March 24, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Matthew 16:21–27
In Matthew 16, Jesus prephesies about what will happen when he goes to Jerusalem. There are three reasons Jesus had to go to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
1. To suffer
2. To Die and Rise
3. Because it was the will of God.
Following the pattern of Jesus, we too must "go to Jerusalem" in a metaphorical sense. A spiritual Journey requires going to Jerusalem to suffer, to die, in order to rise. We must:
1. Suffer as we deny ourselves.
2. Die to the flesh so we can be raised in new life.
3. Because it is the will of God.
You don’t have to be a follower of Jesus to know that the pain of discipline produces fruit in your life. But, as Christians, we’re not talking about the pain of not eating food you like in order to lose weight when we talk about dying to yourself. It’s more. We’re talking about a true submission to Christ as King in every area of your life–not holding onto anything you want in the flesh, but submitting all things to the will of God–complete transformation so that we can please God according to his will and purpose.
Faith
March 17, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Hebrews 11:1–6
Faith has a static and dynamic quality. The static quality of faith is the state of faith that saves; allegiance. The dynamic quality of faith is an ongoing outpouring of faith; exercise, sanctification – virtue. the dynamic faith we live is an outpouring of the static faith that we possess.
The static quality of our faith that we can rely on. It’s an anchor, a confidence that goes back to our forefathers and will be present throughout this age. It is our hope and proof of our eternal standing before God. The Kingdom of God lies before us. Our faith is foundational. Our allegiance to Christ is the basis of our unchanging, unwavering hope - the proof of what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1-2). We don’t see the Kingdom of God, but we experience the Kingdom of God. We experience our faith in three ways:
* Experience of the Kingdom through relationship with God
* Experience of the Kingdom through the church
* Experience of the Kingdom through the wisdom of God in the scriptures
There is also a dynamic nature to our faith that affects how we live out our faith in day-to-day life. The Author of Hebrews gives us 3 expressions of dynamic faith that come from the OT scriptures:
* Creation from Nothing: Belief in the Creator (Hebrews 11:3)
* Cain and Abel: Acceptable Worship (Hebrews 11:4)
* Enoch: Living to Please God (Hebrews 11:5)
We please God through our faith (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, it is impossible to please God. But he rewards those who seek him.
Prudence
March 3, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Ecclesiastes 5:10, Proverbs 28:19, Luke 12:16–21, Ecclesiastes 9:10, 2 Corinthians 5:6–9
Prudence: 1. Cautious; the ability to govern and discipline yourself. 2. shrewdness in the management of affairs. 3. skill and good judgment in the use of resources.
There’s a theological necessity for prudence. Prudence opposes the disorder that sin has brought. Through prudence, God gives us the strength to walk in order rather than chaos.
Two areas to apply prudence: our money and our time.
The goal of prudence is to please God in all that we do.
So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. (2 Corinthians 5:6–9)