, he would have come to life.    In other words, if Adam had obeyed that very commandment that was intended to bring life (Rom. 7:10), then he would have attained eternal life.  ...

  ‘As through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men’       [Romans 5:12-21]                           Romans 5:12-19 speaks of the same and different aspects of Adam and Jesus Christ: Verses 12-14 are the same aspects of Adam and Jesus Christ, verses 15-17 are the different aspects of Adam and Jesus Christ, and verses 18-19 are the same and the different aspects of Adam and Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:18-19: “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”   Here, the conjunction “So then” (v. 18) concludes Romans 5:12-17 comprehensively.      ...

  " Obedience Starts Small Let’s join this movement of the Spirit in our time. Let’s expand our horizons with respect to God’s mission and view world history through the spectacles of faith, as John Calvin said. Let’s obey the Great Commission at home and abroad. If you do not have money, or cannot afford to participate in overseas missions, you can still play a role. The nations have come to most of us . We can reach out to immigrants right where we live, partner in the missions work of local congregations, and pray for the lost wherever they may be. Christ has promised to be with us to the very end of the age, and he’s asked us to be working, found ready, when he comes—evangelizing, baptizing, discipling, and loving—playing our part in the history of redemption." https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/when-stop-caring-missions/

Simple daily obedience in little things "It is important we remember that our goal in our struggles lies outside of trying to understand God's plan. We'll never do it.   Furthermore, he never asks that of us.   Instead, he wants to see our trust in him through simple daily obedience in little things.   Little things often begin in little places."   (Wayne Stiles, "WAITING on GOD")

Knowing God means ... Knowing God means  the practice of Christian obedience,  the practice of Christian religion(godliness) in the best sense of the term.   (J. I. Packer, "SOLID GROUND:  The Inerrant Word of God in an Errant World")