Ernest Holloway

Rejoicing in Suffering “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” 1 Peter 4:13 We should rejoice in trials and persecutions, not for their own sake, but for the benefits that result. The late D. Martyn Lloyd–Jones, in his classic book Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, made the following careful distinction on what it means to rejoice in persecution: “The Christian is, in a sense, one who must feel his heart breaking at the effect of sin in others that makes them do this [persecute believers]. So he never rejoices in the fact of persecution as such.” We can draw from this, then, that 1 Peter 4:13 and other verses (notably Matt. 5:11–12), while they encourage the positive attitude of rejoicing in trials, do not mean we should have a masochistic or elitist view of suffering. The joy we are to have should go beyond the pain and heartache of the suffering itself and focus on the ramifications of what God is doing in our life. Peter begins our verse by asserting that one of those ramifications is enjoying the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. That means we can share, for His sake, in the same kind of suffering and rejection He endured. We should be ready for such persecution whenever we share the gospel or generally identify with Him. The apostles learned this lesson soon after Jesus departed—“rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). We will increasingly embrace such suffering as a privilege if we heed Peter’s exhortation. The apostle goes on to give us more motivation for rejoicing. “The revelation of His glory” is a reference to Jesus’ second coming, which in itself ought to bring tremendous joy to all believers. If we have faithfully endured all the persecutions, sufferings, trials, and problems of this life, when our Lord returns we will have genuine reason to rejoice all the more. And it will be with an intense and joyous outburst that exceeds any we’ve had before (see Luke 6:22–23). John MacArthur

‭2 Corinthians 4:18 KJV‬ [18] while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. https://lnkd.in/gmCcyEE

Why is trust a key in strong relationships? Proverbs 25:19 Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with a toothache or walking on a broken foot. Proverbs 31:10-11 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. Genesis 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Leviticus 6:2 Suppose some of the people sin against the Lord by falsely telling their neighbor that an item entrusted to their safekeeping has been lost or stolen. Or suppose they have been dishonest with regard to a security deposit, or they have taken something by theft or extortion. Proverbs 3:29 Do not plot against your neighbors, for they trust you. Exodus 6:9 So Moses told the people what the Lord had said, but they wouldn’t listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the increasing burden of their slavery. Titus 2:9-10 Slaves must obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but they must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way. Proverbs 20:23 The Lord despises double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales. Mistrust is unhealthy and painful in relationships because it causes you to constantly question the motives of others. Mutual trust strengthens and deepens relationships because you know that what they tell you is true, and that they are always acting in your best interests out of love. When you trust someone, you have total peace of mind about that person. You are free to fully enjoy the relationship. Trust is vital in your relationships with your spouse, family, friends, neighbors, leaders, and co-workers. If you can’t trust someone, there is no way you can have a truly healthy and close relationship. And if you don’t have a healthy relationship with God, it means you are not trusting him enough, and yet he is the only One who is completely trustworthy.

What Kind of Fruit? One Year Reading Plan: Isaiah 33:10–36:22, Galatians 5:13-25, Psalm 64:1-10, Proverbs 23:23 The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 IT’S EASY TO READ PAUL’S LIST of the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in the life of the believer and turn it into a to-do list for ourselves or our kids. But Paul speaks of fruit, not fruits, of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is not a checklist. All this fruit blossoms naturally in the lives of those in whom the Spirit dwells. Just as apple trees don’t grow oranges and orange trees don’t grow apples, those who don’t have the Holy Spirit at work in the interior of their lives can’t expect to produce the kind of fruit the Holy Spirit produces. Instead they’ll produce the kind of fruit that comes naturally to a spiritually dead person. But when the Holy Spirit has come to reside and work in someone, we can be sure that the fruit will be produced. Of course, growing fruit takes time, and the fruit of the Spirit grows particularly slowly. Sometimes the growth is imperceptible, but the Spirit’s presence in our child’s life guarantees that growth will occur. As parents, it is not our job to produce children who behave in a way that lines up with this list of fruit. We are mere instruments in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in the lives of our children. He is the producer of this fruit. And he has a long-term view. When we realize it isn’t our job to ensure that our children produce this fruit, it reshapes our parenting priorities. Instead of pushing them to produce these virtues by the force of their own will, we point them toward Christ, who comes to dwell within and produces this fruit by the power of his Spirit. This removes a heavy weight from our shoulders. It helps us to see our kids not as a reflection of who we are, or as a result of our brilliant or substandard parenting, but as unique people in whom the Spirit is at work in his way, in his timing, producing his fruit as he sees fit. Holy Spirit, you are the Master Gardener. You know what you’re doing in ________’s life. You also know what you’re doing in my life. I long for a bountiful harvest of love for ________, joy in ________, patience with ________, kindness toward ________, goodness before ________, faithfulness in my promises to ________, gentleness in my demeanor to ________, and self-control in my responses to ________. Won’t you generate that fruit in me?

Living With Grace But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — ​it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4 – 5 Seeing your children experience grace is a wonderful thing. They don’t know how much they need it, but as a parent you know because you realize your own need for grace. Let’s first remember that it is by grace we are saved. It’s nothing we do, nothing we can pray for, and nothing we can accomplish on our own. Simply put, it’s a gift from God and one that we need to pass on to our children. They will need it just as we do. There will be times when you feel a lack of grace. During those moments, take time to read over these verses and let the truth of God’s Word soak in. In this place of reading and seeking, you will find renewed strength because it is part of his living Word speaking into your life. Let it become a regular habit, and you will be much better equipped to teach your children how to obtain the grace they will need. It is by grace we are saved and it is by grace we are able to be godly parents. PARENTING PRINCIPLE God’s grace is how you get your grace! POINTS TO PONDER What causes you to struggle with grace? What do you know now about grace? How will you teach your children about grace?

Obedience 2 John 6 Obedience commands a central theme throughout Scripture. From the story of creation to the end of Revelation, few pages fail to deal - directly or indirectly - with God s call to obedience. Yet in the world today obedience to God is often ignored, dismissed, or glossed over. Why? Could it be because obedience slaps us in the face? It reminds us that we are not in control; we are not in charge. Prideful, we set out on our own course, thinking our way is better. If we are honest with ourselves, we want to be God. We say to God, "My way is better than your way." We want to exhibit our power, flaunt our egos, seize center stage, and commandeer the throne to control our own little world. When we proudly step into God s shoes, we discover a bad fit. Just as when a three-year-old tromps around the house in her daddy s shoes, it does not work well. It may be cute, but to let the child live her life in shoes too big would be disastrous. Obedience demands that we take pride out of the prominent position in our lives. God, instead, is placed on the throne. We get our words from him. We follow them or become lost in our sinful disobedience. The choice is ours. Choose obedience. Not a very popular subject nowadays but one that needs to be addressed, because its not taught in many of our pulpits any longer. People don't want to adhere to sound doctrine they would rather have their ears tickled 2 Tim 4:3. Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever

Many Parts in One Body

What the Christian gospel is is simply this: All the answers you need for time and eternity are in Christ. All the answers for your soul, all the answers for your sin, all the answers for your hope for the life to come, they’re all in Christ and only in Christ. There is no other authority in the Bible, there is no other Savior than Jesus Christ, and you will find everything you could ever desire or need in Him. That’s why, again going back to Colossians 2 and verse 10, “In Him you have been made complete.” You have been made complete. We often think today that Christ is a part of our lives. He’s maybe an important part but not all. We need Christ plus philosophy, we need Christ plus psychology, we need Christ plus ritual, Christ plus ceremony, Christ plus some miraculous experience, or Christ plus some mystical intuition, or Christ plus some bodily self-denial or immolation, we need to do something to hurt ourselves in order to gain merit with God, or we need to do something to transcend this world, have some kind of mystical experience to really know God or something like that. Or somehow we need to have an angelic visitation, or somehow we need to live a life of conformity to certain ceremony and certain ritual. But the Bible says it’s all in Christ and it’s all in knowing Christ. This whole epistle really focuses on Him because if you go back to chapter 1, verse 13, it says, “He delivered us from the domain of darkness” - that is, God did - “and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Everybody lives in a kingdom. Everybody has a king. There are two possible kingdoms, two possible kings. You can live under king Satan or King God. You can live in the kingdom of darkness or you can live in the kingdom of light. You can live in the kingdom of evil or the kingdom of righteousness. God by His grace delivers us from the kingdom of darkness, the domain of darkness, into the kingdom of His beloved Son. And when you come into the knowledge of Christ and He becomes your King, that’s how you enter His kingdom, and immediately, the Bible says, you have redemption, you are bought back from judgment, you are bought back from punishment, you’re bought back from hell because Christ paid the price. You have the forgiveness of sins, all the sins you have ever or would ever commit are forgiven because their penalty was paid by the death of Christ.     Everything comes down to Christ - everything. It was through Him that sinners are reconciled to God. It was through Him that we are transformed and converted and regenerated and born again. Everything comes through Him.

Proverbs 2:1-5 " My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:1-5 ASV) https://lnkd.in/erkVvm5C

‭2 Peter 1:3 KJV‬ [3] according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: https://lnkd.in/gXSPePFM

The Sovereignty of God is displayed in His Attributes. “Because God is HOLY, His anger burns against sin; because God is RIGHTEOUS, His judgments fall upon those who rebel against Him; because God is FAITHFUL, the solemn threatenings of His Word are fulfilled; because God is OMNIPOTENT, none can successfully resist Him, still less overthrow His counsel; and because God is OMNISCIENT, no problem can master Him and no difficulty baffle His wisdom.” —Arthur Pink 1886-1952 "NOTHING can happen but what God ordains, and, therefore, why should we fear?" "There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the DOCTRINE OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe troubles, they believe that Sovereignty hath ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children of God ought more earnestly to contend than the dominion of their Master over all creation—the kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the throne of God, and His right to sit upon that throne. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of which they have made such a football, as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except upon His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of Heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth; and when we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God they love. They love Him anywhere better than they do when He sits with His scepter in His hand and His crown upon His head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon His throne whom we trust." —Charles Spurgeon, "Sermons on Sovereignty," 1856 . THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is in complete & absolute control of EVERYTHING! . . . NOT man, the devil, OR the figment of your imagination. To reiterate, esp for those who 'think' man is 'controlling' the weather & 'other' happenings ... NO NO NO they are NOT! and neither is the devil! Read the Book of Job, esp C38-40 & Daniel & the rest of the Bible! Don't be self-deceived but FOCUS ON GOD, who He is, and understand the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD and His omnipotence!

The Transforming Gaze 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV) ONE FORM OF CHRISTIANITY IN the late Middle Ages emphasized the importance of church structures and doctrines. Men who were educated in theology and appointed to ecclesiastical positions often considered themselves holier and more dedicated than anyone else—even when their beliefs became highly political and personally ineffective. Other forms of Christianity—more informal and democratic forms whose followers included peasants, women, and mystics who might not have all their theology perfectly in order—emphasized personal interaction with God. The hierarchical, authoritative approaches insisted on precise theology and priestly rule; the unsanctioned approaches ventured into divine experiences with God himself. Which approach changed more lives? The experiential one, of course. In reality, these various forms overlapped quite a bit. But in every place and in every age, those who spend time allowing their souls to gaze at God are transformed, while those who invest themselves in structures and programs often find their hearts disappointingly stuck in the ways of the world. The soul busy with activities may accomplish a lot and receive accolades, but the soul at rest in the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit experiences an altogether different and more satisfying kind of power. Transformation comes not by methods and achievements but by beholding the Lord’s glory. Scripture always points us in this direction. Each of our lives—and history itself—will culminate in a great transformation based on our spiritual gaze: “We do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2). Principles and disciplines may help us from time to time, but the primary shaper of our hearts and lives is the vision we have. If our vision is filled with the nature of God, we become like him. If it isn’t, we don’t. Casting our eyes on the nature and glory of God changes us—and through us, it changes the world. Lord, fix my gaze on you. May I hold your glories, your nature, and your truth in my heart at all times. Transform me with visions of who you really are. Amen.

Now let’s look at chapter 2 for a minute, and I just want to show you a few things that Paul directly speaks to that tend to clutter this simplicity in Christ. Paul wrote, you remember, to the Corinthians, and He said, “I’m worried about you. I’m very concerned about you” because false teachers were coming in and confusing them, and he says this, 2 Corinthians 11:3, “I’m afraid that in the same way that the serpent in the garden deceived Eve by his cleverness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity that belongs to Christ.” We’re talking about something that is pure and simple. Christ is everything, and apart from Him, there are no answers either for time or eternity. There are four points that Paul wants to make in chapter 2 of Colossians that assault the simplicity of Christ and the sufficiency of Christ. Four of them: philosophy, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism, and we’ll talk about what those mean. Let’s talk first about philosophy. Verse 8, Colossians 2, in this context of saying that in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, that you’re complete in Him, that He is the One who is the image of the invisible God - as chapter 1, verse 15, says - He is the One by whom all things were created, He is the One who is the supreme authority, He is the One who is before all things and holds all things together. He is the One in whom all the fullness of the Father dwells, He is the One and He alone who reconciles all things to Himself, who made peace by the blood of His cross, He is the everything. In response to that, Paul says in verse 8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Don’t let anybody distract you from Christ. Don’t let anybody take you captive and pull you away from the single commitment to Christ. Verse 9, “For in Him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form and in Him, you’ve been made complete.” This refers to whatever systems men invent, whatever ideologies, philosophies, psychologies, theories, religions. And they’re innumerable, aren’t they? Cults and isms and schisms abound all over everywhere. Everybody’s got his own little hip-pocket idea of God and truth and Christ and how the Bible fits in, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Philosophers, authors, playwrights, novelists, academicians, movie producers, talk show hosts, psychologists, sociologists, religious leaders ad infinitum, ad nauseum have their opinions about everything.