In order to truly love God, you have to know God. Further, your love for others is an extension of your love for God. Do you see the wonderful character and love of God in the love that He gives and calls you to be duty bound to show? May this law of love drive you more and more to Christ who is love itself. He is the Author of love and perfection of it. May you prayerfully seek to love the Lord your God with knowledge fueled, warm affection in the whole of your being and then love your neighbor as yourself.

Knowledge and Love

The sermon explores the Transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17, emphasizing that believers must focus exclusively on Christ rather than religious figures or traditions. The preacher highlights the divine command to listen to and surrender to Jesus as the ultimate authority, contrasting this with the disciples' initial fear and confusion. Key themes include the necessity of reverent awe toward God, the call to bear personal crosses, and the importance of repairing broken relationships through the New Covenant. The message urges the congregation to prioritize worship over mere intellectual knowledge and to maintain a healthy, respectful fear of the Lord in their daily lives.

The sermon explores the progressive spiritual development outlined in 2 Peter 1, urging believers to actively cultivate specific virtues alongside their initial faith. The preacher defines and emphasizes the necessity of adding virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and godliness to one's Christian walk to ensure a fruitful relationship with Christ. By examining Greek definitions and cross-references, the message highlights that these qualities are not merely moral efforts but fruits of the Spirit resulting from a deep reliance on God's word and grace. The speaker illustrates how personal discipline in studying scripture and maintaining contentment leads to a life marked by self-control and reverence for God rather than worldly anxiety. Ultimately, the central theme is that intentional spiritual diligence strengthens the believer's character and secures their standing in the everlasting kingdom.

After learning first that eternal salvation, justification by faith alone, is only by faith alone in Christ alone, the question arises: doesn't this understanding of grace mean that we can sin all we want with impunity? The answer is no. This raises the question of accountability. What accountability is there? We are mandated in Scripture to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18a). Learn what it means to have shame at the coming of the Lord. Understand that there are several different judgments, not all of which relate to eternal destiny. What exactly is the Judgment Seat of Christ and how does it affect believers in Christ? There are important instructions in Scripture to see how God provides incentives for us to pursue spiritual growth and maturity. The decisions to grow spiritually come many times every day. What choices will you make?

This sermon expounds on 2 Peter 1:5-9, urging believers to actively supplement their faith with a progressive chain of seven virtues: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Pastor Marc Grimaldi emphasizes that genuine faith must not remain stagnant but must build upon justification by pursuing holiness and moral excellence empowered by God's divine promises. Each virtue serves as a necessary rung on a spiritual ladder, countering specific sins and fostering a character conformed to the image of Christ. The text warns that lacking these qualities indicates spiritual blindness and a forgetting of one's cleansing from sin, while their presence ensures fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the message calls for diligent, lifelong pursuit of these graces as evidence of genuine salvation and a means to glorify God.

Knowing God rightly is not merely an intellectual exercise. In this episode, Dave Jenkins explains how the knowledge of God transforms the believer's mind, strengthens trust in God's character, shapes daily obedience, and produces worship, humility, and reverence. For more from Contending for the Word Q&A, visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-qa/

Thanksgiving Services - Afternoon Gadsby's Hymns 1151, 487, 10

This episode explores the doctrine of God's eternal decree as outlined in the Westminster Confession of Faith, emphasizing that God sovereignly ordains all events from eternity past. The episode highlights God's immutability and simplicity, asserting that His will is free, unchangeable, and infinitely wise, thereby establishing a secure foundation for the believer's salvation. While affirming divine sovereignty, the text clarifies that God is not the author of sin and does not violate human responsibility or secondary causes. The speaker urges listeners to approach these profound theological truths with humility and awe rather than attempting to dissect them intellectually or use them as excuses for unbelief. Ultimately, understanding God's absolute control over history drives believers toward comfort in their faith and deepens their worship of the Almighty.

One of the enduring elements of Spurgeon's public ministry, reflective of his private life, is his delight in and dependence on the Holy Spirit. He mentions him often, prays to him regularly, delights in him personally, and depends on him resolutely. He is a good guide for us, then, concerning intimate knowledge of the Holy Spirit. As often, Spurgeon is not afraid of his own experience, but his starting point and guiding principle is the Word of God, as he considers what it is to have the Holy Spirit dwelling with us and in us. I think that the personality and operations of the Holy Spirit is a fairly significant weak point in modern Reformed evangelicalism, perhaps because of an over-reaction to Charismatic excess, but I also wonder if we have downplayed his presence and influence because we do not know him very well. Whatever the case, Spurgeon is corrective and instructive as he guides us through the truth of John 14:17, helping us to understand who we know, and how, and what it means to have this intimacy with the Third Person of the Godhead. As one who needs him, and wants him more than I have him, I hope it will be a blessing to you.