Amen and Amen

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen. Psalm 41:13

ם ן א

• <Hebrew> âmên
  
• translated
  
  • Verily
    
  • Truly
    
  • Amen
    
  • so be it

Amhn

• <Greek> âmên
  
• firm – metaphorically faithful
  
• Verily
  
• Amen when used at the beginning of a discourse—surely, truly, of a truth
  
• Amen when used at the end—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled.

Amen
A custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the substance of what was uttered their own.

“Verily, verily” - “Truly, truly” - “Amen, amen”

• Jesus uses this adverbial pronouncement 25 times in the Gospel of John
  
• Key Scripture Passage – John 18:33-38
  
  • John 18:37 Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Here comes the judge!

• Jesus on the witness stand
  
• Ravi Zacharias “The greatest question asked of the greatest truth and he rejected it — therefore committed the greatest sin.”
  
• I Timothy 6:12-16 – Paul’s profession of Jesus’ good confession

Apostles Creed
“I believe in God the Father Almighty. And in Jesus Christ His only (begotten) Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary; crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost; the holy Church; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; (the life everlasting).”

Apostles Creed (updated)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.

Sinner before God

• We can not plead “not guilty”
  
• We can not plead “innocent”
  
• We must plead the blood of Jesus!

He’s The One!
Matthew 16:13-28

A New Kingdom

• Hades exposed
  
  • Cave of Pan known to the Jews as Hades
    
  • The abode of the dead
    
  • KJV – the Greek word is generally translated “hell”
    
  • It differs, however, from the term “Gehenna,” which more precisely refers to hell.
    
  • Hades is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term “Sheol,” the place of the dead.
    
• Evil exposed

The Absence of God

• Theodicy = the argument in defense of God's goodness despite the existence of evil
  
• A professors argument

He’s The One!
The duck & the devil

Change the Language of Your Mind - Part 7
Discover The Mystery

Colossians 2:1-8

• Key Words
  
  • Mystery
    
  • Treasures
    
  • Deceive
    
  • Walk
    
  • Beware

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?”
But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:16

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Philippians 2:5

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ I Peter 1:13

Mind - The deep channels of thought

• Defined: The human consciousness that appears to originate in the brain
  
  • Manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination.
    
  • As opposed to heart, soul, or spirit, it refers broadly to the capacities for decision

No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.
--- Edmund Burke

We capture the rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
II Corinthians 10:5b NLT

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Mysteries and Treasures

• I Corinthians 4:1 “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God”
  
• Proverbs 2:1-9

Change the Language of Your Mind - Part 6
Mind Your Mind

Luke 5:12-16

• Jesus is our example
  
• Context: The stress of expectation and demand
  
  • Jesus was serving, giving, being drawn upon
    
  • There was great expectations for Messiah!
    
  • Jesus knew what was really at stake. (REALITY)
    
  • Truth = reality as perceived by God.

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Luke 5:16

• Jesus’ response
  
  • Intentional – strategy
    
  • Purposeful – prayer
    
  • Revival – refreshing
    
• Jesus was minding His mind!

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

We capture the rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. II Corinthians 10:5b NLT

Minding His Mind

• John 6:15 - “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”
  
  • Jesus dealt with the deceptive and arrogant thoughts.
    
  • The demonic and earthly wisdom questioned God’s purpose and path.
• Matthew 16:22-23 “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
  But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
  
  • Peter’s ungodly natural wisdom of misdirection and escape.
• Mark 5:39-40 “When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep?
  The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
  And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.”
  
  • Jesus’ response to the ridicule of others.
    
  • He refused to hear it and receive it!

Jesus, our grace and truth

• John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
  
• The victorious overcoming life is not found within self!
  
  • This is not just cognitive therapy.
    
  • Rather; A life of relationship and obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit and provided (purchased) by Jesus.

The Overcoming Life

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
I John 5:4

I Corinthians 1:30

• “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God”
  
  • The miracle of reconciliation
    
  • A Divine resonance!
    
• John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
  
• James 3:13-18 – True and false wisdom

The Source of Your Wisdom Will Determine The Course of Your Life
Psalm 1:1-3NLT

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8