2 Corinthians 5:21   For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Not only did Jesus die on the cross in our place, but He BECAME our sin.  He chose to experience hell in our place.

Why?  So that we may be righteous, holy before holy God.

Have you chosen to accept this gift?  Come to Jesus today!

Mark 8:34-35    And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 

Mark 10:42-45   And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus, the greatest among us, became our servant.  If we want to walk with Him, we too must serve, especially in times of uncertainty and fear.  If we are truly going to follow Jesus, we need to humble ourselves.  You don’t become a servant simply by deciding to.  Service comes from the heart.

As John the Baptizer said in John 3:30,   “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

1 Corinthians 15:36b
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

That is true when the dead are raised with Christ, but it is also true right now.  In order to grow in Christ, we need to die to ourselves.  We need to become dead to the sin that stops our growth, and to live instead in the life of Jesus.  Then we need to grow up in our walk with Jesus.  Don’t be like the people who received the letter we call Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:12-14   For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.  But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

The Bible is NOT talking about gaining more knowledge here.  The Bible is talking about “experiencing” the knowledge you already have. It is talking about “training yourself” to practice “the word of righteousness.”  It’s talking about striving to be pure, holy, set apart for Jesus.

Where are you on God's growth chart?  Do you need to be set apart for Him?  Do you see spiritual growth in your life?  Spend time in His Word and ask Him to help you grow to spiritual maturity in Him.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 

People in Peter's day were saying that God isn't real, because the world just keeps going on as it always has.  Peter explained that God is real, and He's not being slow.  He's being patient.

God's desire is for everyone to be saved.  Not everyone will be, because being saved means submitting your life to Him.

​Have you submitted your life to God?  He is waiting for you.

Matthew 7:15   “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

Jesus told us there would be wolves in sheep's clothing, and that they would infiltrate the church.  Even though they would look, act, sound and smell like sheep, they would be hungry wolves ready to destroy the work that God is doing in our lives.

They would appear to be telling the truth, but they would really be lying.

How can you tell the truth from a lie?  Search the Scriptures.

Acts 17:10-11   The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.    Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Be like the Bereans.  Don’t take anyone’s word, mine included, without examining the Scriptures for yourself.  Hold each one’s words up to the scrutiny of God’s Word and see if it stands as the truth before holy God.

John 8:12   Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is the light of the world.  We know that.  We were once in darkness, but following Christ, the light of the world, results in us having the light of life within us.

Jesus made another statement that seems similar:

John 9:5   As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 

Jesus qualified his statement.  He is the light of the world for as long as he is in the world.  We know that Jesus will always be the true light, but he made a shocking statement when he gave the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:14-16   “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus called us the light of the world.  He handed the torch off to his followers to carry on the work of being the light.  We have his light within us, and we are called to shine the light of the world into a dark and desperate world.  Paul put it this way:

Philippians 2:14-16a   Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life …

How can we shine the light of Jesus into our dark and desperate world?  The first step is to hold fast to the Word.  Hang on tightly to Jesus and keep looking into the Word of God.  There you will find all you need to light your way.

2 Peter 1:3-4   His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

God has called us to Himself, He has given us life, and He has even given us godliness through Jesus.  He has promised us that we will be conformed to the image of Jesus, and “become partakers of the divine nature” as we live for Him instead of for our own sinful desires.

God has "granted to us his precious and very great promises" beginning with salvation.  And it doesn't end there.  In fact, his promises will never end.  Eternity will be filled with the joy of living in His promises forever.

​Which of God's promises mean the most to you?

Romans 7:24   Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

We have all sinned.  Every one of us.  Even the Apostle Paul, the one people think of as a Super-Christian.  If he sinned, and if he knew that he was living in a "body of death", we can admit that we are, too.

All have sinned.  You, me, and Paul!  Who will deliver us?

Paul went on in verse 25:  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He is our savior and our deliverer.  Do you know Him?

Romans 12:9-13
 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

This passage could be titled:  Life In A Great Church

Does this list describe your life?  How can you make life in your church great?  What needs to change in you to make it happen?

Romans 6:22   But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

If you have given your life to Christ, you have been set free from sin.  God is leading you to sanctification.  That means He is making you holy.  Every day as you give yourself to live for Him, God is conforming you more and more into the image of Jesus.

We have eternal life, yes, but we also have the immediate joy of growing more like Jesus every day!