Christ Covenant Church In Mesquite

What a comfort to know that on the night he was betrayed and arrested–with the weight of the world crushing his heart–Jesus Christ the Son of God was praying for us. What a comfort to know that while the world is falling apart around us he is seated at the right hand of God and still praying for you and for me!

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

"And those whom [God foreknew he also predestined] and those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

God wants your mind. Do not be conformed to the here and now – not in your body nor in your mind. Do not let your mind be shaped by the here and now. Let your mind be renovated by the Spirit of truth.

God promises that if you offer your body and mind to God in sacrificial worship, then you will discern/discover that God’s will is all about Jesus Christ for the praise of God’s glory and grace.

Christ gives the same measure of saving grace to all God’s elect, but he gives different measures of serving grace to individual Christians. Both kinds of grace are unearned, unmerited, and undeserved. They are free gifts of grace that we must use for the glory of God and the good of man.

Grace is practical and personal. It calls us to sympathize with others in love. Sympathy takes deliberate and intentional effort. It requires us to be flexible with other people and to develop a kind of emotional dexterity.

This week we shift gears to consider our gospel mission to religious and non-religious people. We owe it to everyone to love them with the gospel of God's grace. In this message we focus our gospel mission to our religious kinsmen. Religion does not save. Only Jesus saves.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Do you know what time it is? It is time for you to wake up from your sleep; it is time for you to cast aside your dark deeds; it is time for you to put on the weapons of light; it is time for you to walk orderly and decently; it is time for you to put on Christ; it is time for you to prepare for war.

Reformation Day. My “secret agenda” was and is and always will be to preach the gospel of God’s grace -- for the glory of God and the good of God’s people. I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes.

Regeneration is monergistic. It is the gracious work of God alone. "Regeneration is a mysterious work of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us by giving us a new heart and new spirit" (Wayne Grudem).

Like Adam and Eve, each and every one of us has been deceived by the serpent. Like the Israelites each and every one of us has been snake-bitten. Like Nicodemus we are exiles outside the kingdom. Apart from Christ we are doomed to die in our trespasses and sins. What must we do? We must look to the Christ who was lifted up on the cross, lifted up from the grave, and lifted up into heaven.

God, the personal-infinite, sovereign creator and savior demonstrated extraordinary unmerited affection towards sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation that he freely gave his one true son as the atoning sacrifice for sins so that any sinner who trusts in him will not perish but possess eternal fellowship with God.

God is light, so we must walk in the light. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that you should love one another. Not like Cain who was from the evil one and cut the throat of his brother. And why did he cut his throat? Because his works were evil, but the works of his brother were righteous.