The Goodness & Blessing of the Law

Jeff Durbin -Proverbs 28:9- We are continuing in our study of God's Divine Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. Today, we are going to examine God's Wisdom and warning about turning away our ears from hearing God's Law. This truth from the Word of God is particularly important in our day. The theological landscape is filled with unbiblical views on the Law of God. Many are taught that God's Law is no longer an abiding standard for Christians under the New Covenant. They are encouraged to no longer hear the Law of God. It's imbedded in their theology and preaching. God's Wisdom says something so different. It gives us guidance on what our heart, mind, and ear's posture is to be when given God's instruction. May God bless us with a love for His Law!

The Son of God is risen from the grave! Death has been defeated! Because He lives, we will live also! It's hard, truly hard, to express which point of God's story of Redemption is more beautiful. I struggle with this. And, that's perfectly alright. It's a good, necessary, and appropriate struggle. What can we explain the glories of more? The power and love of His death for us? The power and victory of His defeat of death? It's too hard to manage. How can we? Creatures like us will never fully comprehend the depths of both events. Yet, here we are. Once again, we will delight ourselves in the majesty of Incarnate love. The full stretch of incomprehensible wonders in the God Who loves the offenders with such a depth that He steps down to chase them and pay their debt. Before He drew us, we reveled in that debt and its consequences. Until that glorious redemption was applied. We are great sinners. Jesus, during this week of redemption accomplished, shows us that He is a better Savior than we ever are sinners.

Jeff Durbin -Acts 17:1-17- This week will mark my personal 30-year anniversary of going to minister the Gospel at the Mormon Temple in Mesa. During that time, I have had the privilege of giving the biblical Gospel to millions of Latter-day Saints, face-to-face, and through the platform that the Lord has given. God has blessed the proclamation of His Truth and countless Mormons have come to a saving trust in the true Christ. We live in Arizona and have quite a diverse local mission field. However, a large portion of the community that surrounds us are Mormons. These people are lost and are following a false Christ, a version of Jesus that does not exist and has no ability to save. My passion is to reach them with the Gospel, the only one that truly saves. I believe that love for the lost will cause us to cast of indifference for the state of their souls. I believe that a genuine love for Mormons will lead to boldness and an effort to reach them in whatever way the Lord grants us opportunity. I hope to encourage you, today. I want to encourage you with the Scriptures and with stories of His faithfulness. As I always say, "God blesses faithfulness." I hope and pray that God would bless us as a faithful church that will reach this large community around us, leading to the end of Mormonism and so many Mormons coming to know the One Who gives everlasting life.

Jeff Durbin -2 Timothy 3:1-8- Today, we are going to address some of the prevailing sins of men in the world and the church. God created man. When He created Him, He called it "good. It's good to be a man (as my friend Michael Foster has spoken and written about.) However, because of the fall, men have to deal with and face prevailing sins amongst men. My hope is to address what Scripture says about these sins and strengthen our resolve against them. God sanctifies us by His Spirit and through His Word. May today's message do just that and may we, as men, be the light of Christ to the world because of that sanctifying work.

Jeff Durbin -Titus 2:3-5- We are going to spend two weeks looking into some of the common and prevailing sins that men and women struggle with as men and women. This week, we are going to start with some of the common struggles of women that we see addressed in Scripture. We're going to start with women because my hope is to end with the need for men to take primary responsibility for dealing with the sins of both groups. May God us this short series to sanctify us both and make us more like our Savior!

-Proverbs 29:18- In our study of God's Book of Divine Wisdom we are now meditating upon the role that God's Revelation has in protecting and preserving, not only our lives, but the lives of those around us. When we hide or don't speak the Word of God, the Scriptures are clear, the world will fall apart. People throw off restraint when the Word of God isn't given. May our meditation upon this truth be used to embolden us and allow us to be salt and light so that people will give glory to God!

-James White- Revelation 21 We look to the promises of Scripture about the fulfillment of God's great work of redemption in our study today. But our focus will not really be heaven and its joys, though we will surely make note of these truths. Instead, we will be doing a challenging study in how this text gives us a balanced, important witness to the doctrine of the Trinity and to the deity of Christ. We at Apologia Church take the Trinity seriously, and so today we will work to sharpen and hone our skills in understanding, and presenting, this beautiful truth.

-Jeff Durbin- Proverbs 16:33, 19:21, 21:1 and 21:30. The universe is busy. The world is busy. Life is busy. Everything is always moving. Sometimes it seems like a machine, smoothly running. More often than not, it seems like the parts are colliding and going off course. There are so many moments where it feels like the conductor has left his station and nothing is where it's supposed to be. That's what a fallen world feels like. Out of control. Out of place. However, Scripture tells us throughout, that God remains in control. He is the sovereign. He not only ordains every moment, He also sustains these moments and carries everything along to its intended purpose. This is wisdom. To know this and to live and rest under the shade of this truth. Soli Deo Gloria!

Jeff Durbin -Romans 5:8- We've been in God's Book of Divine Wisdom for some time. It has been such a blessing and a transformative experience for so many of us. Today, my heart's desire is to focus our minds on the glory and beauty of the Good News of God. A love of God's Wisdom can only come from a heart that has been changed and a relationship of peace with God. That can only come in one way: the Gospel. May God never let our hearts stray from a passion for the Good News. The Good News that God loves sinners like us. The Good News that He has reconciled us to Himself. The Good News of Eternal Life. The Good News that we now have peace. Eternal peace with the God Who is Love. Sola Deo Gloria!

We are continuing our study of the Book of Proverbs. Today, we see God's Wisdom that is testifying to what we see in the whole of Scripture: the goodness and blessing of God's Law. We live in a time with so many turning their eyes away from the goodness of God's Law. Unfortunately, both unbelievers as well as professing believers. Here in God's Wisdom, we see that God calls us to view His instructions in His Law in a different way. A way that leads to light and blessing. May God renew our minds and make us wise like our savior.