Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: Christ
John MacArthur (July-02-2022) Daily Devotional: Coming to Christ
"Coming to [Christ] as to a living stone" (1 Pet. 2:4).
Jesus Christ is the source of every spiritual privilege.
Often Christians speak of salvation as "coming to Christ." That's an accurate, biblical description, for Jesus Himself said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28); "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35); "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37). Those are metaphors for salvation.
Coming to Christ initiates all your spiritual privileges because in Him God "granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3). Paul said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
The Greek word translated "coming" in 1 Peter 2:4 conveys more than initially turning to Christ for salvation. It implies remaining with Him. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament it was used of those who drew near to God for ongoing worship. It was also used of Gentile proselytes—those who chose to identify themselves with God's people.
When you came to Christ, a permanent relationship of intimate personal communion was established. Before that, you were rebellious toward God, without hope, and alienated from God's promises. Now you've been born again to a living hope, you abide in Him and in His Word, and you have wonderful spiritual privileges.
Indeed, you are a privileged person, and the greatest of those privileges is your personal relationship with Christ Himself. Continue to draw near to Him today through prayer and worship.
Suggestions for Prayer
- Tell Jesus how much you love Him and how you want your relationship with Him to be all it should be.
For Further Study
Read Ephesians 2:1-22.
- How did Paul describe our spiritual condition before salvation?
- How are sinners reconciled to God?
- What analogy did Paul use to describe our relationship as Christians to Jesus Christ?
Daily Devotional (June-28-2022) Hope in Christ
Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) - “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
Hope is a precious commodity. You can live without a lot of things but it is hard to live this life without hope. Solomon wrote, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick!” How true that is. The opposite is true too. Hope makes the heart peaceful. Hope, in the resurrection power of Christ, enables us to overcome obstacles that hinder us. With hope in God’s love and faithfulness, we can look beyond adversity. But with hope, comes responsibility. It would be wrong to have a warehouse full of food and not let those that are starving have some. Likewise to have hope and not show others how to have the same hope, would be unconscionable. For that reason Peter tells us to, “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” So where is your hope today? Is it in the living God? Are you feeling secure even when the pressure is on? If so, ask God to bring people to you that will ask about your hope. And when He does, ask God to help you present to them the reason you have hope in Christ.
Prayer - Father, thank You for the hope that I find in You. You are my hope and I want to tell others about You. Give me the courage and strength to give an answer to every person that asks me where my hope comes from. AMEN
Daily Devotional (May-31-2022) Let Christ’s peace fill our hearts
Scripture Reference: Colossians 3:15-16 - “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (NIV)
William Backus, in his book “Learning To Tell Myself The Truth” writes, “Sadly, misbeliefs, whether verbal or visual, are the direct cause of emotional turmoil, maladaptive behavior, and most self-destructive behavior, such as overeating, smoking, lying, substance abuse, or adultery, to name a few.” It is true, the consequences of misbeliefs, misinterpretations of events and skewed predictions about outcomes all to often lead to us to despair and the dysregulation of our emotions. Therefore it is crucial that we protect our heart and our mind. Paul shares how can do this. First he says that we are to let the peace that comes from knowing Christ rule in our hearts. The heart is where our emotions, imagination, visualizations, dreams and aspirations come from. We need to let Christ rule in each of these areas. He should fill our imaginations, dreams and visions with His peace. Satan uses our imagination. Have you ever noticed that you fear in technicolor, surround sound and 3-D? It is the same with anger, hopelessness and any other of our painful emotions. Our imagination goes wild. Instead, we need to let Christ’s peace fill our hearts. We need Him to be the Lord of our imagination. Second, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It is the word of God that challenges and helps correct any negative core belief. As His word dwells in our minds we will begin to see it spill over into our belief system. This happens through admonishing one another with all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Today give God both your heart and your mind. Let Him be the Lord of your thoughts and imagination.
Prayer: Father, please let Your peace rule in my heart. Let Your word dwell in my mind. Help me grow with others as we admonish each other with all wisdom. May I be blessed through the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. And may I be filled with gratitude in my heart to You dear God. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN
Joyce Meyer - Watch Sermon: "Seated" in Christ - Part 2. Christ came to set you free from worry, frustration and condemnation. Learn how to experience more of His peace in your life.
John MacArthur - Watch Sermon: The Pope: Usurping the Seat of Christ. "Welcome to our Sunday evening together. As you know, tonight I want to talk to you about the pope and what is going on in the display of Roman Catholicism in front of us, from the perspective of the Word of God, the Scripture."
Kenneth Copeland - Watch Sermon: Living Who You Are in Christ. Let the divine nature of God’s Love flow through you! Watch /Believer’s Voice of Victory/ as Kenneth Copeland and Professor Greg Stephens discuss why living who you are in Christ involves outward actions that flow from fully developed inward Love. Learn to pursue the fruit of the spirit in your life for the ultimate spiritual maturing process.