Archives For discipleship

We recently noted that Titus 2:11-14 draws a Scriptural connection between the grace of God and the zeal God wants to see in his people.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.” In the Bible, zeal (zelos) is presented as a burning desire to please and glorify God.

The question brought up by this sermon is a very practical one: HOW? How do we build and maintain a spiritual fire for the Lord?

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Titus 2:11-14 draws a Scriptural connection between the grace of God and the zeal God wants to see in his people.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.” In the Bible, zeal is presented as a burning desire to please and glorify God.

This sermon explores God’s revelation to mankind in an effort to understand zeal: what it is, where it comes from, and why it matters.

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Nothing in the universe matters more than knowing God. He has revealed himself in striking ways that call for complete realignment of our lives around him.

Jude 24-25 speaks to the IDENTITY of God

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

  • He is the eternal God — “before all time and now and forever.”
  • He is the absolute and exclusive God — “the only God.”
  • He is the saving God — “our Savior.”
  • He is the reconciling God — “Jesus Christ our Lord.”
  • He is the approachable God — “through.”
  • He is the caring God — “him who is able to keep you from stumbling.”
  • He is the sanctifying God — “to present you blameless before the presence of his glory.”
  • He is the fulfilling God — “with great joy.”
  • He is the exalted God — “be glory, majesty, dominion and authority.”

Romans 16:25-27 speaks to the ETERNAL PURPOSE of God

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For those of us who find it easy to be our own biggest physical critics…

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD. (Hos 6:3)

In 2 Peter, an inspired “servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (1:1) shows us why our knowledge of God matters.

Grace and peace are multiplied to us in the knowledge of God and Jesus (1:2).

  • Vital God-breathed connections to knowledge in the Bible:
    • Acknowledging God’s existence and authority (Rom 1:28; Prov 1:7).
    • An indispensable compliment to zeal for God (Rom 10:1-3;  2 Tim 3:6-7)
    • Putting to death what is earthly and putting on what is godly (Col 3:5-17)
    • An escape from the defilements of the world (2 Pet 2:20)
    • Experiencing the unity of the faith and spiritual maturity (Eph 4:11-16)
    • Manifestations of abounding love to the glory and praise of God (Phil 1:3-11)
  • In these real-life ways, grace and peace are multiplied to those who are of Christ.
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Psalm 16 is worth your time today. It begins with a straightforward prayer of David. Within that prayer is a plea.

Preserve me, O God…

The plea is followed by a declaration.

For in you I take refuge.

The declaration is based on a personal relationship.

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord.”

Within the context of this relationship, David acknowledges his total dependence on God.

“I have no good apart from you.”

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Portraits of Discipleship (Heath Rogers)

Looking for fresh Bible class material for the new year? I’d recommend Portraits of Discipleship by Heath Rogers.

Jesus calls us to follow Him and to become His disciples, but what does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?

Jesus is open and honest about the demands of discipleship and calls upon men to count the cost to make sure they are willing to meet the demands (Luke 14:25-33). We cannot truly call ourselves “disciples” today if we are not meeting the demands the Lord set forth in His word.

Our Lord is the Master Teacher. He employs illustrations in His teaching, making use of common items to better explain spiritual realities. The image of a shepherd looking for his lost sheep, a sower going forth to sow seed, a blind man trying to lead another blind man, or a camel going through the eye of a needle, made effective teaching tools.

There are times when Jesus spoke plainly about the demands of discipleship. However, the Lord also makes use of various illustrations to emphasize particular responsibilities and blessings of discipleship. In looking at the illustrations used by the Lord and His apostles, we gain a better understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

To that end, Rogers offers 13 lessons creatively organized by “relationship” over the course of 81 pages.

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My guess is millions saw at least a clip of this speech as it was broadcasted from Iowa last week. A few dozen in the room saw the intern.

My guess is this is not what the intern had in mind when he first signed up. Then again, maybe it was. Some people are willing to do whatever is needed for a cause bigger than themselves. Even if it involves hunkering below the camera line and holding a chair in an awkward yoga position for long periods of time.

All of which made me think of 1 Corinthians 12:21-25.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

Local churches desperately need faithful workers—men and women who will pitch in and do whatever they can whether the spotlights are on or off. Whether there are dozens of volunteers or they’re flying solo. Whether they eventually get recognized and praised or not. These men and women are indispensable to the health and growth of local bodies of believers.

If you are such a servant, thank you. Please keep up the good work and remember that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mat 6:6).

Let’s all take the time to pray today for our indispensable, behind-the-scenes, no-recognition-necessary brothers and sisters in Christ.

Better yet, why not make the time to personally express your thanks to a special servant today?

The "Perfect" Psalm

December 1, 2011 — Leave a comment

Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar passages in all the Bible. But have you ever thought about how “perfect” these ancient words of David really are?

  • Perfect salvation (23:1a).
  • Perfect satisfaction (23:1b).
  • Perfect rest (23:2a).
  • Perfect refreshment (23:2b).
  • Perfect restoration (23:3a).
  • Perfect guidance (23:3b).
  • Perfect motivation (23:3c).
  • Perfect protection (23:4a).
  • Perfect company (23:4b).
  • Perfect comfort (23:4c).
  • Perfect provision (23:5a).
  • Perfect consecration (23:5b).
  • Perfect joy (23:5c).
  • Perfect care (23:6a).
  • Perfect destiny (23:6b).

Take the time to revisit this familiar psalm and refresh yourself with its “perfect” points of inspiration and comfort.

For more sermons, visit the Sermons archive.