Quick review. “All things work together for good to those who love God…” If you don’t love God, you can’t bank on this promise. And we talked about what it means to love God. Loving God himself, not his gifts, not his benefits, but loving him for who he is. The promise itself – “all […]
God's sovereignty
Rom 8:28-32 – God Works All Things for Our Good (pt2 of 3)
What does it mean to love God? The best way I can think to make the answer clear is to say three things that love for God is not. The essence of love for God is not these three things. First, loving God is not meeting his needs. The way we love man is different […]
Rom 8:28-32 – God Works All Things for Our Good (pt1 of 3)
Rom 8 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 […]
Christmas 2011: Worship – Matthew 2:1–12 (pt2 of 3)
How did it come to pass that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Let’s read Luke 2:1-7. Luke 2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) So what’s the […]
Romans 8:28 – The Conditional Part of God’s Unconditional Love (Part 4 of 4)
We know this to be the case if we think of a relationship between a parent and their child. I love my kids unconditionally. They could become criminals and land themselves in jail, but as their father, I would love them unconditionally. But how much or how little I have input into their lives is […]
Romans 8:28 – The Conditional Part of God’s Unconditional Love (Part 3 of 4)
Many things in Scripture are not clearly laid out and this mystery makes us feel uncomfortable. Sadly, entire denominations are formed around a group of people who stand on one side or another based on their convictions over one or more of these controversial issues. But we have to be careful — certain things are […]