The annals of history show how Gods people faced opposition from the world, and yet, they managed to preserve through these trials. Gods grace preserved them just as He will preserve His people in the future. Jesus Himself came under this opposition as the world tried to keep Gods kingdom of grace away, and

Even though our world is more secularized, that doesnt mean it is less religious. It means that the religious focus of many Americans has moved toward non-Christian practices, and usually individualistic practices and beliefs. Yes, people are seeking spiritual fulfillment, just not in the Christian faith. Today, we will take a lesson from those who sought after spiritual truth, found it, and did something about it. It is a reminder to us that the spiritual hunger we all have can only be rightly answered in Jesus Christ. The question before us is whether we will believe that and submit ourselves to Him, or will we be threatened by the revelation of God and suppress the truth?

While you may purchase your juice from a grocery store, everyone knowsthat fruit juice comes from some kind of fruit. The taste of that juice is determined by many factors, not least of which is the quality of the fruit from which it was sourced. And the juice wont flow out of the fruit in quantity unless pressure is applied: the fruit is squeezed. All of this comes at a cost, hence the saying: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is what you get worth the cost and effort you are putting in? What is the juice for which you are living your life? Is it worth it?Today we continue a series from the book of Proverbs, looking in chapter 4 and considering the cost of a relationship. There are many counterfeits and distractions, yet mankind is created in the image of God for a relationship with Him. Only a vital relationship with the living God satisfies your hearts deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need, compasseth me round with blessings: Thine is love indeed! Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting by Jean Sophia Pigott (1876)

Is obedience to God risky? When confronted with a command from the Lord, many do a risk-reward analysis to determine whether they should believe and obey. They ask if obedience is compelling enough to do, rather than responding to the authority of the Word of God. Before Jesus was born, God called Joseph to be His earthly father and to take Jesus virgin mother as his wife. What compelled his obedience? Here is the answer we get from this passage - Immanuel, which means God with us. God was with Joseph. God was with Mary. God is with His people and God is with us. Will we respond in obedience and faith, knowing that God is with us? If we dont believe God or trust Him, we will not be able to obey or please Him. Lets consider how God is with us and how that affects the way we live.

If we trace back our family history through our family tree, we can learn a lot about how we got here. While so many of the names will be unknown to us, they tell our family history, the highlights and the challenges, the heroes and the scoundrels of our past. Where did we come from? What is our background? How does that affect us now? The gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus genealogy to show us His connection with Gods promises, and to show us how He was the One who would fulfill Gods promises on our behalf. He is the Savior God has sent, and He is the Savior we need.

Genuine faith in Christ is a devoted faith. We are called to be living sacrifices to God. As many have pointed out, a living sacrifice may get off the altar. Our devotion may waver at moments from fear, habit, or our own desires, and we face the temptation to compromise or withhold obedience to Gods commands. Following Jesus will require devotion to God, an orientation of life that keeps us directed toward God. Today we will look at three attitudes that help us grow in our devotion to God.

The fruit of the Spirit consists of nine virtuous qualities that God cultivates in His people as they are united to Jesus Christ by faith. These qualities grow as the power of God works in them, making them into the people God created them to be. So, what will keep us from knowing this power? James answer in todays passage is pride. James 4:6 says that while God opposes the proud He gives grace to the humble. When pride is present, we resist the power of God available to us. In pride, we think we are more important than others and find ourselves in new conflicts. When humility is present, we realize that only through His power will we produce fruit that pleases Him. In humility we see the image of God in others and treat them with the respect they deserve. We need humility to have a fruit-filled life.

When we say the Christian life is not easy, we mean that the Christian life will require us to do things we are not naturally inclined to do. We will be called upon to stop doing certain things we may want to do as well as to break bad habits. The Christian life requires us to fight sin and to love God and others, and if we are going to do those things, we must develop self-control to carry us through that battle. If we are going to live a life that pleases God and loves others, we must develop self-control that sets aside our worst qualities and moves us to the best. Gratefully, God does not leave us to develop this quality by ourselves, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to cultivate this quality in our lives as a spiritual fruit.