May 11, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Judge Not

“Judge not, that you be not judged.

Matthew 7:1

Jesus uses an important literary technique of hyperbole in order to emphasize his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Hyperbole is exaggerations (sometimes extreme exaggerations) that are meant to underscore a point. They are not necessarily to be understood as doctrinal truth but they illustrate and demonstrate didactic truth. Christ uses hyperbole in this passage that we need to identify so that we can understand the truth being taught here.

Matthew 7:1 is the world’s favorite Bible verse. Many interpret this verse to mean that Christians are never to offer any judgement about matters of right or wrong and matters of morality or immorality. But is this honestly what Jesus means? 

No. In Scripture, we are commanded to test the spirits, (1 John 4:1) to be wise as serpents, (Matthew 10:16) and to be on the alert for the lies of the devil. (1 Peter 5:8)   In other words we are called to make judgements about truth and about lies. That can’t be what Jesus is saying.

Instead, let’s understand that Jesus uses hyperbole here to remind us to be careful about judging others. If we judge, we will be judged in return. When we judge, we will be judged by the same standard that we use for others.

We must make judgements and evaluations about right and wrong from time to time. We should be very careful about judging the hearts and minds of others because we don’t always know the whole story and we are sinners ourselves.

Tony French

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May 8, 2023 · 9:00 am

Grace

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

God’s grace is undeserved. God has saved and transformed us not because we were worthy. We were certainly unworthy. Christ died for us out of His great love—a love that is undeserved in every way. 

God’s grace is unearned. No amount of human effort can merit God’s grace. Salvation is not of works and there is no boasting.

God’s grace is unyielding. God’s grace saves us, supplies us, and secures us forever. His grace never ends.

Grace. No wonder they call it amazing!

Tony French

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May 4, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Seek First

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:33-34

The end of this teaching forms one of the more famous passages in all of Scripture. Seek first God’s kingdom. When we do that, all that we need will be added to us.

Let us cease our worrying about the future. We cannot change the past and we don’t know the future. We have enough to worry about for today.

What does it practically mean to seek the Kingdom of God? How can we follow Jesus’ commands? The following list may help. This list is not exhaustive but can be a guide to help us.

Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer

  • Seek to be obedient to God’s Word
  • Be a part of a local church
  • Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer
  • Learn to serve others through the church and in your daily life
  • Be aware of God’s work in your life through the day as He guides, provides, and protects

Worry saps our spiritual strength and keeps us from having power with God. May we choose the alternative and live by trusting that God will meet our needs by His power.

Tony French

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May 1, 2023 · 9:00 am

Grace

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

God’s grace is undeserved. God has saved and transformed us not because we were worthy. We were certainly unworthy. Christ died for us out of His great love—a love that is undeserved in every way. 

God’s grace is unearned. No amount of human effort can merit God’s grace. Salvation is not of works and there is no boasting.

God’s grace is unyielding. God’s grace saves us, supplies us, and secures us forever. His grace never ends.

Grace. No wonder they call it amazing!

Tony French

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April 27, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Our Supply

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.Matthew 6:28-32God provides for us bountifully. He clothes the flowers as He clothed Solomon. He dresses the grass of the fields and He will provide for us in the same way. Jesus’ words reverberate throughout this passage once again. Don’t worry about what to eat, what to drink, or what to wear. Why? Our heavenly father knows what we need even before we ask it. He knows what we need and He will provide.We can trust the Lord. We can believe the Lord. And we can serve Him knowing all that we need, we will have. Tony French

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April 24, 2023 · 9:00 am

Mystery of Mysteries

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The Trinity is a mystery beyond mysteries. God is three and yet God is one. A doctrine such as this is complex and beyond us in many ways.

Nevertheless, the Bible does teach that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the same in essence, power, and glory. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are declared as God, given worship, and given glory in the Holy Scriptures. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are shown to us a Creator and Sustainer in Holy Writ. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. These few points are sureties we can hold to in all of life. 

Hallelujah! The Lord God Almighty reigns. He is able and worthy!

Tony French

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April 20, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Look To The Birds

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Matthew 6:26-27

Dear Christian, instead of worrying, we should trust God to meet our needs. He meets needs in nature and provides for the animals. In the same way, He will provide for us.

Worrying is of no value to us as Christians. It really doesn’t change anything. All it does is make us miserable.

This is not to say that worry won’t come upon us from time to time. We all know that it does.  But the Father knows what we need. Let’s not live in fear and worry. Let’s overcome it by faith.

God bless you all!

Tony French

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April 17, 2023 · 9:00 am

The Solid Rock

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace,
In ev’ry high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Tony French

Written by Edward Mote & William Bradbury

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April 13, 2023 · 6:00 pm

Justified

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Romans 5:1-2

What do Christians have in Christ Jesus? What has been credited to the account of the Believer as a result of their salvation? Let’s seek to find a brief answer in this post.

Christians are justified through the blood of Christ. The justified are forgiven and their guilt is removed forever. No matter what may come, the saved are clean before the Lord.

Those who have received justification are also righteous in the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Jesus is applied to the Christian’s account while the sin of the Believer is transferred to Jesus account. This is a powerful, divine exchange born of God’s love.

Saved people are reconciled to God. All of this takes place through the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and is secure forevermore. The Lord will in no way cast out His children.

This is just a small sampling of all that we have in Christ. But, it is more than enough to bring Jesus glory and honor forever. What a Savior!

Tony French

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April 10, 2023 · 9:00 am

Risen Indeed

“He has risen!” (Luke 24:6)  That simple, powerful phrase changed the course of history and eternity at once. Jesus death, burial, and resurrection had been predicted throughout His ministry. And now it was fulfilled just as He had said. He was no longer dead, but alive forevermore.

The resurrection is the heart of the Christian faith. Without it, Paul tells us our “faith is vain and we are yet (still) in our sins.” (1st Corinthians 15:17)  The resurrection, though an audacious claim, proved the veracity and truthfulness of the Messiah. It serves as verifiable evidence that everything He said was truth and that He was indeed the very Son of God.

What a difference the resurrection of Christ makes in our lives. Without it, we are lost and hopeless. Through the finished work of Christ, we are brought near to God through the wonder of reconciliation. (2nd Corinthians 5:18-19) The resurrection gives us “the hope that our sins are paid for (Romans 4:25), death has been defeated (Hebrews 2:14), and the hope of eternal life when we repent and turn to Christ, accepting what He has done for us.”[1]

How should we as believers respond to this hope? I would imagine that there would be many responses, but praise and sharing are two that come to mind. Our worship and praise should be centered on all that Christ has accomplished for us and in us through His completed work of sacrifice and resurrection.

Given that we have received so much, how can we not share it? Those early disciples centered their witness on Christ’s death and resurrection. We should do no less today.

He has risen indeed!

Tony French

 http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2011/the-resurrection-myth-or-history/

[1] http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2011/the-resurrection-myth-or-history/

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