Faithful brethren are a joy when they exhibit the qualities of Timothy and Epaphroditus. Each listener should understand what qualities God desires in faithful brethren. I want to help people come to appreciate faithful brethren for the right reasons.
Greed, covetousness, lust, and pride contribute to a person’s love of money, which is the motivation behind the desire to be rich. Men deceive themselves to think that money will solve their problems. Instead, they fall into temptation, harm themselves with lusts, and drown in destruction and perdition. This generates sorrow for them and their families.
In this Psalm we see that God blesses the King and destroys His enemies. Each one should be able to explain how God blesses the King and destroys His enemies today. I want to teach that God has triumphed through Jesus and destroyed the devil.
In this lesson we will look at Jesus teaching regarding discipleship as it relates to his identity. We will notice 1) Jesus is the Leader, 2) Christians are the Followers, 3) Christians are alive, but can die, 4) Jesus Commands Faithfulness, 5) True Disciples Bear Fruit. Each person should be able to discuss their relationship to Jesus as His disciple and how to pursue that relationship more effectively. I want to encourage all to learn more about Jesus so as to strengthen each as a disciple of Jesus.
God never gave Adam and Eve any money. Humans invented money to facilitate exchanges. Money is just a tool; it has no value beyond what we assign to it. Its only value is in what it can be used for, and if we are not using it, we are valuing it wrongly.
The Christian can truly have personal peace in his life by following the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Peace comes from the Spirit of God and His teaching to us on how to live. This lesson will bring scripture to bear on some practical ways to have personal peace.
In this lesson, we will look at what Jesus says about His mission. As disciples of Christ, we must take up the same mission today.
The apostle Paul teaches us that one purpose to prayer is so that “we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” A good Christian wants peace with others (Romans 12:18). This peace gives us the opportunity to practice godliness and reverence. Physical disruptions, such as famine, war, violence, and disease, distract from daily Christian living. The good life is the quiet and peaceable life showered by God’s blessings of family and friends who assemble as Christians to worship.
Christ has all authority because 1) He is the Creator, 2) We were created for Him, 3) He supports and sustains us, 4) He is the head of the church, 5) The fullness of God dwells in Him, 6) He reconciles all things to Himself by His sacrifice. We need to understand that it is all about Jesus and make His purposes the center of our life.
Instructions from Mother: 1) do the right thing, 2) listen to your parents, 3) don't wish your life away. To teach and encourage our youth to live lives of wisdom as advised by mothers.
A Mother's Day poem, "What Good Mothers Are Like," comparing mothers to flowers, starry nights, and holy temples, and praising God for creating them.
This question was recently asked in one of our Bible classes in regard to God’s command to kill all of the Canaanites in Deuteronomy 20:16. How does one explain God’s goodness in light of his command for Israel to kill the Canaanites? What about the flood? First, no one has any moral ground to stand upon to criticize God, because without God, there is no right or wrong. Nevertheless, here are a few reasons why it is not immoral for God to command the death of another human by human hands.
In Isaiah 20, God gives the command to Isaiah to take the sackcloth off to illustrate that Egypt would be conquered by Assyria and taken into captivity. Verse four says, “so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.”
We have joy in Christ through the sacrifice and service of 1) Obedience, 2) Doing All Things Without Murmuring or Complaining, and 3) Holding Fast the Word of Life. Each person should understand that sacrifice and service bring joy to our lives because we are not focusing on self, but God and others. Ultimately, joy does not come by focusing on ourselves but on God and others.
When Jesus says, “Not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42), is that about pleasing the masses? When the Savior washes the disciples dirty, nasty, filthy toes (John 13:2-17), is that about personal preference? When you see God take the form of a slave (Philippians 2:5-8), is the church about “your choice?” When an innocent Man dies on the cross for the sins of the world (John 20), is that about the “experience of worship?” Should consumerism form the church or the cross?
Reaching one’s full potential looks different for different people. For many, holding a job, providing for one’s family, and giving to the local church will fulfill God’s plans. Others will need to occupy roles of leadership where they may guide God’s people forward into the future. Regardless of one’s position, he will need to levy an appropriate amount of ambition. It is not enough to sit still, rest on one’s laurels, and maintain the status quo. There must be an effort to push upward and onward with God’s purposes.
In this Psalm of Hopeful Trust we see 1) Optimism, 2) Faith, 3) Courage. Each hearer should understand that we need to display these attitudes toward one another. This sermon encourages optimism, faith, and courage.
The fruit of the Spirit is joy: 1) Joy Comes from the Spirit, 2) Joy Brings Peace, 3) Joy Endures. Each person should understand that joy comes from the Spirit, not from the flesh.
The purpose of marriage is to produce “godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15). The married must remain married to rear godly children and demonstrate lifelong faithfulness. Pleasure in the sexual relationship provides a strong emotional attachment to encourage faithfulness. To have godly offspring, husbands and wives must have sex both to reproduce and reinforce fidelity.
This lesson will survey the Bible doctrine of Wisdom: The need for wisdom, the source of wisdom, the character of heavenly wisdom. Each listener should understand more about wisdom. This lesson teaches that wisdom can be had and understood through studying God's word.