We should love the law of God because: 1) It Gives Us Understanding, 2) It Makes us Upright, 3) It is Uplifting. Each listener should understand what spiritual benefits come from loving the law of God as set forth in Psalm 119:97-104. I hope that each would renew their love for God’s law.
The kingdom of God is composed of people not expected by men because 1) Men judge based on appearances only, 2) Men do not believe in God’s mercy and grace, 3) Men Make Cheap Sacrifices thinking that will be pleasing to God. Each listener should understand that it is God who sets the standard for who enters His kingdom, not us. I hope that we would seek to understand what God’s standard for the kingdom is so that we can conform to it being a people that doesn’t judge based on appearances, that show true mercy and grace to others, and that understand that we must make real sacrifices.
My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother (Proverbs 1:8).
In this lesson, we will look at some attitudes and actions that are involved in practicing forgiveness. Each person should be able to understand the proper attitude to have toward someone who is need of and seeks forgiveness. The aim of this lesson is that each soberly contemplates their need for forgiveness from God in relation to another's need for forgiveness from them.
In this lesson, we will look at what it means to be a friend of God. One is God's friend when he 1) Loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind, 2) Does what God wants him to do simply because God has asked us to do it, 3) Tells others about what a great friend God is. Each hearer should be able to understand what it takes to be a friend of God. I want everyone to be motivated to make God their friend.
Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin because 1) Justice Demands Payment 2) Old Testament Sacrifices were Insufficient, 3) A Perfect Sacrifice Was Needed. This lesson explains why we need a perfect sacrifice and why Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.
We will study Psalm 119:89-96: God is faithful to save His saints because 1) He is Dependable, 2) His Saints Delight in His Word, and 3) He Delivers from the Enemy. We study to gain more familiarity with Psalm 119 and the wonderful word of God and to understand how God saves His saints through His faithfulness and theirs.
In this lesson, we will study why Jesus died on the cross. To understand that Jesus brings unity to mankind in the church, we must understand God’s original design in the creation. When we understand this, we will understand that Jesus died on the cross to restore unity between God and man, and between man and man. Each member should understand that Jesus died on the cross to bring unity in the church as the restoration of His purposes in creation.
Justice for the Earth entails: 1) Common Justice, 2) Cry for Justice, 3) Coming Justice. Each listener should understand that justice in the earth now is incomplete, but not final. One day God’s justice will be finished through Christ Jesus.
An audio sermon on 1 Corinthians 15-16, on the gospel, the resurrection of Christ and the dead, and the collection for the saints. The post contains the chapters' text.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? In this lesson, we will see that God ordained it. The listener should know that God ordained Jesus to die on the cross for him.
An audio sermon on 1 Corinthians 13-14, Paul's chapters on love as the more excellent way and on tongues and prophecy in worship. The post contains the chapters' text.
The section of scripture with which we are concerned falls within the sundry warnings that Jesus is giving to his disciples regarding the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus words to them are basically this. Don't expect that you will receive a warm welcome out of the unfaithful. When you preach the gospel, people are going to become your enemies. In this sense, Jesus' came to bring a sword. The warning of Micah describing the unfaithful holds true here. Even among families, there will be division. This is the typical response of the unfaithful.
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
An audio sermon on 1 Corinthians 5-6, which address immorality in the church, lawsuits among brethren, and glorifying God in the body. The post holds the chapters' text.
In this part of Psalm 119, we will see that God’s word helps me to endure persecution. God 1) hears my request for relief, 2) sees the relentlessness of the wicked, and 3) provides respite when I yield to His word. Each listener should take comfort in knowing that God hears, sees, and provides when His people are persecuted.
One of the criticisms that Jesus’ enemies employed was that He ate with publicans and sinners...This criticism was leveled at Jesus because he associated with these people to teach them the gospel.
When you quench a fire, you put out the fire. When you quench your thirst, your thirst goes away. The word “spirit” here could refer to the Holy Spirit, or one’s own personal spirit. Either way, spirit is the source of all things spiritual. So the basic meaning of the command is not to put out the source of all things spiritual.
To avoid building an empire of sinful desire we must 1) Know Our Own Desires, 2) Distinguish Between Legitimate and Illegitimate Desires, 3) Recognize Our Ultimate True Desire. The hearer should be able to impede sinful desires and facilitate desires for Jesus. In this sermon, I want to impart some spiritual tools whereby the hearer will be able to recognize his/her desires.
When God’s word has place in our life, it will manage our relationships to the best. We should trust in God’s word to manage our relationships.