The Test of Sonship (Part 10)

SERMON                  GM14-031

SERIES:              The Christian Life Viewed as Sonship

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM

SUBTITLE:        The Test of Sonship     (Part 10)

SCRIPTURE:     1 John 4:4-6

SUBJ:                  Discernment

SUMMARY:       The children of God must practice spiritual discernment

SCHEME:           that Christians develop the disciple of discernment in order to distinguish between truth and error

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Our theme is:  Genuine Christians test the Spirits

Proposition:  The Christian life is a life that demands constant discernment

Interrogatory Sentence:  Why should genuine believers live a life of constant discernment?

Transitional Sentence: John identifies three reasons why genuine Sonship must be a life of constant discernment. John makes it clear that discernment is essential for the children of God.

Happy Birthday Shannon Metcalf!

Happy Birthday to

Shannon Annette Metcalf

Today marks the fortieth year

since you have enriched our days,

you have shined brighter than any

star with all your  beautiful ways.

Your smile never fails and your

energy flows as the summer wind,

you embrace life so tirelessly

as you flash that infectious grin.

I take this time to thank

 God for His marvelous grace,

because he gave you to us 

to always love and to embrace.

Happy Birthday this September Six

may this day bring you cheer,

I hope you find the same happiness

you have brought to us our dear.

_______________________________________

Written by Gregg Metcalf, for our first born  - aka SAM1

No Electronic Reader for Me!

Thinking Out Loud...

I was thinking the other day and I came to this conclusion:

It is not the love of God, as monumental as it is, that should motivate us towards salvation; our sin, brokenness, mourning, and the provision of God's only Son as a bloody sacrifice brutally slain should motivate us toward salvation.

Jesus Calling or Proper Application?

The main purpose in reading scripture is to deduce the meaning of the text at hand. We read and study scripture in order to determine the intent of the author. Anything less is not bible study and will always lead to a chaotic approach of application. Prayerfully, carefully, and skillfully we must determine what the original author intended for his original readers to know and to understand.

The hardest thing for most believers is to "step outside" of the text and let it speak as originally intended. What I mean by this is the scripture was not written to white, anglo-saxxon's in the 21st century. The scripture was written to 1st century Jews and Gentiles. The bible is not our personal and/or individual script to be interpreted as we need or please. I hate to say this and burst any bubbles but there is no "special message in the bible or from God" for you. We only derive blessing, benefit, and application as we apply the original intent of the author to our modern day setting. 

We must work hard to discover the eternal principles of truth that are in each and every passage of scripture. It is here that we are comforted, or encouraged, or strengthened. We can certainly be blessed by the reading and study of Scripture. Bible study is a spiritual exercise. Bible study is actually communicating with God through His living Word! The Holy Spirit inspired the bible to be understood and applied in our lives on a daily basis.

There are four principles that we must keep in mind when we make application of a scripture passage for our lives:

• application is grounded in biblical truth not opinion, speculation, or "special messages" to you
• application is based on the biblical author's intended meaning and purpose
• application is to demonstrate the relevance of biblical truth in a practical manner
• application is never to contradict, convolute, counter, or challenge biblical principles

Next time you open the living Word of God, have determined the meaning of the text and are about to make application, remember these four principles and "apply" them to application process.

What Christ Says About...TEMPTATION

Matthew 26:41 ESV 

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

No living human being is ever exempt from being tempted. However, we can be diligent to resist temptation and to prevent it from devouring us. Augustine is reported to have said, "We cannot prevent offenses and temptations from coming upon us; but by prayer and the invocation of divine assistance we may certainly defend ourselves and keep them form overcoming us." Most are aware of the admonition that enjoins one to "flee temptation." The only problem that I have discovered with this is that even if one's flees temptation, they often leave a forwarding address.

Happy Labor Day!

The Gospel-driven Disciples blog will be closed this weekend in order to enjoy this three day weekend! We will be on the patio and in the backyard grilling hamburgers, roasting corn on the cob, almost inhaling watermelon, and enjoying potato salad. Also, our daughters Shannon and Sonja (Vancouver, Portland) will be with us along with our granddaughters Madilynn and Bryttany!

We wish thee and thine a very happy holiday! I hope that you and yours will keep everything safe, sane, and satisfying! Have fun!!