Advertise on podcast: Christ Is King Baptist Church

God doesn't simply have more wisdom than anyone else. Wisdom is simply the word we use for the way God thinks and does things.--His way is woven into creation, so weave it into yourself.--You will either fear God, who brings judgment, or you will fear the judgment God brings.

We have nothing to celebrate on any day if the Son of God was not born as a man, of a virgin, and laid in a manger.--Gen. 3-14-15 -- The Seed of the woman who crushes the serpent- - Mankind chose to reel, and from the beginning God had a plan to destroy the serpent through the woman's seed--Gen. 12-1-3 -- The Seed of Abraham who blesses the world--2 Sam. 7-16 -- The Seed of David who sits on the throne forever--Isaiah 7-13-14 -- The Seed of the virgin who is Immanuel, God with us--Isaiah 9-2-7 -- The given Son who establishes justice and peace- - The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will ensure the fulfillment of this promise--Isaiah 11-1, 6-9 -- The coming promised One is the fruit-bearing branch who will restore creation- - As surely as the ocean is wet, the world will one day know and acknowledge who God is--Isaiah 42-1, 6-7 -- The chosen Servant who brings THE covenant and who makes free--Isaiah 52-13-14- 53-4-6, 11-12 -- The pierced Servant who bears our sin- - He will end the curse because He will pay for it Himself--Micah 5-2 -- The ancient Ruler who came from humble human beginnings--Gal. 4-4-7 -- The Son of God who makes our adoption by God possible--Rev. 19-11-16 -- The word of God who will return with a sword--Rev. 21-9-10- 22-1-5 -- The Lamb of God, who shares His kingdom and His name--The story from Genesis to Revelation is about God redeeming His creation through the sending of His Son to redeem and remake

-Blessed - Happy- has nothing to do with emotional happiness. Blessed refers to your state of being -- you're on the right side because you're on the same side as Jesus.--Wisdom - aligning yourself with God and His reality--See the progression - pursuit in v. 13 - 18- Find - Obtain - Take Hold - Hold Tightly

Idolatry -- the worship of anything other than our Creator -- is humanity's greatest crime.--- The ungodly will do anything to not think about God and righteousness, but they can't get away from it because He has left witness of Himself everywhere.- - Creation itself points to God, His authority, and His nature- - People cannot escape the fact that they have a Creator so they are without excuse-- The ungodly know there is a God, but refuse to honor Him or give Him thanks- - God is Creator God, and we must thank Him for that- - A lack of thankfulness is an expression of idolatry- - We're not happy with our status as image-bearing creatures -- we want more- we covet -Col. 3-5-- - When I am unthankful, I'm saying I'm more important than God-- The four living creatures in Revelation 4, for all their fearsomeness, know better than to look on God -- they're mere creatures- - They give God glory, honor, and THANKS-- The 24 elders cast their crowns before God- - They're acknowledging all authority derives from God, their Creator- - Everything that has life was created by and for God- - The creatures and elders thank God for who He is and their existence-- Thankfulness - worldview and leads to worship- - We've been created by an all-holy Creator who made provision for our salvation and who sustains us- - Thankfulness is wise- idolatry is stupid, useless, and foolish--- What in our life keeps us from being thankful or leads us to doubt God---- Are we thankful He is sovereign, even over the difficult aspects of our life---- Are we thankful that, though we broke the relationship, God sent His Son to make a way to reenter relationship with Him--

Ephesians 3-8-10, 20-21-- The purpose of the Church is to glorify God and show off His character-- When we thank and praise God, we tend to focus on what He has done for us, but He is worthy of praise even if He never saved anyone-- We need to learn the vocabulary of adoration--Romans 11-33-36-- Paul is not praising the plan. Rather, in light of the Gospel, Paul bursts out in an exclamation of how infinitely brilliant God is-- God is so deep, Paul can't understand Him -Is. 55-8-9-- - God does not owe us any explanation for anything- - We serve an incomprehensible God-- Paul declares God's independence- - Is. 40-13-14 -- who has known the mind of God-- He never needs to ask advice- - Job 41-1 -- God is never at a loss and never needs to borrow to fulfil His promises - He doesn't need me-- Paul directly glorifies God's being- - Everything exists for God and His glory- - God is the source of everything- He holds us together-- Salvation is the result of God's stunning brilliance-- We need to forget about ourselves and praise God because He is God--1 Tim. 1-15-17-- Paul is enjoying the God-ness of God- - King eternal, King of the ages- - Immortal -- God is incorruptible - - Ancient, yet His power is undimmed - - He is always the source of life - - He is ageless- - Invisible -- He is a spirit and has no body- - It points to His spirit nature and that He is not like us- - Incomprehensible to our human sense -- we can't measure or put bounds on Him- - Only God -- in a world awash with may gods, there is only One true God -Jer. 10-10-12--- Paul declares the worthiness of God- - God is the One of infinite worth- - Glory -- God is due fame and recognition

All of the tensions in this passage are resolved when we realize who God is.--- Abraham Functions as a Prophet -v. 17-21-- - Why did God reveal His plan to Abraham- - Because he would teach - pass on his loyalty to Yahweh to his children, to reflect God's ways and purposes in the world- - God intends to fulfill His promises to Abraham- His choice of Abraham is why Abraham is loyal- - God's plan- - God's response to the severe sin will be epic and establish a pattern- - No one can question the justice of His judgment-- Abraham the Intercessor -v. 22-33-- - This posture, standing before the LORD, is the prophet's stance- - Abraham's response- approach and petition God- - He knows full well how violently sinful these cities are and the judgment they deserve- - Abraham does not dispute the judgment, but he is concerned for the innocent-righteous who may be there- - He bases his petition on the character of God -- He is a just Judge who will do right- - Abraham is insistent, and God responds positively with grace, not anger- - Abraham continues to petition with humility multiple times -- each time God responds with grace, leaning toward mercy before wrath--We see ere a prophet standing in the gap, based on the character of God - he is exercising a shameless faith, and that does not annoy God--God, in His character, will do what is right and will favor mercy -- while we were still sinners, Christ died for us--When life is full of tension, God is still God

When we worry, we are saying to God, -there are some things I think You can't do.--God is making promises here that can't possibly be fulfilled in any other way than that God shows up.--- The LORD's Visit - Abraham's Invitation -v. 1-5-- - See God's grace throughout this story -- Yahweh visits Abraham in a visible, human form- - Abraham runs to meet them, bows, and speaks with tremendous respect -though he may not yet realize it's Yahweh--- The LORD Stays, Abraham's Hospitality -v. 5-8-- - Abraham hastens to prepare a meal- - He brings them the best he has, serves them himself, and stands by while they eat-- The Tension -v. 9-10-- - I will come back next year, and Sarah will have a son-- Sarah's Doubt - the LORD's Reassurance -v. 11-15-- - Sarah's assessment is based on her physical condition -- it is biologically impossible for her to get pregnant- - Sarah's response -- she laughs - asks a rhetorical question -we're too old--- - Yahweh's response- - What does your age have to do with anything--- - Is anything too difficult -wondrous - miraculous- for the LORD--- - Abraham - Sarah likely only knew Yahweh as Creator and the God who sent the Flood- - Israelites knew plagues, pillars of cloud - fire, the Red Sea parting, and a terrifying display at Mt. Sinai- - Only God can save the apparently unsavable- - God the Son was born of a virgin- - The promises of God will be fulfilled by God and God alone -- He gets all the glory- - God comforts Sarah through rebuking her -- stop doubting--- Acknowledge to God your doubts-- Recognize what God can't do -- lie, break His promises, abandon His people, fail to accomplish His plans

Those who are in covenant with God have their identity changed -- a believer's identity is found in Christ--- God introduces the covenant -v. 1-8-- - The covenant partners -- Yahweh - Abram- - In the space of 24 years, Abram has heard from God only a few times, and only 3 directly about the covenant- - Yahweh appeared visibly to Abram- - -God Almighty- - El Shaddai- - God who is able - sufficient- - First time this name is used- - Abram's response - fell on his face, knowing he doesn't deserve any of this- - More covenant promises- - Abram's name changed to Abraham, to match the covenant promise -- father of multitudes- - These promises are lasting and in perpetuity-- God Gives the Covenant Sign -v. 9-14-- - This covenant creates a covenant community- - Circumcision was not unheard of, but it was unique to do it with infants- - The physical sign doesn't guarantee participation in the covenant- - It was meant as a way to mark people as loyal to Yahweh- - There can be no -lone wolf - lone ranger- Christians -- you must participate in the community- - Our new covenant identity is an outgrowth of the Abrahamic covenant -- we are spiritual descendants of Abraham-- More Covenant Promises -v. 15-21-- - Another renaming- Sarai - Sarah, -princess-- - God specifically says Sarah will give Abraham a son- - Abraham struggles to believe, but God reassures him-- Abraham Obeyed -v. 22-27---The heartbeat of the covenant -- I will be their God - they will be My people -- I give you Myself- -Walk before Me and be blameless -- walk as Christ walked, with wholehearted allegiance-- Yes, we still sin, but it should not be the pattern of our life