MR. COX'S BELIEFS
THE (SERIOUSLY) GOOD NEWS
BIBLE QUOTES THAT HELP ME SEE THAT I NEED JESUS
(These concepts are backed up by the rest of the Bible…I recommend listening to unedited audio of the Bible on YouTube or an app while you’re driving around. Intake Scripture in large chunks to see for yourself.)
Jesus is God who also became man (fully God and fully man):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)
Jesus is good:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (-Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30)
My biggest problem is my own sin / sinful heart (not others):
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus loved me enough to die on the cross to take the punishment for my sins:
…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20b)
Jesus rose from the grave and is alive and active right now:
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. (Mark 16:5)
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
Jesus can forgive me of my sin and create in me a clean heart:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
(Psalm 51:1-2)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10)
Jesus invites me to come to himself:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (-Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (-Jesus, John 6:37)
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
I have nothing good apart from Jesus:
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.” (David, Psalm 16:1)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (-Jesus, John 15:5)
I need Jesus for EVERYTHING (including help to trust and follow him):
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
“I believe; help my unbelief!” (-a guy talking to Jesus, John 9:24)
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (David, Psalm 63:8)
…apart from me you can do nothing. (-Jesus, John 15:5)
I’m saved by Jesus as a free gift, not my own works:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus can clean me from my sin and change my heart:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
…Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. (David, Psalm 51: 1-2, 10)
Delighting in God
Praying like David for help to delight in God and desire Him more than the world
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4)
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
(Psalm 119:36-37)
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
(Psalm 119:18)
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
(Psalm 86:11)
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(Psalm 90:14)
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
(Psalm 51:7-12)
Songs that feed my soul:
Ephesians 2:1-10 by Graham Jones
God is in No Hurry by Skye Peterson
Psalm 16 by Corner Room
Psalm 23 by Corner Room
Psalm 119 by Corner Room
All My Worst Ideas by Chris Renzema
Square One by Chris Renzema
Book recommendations:
The Bible
Gentle and Lowly (by Dane Ortlund)
Assurance: Resting in God’s Salvation (by William Smith)
Do You Believe? (by Paul David Tripp)
The Whole Christ (by Sinclair Ferguson)
Holiness (by J.C. Ryle)
Sermon recommendations (on YouTube):
Ephesians 1-2 (multiple sermons by Allister Begg on YouTube)
John 3 Sermons by Brian Payne on my website clayburncox.com > about me
Struggles of Conscience (by Charles Spurgeon on YouTube)
Galatians Sermon Series (by Pastor Paul on YouTube)
(These concepts are backed up by the rest of the Bible…I recommend listening to unedited audio of the Bible on YouTube or an app while you’re driving around. Intake Scripture in large chunks to see for yourself.)
Jesus is God who also became man (fully God and fully man):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)
Jesus is good:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (-Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30)
My biggest problem is my own sin / sinful heart (not others):
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus loved me enough to die on the cross to take the punishment for my sins:
…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20b)
Jesus rose from the grave and is alive and active right now:
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. (Mark 16:5)
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
Jesus can forgive me of my sin and create in me a clean heart:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
(Psalm 51:1-2)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10)
Jesus invites me to come to himself:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (-Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (-Jesus, John 6:37)
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
I have nothing good apart from Jesus:
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.” (David, Psalm 16:1)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (-Jesus, John 15:5)
I need Jesus for EVERYTHING (including help to trust and follow him):
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
“I believe; help my unbelief!” (-a guy talking to Jesus, John 9:24)
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (David, Psalm 63:8)
…apart from me you can do nothing. (-Jesus, John 15:5)
I’m saved by Jesus as a free gift, not my own works:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Jesus can clean me from my sin and change my heart:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
…Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. (David, Psalm 51: 1-2, 10)
Delighting in God
Praying like David for help to delight in God and desire Him more than the world
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4)
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
(Psalm 119:36-37)
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
(Psalm 119:18)
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
(Psalm 86:11)
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(Psalm 90:14)
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
(Psalm 51:7-12)
Songs that feed my soul:
Ephesians 2:1-10 by Graham Jones
God is in No Hurry by Skye Peterson
Psalm 16 by Corner Room
Psalm 23 by Corner Room
Psalm 119 by Corner Room
All My Worst Ideas by Chris Renzema
Square One by Chris Renzema
Book recommendations:
The Bible
Gentle and Lowly (by Dane Ortlund)
Assurance: Resting in God’s Salvation (by William Smith)
Do You Believe? (by Paul David Tripp)
The Whole Christ (by Sinclair Ferguson)
Holiness (by J.C. Ryle)
Sermon recommendations (on YouTube):
Ephesians 1-2 (multiple sermons by Allister Begg on YouTube)
John 3 Sermons by Brian Payne on my website clayburncox.com > about me
Struggles of Conscience (by Charles Spurgeon on YouTube)
Galatians Sermon Series (by Pastor Paul on YouTube)