jon burke

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=658 Jon

Q3. (Psalm 63) Why is recognition that God loves you the basis of all faith? What does this realization bring about in your life? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=657 If we do not recognize that God loves us and that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us Joh 3:16 (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. then our beliefs are empty and without substance. By being obedient to God we are returning that love. We can

Q2. (Psalms 42-43). What is the psalmist feeling during this spiritual struggle? How does he combat his spiritual depression? Have you ever felt this way? How did you reach out to God at this time? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=656 I think he is feeling alone, doubtful, depressed, vulnerable, desperate is probably the best description. He is parched and longs for and thirsts for God. Wow how many of us actually thirst for God. I am sure that many of us have been thirsty at some stage in our lives but have we ever thirsted for God like we do for water. He combats his depression by using i) self talk, addressing himself with words of hope, ii) rememberance- bringing God to mind and iii) singing and praying to God. I often find that I just start singing a praise or worship song when I am feeling down. Yes I have felt this way, sometimes I reach to God through prayer and sometimes through singing and other times just by reading Gods Word.

Q1. (Psalm 27) What does it mean that David desires to "dwell in the house of the Lord"? What does it mean to "seek his face"? How does David provide hope at the end of this Psalm? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=655 I think that it means, David wants to walk and be with God, all the days of his life. He wants God as his protector, provider, his everything, his all. To seek his face means to constantly walk and be in Gods presence. To seek a deeper and more intimate relationship with God. This is something we should be doing at all times. He provides hope by stating that he will see the goodness of the Lord (vs 13) and that he will be strong and wait upon the Lord (vs 14)

Q5. (Romans 6:18-22) In Paul's analogy in these verses, is there a place of independent freedom apart from "slavery" to sin or to Christ? Why do we long for this kind of independent freedom? Why do we hesitate to firmly take sides and make our allegiance clear to all? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=809 Yes because we are set free from sin (18) and made righteous through Christ. It is in our wicked nature to want to sin and satan has great pleasure seeing us fall and sin. Through Christ in our new, clean rebirth we are made holy and pure and should no longer be slaves to sin. That part of our life should be cut off, forever. Gone washed away by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We are slaves to God (22) resulting in eternal life and not death. We have to show our allegiance to God by our lifestyles and choices we make by living a Godly life. Sometimes we may be the only bible people will see.

Q4. (Romans 6:17b) How does good doctrine affect the way we live? Why should we honor good doctrine? If we shouldn't look down on doctrine itself, what kind of teaching should we be avoiding? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=808

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=654 Jon's Psalm Father God, I stand in Awe of your creation, Your majestic mountains, Your flowing streams. The mighty winds and seas that roar, The vastness of the sky, the endless vistas of the stars Father God, thank you for your Creation. The harmonious sounds of the birds calling, The gentle sounds of a lamb bleating, the cries of little creatures The unmistakeable sound of a young childs first screech Father thank you for the family units, you have created For the pitter patter of little feet For the calls of Papa and Mama For their first words. Thank you for a loving and caring spouse For loyalty, honor and love between a husband and wife Thank you for the sacredness of marriage and the love between a husband and wife. Thank You Father I Honor You. This was an exciting excersise as I could express to God how much I love and adore Him. I have never been good at writing poetry but I enjoyed writing this for My Father.

Q3. (Romans 6:15-18). What does obedience have to do with slavery? In what way does doing acts of righteousness demonstrate your slavery to God? In what ways does doing bad things demonstrate a slavery to sin? How is such a slavery or bondage broken? What part does obedience have in breaking this bondage? In what areas is God speaking to you about a fresh obedience in your life? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=807 Rom 6:15-18 What, then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law but under God's grace? By no means! (16) Surely you know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to obey someone, you are in fact the slaves of the master you obey---either of sin, which results in death, or of obedience, which results in being put right with God. (17) But thanks be to God! For though at one time you were slaves to sin, you have obeyed with all your heart the truths found in the teaching you received. (18) You were set free from sin and became the slaves of righteousness. We have a choice to be slaves to sin or to be obedient which will bring us into right standing with God. We are bound to Christ as obedient servants. We are slaves of righteousness, as we are bound to Christ who is our Master, therefore we must obey Him. By doing bad things, we are showing that we are still bound to sin, to our old self and old nature. This slavery to sin or bondage can only be broken by being obedient to Christ, letting Him reign supreme in our lives, by being born again. God is speaking to me to quit smoking, I have cut down from 60 to about 10 a day but I believe He wants me to quit completely. Also to be obedient to his word, to become a true husband and father to my wife and children as in Ephesians.

Q3. (Psalm 139). In what way does the wonder of creation in the psalm seem to affect the psalmist? In his concluding prayer in verses 23-24, what does he ask God to do? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=653

Q2. (Romans 6:13) In what ways do you "offer the members of your body" to either sin or God multiple times in a day? Why is it that we can sin unconsciously? How can we begin to offer our members deliberately to God? What changes will it take in our daily life to do this? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=806

Q2. (Psalm 19) Verses 1 to 6 seem very different from verses 7 to 13, but there is a common thread that relates the first part to the second part. What is it? In what way does the psalmist seem to bask in God's Word? Have you ever felt that way? How does the psalmist's wonder in creation seem to affect him in this psalm? In the classic prayer of verse 14, what is David asking God to do? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=652

Q1. (Psalm 8). What does this psalm teach about God? What does it teach about human beings? What does it teach us about Christ? What does it teach about our responsibilities? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=651

Q1. (Romans 6:12) What does obedience have to do with the "reign" of sin?

Q5. (Romans 6:11) What does it mean to "reckon, consider, count" in verse 11? Does this actually mean that we are convincing ourselves of something that isn't really true? What will be the effect in our lives if we actually do consider it to be true that we died with Christ's death with regard to sin? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=804

Hi there my name is Jon Burke. I am married to Barbara and we live in KZN, South Africa. I am a missionary and love doing God's work. Jon

Q4. (Romans 6:6-7) In what way has our "body of sin," our "flesh," our old nature been made powerless because of our crucifixion with Christ? In what way have we been freed from slavery? What difference does this understanding make in our struggles against temptation? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=803

Q3. (Romans 6:1-7) Is Paul referring to a figurative "death" to sin, or to a kind of historical, actual death? Whose death is he talking about? How does this death become our own? To what degree is this just theological mumbo-jumbo or does it have some basis in reality? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=802

Q2. (Romans 6:3-4) In Paul's reference to baptism in 6:3-4, what does "buried" (6:4a) correspond to in the act of baptism? What does "Christ was raised from the dead" (6:4b) correspond to in baptism? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=801

Remember, be kind and loving to those who disagree with you. Q1. (Romans 6:3-5) In what sense does baptism bring about our union with Christ? In what sense does baptism symbolize our union with Christ? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=800 By being baptised, we must be completely immersed (buried) in water. We died to sin and Christ died for our sins, therefore creating a union with Him. As per above Christ died for our sins, so we must die to sin. Coming up out of the water represents resurrection, just as Christ was resurrected. We are united with Christ in His death and Resurrection, we have unbroken fellowship with God through Christ.

This is achieved with our union in Christ, we have died to sin. We are redeemed through the Blood of Christ. We are in Christ, we are sanctified through Christ. The availability of God's Grace and Forgiveness should not become an excuse for careless living and immoral behaviour. We must die to sin and live and lead a Christ like life, no longer conforming to the ways of the world. We are a new creation in Christ with the gift of eternal life.

Q3. (Romans 5:15-19) By what right does Adam represent all humankind? By what right does Christ become head of all who become his disciples? If Christ is not our "representative" or "head," how can his death for sins be effective for us? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=798

Q2. (Romans 5:13, 20) What is Paul saying in these verses? Can there be sin without law? In what sense does the "trespass increase" (5:20) when the law is present? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=797

Q1. What kinds of circumstances in modern life can you think of where a single person acts for an entire group? In what ways are members of the group tied to this person? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=796

This means that there is harmony, no more strife, we are reunited. Reconciliation with God is necessary due to our sin. Christ died on the cross for us so that our sins could be forgiven and that we might be reunited with God in harmony. We are continually being saved by Jesus, due to our sinful nature we continually have to ask for Godes forgiveness. Jesus intercedes with God (His and Our Father) for and on our behalf.