But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5 Read Titus 3 What does justified mean? What is the twofold basis of our justification? God washed and renewed us when he saved us. He saved us through “the washing of rebirth and renewal.” Rebirth comes from a Greek word that means to regenerate or make new. The meaning of renewal is similar to rebirth. To renew is to restore, revive, revitalize, recondition – to make new. God justified us when He saved us. His…
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Aspects Of Salvation: Part 1
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5 Read Titus 3 What verses talk about the past, present, and future of salvation? Can you match the verses that each go to the past, present, and future? What were we like as slaves to sin? Past: At one time, we were slaves to sin (Titus 3:3). To appreciate salvation, we need to remember what God saved us from. We all have an aspect of salvation. We all respond and view it differently. For…
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In Hard Times – Part 2
“because I know whom I believed, and am convinced that he can guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:8-12 Read 2 Timothy 1 Encourage yourself through your relationship with Jesus Christ, our Savior. Paul encouraged Timothy by reminding him of his relationship with Jesus. Paul suffered and faced death because Jesus appointed him. Paul wasn’t ashamed because he knew whom he believed. Paul had head knowledge of the Father; he likewise knew and trusted Jesus Christ, the son. Paul also had a personal relationship with Christ. He had faith Christ was a faith of experience. Salvation begins with a…
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God Is Who He Says He Is
Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. Exodus 24: 13 Do you believe God is who He says He is? Do you have any doubts? Dear friends, some of us are just starting this journey with God, while some of us have been on this journey for a while. No matter our length of time of being a follower of Christ, we have the rest of our lives to be increasingly intentional about our unbelief and confessing them to Christ. Grant it we don’t know the number of days we will live here on earth. However, we can lean into Christ…
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God’s Love For The World
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 God’s love is so deep for you! Yes – you!! This is the heart and purpose of God. His plan of salvation for you! God’s love runs deep and wide for everyone. God had his son Jesus die, be the sacrifice, to pay for our sins. He gave his son out of love for us. This is a complete…
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God’s Love
John 3:16 ‘For God loved the world in this way: so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.’ God loves you. He loves me. He loves everyone. God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, faithful, and abounding in love for us. God wants you to have a relationship with him. He is waiting for you to choose him. I have 7 children. I have 5 boys and 2 girls. I value each of them. I love each of them. I often try to comprehend how God could give his one and only son to us – humans. I can’t. I can’t imagine asking anyone…
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Letting Go Of Entitlement
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Mark 8:36 Do you have a hard time trusting God’s heart when it comes to what is happening in our lives? It is usually our perception of how things should be that makes us have a hard time trusting God. When we have expectations, we make assumptions about what we should receive or what we shouldn’t have to experience. Let’s read Luke 15:11-24. Jesus wants everyone to know that God’s love, hope, and grace are for everyone. It doesn’t belong only to those who think they deserve it. In this…
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Pruned and Purified
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.” John 15:1-3 Do you think that gardening takes time? Or patience? How about waiting? It sure does. So does our life when God is pruning us. Stop and think about when the seed is first planted when you get to pick the fruit of that plant? You wait months for the plant to produce fruit. This is how it can be in our very own lives. It can take a while for the spiritual fruit to blossom for others to see. There are two things mentioned in John 15:3. Pruning and purification. In pruning by God,…
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God’s Grace
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short fo the glory of God. I have sinned. I still sin. You sin. The person next door sins. Your best friend’s sins. whether we are nonbelievers still living in sin, new believers trying so hard to figure out this new way of life, or a mature, seasoned Christian still falling here and there. Bottom line we all sinned. And the sad point is we fall short of God’s glory. What is the Glory of God? Is it important? According to the dictionary – glory means high renown or honor won by notable achievements magnificent or great beauty take great pride or…
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Seeking Him More
I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Acts 24:16 Today we are going to read Romans 2:12-16, Hebrews 9:11-14, 1 Peter 3:13-17, and 1 John 3:19-24. For as many, as have sinned without law will also perish without the law, and as many, as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the…