Do you see yourself as married to Christ? Do you own Jesus as your husband? Years ago, evangelist Marshall Keeble encountered a woman who came to be baptized in her wedding dress. He asked her if she wanted to change before she was immersed. She answered that she wanted to marry Jesus in the same clothes that she married her husband. He baptized her, wedding dress and all because she understood what she was doing.
We value the church by 1) Praising Lovingly, 2) Praying Fervently, 3) Giving Willingly, 4) Serving Faithfully.
People matter because 1) they were made in the image of God, 2) Jesus died on the cross for them, 3) they were created to live forever in eternity. Each hearer should understand why people matter to God and why they should matter to us also.
Ahab’s attitude originated in wanting to have something that wasn’t his to have. God commanded through Moses, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17). When we don’t get what we want, how do we respond? Do we seek to impose our will on others? Do we run away and hide cutting ourselves off from everyone? Do we throw a fit and complain until we get what we want? Or, do we recognize that everything belongs to God, and it is not ours to command?
God has a standard of love that is quite different from humanity. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).
Preaching with little to no doctrinal content is not preaching, but pandering to the whims of fickle humans who enjoy a good story more than they do the truth of the gospel.
Sin is not just “moral” failure; it is a failure of perspective on our place in God’s creation. That’s what Paul is seeking to get across in Romans 1:21: “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
In this chapter, God makes a covenant with David. We see 1) David’s Desire, 2) God’s Design, and 3) David’s Devotion. Each person should understand that God’s covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus.
Those who are citizens of God’s kingdom have 1) The State of Being Blessed, 2) The Attitude of the Blessed, 3) The Blessing of the Blessed. The hearer should understand that to be a citizen of God’s kingdom means having and maintaining these beatitudes in our lives. The aim of this sermon is to communicate that the beatitudes introduce the Sermon on the Mount and the character of the citizen of God’s kingdom.
People who are spiritually sick or injured should find healing through the efforts of the church. Sometimes people criticize the church as being a place of hypocrites precisely because there are spiritually sick or injured people in the church. That would be a valid criticism if the church were not doing anything to heal these spiritually damaged people. However, the goal is for spiritually sick people to become well through the work and teaching of Jesus.
God’s righteous judgment is 1) Impartial 2) Consistent 3) Penetrating. Each listener should understand that God is wholly righteous in his judgment. This lesson aims to help everyone understand the message of Romans regarding God’s righteousness.
It is well with my soul because 1) Christ’s Teaching Overcomes External Circumstances, 2) Christ’s Sacrifice Conquered Satan’s Work, 3) Christ Nailed the Christian’s Sins to the Cross, 4) Christ Will Return. Each person should understand that we can be content in Christ Jesus with the great blessings that He gives. The aim of this sermon is to help us better understand the lyrics of the song, “It is Well with My Soul.”
Trusting God with control of my life removes anxiety, and I can be at peace trusting that God will do what is right. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” This verse is about understanding that God is in control.
God is a just God because we can trust His 1) Integrity, 2) Judgments, 3) Punishments. Each hearer should understand that he may trust in God in all situations of life even when others have done evil against him. That each person put more faith and trust in God and His righteousness.
Trusting God with control of my life removes anxiety, and I can be at peace trusting that God will do what is right. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” This verse is about understanding that God is in control.
The Bible does not tell Christians what to believe about the contemporary social agenda referred to as “global warming,” or “climate change.” The Bible does assure the believer that God has control of the seasons and that no significant alternation of the yearly cycle will be disrupted by human activity.
he Bible does not tell us the exact date that Jesus was born. What it does tell us is that shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks by night (Luke 2:8). The cool winter weather would not have been particularly good conditions for doing this. So, December 25th was probably not the time of year that Jesus was born at all. They would have taken their flocks out in the spring and summer when the grass was growing well for grazing.
Jesus matters because He is 1) The Savior of Humanity, 2) The Standard for Humanity, and 3) The Sovereign of Humanity. Each person should be able to understand the relevance of Jesus to their lives. I want to impress upon each person the necessity of Jesus to live a good life.
In this lesson we will study what Jesus calls the greatest command looking at its 1) Imperative, 2) Intentional 3) Instructive 4) Intense 4) Impressive. Each person should understand the greatest command and seek to live by it. This sermon emphasizes that the greatest command is not obeyed by mere emotion, but by action.
Many felt 2020 was an upside-down year. But the gospel changes how we see things (Acts 17:6), giving us a heart attuned to God rather than the world's desires.