WSBC 2.0

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Whether it is with singing or with other everyday activities, God is examining our hearts.  And if God is not first in our hearts, our actions are going to show it.

In thinking on God’s name we are thinking on more than just a name.  We are thinking on the God who when Moses asked God’s name answered by saying “I AM Who I AM.”  We are to consider God’s awesomeness and God’s reputation.

Right worship involves a respectful attitude, a true fear of God.

As Christians our whole lives are meant to be a sacrifice to God. 

Do we try to squeeze God into a small corner of our lives and just offer him sacrifices that we don’t want?  Is a sacrifice that we don’t want really a sacrifice?

Out of a deep fear of God, we must preach God’s Word, not trying to please people or bring honor to ourselves. 

Unlike the religious teachers of Jesus’ day, Jesus spoke with authority, He spoke what is true for He is the very embodiment of truth.  Jesus walked with God in peace and uprightness.  Jesus turned many away from their sins.  He ate with prostitutes and sinners and many repented in response to His message.

Levi’s priesthood ended.  Jesus’ priesthood will never end. 

Jesus put flesh and bones to this picture of what a true priest should be.  Instead of selfishness and greed, Jesus lived in fear of God and gave up Himself for sinners like you and me.

There may be times when human teachers do fail and fall, but Jesus will never fail. 

Jesus always sought to honor the name of His Father.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we have been made holy and we can live holy lives.  Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we can offer up our lives as a living sacrifice to God.  This is our spiritual act of worship.

An individual can speak in any language as eloquent as he’d like to be. But if it not infused with love, it’s just white noise.

Intelligence minus love equals to ignorance.

Paul is saying it doesn’t matter you even self-sacrifice, if you are doing this in order to make people to see you as holy, instead of loving others, sorry, you still gain nothing.

People who are serving in ministries, we should pray to God that, help us to experience his grace thru serving, help us to love others thru what is assigned to us.

With Jesus our love for others no longer is out of our limitation, no longer out of our own strength, we don’t need to look inward, Instead we look to Christ.

We need to response in repentance, meaning turn away from our sins, and put our trust and faith in Jesus, then our identity is in Christ then we will be adopted into God’s family, as his children and we will inherit a place in the heaven.

We don’t love and care for others to expect personal gain, we won’t able to do right away, slowly but surely thru the power of Holy Spirit will help us to be more Christ like.

We don’t need to boost, we don’t need to impress others, nor we need to envy, at church we don’t need to proof your worth. We know we all are needy people that’s why we need God and each other.

We turn from focus onto myself to focus others, that’s how we grow.

Because we have hope in the future in mind, It should shape our everyday life differently.

record and edit to Sherry's credit

record and edit to Sherry's credit

The wretchedness of our sin should not be something we minimize.

There is no such thing as an innocent person.  All of us are guilty people. 

Assurance of Salvation is a good thing, but assurance is never meant to replace thankfulness and wonder that God would save wretched sinners like you and me.

It is good to remember that salvation means that we need someone to save us. It is good to remember that salvation is impossible for us to earn.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been given the righteousness of God.  Being counted righteous, being justified in God’s sight is a gift, it is not earned.  Jesus bought our righteousness with his own blood.  In this way, God is righteous in his judgment of us, because Jesus paid the penalty that had to be paid.

Not because we are trying to earn our way into heaven, but because Jesus is slowly changing us to be more righteous like him, we should be living according to our new identity in Christ.  We are set free from slavery to our sins. 

God chooses to use other brothers and sisters in your life, to encourage you to grow in holiness, to be more like the person you will be in heaven, worshipping God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. 

record & edit to Sherry's credit

edit to Sherry's credit

Paul writes this letter to exhort them as individuals and as a local church to stand firm and persevere in the faith.

Knowing that God is near and He guards us with His peace.

That you WSBC would come away even more motivated to stand firm in the gospel, resting in God's peace no matter what frightening things you face together.

A church that is doing these things together will be a unified church that stands firm in one spirit, striving side by side, which is what Paul wants of them.

The ONLY way we experience true, deep, lasting joy the Bible talks about is by being connected to God, who is the Source of all joy.

When our happiness is rooted in God and all He's done and will do for us in Christ, then there's always reason to rejoice, even when our circumstances go from bad to worse.

God is the only One whose shoulder is broad enough to cry on, and whose chest is big enough to beat on.

Prayer is the main medicine for sinful worry.

It's also the church collectively guarded as God's peace reaches out into our web of relationships, binding us tighter together so you maintain peace and unity as a church.

God promises to give us the grace to endure right when we need it, not before.

That Paul says be anxious for nothing and pray about everything tells us there's no issue big enough to justify our sinful worry, and there's no issue small enough that God doesn't care about it.

And God will fulfill His promise to use your prayers as a means of guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

We need to get around people living virtuously so we can learn how to live ourselves, and learn how to set an example for others to follow like Paul did.

So as we rejoice in and pray to and ponder our Lord, may we all stand firm in faith and unity, until we enter into the joy of our Master.

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