God Is Not Silent-It Is Written

God is Not Silent - It is Written: Matt. 4:1-11
What a blessing it was to be in church yesterday. Four baptisms in one day! The Williams sisters, Will Wooten and my own son John Mark Atchley. God is indeed good! It was a special blessing to see both of John Mark's granddads pray over he and Will prior to their baptism.

A Short re-cap of the Sermon: "It Is Written" Matthew 4:1-11

It is a fact, Satan will hurl the fiery darts of temptation at believers. Paul confirms this in Ephesians 6. Jesus is our greatest role model when it comes to defeating the temptations Satan throws our way. In Matthew 4, we read how Satan tempted Jesus. The first point in the sermon was:

Use Your Sword

The Sword here is the same one used by Jesus in the face of Satan's temptations. For each temptation, Jesus reminded Satan that "it is written." Jesus pulled from the truths contained in the book of Deuteronomy. Paul calls the Word the "Sword of the Spirit" in Eph. 6. Therefore, when temptations and trials come, use your Sword, which is the word of God.

Sound the Alarm

The second point of the sermon calls our attention to that fact that we must be equipped to react when Satan tries to thwart our pursuit of God. We "Sound the Alarm" when we remind Satan what God's word says. During the second temptation Satan tries to persuade Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The devil even tries to reinforce his argument with Scripture. However, Jesus was able to "Sound the Alarm" and rebuke Satan over his improper use of Scripture.

Speak Confidently

The third point in the sermon compels the listener to speak with confidence in the Word of God. When tempted with an earthly realm, Jesus charges Satan to leave him - to Go Away! With an emphatic declaration Jesus shews the devil from the scene. You and I can have the same confidence in the power of the name of Jesus and the Word of God. Satan can not inhabit what God owns. Therefore, the believer can "Speak Confidently" and rebuke Satan when he throws those fiery darts at your heart. 

Thank You!

I would like to thank all of you who worked so hard on the meal. Also, a sincere thank you to all of the friends, family, and church family who came to see John Mark, Will Wooten, and the Williams sisters baptized. A huge thanks goes out to Mrs. Brenda for leading us in great worship music. It was truly an amazing day!

John Mark Atchley

Will Wooten

Be What You Are-Christian!

Scripture: 1 Peter 1: 13-16.

13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 15 But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. HCSB.

Introduction

In this society of time-saving shortcuts and technology we work really hard trying not to work. We spend a lot of time trying to save some time. So, how hard do we work at being a Christian? I'm not referring to some effort to secure salvation, Jesus Christ finished that work. I'm really referring to the emphasis we place on developing a knowledge of God through His word and personal devotional time. Our pace of life is driven by our affections; what we love we will pursue. What we pursue charts the course and the direction that our lives will take. With that in mind we should review our pursuits and evaluate our path. In this sermon I tried to relate what Peter wrote to the first century Christians of Asia Minor as a guide for what we must do today in order to experience spiritual growth. 

Verse thirteen begins with "Therefore..." Because you have been chosen by God and set apart for obedience(vs. 2); Because He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead(vs. 3); Because you have an inheritance which is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading kept in heaven for you(vs. 4); Rejoice, though you suffer as your faith is being refined... Therefore...

Fix Your Minds

Text: vs. 13 - Get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined.

Main Idea: Set your minds - Gird up the loins of your mind.

A.T. Robertson writes of this verse as a vivid metaphor for habit of the Orientals who quickly gathered up their loose robes with a girdle when in a hurry.We must prepare our minds in order to engage our culture with biblical answers to problems that our communities are facing today. We are to be ready to give an answer as Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:15. In this sermon I compared Christian discipleship with the preparation in Islam that Nabeel Qureshi(link to article in Christianity Today) received while growing up. He states that by age 5 he had rectied the entire Qur'an in Arabic and memorized the last seven chapters. I am convicted by my lack of passion to study the Bible and commit more of the truth to memory. God help us to fix our minds on your holy word. 

Focus Your Hope

Text: 13b - set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Main Idea: Focus your hope on the return of Jesus Christ.

As Christians we live in the future tense. Grace has been given and more grace forthcoming. Warren Wiersbe illustrates this fact by drawing attention to an engaged couple who make their plans in light of their future wedding. We should be making our lives reflect the hope that we have been given through the promise of our Lord about His future plans(John 14). 

Forget Your Former Ignorance

Text: vs. 14 - as obedient children do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 

Main Idea: Forget the former, sinful life...

Peter speaks to his audience in Asia Minor who were possibly both Jews and Gentiles. Either group would be able to apply this teaching. The Gentile must leave the pagan gods of their forefathers while the Jews must see Jesus as the Messiah who fulfilled the Law. You and I must turn from the desires of the flesh and our sin nature which we have all inherited and turn to Jesus, our mediator and advocate with the Father. 

Finish in Holiness

Text: vs. 15 You also are to be holy in all your conduct.

Main Idea: We are to live in holiness as a reflection of God's holiness.

In his commentary Wiersbe notes that we are to maintain a different lifestyle, a holy walk in a polluted world. In order to do this we must be different from much of the culture around us. As we grow in the knowledge Jesus Christ we are being sanctified and set apart exclusively for God's use and pleasure. When I look at my own life I see where God has had to remind me that I have been redeemed from the worthless, former manner of life that I once lived. I am on a different course and I am called to finish the race in holiness. My aim as I study the Bible is not just to learn the Bible but to know its Author intimately. 

If you followed the link above and read the article about Nabeel Qureshi you know that he eventually trusted in Christ as Lord. At great personal loss he turned from Islam to Christianity. He writes, "He redeemed my suffering by making me rely upon him for my every moment, bending my heart toward him." Dear friend may I extend this thought to you? God is working in your life to bring you to a place where you rely upon Him for your every moment. Many times over the past few years God has reminded me of this truth. The more I yield and say yes to God, the more grace he sends to heal my heart. 

I hope something in this message has stirred your heart. If you have question post a comment. I would love for this blog to become a forum for sharing questions and prompting discussions about a biblical world view. If you desire to seek God, come join us in worship at Fyffe First Baptist.   

What Are You Looking For? Sunday Morning Sermon...

What Are You Looking For?

1 Peter 1:8-9

8)You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9) because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (HCSB). 

Introduction

The human race exhibits a great capacity to seek; we seek for answers to questions, we try to solve puzzles, and ultimately figure things out. From the Greek philosophers who sought the meaning of life to Copernicus and Galileo who searched out the heavens, we want to know why we're here and what purpose we serve. The Scientific Revolution gave way to the ideas of humanism(man can figure it out) and tremendous technological progress was the outcome. From Isaac Newton to Neil Armstrong the human race has sought to define and push the limits of our existence. What does this all mean?

     Man has a unique capacity to find what he is looking for(Columbus, Balboa, Magellan, Einstein, Von Braun...) How does this apply to faith and religion. I assert in this sermon that if man seeks God, he will find God. So, the real question is What Are You Looking For?

You Love Him

Text: vs. 8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. 
Main Idea: Our love for God and His Son Jesus Christ is not based on what we see but rather on the historical narrative recorded during the lifetime of those who were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. 
     Why would anyone who lived in the Roman Empire during the first century embrace Christianity? I contend that God is detectable in nature and in the moral code written upon the heart of every human(For more information on the evidence of God based morality see Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis). John conveys this in a foundational way in 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. God redeemed His creation back to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. This great display of love(John 3:16) shines as a light into the darkness of this world. The light bears witness to the message that Jesus Christ died for all who will call upon his name(Romans 10:13).  When this act of sacrificial love is fully comprehended - when grace stirs the heart to faith, we are left to repent and in humble obedience turn to God(Luke 9:23). Whether in Asia Minor during the first century or today, this message elicits a response.
    So, What are you looking for in this life? I assert that if you seek Him today, He will reveal Himself to you. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God - Romans 10:17. 

You Believe In Him

Text: vs. 8b And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him...

Main Idea: Salvation through faith. 

     Isaac Newton could not see gravity, however, the natural force was very real and very evident. Newton's genius availed itself in his ability to correctly describe this invisible force. The Gospel of Jesus Christ contained in the New Testament correctly describes the invisible(rather I should say intangible) God we serve. God is Love - I John 4:16 and Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends John 15:13. 

     Psychologist tell us that the reason peekaboo is so fun for infants is that they have not developed an understanding of object permanence. Then, as babies mature they begin to understand that an object exists even though it is out of sight. The disciples were called on to do this same thing during the infancy of their faith. Jesus ascended to the Father and the disciples were left to believe by faith that Jesus still exists. However, this was in fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Jesus(John 2). Much like Thomas, we all desire tangible evidence that God is real and that Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus appeared to Thomas and that appearance confirmed Thomas' faith. However, Jesus said, ...Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed(John 20:29). 

     I don't think it a curious thing to believe in a Savior whom I have not seen. My faith is built on the testimony and the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event recorded by eyewitnesses has stood the test of time as a true historical narrative.(1 Cor.15). A good resource for the defense of the resurrection is The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Habermas and Licona. 

You Rejoice 

Text: vs. 8c ...rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy. 

Main Idea: Peter encourages the Christians of Asia Minor to rejoice despite suffering because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

    Dr. Kevin Elko, a sports psychologist, speaks of living in vision and not in circumstances. This is exactly what Peter is advocating. As Christians we are to rejoice in the vision and promise of Jesus(John 14:1-6). If we live in this vision we can rejoice despite the hardships we may have to endure in this life. Peter uses two words to describe the joy with which we should rejoice - inexpressible and glorious. The word inexpressible is closely related to the term Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 9:15, to denote God's indescribable(unutterable) gift. The second word, glorious, is linked by A.T. Robertson to the glorified face of Moses when he comes down from Sinai(Exodus 34). We are to have glorified joy. Joy that comes from being in God's presence just like Moses.

Summary

It seems that what people search passionately for they find. History is full of examples. There is a very real reason why believers have sought for and found the love God. God has revealed his perfect love for humanity through the sacrifice of His Son. Having fulfilled specific prophecy and appearing again to His disciples after death, Jesus Christ has confirmed his complete victory over sin, death, and the grave. Embracing this news we have joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
I hope that something written here has encouraged you. If you do not have a church home please considered coming to worship with us at Fyffe First Baptist. We are trying our best to be a humble group of seekers who encourage others to seek our great God. 

Keep The Perspective of Thankfulness - Col. 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12-17

12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, h put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, i humility, j gentleness, and patience, l 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. m 14 Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called n in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name o of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Introduction

This week much has been said about the 50th anniversary of the death of JFK. It marked 50 years since the death of the Christian author C.S. Lewis as well. I have been reading some from Mere Christianity this week paying particular attention to Chapter 10, "Hope." In this chapter Lewis makes the profound seem so simple, as is his gift to do so. He notes that this world does not satisfy. He writes, "I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world...Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage." It is with this desire to "never despise or be unthankful for these earthly blessings" that we turn to Scripture with the hopes of Keeping the Perspective of Thankfulness. 

The Mark(or the Mandate)

Text Reference: vs. 12(see above)

Main Idea: We have been asked to aim for the mark of Christ-like behavior: Put on(strive for) heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

The mark, out target, the characteristics that we should strive to own and display in our lives is that of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. When we look to the life of Jesus Christ we see this lived out and recorded in Scriptures. Jesus didn't just see people in need, he worked compassionately to meet their needs. We have a picture of humility as the Son of God goes before Pilate and to the cross. Jesus' testimony was for his disciples to love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love their neighbors as themselves(Luke 10:27). 

So, we have the example. We have a mark which we can take aim at, but it seems that something prevents us from hitting the mark. We may live in moments of compassion; we may even display acts of kindness, however, I am sure that I have not succeeded in making these attributes permanent characteristics of my behavior.

The MISS-Stake

Text Reference: vs. 13

Main idea: It's obvious that we cannot always live in vs. 12, therefore Paul records verse 13; and with it we understand that we miss the mark and must forgive each other. 

My own human nature alarms me. If I can be transparent, of course you might think less of me if you were to really see and know my heart, I can harbor ill will to often. I dwell on the disapproved, sometimes dogmatically. I see the flaw instead of whole, the fracture instead of the healing. However, that's not my calling. I'm not called to see the person, but instead I should see their position. Paul asks that we "bear with one another." Which carries the meaning of supporting each other's load through the journey. Many times I do not want to pull my own weight much less the baggage of someone else. Yet the Apostle is asking me to forgive my brothers and sisters without hesitation, without grudges, without malice. That means all the petty human nature stuff that clouds our opinions of each other and stifles our worship, should be dropped. I have an example: Jesus Christ the righteous. He has forgiven me even though I MISSED the mark and keep missing it daily. Yet He loves...

The Message of Messiah

Text Reference: vs. 15-17

Main Idea: We miss the mark - but the message of Messiah is forgiveness. The life we have and the blessings we encounter are simply small window panes that give us a view into the eternal.

"Let the message about Messiah dwell richly among you..."(HCSB). The Holy Spirit seemed to be calling urgently during the sermon for us to see any small or great act of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience as a reflection of the presence of God in our lives. If we have ever been gifted enough to have one of these acts poured out on us, we should express thanks and gratitude to God(This is keeping the perspective of thankfulness). That God would allow us to ever encounter a beautiful display of one of these acts in our lives is a tremendous blessing. I am amazed when I think of how good God's people have been to Carrie and I during her battle with breast cancer. Everyone, but especially the Fyffe First Family has demonstrated great compassion toward us. In these acts of kindness, our hearts should be filled to rejoicing that we have been counted worthy to receive such generous displays of Gods love, lived out, delivered by the Church. 

The directive is to let the message of the Messiah dwell richly in you. What is His Message: Forgive... He forgave the criminal nailed to a cross just a few feet from His own cross. What is His Message: feed the hungry, care for the widow and the orphan, love God with all your might and love your neighbor as yourself. If at any point in our lives we find enough of the Holy Spirit in us urging us to serve those around us(whether in our church or not, whether they look as if they deserve it our not, whether they act like, talk like, smell like we do or not) we should see this as the message of the Messiah dwelling so richly in us that it moves us to act - act on the behalf of Christ our King.

Summary

There is a Mark to which we strive(compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience...) but, it is very clear that in our lives we MISS the mark. Therefore, let the Message of the Messiah dwell so richly in us all that we forgive friend and foe alike, neighbor and stranger, churched and unchurched all in the name of Jesus Christ our loving redeemer. In so doing we will keep the perspective of thankfulness. I pray that those I have offended or wronged in the past can find the grace to forgive me. If you do not have a place where you regularly join with other believers to seek our great God, please come seek Him with us at Fyffe First. 9:30 Sunday School; 10:30 Worship.

Do You Know You're Loved? 1Peter 1:1-2

Do You Know You're Loved? 1 Peter 1:1-2. 11-17-13 AM

Introduction

For the past two weeks we have been discussing the great Love that God has sent to us by way of the Gospel. One of the great adventures in Christianity is to try and comprehend the profound love that God has for us. Sometimes I wonder if God feels toward His children as I do toward my own? One of my fears as a father is that my children will not understand the great love that I have for them. This is especially important in the lives of my daughters. I want them to know what extravagant love looks like. My hope is that they will see my love for them and expect that type of love from the man that God is grooming for their future(a really distant future). Albeit, I think that it is fair to surmise that God wants his children to experience and fully comprehend His sacrificial love.  

Peter had this sentiment in mind when he wrote a letter to Christians who were scattered around Asia. This group had most likely fled from persecution or were currently enduring persecution. Some commentators think that the Christians that Peter was writing to were some who fled Rome due to Emperor Nero and his attempt to blame the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 on Christians. With this in mind we should investigate Peter's introduction in this letter and discover the timeless truths that apply to us today.

You Are Loved Despite Persecution

Text Reference: vs. 1 - To the temporary residents(the pilgrims, or elect exiles) of the dispersion...

Main Idea: Trials and hardships are not a sign of rejection but of refinement...

Many times in the midst of a trial I fail to see the good that God is accomplishing. Instead of enduring the season as a refinement process, I am quick to complain to God. However, I know that I have never had to experience the extreme cruelty that first-century Christians encountered at the hands of the Roman officials following the destruction of Rome. James 1:12 reads, "Blessed is the man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love him." I pray that God will reveal to you and I the usefulness of the trials we currently find ourselves occupied with. My hope is that our faith allows us to cling to God and await the revelation of how He is using these circumstances to refine us.

Your Love Was Preordained

Text Reference: vs. 1b-2 - chosen(elect) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father...

Main Idea: God chose you as a recipient of the Gospel according to His foreknowledge.

God's love for humanity is founded upon the attributes of His nature. God is all-knowing. He knew the plan of love that would need to be conducted in order to redeem creation(1Peter 1:20).Nothing was or is left to chance as God surveys the need of His children to see and know His love. Sincere love is intentional, conducted in purity, and inspires others to love(1Peter 1:22). My hope is that here in this text you see that God loved you prior to your persecution. God loved you while you and I were trying to be unlovable(Romans 5:8). Yet He sent the powerful message of the Gospel to confront the circumstances of your life. Having yielded to God in faith believing in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are made new creatures. This love never leaves us even though we must pass through deep valleys of despair, or the dry deserts of loneliness.    

Your Love Has Purpose

Text Reference: vs. 2 and set apart by the Spirit for obedience...

Main Idea:  Having been chosen as a vessel of God's love, we must persevere in obedience to the Captain of our Faith. 

As recipients of God's love we are to act in obedience to God's plan. We learn of this plan through studying the Scriptures and seeking replace our personal desires with the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We must decrease and He must increase. Many times we complicate our lives by trying to discern an infinite number of "what-ifs" in our future. Obedience to God can be summed up in couple of significant verses relating to this topic. Micah 6:8 "...And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And walk humbly with your God?" Also, Love God with all your might and love your neighbor as yourself.(Mark 12:29-30).  

Therefore, having been chosen by God to receive His love I am to act in obedience and thereby confirm the covenant that Jesus Christ established through His blood on the Cross. 

Summary

During the course of battle don't doubt that God loves you. He loved you before this battle and He will love you through this battle. As we engage(resist) the enemy never forget that God's love in your heart has purpose. Invest in those around you by intentionally sharing God's purpose for your life. May you walk in the presence of God this week despite the hardships. You are a child of the King my friend - and the King loves you infinitely. 

Saturday Morning Observation

While reading Romans 1 this morning I came to a sudden realization concerning verse 18. My daily unrighteousness may suppress the truth about God. This is really what is so devastating about hypocrisy in the lives of Christians. Be quick to hear me in that I'm not throwing rocks at others, I am cconcerned this morning about my own imperfections and my unrighteousness which may be closing the door on witnessing opportunities in the lives of those I come in contact with.

It is so vitally important that I reflect the love of God to others. Not that I can be my efforts do some good work, but that I yield myself to Christ and watch his love win the hearts of those who are at odds with him because of sin. God help me today to not be a Truth suppresser because of my unrighteousness but help me be a Love reflector for the Kingdom.
I am testing a link here:
http://biblia.com/books/esv/Ps103

When God Loves... Sunday Morning Sermon - 11/10/13

Observations: 

I was totally surprised at the success of the first blog. I shared with the church today(11/10/13) that 185 people viewed the blog after I posted it last week. That's more than twice the number of people that were in attendance at the service in which it was delivered. I guess that's the power of social media. Therefore, I was encouraged to continue in my attempts to learn to blog. Please interact with this message. Post ideas and questions. Let me know what verses God used or is using in your life. In essence, participate in the sermon here on the blog. 

Sermon Title: When God Loves... Titus 3:3-7.

This sermon title is to make us think about the difference between how we love and how God loves. So many times we love because there is some personal benefit; we are better off to love than not to love, so we think. This type of love(an earthly sin tainted love) never entered into the equation with God's love for us. He never once gained more righteousness, wisdom, or justice by having loved humanity. God loved in order to reveal Truth... True Love.

Let us set aside our preconceived notions of love and even the definitions we have constructed with regard to God's love and experience the True, Gospel Love according to the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Introduction:

To revisit what stirred our heart to focus on the idea of God's Love we must look once again at a prayer written by John Wesley sometime between 1738 and 1791.  He wrote, "Save me from the idolatry of loving the world, or any of the things of the world. Let me never love any creature but for Your sake and in subordination to Your love. Take full possession of my heart; raise there Your throne and command there as You do in heaven. Being created by You, let me live to you; being created for You, let me ever act for your glory; being redeemed by You let me ever render to You what is Yours and let my spirit ever cleave to You alone." Having read this prayer I was moved to study God's love for me and it led to the sermon series we find ourselves involved with at Fyffe First Baptist.

We live in a time and in a society where love is defined by many different standards; and I use the word standards loosely. Love has become a generic word that gets tossed around when it serves our purposes. Love was never meant to reflect actions of mutual benefit. Love is when one surrenders to serve another for the other's benefit. I built that definition based on what Jesus Christ did some 2000 years ago in a trial, on a cross, in a tomb, and as He ascended to the Father.

Mrs. Brenda Mince selected a classic hymn with which to guide our worship this morning. The Love of God, written by Frederick Lehman in 1917, at a citrus packing house in Pasadena, California. We do not use such beautiful words in our daily language and I was afraid that many of our young people would not grasp the full meaning of the third verse of the song: Could we with ink the ocean fill And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above World drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole Tho stretched from sky to sky. So I set out to start the sermon with the definition of what a stalk is; what a parchment is; what quill and what a scribe was/is. Such beautiful language to describe the infinite boundless love of our God.
If 1 John 4 is accurate(I believe it is) and if God is love, then we must look to God for the proper definition of what love is. If God is love then it is clearly not something that I can manufacture here on earth. If God is love the best I can hope for is to be a recipient and a reflection of that love. So, with that said, let us investigate this love a little further.

First Point: God Loved in a Moment, a moment in time.

Titus 3:4 - Main idea: The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared...

     Paul points out that God's love was unveiled(it was once cloaked by a veil of secrecy, behind the Temple curtain). But, it(love) appeared... in a specific moment in time and in fulfillment of specific prophecy. 

     The One who cannot be constrained by time voluntarily submitted Himself to be encapsulated in a moment. A historic event preserved in the history of humanity by the historical narratives found in the Holy Scriptures.

     God pierced time to present Himself to humanity in  a way that revealed kindness and the love of God. God's love appeared at a fixed moment in time but His love is not trapped in that moment. It exists today. His love is revealed again fresh and new when we read John 3:16; 1 John 4; Romans 5:8...God's love appeared in a moment but it is not confined to that temporary existence like our love. It is still being found, learned about, and applied to hearts today. 

Second Point: God Loves Mightily.

Titus 3:5-6 - Main idea: ...through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,...

     The reference here to the Spirit poured out on us serves as a reminder to the powerful delivery of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost(Acts 2:33); in fulfillment of Joel 2:28(I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh). Paul desired to encourage Titus that in spite of our past(Titus 3:3), God's love is mighty to save. 

    This powerful delivery from sin and adoption as a child of God is what allowed John to record these words, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God," (1 John 3:1).

     The idea of the abundant presence of the Holy Spirit stands in stark contrast to the wantonness we feel as we try to run our race in our own strength. We are struck(cast, formed) in spiritual poverty due to sin. We stumble in fatigue through this world, during the various seasons of life. But, if we could only realize the God of Love is able to abundantly pour into our lives the generous presence of the Holy Spirit beyond human comprehension on those who submit, knock, ask, open the door... deny themselves, take up their cross...

Third Point: God Loves to the Maximum.

Titus 3:7 - Main idea: justified by His grace; heirs with the hope of eternal life.

     Humanity went from maximum penalty to maximum pardon by the grace of God in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Eternity must be considered the maximum extension of existence. The thesaurus links words like paramount, superlative, most complete, best possible, utmost, ultimate, greatest possible degree. 

    Understanding that an eternal destiny is the maximum sentence, it behooves us to investigate what God has done to prepare a future for us who believe(John 14:1-6). The end result of God's intervening love for His creation is found in a person, Jesus Christ, who lived out John 3:16. As a child of God, I may rightfully inherit my Father's house.

     God's love is the maximum... There is no room to remember past wrongs, sins which so terribly scar our minds cannot fit(no room to exist) in a heaven that is filled to capacity with the love of God. There is no greater love than the maximum love gift that Jesus Christ gave(John 15:13). 

Summary

I hope that some thought contained here in these words prompts you to consider the great love of God which appeared in time to show forth the mighty commitment of God to love His children to the maximum extent. If you have not responded to this love but feel a desire to learn more I urge you to seek the God of the Bible in Holy Scriptures and at Fyffe First Baptist. If I can help please message me or post comments. Thank you and may God richly bless you all!