Daniel Burton Archives - Page 28 of 47

The Problem of Sin | Asking The Wrong Question

November 5, 2018

Whenever tragedy strikes, people move very quickly to determine the cause of the problem. These debate quickly devolve into name calling, finger pointing, and the useless jabbering of politicians and pundits all ignoring the root cause of pain and suffering. The issue has always been sin, the issue is still sin, and the issue will continue to be sin until we arrive on the other side of eternity by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. In more recent history, there has been an increase in calls to diminish the problem of issue and the response of prayer. Some, even from those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. In doing so, they neglect the grip of sin on the lives of mankind, and, even more dangerous, they diminish the message and power of the Gospel that Jesus saves mankind from our sins but His glorious grace. It seems, in our effort to be non-offensive and seeker friendly, we have forgotten what sin is and what it does to everyone sin encounters. Understanding the nature of sin does not seek to heap on condemnation on a person, but rather to make much of the Gospel of that Jesus Christ came to save us. It is only when we understand the depths of our depravity that we can begin to grasp great richness of grace.

The Fruit of the Spirit | Alive In The Spirit

October 29, 2018

The Holy Spirit is the hand and mechanism of life’s creation, sent by Jesus Christ, from the beginning of time. The work of the Holy Spirit is transformative in the lives of believers. When a person believes in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins its work in a person. As the mechanism of true, genuine life, the Holy Spirit knows which things are created with the DNA of God and which are the representation of the fleshly desires. When the Spirit renews a person fully, the sign of the Spirit in a person is the fruit that is produced. For the Christian, Galatians 5:22-25 serves as the metric and sign for what occurs in every believer when the Holy Spirit works in the heart.

Revelation 13:11-18 | The Second Beast of False Prophesy

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – The Second Beast of False Prophesy – Revelation 13:11-18

October 24, 2018

From the earth, the dragon brought forth another beast. It bore the image of a lamb with the voice of a dragon. While the first beast sought to draw the worship of the world, the second beast’s mission is similar. The beast from the land sought only to draw attention to the anti-Christ from the first part of the chapter. The presence of the second beast only affirmed the worship of the first beast by validating its story and existence. Through the demonstration of spiritual powers, appearing to call down fire from heaven. The vileness of the first beast towards followers of Christ reminded with the second only stirring people to reject the one true God to cause death and destruction as a distraction. Unfortunately, John tells us that many will be deceived by the display of power, assuming that any charismatic display, whatever its message may be, comes from God. For those who would not be deceived, life wicked become increasingly difficult to sustain their daily life. Those who follow the beast will receive the mark of the beast from their allegiance that will provide them with the ability to buy and sell, participating in economic transactions, thus limiting the church’s ability to live and survive in the culture that brands them as unfaithful, false, and outcasts of society. With the presence of the second beast, the false trinity from the dragon will appear to make great strides against the world and against the church.

The Fruit of Self-Control: The Witness of Being Set Apart

October 22, 2018

Athletes hone their bodies into high functioning machines that can do a great deal of spectacular feats and strength and agility. This result does not come without a price. There are plenty of seasons where they skip perfectly good functions, foods, and events for the sake of crafting their skill and ability and shaping their bodies. It takes an enormous amount of self-control to produce the results and the world takes notice of their ability. We all strive to be like them, however, without self-control, we will never approach the results that they do. This should be how the members of the church, specifically the elders and those mature in the faith should present themselves. When outsiders see the church, there should be a notable difference that demonstrates the effects of a change and redeemed life. Furthermore, when people new to the faith see those who are further in their walk, the person of Jesus Christ should be clear and evident in the lives of the elders. This means there will be plenty of things that Christians do and do not that serve as a witness to our faith. There will be places we frequent and places we abstain from that will show the world that Jesus Christ has rescued us from death. Our self-control to obey the law roots itself in the first purpose of the law, which was to separate believers from non-believers. In doing so, we train to obtain a prize beyond that which athlete can obtain.

The Fruit of Self-Control: Taking Advantage of Grace

October 15, 2018

It seems that our current day and culture does not value self-control. Everyone is urged and encouraged to give in to their immediate desires in order to gratify whatever they are seeking. Pleasure has become the god of our current day as we all desire to achieve the most amount of pleasure for what we seek. Yet, throughout scripture, what mankind desires has proven itself time and time again to not be beneficial for their own good. The things that God desires and directs His follows to do, while it may contradict the desires of the flesh, consistently remain better for mankind. When the Spirit of God is alive and moving within us, self-control that refuses to give in to every desire will demonstrate the God within us. Self-control involves taking an intense look at what our heart craves and choose to obey what ultimately will secure our salvation and sustain our soul. It abstains when it’s easier to give in, it runs when it’s easier to walk, and it submits to the will of an infinite and Holy God who only wants what is best for His beloved creation.

Revelation 13:1-10 - The First Beast of Blaspheme

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – The First Beast of Blaspheme – Revelation 13:1-10

October 10, 2018

As the dragon stands on the edge of the sea, the devil begins to summon forth two beasts in chapter 13. The first comes from the sea (vs. 1-10) and the second comes from the earth (vs. 11-18). Each are equally frightening but different in their approach. For both, the purpose of the beasts remains the same; to spread the false gospel that the dragon can provide life and safety to people. At this point, the dragon knows his days are numbered and that he will ultimately see his demise and end. Yet, the nature of the dragon seeks destruction for the people. He deceives others in hopes of bringing the destruction that will befall him to others.

The Fruit of Self-Control: With The Good In Mind

October 8, 2018

It seems that our current day and culture does not value self-control. Everyone is urged and encouraged to give in to their immediate desires in order to gratify whatever they are seeking. Pleasure has become the god of our current day as we all desire to achieve the most amount of pleasure for what we seek. Yet, throughout scripture, what mankind desires has proven itself time and time again to not be beneficial for their own good. The things that God desires and directs His follows to do, while it may contradict the desires of the flesh, consistently remain better for mankind. When the Spirit of God is alive and moving within us, self-control that refuses to give in to every desire will demonstrate the God within us. Self-control involves taking an intense look at what our heart craves and choose to obey what ultimately will secure our salvation and sustain our soul. It abstains when it’s easier to give in, it runs when it’s easier to walk, and it submits to the will of an infinite and Holy God who only wants what is best for His beloved creation.

The Fruit of Gentleness: Towards Non-Believers

October 1, 2018

As Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit, he includes gentleness as a clear indication that a person is living a spirit-filled life. As much as we use this term and mentally ascent to its Christ-like quality, often times this quality is one of the first to go for the sake of boldness or standing firm aggressively. We live as if gentleness concedes territory in our spiritual lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness finds its basis in the ideas of meekness and humility but not in weakness. Instead the expression of gentleness roots itself in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The Dragon, The Child, and The Woman - Revelation 12:1-17

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Dragons, Children, and The Woman – Revelation 12:1-17

September 26, 2018

Throughout the bible, we gain the perspective from earth of God’s intervention and rescue plan for mankind. Throughout the entirety of scripture, God remains the star as He saves those receive Him. Yet, for the most part, this is told through the perspective of the physical. In Revelation 12, John is given a glimpse of the spiritual story. We gain great detail as to the consequences of the devil’s rebellion in heaven, how he came to earth, and ultimately what he will endure. Some parts of this chapter seem to be almost a flashback of events from the past while others still are to come. Often times, from the perspective of man, it seems as though the battle is still ranging onward between God and man. We worry about what we face and that the trials and temptations of the world will be the end of us as the devil tempts us. However, we must remember that Satan, for all his accusations, has no reign or power outside of what God allows him to. The church, no matter what, will be eternally safe against the attacks of Satan as long as the church remains and pursues the One, True Savior.

The Fruit of Gentleness: Restoration

September 24, 2018

As Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit, he includes gentleness as a clear indication that a person is living a spirit-filled life. As much as we use this term and mentally ascent to its Christ-like quality, often times this quality is one of the first to go for the sake of boldness or standing firm aggressively. We live as if gentleness concedes territory in our spiritual lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness finds its basis in the ideas of meekness and humility but not in weakness. Instead the expression of gentleness roots itself in the strength of the Holy Spirit.