Episodes
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
As Followers of Jesus, We Will Face Difficult Circumstances; but We Are Comforted to Know that God Will “equip you with everything good that you may do his will”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction to the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, all of us live in “times” requiring us to face circumstances that include the Pandemic, civil disobedience, cultural dissonance, and “discussions” among people in which there is no respect for the words and ideas of others. Therefore, we need a context to learn about “Facing Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Facing in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s Writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems that they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The Writer of Hebrews begins by pointing out, in Hebrews 1:1-2, both the superiority of Jesus and that Jesus is the end of the line of supporters (i.e. prophets) that God has provided and will provide humanity: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.". The Writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because their times were bleak and filled with difficult circumstances which appeared hopeless. Rather, in Hebrew’s, the Writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in our “difficult circumstances”, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity and His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Today’s Message – Running Your Race: The Writer of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Followers of Jesus, living in Rome, to look to Jesus in so many ways. The Writer of Hebrews begins, Hebrews 12:1-2, with a reference to “running” and a race of “endurance” as a metaphor for the pain and perseverance need by the Roman Christians to live through their “difficult circumstances”: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”. In these verses, the Writer is telling us things about “facing difficult circumstances”: 1) remember those who are watching, for example the men and women of God from the Old Covenant he listed in Hebrews 11 – we are not alone in our “race”; 2) in this “race”, we are to lighten our load – get rid of anything that keeps us from following Jesus (e.g., sin); 3) let us run our “race” well; 4) run your “race” with perseverance even when you face impediments which mitigate your efforts and make you want to quit – winning when “facing difficult circumstances” comes when we keep your eyes on Jesus and follow Him, through perseverance, to victory, and Jesus endured pain and suffering for us so that we would not be weary of the long race “facing difficult circumstances” and to not lose heart before our finish line; 5) remember, the Father is working for your good -- God sees us as His “Sons” and “Daughters” and supports and disciplines us when needed, as we are told in Hebrews 12:5-6: “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’”; and 6) do not forget the Lord’s counsel – in Hebrews 13:1-19, the Writer outlines those “Sacrifices that Would Be Pleasing to God”, and in Hebrews 13:5b-6, we are told: “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”.
In our difficult circumstances, if we shift our focus to all the uncertainties, troubling events, and people around us and take our eyes of Jesus and the finish line, we will, certainly, not win the race; and we will, probably, not finish our race. In Hebrews 13:20-21, The Writer summarizes how and why we should and can “face our difficult circumstances”: “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."
In your difficult circumstances, God will not leave you. Through the Holy Spirit, God will walk with you. He may not fix your situation, but God will give you a way to see you through. Stay out of personal pity parties driven by our circumstances. Instead, look to God. In many cases, the “lead” of difficult circumstances may turn to, ultimately, “gold” in your life.
As we live, today, “in these last days” of difficult circumstances, we should look only to Jesus rather than to any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our difficult circumstances which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 12:1-11; Hebrews 11:1-40; Hebrews 13:1-21.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope in Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Followers of Jesus Should Let Difficult Circumstances Draw You Toward God Rather than Pulling You Away from God and Your “Faith” – God Walks with You
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction to the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems that they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances, they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Today’s Message – Exercising Your Faith: The Writer of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Followers of Jesus, living in Rome, to look to Jesus in so many ways. Today, in Hebrews 11:1-3,5-6, the Writer of Hebrews defines “Faith”: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible . . . By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.". From this text, we can see that “Faith” involves: 1) confidence and conviction; 2) looking ahead – “faith is the ‘Hope’ that we mix into cement to harden it” {Charles Swindoll}; 3) what is not seen; {faith speaks to two of our human uncertainties: knowing the future and seeing the unseen}; 4) pleasing God; and 5) focusing totally on God.
“Faith” is like a muscle in that it needs to be used or it will grow weak through atrophy, and “Faith”, like a muscle, needs resistance to grow stronger, as we see from the Writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 10:32,36: “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings . . . For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.". As directed by the Writer of Hebrews to the Christians of Rome, in their difficult circumstances, we should let our difficult circumstances draw us toward God rather than pulling us away from God and our “Faith”. In the remainder of Hebrews 11, the Writer of Hebrews is telling the Followers of Jesus, in Rome and us, about all the great men and women that did great things derivative of their “Faith” in their lives that drew them close to God in their difficult circumstances. Also, their lives pointed toward the promised coming of the Christ, whom they never saw; but their “Faith” saw them through. However, as today’s Followers of Jesus, we have the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. Additionally, we know that God, through the written Gospel, is faithful; and our “faith” can be strong in our difficult circumstances as we draw our lives and actions, in our difficult circumstances, toward God.
In your difficult circumstances, God will not leave you. Through the Holy Spirit, God will walk with you. He may not fix your situation, but God will give you a way to see you through. Stay out of personal pity parties driven by your circumstances. Instead, look to God. In many cases, the “lead” of difficult circumstances may result, ultimately, to “gold” in your life.
As we live, today, “in these last days” of difficult circumstances, we should look only to Jesus rather than to any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our difficult circumstances which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 11:1-6; Hebrews 10:32-39; James 1:2-3; Habakkuk2:3-4; Hebrews 11:7-40.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
The Blessing of Our Faith, as Followers of Jesus, Is the Presence of Jesus In Our Lives, Irrespective of Our Life’s Circumstances
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction to the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems that they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances, they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Today’s Message – Jesus Who Is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father: The writer of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Christians, living in Rome, to look to Jesus in so many ways. Today, in Hebrews 10:11-14, the Writer focuses, again on Jesus “superiority” and the Christian faith by pointing out that, after Jesus Ascension, Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, the Father: “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.". The Writer refers to the “right hand” because it is a position of power and authority for Jesus in the Universe. As Stephen, the first Deacon, is being stoned to death, he cries out in Acts 7:55-56: “But he {Stephen}, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”.
In Jeremiah 31:31, God speaks of His “new covenant” that is coming: “But this is the {new} covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.". This “new covenant” is intellectual, effectual, and perpetual. Therefore, through this “new covenant”, we can, from Hebrews 10:22-24: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,". Because of whom Jesus is, the Writer of Hebrews is continuing to encourage the Christians of Rome, in their difficult circumstances, to “hold fast to their faith” just as we are, in our difficult circumstances” encouraged to hold fast to our faith”. For Followers of Jesus, loosing their faith invites spiritual disaster in their lives.
The Writer of Hebrews encourages us, because who Jesus is, to look to Jesus in our life’s difficult circumstances and to not give up in the face of fears and uncertainties. The blessing of our faith, as Followers of Jesus, is the presence of Jesus in our lives, irrespective of our life’s circumstances. Jesus wants our focus to be on Him and not our circumstances. Remember Jesus is faithful, and He will never leave you.
Today, Followers of Jesus live in a time of turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”. These issues of today, which drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted Followers of Jesus and America profoundly. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these circumstances are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,". Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life.
As we live, today, “in these last days” of difficult circumstances, we should look only to Jesus rather than to any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our difficult circumstances which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 10:11-25; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 7:1-4; Psalms 110:1; Jeremiah 31:31-35; John 15:3.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
The Blessing of Our Faith, as Followers of Jesus, Is the Presence of Jesus In Our Lives, Irrespective of Our Life’s Circumstances
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction to the Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems that they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances, they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Today’s Message – Jesus Who Is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father: The writer of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Christians, living in Rome, to look to Jesus in so many ways. Today, in Hebrews 10:11-14, the Writer focuses, again on Jesus “superiority” and the Christian faith by pointing out that, after Jesus Ascension, Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, the Father: “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.". The Writer refers to the “right hand” because it is a position of power and authority for Jesus in the Universe. As Stephen, the first Deacon, is being stoned to death, he cries out in Acts 7:55-56: “But he {Stephen}, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”.
In Jeremiah 31:31, God speaks of His “new covenant” that is coming: “But this is the {new} covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.". This “new covenant” is intellectual, effectual, and perpetual. Therefore, through this “new covenant”, we can, from Hebrews 10:22-24: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,". Because of whom Jesus is, the Writer of Hebrews is continuing to encourage the Christians of Rome, in their difficult circumstances, to “hold fast to their faith” just as we are, in our difficult circumstances” encouraged to hold fast to our faith”. For Followers of Jesus, loosing their faith invites spiritual disaster in their lives.
The Writer of Hebrews encourages us, because who Jesus is, to look to Jesus in our life’s difficult circumstances and to not give up in the face of fears and uncertainties. The blessing of our faith, as Followers of Jesus, is the presence of Jesus in our lives, irrespective of our life’s circumstances. Jesus wants our focus to be on Him and not our circumstances. Remember Jesus is faithful, and He will never leave you.
Today, Followers of Jesus live in a time of turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”. These issues of today, which drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted Followers of Jesus and America profoundly. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these circumstances are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,". Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life.
As we live, today, “in these last days” of difficult circumstances, we should look only to Jesus rather than to any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our difficult circumstances which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 10:11-25; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 7:1-4; Psalms 110:1; Jeremiah 31:31-35; John 15:3.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Why Do We Not Go to the Lord when We, as Individual Followers of Jesus and We as a Nation, Face Difficult Circumstances, Especially with Jesus as Our Great High Priest?
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction to Hebrews and “Hope”: Today, followers of Jesus live in a time of both turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”. These issues of today, that drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted America profoundly, including Followers of Jesus. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these issues are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,". Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life.
Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Today’s Message – Jesus as Our Great High Priest: The writer of Hebrews introduces a comparison of Jesus to the Jewish High Priest in terms of their roles, deity, and humanity beginning with Hebrews 5:1: “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.". In Hebrews 5:5-6, the Writer begins a comparison of Jesus to the High Priest: “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; 6as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’”. In Hebrews 5, the Writer points out that Jesus, even though He is in the linage of David rather than Aron, which in the past was a requirement for priesthood, was a superior priest through Melchizedek and being called and begotten by God, Additionally, Jesus was superior to any human High Priest as we see in Hebrews 5:20-22.25: “And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest forever.’ This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant . . . Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost [2] those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.". A key role and responsibility for the Jewish Great High Priest was to offer sacrifices for the people that were calendar and/or event driven; however, Jesus sacrifice was “once offered” and was a “perfect” sacrifice for all sins and for all accepting, believing, and repentant sinners over all time and space.
Therefore, the Writer tells us in Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.". Today, we can see the Writer’s admonition to the Christians of Rome and us that God is still with them and us in difficult circumstances and that they should hold fast to their faith , in spite of suffering, fear, uncertainties, and perceived silence from their prayers because Jesus is our personal High Priest.
This passage from Hebrews 4:14-16 brings to the forefront the question: “Why do we not go to the Lord when we, as individual Followers of Jesus and we as a Nation, face difficult circumstances, especially with Jesus as our Great High Priest?”. Therefore, why don’t you bring your difficult circumstances to the Lord and watch Him respond with His Grace?
As we live, today, “in these last days”, we should not look to any other person, institution, force, government entity, or nation, other than Jesus. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our “difficult circumstances” which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 2:1-3; John 14:6; Hebrews 2:5-10; Hebrews 5:1-10; Psalms 2:7; Psalms 110:4; Hebrews 7:1-10; Romans 8:35; Hebrews 4:14-16.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
As You “Face Difficult Circumstances” of Pandemic and Civil Discourse, You Are Admonished “that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Today, followers of Jesus live in a time of both turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”. These issues of today, that drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted America profoundly, including Followers of Jesus. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these issues are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,". Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life.
Today, the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance a context for our need to learn about “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. We can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope”, in our current situation, from the situation faced by Christians in Rome who were “Living in Difficult Circumstances”. Our context for learning is described in the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances they were facing appeared hopeless. In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, in Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Also, the writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 1:2-4, speaks of “in these last days”, to reference the times after Jesus’ birth, death and Resurrection in which God has “acted and spoken” on Earth. God’s actions on Earth were in fulfilment, through Jesus, of those promises He made through the Old Testament Prophets. Now, “in these last days”, is the time, in the First Century and today, in which Jesus and God’s power and superiority on Earth and in the Universe, are unassailable by any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation: “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”. This text from Hebrews 1:2-4 points to Jesus as Lord over all creation and humanity.
In Hebrews 2:1-3, Followers of Jesus are warned not to let their faith in Jesus drift away: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,".
The writer of Hebrews points out both Jesus’ superiority in His Deity and Jesus oneness with the Christians of Rome in His humanity – the Incarnate God-Man. Jesus entered into our world as a human, and He entered into our death as we see in Hebrews 2:9: “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”. Today, many people live terrified of death. Jesus, by entering into our death, made it possible for us not to face the emptiness and isolation of death. Rather, Jesus made it possible for us to experience death as a doorway to an eternal and fuller life with God. Also, in Hebrews 2:10, the writer points out that Jesus entered into our suffering: “For it was fitting that, he for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”. Jesus was perfected in His Incarnate humanity by His suffering like we perfect our humanity in our suffering, especially by “facing difficult circumstances”. Suffering transforms and strengthens us; but, because of Jesus, suffering never has the last word for Followers of Jesus. Because Jesus entered into our death and suffering, we have a Messiah and Lord who faced what we face.
Followers of Jesus are made Brothers and Sisters of Jesus and part of God’s family. Jesus entered into our humanity to destroy the works of the Devil (i.e. Jesus death on the cross) and to set free those who are held captive by their fear of death. Additionally, Jesus entered into our temptations, as we see in Hebrews 2:18: “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”. In Hebrews 3:1-3, the writer says: “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”. Therefore, we can fix our focus on Jesus while “facing difficult circumstances”.
When the life difficulties come and life is hard: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
As we live, today, “in these last days”, we should not look to any other person, institution, force, government entity, or nation, other than Jesus. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our “difficult circumstances” which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-18; Hebrews 2:1-3; John 14:6; Hebrews 2:5-10; Psalms 8:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:10; Psalms 22:22; Isiah 8:17-18; John 1:12-14; Hebrews 4:15; Revelation 5:1-10: Hebrews 3:1-3,12-13.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Without Jesus In Our Lives and the Life of Our Country There Is No Person or Institution to “Face Our Difficult Circumstances” With Us
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction From: “God Wants Us to Live In His “Hope” and His Word, through Bible Scripture, which Gives us so Much “Hope”: In Psalms 42:5-6a, 43:5, we are told that, in all circumstances, God is our “Hope”: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God .". Today, followers of Jesus live in a time of both turmoil and uncertainty with issues like Covid-19, cultural dissonance, and civil discourse providing an overarching context that can lead us to fear, doubt in our faith, and feelings of “hopelessness”.
These issues of today, that drive our uncertainties and fears, have impacted America profoundly, including Followers of Jesus. However, as Followers of Jesus, we know that none of these issues are taking God by surprise. Yet so many of us are discouraged, downcast, depressed, and fearful. Too many of us have lost “Hope”. Proverbs 13:12 tells us: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,". Without “Hope”, we are like ships sailing without a harbor. God wants us to have “Hope” in our everchanging world! “Hope” is the anticipation of a good future; “Hope” is having faith and believing that God is working out His purposes in the World and in my life. Here are some of the things we can say about “God’s Hope” for us through His: 1) promise of Eternal Life; 2) abiding presence with us; 3) answering of our prayers; and 4) His unchanging promises in His Word.
God’s Word is powerful when we put it into action in our lives, as we are told in Romans 8:24-25: “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.". In the times in which we live today, God wants the Followers of Jesus to Have all the “Hope” that He provides. Also, God provides His Peace and Love that solidify our “Hope” in Him: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me”? Hope in God”!
Today’s Message: “Facing Difficult Circumstances – Hope for the Suffering and Persecuted Christians in First Century Rome Christians Today”: In our times, today, of Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance, we can both learn a great deal and gain “Hope” in our current situation from the Bible’s book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrew’s writer wanted to give “Hope” to the persecuted Christians in Rome by pointing out the superiority of Jesus the Christ over all the problems they were facing from their persecution by the Emperor Nero. The writer did not want Christians to deviate and leave their Faith in Jesus because the times were bleak and the difficult circumstances they were facing appeared hopeless. `
In Hebrew’s, the writer wanted Roman Christians to understand that if they turned away from Jesus there was no one else with whom they could face their difficult circumstances. The message to us, in these times, is that without Jesus in our lives and in the life of our country there is no one or no institution, to whom we can turn, for help in “facing our difficult circumstances”. To this end, the first two chapters of Hebrews provide a clear picture of who Jesus is in terms of His humanity and Divinity – Jesus is eternal when nothing else is eternal. In Hebrews 1:10-11, we find the culmination of Jesus Divinity along with His humanity that positions His superiority for us: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”.
Also, the writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 1:2-4, speaks of “in these last days”, to reference the times after Jesus’ birth, death and Resurrection in which God has “acted and spoken” on Earth. God’s actions on Earth were in fulfilment, through Jesus, of those promises He made through the Old Testament Prophets. Now, “in these last days”, is the time, in the First Century and today, in which Jesus and God’s power and superiority on Earth and in the Universe, are unassailable by any person, institution, force, government entity, or nation: “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”. This text from Hebrews 1:2-4 points to Jesus as Lord over all creation and humanity. Additionally, Hebrews 1:2-3 points to Jesus as the Son of God the Father and the exact representation of God’s Being. Jesus is, also, the Savior of sinners who brought Salvation to Earth and humanity. We see that Jesus is worshiped by the Angels. Hebrews tells us that Jesus speaks with the authority of God. Also, beginning in Hebrews 1:10, the writer points out that that Jesus is superior in eternal attributes.
In Hebrews 2:1-3, Followers of Jesus are warned not to let their faith in Jesus drift away: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,".
Today, we “live in difficult circumstances”; and we should draw both strength and caution from Hebrews in that we live “in the last days” like the persecuted Roman Christians. Therefore, we should live our lives pointing to Jesus and not letting the ”difficult circumstances” cause our faith in Jesus drift away – Jesus’ eternal superiority, as the Son of God, makes Him the only real way that we can “live in difficult circumstances”. God is our Sovereign Lord, and Jesus is God’s final answer. Therefore, we can draw confidence from Hebrews 13:5b-6: “for he {Jesus} has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”. Remember, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness as we “live in difficult circumstances”.
As we live, today, “in these last days”, we should not look to any other person, institution, force, government entity, or nation, other than Jesus. Jesus is our only source of protection and the way out of our “difficult circumstances” which are manifested by the Pandemic, civil disobedience, and cultural dissonance. Once again, Jesus is the only “way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:10-14; Hebrews 1:2-7; John 14:6;Psalms 2:8; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-16; Colossians 2:9; John 10:30; John 14:9; Psalms 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalms 104:4; Psalms 45:6-7; Psalms 8:1-9; Isiah 34:1-17; Psalms 110:1; Hebrews 2:1-3; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 13:6.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Jesus the Christ Is Our Hope In Life and Death and He Is “Hope” for the Wave of Loneliness and Uncertainty Sweeping Our World Today”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Nov 08, 2020
Sunday Nov 08, 2020
Today, Many Christians are Asking: “Where Is God In All of ‘This’?”; Well, God Tells Us: “Return to me, and I will return to you”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
It is better to lose all material possessions and stay in the will of God than to have riches galore and to be out of God’s will and His fellowship.
We change, but God remains faithful as we are told in Malachi 3:6: “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”. God’s people, all throughout history, have found way after way to turn away from God. Throughout history God is constantly saying to His people, despite their disobedience that He will return to us if we return to Him because, in history and today, may, but especially “God’s people, have turned away from Him. In Malachi 3:7, God says: “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?”. God’s consistent commitment over time, to “return to you”, culminates in His sending Jesus into the human race so that all who believe in God through Jesus can have Salvation, Eternal Life, and a personal relationship with Him.
The people in Malachi’s time were speaking harsh words about God, and they were wondering what good was provided by being obedient to God when evildoers were prospering. Today, we are like the people of Malachi’s time when we ask: “Where was God when the bottom dropped out of my life?”. Even in these tough times, God is always with us. God challenges us that if we give to Him, then He will return to us so much more than we gave to Him; but all that we have is God’s anyway.
If we are not sowing seeds in all aspects of our lives, we will not reap the harvest of God’s promised blessings. Do not give up on God; He does not change, and He is faithful.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD.
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Malachi 3:6-18; Zephaniah 3:1; James 4:8; Genesis 14:18; Exodus 25:2; 2 Corinthians 9: 6-13; Matthew 5:17-20.
WEBSITE LINK: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””: www.AWFTL.org/watch
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
On July 4, 1776, the signers of the Declaration of Independence began a revolution which started the United States of America. The Revolution was rooted in the belief that all people, even the King and governmental leaders, are subject to the rule of God and not above the law and; and everyone is endowed by God, our Creator, with certain inalienable rights. Many people have tried to deny that America's founders created a country which wove together the idea of self-governance with Christian principles. Now, it appears, the focus is to get rid of things relating America to Christianity, the Bible, or anything that smacks of God – and, pretty much these efforts to remove God’s influence from the public square, appear to be succeeding. We need to hear, in Today’s sermon, what our founders said regarding America’s Christian base.
However, not long after the enactment of the Constitution in the late 1700s, morality and church attendance declined drastically into a Spiritual Depression. The answer became the nationwide implementation of "Concerts of Prayer", across all Christian denominations, that led to an American Spiritual Awakening.
Today, through our actions, laws, and cultural revisions of our founding Christian principles, we have told God that we do not want Him around. Therefore, God has obliged us; and He has done what He said He would do -- God is withdrawing His presence and His protection and holding back His divine wisdom, which has guided us for so many years. God is leaving us to reap the consequences of our focus away from Him and without Him.
The Lord Said through Ezekiel: "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.". We must have a Spiritual Awakening, in our country, beginning today! Will You "Stand in the Gap"?
So, let us pray for one another about these things, and let us get out and make a difference in our local communities. God has placed you and me here for such a time as this
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ezekiel 22:30; Daniel 4:28-32; Matthew 22:19-21; Isaiah 29:8-21.
WEBSITE LINK: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “The “News” Today Is Unsettling and Creates Fear and Insecurity; We Need an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Spiritual Renewal!”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Your Conscience as a Part of Interior Life
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The Interior Life – Part 5: The Conscience (Holy Trinity; Madison, MS)
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERIOR LIFE -- The Psalmist, in Psalms 1:3-4, describes a person with a fruitful Interior Life: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.". Our Interior Life, typically, does not call out for our attention until, usually, it is too late. Our Interior Life does not call for our attention or scream for help. However, if our Interior Life is not maintained or nurtured, our spiritual life can come crashing down.
Our Interior Life can be viewed like a savings account in a bank. Like a savings account when we make deposits, our Interior Life grows, draws interest, and becomes strong, thereby, giving us a balance that can see us through life’s tough times. However, if we are not making Interior Life deposits and our life circumstances need to draw on our “savings”, we may find that life has put us in an untenable situation; and we go spiritually bankrupt. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, describes the characteristics of the Inner Person and the maintenance of the Inner Person: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.". Paul describes us as being comprised of body, soul, and spirit.
Our Inner Person, or Our Inner Self, is all that relates to our soul and spirit. The Interior Life is critical for an abundant life – the part of us that is private not public; the part of us that no one sees or knows but us and God. Too often, we focus our personal care on our bodies and not our soul or Inner Person. Paul, in Ephesians 3:16-17, addresses or “inner being”: “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,".
EXERCISING YOUR CONSCIENCE AS A PART OF YOUR INTERIOR LIFE -- We need to focus, today, on a portion of our Inner Self’s soul that includes “our conscience” – “the power of our mind”. Our conscience is that part of our soul that brings our hearts and minds into knowledge of God’s requirements and expectations for living a Godly life. In 1 Timothy 1:5, the conscience is related to love: “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”. Do you have a clear conscience before the Lord?
As an example of “conscience in the Inner Life”, King David was a righteous man that gave God credit for all His successes; but David, like us, was a sinner. He lusted after the beautiful wife of one of his generals. After David got the general’s wife pregnant, David’s sins, like most of ours, cascaded into the murder of his general to protect his secret affair with the general’s wife. Subsequently, David’s conscience rose to the top of his Inner Self in Psalms 51. While David confessed and repented of his sins to God, David was forgiven by God; but the consequence of David’s sins was enormous – David’s family and kingdom were disrupted; and his son, who was born of the adulterous affair, died.
There are three aspects of our conscience: 1) the part of our person that knows right and wrong within ourselves – our moral compass; 2) as Christians, our conscience becomes God’s moral compass within us; and 3) a reminder that we have sinned against God or our neighbor. The Holy Spirit deals with conscience first and not our intellect or emotion.
What happens when we ignore our conscience: 1) we begin to dumb down the power of our conscience to speak into our lives; 2) even though our conscience speaks to us all the time, we begin not to hear it; and 3) our conscience becomes polluted by the world – a defiled conscience. Ignoring our conscience leads us towards self-deception and depravity.
How do we keep a clear conscience: 1) confess our sin to God as instructed in Hebrews 10:22-23: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.", and in 1 John 1:9-10: "We confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."; 2) make a confession of our sin to a Christian friend; 3) sometimes, confess our sin to a minister; and 4) sometimes, we need to make restitution to those to whom we have sinned, when appropriate.
Our conscience is a mighty gift to us from God if we listen to it and keep a clear conscience. However, we will never have a clear conscience in our Interior Life unless we, like King David, confess and repent of our sins to God and lead a new life in Jesus.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Psalms 51:1-19; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 2:1-8; 1 Timothy 1:5-6; Job 27:6; Acts 24:16; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Matthew 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; Titus 1:15-16; Psalms 36:1-4; Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 1:9; Romans 8:1-2; James 5:16; Proverbs 27:17; 2 Samuel 12:13; Luke 19:8; 2 Timothy 1:3.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO (“Your Conscience as a Part of Interior Life“): https://awordfromthelord.org/video-archives/.
WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB