Posts Tagged ‘ Justice ’
“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.”
Deuteronomy 11:18, CSB
God has told us what is good and expects us to follow, and He proved His love by adopting us through the blood of Christ. Now, we imprint His goodness on our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit because of the imprints of the nails on Christ’s hands amd thorns on His head.
“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
Isaiah 40:8, CSB
God has told what is good and that He has adopted us through the blood of His Son, and we know that His promises are eternal.
And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19, CSB
Christ has adopted us as His own by His blood, and He equips each of us for reaching this fallen world with His love.
I preached again!
I was once again at Paulden Christian Fellowship, planned for nearly two weeks, so before the events of the first full week of September 2025. Fortunately and unfortunately, the message was ready for this week. I also was dealing with a cold.
As usual, below are my rough notes (in fact, very rough notes this time), so there is a deviation from what is written and what was said. (P.S. I made the correction to the PowerPoint that I reference in the sermon.)
[Intro]
[Read passage]
Recent events also show it continues.
Rise in Persecution: In the past 15 years, so many Christian businesses, ministries, and individuals have faced civil and criminal legal troubles for standing for their biblical faith, such as the Masterpiece Cakeshop and Jack Phillips in Colorado.
(I think Kim Davis of Kentucky is a slippery story, and musician/activist Sean Feucht is creating problems.)
Step on toes: Remember that political violence happens on both sides. (Gabbi Giffords, JFK, MLK, abortion bombings of the 1980’s-90’s and later in 2020’s, shots fired/knives bared at the White house in the past four administrations).
Both sides of the political aisle have ramped up violent rhetoric.
But this serves as a reminder that we have a message that divides:
v. 11: Unlike Paul, most of us don’t get a message straight from Jesus confirming anything past today, but we have the message that He is with us (Matthew 28:20; John 16) and that we have hope of eternity when we die (Luke 23:43).
vv. 12-15: Some conspiracies are true, and people will hate us for preaching righteousness.
vv. 16-22: We fight for life and light & reveal darkness, but we remember those made in God’s image.
“Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:35, CSB
We have been adopted into God’s family by the blood of Christ, and we join in the work of God to reconcile this world together with Him.
but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
1 Peter 3:15, CSB
The message has not changed, so may we focus on our holy, perfect, loving, grace-filled Savior and God, sharing the good news of the salvation He offers and why we can trust Him.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14, CSB
The story has not changed: God loves us and came to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, bringing truth, Grace, and forgiveness to humanity.
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1, CSB
The message has not changed, that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, that He died for us and rose again, and that He ascended and sits at the right hand ofnthe Father. May we seek and seek to share His glory and goodness every moment.
“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
John 14:1, CSB
The message is the same: True peace – peace with God, peace in our hearts, peace with others – comes through Christ alone. Our faith in Him brings peace.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
Matthew 5:3, CSB
The message has not changed, knowing that we are unable to do anything good enough to earn eternal life, but God in His goodness and grace has made a way for us through His Son, Jesus.
a simple man of God 