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The Last Words of Jesus and Why They Still Matter

April 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Famous “last words” are a special form of quotation and perspective that fascinate many people. Have you ever considered the last words of Jesus and what we can learn from them?

Words from the Cross

Luke 23:33-34 — words of forgiveness that encapsulate his entire mission.
Luke 23:39-43 — words of assurance that there is more than meets the earthly eye.
John 19:25-27 — words of compassion that reveal his concern for his loved ones.
Matt 27:45-46 — words of anguish that convey the horrific consequences of sin.
John 19:28 — words of suffering that demonstrate his relatable humanity.
John 19:30 — words of victory that reflect the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose.
Luke 23:45-46 — words of submission in anticipation of a reunion with his Father.

In Bible advent, anguish, assurance, Audio, authority, Bible, blessing, Calvary, Christ, church, commission, compassion, concern, context, cries, cross, death, Easter, forgiveness, Golgatha, grace, Jason Hardin, Jesus, judgment, last, mp3, outline, pdf, perspective, promise, purpose, reassurance, Restoration, resurrection, return, Revelation, Scripture, sermon, sin, submission, suffering, verification, victory, words

"Free in Christ" – What Does It Mean?

September 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Set Free

“Free” and “freedom” are used in a variety of contexts throughout the New Testament. Our calling? To harmonize our understanding of “free” and “freedom” with God’s revelation. How can “the faith,” personal faith, Christian freedom and flexibility come together to glorify God?

In Bible Audio, Bible, Christ, Christian, faith, flexibility, free, freedom, Galatians, grace, independence, Jason Hardin, Jesus, law, mercy, mp3, outline, Paul, pdf, Scripture, sermon, submission

_________ Reigns

November 22, 2010 — Leave a comment

A great question from Justin Buzzard.

________ reigns.

You must decide what you really believe.
You must decide how you will fill in the blank.

The Bible fills in the blank like this:

“The Lord reigns.” (Psalm 97:1)

What does your behavior reveal about how you’ve filled in the blank?

Fear reigns?
Difficult circumstances reign?
An enemy reigns?
The economy reigns?
Regret reigns?
Despair reigns?
You reign?

You must decide what you really believe. You must decide how you will fill in the blank. You must decide who, or what, will sit on the throne of your life.

So fill in the blank: __________ reigns.

In Discipleship despair, difficulty, economy, enemy, fear, God, money, Psalm 97, regret, reign, self-centeredness, selfishness, Sovereign, submission, throne

Good thoughts below from Justin Buzzard.

I have a good friend whose mom suddenly passed away two weeks ago. I never met his mom, but the story goes that she was an incredible woman of God. Apparently she was a woman known for her child-like faith. Apparently she was a woman who understood that the Christian faith is rooted in big, simple truths. Apparently she was full of one-liners that expressed the essence of these truths she staked her life on.

My friend tells me that one of his mom’s favorite one-liners was her definition of “responsibility” for the Christian.

Responsibility: My response to His ability.

One-liners are helpful. This 5-word definition says so much. This 5-word definition captures the heart of being a disciple of Jesus and glorifying God in this world.

I’m increasingly discovering that most stress comes from a misunderstanding of responsibility. When we forget this one-liner, when we falsely believe that our responsibility is to navigate life on the basis of our own resources, then we quickly become stressed out and burned out. We carry a burden we were never meant to carry.

I don’t have a Bible verse for you that supports this definition, I have a whole Bible for you that supports this definition. Every page of the Bible sings of a mighty God who calls his people to one great responsibility: to live life in response to His ability and character.

Christian friend, you are not alone. Re-assess the definition of responsibility that is driving your life. Today, start with “His ability,” then think about “My response.”

Consider a short-list of His ability:

He spoke the universe into existence
He invented the Swiss Alps, tropical fish, and ice storms
He transformed Abraham from a man of fear into a man of faith
He opened Sarah’s barren womb
He heard the cry of his people, led them out of Egypt, and parted the Red Sea
He stopped the mouths of lions, preserving His servant Daniel
He knit you together in your mother’s womb
He sent His Son to bear your sin and shame and declare you righteous
He gave you Romans 8:31-32: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Who are you responding to today?

Responsibility: My response to His ability.

Are You Better Off In The Boat Or Out?

March 14, 2009 — Leave a comment

A lesson I preached in the A.M. assembly of February 8, 2009 at Laurel Canyon.

Jonah and Jesus. Two accounts of two storms bad enough to worry experienced sailors, but two storms that were ultimately calmed (Jonah 1:15; Mark 6:51-52). The difference is in HOW the storms were calmed. And that leads us to a basic question: is your relationship with God such that your fellow passengers are better off with you in the boat or out?

SERMON OUTLINE :

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In Bible church, discipleship, faith, God, Jason Hardin, Jesus, Jonah, mp3, relationships, sermon, storm, submission

Some Of Self

June 25, 2008 — 1 Comment

Yet He found me; I beheld Him
Bleeding on th’accursed tree,
And my wistful heart said faintly,
“Some of self, and some of Thee.”

Double-mindedness. That’s what the verse above describes. Double-mindedness beckons us to follow the easy way that leads to destruction. It’s the way of compromise. It’s the path of self-deception.

Before another minute of your day is wasted, stop and seriously listen to the Spirit from James 4:4-8.

You can’t have it both ways.

You can say in your wistful heart, “some of self, and some of Thee.” You can do what you know to be wrong tonight and tomorrow, deceiving yourself into believing that “a little bit of church” on the weekend will take care of it all.

Just realize that your Creator denounces such as double-mindedness. He yearns jealously over the spirit he has made to dwell within you. After all, it’s fashioned after His image.

The bottom line is that some of you and some of Him is unacceptable. And so the ball is still in your court. How will you respond?

In Bible Christ, Christian, Christianity, compromise, Creator, disciple, discipleship, doublemindedness, following, God, hymn, Hymnody, hypocrisy, IMAGE, Jason Hardin, self-denial, submission

All Of Self

June 24, 2008 — Leave a comment

O, the bitter pain and sorrow
That a time could ever be,
When I proudly said to Jesus
“All of self, and none of Thee.”

Are you wasting your life? What could define the principle of wastefulness more than a being created in the image of God Himself who proudly says by his actions (or inaction), “All of self and none of Thee”?

Let’s make sure that, at the end of the day, we haven’t lived like that. Let’s remember, it’s not about us. It’s about the Great I AM.

In Bible Bible, disciple, discipleship, hymn, Hymnody, I AM, Jesus, None Of Self And All Of Thee, obedience, pride, rebellion, Scripture, self-control, self-denial, selfishness, submission, waste, wastefulness

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