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Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; ... If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:2, 6)
The reference here is not, as some imagine, to true Christians losing their salvation, nor are these fruitless but genuine Christians (an impossibility). That these branches bear no fruit marks them as unbelieving, false disciples since, as noted previously, all true Christians bear fruit. Further, Jesus promised that He will not cast out any true disciples: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (John 6:37).
The phrase in Me in this case cannot have the Pauline connotation of believers' union with Christ; it merely describes those who outwardly attach themselves to Him (cf. Matt. 13:20--22; Rom. 9:6--8; 11:16--24; 1 John 2:19). Such people will always be present with the true ...
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/41-1 Well this morning, for the first time in the history of my ministry at this church, we open to the book of Mark, a new era in our church life, and a somewhat monumental experience for me since 40 years ago when I came, it was my objective to teach through the entire New Testament verse by verse. I have done that in these 40 years and arrived finally at the last book, the book of Mark. And with the completion of this book, the whole of the New Testament will have been taught here in our church and what an immense incalculable privilege it has been for me. I think you are going to enjoy, I think you're going to love, you're going to cherish your experience in the gospel of Mark. Let's open to the first verse and read that verse with the understanding that this is the title of the book, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God...
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/41-2 We come now to the gospel of Mark. Open your Bible, if you will, to the first chapter of Mark...the first chapter of Mark. And we are going to read for you the opening eight verses, and then we're going to look at them this morning. Mark chapter 1 and verse 1. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." "John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him and all the people of Jerusalem and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and his diet was locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching and saying, 'After me, one is coming who is mightier than I and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'" Thus does Mark begin his history of the Lord Jesus Christ, drawn from his time spent with the beloved Apostle Peter who was the human source of his information. Of course, superintended and guided by the Holy Spirit so that when he wrote, he wrote under divine inspiration...
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/80-345 Tonight we're going to look at Romans chapter 3 again and I'm always blessed to have the privilege of doing this. I'm grateful for the new life that we know about in our church, the people who are being baptized every Sunday, the people who are coming into our church constantly. And I realize how foundational and important this particular section of Romans is so that everybody understands the reality of the doctrine of salvation in its fullness and in its richness. The text I want you to look at is Romans chapter 3 and verse 25...Romans chapter 3 and verse 25, and we'll read down to verse 31. This is speaking of Christ Jesus and His redemption as indicated in verse 24, "Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed for the demonstration, I say, for His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Or works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be. On the contrary, we establish the Law."...
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/80-345 Tonight we're going to look at Romans chapter 3 again and I'm always blessed to have the privilege of doing this. I'm grateful for the new life that we know about in our church, the people who are being baptized every Sunday, the people who are coming into our church constantly. And I realize how foundational and important this particular section of Romans is so that everybody understands the reality of the doctrine of salvation in its fullness and in its richness. The text I want you to look at is Romans chapter 3 and verse 25...Romans chapter 3 and verse 25, and we'll read down to verse 31. This is speaking of Christ Jesus and His redemption as indicated in verse 24, "Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed for the demonstration, I say, for His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Or works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be. On the contrary, we establish the Law."...
http://www.macarthurcommentaries.com Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; ... If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:2, 6) The reference here is not, as some imagine, to true Christians losing their salvation, nor are these fruitless but genuine Christians (an impossibility). That these branches bear no fruit marks them as unbelieving, false disciples since, as noted previously, all true Christians bear fruit. Further, Jesus promised that He will not cast out any true disciples: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (John 6:37). The phrase in Me in this case cannot have the Pauline connotation of believers' union with Christ; it merely describes those who outwardly attach themselves to Him (cf. Matt. 13:20--22; Rom. 9:6--8; 11:16--24; 1 John 2:19). Such people will always be present with the true church. The New Testament describes them as tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25--30); bad fish that are thrown away (Matt. 13:48); goats condemned to eternal punishment (Matt. 25:33, 41); those left standing outside when the head of the house shuts the door (Luke 13:25--27)...
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And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)
The heretics viewed Jesus as one among a series of lesser spirits descending in sequential inferiority from God. Paul refutes that with two powerful descriptions of who Jesus really is. First, Paul describes Him as the image of the invisible God. Eikon (image) means "image" or "likeness." From it we get our English word icon, referring to a statue. It is used in Matthew 22:20 of Caesar's portrait on a coin, and in Revelation 13:14 of the statue of Antichrist.
Paul further describes Jesus as the first-born of all creation. From the Arians of the early church to the Jehovah's Witnesses of our own day, those who would deny our Lord's deity have sought support from this phrase. They argue that it speaks of Christ as a created being, and hence He could not be the eternal God. Such an interpretation completely misunderstands the sense of prototokos (first-born) and ignores the ...
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After all the years you've invited John MacArthur into your homeâthrough "Grace to You" radio and television programs, books, and the websiteâJohn would like to invite you to spend a weekend with him at his home church, Grace Community Church, in Sun Valley, California.
This is an opportunity designed for the Grace to You family to hear John MacArthur in person as he opens the Word several times at this conference. You'll also meet the Grace to You staff and spend time with the church body John has shepherded for more than 40 years.
Registration is open now, but space is limited, so you'll want to sign up as soon as possible. Click here to get more details about the conference, or go straight to registration by clicking here.
We look forward to seeing you in sunny southern California next September!
http://www.gty.org/radio ... How many Bibles do you own? How many Bible-driven churches are near you? Was it hard to find this Christian radio broadcast? Whatever your access to Scripture, are you making the most of having God's Word within reach?
http://www.macarthurcommentaries.com ... I know a man in Christ who fourteen years agoâwhether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knowsâsuch a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a manâwhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knowsâwas caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. (2 Corinthians 12:2â4)
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And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly. (Romans 12:6)
The spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament, primarily in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12, fall into three categories: sign, speaking, and serving. Before the New Testament was written, men had no standard for judging the truthfulness of someone who preached, taught, or witnessed in the name of Christ. The sign gifts authenticated the teaching of the apostlesâwhich was the measure of all other teachingâand therefore ceased after the apostles died, probably even earlier. âThe signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance,â Paul explained to the Corinthian church, âby signs and wonders and miraclesâ (2 Cor. 12:12). The writer of Hebrews gives further revelation about the purpose of these special gifts: âAfter [the gospel] was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also ...
How would you describe Jesus to someone who has never heard the Gospel before? Would you start with His miracles? The virgin birth? His sacrifice on the cross? You probably wouldnât start by describing His conflicts with the Pharisees. In fact, thatâs not a part of Christâs life and ministry that we hear much about these days. The popular image of Jesus today is passive and peaceful, but that doesnât begin to capture the full picture of what Godâs Word says about His Son. So grab your Bible, take a seat, because today John MacArthur is going to re-introduce you to a Jesus who wasnât always âniceâ. visit http://www.gty.org
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John MacArthurs new book, The Jesus You Cant Ignore, explores the Lords many personal, often-explosive encounters with the influential teachers of His day. Youll see how both Jesus message and His manner have direct application for believers who love truth in this age of accommodation and compromise.
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We believe that God is holy and perfect. He has commanded us to be completely perfect, just as He is (1 Peter 1:16). Yet we have not lived a perfect life, nor can we...nor can anyone (Romans 3:23). Yet though we have sinned and so deserve to receive the wrath of God forever in hell (Matthew 5:22), we believe that He has made a way to reconcile us to Himself. He sent His Son Jesus to live the perfect life that we could not live, and then die the death that we deserve so that anyone who believes in Him could have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ died on the cross, not because He deserved to die, but rather to receive the punishment that we deserve, thereby freeing us from all condemnation (Romans 8:1). Now that in the justice of God we have already died for our sin (Since Jesus died in our place, Galatians 2:20), we eagerly await the day when God will resurrect us, just as He did His Son, and bring us to heaven where we will worship Him forever (2 Corinthians 4:14). ...
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If you've been a Christian long you have probably had to answer the question of evolution. You've had to defend the bible to those that don't believe it passes the test of science. Well does it? The answer is yes. But the more important question you need to answer a question posed by scriptures first verse. Respond carefully though, because how you answer will dictate your response to everything that flows, not just in scripture but also in your life. So what's the question? Stick around and find out as Pastor John MacArthur takes us back to the beginning, today on Grace to You.
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The message of Jesus is to go unto uall the world to make disciples, not make Republicans. Our message is a message that Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sins and death Hell. And that is the message. And evangelicals have convoluted message, sublimated that message to a political agenda, they have missed the point.
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How privileged we are to hear from the living God through His living Word. Take your Bible, if you will, and turn to the twelfth chapter of 2 Corinthians and I want to read for you verses 7 through 10 which will provide the text for our study in the Word of God...2 Corinthians chapter 12 beginning at verse 7.
The biggest question that will ever be answered is the question...Which way to heaven? The most important decision that anybody will ever make is the decision that they make regarding their eternal destiny. Life here, says the Bible, is a vapor that appears for a little time and vanishes away. It is like steam off a cup of coffee, nothing more, compared to eternity. Everyone will live somewhere forever without end. Where you live forever is absolutely critical. There are two options: hell and eternal punishment, or heaven and eternal joy. The question then is...which way to heaven?
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One of the subjects that is at the very center of Christian experience is the matter of the will of God, the will of God. Throughout all of my life, I have heard people tell me they were looking for the will of God, searching for the will of God, trying to find the will of God. In fact, many, many years ago, I wrote a little book called, The Will of God is not Lost. Because it seemed to me that so many people were acting as if it was lost, as if God had placed his will in some obscure place, as if God were some sort of a divine Easter Bunny who had stashed the golden egg in some bush and all he did was sit in heaven saying, "You're getting warmer," or, "You're getting colder," as we meandered through the shrubbery of life trying to find the egg.
http://www.gty.org Is Scripture powerful enough? Is it the power of God unto salvation? Is it powerful enough? Is it enough to come here week after week after week and hear the Word of God? Does that Word have the saving power of God in it? According to the Scripture it does. According to the testimony of God, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. Does the Word of God have to be helped along because its somehow inept, inadequate, irrelevant, antiquated? Do we need somehow to package it in some culturally sensitive way to make it feel like everything else in this culture feels to gain an entrance? Do we have to beef it up by making it seem to promise health, wealth, prosperity, riches, healing, as if God was some divine Mary Kay passing out pink Cadilacs? Do we need to make syrupy, schmaltzy appeals to the emotions of people based on their feelings, bruised egos, need for self-esteem, desire for trinkets and goodies and somehow alter the hard gospel so people will buy it? Does it have to be p...
http://www.gty.org For years, the spiritual lives of countless men and women all over the world have been strengthened with the help of The MacArthur Study Bible. This all-in-one spiritual library contains John's personal study notes below the full-length Bible text. Virtually every scripture has a matching study note with detailed information, explanation, and helpful insight.
http://www.gty.org Ever thought about leading a Bible study about the greatest short story ever told? With A Tale of Two Sons DVD Curriculum, youll have all the materials you need for a rich, in-depth study of this beloved story. This kit equips you to lead five lessons in any church settingâThe Parable, The Prodigal, The Father, The Brother, and The Murder.
Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
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Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
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Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
http://www.gty.org http//www.thegracelifepulpit.com
Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
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Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
http://www.gty.org http://www.thegracelifepulpit.com
Titus 2:7-8 -- When I was considering what subjects might be important for a group of pastors and church leaders as large and diverse as this, I couldn't get away from this issue. The New York Times Magazine recently did a feature article on Mark Driscoll in which this was a major theme. "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" was the title of the article. Here's the lead sentence: "Mark Driscoll's sermons are mostly too racy to post on [an] evangelical Christian 'family friendly' . . . Web site."
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Most people today agree. The story of man, they say, is little more than an endless cycle of birth and death, building and destroying, evolution and revolution. No clear beginning, no present purpose, no clear end.
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There is reigning among us like some kind of sovereign ideology these days, the notion that we as human beings are in charge of the future of this planet. That whether or not there is an earth thousands of years from now depends on us. That somehow if we are to preserve this planet, we have to change our behavior in a significant way. We are all very much aware of the fact that we are living in a world that is trying to go green. Thats kind of the idea. There is even now a standard green color that youre going to find showing up on all kinds of products unrelated really, or perhaps sometimes related to environmental issues, just to relentlessly put before you the necessary realization that we need to do everything we can to keep the planet green and not destroy it.
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There is reigning among us like some kind of sovereign ideology these days, the notion that we as human beings are in charge of the future of this planet. That whether or not there is an earth thousands of years from now depends on us. That somehow if we are to preserve this planet, we have to change our behavior in a significant way. We are all very much aware of the fact that we are living in a world that is trying to go green. Thats kind of the idea. There is even now a standard green color that youre going to find showing up on all kinds of products unrelated really, or perhaps sometimes related to environmental issues, just to relentlessly put before you the necessary realization that we need to do everything we can to keep the planet green and not destroy it.
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It was a couple of weeks ago that I gave a message on the theology of creation and I told you that I was intending to give you two messages, one on the beginning and another one on the end. The theology, if you will, of creation and the theology of uncreation, a message on the beginning of the universe and then a message on the end of the universe, how it all began and how it will all end.
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It was a couple of weeks ago that I gave a message on the theology of creation and I told you that I was intending to give you two messages, one on the beginning and another one on the end. The theology, if you will, of creation and the theology of uncreation, a message on the beginning of the universe and then a message on the end of the universe, how it all began and how it will all end.
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It was a couple of weeks ago that I gave a message on the theology of creation and I told you that I was intending to give you two messages, one on the beginning and another one on the end. The theology, if you will, of creation and the theology of uncreation, a message on the beginning of the universe and then a message on the end of the universe, how it all began and how it will all end.
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Theology used to be called the queen of the sciences. It was called the queen of the sciences because in the final analysis the ultimate reigning truth is theology. Biblical theology, the revelation of God in Scripture, trumps all other sources of information and knowledge. And so, for centuries creation was a theological issue, not a scientific one. And then came Darwin and Darwin confiscated the subject of creation out of the realm of theology and tried to put into the realm of human knowledge and did no service to mankind.
Before I came to Grace Church when I was a seminary student, I came to know a man named John Perkins. John Perkins came to Christ after a very, very troubled childhood. He was raised in Mississippi. He saw his brother killed by Ku Klux Klan men before his very eyes in the street. And John, as a result of that, had a lot of bitterness in his heart, but when he came to Christ all of that was swept away and he started attending my Dads church and I got to know him and grew to love him and his wife Vera Mae. - visit http://www.gty.org
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. Were thinking about how to set up the week that's really coming ahead of us and there's so much bottled up in 40 years that were going to try to pull some of that out tonight. I've prepared a series of questions, I'm not sure I'll ask all of them and were just trying....
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. Were thinking about how to set up the week that's really coming ahead of us and there's so much bottled up in 40 years that were going to try to pull some of that out tonight. Ive prepared a series of questions, I'm not sure I'll ask all of them and were just trying....
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. Were thinking about how to set up the week thats really coming ahead of us and theres so much bottled up in 40 years that were going to try to pull some of that out tonight. Ive prepared a series of questions, Im not sure Ill ask all of them and were just trying....
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. Were thinking about how to set up the week thats really coming ahead of us and theres so much bottled up in 40 years that were going to try to pull some of that out tonight. Ive prepared a series of questions, Im not sure Ill ask all of them and were just trying....
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. We’re thinking about how to set up the week that’s really coming ahead of us and there’s so much bottled up in 40 years that we’re going to try to pull some of that out tonight. I’ve prepared a series of questions, I’m not sure I’ll ask all of them and we’re just trying....
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Well, John, thanks for agreeing to endure series of questions. Were thinking about how to set up the week thats really coming ahead of us and theres so much bottled up in 40 years that were going to try to pull some of that out tonight. Ive prepared a series of questions, Im not sure Ill ask all of them and were just trying....
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Lets go back to a basic definition just so we dont assume anything. When you say you worship, you simply are saying you give honor to God. It comes from an old English word worthship and it was to ascribe to someone value, to ascribe to someone worship. And so when you say you worship God, you are simply saying God is worthy of honor...God is worthy of praise...God is worthy of glory. Worship is giving honor to God. And it is a life-dominating attitude. It is based on truth because how can you give honor to God unless you know God? And the more you know about God, the more you are able to honor Him for who He is. Because God is infinite perfection, you can continue to be exposed to the increasing understanding of His infinite perfection and thus your ability to give Him honor for who He is increases as well.
And it is not simply a matter of song. It is not simply a matter of corporate praise. Giving honor to God is not just saying that He is worthy of honor, but it is living a life ...
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Lets go back to a basic definition just so we dont assume anything. When you say you worship, you simply are saying you give honor to God. It comes from an old English word worthship and it was to ascribe to someone value, to ascribe to someone worship. And so when you say you worship God, you are simply saying God is worthy of honor...God is worthy of praise...God is worthy of glory. Worship is giving honor to God. And it is a life-dominating attitude. It is based on truth because how can you give honor to God unless you know God? And the more you know about God, the more you are able to honor Him for who He is. Because God is infinite perfection, you can continue to be exposed to the increasing understanding of His infinite perfection and thus your ability to give Him honor for who He is increases as well. And it is not simply a matter of song. It is not simply a matter of corporate praise. Giving honor to God is not just saying that He is worthy of honor, but it is ...
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Johns pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in Australia, Canada, Europe, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, CDs, and MP3s by John MacArthur.
You're no stranger to the charm and beauty of the Christmas story. But there are glorious truths surrounding Christs birth that are easy to overlook in the busyness of the holidays.
This year, how can you avoid missing one of the greatest truths of Christmas? How can Christs birth change the way you live today?
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You're no stranger to the charm and beauty of the Christmas story. But there are glorious truths surrounding Christs birth that are easy to overlook in the busyness of the holidays.
This year, how can you avoid missing one of the greatest truths of Christmas? How can Christs birth change the way you live today?
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For many, Christmas is the time to think of Jesus Christ as a baby in a manger. While the birth of Christ is a special and miraculous event, it isn't the primary focus. The central truth of the Christmas story is this...
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(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
As we come back to the Word of God, we really are finishing up what we started last Lords day. I didnt want to divide this message in to two because I knew this would be a weekend when a lot of folks would be gone, but thats kind of the way it worked out and I cant always overcome the spiritual moment and make changes on the fly. So well go back to the passage before us that we started last Sunday night.
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