The Theology Of Christmas

Tonight I  was listening to a sermon by John MacArthur and he laid out the theology of Christmas and why we celebrate Christ this time of year and the reason we have for this great season. John points out 5 key points that we can take away form this new testament passage about our Lord and Saviors nature and great perfect character. This served as a great reminder and perspective fix as to what this time of year is all about and what really should matter to us. This is where our mind and hearts need to be centered this Christmas season on our Lord who was born, died and was raised to the right hand of the Father where He continually intercedes and works on our behalf. May we not only treasure this truth in our hearts this and every year but may we remember to share this amazing gift with those hurting around us.
Philippians 2:5-11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself bybecoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


1.Abandoning a sovereign position. 
The Father emptied Himself of His glory, gave up His honor , He veiled all this when He choose to become a man on this earth. Christ let go of all His heavenly riches and was born in a humble stable, walked the dusty streets, and ate and associate with His family and friends here on earth. He gave up His independent exercise of His own will, and eventually a favorable relationship with His Father when He committed His life into the Fathers hands on the cross. 
2.  Accepted a slaves place.
Christ came from being a king in heaven all the way down to being a servant of all, not even a king of earth. Christ took on or morphed into an actual slave in character and nature. Ultimately He became the slave of God so that He could serve us according to the will of His Father. 
3. Associated with sinful people. 
The plan of God to bring redemption to His people was to send His son all the way down to earth in the form and likeness of man, of the very creatures that He intended to save. 
4. Adopted a selfless posture. 
How selfless of our Lord and Savior as He prays in the garden before His death for only the will of His Father and not what He desired at all!! Christ emptied Himself unto the cross through death recognizing that it was for this that He was born on this earth for. 
5. Ascended a supreme Prince. 
Because our Father died and obeyed perfectly and because it was all pleasing to the Lord Christ has been exalted above every name. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and every knee WILL bow at the end of time if not before. 

Contentment With Thanksgiving

So as my final sermon is tomorrow and I have been studying all week on the topic of contentment, I came across this little devotional by MacArthur and thought it was very appropriate to share as we are approaching the day that is centered around family and thanking God for all the blessings that He has soo graciously poured out! ENJOY!

November 22nd, 2007

(By John MacArthur)

If you belong to Christ, like the apostle Paul you can and should learn the secret of a contented life. When Paul wrote “godliness with contentment is great gain” he wasn’t just speaking philosophically (1 Tim. 6:6). He had learned the secret to contentment in every circumstance of life (Phil 4:11-2). While that secret eludes most people, it need not elude any true believer. For those who are willing to learn, here are six steps to a contented life from the life and teaching of Paul.

First, learn to give thanks in all things. Paul had learned to give thanks in every circumstance and he exhorted all believers to do the same. Thankfulness is first of all a matter of obedience (1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:18), but it is also a characteristic of a Spirit-filled believer (Eph. 5:18-20).

Second, learn to rest in God’s providence. If we truly know God, we know that He is unfolding His agenda and purpose in our lives. He has sovereignly determined each part of His plan for us so that we’ll be benefited and He’ll be glorified (cf. Rom. 8:28). We should not be surprised or ungrateful when we experience trials because we know that God sees perfectly the end result (cf. 1 Pet. 4:12-13).

Third, learn to be satisfied with little. Paul had learned to make the choice to be satisfied with little, and he knew it was important for others to learn to make that same choice. In 1 Timothy 6:6 Paul exhorted a young pastor with these words: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Paul understood that covetousness and contentment are mutually exclusive.

Fourth, learn to live above life’s circumstances. That’s how Paul lived. In 2 Cor. 12:9-10 he wrote, “Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul didn’t take pleasure in the pain itself, but in the power of Christ manifested through him in times of infirmity, reproach, persecution, and distress. We also should learn to take pleasure in the power of Christ in times of distress.

Fifth, learn to rely on God’s power and provision. The apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”; and Jesus said He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Like Paul, we can learn to rely on Christ’s promise. He faithfully infuses every believer with His own strength and sustains them in their time of need until they receive provision from His hand (Eph. 3:16).

Finally, become preoccupied with the well-being of others. Paul summarized this mindset in Philippians 2:3-4, where he wrote: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

A self-centered man is a discontented man. But the soul of the generous man, the man who lives for the interests and benefit of others, will find blessing upon blessing in his life (see Prov. 11:24-5; 19:17; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6).

His Way or The Highway

So the theme of the last weeks and months has been a challenging but very necessary one..............the Lord has time and time again been doing little things in my life to reassure me of that fact that HE is solely in control. Not of just over arching life details but every single tiny littlest detail that can be imagined. Even in all the mess, frustration, disappointments, and joys the Lord is faithful and His hand can evidently be seen. I cannot be thankful enough for a God who loves and cares for me enough to be involved so intimately in my life. Praise God for His unending love and enduring sovereignty. As i am in the home stretch and graduate with my bachelors in exactly two short weeks, I glance back behind my shoulder and all along the way I single and double sets of foot prints down the whole path. If Jesus was not walking beside me then in those desperate times He was definitely carrying me on His shoulders. For all the times i have been unfaithful, when i have complained, and wanted to give up on what the Lord was asking from me, by His grace and mercy He has given me the strength to persevere. The verse that has been my verse for the semester and has encouraged me during these last days of this season in life can be found in Galatians 6:9. Gods Word reads "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Through this verse God has shown me the importance, joy, and reward that can be mine if i am content and faithful in those things that God has given me. Whether it be my singleness, school, having no job, still living at home, whatever it may be that consumes my heart and desires. Those things I wish sooo badly to control and change in my own strength in my own time, all the while unconsciously sinning against my Father in my lack of faith and trust. Father as Your Spirit dwells in me may You ever keep my eyes fixed on Your beautiful face. May the things of this world never sway me and may I be faithful to finish this race that you have specifically designed for me!!

Because of Him........THEN This We Live!!

So this morning during my time spent with the Lord i was reading a passage in 2 Corinthians 5. I have heard quite a few messages in the past week that have been focusing on how the Gospel and the knowledge we have of Christ's work in the past present and future should motivate our love and obedience for the Lord. We can by no means love, serve, honor, obey, and glorify Christ on our own. Nothing we posses pushes us to the Father except for the Holy Spirit within us that places the desire in our hearts. The Gospel saves us but it is not the good news that alone justifies us as believers but it is the foundation of our very lives in which we are being sanctified day in and day out until we are called home to glory. The Gospel is not only for sinners until they are saved but it is the Gospel that carries and sustains the Christians life till the end of his journey on this earth.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says this, "For the love of God controls us, because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died. And He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for the sake died and raised."

I can admit that growing up up until this past year i have always looked at the Gospel as just a tool for evangelism and the lost world but understanding and grasping the real meaning of the Gospel has been life changing and enlightening. When you learn to see the Gospel as the foundation of the Christian life and see it as that which encompasses all that we do your view of God and especially the Scriptures radically changes. May we never let the Gospel just be for unbelievers but may we as believers chosen, called, loved, and sanctified by God embrace the Gospel as a treasure that we seek after everyday and never stop searching out it mysteries.

This is a blog post from John MacArthur's web page that i came across while writing a paper yesterday.......thought I would share it was a very encouraging reminder!!

Once Saved, Always Saved?

Monday, March 28, 2011

Listen to a discussion about eternal security and you’ll eventually hear this question: “Are you saying that since we’re secure as Christians, we can do whatever we want to?” It’s the “once saved, always saved” idea that says, once you are saved, you’re saved no matter how you may behave.

But the question really misunderstands the biblical teaching about our sin and God’s grace in our lives.

Pursuing Godliness

Christians have struggled over the years with the best way to deal with sin in their lives. That struggle has produced unbiblical doctrines that promise to “aid” Christians along with their own endeavors to obtain personal godliness.

Perhaps you have encountered some of them. One of the more notorious false doctrines is perfectionism. It’s the belief that we can obtain perfect sinlessness in this life. In his book, The Vanishing Conscience, John MacArthur describes the dangers of Christian perfectionism,

Church history is littered with examples of sects and factions who taught various versions of Christian perfectionism. Nearly all these groups have either made utter shipwreck of the faith or been forced to modify their perfectionism to accommodate human imperfection. Every perfectionist inevitably comes face-to-face with clear and abundant empirical evidence that the residue of sin remains in the flesh and troubles even the most spiritual Christians throughout their earthly lives. In order to hang onto perfectionist doctrine, they must redefine sin or diminish the standard of holiness. Too often they do this at the expense of their own consciences. (The Vanishing Conscience, 127)

I have met a few perfectionists in the past. What I have noticed about their teaching is how they relegate sinfulness to only outward behaviors. One perfectionist I spoke with believed as long as he never physically committed adultery, he wasn’t in sin. Thinking about adultery didn’t count as being sinful in his book. I reminded him of Matthew 5:27, 28 – looking upon a woman to lust is adultery – but he cleverly dismissed the passage as irrelevant.

I quickly discovered similar groups of Christians like the perfectionists. Rather than “dumbing” sin down, they submitted themselves to outward, legalistic codes to obtain godliness. If they failed to keep those codes perfectly, they believed their salvation was in jeopardy.

These errant views of holiness spring from a misunderstanding of the biblical teaching on sanctification.

The Sanctifying Spirit

Sanctification is a process by which the Holy Spirit works in believers to gradually move them toward Christlikeness (2 Cor. 3:18). Take note of the word gradually in this definition: The Holy Spirit is gradually moving us toward Christlikeness; it is not an instantaneous work that makes us perfectly sinless. In Christian theology, the idea of the Holy Spirit gradually moving us to Christlikeness is called progressive sanctification. Our godliness is progressive, over a life-time of following Jesus.

The apostle Paul provides a concise description of our sanctification in Romans 6. He does not specifically use the word sanctification in this chapter, but he certainly outlines the concept.

For example, he writes in Romans 6:2 “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” And in 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” And in 6:11, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are a handful of thoughts we can glean from Romans 6 that help us understand the doctrine of sanctification and answer our question, “Does being a Christian mean we can live anyway we want?” Let’s open our Bibles and look at a few theological points.

First, notice in verses 4 and 5 how Paul describes our relationship with Jesus as identified with His death and “made alive” in His resurrection. That is a reference to our regeneration we discussed in my previous article. God’s divine handiwork imparts a principle of new life in our lives.

Second, in verses 6 and 7, Paul is saying that we now have the power to obey God – a power we never had apart from Christ. Paul writes we have our “body of sin done away with.” The original word in that phrase can have the idea of made inoperative or rendered powerless.

When we were apart from Christ, we had neither a desire nor a willingness to obey God. We were “slaves to sin,” as it says in Romans 6:20. The effort we put forth to be righteous ultimately ended in failure because of our enslavement to sin’s power. Now that we are identified with Christ, sin’s power no longer holds dominion over us. We can now pursue righteousness!

Third, we are never made perfectly sinless, but we do gradually grow in righteousness with a daily life of obedience. In this respect, we put forth cooperative effort with the Spirit, but our cooperation flows out of a changed heart with new desires to obey God.

Paul exhorts us to godly obedience by telling us to present the members of our body as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). His words speak to our whole person both inwardly and outwardly – our thought life, emotions and attitude, as well as our behavior when we interact with the world. For example, we turn our thought life to dwelling upon the Lord, our hands to serving God and others, and our lips to praising God and edifying His people.

Now, does this mean we automatically know how to think and act in a godly way in everything? No. We still carry a lot of baggage from our lives before Christ, and the worse we lived as sinners, the more baggage we will need to unpack. That’s why our sanctification is progressive. In Romans 12:2, Titus 3:5, and Colossians 3:10, the Bible describes that work as our renewing process – our spiritual renovation retraining our minds to think like Christians.

The Beginning of a Good Work

So is Paul saying in Romans 6 that if we are saved, we can live anyway we want? The “once saved, always saved” idea? If you look closely at Romans 6:1, Paul is in fact answering that very objection. Do we continue in sin so grace may abound? In other words, “Paul, are you saying since we are saved, we are always secure, no matter what we do?” Paul answers emphatically, No!

His entire argument rests on the fact that our salvation begins and ends with God. He saves us, and then He sanctifies us.

I can imagine someone at this point thinking, “But I struggle a lot with sin.” John MacArthur has an expression I have heard him say often, “Godliness may not be the perfection of your life, but it is the direction of your life.” Our battle with sin will be a lifelong endeavor.

We may struggle for years with leftover sin and experience those occasional setbacks in our walk with Christ. But let us lay hold of a promise Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Fred Butler

Volunteer Ministries Coordinator

Then And Now!

Today i was sitting in the midst of college for a weekend at my school and i found myself taking a trip back in my head to about three years ago! Time flies and continues to pass by me faster and faster. About three years ago i was sitting in my house filling out my application for college, sent it in and patiently prayerfully waited for God's answer through acceptance or not accepted. Well obviously.....got answered i was accepted and have been on one amazing ride ever since. God has brought down such a long hard, challanging, maturing ride both physically spiritually, and mentally. God is soooo faithful, He has blessed me with soo many opportunities, amazing friends that will last a lifetime and sooo many other things that cannot be counted. God has proven Himself faithful and sovereign day in and day out, through every friendship, relationship , paper, assignment, and conversation. God does have a purpose and plan for my life and looking back its been great i can't help but look forward in anticipation and excitement to see what God is going to do and where He is going to take me. Gods will be done and His name be glorified in all things......as i closely approach graduation it is a daily trusting and surrendering to Christ because my life is not my own and my plans can only come to pass as Christ wills !!!! Praise God that my life and more is in His hands. Its my pleasure and honor to follow, trust and obey!

We Do What We Want To Do

So i have been really convicted lately about my prayer life and devotion time. I heard of a student in class the other day who has been disciplined enough to get up at 4 every morning to spend a few hours in prayer and the Word before going to class.......WOW I didn't even know what to say or think in that moment. As i have been meditating on that the past few days i have just been asking myself why i am not like that. The Word of God is the richest by far text in the whole entire universe, on top of that we have free access to communicate with the God of the universe. Just stop and actually become aware of what that means........the GOD of the ENTIRE WORLD. He is our Father, Lover, Saviour, Redeemer, Deliver, Fortress, Provider......the list goes on and on......this is our God and we can talk to Him as if He were sitting in the room wanting to listen to us any time of the day! Why do we not take advantage and use it to our benefit and blessing. I can't but ponder all the things i am missing out on because i simply do not ask and seek God for the desires in my heart! How wrong of us. By the grace of God may we become people of prayer and of the Word delighting in it all day and meditating on it constantly. Pray with out ceasing. God just wants us to experience His great love compassion and endless blessings the only thing holding us back is sadly ourselves........God move us out of the way.....PLEASE!!!

Romans 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do the things i want to do but I do the very thing I hate.

LOVE.........What A Beautiful Thing!!

  Love truly is a great thing, just stop and think about it even for a second. We have this characteristic modeled to us by the greatest man that has ever lived. Those who are believers experience this great joy, this feeling we call being loved every second of every day of our whole entire life. That is more then most of this world can say sincerely. As followers of Christ living in this world we get to be the biggest and most often times the ONLY example and picture of what love truly is to those around us. Those people we come in contact with on a daily basis. With a smile, holding the door for a few seconds longer while someone walks through, a hello, or thank you after being served or helped how great a difference can be seen, these things that may spark the question in someones mind "what's with them/ something is different/ hmmm they are like everyone else" This, this is what living with Christ shining through us begins to look like, while this is certainly just scratching the surface, one smile and one thank you at a time could change someone for the better. Just like we find in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "So now faith, hope, and LOVE abide, these three; but the GREATEST of these is LOVE"

And just as the hymn write Stuart Towend wrote:

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

We have the honor and ability to display, manifest, share and spread this great love that we have been given to those around us, those believers, non believers, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, sister, brother, grandma and grandpa. That endless, boundless, deep wide great and high love that the Father of the universe LAVISHLY poured out as a gift to be freely given and received by all!

Tis The Season.........

Still my heart hold me close

Let me hear a still small voice

Let it grow, let it rise

Into a shout, into a cry

And I'm restless, I'm restless

'Til I rest in You, let me rest in You

I'm restless, so restless

'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You

Oh God, I will rest in You

Was listening to this song today......I was reminded of it by a friend that i work with. While walking around the mall today and driving around town i was faced with a realization. This time of year especially it being only two days away from Christmas I couldn't help but get caught up watching everyone rushing here and there. Watching everyone with hands filled with bags filled with items, faces filled with stress and heckticness and the busyness of getting to the "special day and or weekend".

Couldn't help but stop and remind myself of the real reason and meaning behind this time of year, the reason why we are here on this earth and all the things that we soooo easily forget as we sooo easily get soo wrapped up in the wordly materialness of this time of year!! On this day that we celebrate our Lord and great Savior came down to be a human so live on this earth to die and rise again soo that we as His children could have the great hope of eternal life! Soo in this season let us not forget that we have the greatest gift of all to give people......all those lost and wondering hopeless in this world in the dark, living day to day for things that will not last in eternity. Let us as followers of Jesus Christ be living examples of Jesus spreading love, joy, peace, and hope of the Gospel to a lost and dying world in need! In the business of family, friends, gifts, and food may we take time to rest in Christ be still and know that He is God and remember what the reason for the season really is!!

Holy or Wholly Jesus?

 So over break i have finally had time to actually do some reading that has nothing do with school but is actually for my own interest. The first book i happened to grab off my shelf is one that i bought when i was up at Forest Home College camp at the beginning of this semester. (Oh how that seems like just last week!) The book is called Wholly Jesus A Surprising Approach To Wholeness and Why It Matters. The book attempts to discover a new understanding of a complete Redeemer and explains how that provides a road map to the wholeness that so many people are searching for. A completeness that brings our body, mind and spirit into harmony with the full character of God's love. There are so many people out there in this world spending millions of dollars a year in attempts to reach physical and mental soundness, why is this when we as followers of Christ have the real deal, we have the ultimate Jesus who died on a cross just for that reason, so that we could be made whole, complete. Why does the church so often make Jesus out to be less then He really is, why do we try and hide or de-shine this great light we have, when it is exactly what people are looking for. We have to first as believers come to an understanding of Christ's full message before we can share this illuminating truth of wholeness with those desperate for Him, that don;t have any clue what they are looking for.

Stop and Think

So this is an amazing video that will do just what the title says it will. Cause you to STOP AND THINK. So often we just go about our day going through the motions and not really taking time to realize why and what for we are on this earth. Hope you enjoy and are blessed as much as i was! http://www.juststopandthink.com/

Start Of Something New

Welcome.....I am so excited about this blog i am starting. Lately God has really laid it on my heart to start sharing the things He is teaching me with those around me. My life and the things that God is doing in my life are a testimony to who He is and what God is doing in and through me. I am excited for you to join me on this journey of unveiling the truths about this Great God who we get to be personally involved with and call Abba Father! Satan tries to feel our head through every possible means with lies and masks that keep us from seeing who we are in Christ. I am excited for you to get to know me more and be transparent as we strive to become more like our Father.