Archive for the ‘Sanctification’ Tag

“Jesus: ‘Look, I Am Making Everything New!'”, Part 2

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-8


Introduction:

The Lord Jesus Christ Is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! So, “Who is Jesus Christ?” “Who are you Lord? And the answer he gives is that He himself is the Resurrection and the Life! The scriptures themselves testify to Jesus Christ as the person around whom all things revolve and the One to Whom we should all turn and be directed.

Theological Theme:

Holding this two all together we can say that the Gospel is the Good News about Jesus Our Resurrection, and therefore the Resurrection is primarily about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (personal doesn’t mean individual! It means sharing in Jesus relationship with his Father, the Spirit and all things!) It IS also about a glorified body! But it must be clarified in our day that Easter/Resurrection is a proclamation of the Fact that: You’re not just going to rise from the dead, you’re going to rise before, and accountable to Jesus Christ!

Christ Connection:

Relationship with Jesus is a priority ahead of receiving a new and glorified body! Because Jesus is not only the Resurrection but the Father’s Son, He is God and therefore present to us now in the Holy Spirit! He is Not first far off, but up close! He is “The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth— [and he] does not live in [things] made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man[e] he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 He did this so that [we] might seek God, and perhaps [we] might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in [the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit] we live and move and have our being,” – Colossians 1:24-28a

The picture you should have in your head about God is one where the Father embraces and seeks to embrace you through his arms of Jesus and the Holy Spirit! And Jesus is central because he is the one who takes us to the Father and sends us the Holy Spirit, so…

We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” (Col 1:28-29)

Missional Application:

In participation with Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, and to the Glory of the Father, we continue to proclaim Jesus to all and encourage all to place their faith in Him and enter a trust relationship with Him!

“the ministry of the Holy Spirit is personal and personally transforming—it is dynamic and interactive, bringing about receptivity, responsiveness and participation. And the result is that we are on a journey towards spiritual maturity and full sanctification, being changed into the likeness of Christ. But this journey is not automatic, causal, or impersonal. It is not mechanically imposed on all believers…receptivity and participation do make a difference, [and so] the New Testament indicates the differences it makes and encourages, exhorts and even commands us to be receptive to the Word of God and the ministry of the Spirit out of trust in God’s faithfulness through the Son and in the Spirit. As Paul exhorts in Eph. 5:18, we are to be “filled with the Spirit.”

These personal distinctions related to personal participation should not be taken to mean that God is faithful to some but not to all. The difference our personal responsiveness makes does not condition God into changing his purpose and aim for us and all humanity. It does not make God for some and against others, and it certainly does not lead him to want to see those who are unresponsive perish.

Our personal response (or lack thereof) to God cannot undo the fact that Jesus is and remains Lord and Savior of all. The character and purpose, mind and heart of God remain just as they have been revealed in Christ. The finished work of Christ is never undone—God remains, in Christ, reconciled to all people, no matter their response. He has and holds out forgiveness for them, is ready to receive them back into fellowship with him, and in that sense accepts them. However, while God accepts them, he does not accept their rejection, their sin, their rebellion, but accepts them in order to do away with what is against them and against their participation in the reconciliation accomplished for them in Christ. Nothing changes that reconciliation (with all it means), not even a person’s complete or partial rejection of God’s gift. However, our personal response (participation) does affect the quality of our lived relationship with God and thus our personal experiencing of the benefits of Christ.”

-Dr. Gary Deddo

Photos compliments: etsy.com

The Converts: All Kinds of People!

workmanship4

Audio – Full Message: 37min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/19.9.15-the-converts-all-kinds-of-people-acts-16-tah-marra.mp3”


Bible Verses: Acts 16 

Romans 3: 23  John 10: 10  John 3: 16 -17  1Cor 15: 22  Matt 18: 14  1Tim 1: 15  Romans 3: 9


“It’s important that we be ready and willing to share the gospel with anyone around us at anytime. The gospel crosses over all divisions and barriers that man has established—culture, ethnicity, socio-economics, politics, and more—and so should our love and compassion. So build relationships with your lost neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family. Live out the gospel before them. Embody the gospel sent to them. And pray for an opportunity to share the gospel with them—to preach the same message that Paul preached and that we all need: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

THEOLOGICAL THEME:

God [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] uses different methods to reach different
kinds of people.

“The Lord is the one who graciously opens hearts to repent and believe the gospel. Because God is powerful and does this, it encourages us to pray for those who do not
yet believe.” –Justin S. Holcomb

CHRIST CONNECTION:

The gospel reaches different people in different ways. In Philippi, Paul and Silas saw converts from different social and economic backgrounds come to faith through their witness and testimony. Their message was the same for all: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

“When a person places faith in Christ, that person undergoes a fundamental change of identity. He or she goes from being an enemy under God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-3) tbeing welcomed into God’s family as a beloved child (Eph. 2:19). The believer in Christ is declared righteous on account of Christ’s perfect life and substitutionary death and resurrection. No longer is the person a slave to sin, defined by past failures or present struggles. The person has been delivered from the realm of darkness and now belongs to the kingdom of light (Col.1:13). Anyone who is in Christ is a “new creation” in whom the old, sinful self is passed away and the new, redeemed self is alive and progressing, becoming more and more like Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).”

MISSIONAL APPLICATION:

God. through His Holy Spirit, calls us to be faithful to deliver His message to all kinds of people, using a variety of methods.

“God often works through adversity and closed doors…..He may have a plan and a purpose for you to reach somebody and all of a sudden you may find your life taking a different direction.” – Pastor Tony Marra

Photo Compliments: https://twitter.com/csbible/   – The Gospel Project

Boundaries, Barriers, And Prejudices!

Message

Audio – Part A: 22min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.18-boundariesbarriers-and-prejudices-part-a-acts-10.1-16-34-38-tah-andrews.mp3”

Audio – Part B: 27min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.18-boundariesbarriers-and-prejudices-part-b-acts-10.1-16-34-38-tah-andrews.mp3”

Audio – Full Message:

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.18-boundariesbarriers-and-prejudices-acts-10.1-16-34-38-tah-andrews.mp3”


Bible Verses: Acts 10:1-16    Acts 10:34-48


“The gospel resists and tears down the boundaries that often separate people in the world, and the writers of the New Testament were often at pains to confront the church when it failed to unite around the gospel and break these walls down. Peter, who struggled with such issues himself, learned the importance of calling the church to brotherly unity, but his journey toward unity took the Holy Spirit paving the way in the heart of a Gentile and then in his own heart. With God, there is no favoritism, and salvation is offered to people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.”

THEOLOGICAL THEME:

God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – shows no favoritism but offers salvation to people of every ethnicity.

CHRIST CONNECTION:

God challenged Peter’s tradition of “clean” and “unclean” foods in order to further challenge his perspective of “clean” and “unclean” people. Peter learned that God does not show favoritism but calls His people to proclaim the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection to all people, to celebrate His work in their lives, and to welcome believers into His family, regardless of their ethnicity.

MISSIONAL APPLICATION:

God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us not to show favoritism in sharing the gospel but to extend the call of salvation to all people.

“We may still be unaware of the way implicit biases have taken up residences in our own hearts.  You may not even be aware of some of these things. So like the early church, we’re wise to pause, examine our consciences, and ask whether our attitude toward people—especially those who are not like us for racial, social, economic, or political reasons—might be hindering the unity of the body of Christ. It’s a tough question but one worth pressing into for the sake of a church that knows no favoritism or distinctions for those in Jesus our Lord and our God.”

Photo Compliments: https://sermonquotes.com/

Receive The Spirit Of The Father And Son! Part 4

Receive The Holy Spirit 2

Audio – Part 4A: 33min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.11-receive-the-spirit-of-the-father-and-son-part-4a-i-co-6-tah.mp3”

Audio – Part 4B: 30min

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.11-receive-the-spirit-of-the-father-and-son-part-4b-i-co-6-tah.mp3”

Audio – Full Message:

“https://trinityandhumanity.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/19.8.11-receive-the-spirit-of-the-father-and-son-part-4-i-co-6-tah.mp3”


Bible Verses: Romans 8 Romans 8: 26  Acts 13:2 John 15: 26  


Introduction:

This Good News Message is about Our Receiving the Holy Spirit of the Father and Son, Received by Jesus first, and then given as a Gracious Gift to Humanity. He Gives Himself and is given All of Grace and not of Works, Being Himself God!


Theological Theme:

We are called to a life of submission to God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in participation with Jesus, and that submission begins to work as He reveals Himself to us, and often in surprising and ordinary ways, described often as as “Suddenly” in the scriptures. The Holy Spirit is One Who speaks (intercedes, leads). He IS the dynamic and relational power of God, and we are to respond when He speaks even when it counteracts that which seems “normal” or “right” to us. True Godly Action means acting however the Holy Spirit wants to act in you – NOT what you have in your minds.

” The Holy Spirit works actively among us—both as a body and as individuals. Let me suggest that a primary aspect of this ministry of the Spirit among us is to enable us to make a full and proper response to the truth and reality of who God is and what he has done, is doing and will do in our church, our world and within us. Enabling us to make that response is the key.

..The Holy Spirit unbinds our wills and unscrambles our minds and refashions our affections so we can more fully respond with all that we are to all that God is. The Spirit frees us to be receptive at every level of who we are. ” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo

Christ Connection:

The Holy Spirit brings conviction of the truth and that truth is that God wants to glorify Himself in you. God wants to give you the ACTUAL life of Jesus Christ and it is The Holy Spirit’s job to pull that off. As The Holy Spirit points us to Christ, we learn to trust only Christ. As James Torrance has spoken, “More important than our experience of Christ is the Christ of our experience.”

“Jesus lives his fully human life in and by the Spirit…….So, when the Spirit of Jesus comes upon us, he enables us to respond fully to the truth and reality of who God is and who we are in relationship to him with all we are and have. If there’s part of us not yet responding, whether the body, mind or heart, the Holy Spirit will work to bring us to the point that we do. The Holy Spirit doesn’t divide us, but heals and makes us whole, giving us human integrity before our Lord and God.

..The Holy Spirit correlates with [Jesus’] ministry to make us whole in body, soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to make us more fully human, like Jesus, the one in whose image we were created and are being renewed or transformed (Colossians 3:102 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit shares with us the sanctified humanity of Jesus, which makes us fully human, more completely human, more personal, filling us up with the fruit of the Spirit. True spirituality is mature humanity in full and right relationship with God.

..So we can say the Holy Spirit humanizes us by making us share in the glorified humanity of Christ. In the process, he brings us to have humility before God.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo

Missional Application:

All humanity is called to submit to The Holy Spirit and, for the most part, what that looks like for us is going where we know not! It involves His laying out His strategy for your life (Jesus!) so that you can stop trying to guess where you are in God’s plan. It involves submitting in trust that the Holy Spirit does know where you are and therefore you can walk with Him day by day trusting Him.

“The Holy Spirit objects to our false, resistant, self-justifying subjective orientations. The Holy Spirit is not the subjective aspect of human beings that can be shaped and formed anyway we like, made to say what we want, made to reflect our own preferences, prejudices, biases and desires. The Holy Spirit has a particular character, mind, will, purpose, desire and heart, which is identical to that of Jesus Christ. We have no power over the Holy Spirit to recreate him in our own image. The Holy Spirit has his own objective reality, which works within our subjectivity to open our eyes, minds and hearts to God.

..The Holy Spirit, then, is a healer who brings the whole of human being together from the inside out. He does not split us up.

..The Holy Spirit does not divide up human being into compartments, but harmonizes the internal with the external, sharing with us the reestablished integrity of Jesus’ sanctified humanity.” – Guidelines to an Understanding of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, by Gary Deddo

 

Photo Compliments: embroiderydesigns.com

Sharing In Jesus’ Ministry To Those Dealing With Same-sex Attraction, pt.6

Questions and Answers

HERE is the question and answer message in the series many wanted to start with first – finally! – hahaha… Here is also the Good News proclaimed where you can hear, yet again, that you are NOT the “black sheep of the family”, nor the “red-headed stepchild” or any other false identity foisted on to you by yourself or others but are, IN FACT, the son or daughter the Father, Son and Spirit always wanted!!!

Sharing In Jesus’ Ministry To Those Dealing With Same-sex Attraction, pt.5

Jesus Love One Another Darry D

Who and what is it you should remember MOST about this series and  proclamation of God’s Good News? This is what is addressed in this 5th message of this series by Pastor Timothy Brassell at www.newlifebaltimore.org!

Sharing In Jesus’ Ministry To Those Dealing With Same-sex Attraction!, pt. 4

Romans 8

So, as we live between the times of Jesus’ Ascension and His Reappearance: Are the Father, Son and Spirit pessimistic about our present participation in Their sanctification? Are They realistic about it? Is Jesus surprised about our lack of reaching perfection here and now? Is our Father surprised and disappointed at our “lack of progress”? Do our current struggles discourage The Holy Spirit? Is the Triune God of Love expecting you to make and fulfill your promises? Is the Relational God of grace impatient and is all this suffering really worth it? These are the kinds of questions addressed in this 6th message of this series at New Life Fellowship of Baltimore, Maryland.