Richard Ellis Talks

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them free reign in what you'd consider "paradise on earth": the Garden of Eden. They had just one command to follow -- and as we all know, they blew it. Their decision to sin in that moment set the stage for every generation of humanity since, and our imperfect, sinful nature's caused our separation from a perfect, holy God. We needed a flawless sacrifice to cover our sin and bridge the gap between us and God. That sacrifice came in the form of a baby boy who would grow up to pay the ultimate price on our behalf, taking our sins to the cross and dying for us, all so we could be made right with God.

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them free reign in what you'd consider "paradise on earth": the Garden of Eden. They had just one command to follow -- and as we all know, they blew it. Their decision to sin in that moment set the stage for every generation of humanity since, and our imperfect, sinful nature's caused our separation from a perfect, holy God. We needed a flawless sacrifice to cover our sin and bridge the gap between us and God. That sacrifice came in the form of a baby boy who would grow up to pay the ultimate price on our behalf, taking our sins to the cross and dying for us, all so we could be made right with God.

Did you know that the scientific probability of someone fulfilling 8 different Old Testament prophecies is 1 in 100 quadrillion? The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah -- and Jesus fulfilled all of them. Statistics prove that Jesus really is the Messiah, but at some point, each of us has to decide whether we're going to continue arguing the facts and ignoring the evidence, or whether we're going to trust Scripture, have faith, and share the Gospel with others.

Did you know that the scientific probability of someone fulfilling 8 different Old Testament prophecies is 1 in 100 quadrillion? The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah -- and Jesus fulfilled all of them. Statistics prove that Jesus really is the Messiah, but at some point, each of us has to decide whether we're going to continue arguing the facts and ignoring the evidence, or whether we're going to trust Scripture, have faith, and share the Gospel with others.

1 John 3:17 asks, "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" Can each of us remember the last time we sold something in order to care for the poor? As followers of Jesus, we've got to be willing to own our responsibility to those less fortunate instead of being owned by our stuff -- and sometimes that means selling our possessions in order to care for others and demonstrate the love of Christ.

1 John 3:17 asks, "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" Can each of us remember the last time we sold something in order to care for the poor? As followers of Jesus, we've got to be willing to own our responsibility to those less fortunate instead of being owned by our stuff -- and sometimes that means selling our possessions in order to care for others and demonstrate the love of Christ.

God's given each of us unique gifts and talents -- but they mean nothing if we don't use them to glorify Him. He gave us the ultimate gift when He sacrificed His own Son for our salvation. Let's strive to show our gratitude by offering our own lives as a gift back to Him!

God's given each of us unique gifts and talents -- but they mean nothing if we don't use them to glorify Him. He gave us the ultimate gift when He sacrificed His own Son for our salvation. Let's strive to show our gratitude by offering our own lives as a gift back to Him!

From the moment Jesus was conceived in his mother's womb until the moment He took His last earthly breath on the cross, every detail of His life was a fulfillment of prophecies made centuries before His birth. If that's not proof of the Messiah, what is? At some point, we've each got to decide whether we're going to believe that God is Who He says He is -- and one day, we'll all face His throne and answer for the choice we make.

From the moment Jesus was conceived in his mother's womb until the moment He took His last earthly breath on the cross, every detail of His life was a fulfillment of prophecies made centuries before His birth. If that's not proof of the Messiah, what is? At some point, we've each got to decide whether we're going to believe that God is Who He says He is -- and one day, we'll all face His throne and answer for the choice we make.

Jesus was a lover of people -- but more specifically, He was a lover of strangers. Jesus demonstrated His love for all humanity by dying for every single one of us without preference or prejudice. Not only that, He lived out His earthly life by showing kindness to each person that He met. When we become part of His family, we're called to adopt the same mindset of hospitality -- by opening our arms, our homes, and our hearts, even to strangers.

Jesus was a lover of people -- but more specifically, He was a lover of strangers. Jesus demonstrated His love for all humanity by dying for every single one of us without preference or prejudice. Not only that, He lived out His earthly life by showing kindness to each person that He met. When we become part of His family, we're called to adopt the same mindset of hospitality -- by opening our arms, our homes, and our hearts, even to strangers.

John 3:17 says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Yet how often do we still try to live our lives by our own power, attempting to "fix" or atone for our own sin -- even after receiving Christ's gift of salvation? God empowers us through His Spirit to overcome sin, but to do that requires us to submit ourselves completely and wholeheartedly to Him.

John 3:17 says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Yet how often do we still try to live our lives by our own power, attempting to "fix" or atone for our own sin -- even after receiving Christ's gift of salvation? God empowers us through His Spirit to overcome sin, but to do that requires us to submit ourselves completely and wholeheartedly to Him.

Mary was chosen to carry the Son of God inside her, all so He could come in the flesh to save us. In a similar way, when we're saved, we each carry the Holy Spirit within us. When our lives reflect to the outside the Savior Who's dwelling on the inside, it impacts those around us as they see the difference He makes in and through our lives.