Bethel Christian Center

Following a night and morning of torture and ridicule, Jesus was crucified, and for six hours He hung on the cross. There was darkness from the sixth hour (noon) to the ninth hour (3pm). At noon when Jesus was put on the cross the sun should be brightest. A very unique act took place during these three hours of darkness; when as the Son of God he was made sin for us. A transaction took place between a holy God and a perfect sinless sacrifice; and it was nothing for sinful men to pry into – So the cross was shrouded in darkness. In the darkness there was a penalty paid, a substitution endured and propitiation made.

No epistle in the New Testament gives a clearer insight into the life of the first-century church than I Corinthians. In it Paul provides straightforward instructions for such moral and theological problems as sectarianism, spiritual immaturity, church discipline, ethical differences, and the role of the sexes and the proper use of spiritual gifts. Where these same problems exist in the modern church, the remedies are the same. Spirit Filled Bible

The Christians in Corinth were struggling with their environment. Surrounded by corruption and every conceivable sin, they felt the pressure to adapt. They knew they were free in Christ, but what did this freedom mean? How should they view idols or sexuality? What should they do about marriage, women in the church and the gifts of the Spirit? Paul wrote this letter to address their problems, heal their divisions, and answer their questions.

Paul’s first admonition was “Stand fast!” Now he says, Walk in the Spirit!” Our standing in Christ determines our walk in Christ.

“In 1215, English subjects of King John forced him to accept the Magna Carta, proclaiming freedoms for citizens, limiting the king’s powers by law.  The Magna Carta led to eventual constitutional law in England and later America.  The Book of Galatians in the Bible has also been called the Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.” 2020 Hindsight. Paul wrote Galatians to combat those in the church who were insisting that it was necessary to follow a law or code in order to be saved. Galatians 5:1 sums up the whole of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Second Thessalonians was written by Paul to the church to address the “false teachers” that had come to Thessalonica and were teaching that the Day of the Lord had already come and gone. Paul wrote that two things must take place before the “Day of the Lord” took place (1) a falling away and (2) the man of sin is revealed. In light of all that would happen, Paul encouraged them to stand firm.

The final chapter of 1 Thessalonians gives a series of admonitions instructing the Christians how to live in the light of Christ’s coming. Some in the church were living carelessly; some were not respecting their church leaders and some were abusing the public services. The admonitions point out how the local church can live in harmony and purity.

The most certain thing in the entire world is the return of Jesus Christ. The bible is full of promises concerning the return of the Lord. In the New Testament the events related to Christ’s coming are mentioned 300 times. Jesus told His disciples He would come again (John 14:3). When Jesus was taken up to heaven the angel said he would come in “like manner” (Acts 1:11). The writer of Hebrews said, “He will come and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). James wrote that “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh “(James 5:8). Critics have denied it. Cynics have laughed at it. Scholars have ignored it. Liberal theologians have tried to explain it away, and fanatics have perverted it. Some sarcastically ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4) but, He Is Coming!

Chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians is a defense against insinuations about Paul’s alleged ulterior motives. The apostle was subjected to a constant barrage of accusations. The Thessalonians themselves may have begun to question Paul’s sincerity. So Paul addressed his readers most affectionately. Paul puts them in mind of the manner of his preaching among them, then the manner of his conversation among them.

The way we conceive the future sculpts the present, gives contour and tone to nearly every action and thought through the day. If our sense of the future is weak we live listlessly. Most emotional and mental illness and most suicides occur among men and women who feel that they “have no future.” Eugene H.Peterson Many people in our world, even in our churches don't see a lot of hope for the future. That represents a great tragedy of the human spirit and it is part of Satan's Great Lie. Do you believe in a future with hope?

Let us be faithful to the journey God has for us.

Sometimes preachers, elders and other concerned Christians spend too much time on those who do not appreciate the gospel. We are often hesitant to "give up" on someone whom we believe to be a good prospect for the gospel. However, when our Lord sent out the apostles on the limited commission He said, "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them"

There are times when it seems there is little energy left in our spiritual sails. There are times when we feel defeated and deflated and unable to rise above our circumstances. Regardless of how low you may feel today spiritually, there is help in the Lord for you. In order for us to renew and gain new strength, to mount up with eagle's wings, to run and not get weary, to walk and not become faint, something must first happen. We must do something in order for the strength in this verse to come to pass in our lives. What is the key that unlocks the strength in this verse? The key to unlocking this verse is the word wait.

“The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts” (Proverbs 14:8 The Living Bible). We all face pitfalls as we make plans for our future, such as cultural distractions, voices of doubt, tempting shortcuts, and discouraging delays. The Gaithers wrote, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives.” As William Shakespeare said, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves,” may we determine to make strong and right choices for the coming year.

In the early part of this century, an American ship was wrecked off the Sicily Isles near the coast of England. The sea had been calm and the weather clear, but the vessel was caught in a treacherous current that slowly lured it off its course. Before the captain and the crew realized what had happened, the ship had crashed into the rocks. In life, too, powerful currents of compromise can catch the soul and carry to shipwreck. Spiritual drifting is usually a slow and imperceptible process. We know it has occurred when we have lost the strong resistance to evil and the passionate desire for truth that we once knew.

This chapter includes one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. This morning, we're looking at an invitation that Jesus extended to the weakened hearts of some of His disciples after they had spent a long night of fishing. And to these weak hearts, He said, "come and dine". The Bible teaches us that Jesus offers us a place of refreshing when we have failed or are fearful. His love is so great for us that He seeks to renew us, all we have to do is accept the invitation!

We live in a changing world filled with people who are reaching for a firm grip on something which cannot be shaken. God calls us to become people who have that grip, formed of the unshakable nature of the Savior that transcends our temporal world and introduces the constancy, stability, and strength of His Kingdom into the shifting, shaking, and sometimes shattering circumstances around us. Jack Hayford Today’s passage reminds us that we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is the kingdom of God, which Jesus inaugurated at His first coming. This is the only kingdom that will remain when He returns to consummate all things (Hebrews 9:28).

Christians today are living in limitation. The problem is not with our limitations it is with our thinking and believing. The disciples were limited in their ability to cast out a demon because of their unbelief (Matthew 17:17, 20). Your limitations do not define who you are. Our limitations lead to God’s opportunities. God is bigger than all our limitations.

Failure is never fun and defeat is seldom something we take delight in. It can be painful, embarrassing and humiliating. And our response can be life changing, altering our destiny. Failure can make us bitter or it may make us better. We can take it as instructive and corrective and learn from it.

Enoch, an often neglected Hero of the Faith, walked with God. His testimony in Genesis 5:23-24 is a powerful statement that challenges us today to please God in our Christian walk.