Nehemiah 9:2 – And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. In religion, people judge one another. In revival, people judge themselves. True repentance in our life is different from four kinds of counterfeit repentance: Mere Confession – Had God’s people only confessed … Read more
Nehemiah 8:18 – And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. In previous years, not all Jews had made booths (not … Read more
Galatians 4:23 – But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. We all grew up in a home and, once we get married and have our own kids, we all have a couple unhealthy options and one healthy option on … Read more
Galatians 4:21 – Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? God has laws and principles that we should live by, and which parents should raise their kids by, but oftentimes we as parents add our own laws on top of God’s laws. We often hold … Read more
Galatians 4:31 – So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. This may seem like a weird question, and I’ve gotten myself in trouble before trying to explain this but stick with me and I’ll try to do a better job this time. When Jesus was a little boy, let’s … Read more
Galatians 4:31 – So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. I can think of a couple specific conversations with parents from the last few years at Trinity Church in Scottsdale, AZ, where I have the honor of being the senior pastor, that are great examples of law vs. grace-based … Read more
Galatians 4:22-23 – For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. In Genesis 16, referenced by Paul in Galatians 4, … Read more
Genesis 9:20-21 – Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. In Genesis 9:18-28, Noah responded to God’s kindness by getting drunk and passing out naked in his tent like a hillbilly redneck on vacation. … Read more
Genesis 8:20-21a – Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, … Read more
Genesis 6:5,8 – The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In our final devo answering four tough questions from Genesis 6, at the end of the … Read more
In this clip from Romans, Pastor Mark tells the story of the woman caught in adultery and how Jesus gave her grace and didn’t condemn her. In the same way, Jesus gives us grace because He paid for our sins on the cross.
It is believed that the phrase “prevenient grace” which is previous to salvation was coined or at least popularized by Augustine. He said, “God anticipates us…that we may be healed…anticipates us that we may be called…that we may lead godly lives”. (Augustine of Hippo, “A Treatise on Nature and Grace,” in Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, … Read more