Servant

Brian Poindexter

Observe ye everything that takes place in the heaven, how they do not change their orbits, and the luminaries which are in the heaven, how they all rise and set in order each in its season, and transgress not against their appointed order. Behold ye the earth, and give heed to the things which take place upon it from first to last, how steadfast they are, how none of the things upon earth change, but all the works of God appear to you. But ye - ye have not been steadfast, nor done the commandments of the Lord, But ye have turned away and spoken proud and hard words. Ye shall find no peace.

  1. "The Christian Judge"

    07/01/2022

    "The Christian Judge"

    Topical Series - With what judgment you judge, you will be judged back to you, says Jesus in Matthew 7:2. This is a classic illustration of what happens when we take a verse out of context, and separate it from its intended meaning. Anyone who believes that believers can never judge another person's sin is seeking permission to sin. Matthew 7:1 When Jesus said, "Do not judge," he clearly did not mean to ban all forms of accountability. He was not pleading with us to turn a blind eye to sin in Christ's body. His sermon was about true righteousness, which cannot be achieved by adhering to man-made standards such as the Mishnah of the Pharisees. The Mishnah regulated all facets of Jewish life, ostensibly to ensure that Israel adhered to God's Law. All of these are, by definition, "judgments". By our faith alone, all believers have been credited with Christ's righteousness. The temptation is to pass judgment on one another's righteousness under the guise of God's judgment. On my best days, my walk may come close to resembling true righteousness. And on my worst days, you may doubt my salvation, not at all. Jesus said, "Do not judge one another in this manner," according to 2 Peter 2:2. The Lord has already given His Spirit to every believer, as well as all of God's Word, to bring them to righteousness. How much leverage do you have with your scorn or guilt trip to compel obedience from other believers? How much assistance do your judgments and advice provide? When we pass judgment on others, we obstruct our own path of righteousness. When we do so, we become hypocrites similar to the Pharisees, forgetting that we are all in need of God's grace to be justified. The last thing any struggling Christian needs is to be burdened with additional rules, particularly those that are superfluous. Judging others feeds our arrogance and promotes self-righteousness, as well as hypocrisy. On a good day, none of us will achieve Christ's perfection in our walk, but we will come close. No believer in this congregation is more acceptable to God than another. Judging others in these ways does not constitute judgment of their righteousness or their worth before God. Do you hold other believers to a standard of perfection? You'd be wise to be prepared to be flawless. That is how God views us when we pass judgment on another's weakness. We would be governed by unholy, ungodly individuals who would portray themselves as God's gatekeepers. This is a direct contradiction to everything that Christ has taught in this sermon. While we are commanded to hold one another accountable for sin, this does not imply that we're commanded to judge one another's righteousness. However, not by examining another person's righteousness. Again, the point is that we all have flaws, and we all require assistance in order to obey, which is the role of the Body of Christ. Additionally, there is a biblical model for assisting one ​another in surviving a greater number of obedient, righteous lives.

    26 phút
  2. Persistent Prayer

    17/08/2021

    Persistent Prayer

    God’s seeming unwillingness to answer our prayers can leave us feeling bewildered and impatient. Jesus gives insight into the character of God and why we should talk with Him. Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). In reply, He told a story about a man who pestered a neighbor for help, with an unexpected twist (11:5–8). In the end, it was the man’s persistent requests, and not the neighbors’ mutual friendship, that led to the man’s success in getting his neighbor’s help—a turn of events that still baffles readers today. Does this mean that we can bug God into giving us what we want? Does it mean that He is more motivated by getting us off His back than He is by His love for us when He answers our prayers? The answer to both questions is no. What the story makes clear is that our freedom to ask does not dictate God’s response. He is not a servant waiting for a list of tasks we want accomplished. Nor does He rely on us to define our needs, outline solutions, or say when or how He should act. Our all-knowing and all-wise God does those things for us. However, God is eager for His children to develop a habit of talking with Him, including asking Him for help (11:9, 10). That doesn’t mean He will be guided by our limited understanding of a situation and its possible solutions (11:11–13). He asks us to trust Him to know what is needed and when. Our calling is to ask—even persistently—and to grow in the process. One of the most surprising benefits of prayer is how much we change when we talk regularly with God. Sometimes that in itself is the answer to our prayers.

    25 phút

Giới Thiệu

Observe ye everything that takes place in the heaven, how they do not change their orbits, and the luminaries which are in the heaven, how they all rise and set in order each in its season, and transgress not against their appointed order. Behold ye the earth, and give heed to the things which take place upon it from first to last, how steadfast they are, how none of the things upon earth change, but all the works of God appear to you. But ye - ye have not been steadfast, nor done the commandments of the Lord, But ye have turned away and spoken proud and hard words. Ye shall find no peace.