Adopted By A King

Romans 8:12-17

Pastor Barry Kerner

My Father is rich in houses and lands
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

My Father’s own Son, the Saviour of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning forever on high,
And will give me a home in heaven by and by.

I once was an outcast, stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

I’m a child of the King, a child of the King;
With Jesus my Saviour, I’m a child of the King.

Do you know that I am the child of a King? Not just any King but THE KING. Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Eternal and Unchangeable. The Creator of the universe

If you’ll open your Bible to Romans 8 we’ll be looking at verses 12 through 17 today.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This world has taught us to earn.

We’ve been conditioned to earn for as long as we can remember — earning praise and affirmation from parents, earning grades from teachers, earning playing time from coaches, earning attention from boys or girls, eventually earning paychecks from employers. We learned how to earn before we learned how to speak or even walk.

But our penchant for earning paralyzes us before God’s offer of true grace. We don’t know how to receive favor without working for it. And so we subtly (or not so subtly) trade away the one true gospel because we prefer to work for and serve God as slaves (or at least as employees), and not as sons. We don’t feel safe letting him do all the work, and earning gives us some semblance of control. We simply can’t believe eternal security and everlasting life could be offered as a gift.

THERE ARE THREE PROMISES FOR CHILDREN OF GRACE

Galatians as a whole suggests that we will be tempted to compromise and deny the gospel by treating God as an impersonal Master, and not a father. We’ll try to prove ourselves to him and earn his love when he has already loved us, and sent his Son for us.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4–7)

Three unusually sweet promises lie in these four verses for precious sons and daughters of God.

First, when God redeems, he secures us forever. He never forgets or forsakes his own children. With Christ, we have eternal security.

Second, we have intimacy — a deep, personal, satisfying relationship with a heavenly Father, who knows us thoroughly, who loves us continually, and who promises to protect and provide for us.

Third, with Christ, we become heirs of all things — all things. Security. Intimacy. And the truest, fullest prosperity.

FIRST, YOU ARE SAFE.

The greatest threat in any of our lives is our own sin, because every sin deserves God’s wrath. Isaiah 53:6, 10 reminds us that the God we offended — the God we rebelled against — shielded us from his fully righteous punishment when he crushed his Son on the cross. You don’t have to wonder whether you’re good enough. You’re not. But Christ is. And being found in him by faith, you are counted as righteous in him. Hebrews 12:67-7 let us know that God may discipline you as your loving Father, but he will not punish you a second time because as Romans 8:1 tells us, he already punished His Son on your behalf. You are safe and secure in the care of your Father.

Every moment of every day before surrendering to Christ, we were in awful, eternal danger. Every second we resisted him we put ourselves at greater and greater risk, having no idea where we were headed and what we would pay for our sin.

But God rescued us in Christ. He paid our debt, bought our forgiveness and freedom, and staked our security on the worth of his Son. He redeemed “those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). As a child of God, you are safe and secure from horrors you can’t even imagine. You are safe. You have a Father who watches over you, who knows your needs, who’s defeated death for you, who promises to deliver you to himself — safely.

SECOND, YOU ARE KNOWN AND LOVED.

We’re not only saved by God (at the cross) and from God (his wrath), but we’re saved to God. Being a part of God’s family means enjoying a Father-child relationship with him. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). We can come into God’s very presence and speak with him, worship him, and ask for help. If you are in Christ, you have an infinite, almighty, and caring Protector and Provider.

The word Paul used for “Son” when he said, “God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4), is the same word he uses two verses later: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). In the same way that God sent Jesus into our broken world to save us, he sent the Spirit into our sinful hearts to make us his sons and daughters.

By the Spirit, God himself is in us, binding us to himself, making us his own, and giving us access to him now through prayer, and then forever in eternity face to face. Psalm 16:11 tells us that we have intimacy with the only one who can truly know us and satisfy us. By our faith, he lives in us, listens to us, loves us; he is with us by his Spirit.

The Spirit gives us the confidence and freedom to cry out to God. He assures us that God really does love us. The cry he inspires is a cry to a dad: “Abba! Father!” The Spirit inside of us pleads as a child, and not as a slave. As children, our intimacy with the Father means his love is deep, persistent, and not decisively based on our performance. We are thoroughly known and profoundly loved. We are his.

THIRD, YOU ARE WEALTHY BEYOND IMAGINATION.

Lastly, we have true, lasting, other-worldly prosperity — a divine inheritance kept in heaven for you. “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7).

It’s no mistake that, when Paul compares sons with slaves, he calls the son “the owner of everything” (Galatians 4:1). He’s speaking about sons in general, but he means for us to see something about what it means to be God’s son. All that he has — and he has it all — he wants to share with his redeemed and adopted children.

In 1 Corinthians 3:21-23Paul writes, “So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” That promise is so spectacular that it’s almost impossible to quantify or estimate what it could even mean. One day, we will own it all. And yet the greatest treasure we will inherit is not anything God can give us, but God himself. He’s the most valuable, most satisfying, most fulfilling reality that there is, and in Christ, we are his and he is ours (Revelation 21:3).

But by God’s grace, every single person in the whole wide world can become a member of Jesus family!

There is a Way

You Must be Born Again as a Child of God

John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

You Will Be Adopted into Jesus Family

Ephesians 1:4-5 says “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.”

 You Will Reign with Jesus in Heaven

Romans 8:17 reminds us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

How should we then live?

You are to Represent Jesus Here on Earth

In Ephesians 1:4 Paul wrote, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are a part of the King’s daughter! The church! You have been adopted by God and given a whole new identity in Christ. The idea of a King’s daughter comes from Psalm 45:13. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means to be a King’s daughter, as we examine this verse word by word.

The King’s daughter is all glorious within” Psalm 45:13.

The King’s • Note the possessive apostrophe on King’s. You belong to the King of kings! He says to you, Isaiah 43:1 tells us, “Fear not, I have called you by your name. You are Mine,”  He will never leave or forsake you. The King is ALL powerful for you, ALL knowing of you, and ALL loving towards you.

daughter  • You are a cherished member of God’s royal family, given access to the fullness of His love and provision. You are not a slave nor a hired hand for God. You are a daughter—an heir of God. Romans 8:16-17 says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”  As a King’s daughter, everything Jesus has is yours. Everything Jesus is, you are. 1 John 4:17 puts it this way, “As [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.”  

is • It does not say “The King’s daughter will be”—nor “when she is good enough”—nor “in heaven”—nor “trying to be.” In Christ, the King’s daughter IS all glorious within. Your identity was sealed at salvation. It is final!

all glorious within • You are filled with the very life of Christ to do all things. Colossians 1:27 says, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” When you know who you have within, you won’t go without.

The Armor Of God is found in Ephesians 6:10-19. God’s sons and daughter are outfitted for battle. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.

I now think there should be an seventh element and this is our crown. For we who wear this crown are warriors who are fully armed and ready for battle with the true enemy. I want that enemy to know that I am the part of the daughter of the King and I am also adorned with the imputed righteousness of Christ Jesus. I am a part of the daughter with a sword and a crown!

While we are all God’s children, we are not all children of God. Scripture verifies this in the words of Paul as he spoke in Antioch to the Gentiles laying the foundation for Christian liberty.  Galatians 3:26 tells us, “For we are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.”  Once again it is only through Christ and his death on the cross and claiming Him as our Savior that we may be called children of God.

“I am son/daughter of a King, who is not moved by the world. For my God is with me and goes before me. I do not fear because I am His.”

These strong and beautiful words were written anonymously. While they are not scripture I choose to claim them because I claim Christ who claimed me. I know that I was formed by His mighty hands, dreamed up in His heart and placed in this world for a purpose. My crown is a little crooked and tarnished. It doesn’t hold exquisite jewels but it is now part of my armor of God and who I am.

This crown was placed upon my head and represents the work of Christ Jesus who refines me internally through His grace of The Holy Spirit, for I am His jewel.  As He fills me with His imputed righteousness and covers me with it, it becomes clothing wrought of gold. Rich, glorious, substantial and strong. I am surrounded by princess warriors who have walked through the fire and more that will. We all wear the same crooked and tarnished crown. These are my sisters in the Kingdom of God and I love them dearly.

Here is what my King has done… He left his heavenly home and all the glories there to live in a dark and sinful world. He battled Satan in the desert and emerged a victor. He suffered the brutal torture and death on the cross, and He bore the sin of all mankind so that we might be made free and privileged to be called His own. The very worst day of His life was the very best day of my life!

Sons and Daughters of this remarkable King serve a living and risen Lord. He will return for me and you and that day is coming although we know not when. If you are uncertain where your crown is you have only to cast your eyes and your heart heavenly. He is waiting on you to claim Him as the son of God, the Savior and Redeemer. And even more He longs to have a relationship with you and enable you with His amazing gifts to further His kingdom and serve Him in this lifetime.

So dust off your crown, straighten it, and when you look in the mirror I hope that you see the face of Jesus smiling back at you as God Says, “Behold My Prince / Behold My Princess.”

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Adopted By A King

Romans 8:12-17

Pastor Barry Kerner

My Father is rich in houses and lands
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

My Father’s own Son, the Saviour of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning forever on high,
And will give me a home in heaven by and by.

I once was an outcast, stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

I’m a child of the King, a child of the King;
With Jesus my Saviour, I’m a child of the King.

Do you know that I am the child of a King? Not just any King but THE KING. Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Eternal and Unchangeable. The Creator of the universe

If you’ll open your Bible to Romans 8 we’ll be looking at verses 12 through 17 today.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This world has taught us to earn.

We’ve been conditioned to earn for as long as we can remember — earning praise and affirmation from parents, earning grades from teachers, earning playing time from coaches, earning attention from boys or girls, eventually earning paychecks from employers. We learned how to earn before we learned how to speak or even walk.

But our penchant for earning paralyzes us before God’s offer of true grace. We don’t know how to receive favor without working for it. And so we subtly (or not so subtly) trade away the one true gospel because we prefer to work for and serve God as slaves (or at least as employees), and not as sons. We don’t feel safe letting him do all the work, and earning gives us some semblance of control. We simply can’t believe eternal security and everlasting life could be offered as a gift.

There are Three Promises for Children of Grace

Galatians as a whole suggests that we will be tempted to compromise and deny the gospel by treating God as an impersonal Master, and not a father. We’ll try to prove ourselves to him and earn his love when he has already loved us, and sent his Son for us.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4–7)

Three unusually sweet promises lie in these four verses for precious sons and daughters of God.

First, when God redeems, he secures us forever. He never forgets or forsakes his own children. With Christ, we have eternal security.

Second, we have intimacy — a deep, personal, satisfying relationship with a heavenly Father, who knows us thoroughly, who loves us continually, and who promises to protect and provide for us.

Third, with Christ, we become heirs of all things — all things. Security. Intimacy. And the truest, fullest prosperity.

First, You are safe.

The greatest threat in any of our lives is our own sin, because every sin deserves God’s wrath. Isaiah 53:6, 10 reminds us that the God we offended — the God we rebelled against — shielded us from his fully righteous punishment when he crushed his Son on the cross. You don’t have to wonder whether you’re good enough. You’re not. But Christ is. And being found in him by faith, you are counted as righteous in him. Hebrews 12:67-7 let us know that God may discipline you as your loving Father, but he will not punish you a second time because as Romans 8:1 tells us, he already punished His Son on your behalf. You are safe and secure in the care of your Father.

Every moment of every day before surrendering to Christ, we were in awful, eternal danger. Every second we resisted him we put ourselves at greater and greater risk, having no idea where we were headed and what we would pay for our sin.

But God rescued us in Christ. He paid our debt, bought our forgiveness and freedom, and staked our security on the worth of his Son. He redeemed “those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). As a child of God, you are safe and secure from horrors you can’t even imagine. You are safe. You have a Father who watches over you, who knows your needs, who’s defeated death for you, who promises to deliver you to himself — safely.

Second, You are known and loved.

We’re not only saved by God (at the cross) and from God (his wrath), but we’re saved to God. Being a part of God’s family means enjoying a Father-child relationship with him. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). We can come into God’s very presence and speak with him, worship him, and ask for help. If you are in Christ, you have an infinite, almighty, and caring Protector and Provider.

The word Paul used for “Son” when he said, “God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4), is the same word he uses two verses later: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). In the same way that God sent Jesus into our broken world to save us, he sent the Spirit into our sinful hearts to make us his sons and daughters.

By the Spirit, God himself is in us, binding us to himself, making us his own, and giving us access to him now through prayer, and then forever in eternity face to face. Psalm 16:11 tells us that we have intimacy with the only one who can truly know us and satisfy us. By our faith, he lives in us, listens to us, loves us; he is with us by his Spirit.

The Spirit gives us the confidence and freedom to cry out to God. He assures us that God really does love us. The cry he inspires is a cry to a dad: “Abba! Father!” The Spirit inside of us pleads as a child, and not as a slave. As children, our intimacy with the Father means his love is deep, persistent, and not decisively based on our performance. We are thoroughly known and profoundly loved. We are his.

Third, You are wealthy beyond imagination.

Lastly, we have true, lasting, other-worldly prosperity — a divine inheritance kept in heaven for you. “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7).

It’s no mistake that, when Paul compares sons with slaves, he calls the son “the owner of everything” (Galatians 4:1). He’s speaking about sons in general, but he means for us to see something about what it means to be God’s son. All that he has — and he has it all — he wants to share with his redeemed and adopted children.

In 1 Corinthians 3:21-23Paul writes, “So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” That promise is so spectacular that it’s almost impossible to quantify or estimate what it could even mean. One day, we will own it all. And yet the greatest treasure we will inherit is not anything God can give us, but God himself. He’s the most valuable, most satisfying, most fulfilling reality that there is, and in Christ, we are his and he is ours (Revelation 21:3).

But by God’s grace, every single person in the whole wide world can become a member of Jesus family!

There is a Way

You Must be Born Again as a Child of God

John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

You Will Be Adopted into Jesus Family

Ephesians 1:4-5 says “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.”

 You Will Reign with Jesus in Heaven

Romans 8:17 reminds us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

How should we then live?

You are to Represent Jesus Here on Earth

In Ephesians 1:4 Paul wrote, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are a part of the King’s daughter! The church! You have been adopted by God and given a whole new identity in Christ. The idea of a King’s daughter comes from Psalm 45:13. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means to be a King’s daughter, as we examine this verse word by word.

The King’s daughter is all glorious within” Psalm 45:13.

The King’s • Note the possessive apostrophe on King’s. You belong to the King of kings! He says to you, Isaiah 43:1 tells us, “Fear not, I have called you by your name. You are Mine,”  He will never leave or forsake you. The King is ALL powerful for you, ALL knowing of you, and ALL loving towards you.

daughter  • You are a cherished member of God’s royal family, given access to the fullness of His love and provision. You are not a slave nor a hired hand for God. You are a daughter—an heir of God. Romans 8:16-17 says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”  As a King’s daughter, everything Jesus has is yours. Everything Jesus is, you are. 1 John 4:17 puts it this way, “As [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.”  

is • It does not say “The King’s daughter will be”—nor “when she is good enough”—nor “in heaven”—nor “trying to be.” In Christ, the King’s daughter IS all glorious within. Your identity was sealed at salvation. It is final!

all glorious within • You are filled with the very life of Christ to do all things. Colossians 1:27 says, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” When you know who you have within, you won’t go without.

The Armor Of God is found in Ephesians 6:10-19. God’s sons and daughter are outfitted for battle. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.

I now think there should be an seventh element and this is our crown. For we who wear this crown are warriors who are fully armed and ready for battle with the true enemy. I want that enemy to know that I am the part of the daughter of the King and I am also adorned with the imputed righteousness of Christ Jesus. I am a part of the daughter with a sword and a crown!

While we are all God’s children, we are not all children of God. Scripture verifies this in the words of Paul as he spoke in Antioch to the Gentiles laying the foundation for Christian liberty.  Galatians 3:26 tells us, “For we are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.”  Once again it is only through Christ and his death on the cross and claiming Him as our Savior that we may be called children of God.

“I am son/daughter of a King, who is not moved by the world. For my God is with me and goes before me. I do not fear because I am His.”

These strong and beautiful words were written anonymously. While they are not scripture I choose to claim them because I claim Christ who claimed me. I know that I was formed by His mighty hands, dreamed up in His heart and placed in this world for a purpose. My crown is a little crooked and tarnished. It doesn’t hold exquisite jewels but it is now part of my armor of God and who I am.

This crown was placed upon my head and represents the work of Christ Jesus who refines me internally through His grace of The Holy Spirit, for I am His jewel.  As He fills me with His imputed righteousness and covers me with it, it becomes clothing wrought of gold. Rich, glorious, substantial and strong. I am surrounded by princess warriors who have walked through the fire and more that will. We all wear the same crooked and tarnished crown. These are my sisters in the Kingdom of God and I love them dearly.

Here is what my King has done… He left his heavenly home and all the glories there to live in a dark and sinful world. He battled Satan in the desert and emerged a victor. He suffered the brutal torture and death on the cross, and He bore the sin of all mankind so that we might be made free and privileged to be called His own. The very worst day of His life was the very best day of my life!

Sons and Daughters of this remarkable King serve a living and risen Lord. He will return for me and you and that day is coming although we know not when. If you are uncertain where your crown is you have only to cast your eyes and your heart heavenly. He is waiting on you to claim Him as the son of God, the Savior and Redeemer. And even more He longs to have a relationship with you and enable you with His amazing gifts to further His kingdom and serve Him in this lifetime.

So dust off your crown, straighten it, and when you look in the mirror I hope that you see the face of Jesus smiling back at you as God Says, “Behold My Prince / Behold My Princess.”

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Weekly Devotional with Pastor Barry Kerner

Satan Needs A Permission Slip

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

—Luke 22:31-32

Jesus observed, :Satan has asked…” We can be certain that the old snake didn’t check in with God out of politeness or protocol. He had to get permission, and this means the Devil operates under constraints. He can’t do what he wants whenever he wishes. He has to clear it with God.

Don’t think this means God and the Devil are in cahoots. No way. And don’t think that God is somehow on the side of darkness because he makes the Devil come to him for permission. God must control evil. And he does so because he is good. Imagine a God who didn’t deliberately permit the smallest details of your particular sorrows. What if your trials weren’t screened by him? Think what this would mean. The Devil would be without constraints, free to do whatever he pleased. This means the world would be much worse than its present state of war, violence, greed, and misery. Left to his own, the Devil would make Jobs of us all!

I breathe a great sigh of relief over today’s verse. It teaches me that evil can only raise its ugly head when God deliberately backs away for a specific and intentional reason—always for a reason that is wise and good, even if hidden from this present life.

If God didn’t control evil, the result would be evil uncontrolled. So God permits what he hates in order to achieve what he loves—it’s just that most of us won’t see it until the other side of eternity.

Think for a moment about the balance of painful and joyful things in your life. Think of how, by God’s grace, you are managing your problems. And now consider how it could be worse. Were it not for God’s restraining hand it would be.

Lord, I praise you for your prayers for me and for making the Devil operate under constraints.

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Knowing You Jesus

Philippians 3:1-14

Pastor Barry Kerner

The greatest believers in history are those who had great passion to know God.

*In Exodus 33:18 Moses pleaded with the Lord, “Please, show me Your glory.” The psalmist in Psalm 42:1 cries out to God: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” And here in vs. 10, although Paul has known the Lord for 25 or 30 years, he longs “to know Him” more!

And God wants us to know Him better, understanding that this word “know” does not mean just knowing facts about God. It does not mean knowing God in a casual way. This word “know” is talking about experiencing God in a close, personal relationship.

When Paul said, “I want to know Him,” he used the same word the Bible uses for the close relationship between husband and wife. That’s how much Paul wanted to know God. And that’s how much God wants us to know Him.

1. Jesus wants us to know Him first of all, because He can give us an excellent life.

As Paul said in vs. 7-8:

7. What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Paul talks about the excellence of knowing Jesus.

The NIV calls this the “surpassing greatness” of knowing Jesus.

Paul is telling us here that nothing could be better than knowing Jesus.

Here’s the background: Paul opened this chapter with a world class religious resume. Listen to vs. 4-6 from the New Living Translation.

Paul said:

4. I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
5. For I was circumcised when I was 8 days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What’s more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.
6. And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault.

Paul had a first class religious resume.

It was his security, his source of confidence and well-being.

But then Paul met Jesus Christ, and his life was changed forever.

Paul saw that his self-confidence was nothing compared to the Savior, so in vs. 7&8, Paul said:

7. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss (or worthless) for Christ.
8. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish (or garbage), that I may gain Christ.

Paul saw that everything he had was trash compared to the treasure of knowing Jesus Christ. And what Paul found out in vs. 7&8 is true for any kind of human achievement. God wants us to know that no earthly achievement can compare to the excellence of knowing Christ.

James Dobson was reminded of this in a remarkable way. The story started when he was in high school. Jim’s great ambition back then was to win the school’s tennis championship. He worked and practiced until he finally won. It was a great success, and Jim was very proud to see his tennis trophy in the school’s trophy case.

But years later, much to his surprise, the trophy arrived in the mail. The school was being remodeled, and someone had found Jim’s trophy in the trash. Dr. Dobson said, “Given enough time, all your trophies will be trashed by someone else!” (1)

Now is the time to understand that no earthly achievement can compare to the excellence of knowing Christ. And Jesus wants us to know Him, because He can give us an excellent life.

2. But also because He can give us eternal life.

In vs. 9, Paul was thinking about God’s gift of eternal life.

Here he talked about being found in Christ “not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”

Paul gave up on having his own righteousness, because our righteousness can never measure up to God’s perfection. Yes, Paul kept the Old Testament ceremonial law better than most, but at the same time, his heart was filled with bitterness and hatred.

Paul was so aware of his own shortcoming that he once called himself the chief of sinners. So in vs. 9 of the New Living Translation Paul says: “I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”

The truth is that you need God’s merciful love as much as the worst sinner who has ever walked the earth. Alan Perkins explained: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a little better than someone else, or even a lot better than someone else. You’re still guilty of sin. You’re still condemned.

The person who jumps halfway across the Grand Canyon winds up just as dead as the person who only jumps 8 feet out from the cliff. They both fall a mile to the bottom. (2)

That’s why we have to depend on Christ’s perfect righteousness to make us right with God. Our goodness will never be enough. And the only way to have God’s righteousness in life is through faith in Jesus Christ:

Faith that the Bible is true in what it says about our sin.

Faith that God loves us in spite of our sins.

Faith that God became a man to live a perfect life and die on the cross for our sins.

Faith that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Faith that Jesus will forgive all of our sins and give us eternal life, — If we will open our heart to receive Him as our Lord, Savior and God.

Now when we put our faith in Jesus, all sorts of wonderful things begin to happen in our life:

Our sins are forgiven.

He puts His righteousness into our spiritual account.

And we are born again with eternal life, which only exists through knowing Jesus in a personal way.

This is why in vs. 9-11, Paul said he wanted to:

9. . . be found in (Jesus) not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11. if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Jesus wants you to know Him, because He can give you eternal life.

There is no eternal life outside of knowing Jesus in a personal way, because there is no other way to know the Father in Heaven.

We see this truth in the prayer the Lord prayed just a few hours before the cross. In John 17:1-3, Jesus spoke to His Heavenly Father and said:

1. “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
2. as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

There is no eternal life in trying to keep God’s rules, because you can’t keep them all. There is no eternal life in religious things, like coming to church, being baptized, reading the Bible, even praying. All of these religious activities are dead unless you know Jesus in a personal way.

Michael Dean tells about sitting next to a very religious man on a flight from Phoenix. They struck up a conversation when the man noticed Michael reading a book on the history of Christianity. And they talked for hours. This other man had an amazing knowledge of the Bible, freely quoting verse after verse, sometimes from little-read parts of the Bible.

At first Michael thought the man might have been a Bible professor at some seminary. He most certainly had to be a believer. But Michael began to wonder, and had to know for sure, so he asked him if he was a Christian. The man looked downcast and said, “I cannot say that I am.”

He then went on to explain that he was 56 years old and had been reading the Bible since he was 6. But for some reason he just could not get to the point of belief.

That man knew a lot about the Bible, but he didn’t know Jesus. So Michael pointed Him to the cross, and urged him to call on Jesus.

Michael later wrote: “Well, the man told me he would give it thought, and he did, right then and there. He then asked me why he should put it off any longer. I returned the question. ‘Why should you put it off any longer?’

He was again silent for a moment (in prayer). Then he lifted his head and said, ‘My wife will not recognize me when I get home. I can’t wait to call her.’

And then with amazement on his face, and on his voice, he held out his hand in front of us, as if holding the Bible. And he said, ‘I understand now! For the first time in my life, I understand. — Now I think I can explain to my brother the questions he has long been asking me about.’

Up until that moment the Bible had always been that story, but now it is his story. The people in the Bible had been those people, but now they were his people too.’”

Michael said, “He then leaned over a little closer to me, and in almost a whisper, he said, ‘I do not want to let my emotions get the best of me. But right now I feel as if I could run down that aisle and jump for joy!’” (3)

And why not! He got on that plane spiritually dead.

But now he had eternal life, because he knows Jesus.

Jesus wants us to know Him, because He can give us eternal life.

3. But also because He can give us an energized life.

We see Paul’s unstoppable energy in vs. 12-14:

12. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

God doesn’t give us this new life, so we can sit around taking it easy until we go to Heaven! No — God wants to give us a life full of energy, purpose, service and meaning. God wants to give us a life worth living.

Paul pressed on. And it helps to remember the tough situation he was in:

In chapter 1 Paul tells us that he is a prisoner for the Lord.

He was in chains and he had been for a while.

In fact, Paul didn’t know if he would live or die.

Then, in chapter 2, Paul tells us that he almost had grief piled up on top of grief, when a close friend almost died. Paul was going through extreme trouble. But in vs. 12, he said, “I’m pressing on!” And God wants us to press on!

That’s the energized life. We see it again in vs. 13, where Paul said he was “reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” It’s like a runner putting out maximum effort, stretching his whole body out to try to cross the finish line first.

English Pastor Geoff Thomas explained Paul’s drive to press on: “Paul wanted the world to be changed, and the church to be revived. He wanted much more of the knowledge of Jesus Christ transforming his life. Often he felt his own walk with God was threadbare.”

Then Geoff gave a testimony about Rex Pocock. He was a deacon in Providence Chapel, and died in October of 2002, at the age of 90. Rex kept a little diary, and after walking with the Lord for almost 70 years wrote these words in 1995: “More like a devil than a saint.”

And Pastor Geoff asked, “How often did Paul feel that? We know that he wrote, ‘O wretched man that I am.’ If he had been talking about his pre-conversion experience he would surely have written, ‘O wretched man that I was.’ But he said, ‘O wretched man that I am.’” (4)

Paul felt that he had a long way to go. So do we!

Christian, can you see a gap between where you are and where you ought to be? — That’s the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And we need to press on with great energy!

This is the God-given energy we see in Christians whose lives have counted for God.

The great evangelist George Whitefield said, “I am never better than when I am on full stretch for God.”

In his early years as a missionary in Africa David Livingstone expressed his willingness to serve by saying, “I’m willing to go in any direction, provided it is forward.”

One of Jonathan Edwards’ 70 Resolutions was this: “To live with all my might while I live.”

Amy Carmichael served as a missionary in India for 55 years without a trip home. And she wrote: “Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire. Let me not sink to be a clod; Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.” (4)

God wants us to have this same kind of energized life.

And He will surely give you the energy to press on!

Are you weak? — Press on.

Are you weary? — Press on.

Are you worried? — Press on.

Are you weeping? — Press on.

“Press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

The first step is to know Him. — Do you know Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ wants us to know Him…

Because He can give us an excellent life.

Because He can give us eternal life.

And because He can give us an energized life.

Do you know Him? — Open your heart to receive Jesus…

And then press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

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Jesus Takes Care Of  Us

1 Peter 5:6-11

Pastor Barry Kerner

Welcome to Delphi Falls United Church. I’m Pastor Barry Kerner and once again I glad that you could be with us today. Please remember to visit our website for past messages and devotionals or to contact us for any reason.

Let us open in a word of prayer.

Blessed Lord, you are the king of heaven and earth. All of heaven sings of your glory. You do wonders on earth and in heaven. We see the work of your hands as we gather in worship today. Accept our prayers in Jesus’ name. Do not forsake us as we strive to live our lives in honor of you. We have gathered in fellowship in your presence. Come down and allow us to feel your presence. As we continue today’s church service, we want to feel your great power and light. Let us encounter you in a new way and bless us in our lives. May we find everlasting joy through you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

Every parent’s nightmare on Christmas Eve is a box with those three words printed on top: Some Assembly Required.

Don Shelby tells the story about the father who had ordered a tree house for his children. The time came to assemble the tree house. He laid out all the parts on the floor and began reading the instructions. To his dismay, he discovered that the instructions were for a tree house, but the parts were for a sailboat! The next day he sent an angry letter to the company complaining about the mix-up. Back came this reply:

“We are truly sorry for the error and the inconvenience. However, it might help to consider the possibility that somewhere there is a man out on a lake trying to sail your tree house.”

The point is clear: To put something together, you have to have the right parts and the right instructions. This is where faith becomes important. The only way you can put life together is through faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is what makes it work. That’s the way to assemble your life, to root it in Jesus Christ through faith, to tie it to Jesus Christ, to ground it in Jesus Christ.

Open with me this morning to the book of 1 Peter 5:6-11.

Christianity, at its very beginning, was seen as a Jewish faction. Toward the middle of the first century it established itself as being unique from Judaism. From the very beginning of the church Christians were persecuted for their faith in Jesus. At first they were persecuted by the Jewish religious authorities, such as Saul of Tarsus before his conversion. Later the Roman Empire persecuted Christians. From Nero in the first century to Diocletian in the first part of the fourth century, Christians were regularly martyred for proclaiming that Jesus was and is the Son of God. Throughout the middle ages, the Roman Catholic church killed many believers who would not submit to its dogma. Today, in communist and Islamic countries around the world, Christians regularly face persecution and death for their faith.

Peter wrote this letter not only to a persecuted church, but to one that struggled with living out its faith. The difficulty many of us face is not necessarily persecution. Most of our struggles come from a failure to remain constantly under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The secret to an effective Christian life is found in living in His strength, not in our own, in living under His control and not under self-rule.

It is easy to serve our Lord when times are good and it costs us nothing to hold our faith. But there are times when we grow weary, when we feel defeated, when it seems that the circumstances of life will surly overwhelm us. It is in moments like these that we choose between dealing with life in our own strength or remaining dependent on the Spirit of God living within us.

If you find yourself in this situation this morning, take heart. God has a word of encouragement for you. His desire is to use these difficulties to strengthen you, to perfect and establish you, and to demonstrate to you how He wants to care for you.

1 Peter 5:6-11

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

There are six things in this passage to which I would draw your attention.

First, we’re called to be humble

The Greek verb for “humble” here is in the passive voice, which could be translated, “be humbled.” In this case, it is the hand of God that is humbling us. We are being instructed to allow God to humble us.

To the first readers it was persecution that God used to humble them. To you and me it could be the frustrations of everyday life. Rather than complaining about them, we must submit to the lordship of Christ. Only when we humble ourselves under God’s hand will He exalt us.

God uses a variety of things to humble us. Sometimes He uses other people “extra grace required” people. Sometimes He uses tragedy and loss. Even though God may not have sent that calamity your way, He is able to use it for our good. Thus, as Romans 8:28 says, “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.”

Our problem is that we often won’t accept the sovereignty of God in our lives. Living under the delusion of self rule, we complain, struggle, and squirm. Allowing God to humble us means that we remember that God is in control. Nothing will happen that He has not allowed. When He allows it He has a purpose for it, and that purpose is always for our good. It means accepting all that happens to us without resentment or rebellion against God.

Humility means accepting God’s rule instead of ours. It means accepting His rule when we don’t understand. It means accepting His rule when He doesn’t give us an explanation.

The word humility, in the Greek language, means to make low, to abase, to make small, or to weaken. It is contrary to our human nature to be made low. It goes against the grain of our pride and our sense of self-worth to allow anyone or anything to weaken us or make us small.

But in the kingdom of God things are different than in the empires of men. The verse immediately before this says that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. The rest of verse 6 says that at the proper time, God will exalt those who have been humbled.

The reason that “proper time” never seems to be in consonance with our schedule is because as long as we are thinking we should be exalted, we are still nursing our pride. It is not until our pride is dead that He will exalt us. Humility means we lose our pride, but we gain God’s favor.

When we are humbled, when we are made low, abased, and come to a sense of our own weakness, we will be forced to depend upon Him.

And that’s the next thing I want you to see in this text. Look at verse 7.

Second, we’re called to be dependent

“Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.”

Whereas pride makes one self-reliant, humility positions us to recognize and accept our dependence upon God.

The Greek word translated “care,” or “anxiety,” here is used to express the burden that comes with anxious care and apprehension. Instead of fighting this, we are to turn it back over to the Lord, because God is sovereign. If we are His, the only things that come into our lives are things He allows.

In fact, listen to what Psalm 55:22 says: “Cast your burden on the Lord and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

The interesting thing about that verse in Psalm 55 is that the Hebrew word translated “burden” means, “What He has given you.” A literal translation might read, “Throw upon the Lord whatever burden He has assigned to you, and He will sustain you as you bear it. He will not allow you to totter.”

Whereas humility causes us to see our own weakness, dependence causes us to recognize and rely upon His strength. And within the context of what scripture is saying, we are being told that God often allows the difficulties to come our way to teach us both our own weakness and His supernatural strength.

One of the problems with much of modern Christianity is that it nothing more than a secular self-help philosophy draped in religious garb. Instead of preaching that we are to see ourselves as nothing and find all we are in Christ, many pulpits today preach a message that basically says, “God helps those who help themselves.” Nothing could be further from the truth of Scripture.

Douglas Baker, in an article entitled, Putting Purpose in It’s Place, in the January 27th, 2006 edition of the Baptist Press points to this trend towards self-help in religious circles. Writing about the popularity of books like, “The Purpose Driven Life,” Baker says:

Jesus never structured the purposes of God around themes of self-importance or self-esteem. Rather, he spoke of taking up a cross, laying one’s life down for others, and following in the footsteps of one described as a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Daily life for Jesus could seldom be described in terms of a purpose that brought no personal problems or freed him from daily spiritual battle. Purpose for Jesus meant facing opposition at every turn, enduring persecution from those closest to him, and finally submitting to the full fury of His Father’s wrath as he hung publicly before a rude and crude world. Would such a “purpose” find a place in the bookstores of America?

Peter says this to beleaguered and persecuted Christians: Dependence upon the Lord means that instead of struggling with our cares, nursing our anxieties, and complaining about all God has allowed to come into our lives, we are to turn them back over to Him, accepting the truth that He will sustain us because He cares for us.

In the midst of these difficulties, in the course of dealing with the trials and tribulations, we must be alert – “sober and vigilant” as the KJV says. While the Lord wants to use them to develop us, the enemy would use them to devour us.

Thus we are told to be alert, look at verse 8.

Third, we are called to be alert

The verbs translated “sober,” and “vigilant,” literally mean to be mentally calm and alert, both at the same time. Instead of being anxious, because we are depending upon the Lord we can be mentally calm and yet, because we know we have an enemy, we must be alert to the reality that our enemy wants to use every circumstance of our lives to destroy us.

The imagery here is that of a hungry lion on the prowl, looking for someone to devour. The literal meaning of this word translated “devour,” means to consume, or to swallow up.

Satan is the enemy of all believers. He is the eternal enemy of our souls. From the very beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, Satan has sought to destroy all that God created to be good. Today he seeks to destroy you and me as we seek to live the Christian life.

How does he do this?

First, through Temptation

He entices us to act contrary to God’s plan and displease Him. Satan cannot have your soul so he wants your witness. If he cannot have you for eternity, he wants to render you ineffective in the present. Because he knows human nature better than we do, he is an expert at appealing to our fallen nature, our carnal desires.

First John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world, or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride in life, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.”

Satan will use the strong desires we possess to tempt us and draw us from God. Thus, we must be sober and vigilant.

Second, through Deception

He causes us to believe things about God and ourselves that are not true. Since we always act out of what we believe, we must believe what is true. Scripture says that the devil is the father of all lies and a deceiver. He will appear as an angel of light. He will get us to do his bidding, making us think we are somehow serving God. We have the Word of God to lead us down the pathway of righteousness, to be a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet.

Third, through Discouragement

The devil has a way of causing us to question whether or not living for Christ is worth it. The Psalmist expresses this was is Psalm 73:2-3: “But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

There are times in life when troubles come our way, and we look at the godless and their lives seem to be trouble free. It is in these moments that we are tempted to question our faith, to question the life we live and whether or not living for Christ is worth what we must endure. The devil loves discouragement. He loves to get us on self-pity kicks, to take our focus off of Christ and to put our focus on ourselves.

When we are totally surrendered to the control of Jesus, we will not focus on ourselves, but rather on what it is God wants to do through whatever He has allowed to come into our lives. The difference is between an ego-centric life and a Christo-centric life.

The devil wants to devour us, like a roaring lion. But instead of giving into his tricks, his temptations, deceptions and discouragement, we are told to resist, steadfast in our faith.

Look at verse 9 where we find our fourth observation.

Fourth, we’re called to be tenacious

When we have humbled ourselves and found our strength in God, when we have learned the secret of dependence, and when we remain on our guard against the devil, we stand our ground.

There is a direct relationship between a strong faith and the ability to live an overcoming life. Ephesians 6 tells us to take up the shield of faith, and having put on the whole armor of God we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.” And here in 1 Peter 5 we are told to resist the devil steadfastly in our faith.

When our faith is strong, when our confidence in God is unshaken, it is then, and then alone that we have turned the battle over to the Lord. As David stood before Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17,47 he said, The battle is the Lord’s. In Exodus 14:14 as Moses and his people stood between the Red sea and the armies of Pharaoh, Moses told the Israelites, “The Lord will fight for; you must be quiet.”

Throughout Scripture, whenever God’s people stood firm in their faith, God came through. Whether it was Daniel in the lion’s den, or Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, when people put their trust in God, He came through. Resist the devil and stand firm in your faith. God will come through for you. Don’t give up. Don’t give in to discouragement. Do not give the devil a foothold. Stand firm in your faith.

Look at the last part of verse 9 and on into the first part of verse 10.

Fifth, we’re called to be prepared

Be prepared for the persecution that will come.

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “All those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” As Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote these words to the early church, persecution of Christianity was spreading.

In July of the year 64, Nero set a fire in Rome that devastated the city. Needing a scapegoat, he placed the blame on Christians. The result was that Christians were beaten, tortured, and many were killed. Some were thrown into the arena, where they were torn apart by wild beasts. Others were boiled in oil, or encased in wax and burned at the stake like candles. For the better part of three centuries Christians would be persecuted. Until in 313 the Roman emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan, declaring religious freedom for all faiths, including Christians.

Perhaps there is no more pertinent message the church needs to hear today than this one: It will get worse before it gets better. I was visiting with a fellow pastor this week of a different denomination. Over the lunch table we were talking about culture, faith, and the state of Christianity in general. He said, “I think the best we can hope to do is to retard the spread of evil in our culture. We will not change this culture.”

Our hope is in the triumphant return of Jesus to this earth. Our hope is in the eternal life He promises. This world is not our home. We are pilgrims, strangers and sojourners. We will suffer here for a while. That cannot be avoided.

But after we have suffered for a little while . . . look at the last part of verse 10.

Sixth, we’re called to be assured

Here we have the promise that as God accomplishes His purpose in us there are four things He will do. Notice the adjective Peter uses to describe God. He is the God of all grace, the God who shows unmerited favor toward us.

God loves us. His purpose in allowing persecution and suffering is motivated by nothing other than perfect love for us. He is the God of all grace. He will have mercy on us. As we stand firm and resisting the devil, God will.

God will Perfect us – To bring us to wholeness, nothing lacking, complete us in every way.

God will Confirm us – the idea here is to make us firm. Rather than being uncertain and weak, we will be resolute and determined in our faith.

God will Strengthen us – He will use the difficulties to make us stronger, to enable us to face anything He allows to come our way.

God will Establish us – the picture the Greek paints for us here is of a foundation that is not shaky but  has settled and is firmly founded.

Conclusion

What are you going through this morning? Maybe life hasn’t turned out the way you planned. Perhaps the cares and burdens of life seem more than you can bear. Don’t fight it. Let God use these things to humble you and cause you to depend upon Him.

Let us close our time together in a word of prayer.

Father, may our worship be acceptable before you. Let the peace that surpasses all understanding be with us as we leave this place. Help us to make a difference in the world this new week. Let our words and actions align with your word. Help us to practice what we have learned here today. Bless us as we leave our time together and help us to be a blessing to everyone that we meet and interact with. Help us never to forget that you’re with us always. In Jesus’ name, we believe and pray, Amen.

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