Following Jesus Son of God …

Good Morning,

Yay! It’s Monday, right? But we are another week closer to Spring!

They couldn’t see God’s glory in Christ because they were blinded by the pursuit of their own glory. God offered salvation, but they just couldn’t get their mind around the amazing gift that comes by grace through faith.

They had it all and lost it all. Depending on their spiritual heritage instead of God, they found themselves in a spiritual wasteland.

Sometimes I hear on the radio: “Don’t be that guy!” Can’t remember who says it, probably more than one person.

My point here is: “Don’t be that guy. Don’t be that gal.”

Don’t be the one who thinks she has it all but actually has nothing because she pursued her idea of salvation rather than God’s.

Message Title: The Children of the Promise

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

MP3: 23 The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : FFC : Dave Scott 021515

Hello Everyone,

Still winter. Still cold. But Spring’s a coming! 🙂

• The Jews had forgotten that the gospel of God is the Gospel of GOD!

They had it all but squandered the opportunity. God’s chosen people, richly blessed, but now as a whole spiritually bankrupt.

They were like lottery winners who four years later are broke and in debt. Or the former professional football player who made millions and rose to the top of his sport but now has to sell his Super Bowl ring so he can eat.

So how did they “lose it”? How could something like this happen?

They could not accept a salvation that came by grace through faith. Salvation apart from the works of the law was inconceivable to them.

Do you know what mercy and grace tell us? Mercy and grace tell us that we can’t do it. In fact, we can’t even think it. Mercy and grace mean that only God, and God alone, could come up with such an idea for our salvation and carry it out.

• Mercy and grace should not be inconceivable in our minds.

Thinking that we could work for the spiritual riches of God in Christ Jesus. That is what is ludicrous. Believing that God would offer a salvation so low, so pitiful, that we, mere sinful humans could somehow do good enough, be good enough, run fast enough to earn his salvation.

That is what should be inconceivable to us. The Jews in Paul’s day did not realize this, and sometimes we don’t either.

Message Title: The Children of Promise!

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

• PDF 23 The Children of the Promise II : Romans 9-1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 021515 STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF 23 The Children of the Promise II : Romans 9-1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 021515 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Hello All,

I don’t record all of the Psalms studies but did yesterday. So here it is.

dave

Probable (possible) historical setting: TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. David on the run; seeking refuge from Saul who is maddened by his jealousy and the prophesied demise of his kingdom.

INTRODUCTION: Why have such a downer of a psalm?

• How long will you forget me, O LORD? How long will you hide your face from me? Blah, blah, blah … I see no good reason to share this despair, this desolation of the heart …
• Unless … It is true to life. True to the walk of the pilgrim of God. 
• What does it feel like when God himself teaches us to walk in the joy of our salvation, the path of pure joy? And what do we do as we are on this path, when we encounter deep darkness and taunting enemies which we cannot overcome?

1) On the path of pure joy we must sometimes walk through desolate territory, 13:1-2.

▶︎ How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever [completely]?

• Sometimes on the path of pure joy it seems that God has stepped completely out of the picture. David’s question is—Had God forgotten him forever? Not, had God forgotten him, but is this it?

▶︎ How long will you hide your face from me?

• Sometimes on the path of pure joy God does not rush to our side. God was not giving David an audience. It was bad enough the turmoil in his life, and that God seemed so distant, but God would not even give David an audience.

▶︎ How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

• Often on the path of pure joy we must learn that we are neither big enough or smart enough for the battle. What runs through our minds at times like this? We try to find solutions. We try to work our way through the mess and fix the problem.

▶︎ How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

• Often on the path of pure joy our dark enemy will taunt us. Insult to injury. During this time of distress the enemy torments us. “I told you so.” “I won. You lost.” “This is what you get for trusting in God.”

*See Matthew 27:41-46.

2) On the path of pure joy we must pray to the only One who can give light, 13:3-4.

• David’s petition: He asks for light, cf. Ephesians 1:18.

3) On the path of pure joy trust in God’s steadfast love bring us to the joy of our salvation, 13:3-4.

• On the path of pure joy trusting in God’s steadfast love brings home the joy or our salvation to our hearts.
• On the path of pure joy trusting in God’s steadfast love brings praise and more praise.

CONCLUSION: No matter anything else we come back to the steadfast love of God!

MESSAGE MP3: Psalm 13 : How Long O LORD : FFC : dave scott : 020815 PM

Hello All,

*EDITOR’S NOTE: We had extra things going this past Sunday, so this message became the introduction to Romans 9-11.

The gospel of God …

The gospel of God begins all the way back in Genesis, when after the sin of Adam and Eve, God speaks to the serpent of the coming war between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the Son of God.

In this gospel story throughout the history of this world, the nation of Israel was given a very special place. God’s chosen people. Unique among the nations and tremendously blessed.

But somewhere along the way, they lost the truth of God’s message. The truth of God had escaped them. But how? Why? They quit listening to God.

They would vehemently protest, but this is exactly what they did. They listened to themselves so much that they thought it was God talking.

Paul states in Romans 9:1: “Truth I am speaking in Christ.”

How did he do that? How do we?

MP3: Truth I Speak in Christ : Romans 9:1 : FFC : dave scott 020815

BONUS STUDY SHEET (Gospel of God HISTORICAL OVERVIEW): PDF OVERVIEW gospel seed promise Israel 020815

Hello to Everyone,

▶︎ Israel chose their story over the Story of God.

• Missing God’s Story was not new to the Jewish people.
• At one time Elijah wondered if he was the only one left true to God (1 Kings 19:10, Romans 11:2-4).
• The people of Israel (north and south kingdoms) were ravaged and sent off to foreign lands as captives as God’s judgment on their rebellion.

▶︎ But … They tried to keep the parts of God’s Story  that fit their story.

They kept the teaching of Moses but not really …

• Moses … (John 5:46–47 ESV) For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?
• Moses … (John 7:19 ESV) Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?

▶︎ And in the process … They lost God’s Story.

• (Jeremiah 23:36 NCV) But you will never again say, ‘The message of the LORD,’ because the only message you speak is your own words. You have changed the words of our God, the living God, the LORD All-Powerful.
• (Jeremiah 23:36 NKJV) And the oracle of the LORD you shall mention no more. For every man’s word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

▶︎ How do we learn from their mistakes?

We receive our “information” from God, and we deliver what we receive from God.

• No editing. No adding or subtracting.
• (Deuteronomy 4:2 ESV) You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.
• (Deuteronomy 12:32 ESV) Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

Message Title: Truth I Am Speaking in Christ!

Message Text: Romans 5:1-5

• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET TWO

What wall is your ladder leaning against?

You’ve heard the expression: “He made it to the top of the ladder but realized that his ladder was up against the wrong wall.”

This was the problem for many of Paul’s countrymen. Their ladder was against the wrong wall. Sometimes we think that the Jews who rejected and crucified Jesus had a problem only with the new covenant.

But that isn’t true. These Jews, as Jesus pointed out, and as Paul does here in our text, had a problem with the old covenant also. They thought tradition and nationality meant salvation. They held their own righteousness over God’s. They rejected faith for law and rejected grace for works.

If they were living by the old covenant in a way that honored God, then they would have welcomed Christ with open arms instead of viewing him as another religious competitor.

They didn’t realize that it was all based on the promise of God.

They didn’t live by the Holy Scriptures of which they were so proud!

But we wouldn’t do that, would we?

Message Title: The Children of the Promise

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

• PDF The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 020115 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 020115 : STUDY SHEET TWO

The commanded love of God.

• God commands us to love him, commands us to love our neighbors. God commands us to love our enemies. And now John echoes the words of Christ where Christ commands us to “Love one anther.”

Why? Why all the commands? I know that God is God but why so bossy?

Why? So he can perfect his love in our lives that we might truly live in Christ.

Have you ever heard this? “Do you know what you need?” Or maybe you’ve said it. “Do you know what you need?”

Well, God does know what we need, and he knows how to get us there.

“Beloved, let us love one another.”

Message Title: Perfect Love

Message Text: 1 John 4:7-18

• MP3: Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515

“Love one another.”

Allowing God to love us to the fullest extent of his love.

• In some ways this has been a “How to Let God Love Us” series.
  God commands us to love him.
  God commands us to love our neighbors.
  God commands us to love our enemies.
  And echoing Christ the Apostle John exhorts us to love one another.

Why? Why all the commands? I know that God is God but why so bossy?

So he can perfect his love in our lives, so we can truly live through Christ and receive the love of God to its fullest extent.

God does know what we need, and what we need is to be completely filled and transformed by his great love.

*This is how he started the “Save the Humans Project” on Earth.

“For God so loved …”

How great is this love of God’s?

• Great enough and powerful enough and all-consuming enough to quash even our greatest fears … WHEN we allow God to perfect this love in our lives!

Message Title: Perfect Love!

Message Text: 1 John 4:7-18

• PDF Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515 : STUDY SHEET TWO

A seminar on godly living …

If I were to invite you to a seminar that promised to make you like your Father in heaven, would you consider that a seminar on godliness?

Or if I invited you to a seminar that instructed us in ways to live like the Most High, would you consider that a seminar on godliness?

Well, here we are today, presenting a “seminar” on godliness directly routed through Jesus’ command to love our enemies.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies!
[A Command, not a Suggestion.]

Message Title: Love Your Enemies!

Message Text: Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 5:43-48

MP3: Love your enemies : Matthew 5:43-48 : Luke 6:27-36 : ffc : dave scott : AM MESSAGE 011815

“I say to you who hear …”

The opening line of this week’s text. “I say to you who hear, Love your enemies.”

Not a message for everyone. “To you who hear …”

Christ is speaking to only those who hear, who actually listen to his words. And what are the words? Another command. More biblical instruction as to how we handle our personal relationships. Bible doctrine concerning our attitude toward and treatment of our enemies.

Oh, and by the way, another command, not a suggestion.

• Want to live and act like God? Want live the life of a son of God? Want to receive great reward from the Most High? Love your enemies.

Who would have thought that honoring and obeying God would take a direct route through how we treat the people who contend against us?

BILLBOARD TRUTHS: I have found these truths continuing to bubble to the surface through this entire Love God, Love Your Neighbor series.

• We must trust God with all our heart.
• Mercy wins.

Message Title: Love Your Enemies!

Message Text: Luke 6:27-36

PDF Love your enemies : Luke 6:27-36 : ffc : dave scott : 011815 : STUDY SHEET ONE

PDF Love your enemies : Luke 6:27-36 : ffc : dave scott : 011815 : STUDY SHEET TWO

So are we stumped over a definition?

Or are we like the lawyer … 

• Lord, could you define “neighbor” for me? And how about love?  Just what do you mean by love? Lord, would you define “enemy”? And “Frenemies”? Do we need to love frenemies?