Daniel Burton Archives - Page 28 of 48

Just An Ordinary Day | Joseph

December 3, 2018

Jospeh led a good but uneventful life. During that time, he found himself betrothed to a wonderful woman. They obediently followed God, refusing to give in to their desires by consummating their relationship before the wedding night. Then, Mary gave him the news that would shatter his heart; “I’m pregnant.” Joseph, being a man of integrity, knew the child could not be his. Yet, he understood the implications and consequences of what would happen to Mary if they divorced because of her “infidelity.” From Joseph’s perspective, He had full right to drag her before the temple and have her stone. Yet, while a man of righteous faith, Joseph also sought to be a man of love and great grace, choosing instead to spare her by divorcing her quietly. On this night, on just an ordinary day, Joseph’s life would change forever.

Just An Ordinary Day | Mary

November 26, 2018

For a moment that would change the trajectory of her life, the coming of the angel Gabriel seemed out of the ordinary for this young girl. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a good man, who obeyed the law as good Jewish man. During that day, engagement meant more than just pre-marriage but the two committed to one another through their engagement, consummating their unity at their wedding. Joseph and Mary were no exception to this, remaining a virgin. Although they were good people, Mary and Joseph did not come from distinguished backgrounds or wealth and status. Mary found favor with God in the ordinary circumstances of her life as she faithfully followed God. With the announcement of Gabriel that she would give birth to the Messiah, Mary trusted God to walk her through an impossible situation giving glory to God in through faithfully trusting God to lead her through every step.

The Problem of Sin | Grace and Forgiveness

November 19, 2018

A Christian cannot have a reasonable discussion of sin and the consequences of sin without mentioning the crux of the Gospel; Jesus Christ died for sinners and offers forgiveness for their sins. Discussions of sin often become bogged down in either the acts of sin themselves or bypass any mention of sin, allowing people to continue in their sin. As we discussed in our previous post, the sin separated us from the fullness of God’s presence and made us deserving of death and separation from God. Yet, in God’s gracious mercy, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we have the opportunity to not only be forgiven from our sins but also enter into the fullness of God’s presence. We have been forgiven from our sins. We lay before the cross of Jesus Christ, pouring our sin out on Christ, knowing that he sustains us and forgives us. Furthermore, we have the opportunity to forgive ourselves and forgive one another. No matter the sin that we have done or the distance that we have traveled from God, everyone is offered the forgiveness in Jesus Christ and can extend the same forgiveness to one another.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ | Victory Declared – Revelation 14:1-13

November 14, 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 Problem of Sin | From The Beginning

November 12, 2018

At the beginning of time, God created everything and it declared it good, with everything how God intended it to exist. For a brief period of time, mankind lived in paradise, walking with God in intimate relationship and communion with the High King of heaven. Then, through the introduction of sin, the paradise created for the glory of God and the enjoyment of mankind became tainted by the corruptions of sin. We live in this world, where the effects of sin affect our daily life. To understand the problem of sin, we must go back to the beginning, to the moment where man introduced sin to the perfect paradise of creation. God had set mankind free in the garden of Eden to enjoy and gave one restriction; one tree they cannot eat its fruit. The serpent deceived Adam and Eve, enticing them to doubt the goodness and righteousness of God by eating the forbidden fruit. In that moment, Adam and Eve chose the promise that they would die for their actions, rather than enjoy the paradise God prepared for them. The sin of Adam is the sin of mankind who routinely chooses in false god’s and false promises. Yet, despite sin, God gives hope to mankind despite the rebellion of standing against God.

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.