1Today Pastor Mark elaborates on three keys to receiving blessing from God. First, we must do WHAT God says. We can begin in the book of Genesis and read clear through to the book of Revelation and find God's

4loving instructions for us throughout. Secondly, we must do what God has commanded us HOW He says we should. It's not enough to just obey, we must obey in the manner that God has prescribed. Finally, we must do

7what God tells us to do WHEN He tells us. True obedience to God is marked by immediate response. If God says GO, we need to GO right away...if He says STOP, we need to STOP right away...there should be no delay.

1There's not enough time in this program or likely in this life to detail all of

2the benefits of obeying the living God. But, today Pastor Mark shares with us a few of these benefits. And we learn that one of the many ways that we can obey is through the act of baptism. Now, we learn that baptism is a symbol of new life a symbol of the repentance that's taken place in our hearts. And in our text today we see that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Now, why would Jesus be baptized? He didn't need to

8repent...He was one hundred percent sinless! We learn today that Jesus

9was baptized to fulfill all obedience...this was done as an example for those who choose to follow Him.

1Lessons for Living listener...did you just hear that? Did you just hear what Pastor Mark said? A powerful exhortation! And this exhortation could quite possibly apply to you. Are you listening today just going through the Christian motions? Have you lost that life that you once knew in God? Pastor Mark declares today through the Word of God that the judgment of God is imminent and there's only one way to escape it...the shed blood of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Stop pretending, stop playing

8church...heed this prophetic word today, REPENT!!! Repent of your sins

9and enjoy the forgiveness that has been purchased for you. At the close of today's message Pastor Mark will lead you in a prayer, please stay with us.

Part of the glorious plan that God has for each and every believer is to take the life changing truth of the Gospel to every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth! God wants to use you at whatever stage you might be in life and wherever you might be in your life to spread the Good News. And the first word that we must share with those around us, is Repent! You see repentance is the first step of many in a healthy walk with God. We must be able to look into the truths of God's Word and see our shortcomings, see ourselves the way He sees us...sinners, in desperate need of a Savior. Once, we admit that, we can then accept the provision of

10forgiveness that God has for us in His Son...this is the message we must share.

1What kind of thoughts come to your mind when you think of the word 'rules'. You might immediately think of laws or standards to live by. But, now consider the word 'rules' in the sense of a person ruling in your life.

4Now ask yourself, 'Who rules in my life?' Is it your other half? What about

5the demanding career with the demanding boss at the office? What about you? Are you ruling your life? There is so much in this life that competes with the rule of Christ in our lives. And regularly considering who is ruling

8your life is a healthy question. Identifying whether God rules your life

9should not be an external practice...but an introspective process. Ask yourself, in your heart of hearts...is God ruling your life?

1God can and wants to direct us step by step...these are words that you'll

2hear a few times in today's message. Pastor Mark even asks the congregation at Calvary Chapel Melbourne to repeat these words...God can and wants to direct us step by step. When that time comes in today's

5message, we encourage you to follow along with the congregation. This

6point is something that we all need to learn. First, God is fully capable of

7of guiding each every facet of our lives. Second, God's heart for His people is that He would guide and direct us moment by moment. Thankfully, God has given us His Holy Word as the sounding board for us

10to know exactly what He's asking us to do.

1The virgin birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is not a trite doctrine that

2we can simply choose to accept or not. The virgin birth of Jesus is a doctrinal truth that cannot be optional! Wrapped up in this miracle is the fact that this Man, our God and Creator, HAD to be born from a virgin. Why? Well, the answer to this question goes clear back to the Garden of Eden. You see every man born after the Adam and Eve's sin, was permanently affected with sin. Since then, every human being born, has been born with a sin nature. And for God to accept a sacrifice that would atone for that sin...it had to come from someone who was sinless...someone who wasn't born with the sin nature and never committed a sin in their life...our Savior, Jesus Christ!

1The validity of a promise is based upon the one who makes the promise. For instance, what if I told you right now, drive to the closest car dealership where you'll find a brand new sports car waiting for you to drive home free of charge? Well, you don't know me at all...so, that would be hard to believe, wouldn't it? Now, God has made many promises to us through His Word. But, the most important promise that He's ever made was the promise of a Savior. And this promise had MANY stipulations surrounding it. What town He came from, what His lineage would be, even where He would be born...these are just a few of these amazing prophecies...Today Pastor Mark shares with us the amazing prophecies

regarding the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Nothing can be more intimidating than to approach someone who is currently wandering away from the life of faith. Whether it's because we have our own sins we struggle with or we fear a confrontation, it's not always easy to do. In today's Lesson for Living, Pastor Mark gives us some important guidance for an otherwise sensitive topic. In our message, we learn the importance of handling the situation through guidance of the Spirit in prayer. Rather than jumping head first into a delicate matter, Pastor Mark encourages us to do so with wisdom and grace.

Some of us may have experienced the heart wrenching tragedy of watching those who we love wander from the faith. Whether it's for a short season or several years on end, it's always a heartbreaking thing to witness. In today's Lesson for Living, Pastor Mark addresses this very topic. Not only will we learn the importance of reaching out to those who wander, but also the importance of guarding our hearts as well. Just as Pastor Mark mentions, none of us really wake up one day and simply decide to walk away from God.