We ought to expect a turbulent and hostile experience as we seek to stand with Christ and advance his cause in this world, remaining resolute, unafraid, and confident in God’s promise of ultimate deliverance.
We will undoubtedly experience genuine grief if we truly understand the problem of sin and the consequences of rejecting Christ, yet it should also motivate us to continue to urgently and regularly share the gospel.
Pondering God’s longtime plan of redemption humbles us Christians, as we realize that Christ’s horrible suffering was the judgment our sins and transgressions had earned.
To get right with God we must humbly admit we fall sinfully short of his absolutely perfect standards, knowing that our only hope is to fully trust his power to save and his right to lead our daily lives.
We must never try to measure our worthiness before God by comparing our morality with others, instead we must honestly admit our utter sinfulness and embrace his amazing gift of unearned acceptance.
If we love Christ we will love what he loves and hate the sins for which he died and which cause such great damage to the body of Christ.
God would have us be vigilant about those who wander away from the teaching and practice of the truth, concerned enough for the ramifications of their falling away to lovingly go after them to bring them back.
Pastor Mike looks at the “gray area” of gambling and discusses the question: Is gambling a sin?
Christians need be extremely grateful for the way God planned, orchestrated, and empowered our turning from sin and our calling out to him to be forgiven.
We must see sin for the grievous and scandalous rebellion that it is so that we can learn to rightly appreciate and celebrate the gracious salvation which God grants penitent sinners.
We must seek to be zealous enough for God’s honor that we find ourselves selflessly grieving over those who reject the truth (with all its commensurate consequences) and sincerely rejoicing over those who repent.
We must see our absolute necessity to repent of our sins regardless of any sense of security we may feel based on a relative comparison of our sinfulness.
For those of us who believe Christ’s teaching and continue to trust in him, God promises to release us from the eternal penalty of sin, helping us now to increasingly overcome the corrupting power of sin in our lives.
We must understand some of the motives of those who react cynically and skeptically to the gospel, responding to them with gentleness and respect but never devoid of urgency.
God has granted us the powerful gift of communication, which we must employ with great care and deference to the good intentions of our all-knowing and all-hearing God.
Extreme examples of demonization can provide us with insight into Satan’s agenda regarding our own lives, making us vigilant but always confident in Christ’s supreme power and authority.
Understanding and applying God’s truth are gifts from God to underserving people, yet even those graced with the gift of perception must work hard to carefully understand and apply the truth.
To be prepared for the arrival of Christ’s kingdom we must be sure that we have grappled with the gravity of our sin and are trusting exclusively in Christ for our forgiveness.
We often make excuses attempting to rebuff the conviction that comes with God’s truth, but we must learn to concede his good purpose for us and respond with humble obedience.
Christ at his first coming displayed his credentials as the King of the coming Kingdom by healing some people of their illnesses, in part to remind us that he will one day vanquish all disease.
