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Is there anything out there that you would sell your house, your cars, your possessions - all that you had in order to get it?
Today we discuss the second of two of Jesus' parables on the kingdom of heaven.
In Paul David Tripp's book Redeeming Money, Tripp says that "the central message of these two parables is the incalculable value of the kingdom of God."
So, what is the kingdom of God and how does it impact me?
Tripp explains that "the kingdom of heaven is "God's gracious plan of redemption for us and the world that we live in. What is the treasure of great value and the pearl of great price? It is Christ Himself and His gift of forgiving, rescuing, transforming, and delivering grace.
These two parables argue that there's nothing more valuable than God's gift of His Son of grace, and there's nothing more worth celebrating than the redemption that comes with that grace.
The parables demonstrate if you properly value this Treasure, this Pearl, it will radically alter the choices you make and the actions you take in your everyday life."
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What do you treasure most in your life?
When Jesus speaks in the Bible, there are a number of times He will say, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." and then He usually follows it with a parable. For the next two weeks we're discussing two of my favorite parables - "The Parable of Hidden Treasure" and The Pearl of Great Value."
In Paul David Tripp's book Redeeming Money, Tripp says that "the central message of these two parables is the incalculable value of the kingdom of God."
So, what is the kingdom of God and how does it impact me?
Tripp expains that "the kingdom of heaven is "God's gracious plan of redemption for us and the world that we live in. What is the treasure of great value and the pearl of great price? It is Christ Himself and His gift of forgiving, rescuing, transforming, and delivering grace.
These two parables argue that there's nothing more valuable than God's gift of His Son of grace, and there's nothing more worth celebrating than the redemption that comes with that grace.
The parables demonstrate if you properly value this Treasure, this Pearl, it will radically alter the choices you make and the actions you take in your everyday life."
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Fehlende Folgen?
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Who is caring for the caregivers?
Richard's guest is Phil Reddick leading our 3rd annual Caregiving Seminar, hosted by The Center's ministry FinishWell, along with co-hosts YBL and WBL
Hear 3 perspectives on caregiving, coping with health issues, dementia, grieving, and how to prepare for your loved ones during this critical time.
FinishWell is a ministry of The Center, and is led by Phil Reddick. Meet the panelists:
Judy Shepura O'Brien - Attorney Dominick, Fletcher, Yielding, Wood, and Lloyd Beau Green - CEO/Franchisee of Right at Home Scott Hannah - Director of Quest Recreation Outreach>>Watch on YouTube
More about Phil Reddick and FinishWell
More about YBL
More about WBL
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What is God's message to us in these days?
Our guest Dr. Mark Gignilliat continues teaching in our study of Deuteronomy. God's call to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:1-5 still applies to us:
"These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Watch on YouTube
Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, and also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.
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Do you remember what happened on November 22nd 1963?
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on that day. C.S. Lewis also died on that day.
For the last two years of his life, C.S. Lewis suffered from very poor health. He knew that death was at hand, and yet anticipated it with cheerfulness and peace.
At one point he said, “If we really believe what we say we believe—if we really think that home is elsewhere and this life is a ‘wandering to find home,’ why should we not look forward to the arrival?”
Finally, a week before his death, Lewis shared these words with his brother Warren: “I have done all that I was sent into the world to do, and I am ready to go.” His brother remarked that, “I have never seen death looked in the face so tranquilly.”
I share this because this can be a reality in each of our lives if we prepare for it.
We've been given a number of clues about heaven. A good place to start is to consider how we view Heaven versus how we view our Earthly life. >>Watch on YouTube
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How do we know that heaven is real?
I think some of you know that my brother passed away back in May. He had been sick a long time.
Then I turned 70 back in December, so I'm getting on in years. Now I'm reading Randy Alcorn's book Heaven. So this is a topic that I think is important and as we get into today's study I think you'll see why.
Be encouraged by what the book of Hebrews tells us:
"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever..." - Hebrews 6:17-20 >>Watch on YouTube
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Are you praying for God's protection over your life and for your loved ones?
This is the last message in our 9-part series.
I think it’s crucial that you ask God to protect your family, and for those of you who are married, to pray for your wife and your marriage. Marriage and family are truly under great attack.
I really do think that one of the greatest ways that the Enemy can undermine the church and God’s people is to break up the family.
Where do you start? I start with Psalm 27:1, it says that “God is the defense of my life.” I just say, "Lord, You’re the defense of my life, and there are only a certain number of things that I can do."
Then there's Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” I pray, "Lord I can do all these things, but ultimately, You are the defense of my life."
Here are more verses that I use in my daily prayer time:
Psalm 4:8 “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, made me dwell in safety.” Psalm 18:1-3 “I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in Whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 40:11 “Do not withhold Your mercy from me, may Your love and faithfulness always protect me.” II Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”That’s pretty cut and dry. But you have to claim the Lord's protection. You have to pray it, and you have to ask Him for it. My prayer is, "Lord I stand on Your promise. Because You are faithful, I pray that You will protect us and strengthen us against the forces of darkness. I thank You for doing that."
Listen to what Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 26:41: “Keep watching and keep praying that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
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Are you anxious about the future?
David Wells, who is quite the scholar, wrote a book about 15 years ago, called Losing Our Virtue. And listen to what he says about this as we think about the future and the present. Wells says:
“The world today intrudes upon us as it never has before, and one of the surest indications of this is that the levels of anxiety have never been higher in peoples lives. And why are we more anxious? There are, no doubt, many reasons, including a heightened tempo in the workplace, greater economic insecurity, too many choices, and perhaps, family breakdown.”
This was before you had to worry about terrorism. This was before 9/11. He continues:
“What is more, the extraordinary rapidity of change in our society powerfully fixes our attention upon the future, for we need to anticipate events that are in the making in order to avoid what will be harmful and to capitalize on what will be beneficial.”
But then, listen to this. Wells says:
“Anxiety, however, is nothing more than living out the future before it arrives. And modernity obliges us to do this many times over. The future is thereby greatly intensified.”
Yet we’re being instructed by Jesus to live in the present. Our lives should be focused on the day at hand.
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When a storm enters your life, what do you do?
You know what I mean by storm, right? Something very difficult comes into your life. A hard circumstance. Adversity.
How do I get it out of my life? Is there something I can do to deal with the storm? Sometimes to get out of trouble, people do things they shouldn’t do. But let’s look at the storms of life that are out of your control. A storm that creates emotional pain and fear.
What do you do?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says, “He who hears these words of Mine, and then acts upon them.” The NIV says, “…puts them into practice, will be compared to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock, and the winds come, and the rains come and storms come, and they beat against that house, and yet it did not fall, because it was founded on the Rock.”
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What is our tendency when we become really satisfied?
Often times we become complacent. We think we've got life figured out. We take it for granted.
When we get to a point where we think we have everything we need, instead of being thankful to God, we start becoming arrogant.
Once that arrogance starts creeping in, you are well on a path to forgetting Him.
In Proverbs 30, Solomon asks God to keep lies and deceit away from him. Then he says, don’t give me too much - in other words, don’t give me too much of anything. Don’t give me too much wealth. Because my problem is, once I have too much, I’m likely to forget you and say, Who is the Lord?" It’s like he was saying, give me just enough, because he sees this danger.
As we sit here today, we might find it hard to believe that someone who gets really blessed would forget God, would not give thanks to God, would not be humble. But that does seem to be what happens. An attitude of thanksgiving does not come natural to us. Arrogance does comes very natural to us.
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Who is the greatest Christian in the world?
18th century theologian William Law beautifully answers this question, which is the theme of this episode:
“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?...” (And whenever we use the word saint, that means Christian.)
“...It’s not who prays the most, or fasts the most. It’s not he who gives most alms, or who is most imminent for temperance, chastity, or justice, but it is to he who is always thankful to God. Who wills and wants everything that God wills, and who receives everything in his life as an instance of God’s goodness, and therefore always has a heart that is ready to praise and thank God for it.”
I believe this is a big deal, and in my opinion, thanksgiving should be at the heart of our prayer life.
As the apostle Paul says, our lives should overflow with gratitude, because, when that happens, it makes such a difference in our life, and in our own personal health.
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What does sacrifice mean? Is it a bad thing?
To sacrifice is to forfeit something of great value to you, but you do it for something of even greater value.
When you understand the worth of sacrifice, it changes everything.
In the Christian life, to come to Christ, you’re forfeiting your life and your will for something of much greater value - and that is God’s will - His plan for your life.
But most of us don’t like that word sacrifice. It sounds so negative. We confuse it with the idea of deprivation - like I’ve just got to deprive myself of something and there’s nothing really in it for me.
We need to understand that there’s a huge difference between deprivation and sacrifice.
As you grow in wisdom and maturity, there are often things that you realize you need to eliminate from your life just because it’s wise and good.
If you really want to know what a person’s life is really all about, what’s really important to them, all you need to do is look at two things.
What are those two things?
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What does total commitment mean to you?
Whenever you truly commit to something or someone, you have to give up something in the process. In one sense you can see it as a sacrifice.
This is where you forfeit something of great value for the sake of something of greater value.
In our culture, the commitment we are most aware of is marriage. When a man proposes to a woman, he does so knowing he’s giving up all other relationships with single women. He’s giving up a great deal of autonomy and he’s giving up all of his assets. When you listen to the marriage vows, you recognize that you are giving all that you have and all that you are to that other person. You are telling them that I belong exclusively and permanently to you. All of me.
But isn’t this what we yearn for? And we do it to experience union and oneness with another person, and, in the process, experience incredible joy.
Jesus is telling us the same thing. That a new right relationship with Him is worth everything.
However, He has made it clear that we must give ourselves to Him, to surrender to Him, and when we do, we will suddenly find everything that we have been searching for in this life.
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Does how we pray matter to God?
In Part 1 we discussed these 2 principles: the importance of approaching God with humility, and praying with the right motive.
Today we discuss the value of persistence in our prayer life. In Luke 18:1, it says we should not lose heart and give up.
Though Jesus gives us no real explanation, it does appear that persistence is important for several reasons, one being that it indicates the priority of the heart. It shows a real intent and purpose.
We also discuss the final principle, which is asking God for wisdom, praying with faith that He will give it to you.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” - James 1:5-7
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What is prayer? And what does it mean to have a prayer life?
The last time that we talked on prayer, I commented that in order to have an effective prayer life, there are certain crucial principles that are involved. Perhaps the most important is this truth of approaching God with a heart of humility.
Prayer requires humility. Interestingly, your prayer life is the key that produces humility in your life.
Humility does not come naturally to us as human beings, and therefore, it has to be cultivated in our lives. The Bible uses the phrase "humble yourself." As you read scripture, you'll see that God truly has high esteem for the humble.
In Isaiah 66:2 God tells us, "This is the one to whom I esteem, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My Word."
This is Part 1 of a 9-part series.
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How can you put science with faith?
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Ken Boa. He is exploring a huge topic, so get your seat belt on!
We are discussing science, faith and reason. The typical mindset is to ask. "How can you put science with faith?" Well, first of all, the actual origin of science occurred in a context of Christian faith. In fact, science, as we know it, only appeared ONCE in human history.
Yes there was technology in Greece and Babylonia, China etc. But there was no actual science until the period around the Renaissance in Christian Europe.
It was this Christian synthesis that actually provided the foundation for the idea that the universe is rational, and that it can be studied.
Dr. Ken Boa of Reflections Ministries is engaged in a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. For 40 years, Ken has shared Scripture-based truth to help people view life from God’s perspective. He holds a BS from Case Institute of Technology, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in England. -
Where is your hope? Is your hope in success, your accomplishments or in a comfortable life?
In scripture, Jesus constantly connects fear and anxiety in the hearts of men. No matter how good people look on the outside, they’re shakier than you think they are in the inside.
That’s me and you included - we’re all looking good but most men I work with, secretly they’re just beating the door back from fear and anxiety.
Most of them fear failure. The rest of them fear being humiliated in front of their friends. One of the biggest fears men have is that one of their friends or anybody that they respect would ever question their manhood.
So, when you look at your life, discovering where you have your ultimate hope will change everything.
Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries is a favorite speaker at The Center's events. Along with being an associate Chaplain in The NFL for many years, Jerry has done ministry in Guatemala, Scotland, Russia, Europe and Africa as well as all over the U.S. He and his wife Holly have been on Young Life Staff and continue to be involved with Young Life here and also internationally.
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If you knew you had one day left to live, and you wanted to leave your children some kind of final instruction, what would you say to them?
Twenty years ago I had my kids memorize what I thought was the most important scripture of the Old Testament. I asked them if they still remembered it and all three of them did.
"Okay, let's hear it!" I requested. They all still knew it!
In this verse, I Chronicles 28:9, listen to the last instruction that David gives to Solomon, just before he dies:
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever."
He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, so think about these promises of God; of these great benefits that He bestows on those who seek Him.
The ball is in our court. >>Watch on YouTube
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What are you thirsting for? When you desire something, there's generally something out there that will fulfill or satisfy that desire.
But, one of the problems of life is when you become convinced that there's something out there in the world that you believe will satisfy your life. Then once you obtain it, you discover, "you know, this really doesn't do it. This really doesn't satisfy me."
Or there may be an initial sense of satisfaction, but it just doesn't last. The thrill diminishes over time.
What is that all about? Psalm 64:6 ends with these words: "the inward thoughts and the heart of a man are deep."
In this episode, we'll look at two things that help us understand our desires:
the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self.One of the great things about the Bible is that it teaches us what we need to know about God, and what we need to know about ourselves. Scripture reveals the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. >>Watch on YouTube
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Psalm 112 tells us about two kinds of fear.
This chapter leans into both kinds, and it also tells us that these two fears cannot co-exist. They are like oil and water.
Everyone is fearing something. But the question is:
what are we fearing? and how is this fear shaping our lives?Psalm 112 tells us, "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments!...Light dawns in the darkness for the upright...He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady. He will not be afraid."
Watch on YouTube
Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, and also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.
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