Christ Jesus To The World Is Sent!

Christ Jesus Alone Can Unify!

10 Gifts I'm Most Thankful For With Christ As The Center Of All Thanksgiving!

1. Conversion And The Cross And Resurrection

I am most thankful for God and Him saving me from His wrath and my sins through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, and for adopting me into His family as one of His very own sons! I'm thankful for my parents who first taught me about Jesus and took me to church. You can read the full story of my conversion here.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:4-5

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Jesus is the God-Man, and He is LORD - the name above all names! 

2. Comprehensive Sovereignty of God

While in college, Navy was playing Wake Forest one weekend, so I was headed down with all the Navy fans to cheer on the team because it got me a free trip to North Carolina to see my family. For the trip, my friend, Ben Selph, had given me a cassette tape series to listen to called "A Southern Baptist's Explanation Of Calvinism." As I listened to that series, my eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit, and my understanding of Who God is changed forever! Understanding T.U.L.I.P. was revolutionary for me. God is not a pipsqueak God, subject to my almighty free will. He is absolutely sovereign and in total control of all people, decisions, and events, from the hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30) to the flight paths of little birds (Matthew 10:29). This is not merely what John Calvin taught. This is what the Bible and Jesus teach.

Later I would learn the truth from the Westminster Confession of Faith - that "God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass . . . ." That statement was amazing to me, but I wondered if it was Biblical. God began to show me, time and time again, that this is taught all over the Bible. Here are just a few examples:

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will . . . . Ephesians 1:11

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose," calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:8-11

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:33

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

Ben gave me book (Chosen By God by R. C. Sproul) after book (The Sovereignty Of God by A. W. Pink) after book (The Reformed Doctrine Of Predestination by Loraine Boettner), helping me understand these truths more clearly, and my understanding of God was changed forever. I truly loved and delighted in knowing that God was this BIG and sovereign and that He does all things, first and foremost, for His own glory! Just read Romans 9 if you have any doubts!

3. Christian Hedonism
In college, I was introduced to John Piper, his ministry (Desiring God), and his book by the same name, (Desiring God). These resources opened my eyes to the great joy God is and that we should pursue our joy in Him.

John Piper summarizes Christian Hedonism with this sentence: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Sam Storms summarizes it here.

John Piper writes:

Christian Hedonism is a philosophy of life built on the following five convictions:

1. The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good, not sinful.

2. We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction.

3. The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from God, but in God.

4. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared with others in the manifold ways of love.

5. To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people. Or, to put it positively: The pursuit of pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue. 

That is: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. (Desiring God, Page 28)

Here are some of my favorite Christian Hedonistic testimonies:

Augustine: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

John Calvin: Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in him [God], they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 

 

4. Christ In All The Scriptures
I listened to a 35 lecture/Q&A series that Tim Keller and Ed Clowney taught called Preaching Christ In A Postmodern World, and seeing Jesus Christ in all the Scriptures was amazing to me because Jesus is amazing!

Jesus taught that all the Bible is about Him:

And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27

 Tim Keller's video here drives this point home (see the full text here):

5. Christ And His Gospel Daily
I first heard a man from Capitol Hill Baptist Church respond to the greeting/question, "How are you?" with these words: "I'm better than I deserve." His point was that he knew, according to God's Word, all he deserved was eternity in hell, but because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, he's always better than he deserved. Keeping this in mind has been a rock of stability and a well-spring of joy for me. This devotional by John Piper helped me see this more clearly: The Transforming Power Of Feeling Mercy

I wrote this in 2014, expressing these truths:

I didn't deserve to be born.

I didn't deserve to be born in a country where the Gospel is freely preached.

I didn't deserve to be brought up under the influence of the Gospel.

I don't deserve the family I have.

I don't deserve the friends I have.

I don't deserve the education I have.

I don't deserve the job I have.

I don't deserve the life experiences I've enjoyed.

I don't deserve the health I've been given.

I don't deserve the food, clothes, and shelter I've enjoyed these many years of life.

I don't deserve the material resources I've been given.

I don't deserve the gift of marriage.

I don't deserve the gift of children.

I don't deserve the gift of singleness.

I don't deserve joy, peace, and happiness.

I don't deserve any of the pleasures this life or the next has to offer.

I don't deserve for things to go my way.

I don't deserve health, wealth, and prosperity.

Because of my sin, all I do deserve is death, judgment, curse, loneliness, ridicule, slander, joblessness, homelessness, nakedness, starvation, pain, suffering, depression, despair, brokenness, and everlasting torment away from the presence of the LORD in His love and mercy and in the presence of the LORD in His everlasting wrath and fury for all eternity.

But in Christ, Who lived, died, and rose again, I get what I don't deserve!

I'm born again!

I'm reminded of the Gospel daily!

I have friends and family who love Jesus and point me to Him!

I get educated in the Word of God!

My job is to study and preach God's Word!

Christ is my health, my clothing, my food, and my shelter!

Christ is more valuable than all the earth!

Christ is my great heavenly Spouse Who is more beautiful than all and loves and satisfies like no other!

Christ allows me to disciple spiritual children!

Christ allows me to receive singleness as a gift and cry: 

Whom have I in heaven but You! And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You! Psalm 73:25

Christ is all joy, all peace, and all happiness in and of Himself!

Christ is the pleasure and treasure of life!

Christ makes all things go my way for He works all things for my good!

Christ is my health, wealth, and prosperity!

Christ has forgiven and saved me for Himself!

Christ is all!

Thank You my Eternal Lover!

You, O God, are all good things and every good thing . . . You are silver, gold, honor, delight, food, clothing, house, land, peace, wisdom, power, beauty, father, mother, wife, husband, mercy, love, grace, glory, and infinitely more than all these. George Swinnock

6. Christ Is All
Cotton Mather said: "Let the motto upon your whole ministry be - Christ is All!"

My desire is to live out that motto. My hope (and every Christian's hope!) is to desire Christ and delight in Christ above everything else in my life. It's one thing to confess "Christ is all" with your lips, but it's another thing to believe it in the depths of your heart and soul. Sometimes God teaches us that Christ is all by withholding from us some of our deepest earthly longings. I have desired marriage for over 25 years now, and God has chosen to withhold it.

But this withholding is teaching me that Jesus is better. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! Oh to finally go home to be with Him! May my mind be gone to be with Jesus!

He embraces all things that are lovely: he seals up the sum of all loveliness. Things that shine as single stars with a particular glory, all meet in Christ as a glorious constellation. Col. 1:19, "It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Cast your eyes among all created beings, survey the universe: you will observe strength in one, beauty in a second, faithfulness in a third, wisdom in a fourth; but you shall find none excelling in them all as Christ does. Bread has one quality, water another, raiment another, medicine another; but none has them all in itself as Christ does. He is bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, a garment to the naked, healing to the wounded; and whatever a soul can desire is found in him . . . . John Flavel

7. Church
I am thankful for the centrality and beauty of the church. I am thankful for my church family who love me and pray for me. I am thankful for their support, friendship, patience, and forgiveness. I am thankful for how they serve Christ and spur me on to love and good deeds. I am thankful for their self-less love and faithfulness to God and His Word. The church is truly how God makes His manifold wisdom known to the world! I am so thankful for men like Tom Thompson, Tom Clemmons, Mark Dever, Kreg Bryan, Bill Harrell, Dechard Stevens, John Piper, and Michael Tan who have mentored me and helped me see these truths and so many other wonderful truths in God's Word as well!

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

The Church is the mirror, that reflects the whole effulgence of the Divine character. It is the grand scene, in which the perfections of Jehovah are displayed to the universe. Charles Bridges

 

8. Christ Humbling Me

I remember reading this chart in college and being profoundly convicted of how proud I was (and still am!):

God has used my service in the Navy and my time as a pastor to continue to humble me and show me that I truly have nothing to boast in except the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ:

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5

9. Christ My King

I do not remember exactly when I first heard this amazing description of Jesus Christ, but when I did, I was immediately amazed and somewhat addicted:

It's the greatest description of Jesus I've ever heard outside the Bible, and I'm so thankful for Dr. S. M. Lockridge, and I'm thankful that God gave him these wonderful, poetic words. I heard one pastor say it may be the most listened to sermon [clip] in modern church history because of how many times it's been listened to and downloaded from the internet. As I said, outside the Bible, it is the most glorious, powerful, amazing, beautiful, wonderful description of Jesus I have ever read or heard. Nothing outside the Bible, prayer, and the local church has helped me fight depression, loneliness, sadness, self-pity, selfishness, fear, anxiety, and all manner of other sins more than this glorious description of Jesus Christ. It has helped me fix my eyes on Jesus – "the Founder and Perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) – like almost nothing else! 

It has also inspired me to write more poetry like it about Jesus, which started by writing down how Jesus is described in various books of the Bible (beginning with the book of Hebrews). Now all my sermon titles are inspired by Dr. Lockridge's description of Jesus. I even self-published a book in his honor and in the honor of our great King Jesus: "That's My King!" Meditations On The Christ Who Is All In All. King Jesus is our greatest reason for thanksgiving!

10. Christ Proclaimed

In high school, I remember one of the first major changes in my life as a new believer in Jesus was a deep burden to tell others the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, I'd been saved from hell, and now I enjoyed Jesus as my LORD and Savior, so how could I not warn others and tell them about the glorious God-Man Who saved me?! I remember first seeing this book by Mack Stiles when I was a freshman in college: Speaking Of Jesus: How To Tell Your Friends The Best News They Will Ever Hear. I remember my Baptist Student Union leader, Tom Clemmons, leading a beach evangelism trip to tell others about Jesus with frisbees that had the Gospel printed on the back. This was my first introduction to what some call "cold turkey evangelism." Then, after a few years of being a pastor in Philadelphia, I began street preaching. A man we met on the corner of Broad and Olney while street preaching who started coming to the church regularly, who got baptized and joined the church - he, Lord willing, will be cooking the turkey for our community meal at the church on Thanksgiving this year. May our burden to share the Gospel with others grow!

To learn more about the great King Jesus and His glorious Gospel message, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.

Some Other Reasons For Thanksgiving

1. I'm thankful for a deeper, clearer understanding of the Cross: In the last 5 years, in response to false teaching, God has pushed me to study the cross more in depth, and it's been a tremendous blessing.

2. I'm thankful for the Trinity: I really enjoyed this study on the Trinity. 

3. I'm thankful for what God has been teaching me about Islam: God has given me an interest in better understanding Islam and pointing Muslims to Christ. These teachings by Nabeel Qureshi have been tremendously helpful. This article on the recent Hamas attacks on Israel shows some of the fruit of that study.

4. I'm thankful for how God's Word continues to challenge me to live a simple, war-time lifestyle for the glory of God.

5. I'm thankful that my parents didn't abort me, and how clear God's Word is on this issue and speaks to how we should and shouldn't vote on this issue.

6. I'm thankful for all the excellent preaching I've had the opportunity to hear over the years. Here are some of the most influential sermons I remember hearing/reading.

A Christmas Admonition About Gift-Giving

One of the elders at our church, Michael Osborne, wrote this admonition to help our congregation think Biblically about gift giving:

Christmas is coming. Beware! Satan can use even Christmas to get you to sin. That stinks, but it’s true. Satan can disguise himself as an “angel of light” and quote Scripture with the best of them (2 Cor. 11:14; Matt. 4:6). And Satan can take your love for your child and bend it toward the wrong standard of what’s good. You see, Satan succeeds not only when he gets you to do bad, but also when he gets you to measure yourself by the wrong standard of good.

You start by thinking, “I want to do what’s best for my child,” and you drift into “I want my child to have the best [you name it].” Other parents are getting something for their kids, and next thing you know, you’re thinking, “Maybe I’m not a good parent if I’m not providing that for my child.” You hear about kids opening present after present on Christmas day, and you wonder, “What’s wrong with me that I can’t get my kids that? Is it so wrong to want my kids to have a great Christmas experience?”

This is commonly called, “Keeping up with the Joneses.” The Bible calls it covetousness (Exod. 20:17). If you’ve gone into debt to get your children stuff for Christmas, you’re probably guilty. It looks like a desire to do good for your kids; but in fact it’s measuring your worth as a parent against a worldly (and high-stress!) standard. It takes what is a godly and good gesture—gift giving—and bends it into your sense of status and worth. It also assumes that it is “good” for your kid to open gift after gift, which is questionable at best.

There’s good news though: when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, He will not hold you accountable for failing to buy your kid the latest fad toy. (I am old enough to remember Cabbage Patch dolls and Tickle Me Elmo.) Instead, Christ will ask you, Did you “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4)? This is a lot easier on your budget, but a lot more challenging to your soul. Your children need Jesus, and He’s looking at you as the point person to bring them to Him: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deut. 6:6–7).

If you get your child the latest fad toy, it will go the way of Teddy Ruxpin and the Beanie Babies. (Do you even remember those? Yes? No?) What your children need is a godly parent, who will take time to interact with them, to teach them the gospel, that the Son of God was born into this world, lived a perfect life, died in the place of sinners, rose victorious over the grave, and is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:25). That can bless them for eternity.

Use Christmas Time And Other Times To Store Up Treasure In Heaven!

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 2 Timothy 4:13

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot

Christmas time, birthdays, engagements, weddings and other special occasions and holidays are often a time of extravagant spending. In a world where materialism, the love of money, and the idolizing of comfort is the air we breathe, as followers of the God-Man Who had no place to lay His head, we ought to seek to be different. As someone, somewhere has said:

Jesus was born in a borrowed animal shelter; He was laid in a borrowed manger; He sailed in a borrowed boat; He stayed in a borrowed home; He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey; and He was buried in a borrowed tomb! That's my King!

During these times, consider these creative gift ideas. Or consider the radical idea of giving gifts that will bear everlasting, spiritual fruit, like the gift of a Bible or good, Christian books that help people better understand God's Word and know Jesus Christ and grow in their faith. May we seek to store up treasure in heaven and help others store up treasure in heaven as well! That's true love - desiring to help others make the greatest gains and the most joyful gains that will produce the deepest happiness for the longest time - for all eternity!

remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

 

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38

Consider being radically counter-cultural, like Jonathan Goforth, who helped teach his lover lessons about eternal values and storing up treasure in heaven and not on earth by using their engagement ring money to purchase Gospel literature for a lost and dying world instead. It was this very God-centered focus and radical generosity that attracted Rosalind Bell-Smith to Jonathan in the first place. He was loving her so deeply when he did this! This is true love! True love wants the greatest joy for its beloved! True love wants the longest lasting joy for its beloved! True love wants the best quality of joy for its beloved! True love wants the greatest, most treasure filled future for its beloved! And all of that is found in Christ, becoming more like Him, and giving to others like He did and like He taught:

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:41-44

I have a Christian friend who, when he got married, sent a registry out where he and his fiancée did not ask for any gifts for themselves. They knew they already had all their needs:

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:6-9

Instead, they asked people to donate money to several Christ-honoring ministries: their local church where they met, orphan care, and help for the poor. They will receive their reward in heaven! And at their wedding reception, they gave away numerous solid Christian books to their guests! Oh that Christian marriages would drive us to be more focused on others and the cause of Christ in the world than on ourselves! It is more blessed to give than to receive! And we will get great rewards in the life to come that are infinitely better than the tiny treasures here on earth we so often settle for!

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, "Here I am." If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:6-11

So this Christmas and at other holidays and special occasions, I challenge you to consider Christ and eternity! Consider giving a money tip with a solid Christian book to your mail carrier or to those who pick up your trash during this time or at Easter time. Be creative! Let's have beautiful feet and tell people the greatest news in all the world so our King the Christ will be glorified and sinners will be saved from hell! Randy Alcorn gives some Giving Guidelines To Fight Materialism here.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not (it's not from a pagan holiday, by the way), it's a great time for evangelism! Charles Spurgeon loved Christmas time (he said that he wished "there were ten or a dozen Christmas-days in the year."). He loved how it compelled people to think of the birth of Christ, and we can help them! Some of the BEST gifts you can give people and friends and family at Christmas time and at all times are books that help them understand the Bible better and know God better. What could be a more loving, helpful gift than one that points them to the only One Who can save them and satisfy their souls with the greatest, longest lasting joy in the universe - joy in God Himself?! Jesus is God! He's the second Person in the Godhead! Let's tell the world about Him! Give the gift of Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying books! Help others make it to heaven and grow in Christ! And store up treasure in heaven!

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Places To Make Great Godly Book Purchases

1. Westminster Bookstore

2. CVBBS Books

3. Reformation Heritage Books

4. Christian Focus Publications

5. Ligonier Ministries Books

6. Desiring God Books

7. Presbyterian And Reformed Books

8. New Growth Press Books

9. Crossway Books

10. Banner Of Truth Books

More Resources On Storing Up Treasures In Heaven

1. Is It Sinful To Pray For A Larger Income?

2. Should Rich Christians Downgrade Their Lifestyle?

3. Does Jesus Teach Us To Sell All Our Possessions?

4. How Can I Be Free From Materialism?

5. How Concerned Should Christians Be With Consumerism?

6. How Do Christians Survive In Middle Class America?

7. Do The Biblical Warnings Against Riches Apply To Most Americans?

8. What Did Jesus Teach About Giving Generously?

9. Various Topics About Money

Randy Alcorn's ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries, is also helpful on money and giving, and his book The Treasure Principle is helpful as well.

To learn more about the great King Jesus and His glorious Gospel message, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone.

You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.

Christ Jesus Is The Son To Be Glorified!

Excellent Lectures On Islam By Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi

 

I've been immensely helped by Nabeel Qureshi's books and lectures on Islam. In this post I've compiled some of his work I've found most helpful.

1. This is his testimony of how he left Islam and came to know Jesus Christ:

2. This is a lecture he gave on Jihad in Islam, answering the question "Is Islam a religion of peace?":

3. This is a 7 part series Nabeel taught on Islam at Biola University:

Lecture 1: Islam Through The Eyes Of Muslims: Nabeel's Testimony

Lecture 2: Islamic Practices And Beliefs

Lecture 3: Sharia, Hadith, And Islamic History

Lecture 4 is here: Difficulties with the Historical Muhammad - Apologetics to Islam

Lecture 5: The Text Of The Quran

Lecture 6: Understanding The Violence In Islam

Lecture 7: Jesus In Islam vs. Jesus In Christianity

4. Here are some of Nabeel's books:

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward

See this excellent explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was produced in honor of Nabeel Qureshi's life: American Gospel: Christ Alone

You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.

Jesus In My Mind!

"But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16   

  "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3

I really enjoy James Taylor's song: Carolina In My Mind. 

I'm from North Carolina, and I always love going back to visit. But more than North Carolina, I want to go home to be with Jesus. I want to be with Jesus, and I want Jesus to be on my mind and controlling my mind and whole life more than anything or anyone else. So I wrote some new words for James Taylor's song:

Jesus In My Mind

In my mind, I'm gone to be with Jesus!

Can't you see His face shine?

Can't you just feel His love shine?

And ain’t He just like the friend of mine with perfect traits combined?

And, I'm gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

Jesus, He's the risen Son

You best trust His way and watch Him shine

Watch Him make all good things come

The God-Man soon appearing now, well He died and rose, come now

I'm gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

There ain't no doubt in no one's mind

That Christ’s the finest One around

Whispers true Words sweet and kind

And hey, child, He comes with fire, get ready, ain’t I?

I'm gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

In my mind, I'm gone to be with Jesus!

Can't you see His face shine?

Can't you just feel His love shine?

And ain’t He just like the friend of mine where every joy I find?

Till, I'm gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

Dark and silent late last night

I know I read and heard the God-Man callin’

I’m your joy filled with light

His grace and love and mercy say I’m going, I’m going

Gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

It’s a holy host of others standin’ around me

Still I’m on the far side from my LORD

And it looks like my heart goes out to Him forever

Oh LORD please help me

For I’m up and gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

In my mind, I'm gone to be with Jesus!

Can't you see His face shine?

Can't you just feel His love shine?

And ain’t He just like the friend of mine where beauty is defined?

And, I'm gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

So I’m gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

Yes, I’m already gone! Forever I’m gone!

Say true things about Him, I’m gone!

You’ll have to carry on without me, I’m gone!

I’ll be gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

Yes, I’m gone to be with Jesus in my mind!

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain . . . My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." Philippians 1:21, 23

". . . so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." Hebrews 9:28

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

"'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" 

Revelation 22:20

To know how to make it to heaven to be with Jesus - which is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Bible alone, all for the glory of God alone - please watch "American Gospel: Christ Alone."

And meet me in heaven with Jesus!

Bible Reading In The New Year

On reading the Bible, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, wrote:

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the First Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel and pray, “O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man”; “let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray.

John Piper writes:

I have never met a mature, fruitful, strong, spiritually discerning Christian who is not full of Scripture, devoted to regular meditation on Scripture, and given to storing it in the heart through Bible memorization. And that’s not a coincidence.

He goes on to give ten reasons "to make Bible reading, Bible understanding, and Bible memory essential to the Christian life" in this helpful article: Make The Bible Part Of Your Everyday In 2024.

7 Thoughts on Reading the Bible by J.C. Ryle

1) Read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it.

2) Read the Scriptures with a simple, childlike faith and humility.

3) Read the Word with a spirit of obedience and self-application.

4) Read the Holy Scriptures everyday.

5) Read the whole Bible and read it an orderly way.

6) Read the Word of God fairly and honestly.

7) Read the Bible with Christ constantly in view.

A Booklet By Jim Elliff: My Preferred Way To Read The Bible

Bible reading plans and other resources to consider for this new year:

1. Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan

Another layout of M'Cheyne's plan

2. Discipleship Journal plan

3. Various plans from Ligonier Ministries

4. Various resources on reading the Bible from Desiring God

5. A helpful article on Bible reading

6. Thoughts on Bible reading from Tim Challies (2023)

Thoughts on Bible reading from Tim Challies (2024)

7. Other Bible reading resources from Tim Challies

8. On reading and delighting in God's Word

9. On memorizing God's Word

The Goodness Of Memorizing God's Word

This is my sermon outline focusing on the goodness of memorizing God's Word. 

Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

David Mathis: Habits Of Grace: Enjoying Jesus Through The Spiritual Disciplines: Before turning our focus to “the means of grace,” and the practices (“habits”) that ready us to go on receiving God’s grace in our lives, this much must be clear from the outset: The grace of God is gloriously beyond our skill and technique. The means of grace are not about earning God’s favor, twisting his arm, or controlling his blessing, but readying ourselves for consistent saturation in the roll of his tides.

1) We were chosen by grace: Ephesians 1:4-5: he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ

2) Jesus’ work is grace to us: Titus 2:11: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people; Jesus came, full of grace & truth, & He lived a perfect life, died on that cross, & rose up from the dead!

3) We believe by grace: Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

4) We repent by grace: 2 Timothy 2:25: God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth

5) We were justified by grace: Romans 3:24: justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

6) We are being sanctified by grace: 2 Corinthians 12:9: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness

7) We will be glorified by grace: 2 Thessalonians 1:12: so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

David Mathis: The means of grace, & their many good expressions, will serve to make us more like him, but only as our focus returns continually to Christ himself, not our own Christlikeness. It is in “beholding the glory of the Lord” that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). Spiritual growth is a marvelous effect of such practices, but in a sense it is only a side effect. The heart is knowing & enjoying Jesus.

One way to know & enjoy Jesus: Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

John Piper: There are two ways to state the ultimate goal of life, one positively & one negatively. Positively we could say: the ultimate goal of life is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. Or negatively, we could say: the ultimate goal of life is not to sin. They both mean the same thing because sinning is falling short of glorifying God by embracing other things as more enjoyable. So if we could learn how to glorify God by enjoying him, we would know how not to sin. & if we could learn how not to sin, we would know how to glorify God by enjoying him. Psalm 119:11 tells us one of the keys to not sinning. It says, speaking to God, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against thee.” The way not to sin is to treasure the word of God in your heart. Which means that the way to succeed in the ultimate goal of life – to live for the glory of God by enjoying him forever – is to treasure the word of God in your heart.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

1. Memorizing God’s Word Forces You To Read God’s Word
You can’t memorize something unless you read it or hear it first. Memorizing God’s Word forces you to read it, & reading God’s Word has always been a priority for God’s people:

1) Exodus 24:7: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people.

2) The Kings of Israel: Deuteronomy 17:18-20: when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. & it shall be with him, & he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law & these statutes, & doing them

3) Joshua 8:34-35: And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

4) King Josiah’s reforms: 2 Kings 23:2: the king went up to the house of the LORD, & with him all the men of Judah & all the inhabitants of Jerusalem & the priests & the prophets, all the people, both small & great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.

5) Nehemiah 8:2-3: So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

6) Jesus: Luke 4:16-17: & he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. & as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, & he stood up to read.

7) The Church: Colossians 4:16: And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

- 1 Timothy 4:13: Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

- Revelation 1:3: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Memorizing God’s Word forces you to read it, & reading God’s Word will keep you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

2. Memorizing God’s Word Forces You To Meditate On God’s Word

Meditate (Webster’s 1828): To dwell on any thing in thought; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind; appropriately but not exclusively used of pious contemplation, or a consideration of the great truths of religion.

Donald Whitney: deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer.

1) Joshua 1:8-9: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

2) Psalm 1:1-2: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, & on his law he meditates day and night.
- Psalm 119:15: I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

- Psalm 145:5: On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

Memorizing God’s Word forces you to meditate on it, & meditating on God’s Word will keep you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

3. Memorizing God’s Word Helps You Rightly Understand God’s Word
Most false teaching occurs when false teachers take God’s Word out of context and focus on one truth in God’s Word to the exclusion of all the other truth in God’s Word.

Creflo Dollar teaches that Jesus was not God while He was here on earth because the Bible says God never sleeps nor slumbers, and there we see Jesus asleep on the boat. Dollar wrongly concluded from this that Jesus could not be God since the Bible says God never sleeps. This is absolutely false teaching that fails to understand that Jesus is both God and man.

What about all the other Bible verses that teach Jesus was (and still is!) God! (John 1:1; 8:58; 20:28)

Memorizing large portions of the Bible & memorizing verses that specifically shed light on certain Christian doctrines will help keep you from falling into false teaching & help you better understand God & His Word.

- Colossians 2:4: I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

- 2 Corinthians 10:5: We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ

- 2 Timothy 2:15: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Memorizing God’s Word helps you rightly understand it, & rightly understanding God’s Word will keep you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

4. Memorizing God’s Word Forces You To Think About God And Know Him Better

Colossians 3:1-2: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

David Mathis: When we learn the Scriptures by heart, we’re not just memorizing ancient, enduringly relevant texts, but we’re listening to & learning the voice of our Creator & Redeemer himself. When we memorize lines from the Bible, we are shaping our minds in the moment to mimic the structure and mindset of the mind of God . . . the apostle has two answers to the question, Who has known the mind of the Lord? The first is implied in the rhetorical question of Romans 11:34: “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” Answer: No one. His mind is infinitely beyond ours. “How unsearchable are his judgments & how inscrutable are his ways!” (Rom 11:33). No human may fully know the mind of God. & yet Paul gives this second answer in 1 Cor 2:16: “we have the mind of Christ.” As we not only read & study the Scriptures, but understand them, & then meditate on & memorize them, we increasingly “have the mind of Christ” as we are conformed to his image. We cannot know the mind of God exhaustively, but we can make real progress in degrees. & few ways, if any, imprint the mind of God on our minds like memorization, with meditation, of what he has so plainly said in the Scriptures.

Philippians 3:8: Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Memorizing God’s Word forces you to think about God & know God better, & thinking about God and knowing Him better will keep you from sinning against Him.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

5. Memorizing God’s Word Reminds You Of God’s Commandments So That You May Trust And Obey

- Psalm 119:7-11: I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

- John 8:31-32: If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, & you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

- John 15:7: my words abide in you (This is more than mere memorization!)

- Matthew 28:20: teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

- Romans 10:17: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Memorizing God’s Word reminds you of God’s commandments so that you may trust & obey God, & when you trust and obey God, you are kept from sinning against Him.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

I love watching this child recite Psalm 23 from memory! 

Parents, fill your children with God's Word early!

6. Memorizing God’s Word Brings You Joy In God

- Psalm 119:20: My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

- Psalm 119:14: In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

- Psalm 119:72: The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

- Psalm 119:103: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

- Psalm 119:24: Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

- Psalm 119:131: I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.

Memorizing God’s Word brings you joy in God, & joy in God will keep you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

7. Memorizing God’s Word Helps You Share God’s Truth With Others

1) The Gospel: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures . . . . (evangelism and defending the faith; God’s Word: a fire, a hammer, will not return void!)

2) Discipleship: The Great Commission

3) Encouragement: Romans 15:4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18: For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, & with the sound of the trumpet of God. & the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, & so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

4) Warning: 1 Thessalonians 5:14: And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Memorizing God’s Word helps you share God’s truth with others, & sharing God’s truth with others keeps you from sinning against God. (You are obeying God in Evangelism & Discipleship; You’re busy about God’s work)

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

8. We Are Commanded/Encouraged To Memorize God’s Word

- Deuteronomy 6:4-9: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your might. & these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, & shall talk of them when you sit in your house, & when you walk by the way, & when you lie down, & when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates.

- Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

You are commanded/encouraged to memorize God’s Word & obeying God’s commands keeps you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

9. Memorizing God’s Word Renews Your Mind And Makes You Wise

- Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

- Psalm 119:97-100: Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

David Mathis: Bible memory not only prepares us for the someday-maybes when we use a memorized verse in counseling or witnessing or fighting sin, but it contributes powerfully in the present to making us the kind of person who walks in the Spirit today. It contributes right now to your being “renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23), and being “transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Not only is it then accessible to us for future decision-making and temptation-battling in varying contexts, but the very act of memorizing Scripture, as we understand and engage with the meaning of the text, changes our minds in the present to make us the kind of people who “discern what is the will of God.”

Memorizing God’s Word renews your mind & makes you wise, & renewing your mind and pursing wisdom keeps you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

10. Memorize God’s Word To Fight Like Jesus, To Be Like Jesus, And To See Jesus
Jesus Christ stored, treasured, hid God’s Word in His heart like no other man who ever lived! And He is the only man who ever lived who never sinned against God! “It is written!” “Have you not read?!”

Kevin Halloran: He quoted twenty-four books of the Old Testament almost 180 times in the New Testament. It’s clear that he thought of the Scriptures as the ultimate authority in life and a way to understand the heart and desires of God. Why would we not follow the example of Jesus in knowing the Scriptures by heart?

a. Jesus Christ fought temptations using Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. & after fasting forty days & forty nights, he was hungry. & the tempter came & said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city & set him on the pinnacle of the temple & said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' & "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain & showed him all the kingdoms of the world & their glory. & he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down & worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God & him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, & behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

- Ephesians 6:17: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

- Matthew 5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

- Psalm 42:5: Hope in God

- Psalm 56:3: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

b. You see Jesus when you store God’s Word up in your heart: Galatians 3:1: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

Simon Gathercole: Paul believes that his proclamation of the Gospel was so vivid in the Galatians’ presence that it was as if they had been eyewitnesses of the crucifixion.

Moses And The Prophets' Main Message Is Jesus Christ Himself:

- Luke 24:27: And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

- John 1:45: We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote - Jesus of Nazareth

- John 5:39: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me

- John 5:46: For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.

- Acts 10:43: To Him all the prophets witness

The Father's Main Message Is Jesus Christ Himself:

- John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

- John 5:37: And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.

- John 8:18: I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.

- 1 John 4:14: And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

- 1 John 5:9-12: If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Jesus' Main Message Is Jesus Christ Himself:

- John 6:35: I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, & he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

- John 8:12: I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

- John 10:9: I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved

- John 10:11: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

- John 11:25: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

- John 14:6: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

- John 15:5: I am the vine, you are the branches for without Me you can do nothing.

The Holy Spirit's Main Message Is Jesus Christ Himself:

- John 15:26: But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

- John 16:14: He [the Spirit of truth] will glorify Me [Jesus], for he will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

- 1 Corinthians 12:3: Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles' Main Message Is Jesus Christ Himself:

- Acts 1:8: you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me

- Acts 5:42: daily in the temple, & in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

- Acts 8:5: Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria & preached Christ to them.

- Acts 9:20: he [Paul] preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

- 1 Corinthians 2:2: For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Memorize God’s Word to fight like Jesus, to be like Jesus, & to see Jesus because fighting like Jesus, being like Jesus, and seeing Jesus keeps you from sinning against God.

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

1 John 2:1: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Jesus Christ was crucified. He died on that cross & rose from the dead so that we might be saved & desire Him & His Word! He died on that cross & rose from the dead so that we might be saved from our sins & live out the purpose for which we were created – to glorify God & not sin against Him!

Christ Jesus’ Heart Is A Treasure Chest
Filled With God And God’s Word Best
He’s God And Man Forever Blessed
Who Is The Word Who Came With Zest
He Spoke God’s Word And All Addressed
And Memorized So When He’s Pressed
He Quoted Scripture Passed The Test
Then Died And Rose To Give Us Rest
So In His Righteousness We’re Dressed
He Saves All Nations East To West
Now With His Word We Are Obsessed
And Hide It In Our Hearts Possessed
So More And More Our Sins Detest
For Christ Is All Our Treasure Chest
In Him We Find Our Every Best!

Memorize God’s Word 

That Your Hearts May Be Stirred 

To Turn From Sin Absurd

For Christ Is Always Preferred

More Resources On Memorizing God's Word

1. Thy Word I Have Treasured In My Heart by John Piper

2. If My Words Abide In You by John Piper

3. Habits Of Grace: Enjoying Jesus Through The Spiritual Disciplines by David Mathis

4. An Approach To Extended Memorization Of Scripture by Dr. Andrew Davis

5. Ten Reasons To Memorize Big Chunks Of The Bible by Jon Bloom

6. Five Tips For Bible Memory by David Mathis

7. Memorize The Mind Of God by David Mathis

8. Ten Biblical Reasons To Memorize Scripture by Kevin Halloran

9. Resources For Memorizing God's Word From Desiring God

10. Resources For Memorizing Scripture by Reagan Rose

11. Navigators Bible Memory Plan

12. Fighter Verses Bible Memory Plan

13. Pastor David Platt reciting Romans chapters 1 through 8 from memory

14. Storing Up Scripture In Our Hearts by Sinclair Ferguson

15. The Importance of Scripture Memorization and Prayer by G. K. Beale

16. Conquering Excuses For Scripture Memory by Andrew Davis

Resources On The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

To learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone.

You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.