
Hosted by Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson · EN

A message calling believers to trust in God’s abundant riches of grace and glory that far exceed anything we can ask or imagine. It contrasts worldly self-centeredness and temporary things with the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, urging the church to value Christ above possessions, relationships, and even life itself. This message highlights that true Christian strength is an inner work of the Spirit that continues even as the body fails, and that God uses our prayers and lives in far-reaching, unseen ways over time.1. God’s riches of glory and grace in the Messiah are abundant, constant, and more than enough for every believer. 2. Knowing and loving Jesus must become more precious to us than possessions, success, and even our closest human relationships. 3. The Holy Spirit strengthens the inner person, and God uses our prayers and faithfulness in powerful, long-term ways beyond what we can see.

Jesus warns that outward moral reform without inward spiritual transformation leaves a person spiritually empty and vulnerable. True freedom comes when Christ Himself takes residence in the heart.1. Self-improvement is not salvation.2. Empty hearts are vulnerable hearts.3. The Christian life is one of continual surrender, growth, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds the church of Corinth where their attention needs to be in order to avoid spiritual deception. If they get their eyes off of Jesus or look for a source of truth that is less than His Word, they will happily deceive themselves and wander everywhere but the truth.1. The most common source of spiritual deception is us.2. Pride is a false view of ourselves and others.3. Your vulnerability to deception is directly related to your proximity and dependence on Jesus.

Paul makes a direct comparison to a Christian's life with that of the Temple of God. This was both in terms of the significance of the articles in the Holy Place as it was the severity of how those things were to be treated and handled.1. God meets with His people just like He met with Israel at the Temple.2. God hears the prayers of His people just like He enjoyed the incense of the Altar. 3. Sin's influence over our lives causes us to wither and unable to enjoy God like His Temple was intended to.

Paul's correction of the church of Corinth's carnality continues with an explanation of what he means by that term. A carnal or naturalistic perspective isn't fitting of an informed Christian life. A mature Christian is someone who takes whatever they rightly know about Jesus and lives accordingly. His exhortation was for them to learn enough about Jesus to do something practical with it.1. Christian maturity is when what they know becomes how they live.2. Jesus is not a topic Christians should “move on” from.3. There is a Heaven to be gained and a Hell to be shunned.

Nehemiah and Ezra respond to the people of Israel's desire to celebrate the wall's completion with an organized demonstration of praising God for all the things He's done through them. It is from this perspective we also see the purpose God has for praise in our lives as well.1. Praise means to acknowledge what God has done.2. Praise refocuses our past, present, and future onto the faithfulness of God.3. Praise's greatest blessing gets our minds off of ourselves and onto Someone more worthy of our attention.

Joseph, like his namesake, shows a pattern of a godly father. Since Jesus was the only being in existence who could choose who would be his earthly father before He was born, we see the kind of man He chose as a model for the modern calling of Fatherhood.1. A Father models truth to his children by submitting to the Word of God.2. Wisdom is the ability to accept correction as often as provide it.3. A Godly Father is one that is there for his family especially when things get difficult.

Nehemiah and the leaders of Israel begin to repopulate the city of Jerusalem. While it wasn't a comfortable or safe setting, they were a part of the work God was doing in their generation and they were honored for it.1. The best leaders lead by example.2. God's calling for your life isn't always to be comfortable.3. God's approval of our choices is worth infinitely more than man's.

Paul reminds Corinth of the kind of difference a relationship with Jesus makes in life. The world around them can't understand the Word of God because they don't want to know the Author. The church knows the Author and should use Him as He intended to appreciate His Word and live a life that reflects it.1. You won't understand the significance a personal letter without a relationship with its author.2. A word from the Lord should always be tested with the Word of the Lord.3. The mind of Christ we've been given is the perspective and attitude Jesus would have towards the things of this life.

Nehemiah and the Priests establish a covenant with God after their restoration to the land because they wanted to rather than out of obligation or coercion. This is the same attitude we should bring to the promises we make to God in our own relationship with Him.1. God takes the promises we make to Him as seriously as the promises He's made to us.2. Why we are doing something is as important as what we are doing.3. Giving is a tangible demonstration of where our priorities are at in supporting the works of God we benefit from.