By Todd Crosby (Deacon)

What do we believe?

That having been tempted by Satan, man chose to sin against God and thereby incurred physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God’s fellowship.

Why do we believe this?

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

Why does it matter?

Are people generally good?  What does the Bible say about the condition of man? The Bible states that we are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), that all have sinned (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:23), and that our hearts are desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). The Bible also states that no one seeks after God (Romans 3:10), and no one will unless the father draws them (John 6:44). The best one word statement that would describe the condition of man is simply DEAD (Ephesians 2:1-2). Because of our sin we are spiritually dead to a Holy God.

In John 11, Jesus was asked to come and see about his ill friend Lazarus. Jesus, ever so in tune with the Fathers schedule, did not get in a hurry in doing so (v6). So much so that when he arrived at Bethany, his friend Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. You may know the story quite well. After they had moved the stone our Lord said “Lazarus, come out” (v43). What’s interesting about this is that Jesus gave a command to a dead man. What are some characteristics of someone who is dead? They are unresponsive, without life, and decaying. If someone is spiritually dead then they are spiritually unresponsive. They are unable to respond to God and they are certainly unable to respond rightfully, which is with faith and repentance. Christ’s command, to Lazarus is analogous to the gospel call. The gospel commands dead people to respond. So how does a spiritually dead person respond? How is that possible? Next week we’ll look at the details of that. For today, consider the blessing of salvation. Though you were once dead, you are now “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

Before coming to Christ would you describe yourself as sick and dead? Why do you think the Bible uses this terminology to describe mankind?

By Robert Duvall (Elder)

What do we believe?

 We believe that God created man in His own image, making men and women with distinct qualities and roles, yet equal in dignity.

Why do we believe this?

Psalm 8:3-9 – When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

 Why does it matter?

God has given us a huge responsibility to care for each other and to care for His creation. Being similar to God by being created in His image, we have a God-given desire to love and to be loved. We have the unique ability to stand in awe of a beautiful sunset, look in utter amazement at the breath-taking, snow-capped Rocky Mountains, or to get chills from a musical work of art. These are some of the wonderful gifts that make us uniquely human, yet similar to God. We should always demonstrate our appreciation and respect for His creation and for His Word. When we dig into His Word, we quickly learn that this awe, amazement, and chills that we receive from His creation pale in comparison to experiencing God Himself. We see that God has given men and women specific roles to fulfill while on earth, and His love is unwavering and equally distributed to both. We are equally important in God’s eyes! For any of us to be considered important to God is truly an honor, and this should give us chills more than anything else! Slow down today and thank God for the honor He has bestowed upon you as His unique creation. Thank Him also for giving us the ability to appreciate our beautiful planet, much the same way in which He does. We are charged with taking care of His creation and taking care of each other. Let’s not disappoint our Heavenly Father today.

By Robert Duvall (Elder)

What do we believe?

We believe that God created man in His own image, making men and women with distinct qualities and roles, yet equal in dignity.

 Why do we believe this?

 Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

 Why does it matter?

Have you ever spent time pondering what it means to be created in the image of God and in His likeness? There are many thoughts on exactly what this means. Some believe this means that we possess similar characteristics with God, like moral purity, spiritual nature, creativity, or the ability to love. Regardless of the specifics, this is an honor beyond comprehension. For God to love men and women so much to create them in His own image is truly amazing. We are more like Him than anything else in creation, so this comes with great responsibility on our part. Grudem tells us, “The Hebrew word for ‘image’ (tselem) and the Hebrew word for ‘likeness’ (demut) refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents.” Men and women share this honor equally with one another, which is all the more reason for us to treat one another with love and respect in all that we say and all that we do. When we believe this and live this out each day, this becomes one of our greatest opportunities to bring glory and honor to His holy name. Make it your goal today to see those around you as “created in the image of God”. (Yes, this even applies to those who make your day more challenging!)

Pray today for Pastor Jason as he continues in the series Renew Your Belief.  Pray that the Spirit will work mightily through him as he delivers the Lords message today.

These requests come from Living Hope’s prayer sheet:

Edna is having some cancer spots removed from her skin this week.

Salvation for Bob, Steve, Rob, Tyler, Missy, Ricky, Terry, Joe, Charles, Barry, Meadow, Frank, Kristen, Kyle, Lenna, and Dennis

The following will start living their faith: James, Brad, Todd, and Jennie

Carl and Julie with employment and the selling of their house

That Tedd will yield to God’s will and will trust in His provision

Hannah and her ankle to get better.

A member lost his job that he has had for 19 years.

Health, Safety, and Judgement for George as he goes to school and for an upcoming transfer of school.

Don has lung cancer and it has moved to his brain.  Pray for his family during this hard time.

Maria and the sell of her house so she can move to Kentucky

Baby Ashyton has tumors all throughout her body and she has become blind.

Inez lost her husband this week.

Safety and protection for Billy as he serves our country in Afghanistan.

Maggie participating in a food test to hopefully determine if she has severe allergies still

Dennis begins a very expensive Hep-C treatment.  Pray for success and finances.

Pray for North Warren Elementary

That Jessie can beat a bad bacteria in her body.

That Elsie’s mom’s house can sell.

Terry, Austin, and Derek to adjust to their Mom’s new schedule.

By Mike Wilson (Elder)

What do we believe?
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures and enables men to understand
truth. That He convicts men of sin, regenerates the heart to believe, and is the means by which the
believer is sealed until the day of final redemption. That He dwells within believers, empowering,
guiding, and equipping them toward holiness.

Why do we believe this?
Ephesians 1:13-14 – In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the
guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Why does it matter?
Whenever we make a purchase, particularly a large one, we like to know that we
have a guarantee to go along with the product or service we acquire. It gives a feeling
of security and confidence in knowing that there is a promise of restoration should
anything go wrong. In much the same way, Holy Spirit comes along side us as a
promise of not only His presence in this life but also as a sign of better things to come.
We can have the assurance of our salvation and our standing before God if we listen to
Holy Spirit telling us of our guarantee on something far greater than an automobile or
appliance. We can face the challenges of today knowing that regardless of the outcome,
our eternity is secure. That is the ultimate in customer satisfaction!

by Don Brown (Elder)

What do we believe?

We believe in Jesus Christ, the one and only eternal Son of God, who, while fully divine, became a man that He might reveal God and redeem mankind. That He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. That He lived a sinless life and died a substitutionary death in order to serve as the one and only mediator between God and man. That He was buried and then physically resurrected from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, where He remains as an intercessor for His people until the day in which He will return to judge the living and the dead. That His judgment is final, resulting in those who are righteous in Christ spending eternity with the Lord and the unredeemed spending eternity in Hell.

 Why do we believe this?

 Colossians 1:15-17- He is the image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

 Why does it matter?

We cannot save ourselves. We cannot become righteous by ourselves, meaning right with God. Paul says in Romans 3:10 that nobody is righteous, no, not one. We may summarize the biblical teaching about the person of Christ as follows: Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever. Scripture clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother, Mary, by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father (Matthew 1:18-24, Luke 1:34-35).

Jesus was human. He grew through childhood to adulthood just as other children grow (Luke 2:40). He had the same human needs that we have. He hungered (Matt 4:2), he was thirsty (John 19:28), he was weary (John 4:6), he cried (John 11:35). He grew in stature and wisdom and began His formal ministry at around the age of thirty.

Jesus was sinless. Jesus made an amazing proclamation. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). If we understand light to represent truthfulness and moral purity, then Jesus is here claiming to be the source of truth and the source of holiness in the world- an astounding claim, and one that could only be made by someone who was free from sin. Jesus said that He always did what was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29).

This all culminated in a perfect redemptive work. By being all God and all man, Jesus became a perfect sacrifice for us. He had no sin, therefore, he was blameless. He was the spotless Lamb of God slain for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the definition of substitutionary death. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

Wednesday by Mike Lewellen (Elder)

What do we believe?

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, holy, and loving being, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise. We believe that He sovereignly reigns over the affairs of this world, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Why do we believe this?

Ephesians 1:11-12 – In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Why does it matter?

I was recently listening to a man who was describing how big our God is.  He used the word ‘star-breather’ to describe our God.   If you stand in the middle of a field on a clear night and consider the stars above you, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by His creation.  When you learn that there are galaxies that are light years away and you learn that a light year is the distance light travels in one year you quickly lose the ability to wrap your head around it all.    If the earth was the size of a golf ball, then the sun would be a fifteen foot sphere.  That golf ball would fit inside that sphere 960,000 times.  Our closest star—the sun, is very big!  It just so happens that this huge sun is 93 million miles from our golf ball, the earth.  This distance is perfect for us to live comfortably on our golf ball.  God knew that when He designed it all.  God does care about us.  God does care for us.  Just as God knows the exact distance needed between the sun and the earth, He knows all there is to know about you, and He cares.  You existed before the beginning of time in the mind of God.  God created you to bring glory to Him.  He gave you the ability to walk through any circumstance, no matter how difficult, in a manner that will give Him glory.  Walk in such a manner.

Tuesday by Jason Pettus

What do we believe?

That these three persons are equal in divinity and glory and yet each has personal attributes and distinct functions. Because of His triune nature, God is both transcendent over all of creation and personally involved in this world as the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe.

Why do we believe this?

Matthew 3:16-17 – And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Why does it matter?

The mystery of the nature of God is beyond what anything of us can comprehend. We can apprehend or get a sense of God, but we can never fully understand Him completely. He has revealed Himself in a way that we do not have categories to put Him in.

He is one. There is only one God who is holy, just, love, and a host of other amazing and wonderful things. And yet, He is three.  He is one God that exists in three distinct persons. He is Father, Son, and Spirit.

It is glorious to consider how He is able to be who He is, but it vital that we not merely try to understand God.  God wants us to experience Him.  Yes, our experience must be based on our understanding of the truth of who He is, but we must not limit what God can do and be in our life to what we can only understand Him to do and be.

God has the ability as the Sovereign King and Father over all to be at work in every part of the universe. There is not a star shining, a planet turning, a blade of grass growing, or a mosquito dying that He is not aware of and working for a purpose in it. That almighty powerful God is available to us through His Son who came to die for us and give us access to the Father through His victory over death and sin. It is through the Holy Spirit that we commune with God and feel His convicting power and guiding influence. He knows and impacts our every thought and intention.

By Gary Hughes (Elder)

What do we believe?

We believe in one God, who exists eternally in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Why do we believe this?

Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one

Why does it matter?

From the time of ancient Israel until today, one of the most honored verses in the Old Testament by the Jewish people is the “shema,” so called because that is the first Hebrew word in the verse. It is also the verse that comes immediately before what Jesus identified as the greatest of all the commands in the Old Testament: to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength.

Although the verse is short (only six words in Hebrew), it packs a lot of power. The hearers/readers are commanded to pay attention: this is important. Next, we find God identified. The proper name that he revealed to Moses from the burning bush is used (Yahweh, or the LORD), and then He is called “our God.” In the Hebrew, the word for God used here (and most other occurrences in the Old Testament) is a plural noun. Although it is plural, throughout the Old Testament when the word refers to God it is treated as a singular. Finally, to emphasize the fact, the proper name of God is used again and followed by the word for “one.” It is not until Jesus and the teachings of the New Testament that we understand how this verse is truly to be understood: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as three persons, but God is still One, both in number and in priority.

How can this mystery help you to reflect on the awesome nature of God while thanking Him for remaining so near?