1: John 2
Let us stand in the presence of the Lord and know his desires for us, which will ultimately transform the direction of our lives.
The Way Up is Down
Jack Hibbs and Charlie Kirk look at Genesis 11 and how it speaks to current-day events happening all around us.
If you are a Christian, your old sin nature has been crucified. It is still there, but it has no more power than you choose to allow it to have. But to truly experience the power of the Holy Spirit in times of temptation, Paul said you need to understand the power of your new nature.
In Romans 6:11, he wrote, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit Explained
If you are a parent, you have probably been through this before: Your child is having difficulty with a homework assignment and says, “Can you help me?” You agree to help, but pretty soon you find yourself doing the homework assignment while your child is off playing a video game. Or maybe you have found yourself in this situation: You are a supervisor at work, and you give one of your employees a task to complete. Two days later, the employee says, “I am not sure how to do this. Can you help me out?” And you end up doing the task yourself.
If you have ever had an experience like that, you are a victim of what managers call “upward delegation.” Upward delegation occurs when a subordinate gives back to a superior an assignment the superior had given to the subordinate. Many times you and I are not just victims of upward delegation; we actually practice upward delegation, especially in our relationship with God. We try to give back to God responsibilities that He has given to us.
For example, let’s say there is a single mom in your Sunday school class or small group. She shares, “The transmission in my car has gone out, and it is going to cost $600 to repair. Would you pray that God will send the money?” So you pray, “Lord, we have a dear sister in need. Please send her the $600 she needs.” Now, everybody in the group could have coughed up fifty dollars and paid for the woman’s transmission. In fact, James 2:15-16 says if we see a fellow Christian in need, we are to be the ones to help. We do not give that responsibility to God; He has given it to us.
Or maybe you have a relative who is not a Christian, so you pray, “Oh, Lord, please send the gospel to them somehow. One night when they are watching television, please miraculously change the station to Pathway to Victory so they can hear the gospel and be saved.” That is upward delegation–in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commissioned you and me to share the gospel.
Or maybe you are tired of a mediocre Christian existence, tired of being addicted to sin, so you pray, “Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can experience the new life You have for me.” As wonderful as that prayer sounds, it is upward delegation. Being filled with the Spirit is not God’s responsibility; it is our responsibility. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” It is a command: you, be controlled by the Spirit of God. There is a lot of confusion among Christians about what things are God’s responsibility and what things are our responsibility. So this week, we are going to look at three works of God and who is responsible for each.
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JESUS OR BARABBAS?
A special message from Dr. Robert Jeffress
How many people seen jesus after resurrection?
- Mary Magdalene saw Jesus near the tomb and spoke with him (John 20:11-18)
- Two disciples encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus and had a conversation with him (Luke 24:13-32)
- Jesus appeared to the disciples, including Thomas, who had doubted his resurrection (John 20:19-29)
- Jesus appeared to a group of his disciples while they were fishing and had breakfast with them (John 21:1-14)
- Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6)
These are just a few examples, but they suggest that many people saw Jesus after his resurrection. These appearances are a central part of Christians and are celebrated in the Easter Sunday holiday.
Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
What is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is a Christian holiday that commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, which is described in the Bible in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. According to the accounts, Jesus rode into the city on the back of a donkey, while crowds of people waved palm branches and shouted "Hosanna!" to honor him as the long-awaited Messiah.
Palm Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter, which is also the first day of Holy Week, a period of religious observance and reflection leading up to Easter Sunday. In many Christian churches, the day is marked with special services that include the blessing and distribution of palm branches, which are often shaped into crosses or other decorative designs.
The palm branches are symbolic of the ones used by the crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, and are often kept by the faithful as a reminder of the solemnity of the occasion.
John 3:6,7,8
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Self Reliance
Self-reliance and survival go hand in hand. Self-reliance means that you are able to take care of yourself without relying on others, and survival means that you are able to stay alive in difficult or challenging situations.