daddy4ms

This is a regular feature now that replaced "Playing on the Radio." I will be sharing songs from my "Gospel Playlist" on my phone. The gospel is good news.  It reminds us what Christ has DONE for us.  As I share, I hope it will be an encouragement to you today.  Song today is:  It is Finished by Zac Hicks

Well, actually this song is not playing on the radio, but it should be.  This is one of my favorites on my playlist.  It reminds me of Christ's words on the cross, "It is finished."  Be reminded today that Christ has done it all. Now rest. 1. I am weary, worn out Who will deliver me? I am heavy, burdened Who will deliver me?    Though I sink in guilt and shame: grace flows deeper Though I run against your will: grace runs faster Though I hide away from You: grace comes nearer Spirit help me know:    It is finished, It is finished No more running, no more hiding Now my weary soul can rest It is finished, It is finished No more striving, no more taking All in Christ I now possess It is finished     2. I am failing, unable, Who will deliver me? I am fearful, faithless Who will deliver me?    Bridge: No condemnation No guilty shame No past to haunt me None in Christ, None in Christ    Gone is my reco...

This is a new feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts.  This usually results in a lot of tweeting on that day.  However, if you are at work and not checking Twitter during that time, you might miss some of the great truth being shared by others.  So, starting today and each week, I will be sharing some of best tweets from the previous week which include great wisdom and truth.                        The law has become a portrait of freedom & not a task list to be completed. It cannot condemn those in Christ. @byronyawn Under Christ, everything is paid up front, it doesn't come out of your pocket. Everything is completely & absolutely finished. @ Byronyawn Be reminded of this promise of God: He is with us! No matter whether last week was good or bad-God is With Us Always! http:// daddy4ms.blogspot.com ...

Here is another great hymn of the faith.  It reminds us about what the blood of Jesus does for us.  It's all about Him.  Feeling guilt, shame, or unworthiness?  Jesus has taken it all away through His blood. Rest in this truth today!

What do you do during morning devotions?  I have shared previously that I read It is Finished by Tullian Tchividjian and New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.  However, I have also been looking for ways other than reading through the Bible in a year to spend time with Jesus. Let me remind you that devotions are not something to check off a list or to prove you are a good Christian.  It is all about relationship with Jesus.  God does not love you more if you do them or less if you don't.  Most recently, I have been reading through the Psalms and listing the characteristics of God.  As I list them, I then incorporate them into my prayer time. I have loved this time with God.  After I finished the Psalms, I wanted to continue this.  So, I recently started reading through the gospel of Mark and listing characteristics of Jesus.  I list these and then pray about them as well.  Why do I share this?  To offer you another opt...

Today we celebrate Good Friday which is the day we remember that Jesus died on the cross for us.  Think about it.  God in the flesh died for you and me.  Why is it good? Because Jesus defeated sin, death, Satan, and sickness on the cross.  And there is so much more.  I would encourage you to look into God's Word and be reminded what Jesus' death on the cross accomplished for you. "It Is Finished!" Today, at Hesston MB, we are fasting and this gives us time to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  We do this not out of obligation or duty or to earn God's love or make Him do what we want, but instead it flows from a response of love.

Tonight as part of our Hide N Seek (mid-week Children's Ministry) we were talking about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our focus the last two weeks included a memory game with what Jesus accomplished on the cross (forgive sin, defeat Satan, defeat death, reconcile us to God, justify us, etc.) This week, we read story of the resurrection and celebrated these things by giving each other high fives or doing a touchdown dance.  It was a fun way to reinforce for our first graders how to understand the good news of the gospel and what Jesus accomplished on the cross because He loves them.

How would you answer that question? Many people have made a decision to follow Christ but struggle with the assurance of their salvation.  They continue to sin & wonder if maybe they are not really saved because they conclude if they were, they would not struggle with sin or disobedience. J.D. Greear has a great little book entitled, Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart which deals with this subject.  Here are some helpful quotes from the book: "Repentance and faith are heart postures you take toward the finished work of Christ." "Salvation comes not because you prayed a prayer correctly, but because you have leaned the hopes of your soul on the finished work of Christ." "Until you know that you are His and He is yours, your obedience will be limited." "You will never have the strength to say "no" to sin until you realize the unconditional "yes" that God has given to you in Christ...That's what true obedience is--beyon...

Here is another new song we learned at Liberate by Zac Hicks.  Lyrics are below along with link to listen to the song.  A great reminder about the finished work of Christ and what that accomplished for us. Listen here It is Finished Words & Music: Zac Hicks & Julie Anne Vargas, 2014 ©2014 Unbudding Fig Music (ASCAP), Julie Anne Vargas 1. I am weary, worn out Who will deliver me? I am heavy, burdened Who will deliver me? Though I sink in guilt and shame: grace flows deeper Though I run against your will: grace runs faster Though I hide away from You: grace comes nearer Spirit help me know: It is finished, It is finished No more running, no more hiding Now my weary soul can rest It is finished, It is finished No more striving, no more taking All in Christ I now possess It is finished 2. I am failing, unable, Who will deliver me? I am fearful, faithless Who will deliver me? Bridge: No condemnation No guilty shame No past to haunt me None in Ch...

Here is the final post by speaker/topic from Liberate 2015. Previous posts are organized the same way for the pre-conference and Thursday-Friday noon. Blessings! Eric Metaxas-"Transformed by Amazing Grace" here Ray Cortese-"It is Finished-The Present Power of These 3 Words" here Tullian Tchividjian-"It is Not Finished" here David Zahl-"It is Finished: The End of Score-Keeping" here Steve Brown-"Relax, It Really is Finished" here

I am continuing to provide notes from the Liberate 2015 speakers. This post includes those who spoke on Thursday night and Friday morning.  Be liberated as you read! Paul Tripp-"It is Finished: Good News For a Worn Out World" here J.D. Greear-"It is Finished: From Beginning to End" here Elyse Fitzpatrick-"It is Finished: The End of Our Identity Crisis" here Justin Holcomb-"Grace & Abuse" here Scotty Smith-Lunch Discussion here

The flesh is bitterly resistant to "it is finished." We are not waring against flesh & blood. We are waring against the flesh, the world and Satan. Love not law begets love. There is a crucial distinction between law & gospel. Passive Righteousness vs. Active Righteousness We live on two planes: before God & before others Passive Righteousness-settled by Jesus Active Righteousness-serving our neighbor I had a low view of the law & thought, "do your best & God will do the rest" would satisfy requirements of law. When we think our good works are for God instead of our neighbor, God's love is dependent on us instead of finished work of Jesus.  We live as if our sanctification precedes our justification. Good works are not a transaction for God. They are for others. One of the Devil's greatest lies is God gets tired of our repeated asking for forgiveness. After justification, good works are not thrown out, but instead ...

Philippians 3:4-9 It's a terrible thing to be powerless. This realization led me to a crisis. What changed me? There is a righteousness that comes from God. God produces the righteousness, not me.  Few Christians get the gospel. And when we don't, we hurt others. We give a sense of salvation by faith alone. We think we have merit. We are self-righteous. Grace is unmerited favor.  Churches also think they have merit. How do you do right things? And then repent of them. There is only one thing you need to get Jesus and it is need. Most Christians don't believe the imputation of righteousness to us. We know He is sin bearer. But we don't believe He is righteousness producer Tetelestai-It is Finished North American Christianity-Jesus paid my debt. Now get to work. Jesus says, "your debt is paid & all I have belongs to you." Every morning wake up & believe God is pleased with you because of what Jesus has done. I go to bed fille...

Here is another great song that I learned at Liberate last year.  Lyrics are below. Be reminded of what Jesus has done for you.  The bridge includes only three words: it is finished. Listen here 1. Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus has bled and there is remission, Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, Grace has redeemed us once for all. Chorus: Once for all, O sinner, receive it, Once for all, O doubter, believe it; Cling to the cross, the burden will fall, Christ has redeemed us once for all. 2. Now we are free, there’s no condemnation, Jesus provides a perfect salvation. “Come unto Me,” O hear His sweet call, Come, and He saves us once for all. 3. Children of God, O glorious calling, Surely His grace will keep us from falling; Passing from death to life at His call; Blessed salvation once for all. Bridge: It is finished credits from His Be the Victor's Name , ...

Below you find a post that I shared about a year ago.  It was written after returning from Liberate 2014 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  I leave for Liberate 2015 in just 27 days.  I cannot wait to hear good news on the theme, "It is finished." Another bonus is the time to spend at the beach and ocean. The picture below was taken last year.  Enjoy my thoughts on grace and the ocean again:   Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict the pattern of waves. You cannot predict how grace will affect a person. ...

The song below are from a new song by Zac Hicks and Julie Vargas.  I look forward to singing this song in February at Liberate.  I love the lyrics.  Be reminded as you read what Jesus finished work on the cross means for you. 1. I am weary, worn out Who will deliver me? I am heavy, burdened Who will deliver me?  Though I sink in guilt and shame: grace flows deeper Though I run against your will: grace runs faster Though I hide away from You: grace comes nearer Spirit help me know:  It is finished, It is finished No more running, no more hiding Now my weary soul can rest It is finished, It is finished No more striving, no more taking All in Christ I now possess It is finished   2. I am failing, unable, Who will deliver me? I am fearful, faithless Who will deliver me?  Bridge: No condemnation No guilty shame No past to haunt me None in Christ, None in Christ  Gone is my record Gone my regrets Gone is my failure Gone in Christ, Gone in C...

This is the title of the final chapter of Charis by Preston Sprinkle.  I thought my last post would be the last on this book, but there were too many more great thoughts that needed to be shared.  Here are quotes from final chapter and epilogue: Only unconditional, stubborn love toward your enemy produces ripple effects strong enough to change the world. We are enemies, loved and pursued by our Creator, who will stop at nothing to reconcile us to Himself. Such reconciliation happend on the cross. . . It was Jesus' declaration "It is finished" that made God love you. And when Jesus declared, "It is finished," He meant it. God's punishment for our sin was paid for, permanently settled, finished--100 percent. If you have responded in faith to God's free pardon through Jesus, then God will never punish you for your sin. It's finished. No more. If you screw up today or tomorrow (which you will), it's already been paid for through Jesus. "T...

Here is another song by the title, "It Is Finished" by Matt Papa.  Enjoy what Christ accomplished on your behalf.

I came across this song last week as I was looking for songs to post about our great God. I had never heard it, but I love the message.  May we grow in our understanding of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross!