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The Christian Life
Can I stop sinning? Hebrews 10:26,” If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,” 1 John 1:8,” If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Romans 6:6,” For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” The Bible teaches that the Christian must come by faith, repenting of his sin willing to follow Jesus in a serious and sincere manner. It reveals the genuineness of his belief. To continue in blatant sin reflects a lack of repentance. However, the Bible also teaches that, though weakened, sin is still in us and we must sincerely confess our sins for forgiveness and renewal. Some sins are accidental and some are out of stubbornness and weakness. So, we must realize that obedience in this life will be an ongoing struggle. Romans 7:15 explains,” For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate”. Our sin nature is still active and must be dealt with daily. Genesis 4:7,” sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." The Bible teaches that struggle develops perseverance which brings growth in our journey to perfection. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to help in our struggle. He also gave us the Church, the Bible, and the ability to go to God directly in prayer. Church – “Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character”. 1 Corinthians 15:33. The importance of membership in a biblically based Church cannot be over emphasized. A Church that seeks to glorify God by taking His word seriously and that shows evidence of following it. A Church dedicated to providing experienced and qualified teachers for understanding. We need our Church family for education, to encourage perseverance , and to unite with other Christians in ministry. Bible study –How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word”. Psalm 119:9 We need to know and understand God’s word for living. We can’t obey what we don’t understand. Biblical knowledge doesn’t come by accident. It takes time and work. God’s revealed will comes through His word and it is our guide in all things. Bible study keeps Gods instructions constantly in our thoughts. Prayer – “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 1 John 1:9 Dedicate time to pray regularly. We must acknowledge our sin. Share your praises, requests and confessions with God. God does not call us to pray and then not listen to us. You are his child. Pray for strength. Pray with expectation. These are the tools, along with the Holy Spirit, that men and women of faith use in their struggle to obey God. Not sinless, but determined in the fight to sin less. Jesus lastly promises. “and I am with you always". Matt 28:20. Evangel Church PCA –Alabaster - All are welcome! 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org - Live webcast Easter is the most important event in the Christian calendar. It celebrates God raising his son Jesus from the dead, after dying on the cross for our sins.
The foretelling of Easter began in Genesis 3 saying, "one will come to crush the serpent's head". Isaiah 53:5 gives more specific details. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible are accounts of the actual event and referred to as the gospel of Jesus. And this is the gospel.... Living with God requires the absence of sin, but Romans 3:23 says, "all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" and Romans 6:23a, "the wages of sin is death; The breaking of any of God's commands brings guilt, yet we break many every day. Jesus taught that sin not only refers to our actions but our words and thoughts. Jesus sees all that is in our heart. The Gospel continues.... Romans 6:23b, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". Matthew 20:28, “ just as the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." God, through Jesus' sinless life and death on the cross, provided a way for humanity to live with Him forever. Jesus' perfect life qualified him as an acceptable sacrifice for our sin debt. Because of this, in John 14:6, "Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the father but by me." So what is required of us to have our sins forgiven and be joined with God? Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." When we sincerely trust in Jesus, our sin is removed by his sacrifice on the cross and His righteousness is given to us for entry into Heaven. Jesus' resurrection and victory over death is what Christians celebrate at Easter. For just as He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday, we also who sincerely follow Him will be raised. Come, willing to trust and follow Jesus and he will give you true and eternal life. At Evangel we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn more about receiving eternal life. All are welcome! Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 - 205-664-0889 Sunday School 9 am - Worship Service 10:15 am evangelchurchpca.org THE CHRISTIAN LIFE -HOW DOES GOD BECOME MY FATHER? "Sermon on the Mount" M. Lloyd-Jones How then does God become my Father? According to the Scriptures it is like this. Christ “came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (i.e. authority) to become the sons of God” (John 1:11-12). You become a child of God only when you are born again, when you receive a new life and a new nature. The child partakes of the nature of the Father. God is holy, and you and I are not children of God until we have received a holy nature; and that means we must have a new nature. Being evil and even conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5), we do not have one, but He will give it to us. Now that is what is offered to us. And there is no contact or communion with God, nor are we heirs to any of these promises of God, until we become His children. In other words, we must remember that we have sinned against God, that we deserve the wrath and punishment of God, but that He has dealt with our sin and guilt by sending His son to die on the cross of Calvary for us. And believing in Him, we receive a new life and nature and become children of God. Then we can know that God is our Father, but not until then. So, how does God become my Father? The answer is illustrated in this story. There was a man who was very skilled in balancing himself while walking a tightrope, so he had a cable stretched across Niagara Falls. A large crowd gathered to watch his performance on this high wire stretched across the thundering waterfall. Many in the crowd wondered if he would make it, or would he slip and fall to his death? The performer mounted the cable and with great skill he crossed the roaring chasm and returned. Then he asked the crowd if there was anyone who trusted him enough to let him carry them on his back across and safely return. The crowd was silent. Finally one man stepped forward expressing his trust in this man. With the man mounted on his back, the performer successfully crossed the falls and returned. This is how God becomes our Father. Christ has already crossed the chasm of death by His own resurrection from the dead. He stands ready to carry anyone across the chasm between death and eternal life who will trust in him alone for their salvation. How about you? Have you trusted in Christ alone for Salvation? You can trust Him now. He will not refuse you. - Rev. Grady Simpson At Evangel Church we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to trust Jesus. All are welcome! Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 - 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org THE CHRISTIAN LIFE Why do we celebrate Christmas? In chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis, we have the pleasant view of the holiness and happiness of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We see the grace and favor of God and the peace and beauty of the whole creation, all good, very good; but in chapter 3 the scene changes. We have here an account of the sin and misery of our first parents, the wrath and curse of God against them, the peace of the creation disturbed, and its beauty stained and soiled, all bad, very bad. Our Creator gave but one command to preserve our innocence. "Do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you do you will surely die." Innocent Eve was deceived and tempted to doubt God by Satan through the serpent. She and Adam yielded to that temptation, that is they willfully sinned against God. Their innocence was lost and their sin nature born. Judgment was pronounced: Banishment from the Garden of Eden now and eventual death. This was a sentence against them and their offspring, all humanity, or "the Fall" of man. This is the condition we're born into, slaves to sin and bound to death--lovers of the world and its values and not lovers of God. A child does not have to be taught disobedience. It's in the DNA. Genesis 3:15 tells us that though the world now is Satan's domain there will be one to come, a Savior. Through Him God will restore hatred (enmity) of evil (the world) and love for Him in His people. God initially provided the system of animal sacrifice to show the cost of sin, which is death and how His people would be saved, through the death of another. It is said that at the annual Passover in Jerusalem blood flowed like a river from the sacrifices made for so much sin, but they were only temporary substitutes allowed until the real sacrifice came. In the Gospels of the New Testament, we're told of that coming. Jesus came in obedience to God's plan to pay a sin debt He did not owe. As God the Son, He broke no commands and gave His life as a ransom for all who would repent and follow Him, promising His Holy Spirit to enable them. God accepted His payment by raising Him from the dead and restoring Him to Heaven, and you also will be raised from the dead and restored to heaven if you follow Him. At Christmas we celebrate the fulfilling of God's promise in the birth of Jesus, the gift of Eternal life (Matthew 1-2). It requires our willingness to turn from sinning and live as He teaches in faith (Mark 1:15). Repent and trust in Jesus sincerely, and He will give you His spirit to live this new life and seal your future in heaven. Come! Colby Reeves - Evangel Member At Evangel we offer various Bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to understand repentance and trust in Jesus. All are welcome! (See website or call) Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 - 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Are we truly thankful? Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (delivered in New York, 3 October 1789) “By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” This is the first part of George Washington's Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1789, requested by Congress, acknowledging God as the giver of all things good and everyone's duty to acknowledge, obey and be grateful for our freedom and his blessing. Do we understand this today? Though God's goodness is easily seen, our sins make us incompatible with a Holy God. "The wages of sin is death" (Roman's 6:23). Our sin debt makes entry to heaven impossible (as stated in Matthew 19:26) and God's goodness all the more amazing. Genesis 3 says Adam and Eve rebelled and brought sin and death to us. Yet God, out of goodness, alludes to a Savior who was revealed fully in the New Testament as Jesus, the Son of God. He came in obedience to the Father's plan and took on himself the penalty of sin that we deserve, and He died on the cross and now credits His perfect righteousness to those who will believe and follow him. That's right! When we repent and trust in Christ, He credits His death as payment for our sin and gives us His righteousness for entry into heaven. The result is, we no longer obey out of fear but out of love and gratitude. As Thanksgiving approaches and we remember the thanks due to God, may we realize the full extent of His blessing through Jesus and the obedience due to Him which reveals true thankfulness (see Romans 12:1-2 and John 14:15). Delay no longer if you don't know Jesus. Come sincerely willing to trust and follow Him and He will receive you with an everlasting love. Colby Reeves - Evangel Member Evangel we offer various Bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to live for Jesus. All are welcome! Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 - 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
How should Christian's react to a world full of self centeredness ? When Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbor?” He replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke10:30-37). This parable has stood the test of time. It reminds us of how we should help our neighbors, who as the parable shows, is anyone around us that has a need. It is so famous, states have named laws “Good Samaritan” laws to protect those who try and help others. But while we may know of the parable, do we remember the extent of the help? Jesus chooses a Samaritan because all the Jews of Jesus day would have hated him. And yet he is the good neighbor who does good works even for his enemy as Jesus tells us to do in Luke 6:27. Yet he not only nurses all the wounds of this stranger who hates him but he goes the extra mile by paying for a place for him to rest and anything else that he might need. “Going the extra mile” is another saying that Jesus gave us in Matthew 5:41. And this is how we are to help others, even if they are our enemies. We should not just help but we should do everything we can to meet their need completely. This is the difference between giving a man a fish versus teaching him how to fish. The difference between us feeding the poor on holidays and feeding them every day. The difference between helping an orphan in need and making that orphan our child. We see this when Christians reach out to children through Fostering and Adoption.We see this when they want to help inner cities and move to that area in order to help every day. We even see missionaries moving to other countries and plant churches that not only spread the gospel, but also help the local people by training them in ways to provide for themselves. These are just some of the ways that Jesus told us to help our neighbors and if we love Him, we will love our neighbors by meeting their needs completely. In Philippians 2:4 Paul says to consider the interest of others as more important than our own. He demonstrates this in the next few verses by showing how Jesus, though in the form of God, did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but humbled Himself and became obedient even to the point of death, death on the cross. When God saw our need of a Savior, He responded in love. We needed a Savior and through death Jesus became that Savior. We should be thankful that like the Good Samaritan, he met our need completely. So if we love Jesus, let us show it by loving our neighbor and doing good for them as Christ did for us. For anything less is not truly loving our neighbor. Marty Hayes - Evangel Member At Evangel we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how be a good neighbor. All are welcome! (See website) Evangel Church PCA - 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org If someone fed you – to your heart’s content and without cost – with food produced “out of thin air,” I am thinking you would be pretty amazed, if not floored with fascination. And, rightly so!
Now, in light of this experience, what might cross your mind? For instance, would your motivation be to know how to get more of that abundant, “magical,” free food? Or, would you more so desire to get to know the person who produced that food and gave it to you? If these were your options, which would be your route? In chapter 6 of the New Testament Book of John, there is a historical record of how a huge crowd was fed by Jesus Christ in this very manner. After eating their fill, what do you think those in the crowd wanted the most? On the next day, when the same crowd tracked Jesus down and approached Him, Jesus told them directly: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (verse 27). Apparently, according to Jesus Christ, there is food that does not perish and which “endures to eternal life.” The crowd having been exceptionally well fed the day before with food that perishes (earthly, material food), Jesus refers to that very event in order to point to the real and true food that is of significantly greater worth– indeed, food that never perishes! So what is this food that endures to eternal life? Bread. Yes,bread. Bread is that eternal food! Jesus declared: “I am the bread of life” (verse 35). Stunning. Dear reader, have you yet fed upon the Bread of Life? When you and I get to eat perishable food each day, that is a great blessing. However, a full stomach can never reach into our very core: the soul. To have a “full soul,” as it were, we need the bread of life Himself. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). To believe Him, Jesus explained, is to ‘feed’ upon Him as the bread of life, the bread from heaven (John 6:32). There is everlasting satisfaction in one’s soul only when Jesus is the Person in whom that soul rests by faith. Let us delight and feast upon the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ! -Paul Moon - Evangel Member At Evangel we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn further how to feed on Jesus. All are welcome! Evangel Church PCA 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, Alabama 35007 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org As a nation we have left the time where the word of God was widely understood and acknowledged. Now things are done openly that at one time where known to be evil and popular trends are violating the Bible's strictest warnings. Jesus warned of following the wide easy road that leads to eternal destruction that most people take, following the worlds popular trends that starts with willing biblical ignorance and indifference to Gods commands. It seems we hear about Gods love and the benefits of salvation through faith in Jesus but not much of the cost. In reality we are called to put off our old disobedient life and live a new obedient life following Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us. (Ephesians 4:22) Obedience to God's commands has been a non-negotiable from the start in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16-17). Mankind has certainly struggled with living in obedience to God. In Isaiah 29:13 God says of his people "They honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me" and Jesus repeats it in Matt 15:8-9. The same is true if we attend church, go through the motions of a worship service, and yet fail to take to heart our call to faithful obedience to our Lord. I wonder if we even study the Bible to know how to obey. Hosea 4:6 declares "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". Jesus said "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36) This is but one of many verses that says true believers are those who obey. The Bible teaches that not all who believe in Jesus have a true relationship with him. James 2:19-20 tells us "even the demons believe". They believe but continue in their sin. In Luke 6:46 Jesus asks " why do you call me Lord but don't obey me". A believers obedience proves he has submitted to Jesus as Lord and his command to faithful living. Obedience is never spoken of as the means of salvation but the proof of it. Jesus said " small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it". Matt 7:14 Herein lies the answer to our question. If you have sincerely trusted that Jesus's death has paid for your sins you have entered the gate. The narrow road Jesus talks about is obedience. Narrow indicates it is the more difficult path however the Holy Spirit that brings you to trust and obey will hold you to the end to heaven and eternal life there. Matt 24:13. Colby Reeves. - Evangel Church PCA member At Evangel we offer various bible studies by our Pastors and Elders to learn how to obey. All are welcome! Evangel Church PCA 423 Thompson Rd. Alabaster, AL. 35007 205-664-0889 evangelchurchpca.org |
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