IDentity Blessed

IDentity Blessed

Sean Vickers

IDentity – Blessed

Ephesians 1:3-14

#1 THE BLESSINGS OF BEING “IN CHRIST.” Ephesians 1:3

#2 BLESSINGS FROM GOD THE FATHER Ephesians 1:4-6

  • Chosen  by God

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. Baptist Faith and Message 2000

  • Adopted by God

#3 BLESSSINGS FROM GOD THE SON Ephesians 1:7-12

  • Redeemed by Christ
  • Informed by Christ

#4 BLESSINGS FROM GOD THE SPIRIT Ephesians 1:13-14

  • Marked by the Spirit

woody

  • Guaranteed by the Spirit

#5 BLESSED TO PRAISE Ephesians 1: 3,6,12 and 14

—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:14b (NIV)

God’s Will

God’s Will

Sean Vickers

There is much conversation about God’s will for individuals and organizations. Some wrongly describe God’s will as being a secret or hard to find. Even worse is the pursuit of God’s will apart from a pursuit of God Himself. The truth is that God wants you to live in His will daily and have confidence for your life. In the devotional Experiencing God Day by Day, Henry Blackaby writes,

“If you are walking daily with the Lord, you will not have to find God’s will—you will already be in it. If you are walking with Him in obedience day by day, you will always be in the will of God. The Holy Spirit’s role is to guide you step by step to do God’s will. Walking closely with God each day guarantees that you will be exactly where He wants you to be. You would have to reject all of the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life in order to get out of the will of God.”

Devotion

Devotion to God and a close growing relationship with Him is essential for living in the will of God. The disciplines of the Christian faith become paramount in order to live in God’s will. The disciplines of prayer (John 10:27) and fasting, reading the Word of God (Psalm 119:105), and worship (Romans 12:1-2) lead you to a closer relationship with Him. As you abide in Him, He will direct your steps.  John 15:5

Desire

As you devote yourself to God you will notice something amazing happening in your life. The Holy Spirit will work in your life to transform your heart and mind and lead you to God’s perfect will (Romans 12:2). Following God’s desires is the natural response of a believer what is devoted to Christ. Through your transformed desires God’s is leading you from the inside out. Psalm 37:4 says,

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Determination

Your devotion to God will also lead you to a determination to do God’s will. In Ephesians 1:2, Paul describes himself as an “apostle of Christ by the will of God.” Paul had a determination to follow Christ even though his path was hard. It’s the power of God working through devoted followers that allow them to do God’s will in sometimes hostile environments.

Living daily in God’s will is more a matter of “being” His child than “doing” His will. He is the goal. Philippians 3:14.

Identity #1 SAINT

Identity #1 SAINT

Sean Vickers

IDentity –  Saint Ephesians 1:1-2

In the New Testament book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes about a believer’s position “in Christ.”

#1 YOUR IDENTITY MATTERS.

Genesis 1:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17

#2 GOD’S WILL IS A JOYFUL JOURNEY OVER SMOOTH ANBD ROUGH TERRAIN.

Psalm 40:8, Ephesians 3:1

#3 ID Check:  SAINT or SINNER

Colossians 3:3

#4 A GREAT GREETING

Ephesians 1:2

#5 AN AMAZING MESSAGE

Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 4:1

Thirsty?

Thirsty?

Sean Vickers

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on You in the sanctuary
to see Your strength and Your glory.
My lips will glorify You because
Your faithful love is better than life.
So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.
Psalm 63:1-5 (HCSB)

Those of us who live in the high plains of north Texas can relate to King David, who wrote this psalm while he was in the desert wilderness of Judah. We know the satisfaction that comes from a tall glass of ice water on a hot day. As great as cool water is for physical thirst, David thirsts for God to satisfy his spiritual thirst, to satisfy his soul. Where do you turn to find satisfaction for your soul? When you find yourself in the dry wilderness situations of life, what do you do? This Psalm shows the path to find satisfaction, even satisfaction for your soul.

David begins his journey by seeking God in His sanctuary. David had experienced God in His power and glory in the tabernacle; now David is in a dry place spiritually. He longs to see his wilderness transformed into a sanctuary where God is honored and worshiped. We should follow David’s example and seek God through our dry times and say, “I want to seek God’s glory through this wilderness experience just as though I were worshiping God in a church service.” God wants to be found. He will satisfy your soul. No one else can.

David continues his journey by blessing God. He focuses his attention on the greatness and faithfulness of God rather than the wilderness. When we choose to trust God through the dry times of life He refreshes our souls. When we are in the wilderness, the choice is ours, focus on the dryness of the desert or on the faithfulness of God. Choosing God will lead to deep satisfaction. He writes, “Your faithful love is better than life.” Wow. How would your life be different if God’s faithful love was even more precious to you than life itself?

David arrives at satisfaction when he writes, “You satisfy me as with rich food.” Satisfaction doesn’t come from external circumstances. It comes directly from God as He blesses us on the inside. Wilderness experiences can benefit you. They teach you the important truth about the source of real satisfaction. Circumstances on the outside can never lead to true satisfaction. Only God’s work on the inside truly satisfies. When you find yourself in the wilderness, follow David’s example. God will meet your need and you will find satisfaction for your soul.

This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.

Pray 4 Every Home

Pray 4 Every Home

Sean Vickers

 

The amount of prayer a church dedicates to it’s community is directly related to the effectiveness of that church to extend the Kingdom of God into that community.

#1 GOD KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE! 1 Peter 2:10-12 (NIV)

#2 DON’T JUST SURVIVE – THRIVE! Jeremiah 29:5 (NIV)

#3 THINK ABOUT FUTURE GENERATIONS Jeremiah 29:6 (NIV)

#4 PRAY FOR YOUR CITY Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)

www.pray4everyhome.com

www.fbcdalhart.org/prayer

#5 TRUST GOD’S PLAND AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The Foundation

The Foundation

Sean Vickers

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the concrete in the foundation of the Christian faith.

Reasons to believe Jesus really did rise from the dead:

#1 JESUS OWN PREDICTIONS OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION Luke 9:22

#2 THE PUBLIC CRUCIFIXION John 19:32-34

#3 THE EYE WITNESS TESTIMONIES 1 Corinthians 15:6

#4 THE EMPTY TOMB Mark 16:1

#5 THE TRANSFORMED LIVES OF THE DISCIPLES  Matthew 26:56, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:1-2

#6 THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH Acts 2:40-41

#7 THE TRANSFORMED LIVES OF CHRIST FOLLOWERS TODAY

How do these truths effect our lives today?

– WE ARE TRULY LOVED Armand 5:8
– BY FAITH OUR SINS CAN BE FORGIVEN Justified=declared righteous
– DEATH IS NOT THE END In death we fall asleep only be awakened to new life.
– HOW WE LIVE IS IMPORTANT How we live is proof of what we believe
– CHRIST DEMANDS AND DESERVES OUR FULL DEVOTION

Passion Week

Passion Week

Sean Vickers

The most important week of the most important person who ever lived

 

PALM SUNDAY – It is right for us to worship Him!
Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-36

 

MALADY MONDAY – How we worship and serve Him matters to God.
Matthew 21:12-19, Mark 11:12-18, Luke 19:45-48

 

TEACHING TUESDAY – Loving God and loving others is the greatest commandment.
Matthew 21:20-25:46, Mark 11:20-13:37, Luke 20:1-21:36

 

SPY WEDNESDAY – In this world there will always be someone willing to tear down what God is working to build up.
Matthew 26:3-5, Mark 14:1-2, Luke 21:37-22:2

 

TABLE THURSDAY – We must always remember Jesus sacrifice by joining Him at His table.
Matthew 26:17-46, Mark 14:12-42, Luke 22:7-46, John 13:1-17:26

 

GOOD FRIDAY – Never loose hope. Never give up. Never, never never. Even on the darkest of days God has a plan.
Matthew 26:47-27:61, Mark 14:43-15:47, Luke 22:47-23:56, Jn 18:2-19:42

 

SILENT SATURDAY – Trust God in the silence. He is still working out His plan for your life.
Matthew 27:62-66

 

VICTORIOUS SUNDAY EASTER! – Death, the grave and hell have been defeated. He is Risen, indeed!
Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-43, John 20:1-23

Simple Pursuit

Simple Pursuit

Sean Vickers

WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE SOO COMPLICATED?

Why does everything have to be so complicated? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I know I have. As life goes on it seems to get more and more complicated with layer after layer of details piling up until it seems unmanageable. This makes one long for the simple life.

Allow me to introduce you to a song that has captured my heart and my desire for simplicity. It’s called Simple Pursuit and was written by Matt Redman. Here is the first verse and chorus:

God take us back, the place we began
The simple pursuit of nothing but You
The innocence of a heart in Your hands
God take us back, oh God, take us back

To an unswerving faith in the power of Your name
A heart beating for Your kingdom to reign
A church that is known for Your presence again
God take us back

Nothing and no one comes close to You
Nothing could ever come close
Nothing and no one; it’s You, and You only
Nothing could ever come close

When I heard the song for the first time I immediately knew it would be a favorite of mine. This song reminded me of the message Jesus had for the church of Ephesus found in Revelation, chapter 2. This church honored Jesus with their deeds, but Jesus told them they had forsaken Him as their first love. Wow. That would be a hard thing to hear from your Savior. The church at Ephesus had left their simple pursuit of their Savior and become satisfied with going through the motions with passionless service and activity.

I am thankful that this passage does not end here. Jesus prescribed a remedy for the church’s heart problem. This same remedy is for anyone that is overwhelmed with details and feels their relationship with Jesus growing cold.

Jesus said to the church at Ephesus and He says to us today, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” To get back to a simple pursuit of Jesus it is important to remember our Savior and what it was like when we first trusted Him. This will give us an idea how “far you have fallen.” When a person first places their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior it is normally a time of joy, gratitude, and amazement in the amazing grace of God. When our life and faith gets too complicated we forget the joy of our salvation. Some of you reading this article may not know the amazement that I am writing about.

If there has never been a moment in your life when you trusted Jesus let me invite you to one of the many Bible believing churches in Dalhart. We celebrate Jesus every week as we gather to worship. You are certainly welcomed at First Baptist Dalhart. You would be my honored guest.

The second part of Jesus remedy is to “repent and do the thing you did at first.” Repent means to change your mind or change directions. Simply put, repentance is turning back to Jesus and simply pursuing Him while doing the things we did when our faith was new and fresh. Do you remember a time when you worshipped from the heart, when you were growing in your faith, when you served Him without hesitation and with joy, and when you desired to talk to others about your faith? If these are distant memories, they don’t have to be. It’s time to get back to a Simple Pursuit of your Savior.

This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.