Daniel Burton Archives - Page 30 of 48

The Fruit of Faithfulness: The Outpouring of Trust

The Fruit of the Faithfulness: The Outpouring of Trust

August 27, 2018

One of the most talked about topics of Christianity is the idea of faith. We are encouraged to live out our faith, express faith, and in some cases “just have faith.” Sometimes the advice given to Christians is a pleasant reminder of the importance of persevering and continuing to trust God during difficult times. Other times, it seems reductionist, giving buzzword advice instead of being present for a person who is hurting. Faith, for the believer is crucial for the well-being of the Christian, though. It carries the believer through difficult times, gives us the strength to stand when it is easier to fall, and helps us persevere when times become rough. For all its importance, faith can sometimes seem elusive and difficult to determine what precisely it is. Yet, as Paul discusses faithfulness as a part of the fruit of the Spirit, Paul is speaking clearly of a quality that builds on the foundation of God’s steadfast nature. For the believer, faith does not require all of the evidence to be present but continues to stand in the face of discouragement and anything that would attempt to derail a person from their trust in the Savior. It traces the hand of God through the past to allow us to trust that the hand of God has not departed.

The Fruit of Goodness: Indwelling and Expressing

The Fruit of the Goodness: Indwelling and Expressing

August 20, 2018

In computer programming, there is a commonly held ideal for Trash In Trash Out. If a person inputs fair amount of of garbage and nonsensical commands, the program will simply shut down and return the garbage it has been given. But, if there is care and intentionality in stringing together the code, remarkable and beautiful programs spring out. Whatever input the programmer gives reveals itself through the program. Goodness, in the lives of the spirit-filled Christian, works similarly. Goodness comes from the overflow of goodness through us. Whatever we spend time engaging with and filling our hearts with will be the thing that pours out of our hearts. While it is certainly true that Christians are saved by faith instead of works, the works of a Christian display the fruit that comes from within a person. Mankind produces whatever has been seeded inside of it and reflects what we truly worship and not what we necessarily should worship. As Christians, we allow the Holy Spirit to move within us and through us to express the abundant goodness and righteousness of God in the public sphere. We stand for the good and the right because God is working through us and has redeemed our own personal unrighteousness for His glory.

Revelation 7:1-17 Of Saints and Multitudes

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Saints and Multitudes – Revelation 7:1-17

August 16, 2018

Between the 6th and 7th seal being open, there is a brief pause. Up until this point, the believers have felt the effects (albeit not the consequences) of the judgment being poured out on the world. Then, with the return of the martyrs and the persistent denial from the world of the Lordship of Christ while seeing clearly His omnipotent hand, creation pauses and the scene shifts. John’s vision makes it clear that the judgment will be ramping up in intensity and in consequence. The nearer to the end of time that humanity approaches, the more adverse the effects. After all, sin is permitted to remain for the sake of saving as many persons ensnared by its alluring grasp. Thus, as sin continues, its effects on the world continue and the punishment becomes more and more deserved with each passing day. In fact, the judgment of God has already started, pouring out the first seals by the hand of the Lamb of God.

The Fruit of Goodness: Created to Do Good Works

The Fruit of the Goodness: Created To Do Good Works

August 13, 2018

There is often talk of a person’s “moral compass” often referring to the intrinsic drive within a person that compels them to behave in moral and good ways. Yet, we also live in a world shaped by moral relativism where the idea and concept “goodness” becomes hotly debated if not entirely eroded. According to moral relativism a person’s experience and worldview determines whether an action is “good” or not. Since there cannot be complete truth, as everything is relative to the individual, there cannot be anything purely good either. Yet for the Christian impacted by the Redeemer, our standards, our worldview, and our actions adhere to a much higher standard. We display the fullness of God’s goodness. While one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is kindness which gives of itself, goodness gives of itself in right and holy ways. Kindness and goodness work together through the outward actions of man together in both grace and truth. Goodness roots itself in the love and holiness of God who has proclaimed His mind from the beginning of time. God is the ultimate good as He exudes excellence and purity in great abundance.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – The Earth Opens – Revelation 6:9-17

August 8, 2018

The first four seals opening leave a minor doubt in the world that the hand of God is not actively at work. Yet, with the 5th and 6th seal’s being broken, all doubt is removed. A time is coming when the world will run out of excuses to deny the hand of God. The core of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is Gospel centric. The Lamb of God, while pouring out His wrath upon the world, is returning all things to himself. Every step of God’s intervention has been a heavenly invasion to rend a rebellious people from the clutches of sin and death and return them to the fullness of God. For some, this will mean entering into the fullness of God’s glory. For others, they will enter into the fullness of God’s wrath. While they may know who is pursuing and calling them, their unwillingness to return to Christ will result in the fullness of God’s wrath poured out on them. The 5th and 6th seals represent those who gave the ultimate price for their faith, the martyrs, and those who would not bow before the Lord.

The Fruit of Goodness: The Moral Compass

The Fruit of the Goodness: The Moral Compass

August 6, 2018

There is often talk of a person’s “moral compass” often referring to the intrinsic drive within a person that compels them to behave in moral and good ways. Yet, we also live in a world shaped by moral relativism where the idea and concept “goodness” becomes hotly debated if not entirely eroded. According to moral relativism a person’s experience and worldview determines whether an action is “good” or not. Since there cannot be complete truth, as everything is relative to the individual, there cannot be anything purely good either. Yet for the Christian impacted by the Redeemer, our standards, our worldview, and our actions adhere to a much higher standard. We display the fullness of God’s goodness. While one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is kindness which gives of itself, goodness gives of itself in right and holy ways. Kindness and goodness work together through the outward actions of man together in both grace and truth. Goodness roots itself in the love and holiness of God who has proclaimed His mind from the beginning of time. God is the ultimate good as He exudes excellence and purity in great abundance.

The Fruit of Kindness: Giving to the World Around Us

The Fruit of the Kindness: Giving to the World Around Us

July 30, 2018

Taking an honest look at the world, there are certain people that we find easier to be kind to than others. People similar to us tend to be the ones we show kindness towards. Agreeableness tend to breed kindness simply because there is no reason to fight or quarrel. Yet, when a person disagrees with us or wrongs us, kindness quickly flies out the window. The rules of civility quickly disappear and our heels dig in to whatever position we once held for the sake of being right. Relationships are damaged all for the sake of whatever minuscule argument. Sure, not every case is THIS extreme, but the undergirding principles are still present. The root issues expresses itself through our need to view ourselves and our positions as much higher than we should. If kindness stems from a self sacrifice (as we discussed earlier in the series) and goes beyond a simple niceness (which we looked at the second part of this series) then kindness is a type of grace that we show to others.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Revelation 6:1-8

The Revelation of Jesus Christ – The Four Horsemen – Revelation 6:1-8

July 26, 2018

In Revelation 6, with the Lamb of God being worthy, He opens the first six of the seven scrolls. The first four have gained the monicker as the “Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse.” With each opening of the seal, the four creatures worshipping God in the throne room summons one of the horse and his rider to come forth. These horsemen are not necessarily demonic forces but one thing is clear, they are the instrument of judgment upon the world. This is the beginning of the end and the timeline has begun for when Christ will return for His people. Most depictions of the four horsemen tend to be with these as representations of the devil’s work throughout the earth. Yet, this would ignore the presence of the creatures summoning them. Whether it be through the permissive will of God, which allows things to happen, or the active will, which causes things to happen, the seals are the result of the judgment of the Lamb being poured out on the world. For all whose identity remains with the Lamb of God, the consequences of the judgment will not be felt. The church will feel the effects of the judgments but our ultimate source of hope and salvation is Jesus Christ who reigns in the throne room of Heaven, speaking with the authority of God the Father.

The Fruit of Kindness: On Confrontation and Niceness

The Fruit of the Kindness: On Confrontation and Niceness

July 23, 2018

We live in a culture that continually is ruled and directed by our feelings. Truth is viewed through the litmus test of how it makes a person feel, rather than on its veracity of being truth. All of this is guised under the supposed idea of “tolerance.” Out of this new cultural norm, there are large portions of Christians who feel as if they should never confront a person for their sin or talk about any difficult issue. After all, this wouldn’t be nice to the person to confront their sin. Yet, Jesus never called his followers to be nice. Instead, He called them to understand what the risks and consequences of our actions were and to be kind. By His very presence, we must conclude that we are all sinful in need of a Savior. We are all wretched sinners in need of God to rescue us from the depths of our sin. When we refuse to confront the sins in the body of Christ for the sake of niceness, we neglect the basic commands of God and the Fruit of Kindness is nowhere to be found.

The Parables of Mark: The Fig Tree

July 19, 2018

Jesus stood there in front of the Pharisees and the religious rulers of the day knowing full well that if he had taught anything other than parables, the consequences would have been quite severe. Specifically, for this message. The love that Jesus had for His people went beyond religious rules and adherence to produce salvation. Instead, Jesus cared for the people of God and provided a path for them when they strayed from God’s plan and His best for them. This included correcting the religious leaders of the day who sought to lord their power over the people and, in doing so, abandoned their role to the world.