By His grace, what the radical life of Christ should look in an American context!

Matthew 26:41 The last thing Jesus tells the disciples to pray is that they would not enter into temptation. We are very weak in our flesh. Our spirit is so willing to do the things of God, yet our flesh is so weak and fails often to do the will of God.

Our temptation is often to trade in God’s will for a less painful existence.

Matthew 26:42 Gethsemane is about the will of God. Jesus prayed for the cup to pass but surrendered to God’s will. He had to die on the cross in order to redeem mankind from sin.

We must be willing to take upon us whatever God has willed for us, whether it be good things or bad, in order that His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 26:52 God’s will was for Christ to suffer and die on the cross. This indeed was not the time for swords, but for God’s will to be done. The Scriptures had to be fulfilled.

We mustn’t live by the sword. The sword serves its purpose of self-defense but it is not the means we are to use to change the world.

Romans 11:5 In this church age a remnant of Israel is part of the church by faith. God has always kept a remnant of Israel. It is silly to think the church and Israel were not intertwined in faith. Were the disciples and Paul not Israelites?

Romans 11:15 Paul is making the point that the Israelites have been rejected as a nation to receive the benefits of God. Their failure and rejection has meant riches and acceptance of the Gentiles. When Israel does turn to God in repentance it will be a great thing in this world.

Romans 11:21 The Gentiles stand by faith and should take care that they continue in the faith. God will not spare us if we fall into unbelief and failure as Israel once did. He will cut us off as well.

Psalm 64:2 The thing we seem to be least aware of today is the fact that wicked and powerful people plot very secret and evil things. We act as though we would know what they are doing, but we do not. We need to seek God’s protection from their wicked plots.

Psalm 64:7 I’m amazed at how quickly I’ve seen the plans of the wicked come to nothing in this world. Their wickedness is so bad that even God Himself is at war with their evil deeds.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Here is the beginning of the shamah (Hebrew=hear). Jehovah Gods one Jehovah. The Trinity is one God. Father, Son and Spirit are one Jehovah.

Deuteronomy 6:5 The best way to think of this is like so, love God will ALL that you are. If any of you doesn’t love God, correct it, and bring that part of you into loving obedience. Your mind, body, soul, and spirit should love God. Your entire being should love God.

Deuteronomy 6:7 We are to be diligent in teaching our children the law of God. Every situation we come upon we should look for a way to impart God’s law to our children. Whether we’re sitting around the house, walking/driving down the road, resting, or rising we should be talking to our children about God and His law.

Deuteronomy 6:8 We should keep things about ourselves that will recall to our mind the law of God. The Hebrews wore scripture boxes on their right wrist and on their forehead (the mark of God). Our thoughts and actions should be God-centered.

Deuteronomy 6:9 We should decorate our homes with the word of God so that we will always have His word before our eyes and in our minds and in our hearts. I have Scripture hanging in my office at work to remind me.

Deuteronomy 6:12 The single greatest danger we face when God has given us prosperity is that often we forget about God. May we be cautious to always remember the slavery to sin that He has so graciously delivered us from into the life we now live in Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 6:16 We are not to put God to the test. We are in no place to force God’s hand to work in our lives. Anything and everything we receive from Him is an abundant gift of His loving and special grace and we should treat it as such.

Deuteronomy 7:2 As Israel was to devote the nations of Canaan to destruction, so also are we to devote the vestiges of sin within us to destruction. God wants us to be totally free to serve Him.

Deuteronomy 7:6 God has done the same thing with us. Just as Israel was chosen, holy and separate…so also is the church today as 1 Peter 2:9 states we are so in order that we can proclaim God’s excellencies to a dark world.

Deuteronomy 7:7 It is not because Israel was the greatest of nations that God chose them. There was honestly nothing in them that caused Him to choose them.

The same goes for us. We bring nothing to the table. As a matter of fact, He has to bring us to the table. He didn’t choose us because of who we are, He chose us because of what He wants to do in our lives.

Deuteronomy 7:22 God would give Israel the land little by little lest they be overcome by wild beasts.

So also Christ works in us to cleanse our lives, little by little, bringing us along the road to sanctification.

Deuteronomy 8:17 We should beware lest somehow our heart would say that we had brought ourselves deliverance from our sin. Christ alone has delivered us from our sin.