Redemption through Christ

Sep 23, 2021KennethLeave a comment

Ephesians 1 New International Version

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,^[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^[b] predestined us for adoption to son-ship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹he^[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Coming to the Cross

Jul 17, 2021Jul 16, 2021Kenneth

Mark 8 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Predicts His Death

³¹He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.³²He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Image result for coming to the cross

The Way of the Cross

³⁴Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For whoever wants to save their life^[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.³⁶What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

To thy cross I come, Lord,
There for me is room, Lord,
Poor unworthy me, even me.
Pardon every sin, Lord,
Place thy power within, Lord,
Then I from this hour will follow thee.

Redemption

Jun 8, 2021Jun 7, 2021Kenneth1 Comment

Psalm 49 New International Version

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^[d]
¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined to die;
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
    he will surely take me to himself.
¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendour of their houses increases;
¹⁷for they will take nothing with them when they die,
    their splendour will not descend with them.
¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
    and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them,
    who will never again see the light of life.