Tag Archives: Jesus

January 4, 2024 · 9:00 pm

No Favoritism

1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

James 2:1-3

The Apostle moves to the subject of favoritism in chapter 2. James condemns favoritism in all its forms in these verses. The particular emphasis seems to be on class and financial status in verses 2-3.

This Scripture teaches us to treat others justly and equally. Everyone is to be treated with dignity and grace no matter the differences in societal class, money, or position. In the church, everyone is a part of the body and no one is more important or less important.

Christ is the head of the church and all who make up that body are saved and sanctified forevermore. Even our guests who are not a part of the church should be treated with dignity and love. No one is favored above the others. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.  

Tony French

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November 20, 2023 · 9:00 am

Incarnation

One of the great tenets of the Christian faith surrounds the person of Jesus Christ. We proclaim that He is all God and all man. Somehow, through the miraculous power of God, Jesus received humanity in the incarnation.

Today, let us think about the one who came to identify with us. He felt the emotions we feel and Christ experienced life as we experience it. Let us look as some examples.

**He became hungry.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.  Matthew 4:1-2

**He became tired and rested.

So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  John 4:5-6

**He was thirsty at times.

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

John 4:7

**Jesus cried.

“Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

The mystery of the incarnation is deep and profound. Jesus experienced the entirety of humanity and yet remained without sin for us. He loves us today. And He understands because, He’s been there.

Tony French

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October 9, 2023 · 9:00 am

Longsuffering

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Do you ever feel as if you have waited on God for a long time? Does it seem that your patience is at an end and you’re wondering when the Lord will come through for you? If so, you are not alone. Consider these examples from Scripture………..

**Abraham waited on an Heir—Genesis 21:1-5

**Joseph waited on a Dream—Genesis 37:18-28

**David waited on a Rule—I Samuel 16:1-13 & II Samuel 5

**Job waited on Restoration—Job 42:12-17

**Jesus waited on a Resurrection—Matthew 28:1-8

All these waited patiently and God’s promise was fulfilled in their lives. Wait on the Lord, my friend. God is faithful and will reward your longsuffering when you trust in Him!

Tony French

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September 28, 2023 · 6:00 pm

Supply

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

This promise from the Word of God is powerful and all-encompassing. The precept that the Christian learns here is key to achieving the peace of God. Let us examine this one verse in detail this week.

Who is the author of this promise? God Himself is the guarantor of this awesome principle. Our Lord is able to keep every pledge He makes. We can trust Him with everything and with every need in our lives. Our Lord is able to do exactly what His Word declares.

What does the promise entail? God will supply all of our needs. He will bring us through and grant us all that we need to live for Christ. This verse does not guarantee that the Almighty will give us all that we want. The Father has vowed to meet our needs whenever they arise. God’s timing can be very different than ours. He will provide and you and I can trust Him in our times of difficulty.  

How is this promise enacted? The Father will enact this principle through His riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection teaches the Christian that God’s power can and does perform miracles. Our Lord can do all that He has declared. If He raised Jesus from the dead, the Almighty can take care of us.

What an incredible promise one sees in this passage of Scripture. Thanks be to God who takes care of His own. You can trust in the Lord, child of God.

Tony French

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September 7, 2023 · 9:00 pm

The Mind of Christ

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that Christians have been given the “mind of Christ.” He takes that principle further by instructing Believers to live in that reality in Philippians 2. “Let this mind be in you” is the command given to God’s people. Let us examine three precepts about Jesus life that He demonstrated for us. And may we pursue the mind of Jesus in our own lives as well.

First, Jesus was willing to serve. Christ served by teaching, healing, and loving the outcasts. Then, He took upon Himself the posture of a servant and completed His earthly ministry dying as a common criminal for the sin of humanity. He served the people of the world by giving up His life for them. Greater love cannot be shown. (John 15:13)

The Savior also humbled Himself. Christ left behind the glory that is rightfully His as the Son of God and took upon Himself human flesh. He humbled Himself and condescended to this planet so that those who believe might be saved. He lived for our righteousness so that we might be made righteous through His life. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Finally, the Son of God fulfilled the will of His Father. Even though Jesus is co-equal with the Father, nevertheless, He was obedient unto death for our salvation. Jesus is our example of obedience and we ought to follow that trajectory in our lives as well.

One day the entire world will acknowledge Jesus as Lord. There is coming time in which every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess the lordship of Christ. Christian, let us acknowledge the glory and lordship of the Savior every single day. It is the least that we can do.

Tony French

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August 10, 2023 · 9:00 pm

A Sure Foundation

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Matthew 7:24-29

Jesus’ final illustration in this Scripture asks us this question. Upon what are we building our lives?  Those who hear and obey Jesus’ teaching will be able to stand and persevere when the storms of life come upon them. Because their lives are built upon the foundation of Christ, true believers will endure till the end.    

Those who hear the message and refuse to obey it will suffer the consequences. Since their lives are built upon the temporary foundation of this world, their lives will suffer destruction when troubles and trials overtake them. When the foundation is lacking, the structure will eventually fall.

The end of Jesus’ teaching spark two reactions from the crowd. First, they were astonished. No one had ever taught and captivated an audience like the Lord Jesus. His teaching is simple and yet powerful and life-changing.

They were also impressed by Jesus’ authority. He did not appeal to the authority of others. He grounded what He taught in the fact that He is the final judge and authority. No other authority was needed.

True saving faith will result in change. Your desires will be changed, your life focus will be changed and your salvation will result in right living. Believers will not be perfect. But, true Christians will seek faithful obedience to the Word of God.

Tony French

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July 24, 2023 · 9:00 am

God Is………..

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good and perfect in all of His ways. His goodness remains in all times and in all places. The Lord is good, great and holy forevermore.

The Lord is protects His people. Even during times of difficulty, Jesus is our refuge who never changes. He is our place of safety in a dangerous world.

The Lord cares for His children. He knows those who trust in Him. And Christ never forgets His own.

The Old Testament prophet gives us great truth here. God is good, protective, and compassionate towards those who are His. That truth is what we need to live for Him each day of our existence on this planet.

Tony French

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June 1, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Deal With It

Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:5

Jesus took particular offense to hypocrisy in the Scriptures. Our Savior specifically called out those who pretended to be something they are not. All of us are vulnerable to adopting a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality. What are we to do?

Later in the chapter, we see the antidote to hypocrisy. Be authentic! Deal with your own issues. Don’t seek to help others when you have open sinfulness in your life. Don’t pretend you are something you are not but repent, confess, be forgiven, and seek to follow Christ.

When we are honest about our struggles, we gain credibility with those around us. Also, true genuineness will help us earn an audience with those who need the gospel message and with fellow Christians.

When we have dealt with our own issues, we are then better equipped to point others to the truth. We are to love others enough to tell them the truth. Let’s not let anything get in the way of being loving truth bearers in our age of confusion, especially our own hypocrisy.

Tony French

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May 18, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Be Careful

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 7:2

The directive of our Savior is—be careful how you judge. Christians ought to make judgements based on the truth of God’s Word and not by their opinions. Believers should also examine themselves and remove any hypocrisy from their evaluations.

Let’s reiterate what Jesus is teaching. 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.

Careful examination of ourselves is needed to help others.  This careful evaluation reminds us to be cautious about judging the motives of the hearts and minds of others. When we judge, we will be judged in return.

Tony French

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May 15, 2023 · 9:00 am

Shine The Light

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

Shine the light. Christian, shine the light of Jesus. Shine it so that others may see and glorify God. Shine the light so that others may know the truth. Shine the light so that others may be saved.

Shine the light by loving others. Shine the light by loving the least of these. Shine it by loving and caring for those who need Jesus. Wherever you go, shine the light!

And He said to him,” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” 

Matthew 22:37-40

Shine the light by serving others. Let us find tangible ways to serve our neighbors and our communities. Serve the Lord with gladness by serving others.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Mark 10:42-45

Shine the light by pointing others to the truth. Shine the light so that others may sin their sinfulness and be drawn to the Savior. Shine the light so that others may know.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 

Ephesians 4:15

Tony French

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