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Devo Seeking God part 9
Romans 8:26-30 (NIV) 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Even when we are being transformed it is by grace. He helps us in our weakness by giving us the Holy Spirit to conform us to His likeness. Jesus through the Holy Spirit is conforming us to God’s likeness. What can we say but praise be to God. Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What love what wondrous love. We thought we were seeking Him, but He sought us out. Pastor Jeff Lane Devo Seeking God part 8
John 3:16-21 (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. People just don’t understand the message of Jesus. He came saying we are sinners. So, they thought He was condemning them. He did not come to condemn but to save us, people don’t want to leave their sin. They rather live in their darkness. You got to humble yourself and realize you’re a sinner and come into the light. The light exposes our sin. An alcoholic has to realize he is an alcoholic to get help and a sinner must know he is a sinner to get help. Thus, the law was given. We must believe in Jesus, but believing Jesus is an action and we live by faith not just have a head knowledge of it. When we live by faith we transform our actions to conform to His. Pastor Jeff Lane Devo Seeking God part 7
John 3:9-16 (NIV) 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Hosea 4:6 says my people perish for a lack of understanding. Palm Sunday, the people were excited to see Jesus enter Jerusalem, but they thought their King had come to take back the world and throw the Romans out. They were looking for a political leader not a life changing savior. They wanted a savior who would feed them, heal them, and they could be like the nations around them. They didn’t want to have to die themselves. The Romans were bad, not them. Of course, the next week they were hanging Jesus on a cross, but this was God’s plan. He gives us what we need not want. They wanted temporary things, but God had in mind eternal things. Come follow Him. Do as He did and does. People who believe follow Him to the grave. The are born again and transformed. Pastor Jeff Lane Devo Seeking God part 6
John 3:4-7 (NIV) 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ How do we die to ourselves? How can we be born again? Water baptismal represents us going into the grave the old man and resurrecting the new. We are washed of the past and resurrected to a new life in Jesus. It is a representation and a public confession of a decision to follow Jesus. Now as I said dying isn’t easy it is a daily thing. In Genesis 2:17 God told Adam don’t eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or you will surely die. That surely die means dying you will die or dying spiritually you will die physically. When we are born again Jesus breaths the Holy Spirit back in us. (John 20:22) One could say living in Jesus we shall live. He gives us eternal life and takes our sin away. We live by faith and all scripture is God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16) We walk by that Spirit Jesus gave us by renewing our minds daily in God’s word. We are saved by faith, being saved and shall be saved. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word or Jesus. (Romans 12:2) I recently started going to the gym to get back into shape or a better shape than round. I have to die to myself and put the flesh into submission every time I go. I get stronger through dying. Working out is the tear down of the muscle to build it. There is pain involve and the body says I don’t want to do this. I am disciplining and transforming my body for it’s good. The Spirit disciplines and transforms us for our good. As Hebrews says no disciple seen pleasant at the time but painful. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness by which we can see God. Being born again is a process but is well worth the cost. Pastor Jeff Lane Devo Seeking God part 5
John 3:1-3 (NIV) 3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. This is one of the things I love about Jesus , He just cuts to the chase. No mixing words but tells Nicodemus what he is looking for and what he needs. I don’t think Nicodemus knew what question even to ask or what he needed. Jesus lays it out there. Nicodemus you must be born again, transformed if you want to see the Kingdom of God. When we come to the altar, or cross of God it is more than forgiveness of sin. It is transforming by dying to who we have been. There is nothing easy about death. We are a prideful bunch and look for reasons why we don’t need to die to who and what we have been doing. The altar is a place for something to die and it is you. It is also a place of resurrection and that would be you also, but how? Glad you asked. In times past, we placed an animal on the altar in our place. It cost us something, so we had to humble ourselves to give it up. Jesus died in our place but said now you do likewise. Paul said I die daily to do the will of the Father. We must die to the things of this world to know God. Jesus said you must lose your life to find it. Repentance means to turn around and walk back towards God. Stay tuned. Pastor Jeff Lane |
Pastor Jeff Lane
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