How do you view your relationship with Christ? Do you relate yourself to Him as a sinner or as a saint? If you relate to Him as a sinner then you’re unlikely to experience the joy of forgiveness: justification, adoption (into God’s family), and the certainty of eternal life. However, relating to Christ now as a new creation (saint) also does not negate the fact that you’re a sinner. In this passage, we learn what kind of identity we are given in Christ and the implications of that in our daily lives.
We usually express gratitude through praise when someone helps us at a time of helplessness. We also bestow honor and praise to someone who is very prominent in the society. So our praise of someone is often dependent on what they have done for us, or who they are as a person. What if the God of the Bible is both generous or kind towards us at every situation in our lives and also the Greatest in this entire universe? In this passage, we learn how we need to praise God and the importance of doing it.
‘Decree’ literally means to order something that comes to pass. Christianity rests on the truth about God’s eternal decrees concerning the salvation of men, and controlling all that happens in this universe. Everything is predestined by God. As R.C Sproul once said – “What predestination means, in its most elementary form, is that our final destination, heaven or hell, is decided by God not only before we get there, but before we are even born. It teaches that our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God.” In this sermon, we meditate on the doctrine of God’s Sovereign and unconditional election which was decreed much before the world began.
“God is goodness itself, in whom all goodness is involved. If therefore we love other things for the goodness which we see in them, why do we not love God, in whom is all goodness? All other things are but sparks of that fire, and drops of that sea. If you see any good in the creature, remember there is much more in the Creator. Leave therefore the streams, and go to the fountainhead of comfort.” These are the words by puritan Richard Sibbes beautifully portraying the goodness of God toward mankind. In this sermon, we meditate on God’s goodness and our response to that glorious truth.
The doctrine of the Trinity is unique to the Christian faith. It sets Christianity apart from all other religions. It is a foundational truth of the Bible. No one can be saved without believing and embracing this beautiful doctrine of God. In this sermon, we look at this doctrine and also learn how the truth of the Trinity is embedded in scriptures right from the book of Genesis.
Christianity stands or falls on the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection; you take away resurrection, and you’ll lose Christianity. It is this truth that seals believer’s faith firmly and gives hope of life after death precisely because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It indeed shows us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God came to die for sinners, to purchase the forgiveness for their sins. In this passage, we learn how unrealistic, illogical and hopeless it is to disbelieve in Christ’s resurrection, and what blessings the truth of resurrection entails for those who trust in Him.
Christianity is based on historically verifiable facts. It is not a myth. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as a substitute for sinners, His burial, and His resurrection prove that He was indeed the Son of God came to this world to save the sinners. His resurrection has been confirmed by many people throughout generations including secular scholars today. In this passage, we learn that a Christian is called to hold fast to this truth, because on this historically verifiable truth that his hope and faith in Christ sustains.
If you experience great blessings in your life, it’s not because you did something right in the sight of God and earned it, but because of God’s goodness and mercy towards you. In this passage, the Psalmist invites us to know who this God is, and what privileges He gives in order to keep us safe through this journey of life. God not just gives us comfort and hope in difficult circumstances through His promises (that in itself is a privilege we receive which we don’t deserve), but He also journeys with us through life. That’s an unspeakable privilege for those who trust in the Lord.
The Bible repeatedly confirms that we have been given the spiritual blessings in Christ. What Christ has, is given to those who rest in Him. What He did on the cross, the freedom and forgiveness has been granted to those who believe in Him. In this passage, Paul once again affirms all that Christians posses as Christ’s redeemed people. Listen to this sermon to know what God the Father has bestowed on you because of Christ’s perfect obedience and Christ’s perfect sacrifice of His own life on the cross.
As the speaker says, “Salvation is not a joint venture between God and man.” It’s a complete work of the Triune God. In this sermon we learn how God’s plans supersede man’s plans. We see how God exposes Jonah’s heart and causes him to repent of his disobedience. We also learn how Jonah points us to Christ as he suffers in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
