1. Kirk Baker from Calvary Baptist shared “What’s On Your Mind? (Part 2)”:

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 8:6-8, NIV).

In introduction, Kirk touches on Jesus in the flesh (I John 4:2, John 1:14) but then explores three aspects of the text concerning a sinful mind.

• The sinful mind leads to death (and this does not mean just ending up in nonexistence). Kirk provided a clip on NBA hopeful, Len Bias, and his untimely death.
• The sinful mind is against God.  Are you submissive to God?  Have you been submissive to God with your bank account?  Do you know why you do not have peace with God? It could be because (1) you are fighting against God, (2) you are battling for control, and (3) you are unsubmissive.
• The sinful/carnal mind is unpleasing to God.

What  is on your mind? Fleshly or spiritual thoughts.  Death or life. 

(P.S. – This Christmas season, Calvary is hosting a live nativity showing.)

2. Forty-five year old, Rick Brown, of Calvary Chapel teaches on Exodus 11-12

• When there is a rebellious hard heart, God brings ten plagues (Have you experienced a trainwreck in your life?)
• Plundering – they were just knocking on doors and asking for the jewels.
• Moses was very great – sort of like Billy Graham in his 60 years of ministry
• Devastation – all the firstborn dying
• the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel – you are saint.  A saint means not a perfect person but a set-apart person.
• Heart hardening – the more times you say no to Jesus, the easier it is to say no to Jesus.
• The Passover Lamb – I Peter 1:18-19 – “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish  and without spot.”  Jesus came.  He was examined during examination week.  No genetic sin.  No acquired sin.  And then on Passover, he was killed.  You pick a lamb; there is affection; and then the lamb is killed four days later.

All this teaching in Exodus 12 was a great setup for what I was meditating on last week in I Corinthians 5:

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.  For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (NKJV)

Look at what the Passover Lamb did for the Corinthian believers!  The sufficient work of Jesus Christ made these believers truly unleavened.  So, because of the finished work of the Christ, it is each day being what you already are in Christ!  This is revolutionary for Idaho Falls.

• Unleavened bread – yeast is a picture of sin.  Go through the house and clean it out.  I don’t do this to get accepted before God.  This is part of the sanctification process.

3.  Last Friday night, at Barnes and Noble, Mrs. Jenell Faulkner, led the Christmas singing by the Calvary Chapel Christian school.  It was a blessing to hear two of my children among the others singing praises to Jesus among the customers in the book store.  This Friday night, at CC in Idaho  Falls, you will be able to hear the whole Christmas program.

4.  Also, last Friday, at Hastings, Apolo Ohno (who lives in Salt Lake City) signed his book, Zero Regrets, for my oldest daughter Hannah.  He smiled and shook her hand and mine.  I am halfway through the book.  He acknowledges God.  He prays.  He asks the question, “Am I going to heaven?”  But as of yet, I detect no gospel in the book.