Cornerstone Church - Atlanta, GA

Sin has no place in us because sin has no power over us.

The best way to face adversity is to prepare it in advance. We do this by realizing that the way to define what's "good" isn't to look to our feelings but our futures. Looking to the future sobers us and reminds us that the best way to face adversity isn't to focus on the adversity in front of us, but our Father, who has graciously (and wisely) allowed it.

When it comes to contentment, many of us treat money as if it's the main ingredient. Like air to a balloon, we think that the more money we have, the more our contentment will grow. The Bible seems to have a different view on the relationship between money and contentment. We've heard THAT the love of money is the root of all evil. Ecclesiastes 5 takes us a step further and shows us WHY. Once we see money for what it truly is, we can understand where true contentment lies.

Unity isn't always to be desired. Division isn't always to be avoided. What's more important than unity and division is the purpose of the unity or division. In 1 Corinthians 5 we learn that the purity of the church is the priority of God's church. To that end, there comes a time where the church must remove certain members to maintain this purity. Far from being judgmental and condemning to the straying member, when church discipline is done rightly it provides (1) hope for the straying and (2) joy for those that remain. God shows His incredible grace and wisdom in the way that He instructs us as a church to deal with sin in the life of the church. He doesn't want us to be ashamed, but assured of our salvation. To this end, church discipline is a gracious gift from a loving Father.

Part 2 of our family matters series.

The church isn't just "like a family" but the church IS a family. Regardless of what your experience with family has been, we all can agree that there's no such thing as a perfect family. When it comes to God's family it's important that we know that we have a genuine responsibility towards one another. The book of Jude helps us understand what it means to be a part of God's family. It can be wrapped up in one word. Responsibility. Responsibility for one another as well as a responsibility to contend for our faith. Pastor Richard unpacks what that looks like for us as Christian's today.

Unity isn't a virtue or a vice. Unity is a vehicle. A means to an end. The most important aspect of unity is where it's headed. As Jesus prays for our unity, He has an end in mind. The salvation of the world.

Jesus protects His people, but not in the way that we tend to think of protection. We think of protection as removal from harm. God, however, displays His sufficiency, not in pulling us out of harms way, but preserving us in harm. Simply put, Jesus protects us in order that He might project us into the world to display His goodness. We are saved in order to be sent.

Jesus' prayers reveal Jesus' priorities. As He heads to the cross, He takes time out to pray for His disciples to remind them that God cherishes His people. ""What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it-the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters." - God cherishes His people.

A new year is a time that's filled with tons of activity. We have goals, hopes and aspirations for what we want to accomplish. As we approach a new year, it's more important that we draw near to listen to God to hear what He has to say to us rather than to draw near to lecture Him about what we want Him to do for us. As we look at Ecclesiastes chapter 5, we'll be encouraged to watch our step, weigh each word and ultimately wait on God.