new covenant – Page 2 – ThrivingBranch

Real Help For Real Problems

August 1, 2021June 13, 2021Leave a Comment

Many times n the past when I would find myself troubled or hurting, a well-meaning Christian friend would tell me “Don’t worry, God knows what you’re going through.”

They intended for the comment to soothe and comfort me, but somehow on the inside, their comment only made the pain worse. If God knows what I am going through, why isn’t He doing anything? Why isn’t God helping?

Simply knowing that “God knows what you’re going through” doesn’t really do anything to ease the pain— in-fact, it hurts all the more, because God has the power to help!

If this describes you today, I have some good news, because God’s help is far more than merely a nice thought. Today we will explore how to receive real tangible help, for real problems.

The Blessings and Promises of God for You (#1): Certainty in Christ

July 4, 2021June 13, 2021Leave a Comment

The blessings and promises of God can be a touchy subject for some people. There are various ideas regarding God’s blessings ranging from saying they don’t exist at all today, to doctrines saying that God’s blessings are entirely ethereal, or claiming that extreme personal sacrifice and pain is necessary to attain them.

Amid the confusion, it’s easy to become lost and frustrated, and to want to simply give up on the entire topic of blessings. However, God is not the author of confusion, and the scriptures do not leave this topic clouded.

In this series we will be examining the blessings and promises of God available to us through Jesus Christ, how they are give, and how we receive them.

Join me in this introductory segment today, as we explore the foundation of why blessings and promises available to us in Christ.

The Key to Powerful Belief (part 3)

March 7, 2021December 20, 2020Leave a Comment

Welcome back again to part three of our series on powerful belief. In part one, we looked at the prophetic report of Isaiah about what Jesus’ sacrifice accomplished for us. We also saw some of the common stumbling blocks that people struggle with when it comes to believing.

In part two, we continued along that theme, and also saw how the words that we speak are connected with what we believe in our heart.

Today, we put all of the pieces from the previous two weeks together, so if you haven’t yet read the last two studies, it might be helpful. By the end of this study today, you will understand how to have truly powerful belief in Christ Jesus. Let’s get started.

The Key to Powerful Belief (part 1)

February 21, 2021December 20, 2020Leave a Comment

The last couple of weeks, we’ve been examining perspectives and how we see Jesus from a practical standpoint. We’ve seen the importance of looking at Jesus with the proper spiritual lenses, with a proper understanding of what He has accomplished, and your spiritual identity in Him.

Today, we will be transitioning into a tangental, but equally essential topic of belief — specifically belief on Jesus, and how to have truly powerful belief that leads to spiritual victory.

Join me today, as I’m excited to share this topic with you!

The Foundation of Salvation (Works or Grace?)

January 24, 2021December 20, 2020Leave a Comment

Works versus grace has been a long-held debate among people inside the walls of church buildings. Such a discussion is supremely important, because it strikes at the heart of our union and relationship with God. Are we saved by works which we perform, or is salvation purely an act of God’s grace? Or is salvation some kind of synergy between our God’s grace mixed with our works?

Your response to this question will change absolutely everything about your relationship with God, how you interact with Him, and what you can expect from Him.

Today we will be exploring the most important aspect of our relationship with God, salvation, to answer the question of whether salvation is earned by our works, or is received as a gift from God.

Blessings in the Kingdom of God (part 2)

December 20, 2020October 21, 2020Leave a Comment

Welcome back to part 2 of our series on blessings in the Kingdom of God. Last week we saw how much God cares for us, which can be a sticking-point for people who see God as more of a judge than a loving Father.

We also saw how the Kingdom of God is not something that we strive toward or reach for, but in-fact the Kingdom comes to us, through Jesus Christ. If you haven’t yet watched the previous study, I would encourage you to see that study first as we will be continuing upon that foundation today.

In this study, we will be looking at blessings and how they come to us, and also in what measure they come to us – the reality is greater than what we often think.

How You Prosper in Christ (part 2)

December 6, 2020October 5, 2020Leave a Comment

Welcome back to our study on prosperity. We saw last week that prosperity is not a dirty word. In that study, we examined how scripture lists prosperity as a covenant blessing based on our relationship with God in Christ, and also that His prosperity has a purpose: to share His generosity and blessing with those around us.

Now today, we are going to discuss how this happens, and how to receive the blessing of prosperity into your life, because just as with every other aspect of grace, people tend to inject a layer of works over what God gives as a gift in Christ

Join me today, as we discover how to prosper in Christ.

God’s Mercy and Grace (part 1)

November 15, 2020August 25, 2020Leave a Comment

Mercy and grace, two wonderful gifts that Jesus has given to us. His mercy and grace are always available to us, and they are always active; never dormant or stale. Yet oftentimes we find ourselves feeling as though God’s mercy has somehow left us. Sometimes we think that His grace has abandoned us in the midst of a crisis. I understand those thoughts and feelings, and I’ve felt them myself many times before. I know that it can be very disconcerting, frightening and even depressing; again I have experienced all of that.

But is it actually true that God’s mercy has left us? Is it true that God’s grace has abandoned us? It can be difficult to even confront that thought, because on the one hand, we are uncomfortable even contemplating it. Yet even so, no problem of any significance is ever solved by ignoring it. We can and should approach the problem directly, and we shouldn’t be fearful about it. For if we do indeed believe as we proclaim that “God is good all the time”, then whatever answer we find, we can be certain that it will be good and beneficial for us.

So today I’d like to have a discussion about the mercy and grace of God, and perhaps tackle some of the more palpable aspects of it, both negative and positive.

The Amazing Blessing of Communion (part 4)

November 8, 2020August 17, 2020Leave a Comment

Welcome to the fourth and final part of our series, taking a look at the amazing blessing of communion. Far beyond the ritual, into the reality of our union with Jesus Christ. What a fantastic journey this has been!

We’ve seen how communion is not merely a corporate ritual, but a very personal time. A time not to reflect on your sin, but to reflect Christ’s finished work personally for you. A time to see how His finished work has changed your spiritual identity.

We also saw in last week’s study how the cup of the New Covenant, goes much more in-depth on a personal level, than what we typically hear about in most communion services. The fact that Jesus Christ took your sin upon Himself and paid the penalty in your place should be life-changing, but we often don’t give it the weight or attention that such an accomplishment deserves.

Today we will fit all these puzzle pieces together to see a fantastic picture of Christ’s finished work. Let’s get started!

The Amazing Blessing of Communion (part 3)

November 1, 2020August 8, 2020Leave a Comment

Welcome back to part three of our series looking at the amazing blessing of communion. In part one, we began by examining the personal aspect of the body and blood of Christ. How communion is not merely a corporate ritual, but a personal gift representing our individual union with Jesus Christ.

We also began to see how the body and blood of Christ each represent a distinct gift which Jesus has made available to us through His sacrifice.

Then in part two, we saw what it means to judge ourselves rightly in Christ as we receive and partake of His sacrifice for us. And how the rightly judging ourselves in Christ is a fantastic blessing in Him.

Now today in part three we are going to be examining the cup, which Jesus says represents the New Covenant in His blood. As we look at the cup of the new covenant today, we will see even more aspects of the amazing blessing of communion.