A Journey to the Cross: The Word

A Journey to the Cross Part 3 from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
A Journey to the Cross: The Word - Source, Substance, Solution
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Christ is the Source
- (v.1) In the beginning was the Word
- (v.2) He was in the beginning with God
- (v.3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made

Christ is the Substance
-(v.1) the Word was with God and the Word was God
-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. (Hebrews 1:3)

Christ is the Solution
-(v.4-5) In him was life, & the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness & the darkness has not overcome it.
-(v.14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth

We Point to the source
-(v.7) He (John the Baptist) came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light

We Reflect the substance
-(John 5:35) He (John the Baptist) He was a burning & shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

We Show the solution.
-(v.16) from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
-(Matthew 5:16) In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

A Journey to the Cross: The Gospel

A Journey to the Cross - Part 2 from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
http://www.southforkbaptistchurch.com/

A Journey to the Cross: The Worst News & The Greatest News!

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

THE WAGES OF SIN: SLAVES OF SIN – FREE FROM GOD
•for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
•as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ (Rom 3:10-12)

IS DEATH:
•Then he will say …Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41)
•And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43)

BUT!!

THE FREE GIFT OF GOD:
•And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Romans 4:5)
•For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

IS ETERNAL LIFE: FREE FROM SIN – SLAVES OF GOD
•But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:22)
•and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
•so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)

IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD:
•if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
•Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
•there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

The Suicide Deception

“Suicide is the final expression of control over one’s own life.  The deception is the belief that death is the solution, the escape or the end of everything.”

From Dr. Neil T. Anderson's, Discipleship Counseling, page 323

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)

Bitterness vs. Forgiveness

“Bitterness is to the soul as cancer is to the body.” (268)

“We forgive in order to heal. . . . Forgiveness is a hard choice that includes (1) allowing God to surface the name of every offending person with their painful memories, (2) agreeing to live with the consequences of the other person’s sin without seeking revenge, and (3) letting God deal with the offending person in His way and His time.” (266)


From Dr. Neil T. Anderson's Discipleship Counseling

"[26 ] Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27 ] and give no opportunity to the devil. . . .  [31 ] Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. [32 ] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  (Ephesians 4:26-32 ESV)

A Journey to the Cross: Prayer & Fasting

A Journey to the Cross - Part 1 from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
A Journey to the Cross:


Prayer & Fasting

Fasting: “A Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes” – Donald Whitney

Preparing for Ministry: The Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)

Why fast? from Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

• To Strengthen Prayer
• To Seek God’s Guidance
• To Express Grief
• To Seek Deliverance or Protection
• To Express Repentance or Return to God
• To Humble Oneself Before God
• To Express Concern for the Work of God
• To Minister to the Needs of Others\
• To Overcome Temptation & Dedicate Yourself to God
• To Express Love and Worship to God

How do I fast?

• Normal Fast – fasting from all food, not from water
• Partial Fast – limitation of your diet
• Absolute Fast – fasting from all food and all water
• Supernatural Fast – requires God’s supernatural intervention to survive
• Private Fast - in a way not to be noticed
• Congregational Fast – united focus
• Other than food - “a voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity” - Richard Foster

Prayer

“Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing.” - E. M. Bounds


Preparing for the Cross: The Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)

Why pray?

• Communication with the God you love!
• Interceding for one another
• Dependence on God
• Thanking God for His work and provision
• Prayer makes a difference
• Loving obedience

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…” (Ephesians 6:18a)

How can I pray?

• The Lord’s Prayer
• A - Adoration
• C - Confession
• T - Thanksgiving
• S - Supplication
• The Psalms
• Scripture
• Prayer lists
• Operation World
• Facebook
• News
• 3” x 5” Card in your bulletin – The Lost by name

“The life, power, and glory of the church is prayer…without it, the church is lifeless and powerless” – E.M. Bounds

http://www.southforkbaptistchurch.com/

The Purpose of Life - Part 2

The Purpose of Life - Part 2 from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
The Purpose of Life – Part 2

Part 1 Recap: The Purpose of Life is to be Connected to Jesus in SALVATION

1) Be connected to the TRUE vine
2) Know that God is in CONTROL
3) Do ABIDE in Christ & prove to be His disciple

The Purpose of Life is to be Connected to Jesus in SANCTIFICATION

What is Sanctification?
“A progressive (increasing) work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and more like Christ in our actual lives” – Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

What is FRUIT?
• CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTER - (Galatians 5:22-24) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23 ] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24 ] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
• CHRIST-DIRECTED PRAISE - (Hebrews 13:15)
• CHRISTIAN LOVE
• CHRIST-HONORING BEHAVIOR
• CHRIST-CENTERED KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, & UNDERSTANDING
• CHRISTIAN-CONVERTS

A fruit-bearing believer (John 15:1-17)
• IS PRUNED (DISCIPLINED): v.2
• IS DEPENDENT (NOT INDEPENDENT) v.4
• GLORIFIES GOD & VALIDATES RELATIONSHIP - v.8
• IS HUMBLE – v.16
• IS LOVING - v.17

A fruit-bearing church (Acts 2:42-47)
(Acts 2:42-47 ESV) “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43 ] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44 ] And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45 ] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46 ] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47 ] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

• I – Individual responsibility of believers
• F – Fellowship – building relationships
• S – Service – demonstrating Christ’s love in practical ways
• W – Worship – glorifying God with our voices and hearts
• E – Evangelism & Missions – speaking the Good News
• P – Prayer – communicating with God
• T – Teaching – learning and sharing the wisdom of God

http://www.southforkbaptistchurch.com/