AuthorTerry R Baughman is Lead Pastor for LifeChurch in Gilbert, AZ. See his complete bio at trbaughman.com Archives
October 2024
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Steadfast Trust4/26/2020 Steadfast Trust Victory! Our Hope in Christ Terry R. Baughman “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4 NIV). Trust comes as we build on the strong foundation of faith. The longer we know God and the more we absorb His Word and recall His promises, the greater our faith can grow and the more steadfast our confidence in God’s dependability. Though God is under no compulsion to prove Himself, He often allows us to see a miracle, or pray a simple prayer that He delights in answering. It seems that He relishes the opportunity to show us a glimpse of His glory and confirms that our faith is warranted. Since He is the God who has built our relationship on the essential quality of faith, He finds great satisfaction in our moments of revelation when we discover the gift of trust. A prominent character of God is His immutability, so therefore, when we learn the history of His ability to save and His promise to provide, we also know that He will always have that power and the assurance that He will do it again. David sang a song of praise for God’s deliverance, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). Throughout the Psalms we are reminded of God’s faithfulness and reassured of the validity of our steadfast confidence, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 34:3–5). In another Psalm we find great assurance, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease” (Psalm 91:1–3 NLT). When there is an outbreak of a pandemic, or some tragic natural catastrophe of devastation, we know that God is still with us and worthy of our trust. He has assured that He will be a place of shelter, protection from the elements and a shield from outbreaks of disease. The wiseman gave us this favorite perennial passage, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). It is implied that trust is our initiative and there is a choice to acknowledge God in all of our ways. Know God. Know that He is good and that He has proven His faithfulness over and over. Louisa Stead wrote the words to a song, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.” The chorus continues, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.” That is our song and prayer. Paul referenced the source of our victory, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58). Keep believing! Theme passage: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
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Hope of the Resurrection4/18/2020 The Hope of the Resurrection Finished! The Message of Easter Terry R. Baughman “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5 NIV). The greatest hope we have been given is to live as Christ lives. The story of Easter and the reality of His resurrection from the dead assures us that we can share in His victory over death. After all, it was Jesus himself who declared, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). His plan of redemption from the foundation of the world was to bring deliverance from sin, new life with Christ, and eternal hope beyond the grave. Jesus brought light into a dark world and He promised everlasting life to those who embraced His plan and received His free gift of grace. John wrote, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4–5). From the darkness of a tomb the light shines forth in glorious illumination highlighting the access to everlasting life. Paul wrote of the promise of resurrection, “For if we died with Him,We shall also live with Him” (2 Timothy 2:11). There is a direct correlation between death and life. We are promised life, but there must first be a surrender to sacrifice. We were born into a world under the penalty of sin and the condemnation of death. So Jesus took the curse and turned it around to bring a blessing. He took the penalty and prepared a reward. Again, Paul declared, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54–57 KJV). What the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for good. Satan’s plan to destroy Jesus became the ultimate destruction for the kingdom of darkness. Death was defeated by the resurrection of one righteous man, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV). In one act Jesus Christ put to death the ambitions of darkness and the agenda of the enemy. The final statement of the cross continues to reverberate throughout the centuries, “It is finished!” This is our day for victory, our moment for deliverance, and an eternity of hope. It is all wrapped up in the resurrection! Paul reminded believers that, “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10). For those who have experienced New Birth salvation, those living or those who have died, we know that we shall live together in Jesus Christ. Paul said, “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). Arise, let us live a new life in hope … because of His powerful resurrection! Theme passage: “… although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3).
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The Work of Calvary4/12/2020 The Work of Calvary Finished! The Message of Easter Terry R. Baughman “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:28–30). The completion of a task brings relief and a sense of accomplishment. Finished! There’s no feeling quite like it. Everything has been wrapped up; all is complete. It is done. The plan of all time and eternity was God’s desire to provide redemption for sin and the ultimate opportunity of reconnection with humanity. Sin had caused separation from God in the Garden of Eden on the occasion of the first disobedience to God’s instructions. This first sin did not catch God unaware or cause Him to scramble for a solution. God had foreknowledge of the transgression and already had an antidote for the virus of rebellion. Long before the foundation of the world there was a plan of redemption. This was not a plan B! It was in His plan from the beginning. Jesus Christ was the lamb, “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). He was just as John the Baptist perceived Him, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The prophets throughout the centuries proclaimed the Savior of world, the deliverer from oppression, and the healer of brokenness. Every sacrifice offered in the ancient Tabernacle and in Jerusalem’s Temple pointed to the perfect sacrifice to come. What was ineffective in the continual ritual offerings of symbolic sacrifices was remedied with the precious blood of Christ, “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). The writer goes on to explain the effective offering of Christ’s sacrifice, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:10–12). God’s plan was for reconciliation with humanity and He freely gave Himself to be the atoning sacrifice. Not only was He our substitutionary sacrifice, He is also our great High Priest always empathizing with us and providing access to God and His holy presence. The writer of Hebrews said, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:14–15). God’s purpose was fulfilled and His plan was finished on Calvary. It was this conclusion Jesus saw when He prayed in the Garden, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:4–5). The work is finished … eternal life with Christ is assured! Theme passage: “… although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3).
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The Way of Sacrifice4/4/2020 The Way of Sacrifice Finished! The Message of Easter Terry R. Baughman Jesus, “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:7–10 NKJ). In God’s amazing preparation for redemption He predicted a plan, a pattern, and a purpose to bring us to Himself. His plan provided for the incarnation, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). His divine pattern was fulfilled in that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). His purpose was fulfilled by His death on the cross, His burial in a borrowed tomb, and His ultimate resurrection. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Typically, we rush through the centuries to get to the conclusion and the ultimate outcome of Christ’s story. However, God did not rush the narrative or short-circuit the process. He prepared the path of suffering and reluctantly anticipated the sacrifice and death. In preparation, “Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21). Not only did He know the way of sacrifice, but He prepared His followers to join Him in this journey. His prayer in the Garden demonstrated His knowledge of what was to come, but also His trepidation, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). However, in full surrender, He submitted His flesh to the plan of God from the beginning. He drank the dregs from the cup of suffering knowing that this indeed was the purpose for which He had come. His life and death and the promised resurrection was all a part of the plan, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world” (John 18:37). The outcome was worth the suffering. The fulfillment was worth the sacrifice. Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The way of sacrifice was a necessary part of the plan. It was the pathway of process to accomplish His intended goal. Without His suffering there would be no salvation. Without His death on the cross there would be no redemption from sin. Without the cost of sacrifice there would be no joyous reward of accomplishment. If there had been no death, no tomb, no cold dark separation, there would have been no resurrection, empty grave, and brilliant sunrise of hope and expectation! The way was clearly marked. It was not an easy way to travel, but the ultimate knowledge of completion made it bearable, and the anticipated joy of the outcome makes even the suffering something to be embraced. May we walk on the way of sacrifice with a full assurance of faith in Christ’s finished work! Theme passage: “… although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3). |