Die To Live Galatians 2:20 Romans 6:1-4 Romans 6:5-11 Romans 8:9-14 Colossians 2:9-15 Colossians 3:1-4 Luke 9:23-25 John 10:10 04.28.17

DIE TO LIVE

BREAD

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.   Romans 6:1-4 (NIV)

5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.   Romans 6:5-11 (NIV)

9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.   Romans 8:9-14 (NIV)

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.   Colossians 2:9-15 (NIV)

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.   Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)

23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”   Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.   John 10:10 (NIV)

BUTTER

“George Muller, when asked the secret of his work, replied, ‘There came a day when George Muller died, utterly died!  No longer did his own desires, preferences, and tastes come first.  He knew that from then on Christ had to be all in all.’”   Robert J. Morgan

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”   C. T. Studd

“I once asked a prominent minister how he remained so visionary and passionate.  ‘I execute myself every day with 220 volts,’ he said.  ‘Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ.’”   Robert J. Morgan

“When God calls a man, He bids him come and die.”   Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Christianity is more than going to heaven when you die; it’s about dying with Christ now — so you can live now.  Christianity is more than performing a good life —- it’s about Christ performing an entirely perfect life for you — so you can live the abundant life in its entirety.  Christianity is more than going through the motions — it’s about letting about Christ touch the heart of your emotions  — and going through life with Him. It’s time to check behind the cheap frame of things — because it turns out:  A life of faith may not be what you think — or what most people live.  It’s infinitely more.”   Ann Voskamp 

“It is the great moment in our lives when we decide that sin must die right out.”    Oswald Chambers

“All the graces of a Christian spring from the death of self.”    Madam Guyon

“It costs much to obtain the power of the Spirit:  It costs self-surrender and humiliation and a yielding up of our most precious things to God; it costs the perseverance of long waiting, and the faith of strong trust.  But when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference, that whereas before, it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hard things.”    A. J. Gordon

“Many Christians focus on the joys of the New Life and forget about the obligations of the New Death.”   Robert J. Morgan

“Something happens when we come to God for His grace and mercy--something that is so radical and so amazing that it can only be described as death to our old selves. It is the overwhelming desire to please the One who has loved us with such amazing and unconditional love...I may not get better overnight; I may not be the fine, upstanding, and wonderful Christian I thought I was, but I now have a desire to please the One who loved me (and gave Himself for me). That desire is the soil in which goodness grows--not perfectly, by any means, but it does grow.”  Steve Brown

“If I really love God, my innate and persistent selfishness will have received its death blow.”   Alexander Smellie

“What are believers saved from?  From their former position under the wrath of God, the dominion of sin, and the power of death; from their natural condition of being mastered by the world, the flesh and the devil; from the fears that a sinful life engenders, and from the many vicious habits that were part of it.  How are believers saved from these things?  Through Christ, and in Christ.  Our salvation involves first, Christ dying for us and second, Christ living in us and we living in Christ, united with Him in His death and risen life.  This vital union, which is sustained by the Spirit from the divine side and by faith from our side, and which is formed in and through our new birth, presupposes covenantal union in the sense of our eternal election in Christ.”   J I Packer

“Moralism, whether it takes the form of denunciation or pep talks, can ultimately only create awareness of sin and guilt or manufactured virtues built on will power.  A ministry which leads to genuine sanctification and growth, on the other hand, avoids moralism, first by making clear the deep rootage of sin-problems in the flesh so that the congregation is not battling these in the dark, and then by showing that every victory over the flesh is won by faith in Christ, laying hold of union with Him in death and resurrection and relying on His Spirit for the power over sin.  Presented in this context, even the demand for sanctification becomes part of the Good News…Ministries which attack only the surface of sin and fail to ground spiritual growth in the believer’s union with Christ produces either self-righteousness or despair, and both of these conditions are inimical to spiritual life.”   Richard Lovelace

“Though we now see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, we hold the certainty of the hope of glory in our hearts.  And what does that entail?  As believers, we are presently objects of Divine approval and blessedness because of the blood of Jesus and His righteousness and we presently possess this glory in spirit by the Holy Spirit.  One day – either upon Jesus’ return or our death – we will be transformed outwardly as well into this glorified beautiful condition.  It is a state into which one is accorded the fullest enjoyment of the admiration of God as objects of His highest regard and praise and further the enjoyment of fullness, satisfaction, joy, righteousness and ceaseless delight.  It encompasses outward splendor, grandeur, pomp, elegance, magnificence, beauty, excellence of appearance, impressiveness, brilliance, illustriousness and eminence (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible – New Testament Lexical Aids).  Therefore, encourage one another with these words!”  BHY

“Resurrection is every moment when we grasp hope and let go of despair.  Resurrection waits for us on the other side of death. On the other side of fear. On the other side of the great, flying leap into the unknown. Resurrection is our return to life. Resurrection is our homecoming.”   Christie Purifoy

“Our Lord Jesus, by His death, didn’t purchase a right to only a part of us, but to the entire person.  In His passion, He contemplated our sanctification in its entirety, spirit, soul, and body, so that, in this triple kingdom, He Himself might reign supreme without a rival.  It is the business of the newborn nature which God has given to the regenerate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ.  My soul, inasmuch as you are a child of God, you must conquer all the rest of yourself which yet remains unblessed; you must subdue all your powers and passions to the silver scepter of Jesus’ gracious reign, and you must never be satisfied until He who is King by purchase becomes also King by gracious coronation, and reigns in you supreme.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

·       My selfishness must take a deathblow.

·       As a believer in Jesus, I am His.  He has me entirely.  He is my King.

·       As I die to self He gives me life in abundance.  He is ever so worth it – so worthy of my all.  It is taking hold of life that is truly life.

"Who Do You Say That I Am?" Colossians 1:15-20 Colossians 2:2-3 Colossians 2:9-10 John 1:1-5 John 1:10-13 John 14:6-7 John 10:24-30 Revelation 1:7-8 Joel 3:14-16 1 John 2:6 04.26.17

“WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?”

BREAD

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.   Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV)

2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Colossians 2:2-3 (NIV)

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.  Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.   John 1:1-5 (NIV)

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.   John 1:10-13 (NIV)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”   John 14:6-7 (NIV)

24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”   John 10:24-30 (NIV)

7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.  8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”   Revelation 1:7-8 (NIV)

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 16 The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.   Joel 3:14-16 (NIV)

6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.   1 John 2:6 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Upon the authority of God’s Word, I declare that Christ is the answer to every baffling perplexity which plagues mankind.  In Him is found the cure for care, a balm for bereavement, a healing for our hurts, and a sufficiency for our insufficiency.”   Billy Graham

“When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.”  Charles Spurgeon

“Jesus is the One who shows us the paradoxical route to meaning in a chaotic and hostile world.  It’s the paradox of the gospel: Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender….God uses the frustrations of this life and the hurt of relationships to compel us to look beyond what we can control to the God who controls all things in order to woo us to himself. As we move from control to surrender, we move from chasing the wind under the sun to embracing God above it.”  Dan Allender

“Can the elder son in me come home? Can I be found as the younger son was found? How can I return when I am lost in resentment, when I am caught in jealousy, when I am imprisoned in obedience and duty lived out as slavery? It is clear that alone, by myself, I cannot find myself. More daunting than healing myself as the younger son, is healing myself as the elder son. Confronted here with the impossibility of self-redemption, I now understand Jesus’ words to Nicodemus: ‘Do not be surprised when I say; ‘You must be born from above.’’ Indeed, something has to happen that I myself cannot cause to happen. I cannot be reborn from below; that is, with my own strength, with my own mind with my own psychological insights…I can only be healed from above, from where God reaches down. What is impossible for me is possible for God. ‘With God, everything is possible’.”   Henri Nouwen

“Do you know who you are? Do you know who you were designed to be? Do you know the Father’s intent for your life? You are meant to hear in your spirit the same thing Jesus heard when he came out of the waters of baptism at the beginning of his ministry: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’….J I Packer puts it simply. ‘What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father’…Our highest privilege and deepest need is to experience the holy God as our loving Father, to approach him without fear and to be assured of his fatherly care and concern.”  Greg Ogden

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me.  This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time.”  Tim Keller

“Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.”   Oswald Chambers

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”   C. T. Studd

“Barbara, the world needs to see Jesus…As long as all they can see is you, they will never see Me.”   Barbara Barker

“The popular image of Christ as ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ simply will not do.  To be sure, He was full of love, compassion and tenderness.  But He was also uninhibited in exposing error and denouncing hypocrisy.  Christ was a controversialist.”   John Stott

"Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art.”  Charles Wesley

“Tomorrow’s history has already been written – at the name of Jesus, every knee must bow.”  Paul Kauffman

“There’s not a thumb’s breadth of this universe about which Jesus Christ does not say, ‘It is mine.’”    Abraham Kuyper

"Our Christian testimony, as Peter reminded his readers, is that, ‘we have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of the dead’.  Who else has the answer to the frailty of life, the reality of death and the certainty of judgment than Jesus, who by His death destroyed him who holds the power of death and frees those whose lives are enslaved by the fear of death?”  Alistair Begg 

“I’m seeing how robust and cogent, how versatile, sweeping and effective is the message and life of our Jesus. He fits. He is not ‘foreign’ to any person no matter their origins. His teachings work in ANY culture. His Being and Life resonates to all who hear of Him, to all who hear Him.  He infuses and changes us forever.”   Paula Kirby

“Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man….Everything is different because He has done so.”   C.S. Lewis 

“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’.  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh!  Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”     C. H. Spurgeon

“We are changed by beholding.”    Hudson Taylor

HEART SAVOR

• ·       In Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• ·       He is my Savior, my Sufficiency, my Sanctifier and my soul’s Friend.
• ·       I am changed by looking unto Jesus keeping the eyes of my heart solely upon Him – the Author and Perfecter of my faith.  1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.   Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)     

A Grateful Heart 1 Chronicles 16:8 Psalms 7:17 Psalms 75:1 Psalms 118:28-29 Colossians 3:15-17 Ephesians 5:15-20 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 Hebrews 13:15 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 04.24.17

A GRATEFUL HEART

BREAD

8 Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.   Psalms 7:17 (NIV)

1 We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.   Psalms 75:1 (NIV)

28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.   Psalms 118:28-29 (NIV)

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (NIV)

15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.   Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Patience in the moment only comes from gratefulness for the moment. …. ”   Ann Voskamp

“Ungrateful people live under the deception that they are always entitled to more.”  Wayne Cordeiro

“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives-the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections-that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.  Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”     Henri Nouwen

“But, grateful eyes truly do see grace and goodness, even in the most difficult and unattractive packages.  The Gratitude Syndrome makes you desire what you already have rather than always needing to have what you think you desire.  Gratitude makes life’s horizon bright and big rather than dark and distant. It turns what you have into more than enough.”    Jennifer Rothschild

“The root of joy is gratefulness … It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”   David Steindl-Rast

“No amount of regret changes the past.  No amount of anxiety changes the future.  Any amount of grateful joy changes the present.”   Ann Voskamp

“Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.”  John Henry Jowett

“Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart — transforming the disposition and the whole character.  Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.  An occasional burst of praise, in the midst of years of complaining, is not what is required. Songs on rare, sunshiny days; and no songs when skies are cloudy—will not make a life of gratitude. The heart must learn to sing always.  This lesson is learned only when it becomes a habit which nothing can weaken.  We must persist in being thankful.  When we can see no reason for praise—we must believe in the divine love and goodness, and sing in the darkness.  Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.”   J. R. Miller

“A life of thankfulness releases the glory of God.”   Bengt Sundberg

“There are two ways of getting out of a trial.  One is to simply try to get rid of the trial, and be thankful when it is over.  The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had, and to hail it with delight as an opportunity of obtaining a larger measure of divine grace.  Thus even the adversary becomes an auxiliary, and the things that seem to be against us turn out to be for the furtherance of our way.  Surely, this is to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”   A. B. Simpson

“It is so easy to give thanks for what one naturally chooses, but that does not cover the ‘everything’ of the text...One morning lately, in speaking of some small trouble, I quoted ‘In everything give thanks,’ and at once someone answered ‘But I cannot give thanks for everything.’ Now if our God tells us to do a thing and we say cannot, there is something wrong somewhere, for we all know the words ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me’ - that is, all things commanded. It is treason to say 'I cannot.’ But first we should make sure that we are commanded to do this.  The text says give thanks IN everything, not FOR everything. All God's biddings are enablings. We can do that. We will do that.”   Amy Carmichael

HEART SAVOR

• ·      God desires for me to have a grateful heart in all things.  This flows from a faith that knows He loves me and that He has my very best interest at heart.  God is the Master at making beauty out of ashes and the uglier the “ash” the more beautiful the beauty.  He takes the hardest things in my life to make the most beautiful.  The pain of childbirth pales at the sight of the child and the gold doesn’t enjoy the heat but does the shine it produces.  I am to bear each cross with thanksgiving looking forward for what He is producing in and through me, fixing my eyes on Jesus.   2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.   Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)
• ·        A thankful child pleases the Father Who is the Giver of all things.
• ·       Gratitude brings contentment.  

Shame On Shame For God's People Genesis 2:25 Psalms 25:1-3 Psalms 34:3-8 Isaiah 8:12-14 Isaiah 65:13-14 Romans 9:33 Romans 10:10-11 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Hebrews 12:1-3 Hebrews 4:14-16 04.21.17

SHAME ON SHAME FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

BREAD

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.  Genesis 2:25 (NIV)

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.   Psalms 25:1-3 (NIV)

3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.   Psalms 34:3-8 (NIV)

12 “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”  Isaiah 8:12-14 (NIV)

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. 14 My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.”   Isaiah 65:13-14 (NIV)

33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  Romans 9:33 (NIV)

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”   Romans 10:10-11 (NIV)

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV)

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.   Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“I used think of being shameless in only negative terms: someone with no social awareness or sense of common decorum, someone with no fear of God and no concern for others.  And while that alarming aspect of our culture is growing by leaps and bounds, let’s not throw out its counterpart: Shameless—audacious, unconcealed, undisguised, transparent, unashamed.  Jesus invites us into His presence without shame, without our past baggage, without the need to cover ourselves or to be someone we’re not, without the enemy’s constant taunts in our ear telling us we’re not enough, and without the self-deprecating slurs we constantly hurl at ourselves.  Jesus wants us, invites us, into His presence, expectant and full of faith - full and free, healed and whole.”   Susie Larson

“There is a difference between brokenness over one’s sin and living in shame for the rest of our days.  A broken and contrite heart the Lord will never despise.  This means one agrees with the Lord that the sin was wrong and desires not to continue on in it.  It is a turning from it into the ways of the Lord through His power, for His glory, for our good.  This leads to peace with God which passes all understanding not continued shame over the transgression.  Guilt is Satan’s trademark and often keeps the forgiven believer paralyzed in their walk with the Lord believing themselves to be unworthy to be used in kingdom work or even approach the throne of grace through prayer.  If Satan can’t keep us from being saved, he desires to keep us from being used and from feeling the comfort of God’s love and forgiveness.  Believers are accepted in the Beloved.”   BHY

“How often does shame keep us from audaciously running into the arms of our Father not only to receive grace just after we’ve blown it, but to dare to ask for things we could never earn, deserve, or acquire on our own?”  Susie Larson

“There comes a time, in spite of our soft, modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken, shameless and importunate.  Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are ‘cries,’ and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong.  Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognizes such a thing as storming heaven- ‘praying through.’  The fervent prayer of a righteous man is mighty in its working.”  Cameron Thompson 

“A man should never be ashamed to own that he is wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.”   Alexander Pope

“Christ, when he blesses, blesses not in word only, but in deed. The lips of truth cannot promise more “No matter how athletic, slim, handsome or pretty, intelligent, well-read, respected, connected, funny, wealthy, or religious we are, if we anchor our worth in these things instead of in the smile of God over us, these things will eventually wreck us. The only esteem that won’t abandon us is the esteem given to us by Jesus. Because only in Jesus are we fully known and always loved, thoroughly exposed yet never rejected. Only Jesus will repeatedly forgive us when we fail Him. Only Jesus will declare His affection for us when we are at our very worst as well as at our very best. Only in Jesus can we return to that blessed Edenic state of being naked and without shame.  The quest for self-esteem is, deep down, an attempt to silence negative verdicts that assault us from the outside and from within.  In Jesus, the Second Adam, the negative verdicts from the outside and from within are made powerless. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Him.  In Jesus, we no longer have anything to fear, prove, or hide.  There’s no need to self-medicate. There’s no need to self-promote or to drop names at parties. There’s no need to compare or compete. There’s no need to wear ourselves down by chasing career or applause or respect or being able to fit into a size four. We are not called to be perfectly awesome. We are called to be imperfectly faithful, because we have been perfectly loved, liberated, and highly esteemed by the Most High.  It is said that Buddha’s dying words were, ‘Strive without ceasing.’  Jesus’ dying words were, ‘It is finished.’  Give me Jesus. Our souls are glory-vacuums, fearfully and wonderfully made for an Esteem greater than self.  And He esteems us much.  The One who made the galaxies with His breath has said so.”   Scott Sauls

HEART SAVOR

·       God desires for His children to be in His Presence as Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:25 – feeling no shame because of the blood of Jesus.  Believers stand whiter than snow in the righteousness of Christ.

·       God’s forgiveness lead to peace not guilt and shame.

·       Christians can approach the throne of grace unashamedly.