Jesus is addressing His disciples about the Christian life. Now that the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus has debunked the idea of material wealth as the mark of what makes someone right with God, He fills that void with reality. Without mercy, we're toast. Without the ability to show mercy, no one will see Jesus in us. Without faith, receiving or relating the mercy of God is impossible for us. By receiving even the smallest portion of faith from its source, that trust will equip us for even the unimaginable in the Christian life. That includes making us more like Jesus in our character. 1. Faith is a gift from God. 2. We don't have faith unless we receive it from God. 3. Faith is what separates the bitter and proud from the loving and gracious.

Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

The Second Most Important Prayer You’ll Ever Pray

The Book of Revelation, just like all of the Old Testament books of prophecy before it, follows the same historical standard of why we trust and how we verify what is being said about what God said. 1. The Apostle John was a reliable and historically verified individual who we can confirm wrote Revelation. 2. The Book of Revelation was written at a very well attested time in history. 3. The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ.

History and Prophecy

Mercy is where we started in our relationship with God. Offering and demonstrating that mercy towards others is how it continues. In a world ruled by sin and full of people willing to go along with the system in rebellion against God, we go against the flow by treating people the way God treated us. 1. No one enters Heaven apart from receiving forgiveness from God. 2. No one wants God's forgiveness until God reveals to our hearts our need for His mercy. 3. No one follows Jesus more than living out the most basic principal of how He relates to us.

How To Fight the Good Fight – And Win

The Apostle John goes on from his introduction of Revelation to cite multiple Old Testament passages and applies them directly to Jesus Christ. The first identifies Him doing something God does. The second clarifies Him as the one predicted in Zechariah and Daniel. And the third calls Him the Greek equivalent of God's title, The First and the Last. In a book titled The Revelation of Jesus Christ, he isn't leaving that task up to guesswork. 1. John refers to Jesus as coming with the clouds because the Old Testament refers to God riding the clouds. 2. John quotes Zechariah's prophecy of the Messiah to draw to mind how Israel will react to how they treated their God. 3. John calls Jesus the Alpha and Omega in order to draw the nearest Greek equivalent to God's title in Isaiah.

I Understood Those References

There are times we need to share with people the bad news in order to help them understand the good news. In Luke 16:24-31 Jesus describes the destination of the lost. This is a dose of strong medicine for what lies ahead for those that do not trust Christ for salvation. Second, we will see there is no do over's in this life, and third, the idea of eternal separation from God is what Hell is! If you don't want God, you can have the opposite. But lastly we are going to see the radical lengths He has gone to save all human beings through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah. 1. Live for eternity, for this world is passing away. It would be foolish to miss eternity for the perishable. 2. There are no do-overs in this life. What will you be focused on in your life? 3. Jesus sacrifice removes our sin and gives us eternal life. He has made the way. Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

The 411 On God’s 911

The Revelation of Jesus is a revealing of who He is! The titles for Jesus is this short section point us to the eternal nature of Christ and work of salvation. 1. Jesus is the eternal one 2. Jesus is the preeminent 3. Jesus is the faithful servant

Titles of Jesus

Jesus is the ultimate source on the subject of death! In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus pulls back the curtain on death, by seeing who makes it on the other side with a soft landing, Also we will see the instructions needed to prepare ourselves to our own, personal, jump to come into eternity. 1. This is not a parable, but a historical event. One was very rich, the other was very poor. 2. Death has a way of scrambling conventional worldly wisdom on what is important. 3. What makes heaven, heaven, is the presence of Jesus.

One Minute After You Die

The book of Revelation was written, as the name literally means, to reveal and make clear the character of our Lord. Within 404 verses, almost 300 references are made to the Old Testament and the promises contained therein. This gives us the most practical instructions and perspective every Christian should have. We are given today to live in light of tomorrow. We don't live as if tomorrow has no consequences, but find hope in the reality that Jesus reserves the right to come for us at any time. 1. Revelation is the easiest book of the Bible to understand if you've read the 65 books that came before it. 2. Revelation is a book that includes the blessing of seeing life and this world through God's perspective. 3. Revelation is the most practical book in the Bible.

A New World Coming

In the closing passages of Hebrews, the focus is brought towards how we view submission. Beginning with God and continuing with government and church leadership, the focus is entirely brought to the heart of Christ. Without the assumption that we're always right, we can be a blessing to those placed in those roles over us as we demonstrate the same towards God Himself. Thankfulness and Praise are where we begin. 1. The sacrifices of the New Covenant are made from the heart with thankfulness and praise. 2. The respect we have for leadership in or outside of the church is balanced by the fact that they will give an account for their ministries just like we will our own. 3. What Jesus starts He finishes, including making us like Him in our character.

A Covenant Complete

The Parable of the Unjust Steward is a very confusion and controversial story for some. It's difficult to take Jesus' words plainly because it's obvious His point wasn't to encourage scamming people as a means of getting into Heaven. It is equally difficult to assume Jesus is only making an emphasis on a forward looking perspective because His audience and the punch line focus on a matter entirely separate from that take away. The only remaining option and challenge is that Jesus was being sarcastic. This is far from the first or last time that sarcasm is employed in scripture, and the intent is what's key. It's not how shrewd you are in achieving success in this life that matters. If you're faithful in the little things, even your finances, in this life, that will directly impact the next. 1. God cares about our finances if for no other reason than because they can play such a profound role in our lives with or apart from Him. 2. Sarcasm isn't sinful. The heart behind all communication is where we determine if something is out of line with God's character or not. 3. We can spend our money, waste it, or invest it in something eternal.

Rise Above the Rat Race

The opposite of covetousness is contentment and likewise is its solution. We understand our contentment on the basis of what the Bible defines as our basic needs. Culture and media can make us think we need more than we have, but scripture states that we have God. The more you understand how capable He is of meeting your needs, the less you'll fall into the mindset warned against all the way back in the Ten Commandments. 1. Covetousness is a “have more” or greedy attitude that is never satisfied. 2. Contentment is a “have enough” or thankful attitude that is always satisfied. 3. God is our source of contentment because He's all we need and we will always have Him.

Content vs Covetous

The Parable of the Prodigal Son concludes a series of three stories all illustrating the same point. God's heart is to redeem the lost. People who consider themselves needing no redemption are not only the most in need of it, but often reveal this through the bitterness and resentment shown towards those who receive the mercy they themselves need. 1. The Audience of The Parable were people who were like the Prodigal Son's brother, which was the point of the whole story. 2. The Point of the Parable was to explain God's heart towards the sinner was desiring to see them restored. 3. The Conclusion of the Parable is unknown because the audience hearing it still had to decide whether they'd acknowledge and receive the mercy of God as the gift that it is."

The Greatest Short Story Ever Told Part 2

There are two equal and opposite mistakes people make with sex. Some dishonor it through its abuse. Others dishonor it through its neglect. Both are not God's purpose for marriage. Marriage was created as the place where our sexuality could be enjoyed on the foundation that every relationship is built on. Trust. 1. God invented and defined the purpose of our sexuality. 2. To dishonor marriage and our sexuality is something God will judge because it is a serious aspect of our lives. 3. Honoring God through our relationships, sexual or not, will always begin and end with trust."

Love in Action

Love is the unique characteristic of God demonstrated to us in a moment of human history. The character of Jesus Christ and the act of redeeming us on the sole basis of His goodness is the model by which our relationship with God will continue to be defined by into eternity. Apart from the Holy Spirit, it will not be demonstrated in our Christian lives. Yet it is the only thing that should separate the Christian from anyone else. 1. Perfect love isn't natural for mankind. 2. Love is defined based on the character of God and His treatment of us. 3. Love God's way is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit."

Abide These Three Part 3: Love

Hope is the joyful expectation of a promise not yet fulfilled. The cynic has abandoned hope due to disappointment in what they are hoping for or a lack of reason to rejoice in the object of their hope. Without joy in God, hope in His promises will not happen. 1. The enemy of hope is cynicism. The response to cynicism is faith. 2. The hope of Christians is directly tied into the example of Jesus' own death and resurrection.

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Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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