Spiritual Gifts Inform Us of Our Neediness

Reblogged from Provocations & Pantings:

We do not have an exhaustive list of gifts of the the Spirit in the Bible, but we do have a lot of them.  These gifts are sovereignly distributed by the Spirit for the common good and edification of the church.  When each member is working properly, the body grows and is built up in love.

In the wisdom of God, He has designed that we are all ministers to one another in various ways through a variety of gifts.  

Read more… 443 more words

There Is A King In Me

Main Passage: 2 Chronicles 33:10-16

10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylo

n. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

14 After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

The New King James Version

Introduction:

Out Line:

      1. The Predicament Of A Fallen King: 2 Chron. 33:10-11
        1. The Doctrine Of The Fall:
        2. The Illustration Of The Fall: Adam
        3. Zechariah, 13:9 “I will bring the one-third through the fire,
        4. And Eve
        5. The Application Of The Fall: We All Fall Short
      1. The Affliction Of A Dawning King: 2 Chron. 33:12a
        1. The Sanctified Affliction: A Means Of Grace
          1. Illustration: Poison out of the medicine
        1. The Crucifixion Of Affliction: Christ Our Example Of Affliction
          1. The Christian Life Is A life Of Suffering
          2. Christ Suffered For Our Sin
            1. That we might not suffer because of our sin rather
            2. That we may suffer in resisting our sin
        1. The Fruitfulness Of Affliction: Confession,  Either To Salvation Or Damnation
      1. The Brokenness Of A Humbled King: 2 Chron. 33:12b
        1. The Means that lead to Repentance: G
        2. odly Sorrow
          1. The Law Breaks the sin hardened heart
            1. Illustration: The sewing needle
            2. Application: Have you been brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus?
              1. If so the same way you get saved is the same way you stay saved
      1. The Prayer Of A New Born King: 2 Chron. 33:13a
        1. Regeneration: Being Born Again/A New Life/ A New Disposition
          1. Illustration: Christ being conceived in Mary
            1. Expound Christ being formed in you
          1. Application: Has Christ been conceived in the womb of your heart?
            1. Ezek. 36:26-27  26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
      1. The Answer Of The KING Of Kings: 2 Chron. 33:13b
        1. He Receives All Who Come To Him in Faith:
          1. John 6:37, Jesus says,  “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”
          2. Romans 8:15 puts it this way, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”

Will refine them as silver is refined,

And test them as gold is tested.

They will call on My name,

And I will answer them.

I will say, ‘This is My people’;

And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

      1. 1 Cor. 1:2 Paul says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,…”
      1. The Restoration Of A Predestined King: 2 Chron. 33:13c
        1. Before the foundations of the world: He has had a plan for you
          1. Eph 1:4-5, ” just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”
          2. Eph 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we
          3. should walk in them.”
      1. The Affirmations Of An Assured King: 2 Chron. 33:13d
        1. If He indeed started something in you He will finish
          1. Phil. 1:6, “

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

      1. Illustration: Rachael, with two nations is her womb
      1. The Accomplishments Of A Redeemed King:  2 Chron. 33:14-16
        1. A life in the Spirit is a purposeful
          1. Illustration: Remote in El Salvador

Close by quoting Psalm One and Prayer