Wesley Chapel Podcast

We often struggle between faith and resting in God, and our need for validation and satisfaction with our own works. There is a difference between moments of rest, and living a life of rest. Guard jealously what God has given through rest. Unbelief can lead to coldness and deadness. Trust brings rest. The more you trust in God, the more rest you will have. Don’t fall short of the promised rest. God is our example, and He rested on the seventh day. Do you feel the freedom of the Gospel in this area? Or do you feel the pressure of the culture and obligation telling you instead to work? Cease from seeking to find rest in any of your efforts. Rest is offered so that it may be experienced. Enter in by faith to what has already been accomplished. Let go of bonds and enter this rest. It is greater than anything else you currently have. Entrance to this rest is belief and trust in God. This rest requires nothing of you. Don’t turn away thinking it is unnecessary. Set aside every thought against this truth. Stop looking for rest in other things such as money, power, relationships, goals and obligations. Trust in Christ and find rest for your soul. You will be tempted in this life to take your life back into your own hands, thinking that you can make this life better by what you accomplish, but continue to yield to God and cease from your works. Does your desire for rest lead you to Christ? Or does it lead you to more of your own works? Know what is in your heart so that you can come to Christ for healing. Even if we fail in this life, our sufficiency is in Christ. Come boldly to Christ, admitting your need, and receive His healing. Will you enter His rest?

We often struggle between faith and resting in God, and our need for validation and satisfaction with our own works. There is a difference between moments of rest, and living a life of rest. Guard jealously what God has given through rest. Unbelief can lead to coldness and deadness. Trust brings rest. The more you trust in God, the more rest you will have. Don’t fall short of the promised rest. God is our example, and He rested on the seventh day. Do you feel the freedom of the Gospel in this area? Or do you feel the pressure of the culture and obligation telling you instead to work? Cease from seeking to find rest in any of your efforts. Rest is offered so that it may be experienced. Enter in by faith to what has already been accomplished. Let go of bonds and enter this rest. It is greater than anything else you currently have. Entrance to this rest is belief and trust in God. This rest requires nothing of you. Don’t turn away thinking it is unnecessary. Set aside every thought against this truth. Stop looking for rest in other things such as money, power, relationships, goals and obligations. Trust in Christ and find rest for your soul. You will be tempted in this life to take your life back into your own hands, thinking that you can make this life better by what you accomplish, but continue to yield to God and cease from your works. Does your desire for rest lead you to Christ? Or does it lead you to more of your own works? Know what is in your heart so that you can come to Christ for healing. Even if we fail in this life, our sufficiency is in Christ. Come boldly to Christ, admitting your need, and receive His healing. Will you enter His rest?

In this passage, Jesus had just crossed back over the Sea of Galilee from the Gadarenes. They had been afraid of what Christ could do and pleaded with Him to leave them. Now He was with the Jews where a man named Jairus had a faith born out of desperation because his daughter was dying. He knew that he could not heal or bring life, but that Christ could do these things! This takes humility to realize that there is One greater than you. Christ is willing to work in those who don’t resist Him and His grace. If you refuse to believe, like the Gadarenes, Christ will depart. The power and work of Christ will occur in those that are willing. The woman with the flow of blood knew Christ was coming so she came to him and touched His garment out to desperation to be made clean to be set free. She confesses what happened once she was made well, and this confession was part of her complete healing. Now she was to continue in the faith that made her well. We too are to continue in faith, not in condemnation or anxiety. But if you cease walking faith, your peace will leave you. Don’t put a limit on the power of Christ to heal. See the possibilities of grace by faith. Are you putting a limit on Christ in your own life? Acknowledge the full power of His might to save. Who are you to put a limit on the power of Christ? Don’t be afraid! Only believe! Stop listening to the doubts! Instead, speak words of faith. Rely upon and speak the promises of God even in the face of hopelessness. Christ had complete confidence in God. So who do you identify with in this story? Jairus? The woman with the flow of blood? The Gadarenes? Don’t be afraid--only believe! Reach out to Christ by faith!

In this passage, Jesus had just crossed back over the Sea of Galilee from the Gadarenes. They had been afraid of what Christ could do and pleaded with Him to leave them. Now He was with the Jews where a man named Jairus had a faith born out of desperation because his daughter was dying. He knew that he could not heal or bring life, but that Christ could do these things! This takes humility to realize that there is One greater than you. Christ is willing to work in those who don’t resist Him and His grace. If you refuse to believe, like the Gadarenes, Christ will depart. The power and work of Christ will occur in those that are willing. The woman with the flow of blood knew Christ was coming so she came to him and touched His garment out to desperation to be made clean to be set free. She confesses what happened once she was made well, and this confession was part of her complete healing. Now she was to continue in the faith that made her well. We too are to continue in faith, not in condemnation or anxiety. But if you cease walking faith, your peace will leave you. Don’t put a limit on the power of Christ to heal. See the possibilities of grace by faith. Are you putting a limit on Christ in your own life? Acknowledge the full power of His might to save. Who are you to put a limit on the power of Christ? Don’t be afraid! Only believe! Stop listening to the doubts! Instead, speak words of faith. Rely upon and speak the promises of God even in the face of hopelessness. Christ had complete confidence in God. So who do you identify with in this story? Jairus? The woman with the flow of blood? The Gadarenes? Don’t be afraid--only believe! Reach out to Christ by faith!

Isaiah speaks to the people to correct what they hear and how they interpret what they hear. What are you listening to? We are not to listen to ourselves. Are your ears open to listen to God? Where do you seek rescue and comfort from? Look at the feeble beginnings of your people and see how far God has brought you, through His grace. Stop listening to your thoughts and listen to God. Even in ruin, God can bring renewal and joy and comfort. Only changing your situation is not the answer--God is desiring to do a work in you through His comforting. Meditate on God’s Word and His future grace. Hearing the right thing leads to life, while listening to the wrong thing leads to bondage. Stop retreating to old thoughts and behaviors to feel fulfillment or to be comforted. Receive and accept the promises of God and be changed by them. Solutions to trials will not provide fulfillment--it is only in Christ you have received all you need. Change your perspective--lift up your eyes! God will direct your thoughts to His righteousness. Trust that God holds the details of where you are in life right now. Face life with a confidence in God. See with a forward mentality that God can make a way in any obstacle. Gospel freedom shall be yours when you trust God. Everlasting joy will be yours. Is your life filled with the joy of knowing your salvation? The Gospel proclaims peace and good tidings. It is God who comforts you. Who is oppressing you? Your mind? Sins? Fears of failures? Not meeting requirements of the culture or your own idea of where you should be? God has put everything into place, so do not fear the oppression of your mind! Listen to God instead!

Isaiah speaks to the people to correct what they hear and how they interpret what they hear. What are you listening to? We are not to listen to ourselves. Are your ears open to listen to God? Where do you seek rescue and comfort from? Look at the feeble beginnings of your people and see how far God has brought you, through His grace. Stop listening to your thoughts and listen to God. Even in ruin, God can bring renewal and joy and comfort. Only changing your situation is not the answer--God is desiring to do a work in you through His comforting. Meditate on God’s Word and His future grace. Hearing the right thing leads to life, while listening to the wrong thing leads to bondage. Stop retreating to old thoughts and behaviors to feel fulfillment or to be comforted. Receive and accept the promises of God and be changed by them. Solutions to trials will not provide fulfillment--it is only in Christ you have received all you need. Change your perspective--lift up your eyes! God will direct your thoughts to His righteousness. Trust that God holds the details of where you are in life right now. Face life with a confidence in God. See with a forward mentality that God can make a way in any obstacle. Gospel freedom shall be yours when you trust God. Everlasting joy will be yours. Is your life filled with the joy of knowing your salvation? The Gospel proclaims peace and good tidings. It is God who comforts you. Who is oppressing you? Your mind? Sins? Fears of failures? Not meeting requirements of the culture or your own idea of where you should be? God has put everything into place, so do not fear the oppression of your mind! Listen to God instead!

Christ alone is sufficient for our salvation. Nothing needs to be added to His perfect work in order to be saved. He was made in every way like us in order to be a perfect propitiation. This new covenant is able to change our heart instead of religious laws and rules that only change us externally. If you go back to looking to laws and rules for salvation, you make no need for Christ to die for us. It is willful sin to turn away to something else as our salvation. This is looking to our works to save us, and no works of the flesh shall be justified. There will always be this temptation to look to something in addition to Christ for salvation. It will come as a way to find security in an external ordinance instead of trusting Christ by faith. External acts do not account for anything in salvation--they are however, necessary expressions of our saving relationship with God. If you think you need something else for salvation, you are saything that Christ is not enough, and you are trampling the Son of God underfoot, insulting the Spirit of grace. It is faith alone that will transform the believer from the inside out. For encouragement during trials, remember and reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of God in the past. Show others sympathy as they go through trials too. Have compassion, and suffer with them. In trespasses, don’t run away from God. Come boldly to the throne of grace in repentance. Don’t throw away your confidence in Christ. Allow the grace of God to work in and through you--don’t resist this grace. Grace comes from God, but the use of it is up to you. Persevere by faith, and don’t draw back! Exhort one another and hold fast your confidence until the end!

Christ alone is sufficient for our salvation. Nothing needs to be added to His perfect work in order to be saved. He was made in every way like us in order to be a perfect propitiation. This new covenant is able to change our heart instead of religious laws and rules that only change us externally. If you go back to looking to laws and rules for salvation, you make no need for Christ to die for us. It is willful sin to turn away to something else as our salvation. This is looking to our works to save us, and no works of the flesh shall be justified. There will always be this temptation to look to something in addition to Christ for salvation. It will come as a way to find security in an external ordinance instead of trusting Christ by faith. External acts do not account for anything in salvation--they are however, necessary expressions of our saving relationship with God. If you think you need something else for salvation, you are saything that Christ is not enough, and you are trampling the Son of God underfoot, insulting the Spirit of grace. It is faith alone that will transform the believer from the inside out. For encouragement during trials, remember and reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of God in the past. Show others sympathy as they go through trials too. Have compassion, and suffer with them. In trespasses, don’t run away from God. Come boldly to the throne of grace in repentance. Don’t throw away your confidence in Christ. Allow the grace of God to work in and through you--don’t resist this grace. Grace comes from God, but the use of it is up to you. Persevere by faith, and don’t draw back! Exhort one another and hold fast your confidence until the end!

God is calling us to a fuller perspective of our lives. We are to be people of vision and expectation. We are to define our lives by eternal things. How would your life look if you defined your life like this? Hopelessness comes when we do not see the earthly ideals we’ve created played out; however, our life is far more fulfilling than the day-to-day actions. We can live in future expectation and present confidence, free from the ideals we’ve created. This does not mean we hide from the world, but we have freedom from the world because we have an eternal mindset. When we see the eternal realities of God, we can be subservient to all, as Paul was in his time. The transforming work of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life was his guarantee of the transforming work in life after death. We have confidence, not by asserting ourselves, but by learning to trust in, and how, God is leading us. Lack of faith and limited confidence will lead to trying to save ourselves, but doing this only leads to losing ourselves. This life is not about what we see but about knowing what will come. The coming promises are our motivation in trials.  Having this expectation of God’s promises, we can then persuade others to the Gospel. We must be willing to lose now in order to gain in Heaven. The secret of contentment is anchoring our joy in Christ, not in success or building up life on this earth. Be assured of the path you are currently on, even if you don’t see the fulfillment of your life. Consider how great the love of Christ is to die in our place. This will compel you to pursue the life God has called you to. Trusting in God will free us to live for others, and not for ourselves only.

God is calling us to a fuller perspective of our lives. We are to be people of vision and expectation. We are to define our lives by eternal things. How would your life look if you defined your life like this? Hopelessness comes when we do not see the earthly ideals we’ve created played out; however, our life is far more fulfilling than the day-to-day actions. We can live in future expectation and present confidence, free from the ideals we’ve created. This does not mean we hide from the world, but we have freedom from the world because we have an eternal mindset. When we see the eternal realities of God, we can be subservient to all, as Paul was in his time. The transforming work of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life was his guarantee of the transforming work in life after death. We have confidence, not by asserting ourselves, but by learning to trust in, and how, God is leading us. Lack of faith and limited confidence will lead to trying to save ourselves, but doing this only leads to losing ourselves. This life is not about what we see but about knowing what will come. The coming promises are our motivation in trials.  Having this expectation of God’s promises, we can then persuade others to the Gospel. We must be willing to lose now in order to gain in Heaven. The secret of contentment is anchoring our joy in Christ, not in success or building up life on this earth. Be assured of the path you are currently on, even if you don’t see the fulfillment of your life. Consider how great the love of Christ is to die in our place. This will compel you to pursue the life God has called you to. Trusting in God will free us to live for others, and not for ourselves only.