The New You – Page 5 – Robert Hatfield

November 17, 2014November 16, 2014

The New You 137: “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart”

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Monday, November 17, 2014
“Blessed Are the Pure in Heart”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mat. 5:8).

This statement comes from the section of Scripture that we call the Beatitudes. They span from Matthew 5:3-12, and were given by Jesus during His great Sermon on the Mount.

This is an interesting statement, isn’t it? “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” How badly do you want to see God? You understand that to see God is to be where He is; to go to heaven when you die. What are you willing to do – or what are you willing to give up – so that you can see God?

Cultivating a pure heart is not going to be easy. We’re talking about changing who we are from the inside out. Change isn’t easy, especially that kind of change that will affect every part of who I am. The Scripture gives us two important concepts relative to cultivating pure hearts: a cost and a conversion.

The Cost

Romans 12:1-2 is one of those passages that we need to examine quite often. It would be a good daily reminder for any Christian, really.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1-2).

Verse one gives us the price. Our bodies are to be living sacrifices to God. Verse two then shows us the contrasts: we can be conformed to the world, or we can be transformed by renewing our hearts (or, our minds, as the text specifically puts it). The idea here is of a potter who is working with a piece of clay. He or she molds and shapes that clay into what it is supposed to be. What about you and me? Will we be shaped by the world, allowing the world to mold our hearts according to our culture’s standards? Or will we allow the gospel to transform us?

You understand that there is some cost associated with this. We lose our own priorities, will, pleasures, desires, so that we can live for the Lord.

The Conversion

Here’s the thing about our hearts: we cannot purify our hearts alone. The Psalmist recognized this in the fifty-first psalm when he penned, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (verse seven), and “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (verse ten).

We can’t change our hearts all alone. We cannot be cleansed without applying the precious blood of Christ to our souls (1 Pet. 1:18-19). We submit to God’s Will and then God is able to transform us, through our obedience to His Word, into who we are to be.

Remember that Peter preached on Solomon’s porch that men should “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Conversion is turning around; changing our lives to conform to God’s will.

Are you willing to be fully converted to the Lord? Will you give your heart totally to Him?

Let’s wrap it up: We often use terms like “give your heart to the Lord” in pleading with non-Christians to begin their Christian journeys. And yet, we’re discussing it here, on a podcast that is designed for Christians – specifically, new Christians. I believe that the decision to give our hearts to the Lord is one that we have to make every day, perhaps several times a day.

How badly do you want to see God? Are you willing to pay the price, that is to sacrifice your own will so that you can live for God? Are you willing to be converted, to adapt to your new purpose in Christ? Is seeing God worth it to you? I hope so. Jesus gives us this guarantee: those who purify their hearts will see God.

Memory Verse: This week’s verse reminds us to live with the end in mind. That is, we should regulate our thoughts, words, and actions based upon the fact that, one day, we will be judged for everything that we have thought, said, and done.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! Let’s work together to make the Internet a better place. Each week, I’ll give you a challenge, and I want to encourage you to take to social media with that challenge, followed by the hashtag #NewYouChallenge.

This week I want us to answer this question: For what physical / material blessing are you most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The material blessing for which I am most thankful is ______ . #NewYouChallenge” This is week 8 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Go live like it!

November 14, 2014November 11, 2014

The New You 136: “Examine Yourselves…”

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For Friday, November 14, 2014
“Examine Yourselves…”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Cor. 13:5).

I want to spend some more time talking about the older brother in the story of the two lost sons, found in Luke 15:11-32. Yesterday, we looked at this older son and we noticed his charges, the father’s charity, and his choice. While we made a few applications yesterday, I think we need to spend a little more time looking at this older son.
Let’s just be frank: there is an older brother mentality in the church sometimes. Even as Jesus told the parable, He was speaking to an audience comprised of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees and scribes “complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:2). This is a mentality that you and I must avoid in the Lord’s church today.
Self-examination is absolutely imperative to avoiding the older brother mentality in the church. With that in mind, let’s list four specific reasons why self-examination is important.

1. Self-examination is key to developing your relationship with God.

The older son remained at his father’s house, but we learn that his heart wasn’t really there. Instead, he had built up resentment against his younger brother for leaving him stuck at home. At least, that’s the way it seems.
If you and I will examine ourselves, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 commands, we will develop our relationship with God. Remember: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

2. Self-examination is key to avoiding hypocrisy.

The older brother had convinced himself – wrongfully so – that he was self-righteous. He essentially said, “Look what I’ve done all of these years, but I’ve never been celebrated. I’m the one who stayed!”
I must avoid a checklist religion mentality. I have to be sure that I don’t let feelings of resentment and a “holier-than-thou” mentality enter into my heart. I must look for older brother tendencies in my life. The only way I can do that is through self-examination.

3. Self-examination is key to shaping your interactions with others.

The older brother accentuated his younger brother’s faults. He even attempted to find fault with his own father! All the while, he failed to recognize that he had faults, too.
Everyone is messed up with sin. Romans chapter three makes that abundantly clear. There is no one who is reading this but what is blessed by God’s grace and is undeserving of the hope that we have in Jesus. That is going to help me to relate to people. It is going to help me to love people and to find the good in them. That is going to remind me that I’m no better than anyone else.

4. Self-examination is key to maintaining my Christian image.

Now, I’m not talking about hypocrisy, that is, being someone in image only. Not at all. Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:10: “[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” That’s the image about which I am speaking.
I can’t allow the older brother to make an older brother out of me. But, you know what, it’s so easy to hear negativity and then to repeat it and to take it into our own hearts. Don’t give in to that mentality. In fact, let’s take that one step further. Don’t tolerate that mentality. Examine yourself and maintain your Christ-like image. By the way, that involves an internal image – in the heart – and an external image – in my actions.

** Let’s wrap it up:** When we’re examining the older brother, we must remember what Jesus said about forgiveness. He said that, if we are unwilling to forgive others, our heavenly Father will be unwilling to forgive us (Mat. 18:35). We must forgive, and we must forgive from our hearts.

Memory Verse: Let’s look, for the last time this week, at Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

Over the weekend: Be sure to worship God on Sunday, the Lord’s day. Assemble with God’s people in your area and worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Need help locating a place to worship? Check out the interactive map (available from our friends at In Search of the Lord’s Way) that will help you find a congregation of God’s people in your area! Just go to thelightnetwork.tv/worship.

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

November 13, 2014November 11, 2014

The New You 135: “Two Lost Sons, Part 2”

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For Thursday, November 13, 2014
“Two Lost Sons, Part 2”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found (Luke 15:32).

Those are the words of the father to his oldest son in the parable that we often call the parable of the prodigal son. As noted yesterday, though, this parable is about not one lost son, but two lost sons. The first, which we examined yesterday, is the son who strayed, that is, he went away from his father’s house to a far country. However, he ultimately returned to his father’s house, repenting of his misdeeds.
The other son is the son who stayed. He was around all along, always on hand for his father. However, we find that it is possible for someone to be around the father’s house in body, without having the heart of the father.
Once again, let’s notice three points about this older son, the son who stayed. First, we will see the son’s charges, then the father’s charity, and, finally, the son’s choice.

1. The Son’s Charges

The older son was apparently out working in the fields when his younger brother finally returned home. As the older son is coming in from the fields, he notices all of the merriment that is happening inside the house. Upon inquiring with one of the servants, the older brother learns that his younger brother has returned. “But he was angry and would not go in,” Jesus said of him in Luke 15:28. So the father went out to him.
The son proceeded to accuse his younger brother and his own father of not appreciating him for all that he had done. Notice all of the personal pronouns in his statement found in Luke 15:29-30:

So he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

The application in the story is of one who is self-righteous. He does what he does to be seen of men or to meet some type of status-quo. He appears to be very involved in the father’s house, but his heart is far from there.
How does the father respond in Jesus’ story?

2. The Father’s Charity

The father responds to his older son in the same way that he responded to his younger son – with love. The father cares for his older son in spite of his stubbornness to welcome his younger brother. The father doesn’t excuse this attitude, but he does attempt to correct the attitude through proper teaching. “It was right [that is, morally demanded] that we should make merry and be glad,” the father stated, “for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).
The father’s focus is right where it should be. This older son risks his own soul by withholding his forgiveness from his younger, penitent brother.

3. The Son’s Choice

Wouldn’t you like to know how the story ends? What does the older brother do? Does he forgive his brother? Does he set out from his father’s house because he cannot stand the thought of living with his younger brother? Is he passive aggressive toward his brother? Jesus doesn’t tell us that part in His story. Instead, he sets before us this lesson that accentuates the fact that, ultimately, living according to God’s will is a matter of our choices. Will we make decisions that glorify God and thus identify ourselves as residents of the Father’s house or will we make decisions that, spiritually speaking, cause us to wind up in a country far away from the Father’s house?

** Let’s wrap it up:** Jesus told this story of two lost sons with the intention that we could identify with one of the two of them. We know what it’s like to be separated from our Father by our sins (Isa. 59:1-2). And we know what it’s like for our Heavenly Father to show his love for us (John 3:16). What an amazing Father our God is!

Memory Verse: How’s it coming with this week’s memory verse? Let’s turn our attention once again to Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

November 12, 2014November 11, 2014

The New You 134: “Two Lost Sons, Part 1”

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For Wednesday, November 12, 2014
“Two Lost Sons, Part 1”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living (Luke 15:12-13).

We often call the latter section of Luke 15 the parable of the prodigal son. In my Bible, the publishing company has added a note above Luke 15:11 that says, “The Parable of the Lost Son.” Certainly, this story that Jesus told is about a lost son – the prodigal son. However, this story is also about another lost son. Today and tomorrow, the Lord willing, we’re going to look at the two lost sons. Today, the son who strayed. Tomorrow, the son who stayed.
Three points today about the son who strayed: we’ll look at his choices, his change, and his father’s charity.

1. The Son’s Choices

You are probably familiar with the way this parable goes. A father had two sons, and the younger son comes to him and asks that the father divide his inheritance to the two sons. The father agrees and “he divided to them his livelihood” (Luke 15:12). The younger son proceeds, then, to journey to a country that is far away. He wants to be as far from his father’s influence as possible so that he can do what he wants to do. He gets there and “[wastes] his possessions with prodigal living” (Luke 15:13). That word prodigal means wasteful, morally lax, reckless, and loose. In Luke 15:30, the older son later says that the younger son devoured the father’s livelihood with harlots.
Before long, the younger son has lost everything that he has. He gets a job tending to pigs. He’s so hungry that he covets the carob pods that were fed to the swine, but “no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:16).
Stop for a minute and assess this young man’s situation. He is where he is at no one’s fault but his own. He chose to go to the far country. He chose to waste his inheritance. And now he has hit rock bottom.

2. The Son’s Change

That rock bottom moment is when we see the prodigal son come to himself (Luke 15:17). He reflected upon how good things were at his father’s house. He resolved to go back to his father and to beg him to accept him as just a hired servant. He did go to his father’s house and he repented of the sin and shame that he brought against himself and against his father’s house.
The prodigal son’s attitude is beautiful to read, but even more beautiful is the fact that such a repentance was even possible. I believe the son must have been surprised when he saw his father’s reaction to his return.

3. His Father’s Charity

Despite his mistaken, sinful choices, the son’s change was met with his father’s charity. The father cared for his younger son even when perhaps no one else would. The father, seeing his son a great way off, “ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Rejoicing ensued. There was a great feast and celebration because, as the father put it, “[T]his my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).

** Let’s wrap it up:** This story is designed to depict our heavenly Father’s reaction to you and me when we wander away from Him in sin. One would hope that it wouldn’t take hitting rock bottom before we came to ourselves, but perhaps it might. May God help us to resist Satan and not to yield to temptation so that we may ever remain in our Father’s house.
But there’s something else I want you to notice. I alluded to it a moment ago. The father cared for his lost son, didn’t he? And our heavenly Father cares for us. Does that mean that God is willing to overlook our sin? Of course not. He commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30-31). But it is by God’s grace that such repentance is made possible. May God help us to continue to confess our sins before Him (1 John 1:9).

Memory Verse: Do you want to avoid the prodigal lifestyle? You can do it preparing your heart to seek, do, and teach. That’s what Ezra did. Here’s this week’s verse:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!
Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

November 11, 2014November 10, 2014

The New You 133: “Am I a Gospel Sharer?”

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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
“Am I a Gospel Sharer?”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

… At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. … Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:1, 4).

Do you remember the YouTube video What Does the Fox Say? You’re probably thinking to yourself, “I had finally forgotten it! Thanks for bringing that back up.” Sorry about that, but it illustrates an important point. As of yesterday when I checked these stats, the What Does the Fox Say? video had been played 464,624,531 times. Collectively, we have spent 2,683 years watching the fox video. Wow.

What’s interesting is that, according to YouTube’s statistics, the fox video was extremely popular around October to November 2013 (it was first released in September of 2013), but has had trailing popularity since then. That’s how things work, isn’t it? We get hooked on something for a while until the fad fades away, and we’re over it.

I wonder whether we do that with the gospel. Do you remember the day you were baptized? Do you remember the zeal that you had, the fire that was lit within your heart? What about now? Does that same spiritual enthusiasm exist within your heart? Are you still as willing – yea, eager – to get out and spread the gospel message today?

Today, let’s briefly look at a pattern of passion from the first century and a reason to rejoice that extends all the way to our present time.

A Pattern of Passion

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines passion as a strong and barely controllable emotion; an intense desire or enthusiasm for something. Does that describe your attitude toward spreading the gospel message?

An examination of the first century church reveals that our brethren were on fire for evangelism! The converts on the day of Pentecost immediately began to spread the word, and the Lord was adding to the church daily (Acts 2:46-47). Even among persecution, they preached (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 8:1, 4). After all, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), and “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The number of disciples was multiplying as the word of God continued to spread (Acts 9:31; 16:5).

Are we like this today? Do we have that kind of passion for the lost and for the soul-saving message of the gospel? If not, why not?

A Reason to Rejoice

It seems that one of the keys to their passion for the gospel was the constant realization of where they had been and, by contrast, where they were in the present. The Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39) because of his appreciation for what Jesus had done for him. The Philippian Jailor did the same thing (Acts 16:34). Paul was thankful to Jesus for putting him into the ministry even though he had a sin-stained past (1 Tim. 1:12-13). He said that the grace of the Lord was “exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:14).

Let’s wrap it up: Don’t we have the same reason to rejoice today? In conclusion today, I’d like to remind us of the theme verse for this show. This is the verse from which the show title, The New You, came: 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The whole point of this passage is to remind us of this fact: Christ created the new in you, and He intends for the new to come and to stay.

Peter reminds us that God’s promises are just as true today as they always have been (2 Pet. 3:9). Therefore, we have every reason to rejoice in our salvation. We have every reason to be as passionate about sharing the gospel as were our first century brethren! We have every reason to be as passionate about gospel sharing as we were when we had just come out of the waters of baptism!

May God bless us to be gospel sharers. Today, look for someone with whom you can share the gospel.

Memory Verse: This week’s verse depicts Ezra’s incredible example for you and me to follow. Here’s Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

November 10, 2014November 9, 2014

The New You 132: “The Gospel Must be PROCLAIMED”

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Monday, November 10, 2014
“The Gospel Must be PROCLAIMED”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16).

That’s the Great Commission charge with which you and I have been entrusted. You know, when you think about it, the gospel is a great blessing. At its core, the gospel is a good news message – a message of salvation for a world that is lost in sin. But with great blessings come great responsibilities. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels,” Paul wrote, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

The gospel must be proclaimed. Here are three reasons why you and I should do just that.

1. Declare the gospel message because you love God.

Listen to the way Paul put it in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4:

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Paul admits that declaring the gospel message was not always the easiest thing to do. There were enemies who caused them to suffer for the truth. Nevertheless, they would share that soul-saving message because of their love for God.

2. Declare the gospel message because you love people.

Paul continued in his letter to the brethren at Thessalonica, reminding them of his care for them demonstrated through his preaching the gospel to them.

So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God (1 Thes. 2:8-9).

In the same way, you and I demonstrate true love for others – that is the agape kind of love described in the New Testament – when we share with them that gospel message. Biblical love is love that is motivated by the best interest of its object. What can be more beneficial to a soul than the message that can save it from eternal condemnation?

3. Declare the gospel message because of the judgment.

Peter reminds us that God’s word is not going anywhere. “The word of the Lord endures forever,” Peter records in 1 Peter 1:25, quoting Isaiah 40:8. Later in 1 Peter, we are reminded that the preaching of the gospel could have a direct affect on one’s eternity.

They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit (1 Pet. 4:5-6).

When Peter says that the gospel was preached to those who are dead, we understand that he is referring to the fact that it was preached to them while they were still alive, before they died. Notice the motive: “that they might … live according to God in the spirit.”
In Revelation, John records that he saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven. He said that the angel had the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth. That gospel was for every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. The angel cried with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev. 14:6-7).

Let’s wrap it up: We’ll use the words of the Holy Spirit through Paul to wrap up today’s study. This comes from Romans 10:14-15 and really impresses upon us the need for gospel sharers today.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:14-15).

Memory Verse: This week’s verse comes from the Old Testament book of Ezra. It’s really a one-sentence snapshot of Ezra’s character, but it’s entirely worthy of our memorization because we should hope the same can be said of us! Here’s Ezra 7:10:

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).

This week I want us to answer this question: For what spiritual blessing are you the most thankful? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “The spiritual blessing for which I am most thankful is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 7 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv
Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Let’s go live like it!

November 7, 2014November 4, 2014

The New You 131: “The Gospel Must be PROTECTED”

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Friday, November 7, 2014
“The Gospel Must be PROTECTED”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand (1 Cor. 15:1).

The gospel message has been preached and received. But there is more to living by the gospel than simply receiving it through an initial act of obedience, that is, baptism. Paul said it there in that verse: “in which you stand.” That word stand means to abide or continue. They were continuing in that gospel.

The fact is that, upon my obedience to the gospel, I entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and with His gospel message. In giving my life to Jesus, I promised to fulfill all that He has called upon me to do in the word. Consequently, it is now my duty to defend His cause and to be true to Him always.

Defending the Gospel

The gospel is included as part of a Christian’s defensive weapons over in Ephesians six. This is where Paul is discussing the armor of God. In verse fifteen he says that our feet are to be “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” But the gospel is not only a tool for us to use in our own defense, we are also to actively seek to defend it! Paul said that he was “appointed for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1:17). He wasn’t going to let anyone teach false doctrine, as if it were some other gospel. In Galatians chapter one, he clearly states that there is only one gospel. There are those who are, as Paul put it, enemies of the gospel (Rom. 11:28). Of such enemies, Paul said that we are not to “yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Gal. 2:8).

Enduring for the Sake of the Gospel

Living according to gospel teaching is going to take endurance. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write Philippians while Paul was under house arrest. His commitment to the gospel is seen in this epistle as Paul writes about joy, hope, and commitment. He says, “the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Phil. 1:12). Paul was even in “chains for the gospel” (Philemon 13)! He exhorted Timothy not to be “ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,” but rather to share with him in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Tim. 1:8).

Let’s wrap it up: Are you prepared and ready to defend and endure for the sake of the gospel? Know that the Lord is counting on you. This good news reveals God’s amazing love for us, and it calls us to show our love for God by dedicating our lives to Him. That’s what the new you is all about.

Memory Verse: If you have been with us all week, then I bet you have John 15:8 memorized by now! What a great verse to think that we can glorify God! And yet what a challenging verse to be sure that we are bearing fruit and thus identifying ourselves as followers of Jesus.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8).

The New You 10 Week Challenge for a Better Internet! This week I want us to answer this question: What is your favorite psalm? So head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like and compose a post which says, “My favorite psalm is _____. #NewYouChallenge” This is week 6 of the 10 week challenge for a better Internet!

OUTRO:

Thanks for joining me today for The New You. You can find us each weekday at thelightnetwork.tv. You’ll also find episode archives, transcripts, and more Christian podcasts there. That’s thelightnetwork.tv

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Have a great day!

November 6, 2014November 4, 2014

The New You 130: “The Gospel was PLANNED”

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Thursday, November 6, 2014
“The Gospel was PLANNED”

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Jesus is at the core of the gospel. The gospel’s good news is all about salvation from our sins, which, of course, would not be possible without the sacrifice of our Savior.

God’s plan for man’s salvation was not something that He thought up and enacted over night. Not at all! Further, there are some people who want us to believe that Jesus’ incarnation was somewhat of a “plan B” when the first plan, the Law of Moses, didn’t work. Absolutely not! The Old Testament serves us as “our tutor to bring us to Christ” (Gal. 3:24).

The gospel is planned.

God’s eternal plan.

Referring to the hope that is made available through obedience to the gospel, Paul said that the hope of eternal life was promised by God before time began (Titus 1:2). Consequently, as we study through the Bible, we see redemption unfolding from shadow to substance, from prophecy to fulfillment. So Paul says that Christ “was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3, emphasis added).

We see this plan and prophecy as we look at Galatians 3:8, where the Holy Spirit reveals that “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’” You know, for a while this was a mystery. I don’t think Abraham could have ever imagined exactly how God would bless all nations through Abraham’s descendants. And yet, the wisdom of God is portrayed in His amazing plan.

God’s exclusive plan.

I need to explain what I mean when I say that God’s plan is exclusive. Certainly, the Bible emphasizes that the gospel plan of salvation is open to any one who will hear it and obey. Passages like John 3:16 and Titus 2:11-12 make that clear. However, we learn from 1 Peter that the possibility of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation is a blessing that angels do not have available to them. In 1 Peter 1:10-12, Peter discusses the fact that God’s will has been revealed for you and me, but it is not designed for the angels:

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

Let’s wrap it up: Stop for a moment and let it sink in just how much God loves you. Over a period of 1500-1600 years He inspired His will to be revealed to mankind, ensuring that it was recorded for people of all the ages to receive and obey in order to get to heaven. He did this for human beings – who, by the way, were in sin (Rom. 5:8). He gave His Only Begotten Son to die in our stead so that we could live with Him forever. Now that is positive, personal, powerful, and planned good news!

Memory Verse: How’s it coming with this our verse this week? We’re studying to memorize John 15:8.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8).

OUTRO:

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Have a great day!

November 5, 2014November 4, 2014

The New You 129: “The Gospel is POWERFUL”

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Wednesday, November 5, 2014
“The Gospel is POWERFUL”

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Episode Transcript:
You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13).

I bring you more good news today! All this week we have been focusing our attention on the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ. We’re highlighting the amazing characteristics of the saving gospel message. We have already seen that the gospel is positive and that it is personal. Today, let’s focus on the fact that the gospel is powerful.

The power of the gospel is displayed through two important concepts: revelation and trust. Let’s individually examine these concepts as they relate to the gospel’s power.

Revelation

The power of the gospel is seen in its revelation from God to man. If God had not revealed the gospel to us, how could we possibly know how to be saved? Ephesians three says that this was once a mystery that has now been revealed. Thanks be to God! Paul puts it this way in 2 Timothy 1:8-10:

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

It is clear that the gospel message is not from men, but from God. Paul says that “our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thes. 1:5). The means by which the message was revealed was powerful, being God-breathed or inspired (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Further, the message itself has intrinsic power, for Paul said that the gospel “is the power of God to salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

Trust

Think for a moment about how trust comes out of God’s revelation. The means by which God revealed the gospel to us was powerful, and that which He has revealed to us is powerful. In fact, it is so powerful that it can save our souls (again, Rom. 1:16)! That being the case, in Whom should we trust as we consider eternity? Obviously, it’s in God Himself, and in the gospel that He has revealed to all of mankind.

Paul said that the Ephesians heard the gospel, and then they trusted in God and in Christ. That trust was born out of their hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Eph. 1:13). That gospel message is filled with precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4). When we obey the gospel, we are added to the Lord’s body and are thus “partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6).

Let’s wrap it up: I want us to focus on Paul’s words as we wrap up today. Here’s 1 Corinthians 1:17-20.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Memory Verse: In John 15, Jesus states that Christians who do not faithful in fulfilling God’s commands, that is, in bearing fruit, are worthless. That’s why this week’s memory verse, John 15:8, is so important to internalize.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8).

OUTRO:

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Have a great day!

November 4, 2014November 3, 2014

The New You 128: “The Gospel is Personal”

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Tuesday, November 4, 2014
“The Gospel is PERSONAL”

Submit Questions for Q & A Saturday!

Email: robert@thelightnetwork.tv
Voicemail: 903-26-LIGHT (903-265-4448)

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Episode Transcript:

You’re listening to The New You, the daily broadcast for people who have been made new by the blood of Christ. I’m Robert Hatfield, and here is today’s Scripture:

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Rom. 16:25-27).

We’re talking this week about the gospel of Christ! Yesterday we noted that the gospel is a positive message. Today, let’s look at the fact that the gospel is personal.

In 1 Corinthians 15:1, Paul wrote, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand.” Notice especially that part where he says, “which also you received.” That word received means to bring near, to associate with oneself. This close association is reflected in the ownership that God’s people take in the gospel message. In Romans 16:25, which I read a moment ago, Paul refers to it as “my gospel.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:14, he calls it “our gospel.” Of course, it is “Christ’s gospel” (as 2 Cor. 2:12 puts it), but isn’t it amazing that this message can become so personal, so dear to us?

I think the gospel becomes so personal because of what it is designed to do. It changes who I am and what I am about, and it does so when I personally receive this good news message!

The gospel will change who I am and what I am about.

The Roman epistle is introduced in this way: “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1). When Paul obeyed the gospel, that gospel message changed every part of Paul’s life. It made him a new creation, and it focused his life on the Lord. Paul says that this is exactly what the gospel is supposed to do. In Philippians 1:27, Paul wrote, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

But this change doesn’t just happen by osmosis, that is, by a simple exposure of oneself to the gospel message. It goes much deeper than that.

This change only takes place when one personally receives the gospel.

The simple fact that salvation is possible doesn’t mean that you and I are saved, does it? Of course not. We have to receive that message, making it part of who we are. We have to live it. The Hebrews writer makes that clear over in Hebrews 4:1-2. It reads, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”

There is something that we must do in order to be transformed by the gospel. Simply put, we must receive that gospel message. This means more than just acknowledging that it is true. It means we are going to bring it close to our hearts, and pattern our lives according to its teaching.

Let’s wrap it up: Jesus said that we are to give our lives to Him by obeying the gospel of Christ. This is an important reminder for us as Christians. In Mark 8:35-36, the Lord said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

Memory Verse: When we give our lives to the Lord, in full obedience of the gospel, we will glorify God and bear much fruit for Him. That’s what Jesus said in John 15:8, which is this week’s memory verse.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8).

OUTRO:

Contact me by email at robert@thelightnetwork.tv or by voicemail, by calling 903-26-LIGHT, that’s 903-265-4448. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Robert Hatfield. You are the new you! Have a great day!