“By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Col. 2:14 ESV)

Jesus humbled Himself on the cross 

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:8 ESV)

 Jesus reconciled all things by His blood on the cross 

“And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col. 1:20 ESV)

Look to Jesus who endured the cross for you 

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2 ESV)

The word of the cross is the power of God to those being saved

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV)

Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 ESV)

“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27 ESV)

 “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matt. 10:38 ESV)

 Therefore…

 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:29 ESV)

 “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6:14 ESV)

 Quotes:

“God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, "I love you."- Billy Graham 

“It was Christ who willingly went to the cross, and it was our sins that took him there.” - Franklin Graham

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 15:4-5 ESV)

Suffering produces endurance 

 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” (Rom. 5:3-4 ESV)

Remain steadfast under trial and you will be blessed

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 ESV)

You need endurance

 “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Heb. 1o:36 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Heb. 12:1-3 ESV)

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy…” (Col. 1:11 ESV)

“…being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…” (Col. 1:11 NIV)

Quote:

“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” - Corrie ten Boom

“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” (Prov. 12:16 ESV)

Don’t take things to heart

“Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.” (Eccles. 7:21-22 ESV)

Be slow to anger with good sense

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19 ESV)

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Prov. 19:11 ESV)

Endure patiently with kindness 

“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil…” (2 Tim. 2:24 ESV)

Therefore…

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:14 ESV)

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10 ESV)

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-23 ESV)

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exo. 14:14 ESV)

Quote: 

“Therefore, I bind these lies and slanderous accusations to my person as an ornament; it belongs to my Christian profession to be vilified, slandered, reproached and reviled, and since all this is nothing but that, as God and my conscience testify, I rejoice in being reproached for Christ's sake.” - John Bunyan

“For God shows no partiality.” (Rom. 2:11 ESV)

Prejudice: bias, one-sidedness, partiality. 

God looks at the heart

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7 NIV)

God does not tolerate partiality 

“The LORD our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” (2 Chron. 19:7 NLT)

Show no partiality as you hold the faith

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1 ESV)

Therefore…

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28 ESV)

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24 ESV)

“You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker.” (Jam. 2:8-9 GNB)

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom. 10:12-13 ESV)

Quote:

“I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” – Peter (Acts 10:34-35 ESV)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

God is faithful and generous in forgiving you

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5 ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

You must be generous in forgiving others 

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:12-13 ESV)

“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” (Matt. 18:21-22 ESV)

Therefore…

“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4 ESV)

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24 ESV)

Quote:

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” - C.S. Lewis

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19 NIV)

If you stop listening, you will stray 

“Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Prov. 19:27 ESV)

It is a shame and folly to answer before listening

“To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.” (Prov. 18:3 ESV)

A wise man listens 

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Prov. 12:15  ESV)

Listen for God’s voice 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20 ESV)

Therefore…

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 11:15 ESV)

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Prov. 19:20 ESV)

Quotes:

“You see pain with your eyes, but you sympathize with your ears. Sometimes the greatest way to serve someone is just by listening. Behind every need is a story.” - Rick Warren

“Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.” - Stephen Covey

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15 NIV)

Peace in decision-making

Over the years, Susan and I have had to make some big decisions such as whether to buy a certain home or not, whether to home-school our children or not, or whether we should accept certain job opportunities that came our way or not, just to name a few. Sometimes decisions were easy to make when everything was perfectly clear. But, other times they were not and we occasionally got it wrong. In retrospect, and of course hindsight is 20/20, we realized that we had not “let the peace of Christ rule” before making the decision. If we had, we probably would have made different decisions. One thing to watch out for, however, is to not allow fear to get into the mix and not move forward in an important decision simply because you have some fear about it. In reality, most big decisions are scary, yet God can still provide deep inner peace in the midst of it. The important thing is to know the difference and to not allow yourself to be unjustifiably troubled or afraid. If you lack wisdom, ask God for it! (James 1:5)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV)

If you make having the peace of God the gage you use for making big decisions, things will generally turn out better for you. 

To have God’s peace in decision making…

• Pray about the decision and don’t be anxious - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

• Keep your mind stayed on Jesus when making the decision - “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa. 26:3 ESV)

• Ask God for peace when you need to make a decision - “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (2 Thess. 3:16 ESV)

• Strive for peace while making a decision - “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14 ESV)

• If the decision contains any element of evil, don’t - “Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3:11 ES)

• If your decision is against God’s Word, don’t - Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” (Psalm 118:165 ESV)

Therefore…

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Cor. 14:33 ESV)

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV)

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18 ESV)

Quote:

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” - Saint Francis de Sales

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV)

Scripture – God’s Word 

• It is Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• It is the sword of the Spirit: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17 ESV)

• It is living and active: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Heb. 4:12-14 ESV)

• It is needed to live: “But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

• It gives encouragement and hope: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4 ESV)

• It gives faith to the hearer: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

• It accomplishes God’s purpose:  “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:11 ESV)

• It gives light to your pathway: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” ( Psalm 119:105 ESV)

• It lasts forever: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matt. 24:35 ESV)

Therefore…

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19:7-11 ESV)

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:29-23 ESV)

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Heb. 2:1 ESV)

Quotes:

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” - Charles Spurgeon

“The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.” - Elisabeth Elliot

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14 NLT)

Take action: Be a doer of the Word

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:23-25 ESV)

Take action: Love in deed and truth

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18 ESV)

Take action: Supplement your faith 

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

Take action: Be rich in good works

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19 ESV) 

Therefore…

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24 ESV)

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV)

Quote:

“The Christian life requires hard work. Our sanctification is a process wherein we are coworkers with God. We have the promise of God's assistance in our labor, but His divine help does not annul our responsibility to work (Phil. 2:12-13).” - R. C. Sproul