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Articles from Pastor Jon's Blog

Stop Being Conformed 2007-07-10 07:00:00 Sunday's teaching was an in-depth look at Romans 12:1-2. There is a heavy emphasis on application. It is up on the Springfield Calvary web site.<:))))><< ...

John 3:4 2007-07-10 00:00:00 John 3 - The New Birth 2. (4) Nicodemus answers: How can this be? Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother?s womb and be born?"  a. How can a man be born when he is old? Nicodemus? reply may not be out of ignorance, but from thinking that Jesus means "turning over a new leaf." His question may be "How can you teach an old dog new tricks?" One way or another, Nicodemus clearly does not understand Jesus or the truth about the new birth. b. In His description of new birth, Jesus recalls a familiar theme from Old Testament promises of the New Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:1-6, Jeremiah 23:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 32:37-41, Ezekiel 11:16-20, Ezekiel 36:16-28, Ezekiel 37:11-14, 37:21-28). These passages essentially make three promises in the New Covenant: o The regathering of Israel. o The cleansing and spiritual transformation of God?s people. o The reign of the ...

Romans 12:15-21 2007-07-09 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. 3. (15-21) How to get along with people both inside and outside the church. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ?Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,? says the Lord. Therefore ?If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.? Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. a. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep is how we can fulfill the command to be of t ...

Sunday Quotes 07.08.07 2007-07-08 05:00:00 "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan "One is a Christian 7/24/365 or he is but a tinkling cymbal." -- Richard H. Jett "Don't let your worries get the best of you, remember, Moses started out as a basket case" -- Anonymous "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." -- C. S. Lewis "When you fear God, you fear nothing else. When you do not fear God, you fear everything else." - Unknown "To know the will of God is our greatest knowledge. To do the will of God is our greatest challenge." - Unknown<:))))><< ...

Romans 12:14 2007-07-08 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. 2. (14) Relating to those outside of the Christian family. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. a. Bless those who persecute you: We are not to have a hateful attitude towards anyone, not even towards those who persecute us. b. Jesus spoke of this same heart in Matthew 5:46: For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  The surpassing greatness of the love of Jesus Christ in us is that it can be extended to our enemies. c. Of course, it may be presumptuous to assume that this persecution necessarily comes from outside the church; Jesus spoke all too accurately about the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. (John 16:2) Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James translation of the Bible.<:))))><< ...

Romans 12:9-13 2007-07-07 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. C. A series of brief instructions on living like a Christian with others. 1. (9-13) Relating to those in the Christian family. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. a. This section shows one thing clearly: Paul knew the teaching of Jesus, especially the Sermon on the Mount. b. Of course, love with hypocrisy isn?t real love at all; but much of what masquerades as ?love? in the Christian community is laced with hypocrisy, and must be demonstrated against. c. In some ways, it is often easier for us to either abhor what is ...

Romans 12:6-8 2007-07-06 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. 3. (6-8) An exhortation to use (and how to use) the gifts God has granted to the individual members of the church. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. a. The difference and distribution of gifts is all due to the grace that is given to us.  Spiritual gifts are not given on the basis of merit, but rather because of the sovereign choice of God. i. This idea is related in the very Greek word for ?spiritual gifts? - charismata, a gift of grace, a term apparently coined by Paul to emphasize that the giving of these spiritual gifts was all of grace. ii. ...

Romans 12:4-5 2007-07-05 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. 2. (4-5) Unity and diversity in the body of Christ. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. a. The church is a unified whole (one body), yet we are distinct within that one body (individually members); we are unified, but there is not a uniformity in the body of Christ. b. We err when we neglect either aspect; unity should never be promoted at the expense of individuality, and individuality should never diminish the church?s essential unity in Christ; He is our common ground, we are one body in Christ. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is taken from the New King James translation of the Bible.<:))))><< ...

Romans 12:3 2007-07-04 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. B. Living out the spiritual gifts God has given. 1. (3) A warning to live in humility. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.a. To everyone among you: Paul will soon speak about how we should exercise spiritual gifts in the body of Christ; but a preface warning about humility is in order, given the inordinate pride that often arises from those who regard themselves as spiritually gifted. i. We should remember that spiritual giftedness does not equal spiritual maturity; just because a person has substantial spiritual gifts does not mean that they are necessarily spiritually mature or a worthy example to imitate. b. Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: Paul does not advise any kind o ...

Romans 12:2 2007-07-03 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life The audio of Romans 12:1-21 is available on the Springfield Calvary web site. 2. (2) Resisting conformity to the world and embracing the transformation that comes in Jesus Christ. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.a. Do not be conformed to this world warns us that the ?world system? - the popular culture and manner of thinking that is in rebellion against God - will try to conform us to its ungodly pattern, and that process must be resisted. b. The opposite of being conformed to this world is being transformed by the renewing of your mind; the battle ground between an evil conformity and a good transformation is within the mind of the believer. i. It is too easy to have an external conduct that looks good, but an inward life and manner of thinking that is offensive to God. Here, we see that God isn?t satisfied wit ...

Romans 12:1 2007-07-02 00:00:00 Romans 12 - Living the Christian Life A. The foundation for Christian living. 1. (1) Presenting our self to God as a living sacrifice. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. a. It is Paul?s pattern to begin a letter with a strong doctrinal section and follow with exhortations to Christian living; ?When he uses this pattern Paul is saying that the Christian life is dependent on the great Christian doctrines.? (Morris) b. I beseech you, therefore brethren reminds us that Paul is appealing to our will; he is calling us to make a choice about the way that we serve God. c. By the mercies of God reminds us that we do this because of the mercy shown to us by God (described well in Romans 1-11), and that we are only able to offer ourselves to God as He works His mercy in us.  God commanded us to do this, and He makes it possible for us to do it. i. ?Wherea ...

Sunday Quotes 07.01.07 2007-07-01 05:00:00 "Write the Lord's benefits in marble and your injuries in the dust." ? Unknown The character of the branches is determined by the vine. Yet certain Christians are seeking experiences as experiences. -- Watchman Nee We worship God because He is worthy and not because we as worshipers get something out of it. If we look upon worship only as a means of getting something from God, rather than giving something to God, then we make God our servant instead of our Lord, and the elements of worship become a cheap formula for selfish gratification. We then become like those backslidden priests that the prophet Malachi denounced, men who said, "It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the lord of hosts?" (Mal. 3:14). We worship God because He is worthy and because He has commanded us to worship Him. However, this is not to say that there are no personal benefits from worshiping God, because t ...

Death By Means Of Ministry 2007-06-30 08:35:37 Are you thinking that God called or is calling you into ministry? Praise God! You desire a great work. Here's a set of enormous problems (compiled by Pastor Darren Patrick):     * Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.    * Fifty percent of pastor's marriages will end in divorce.    * Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.    * Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.    * Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.    * Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.    * Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginni ...

John 3:1-3 2007-06-29 00:00:00 John 3 - The New Birth A. Nicodemus and the new birth. 1. (1-3) Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." a. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: Nicodemus was one of those impressed by Jesus? signs (John 2:23), and a member of the ruling Sanhedrin. He was religious (of the Pharisees), educated (Nicodemus is a Greek name), and influential (a ruler). Nicodemus comes to Jesus as a representative of all men (John 2:23-25), and he represents what is high and best in men. b. This man came to Jesus by night: Why did Nicodemus come by night? Perhaps he was timid, or perhaps he wanted an uninterrupted interview with Jes ...

1 Thessalonians 4:18 2007-06-28 00:00:00 1 Thessalonians 4 - Confidence in the Coming of Jesus 5. (18) The exhortation: comfort one another. Therefore comfort one another with these words. a. Therefore comfort one another: Paul did not tell them to take comfort, but to give comfort. In the way God works, we always receive comfort as we give it. i. ?Paul does not himself seek to comfort or encourage his readers but rather bids them actively to comfort or encourage ?one another.? The present imperative places upon them the continuing duty to do so, both in private conversation and in the public services.? (Hiebert) b. With these words: The truth of the return of Jesus for His people, and the eternal union of Jesus and His people is to be a source of comfort for Christians. i. This concluding statement of Paul only makes sense if the catching away of the previous verses actually delivers Christians from an impending danger. If the catching away only brings humanity to God for judgment, there is little comfort in these wor ...