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Confidence in the Lord

Confidence-in-the-Lord

Today’s reading: Deut 2:1–29, 2 Cor 1:12–16, Ps 31:10–24

Today’s theme: Confidence in the Lord

Today’s theme is that we can make our boast or take great confidence in the Lord because of who He is and all He has done.

Deuteronomy  2:1–29

Begin to take possession

‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. Deuteronomy 2:24 (ESV)

God was quite specific in His instructions to Israel. They were not to fight with the giant defeating people that were essentially family to them. Mount Seir were the people of Esau their brother and Moab and Ammon their cousins.

When it came time for this new generation to fight, they could do so with confidence and faith because God spoke through Moses declaring that He had already given Sihon into their hands. God calls us today, like He called the new generation in the wilderness, to begin to take ground and fight the enemy in battle. We must respond in faith because He has given us the victory already. See 2 Corinthians 10:4.

2 Corinthians 1:12–16

Confidence in the Lord

just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 2 Corinthians 1:14 (ESV)

When Paul speaks about boasting (verses 12-14) it can seem strange to us as boasting usually has a negative connotation of pride and lifting ourselves up. However, the boasting Paul is talking about is a different kind of boasting. It is closely connected to the word confidence and declares that Paul’s boast was in God and the cross.

This was a contradiction to the Corinthians who were still caught up in pride and had bought into the culture around them. A culture which taught them to belittle others and boast in ability, opportunity and status.

Paul’s life and the Gospel was a stark contradiction to these values as he was meek, humble and weak. These were not virtues esteemed among the Corinthians, they did not respect this about him or his ministry. Therefore Paul wanted them to understand the core of the gospel and the life it produces, one of servanthood and humility. He wanted their value system to be so transformed that they would boast in this weakness (ultimately the cross) with him.

Give, experience more grace

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 2 Corinthians 1:15 (ESV)

This second experience of grace would come through Paul’s visit, through which he would show them God’s grace. He would remind them of the message of God’s grace and give them the opportunity to show God’s grace by giving to the poor saints in Jerusalem.

Psalm 31:10–24

Our lives are in God’s hands

My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Psalm 31:15 (ESV)

God is sovereign over our lives, He determines how long we live, when we live and the amount of time we are allotted in particular circumstances. With that sort of power we should trust Him, knowing that our future is not in the enemies hands but rather in God’s.

God preserves us

Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Psalm 31:23 (ESV)

We can have confidence in God’s eternal preserving power over us if we love Him in faithfulness, just as Jesus prayed in John 17.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 2 Corinthians 1

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19 Working It Out

So now we have established what is and what is not the Gospel we need to consider the Gospels impact on our own lives.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19, ESV)

If we are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ then we must fulfill the great commission which is to go and make more disciples for Him by preaching the Gospel to them, it is the only way they can be saved

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”” (Romans 10:13–16, ESV)

There are many ways to share the Gospel, we may share over lunch at work, on the bus and should always invite the lost to church to hear the Gospel preached…

“Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’” (Matthew 22:9, ESV)

Another method is to just go out with a team from your church in your local area and witness on the streets to strangers who are out, there is a great tool we have found to do this is to use The Way of the Master method developed by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron.

Here we are on the streets of London using the way of the master… and please remember we are not professional or experts.. we are just like you, however we put our faith in God and used this biblical method and continue to see the gospel impact those we meet.

See additional clips from the The Gospel at our Vimeo Channel here

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18 Bad People

“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”” (John 3:20-21, ESV)

This group includes everyone not mentioned in the first three groups, including those in the New Age and the Occult.

We will look at each of these areas, in more detail in future DVD, but it suffices to say that those in this group believe in a false Gospel or no gospel at all.

See additional clips from the The Gospel at our Vimeo Channel here