2007

January 2007
01/02 Ecclesiastes 12:5-6 It is not for us to judge what God’s blessings look like. The long home is eternity. Jeremiah 1:1-13 Malachi 2 Romans 3:10-20
01/03 Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, 13-14 Self-justification is not a possibility. Your only chance is to abandon yourself to the mercy and grace of God which is in Christ. Romans 10:4-9, James 1:22-25
01/04 Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 Until you see the vanity of all things you will continue to seek meaning and identity from them. You are in the rest, seated in the New Jerusalem today. Your warfare is over. When Christ said, “It’s finished,” he wasn’t kidding. Psalms 62:5-10, Psalms 39:1-7, Jeremiah 9:17-26
01/05 Ecclesiastes 12:8-10 Knowing that all is vanity. Psalms 94:11, Psalms 31:11-24, Proverbs 8:8-11, Isaiah 64:1-4
01/08 Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 The land that he gave, the New Jerusalem, is true now and it has always been true. It is finished; there are no enemies except you. The human mind is and always has been the enemy of God. Proverbs 8:10-11, Isaiah 63:3-4, Joshua 21:43-45, Judges 3:31, Zechariah 12:8-10, John 19:30-37, Revelation 1:4-8, Psalms 22:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
01/09 Ecclesiastes 12:11 Our sin is blotted out but we continue to create ordnances against ourselves. Can you live without knowing the future – planning, scheduling, and analyzing? The only way to stop the insanity is to see the vanity of your own efforts and, lean on God alone. Colossians 2:6-14, Romans 4:1-5
01/10 Ecclesiastes 12:11 How is the mystery of God being worked out in you? Isaiah 28:22-29, Matthew 13:1-23
01/11 Ecclesiastes 12:11 The mystery of the seed is that it brings forth fruit of itself. Mark 4:26-30, Ezekiel 33:30-33, Hebrews 2:8
01/12 Ecclesiastes 12:11 Are you waiting patiently for what has already been done? The seed is planted. The seed will grow without your help. Mark 4:26-30
01/15 Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 Our love of God can really just be an instrument for love of self. There is no end to learning, and it will not bring you to God. His seed was shed at Pentecost. 2 Timothy 2:24-26, 3:1-5, Micah 6:6-8
01/16 Ecclesiastes 12:12 Humility is not an act, it is a state of being – complete emptiness and dependence on God. Micah 6:8
01/17 Psalm 47 God has chosen for us our inheritance. We are not of this world but are translated into the Kingdom of God.
01/18 Ecclesiastes 12:12-13 You don’t have the option of doing part of the law. You either do the whole law or none of it. The fruit of the spirit can come only from the life of Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:1-26, Isaiah 28:7-16
01/19 Ecclesiastes 12:13 You won’t see the end of the matter until you come to that place of rest. God doesn’t speak to you in the language of the mind, so you must shut it up. There cannot be faith with self still there. Isaiah 28:12, Acts 3:13-19
01/22 Ecclesiastes 12:13 To present yourself a living sacrifice, wholly and without condition. Humility is not an act, it is the state of emptiness that allows Christ to dwell in you. Romans 11:32-36, 12:1-2
01/23 Ecclesiastes 12:13 Christ is not going to conform to your preferences. He never thought it his business to be like God. He emptied himself and was obedient unto death on the cross. Philippians 1:27-30, 2:1-8
01/24 Ecclesiastes 12:13 Your relationship with God, or lack of it, will define your relationship with people. You can act according to your own script or live by the faith of Christ. You can’t live by the faith of Christ if you still think it is up to you to figure out how to justify yourself. Isaiah 66:1-3, Luke 3:21-22, Colossians 2:1-14, Ephesians 1:3-6
01/25 Ecclesiastes 12:13 We are accepted because Christ is accepted and he lives in you. We are perfected by one offering forever. Galatians 2:6, Ephesians 1:1-6, Hebrews 9:28, 10:1-16
01/26 Ecclesiastes 12:13 The kingdom of God is nothing like an earthly kingdom. It has nothing to do with ambition or success stories. In His kingdom the king is sovereign over all things, including you. Job 22:21-30, 42:1-9
01/29 Ecclesiastes 12:13 The fall of man will be missing from your own personal theology. You’ll think you can improve, get better and that there is still hope in you. Without repentance you miss the whole mystery of God. Genesis 1:26, 2:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:4-5
01/30 Ecclesiastes 12:14 Your best isn’t good enough. Trying your best is not acceptable. That’s the whole point of Ecclesiastes and the Gospel. Here is the conclusion of the matter: God will bring all things into judgment. Thus ends our study of Ecclesiastes. Amos 4:4-13, 5:11-21 Zephaniah 2:1-3 Proverbs 19:1-3 Isaiah 66:1-4 Matthew 5:27, 6:9-15
01/31 Romans 1:1 We are starting a new Bible study on the book of Romans. The book of Romans is the most thorough exposition on Christianity in the New Testament. Paul was a bondservant.
February 2007
02/01 Romans 1:1 Paul is a bondservant of Christ before he is an apostle. Unless the seed dies, it cannot sprout. So it is with an apostle.
02/02 Romans 1:1 See that your own life has been a joke. Then you can follow Christ to your own death as he did. John 12:23-33, Mark 12:18-25
02/05 Romans 1:1-2 When you are separated in Christ you no longer have a past life. Repentance is the only counter to self-oriented responses. Genesis 3:1-15
02/06 Romans 1:1 What it means to be separated. A Christian has nothing to do with the values of this world. Galatians 1:11-16, Matthew 13:47-49, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 1 Corinthians 4:1-16, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 4:1-18
02/07 Romans 1:1-2 The Gospel. It’s not good news to modern man. The good news is simply that Messiah has come. Colossians 1:12-16, John 1:1-14
02/08 Romans 1:1-2 The testing is to show you whether or not Christ is your life. Christ, who is the fullness of the truth, is your life by faith. Hebrews 1:1
02/09 Romans 1:2 What is the purpose and meaning of scripture? The scriptures testify only of Christ, who is the Word. Scripture is the words about the Word. Revelation 19:11-13, 2 Timothy 3:1-17, John 5:30-44
02/12 Romans 1:1-4 God’s love is solely declared in the Son. How quickly our eyes leave Christ and focus on us. Jesus Christ the Son of God is the essence of the Gospel. It’s not about you and me. Psalms 2:1-12, Isaiah 59:1-3
02/13 Romans 1:3-4 We can always find a reason to justify anything we decide. It is only the sure ability of Christ that matters. 1 Corinthians 4:20, Luke 17:20-21
02/14 God’s definition of love. Justifying yourself and taking a position are obstacles to love. Matthew 5:38-45, John 13:34, Romans 15:7
02/15 Romans 1:4 Shame is the mother of all emotions. It promotes self-justification. We are clothed either in abomination or in His righteousness. When you can laugh at your shame you are free. Matthew 24:14-16, Luke 16:14-15
02/16 Romans 1:4 Shame is the way of the flesh. It is the evidence of your separation from God. Philippians 3:1-20
02/19 Romans 1:4 Christ, by his offering, destroyed the power of shame. Genesis 3:6-7, Mark 15:1-34
02/20 Romans 1:1-12 The journey is prosperous when you see that the world holds nothing for you. 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5, I John 4:1-3
02/21 Romans 1:13-18 You cannot preach the Gospel without preaching the cross. You cannot preach the cross without your death. 1 Corinthians 1:17-21
02/22 Romans 1:17-19 God loves the good and hates the evil. The two can’t mix. The fullness of Christ is given to you; you have no more excuse. Genesis 3:14
02/23 Romans 1:18-19 The Hopelessness of the Gospel. If you still hang on to hope, you’ve not understood Beatitudes nor the Gospel. Ephesians 5:14-19, Matthew 6:22-34
02/26 Romans 1:18-20 Faith is not a means to an end. It is not a way to get stuff. Faith is the way of seeing the finished work of Christ. The Gospel is preached to the entire world. Colossians 1:3-28
02/27 Romans 1:20-22 This recording is not available. II Corinthians 13:5-8
02/28 Romans 1:20-21 This recording is not available either. Sorry, we messed up. Galatians 2:16-21
March 2007
03/01 Romans 1:21-23 We profess ourselves to be wise when we think we know what to do. It is never what we do or think, only whom we contain. II Peter 3:8-15
03/02 Romans 1:22-25 If you choose to live in your own mind, God will let you. He will give you over to your self-seeking. Isaiah 66:3-4
03/05 Romans 1:22-25 We corrupt the glory of God when we make him an image, an idea. Why the preaching of the cross is the power of God.
03/06 Romans 1:23-28 The mystery of God is revealed in the relationship between a man and a woman. That is why homosexuality dishonors the mystery. It’s not just about sex. Until you see the vanity, God will give you over to all manner of self-realization.
03/07 Romans 1:28-32 Until you know who you really are, you will not let go of everything. You will continue to hang on to your hope as long as you still think there is good in you. God does not want your sacrifices, he wants you. Psalms 50:7-20, Romans 3:10-19
03/08 Romans 2:1-3 Your subtle form of judgment, in which you think you are right, is an act of self-justification. The thing that you are eager to judge is what also convicts you. 2 Samuel 12:1-10, John 16:1-11
03/09 Romans 2:1-4 God judges according to truth. Truth is timeless.
03/12 Romans 2:1-4 The difference between the mercy seat and the judgment seat. That is all there is. Until you see the vanity, you are always tempted to leave the mercy seat for the judgment seat. II Corinthians 10:3-7
03/13 Romans 2:3-4 The only sin is to believe not on him. To believe in Him means total reliance and Christ is your life. John 16:7-11
03/14 Romans 2:4 What it means to despise the riches of his goodness and to hold the branch under your nose. Isaiah 4:2-6, Isaiah 11:1-5, Ezekiel 8:4-18, James 4:11-12
03/15 Romans 2:4 Thinking that there is still time is rebellion. The only reason for time is the forbearance of God.
03/16 Romans 2:4 Self-realization is the stumbling block. Isaiah 57:4-15
03/19 Romans 2:5-6 There is a multitude of reasons to harden our hearts. Sanctification will soften them. In every culture the poor are shunned, but not in the Kingdom of God. The blood of Christ is not an excuse for sloth. Romans 8:28-39
03/20 Romans 2:6-7 The way of the disciple is to go against your normal tendency. John 14:1-6, Luke 18:9
03/21 Romans 2:7-9 Our language is a major obstacle in matters of the spirit. We want to place all words in our predefined box of our worldview. We can’t even imagine the meaning of ‘well doing.’ Our natural state is rebellion, and faith is the way out. Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 3:1-17
03/22 Romans 2:7-11 What it means to put God to the test for the purpose of approving him. The kingdom of God is for the poor in spirit, the offscouring. God is not a respecter of men.
03/23 Romans 2:12 We will always conceive beyond our ability to achieve. This is at the root of the unrest, the fruit of the fall. Genesis 11:1-9, Genesis 3:22-24
03/26 Romans 2:13 The difference between hearing and the doing the law. You can’t do it, you can only abandon yourself. Christ is the only one that can fulfill the law. James 2:5-11
03/27 Romans 2:13-15 The perfect law of liberty is another name for Jesus Christ. Stop taking your ‘self’ so seriously. James 1:12-25
03/28 Romans 2:14 The illusion of being in control. Consciousness of self is the fruit of the fall. The world calls it self-realization. We still think we have free will. When you come to the end of your self, Christ is there, waiting. Hebrews 8:7-13
03/29 Romans 2:14-15 Christianity is not a commodity to be pushed and sold. The seed of Christ is shed on all men. The apostles went out because they were asked. Hebrews 8:1-13, Acts 2:1-18
03/30 Romans 2:13-16 The self is always of the wicked one. By holding things in, we put weight on ourselves. 1 John 1:5-10, 1 John 3:6-10
April 2007
04/02 Romans 2:13-15 If you think you are following the law, you’re not. The law is spiritual. Until you abandon yourself to faith, your good is always accompanied by the evil one. Romans 7:7-21
04/03 Romans 2:14-24 You cannot make yourself acceptable to God, no matter how much you want to or try to. If you are working at it, you still don’t see the futility. It is either all finished or none of it is finished. All you have to see and know is that it’s done, it’s over. Matthew 5:44-48, 1 Peter 1:13-16, Matthew 6:9-15
04/04 Romans 2:17-19 Practicing religion is acting. You rely on your title, position, or status as a Christian and your identity comes from your label. But the best that you can be is nothing, just an empty vessel. Matthew 3:1-17
04/05 Romans 2:17-24 Religion, as a system of thought, is self-serving. Being a Jew, Christian or anything else does not sanctify you. Sanctification is God’s business, yours is repentance. Romans 3:9-19, Ephesians 6:10-17
04/06 Romans 2:25-29 The fiery darts are the thoughts of your mind. Ephesians 6:10-17
04/09 Passover recap (Gary Buckner)
04/10 Romans 2:25-27 It’s either you working it or living by the faith of Christ. God is not interested in fixing the outer you. He only wants the revelation of Jesus Christ in you. Galatians 5:1-5, Acts 10:34-35, Philippians 3:2-8
04/11 Romans 2:28-29 The principle of the Law does not rule your life if you still depend on the praise of men. 1 Peter 3:18-21, Romans 7:1-6
04/12 Romans 2:25-29 If you depend on the approval of others, it is because you need to justify yourself. Self-justification is an indication that repentance is still lacking. No flesh can be justified. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Corinthians 10:17-18
04/13 Romans 3:1-7 Since the cross and the destruction of the last temple, the Israel of God no longer exists. We still want to think there is something to do because, by doing something, we can create our own sense of worth. Faith is the only avenue left to us. Colossians 3:1-11, Galatians 3:19-28
04/16 Romans 3:1-18 The theology of the cross vs. the theology of glory. The theology of the cross: All men died and it is finished, Christ accomplishes all. The theology of glory: There is still more to do, more to get.
04/17 Romans 3:19 You can never be a victim. God is the injured party, not you.
04/18 Romans 3:19-20 Hebrews 8:3-5 Romans 14:22-23 II Corinthians 13:5 Numbers 9:15-23
04/19 Romans 3:19-20 Faith says “I need nothing, I’ve been perfected by one offering and all is finished.” The human mind cannot say this because it can’t grasp faith. Isaiah 40:28-31
04/20 Romans 3:19-21 The serpent will always go on his belly, eating dust. What it means to wait on God. Romans 14:22-23, Genesis 3:14-15, Isaiah 40:17-31
04/23 Romans 3:20 Waiting and abiding are acts of faith. We are created for joy, which is Christ’s joy in you. He is waiting for you to stop and rest. Isaiah 30, John 12:42-50, John 15:1-22, 1 Peter 1:3-7
04/24 Romans 3:20 Faith is where you are seated. To abide is to know that we are seated with him in that secret place. Psalm 15:1-5, Psalm 61:1-8, Psalm 91:1-16, Proverbs 19:1-23, Jeremiah 42:7-14, 1 John 2:15-29
04/25 Romans 3:20 Where are you when you pray? From in the secret closet, Christ is calling the bride. Matthew 6:5-8, Joel 2:12-16, Psalm 18, Psalm 27:1-5, Psalm 31:18-24, John 14:1-6
04/26 Romans 3:20 The mind is the battleground. The enemy of God is the activity of our minds. Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Philippians 2:1-8, Psalm 27:1-14, Psalm 31:9-20
04/27 (Gary Buckner) I can no longer be silent.
04/30 Romans 3:20 The hole in the wall. Until you see that you can’t be fixed, you won’t know the power of his mercy. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. Ezekiel 8:1-18
May 2007
05/01 Romans 3:20 When the mind says that anything ought to be different than it is, it is idolatry. To see idolatry in others is to deflect. You have to see it in yourself. Deuteronomy 12:29-32, Deuteronomy 18:9-13
05/02 Romans 3:20 We practice divination when we attempt to control God. You want to make Him predictable, your personal gofer. Even trying with your mind to know the Son is divination. Deuteronomy 18:9-10, Matthew 11:25-27, 2 Kings 21:1-7
05/03 Romans 3:20 Molten images often make repentance impossible. For a Christian, there cannot be a plan B. Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Isaiah 2:20-3:2, Romans 4:21-25, 5:1-5
05/04 To be unequally yoked refers to our two natures that contend in our mind. Unless you know that Christ is in you, you cannot repent, you can only pretend. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Philippians 3:5-8
05/07 (Gary Buckner) Obedience is better than sacrifice.
05/08 The enchanter is one who has learned by experience. Faith is not a way of getting something for yourself. Deuteronomy 18:9-11, Genesis 30:25-27, Job 42:1-6, Revelation 10:1-11
05/09 We think that sin is what we do. Sin is thinking that you have the right to yourself. Romans 7:14-15, John 15:13-22
05/10 Esther 4:16 (Gary Buckner) Ester: If I perish, I perish. Laying it all on God without condition.
05/14 (Gary Buckner) Where two are gathered in his name, he will be there.
05/15 (Gary Buckner) His seed is shed on all flesh. None are left out. We live by the faith of Christ.
05/16 (Gary Buckner) Jeremiah 1:4-19. The world is full of deception and it pulls us away from the revelation of Christ in us.
05/17 (Gary Buckner) Galatians 3:1-16. We can never leave the cross. What comes after is God’s business, not ours. Our business is to remain under the cross.
05/18 The basics of the Gospel. What it means to confess that he is the Christ. Without Christ, man has no purpose. Mark 8:27-35, Matthew 23
05/21 The book of Genesis. Let there be light. Christ is the light of men. 2 Timothy 3:10-17, Genesis 1:1-3, Luke 1:26-35
05/22 All of nature reveals Christ. He is all and, in all.
05/23 Romans 3:20 The human mind is the enemy of God. This won’t change with wishful thinking or self-improvement. Colossians 1:9-21
05/24 We see what we have been conditioned to see instead of seeing that it is finished. We still operate in survival mode. The warfare is over. Your inheritance is peace, joy and rest.
05/25
05/29 Romans 3:21-23 Men use the law in an attempt to raise themselves. But the purpose of the law is to bring you low.
05/30 The high places is the false religion that is played out in your mind. Ephesians 6:10-12, 2 Peter 3:10-18
05/31 The believer has his true life in the kingdom, in eternity. There is no place in the kingdom of God for your personal ideas and your personal ambitions. Isaiah 57:3-11
June 2007
06/01 Anyone can suffer the loss of all things, but can you count it as dung? Philippians 3:7-19, Genesis 3:6-14
06/04 Romans 3:23-26 The Gospel of the kingdom is already preached. Where you come to the end of your self, there God is. Colossians 1
06/05 Romans 3:1-2 Circumcision is all about conforming in order to be acceptable. And we want others to be circumcised in order that we avoid persecution and discomfort. Colossians 3:9-11, Galatians 3:26-28, Galatians 6:11-12, 1 Corinthians 4:8-16
06/06 Romans 1:28 God’s idea of good is not the same as yours. If it is, then you have a god of your own creation. James 4:11-12, Revelation 22:8-11
06/07 Holiness. Hebrews 12:14-17, Genesis 2:15-20, Matthew 18:1-5, Luke 4:1-13, Romans 8:5-24
06/08 We continually resist the divine impulse. You have to be empty of yourself before the Holy Spirit will reveal Christ in you. Ecclesiastes 4:8, Matthew 21:33-46, John 11:47-50, Isaiah 59:10-16, 1 Peter 1:3
06/11 Pentecost The feast of Pentecost. Jesus fulfilled all the feasts prescribed in the Old Testament. The early Christians celebrated the feasts as a reminder that all is finished. If Christ’s work is done, your work is done. Leviticus 23:1-44
06/12 Pentecost We are in the last day. Hebrews 1:1-2, Isaiah 40:1-11, Isaiah 66:1-8, Revelation 19:1-13, Revelation 21:1-9
06/13 Pentecost The basis of dispensationalism is the idea that God is different at different times. It is the worse of heresies. Luke 17:20-37, Ezek. 33:23-33, Heb. 2:6-9
06/14 Pentecost You don’t need to learn anything or be taught anything. The Messiah will bring with him all things and He will tell you all things. After Pentecost your ideas and thoughts of religious things have become meaningless. Now it is no longer the shadow of things but spirit and truth, which is Christ in you. John 4:1-26, Amos 8:4-14, Revelation 14:12-13
06/15 Pentecost Many major historical events occurred on the feast of Pentecost. The principle of the right of the near kinsman. Colossians 2:1-23, 3:1-5, 2 Corinthians 5:13-15
06/18 Rom. 3:21-26 God’s grace is extended to all, without expectation of return. Titus 2:11-14 I Pet. 1:13-18
06/19 Romans 3:24-26 We want to give sacrifices and offerings to appease God. The one and only acceptable propitiation has already been made, and that is Christ.
06/20 Rom. 3:25-27 The human mind needs boasting to live. With boasting comes the sense of entitlement, which is prevalent in our culture and in the modern Christian church. Luke 18:9-14
06/21 Rom. 3:27 What does the public see when they look at evangelism and modern Christianity? The preaching of the cross should cause us to see that all is vain. It should cause us to see our death. I Cor. 1:18-31, Rev. 2:12-17
06/22 Rom. 3:27-31 You please God by faith, not by works. And faith is not the license to do as you please. You can’t do the law; only Jesus did it. Gal. 2:11-21, Rom. 8:28-39, James 2:10-18
06/25 Rom. 3:28-4:3 We tend to make God provincial, wanting to see Him as we are, not as He is. Ezekiel 8:1-13
06/26 Rom. 4:1-3 Abraham was the perfect Christian. By faith, he refused to be of the world. Heb. 11:23-26
06/27 Rom. 4:1-4 Hag. 1:2- 2:9
06/28 Rom. 4:1-2 We are a new race, not of this world. The world contains parables and types that are no longer appropriate after the cross. Now, we have the real thing in Jesus Christ. John 8:31-47, Luke 14:25-26, 2 Cor. 11:1-3
06/29 Fast of Tammuz Between the straits. It is time to renounce all idolatry. First of 3 Rebukes. Jer. 1:1-2:3
July 2007
07/02 Romans 4:1 Faith is what is left when everything else has failed. You have to know that you have no righteousness of your own. Matthew 7:21-23
07/03 Rom. 4:1-3 Christianity is not a sales campaign. Faith is not a commodity to be sold and traded on the market. Rom. 14:14-17, Isaiah 52:13-53:6
07/05 Rom. 4:3-5 We tend to work for results. Simply meet need — the results are God’s business. Effort with expectation creates debt. When you work as unto the Lord you are free.
07/06 Romans 4:3-5 It’s either grace or debt; you can’t live in the middle. The way you deal with money reveals your spiritual condition.
07/09 Romans 4:4-13 The promises of God are to Christ in you. When you think you see yourself in scripture you miss the mystery. Galatians 3:16-19, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Peter 3:18-21
07/10 Romans 4:13-14 What is going on outwardly does not matter. It is the religion that is going on inwardly, in your temple, that matters. Most people are still waiting for something to be completed. If you still think there is more to do, you do not see the finished work of Christ. Galatians 2:16-21
07/11 Romans 4:13-16 By the blood of Christ and by repentance the slate is clean. How often we insist on rewriting the offenses on the slate. We want the theology of glory. Colossians 2:3-14, Mark 4:1-20
07/12 Romans 4:17-18 If you are born again you are anchored outside time and space. Your foundation is not of this world. 1 John 4:1-6
07/13 Romans 4:18 “So shall thy seed be.” Against hope you believe in Hope. What has been spoken will be. Isaiah 50:1-11, Isaiah 57:1-10
07/16 Romans 4:19-20 God sees only Christ in you. When you rest in Him you will see through a situation. It doesn’t matter if you understand. What matters is that you are in the faith. Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:7-12, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
07/17 Romans 4:19-20 You cannot speak of faith without your death. Faith is living in total dependence on God. Matthew 3:10-15, Daniel 9:20-24
07/18 Romans 4:20-22 We are desperate to keep ourselves alive, even with Bible study and going to church. But unless you see that you are dead, Christianity is just a philosophy. Sowing to the flesh reaps corruption; sowing to the spirit reaps eternal life. 2 Corinthians 5:14
07/19 “Blessed is the man.” What is the Biblical meaning of blessed? It means that in Christ you are not subject to the fates.
07/20 Romans 4:19-25 5:1 We are never justified in the flesh. Through the life of Christ in you, you inherit the relationship that is between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 11:25-27, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Revelation 13:15-17
07/23 Romans 4:22-25 Everything in our society promotes self. The human mind is always in opposition to God. When all of your personal lords are dead you are free. Romans 5:1-4, Isaiah 26:1-14
07/24 Romans 5:1-5 The meaning of obedience… Your testing and tribulation is the purpose for time and space. To glory in tribulation is not the same as coping. You can’t glory in tribulation by yourself; it’s supernatural. Philippians 2:12-23
07/25 Romans 5:1-6 The meaning of shame. What we think is terrible may very well be God’s invitation to freedom. This is why we glory in tribulation. Hebrews 11:35-40, 12:1-2, Romans 7:14-23
07/26 Romans 5:6-12 We are reconciled by the death of Christ, but we are saved by his life. II Corinthians 3:14-4:18
07/27 Romans 5:12-14 By one man sin and death came into the world. 1 Corinthians 15:34-58
07/30 Romans 5:8-12 If you are trying to be, you’re not. If you have not experienced Christ, you cannot talk about the Gospel. The Gospel has been made ego centered so that it is good news to modern man. It is only good news to the Kingdom of God. 1 John 1:1-10
07/31 The meaning of salvation. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Romans 8:28
August 2007
08/01 Romans 5:12 Death has passed upon all men. The beast is every man that has ever lived. Revelation 13:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
08/02 Romans 5:12-18 You are no longer your own; you’ve been bought with a price. Your sense of entitlement is gone.
08/03 What it means to be a tale-bearer, a busybody and a gossip. Psalm 106
08/06 Romans 5:1-4 Peace is the absence of againstness. Conflict avoidance is just another means of self-realization. Saying to the world, the devil and the flesh, “Take your best shot.”
08/07 Romans 5:3-5 The word of God needs to produce tribulation. If it doesn’t, then the word isn’t being preached. We glory in tribulation. Matthew 13:1-23, Daniel 9:20-27
08/08 Romans 5:20-21 The Ark of the Covenant and The Temple. What the renting of the vale revealed. Romans 6:1-4, Jeremiah 3:13-16, Jeremiah 7:1-13, John 1:19-20, I John 5:1-8
08/09 Rom. 6:1-4 The purpose for time and space is so we can be in the world but not of the world. Sin is not a moral issue. 1 John 4:1-4
08/10 Romans 6:1-2 How can you continue the relationship with your intrinsic fallen nature? How can a pig fly? Sin is not what you do, it is what you are. Romans 7:14-17, Genesis 3:7-15
08/13 Romans 6:1-2 In Christ there is only light. You don’t enter the light by analyzing the darkness. The light switch is repentance. 1 John 1:1-10, 1 John 3:1-10
08/14 Romans 6:1-2 It’s not a new covenant, it’s a completed covenant. If you think you are improving, you haven’t heard that it is finished. Galatians 3:11-29, 4:1-7
08/15 Romans 6:3 Newness of life. The meaning of ‘father’. Luke 4:5
08/16 Romans 6:1-4 The Bible is not a book of options. There are only two states of being. Matthew 3:1-11
08/17 Romans 6:5 We were not designed to know what we want to do but only what we don’t want to do. If you still think you have important things to do, then go do them quickly. Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:17-30
08/20 Romans 6:4-9 The religion that is going on in you, the temple of God, is what matters. Extreme circumstances bring to light what your true religion is. 2 Corinthians 5:14
08/21 Romans 6:4 The newness of life is not an improved version of your former life. It’s not about improving appearances or behavior or attitudes. You are buried with Christ. It’s not about you, it’s about Him.
08/22 Romans 6:4-6 Two natures in my breast, one is cursed and one is blessed. The one you give breath to is the one that owns you. Romans 7:9-25, Galatians 5:16-18
08/23 Romans 6:6-7 The old man has no purpose in the kingdom of God. Galatians 2:16-20
08/24 Romans 6:6-8 Your highest form of worship is to present yourself completely to God. Anything else is robbery. Romans 11:34-12:2
08/27 Romans 6:8-10 Christ brought home the victory. Galatians 3:16 Genesis 2:15-17 John 20:22, 21:1-14
08/28 Romans 6:11-13 When you are born again in Christ there is an identity crisis — Who am I? Hebrews 2:1-9
08/29 Romans 6:11-13 Sin is greater than the issues of morals, behavior and conduct. If you think you have to keep one of the 613 laws, then you have to keep them all. We must unlearn everything we thought we knew. 1 John 2:1-16
08/30 Romans 6:12-13 The only enemy of God is your mind. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, Isaiah 57:1-10
08/31 Romans 6:13-18 Unless you know that Christ is resurrected in you, repentance is impossible. Romans 10:4-9, 2 Corinthians 13:3-5, Proverbs 3:1-7, Psalms 37:1-11
September 2007
09/04 Romans 6:14-18 There is nothing optional in scripture. The law is spiritual. Romans 7:9
09/05 Romans 6:16-21 Sin is not a moral failing. Sin is what you are. It is hardwired into you. We’ve forsaken the mercy and grace of God for the tradition of men. Revelation 17:1-6
09/06 Romans 6:18-22 The way you react to the world will show you what your true religion is. The world, your senses and your mind will tell you to do anything but to rest. But when Christ is your life, you wait on the Father. Romans 8:4-7, Numbers 9:15-23, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 7:15-22
09/07 Romans 6:20-23 The wages of sin is the food of this world; it is what you eat. Where do we really get our sustenance? Christ is that bread of life. John 6:31-37, 47-58
09/10 Romans 6:23 From God’s perspective there is no life in the human race. The only life is in the Son. Romans 7:1-4, Isaiah 26:10-21
09/11 Romans 7:4-6 Romans 2:28-29
09/12 Romans 7:5-6 The ‘newness’ of spirit has nothing to do with you, in the flesh. We don’t know what this means, but we do know what we don’t want any more. Revelation 18:22-19:14
09/13 Romans 7:5-6 We are made drunk on the wine of self-seeking. Self is the beast that the world wonders after. Thus, judgment must begin in the house of God, which is you. Revelation 17:1-18, Revelation 13:1-9, Jeremiah 31:31-38
09/14 Romans 7:5-8 Coming up with a ‘how to’ will only bring death to you. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. Romans 3:19-20
09/17 Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year and judgment day. Walking with God requires that you agree with God. (Gary Buckner) Amos 3:1-3 Isaiah 55:1-2
09/18 Genesis 15:1-7 The meaning of life — God is all and in all. (John Rutledge)
09/19 Romans 7:7-12 When you see and abhor yourself and repent, the law has done its work. But if you avoid seeing your death you will go looking for loopholes. Job 42:1-6, James 1:12-15, Mark 7:14-23
09/20 Romans 7:9-12 The great transgression is self-realization. The law is good and perfect in that it will kill you. Psalm 19
09/21 Romans 7:11-14 The law reveals sin; sin reveals death. Without this awareness, the Bible cannot be understood. Three types of man: natural, carnal, and spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:35-57, Romans 8:1-8, 1 John 4:1-6
09/24 Romans 7:14-21 The love of God, the Father, is centered in the Son. We are all under the curse of Adam; it’s not optional or negotiable. Romans 8:35-39, 1 Peter 1:22-23
09/25 Romans 7:14-25 When you want to do the right thing, you only raise up the evil one.
09/26 Romans 7:21-23 The flesh is at war with the spirit, and they are mutually exclusive. We have no confidence in the flesh. We live, not by our senses, but by the faith of Christ. Galatians 5:14-17, 2 Corinthians 4:6-13
09/27 Romans 8:1 There is no condemnation for those in Christ. So from where comes, fear, anger, disappointment, anxiety, guilt, bitterness? If you are not of the world, why do you react as if you are? Matthew 10:34-39, 11:1-19
09/28 Romans 8:1 You can’t be in Christ and in anything else at the same time. Hebrews 3:1-19, 1 John 4:1-5:1
October 2007
10/01 Romans 8:1-8, 20 Christ doesn’t need to be ‘lifted up’ by you. He’s already sitting at the right hand of God, the Father. Your job is to repent. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Ezekiel 8:5-6, Numbers 6:22-27
10/02 Romans 8:6-13 Spiritually minded is peace, carnally minded is death. It’s one or the other. You owe your mind and the flesh nothing.
10/03 Romans 8:5-11 Pay no heed to the carnal mind. What it means to be righteous. James 5:16, Isaiah 59:1-2, Isaiah 66:1-4
10/04 Romans 8:10-15 Jesus did not raise himself from the dead. He relied on the father. The trinity is about humility, emptying of self. Psalms 16:1-11, Psalms 49:1-9
10/05 Romans 8:12-13 What it means to mortify the flesh. What is often lacking is the fear of God. We are granted the authority to command our soul to rest, which is what repentance is. Galatians 6:7-8, 2 Peter 3:10-14
10/08 Romans 8:12-13 The deeds of the flesh. Colossians 3:1-17 Galatians 3:1-5 Galatians 2:16-20
10/09 Romans 8:12-15 All men are either led by their appetites or they are led by the spirit of God. The serpent is a metaphor for the human mind. Genesis 3:14-15, Philippians 3:17-19, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
10/10 Romans 8:12-15 The fullness of the son is placed in you. There is nothing more that you need and there is nothing more you need to do. 1 John 2:9-14, Philippians 3:1-9, Galatians 3:16-29, Galatians 4:1-7
10/11 Romans 8:15-17 The key to everything in the kingdom of God is repentance, turning from self. Ephesians 1:3-123, 3:14-21, 2 Corinthians 4:18-5:5
10/12 Romans 8:16-17 The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ. Our faith is evident and made perfect when we suffer with Christ. Acts 2:16-18, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Hebrews 5:8-9
10/15 Romans 8:18-21 There are not two worlds, the secular and the Christian. There is one world and it is all subject to vanity.
10/16 Romans 8:20-21 All that is going on is the test to find out what can take you from the mercy seat. From God’s perspective all is going according to plan and all is perfect. Making the mystery of God into a philosophy is just an escape mechanism for your own sin. Genesis 3:14-15, Isaiah 55:1-11
10/17 Romans 8:20-21 Sorrow is the fruit of idolatry. You must have the courage to become empty and let the power of the Holy Spirit dwell in you. Genesis 3:17, 14, Romans 8:6-7, Exodus 14:8-15
10/18 Romans 8:20-21 We are prone to leave the glorious liberty that is our inheritance as children of God. Galatians 4:21-31, 5:1, James 1: 21-25, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Romans 10:6-9
10/19 Romans 8:22-23 Judgement must first begin in the house of God, which is you. Galatians 4:19, Revelation 12:1-4, Revelation 13:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, Romans 8:28-39, 1 John 5:1-3
10/22 Romans 8:21-24 Christ fulfills the desire of every heart. We don’t know what that is but we can see what it is not. Haggai 2:6-9, 2 John 1:5-11, 1 John 4:1-6, 2 Corinthians 10:3-7
10/23 Romans 8:28
10/24 Romans 8:22-24 The meaning of first fruit. The only meaning of hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ in you. 1 Corinthians 15:20, James 1:12-25, 1 John 3:1-3
10/25 Romans 8:25-27 You never know what to pray for. The purpose of the Bible is not healing, evangelism or anything else you may think up. The only purpose for the Bible is the revelation of Christ. You have to take the desires of man out of the picture. The essence of sin is the right to self. Hebrews 2:5:9, Galatians 4:13-20
10/26 Romans 8:26-27 The scriptural meaning of the groaning. The human mind is incapable of knowing spirit. When you push to all the limits you find that it is all dust. Genesis 3:9-16, Ephesians 5:14-21
10/29 Romans 8:26-27 What it means to search the heart. All that matters to God is the religion that is going on inside you. 1 Chronicles 27, I Chronicles 28:9-13, 2 Chronicles 7:1-2, 11-18, Revelation 2:1-7, 2 Corinthians 10:3-7, Ephesians 5:6-21, Colossians 3:15-17
10/30 Romans 8:28-31 From the perspective of the kingdom of God, all things work together for good. The purpose for time and space is to conform you to the image of Christ. 2 Corinthians 13:3-5, Philippians 4:4-7
10/31 Romans 8:29-34 It’s not God who is against you; your mind is the accuser. God cannot, at the same time, justify you and condemn you. We are freely given all things. I Corinthians 3:16-23, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Philippians 3:7-12
November 2007
11/01 Romans 8:31-34 Who can condemn what God has justified? The human mind is the accuser. Job 34:21-30, Colossians 3:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-4, Hebrews 7:24-28, Isaiah 66:1-3, Isaiah 50:4-11, Romans 14:22-23, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29
11/02 Romans 8:34 Wrath is the difference between punishment and chastisement. As a child of a loving God you cannot be punished. Hebrews 11:24-40, 12:1-8
11/05 Romans 11:33-36,
12:1-2
God’s demand for faith. You would rather die than live by your own understanding. Romans 14:23, Hebrews 11:29-40, Numbers 9:15-23
11/06 Romans 8:35-37 Persecution. 2 Corinthians 6:1-8, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Matthew 13:3-23, 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5
11/07 Romans 8:37 The nature of the ‘spiritual infant.’ Nothing can separate us from the love of God. For the believer, the last trumpet is sounded, all is accomplished. 1 Corinthians 15:39-59
11/08 Romans 8:33-39 There are two natures: you or Christ. We desperately want ‘me’ to be in the equation. Ephesians 1:15-2:7
11/09 Romans 8:38-39 Nothing but you can separate you from the love of God. All that is you is called ‘carnal.’ 2 Corinthians 4:11-18, 2 Corinthians 13:1-6, Galatians 2:20
11/12 Romans 9 If you are still waiting for something else to happen, you are saying that the work of Christ is not finished. 2 Peter 3:1-16
11/13 Romans 9:1-3 Paul demonstrated the mind of Christ. He was willing to be cursed for the sake of others. Compassion means ‘to suffer with.’ Philippians 2:4-8, John 5:19,30
11/14 Romans 9:3-13 A Jew is one inwardly, by circumcision of the heart. Romans 2:28-29
11/15 Romans 9:4-5 The New Jerusalem is not on earth, and it’s not about this world; it’s about the kingdom of God. In the New Jerusalem there is always a king. Luke 17:20-21, Deuteronomy 10:12-22, John 8:31-59
11/16 Romans 9:5-7 The Word is Jesus Christ, not words on a page. The Word of God will not fail. You are not a child of God by earthly means but by the seed of the Holy Spirit, which is Christ. Revelation 19:11-13, Isaiah 55:8-11, John 3:16, Galatians 5:16-17, Galatians 6:2-8, Daniel 9:23-27
11/19 Romans 9:7-8 Continuing with him in his temptation. The temptation of Christ was to lean on his own arm of understanding. The vessel of the Lord must remain empty. It’s either all faith or no faith. There’s no in between. Luke 22:28, Hebrews 2:8
11/20 Romans 9:7-18 There are two natures in us. Jesus Christ in you, God loves. You, He hates. The light, which is Christ, is given to all men. John 1:1-13
11/21 Romans 9:17-18 Pharaoh is a type of the human race — we are the ones that keep the Holy one in bondage. To voluntarily empty yourself for him is the meaning of discipleship. 2 Peter 3:1-15, I John 4:1-3
11/26 Romans 9:8 How many times has your mind deceived you? Abraham and Isaac are an example of how to deal with temptation. The purpose of temptation is to see if you will say, “Get behind me Satan.” It’s either all Christ or no Christ; there’s no middle ground. Galatians 4:19-31, Genesis 22:1-19
11/27 Romans 9:10-17 The modern church teaches that you can call the shots with God. Reality is operating according to his will and his good pleasure, not ours. God uses us, we don’t use God. John 1:10-13, 2 Chronicles 20:6
11/28 Romans 9:16-18 Self-awareness and God-awareness are mutually exclusive; you can’t have both. Why do we always have to think that we are doing something good? Matthew 25:31-40, Matthew 7:13-23
11/29 Romans 9:17-21 The apostle Paul is always seeing from the perspective of God. From God’s perspective, all is finished. Man always tries to explain the mystery of God from the perspective of the world. Revelation 6:12-17
11/30 Romans 9:20-21 The mind’s job is to ask “Why have you made me thus?” As long as you pay attention to the things of your flesh, senses and mind, you will not know faith. You will always be a prisoner. Revelation 10:5-7, Isaiah 59:1-2
December 2007
12/03 Romans 9:20-21 The way of the beast is to move away from pain and towards pleasure. We fail to distinguish between punishment and chastisement. We cannot reign with him unless we suffer with him. Isaiah 26:10-14
12/04 Romans 9:20-23 Everything is self-seeking unless you see through it all into the mystery of God. Preaching doctrine is preaching the cross, which is your death and his life. Isaiah 29:1-24
12/05 Romans 9:20-23 God is not local, not provincial. He is the God of the universe, the God of all. Man’s attempt to judge good and evil is evidence of the fruit of the fall. Isaiah 45:1-25, Colossians 1:1-21
12/06 Romans 9:20-23 There are only two left, vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. It’s black and white. Matthew 16:20-23, Romans 10:1-3
12/07 Romans 9:21-29 We can be sincere and righteous about our religion and it is all vanity to God. We choose from scripture that which benefits us and promotes us, and we ignore the rest. Isaiah 1:1-18, Isaiah 66:1-4, Luke 12:22-26, Hosea 1:1-11, 2:13-23
12/10 Romans 9:22-27 In the economy of God, there is no neutral position. It is all-or-none. 1 Timothy 1:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:15-18, 1 John 4:1-4, II Peter 3:1-4
12/11 Romans 9:25-26 Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. How do we then become children of God? What does it mean to be born again? 2 Corinthians 13:1-5
12/12 Romans 9:27-29 He will finish his work and make it short upon the earth. What is the finished work of Christ? Hebrews 11:33-12:4, Romans 10:1-3
12/13 Romans 9:28-33,
10:1-3
Were it not for the seed of Christ we would be as Sodom and Gomorrah, worthless. Christ is the rock of stumbling and the rock of offense. He is an offense to everything that is of the world. His resurrection must be in you. John 5:39-40, Colossians 1:23-28
12/14 Romans 10:1-9 If Christ is external to you, you will seek your own righteousness. If you seek to fulfill the law, you are obligated to keep the whole law. James 2:1-13, I Corinthians 1:18-31
12/17 Romans 10:3-4 Self-righteousness is a form of idolatry. It can be very subtle. Abandoning self-righteousness can revolutionize a community.
12/18 Romans 10:4-6 The only law in time and space that is of interest to God is the Mosaic Law. If you are of the world then you are obligated to live in the law. Christ is either all of your life or he is not your life at all. Leviticus 18:1-5, James 2:8-10, Galatians 2:15-21, 3:1-12
12/19 Romans 10:6-10 What provision is there, in the modern church, for the confession of sin to one another? Where is the intimacy of forgiveness? Your first love is the experience of his presence, which is on the mercy seat. Naming the name of Christ is a big deal. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Colossians 1:21-29, Ezekiel 8:5-14
12/20 Romans 10:11-17 The efficacy of the seed is certain, for He cannot deny Himself. All it takes is to get out of the way. Only in Christ will you not be ashamed. By anything else you will be disappointed. But we have this incredible capacity to lie to ourselves. 2 Timothy 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:17-25, Revelation 17:1-18
12/21 Romans 10:11 Trusting in man will lead inevitably to disappointment. Those that do not forsake the Lord will not be disappointed, not be ashamed. Our assurance is not based on men and circumstances but that our name is written in heaven. Jeremiah 17:1-13, Luke 10:17-20, Galatians 3:27-29, Colossians 3:1-11, 2 Corinthians 5:13-17
12/24 Romans 10:12-14 Calling on the name of the lord is not about vocalizing some set of words. You must be first born again and be that new creation. Matthew 10:1-4, 25, Acts 2:1-21, Joel 2:28-32
12/27 Romans 10:14-16 The New Jerusalem is here. Nothing that is unclean can enter. Nothing that is not of Christ can enter. Isaiah 52:1-7, 53:1-12, Nahum 1:1-15, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
12/28 Romans 10:15-18 The Gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven. You have already received the Gospel that is preached. Colossians 1:3-6,23, Galatians 1:6-9, 1 John 2:20-27, Psalms 19:1-3, Psalm 139:1-24, Isaiah 57:10, 50:5-14, Ezekiel 8:1-6