My daughter was married on July 3, 2004 in Leavell Chapel on the campus of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. This was a moving and beautiful experience for us. Her new husband, Jeremy, is an outstanding young soldier and strong Christian. Their wedding pictures are at http://www.virtualtravels.com
I. FAVOR OF GOD
a. Grace
b. Peace
c. Live it
II. GRATITUDE OF CHRISTIANS
a. Pray
b. Rejoice
c. Grow
III. CONFIDENCE OF BELIEVER
a. Kinship
b. Fellowship
IV. GODLY LIFE
a. Wisdom
b. Holiness
c. Gratitude
COLOSSIANS 4:2-18
I. PRAY—4:2-4
a. Devoted
b. Change
c. Attitude of gratitude
d. For others
e. Gospel be preached
II. LIVE WISELY—4:5-6
a. Do what you can
b. Watch your mouth
c. Be generous
III. ENCOURAGE OTHERS-4:7-9
a. God cares for you
b. Speak a word of joy
c. Find the good in others
IV. WORK TOGETHER – 4:10-16
a. Community is important
b. Gospel is a message for life
c. People need people
V. FINISH WELL– 4:17-18
a. Don’t stop
b. Do the next right thing
1. You have a RELATIONSHIP (VS.1-4)
a. Raised up with Christ-in family
b. Access to the Father
c. New Creatures
d. Kept by God’s power
2. You can live with REALITY (vs. 5-7)
a. Christ is KING
b. Let JESUS live in your life
c. New Life in CHRIST
d. No longer a slave
3. You have a RESPONSIBILITY (vs.8-11)
a. DEAL with your sin-RENEW MIND
b. Deal w/your sin-change your habits
c. Deal w/your sin-change friends
d. FOCUS on Jesus
4. You will have REUNION (vs.12-25)
a. New VIEW of self
b. Love for OTHERS
c. SERVE THE LORD
5. You can expect RELIEF
a. Wisdom to walk
b. Strength to survive
c. Resources to life
d. Forgiveness to serve
Ps 112:1 Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
I want God in my life. I recognize the brevity and tenuousness of life. I have experienced first hand the results of making a poor decision. I want God in my life.
Only I can cultivate the awareness of God in me. It takes intentional thinking. It requires that I get serious about what I am saying to the Lord and that I will take time to listen to Him.
Everything I do must have room for the Lord. What I cannot share with the Lord Jesus potentially has the earmarks of self and sin. When I am obsessed with Jesus nothing else can grab my attention. An obsession with the Lord will be an effective, aggressive activity that combats loneliness, worry, tribulation and addictions.
When I am focused on Jesus I am equipped with a strong defense against the assaults of evil.
1. KNOW JESUS
a. Personal relationship
b. Changed life
c. Daily time
d. Giving heart
2. DISCIPLINE YOURSELF
a. Do not be deceived, life is hard
b. Claim God’s promises
c. Repent when you sin
d. Surrender to the Lord every moment
3. CLAIM YOUR VICTORY
a. Jesus is God’s everything
b. He lives in you
c. Your life counts (people count with God)
d. Death in Christ brings life
4. DEMAND YOUR FORGIVENESS
a. Deny the demons-God HAS SAID
b. Repudiate your past
c. Look to heaven
5. LIVE A HOLY LIFE
a. Be changed
b. Be confident
c. Be controlled by Christ
d. Be happy-count your blessings
The majesty of the name of the Lord is worthy of my consideration and contemplation. His majesty is the very thing that I can relate to and have a specific feeling about.
I am constantly trying to succeed at things. But it is the failure to succeed that pulls me down and the results of success itself that encourages me to inflate my own estimation of self. Neither is ever correct. Just around the corner from failure is success. Just down the road from success is failure. Humanity lives with this reality. I experience this in my own life.
The Lord has perfect knowledge. He neither overestimates himself nor does He have a poor view of himself. In the midst of His work in me I do not disappoint nor do I elate. Majesty is indeed a proper expression for me of God’s name. My success eternally is a once and for all time choice of Him. When I choose Jesus I choose success.
The Lord sees me complete in Christ. The Father expresses absolute love for me in Christ. I will eternally receive only good from the hand of the Lord. This indeed encourages me to proclaim Majestic is your name o Lord. The Lord is good and is robed in majesty. What a God we serve!
I. RESCUES US FROM EVIL
a. Forgiven our sins
b. Purchased our freedom
c. Brought us into His kingdom
II. IMAGE OF GOD
a. Always was God
b. Always with God
c. He is God
III. HEAD OF THE CHURCH
a. Body of Christ
b. Belongs to God
IV. BRINGS MAN TO GOD
a. Reconciles-peace with
b. Makes us His friends
c. Watches over us
d. Calls us to serve
V. REVEALS GOD’S SECRET
a. God’s mystery was Jesus work
b. His riches at our disposal
c. Christ in me
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is holding “campus” classes at our North Georgia Campus in Decatur, Georgia. This is an every two year event where we bring our faculty and staff from New Orleans to the off-campus center. It is expensive and logistically a night mare but well worth the investment. When you are training people to work with people it is important that you have a feel for the training process and that those studying see those leading the program in the flesh. We are doing that.
Ah, but on the road is still on the road. I love to travel but I don’t love the process. Hotels and restaurants aren’t my cup of tea. When I was young I loved all of it. As I age and all of the aspects of aging set in it gets tougher. I heard someone say that “if they had known they were going to live this long they would have taken better care of themselves.” I think I agree with that. Hindsight is so clear.
Everything gets out of whack when you travel for several days. Eating is a major chaotic event. Discipline of exercise, quiet time, rest and all other things get confused. But there is the time away when the system gets reset and the anxieties of everyday life are set aside.
Travel well.
I have a friend in Jerusalem, Tom Brimmer, who is extremely gifted as a tour guide, singer, and all around make things happen guy. He and his wife moved to Israel more than fifteen years ago and began their married life from scratch. They felt led to go to Israel as Christians are sometimes led and have bloomed in the desert. Tom is one of the top tour guides in Israel and his wife is one of the senior executives in a Chrisitian Jewish Relief Organization, Bridges for Peace.
When I’m on the road my thoughts often turn to traveling to Israel. I take seminary groups there 1 or 2 times each year. Our last trip was in Dec/Jan this year. It was outstanding. I am amazed that after 20 plus years of taking Christian groups to Israel I still find out something new each visit.
Tom has been our tour guide for the last ten years. I can truthfully say that his knowledge of the land, politics, economic and daily issues in Israel have been a blessing to our groups and to me.
I am discovering that it is good to think about friends. Those that the Lord blesses us with as we journey through this life. I have felt all these years that the Lord was leading me to take our seminarians to Israel. Tom has been a blessing as he helped us to “live the Bible” on these trips.
Blessings on your day.
