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.
There are not many actions that we can take that will have an eternal impact, because so much of what we do concerns the mundane. However, we should take advantage of every opportunity to be involved in spiritual events because we are affecting matters of eternal importance! Will you invite your friends to our gospel meeting this week? Will you attend the gospel meeting this week? Some soul out there may say in eternity, “The most significant event in my life was when I was invited to the gospel meeting at the church of Christ.”
In this lesson, we will discuss the conversion of the three thousand in Acts chapter 2 and the essential ingredients to effective evangelism. This includes 1) The Presence of the Holy Spirit, 2) People of the Dispersion, 3) Prophets of the Old Testament, 4) Preachers of the Gospel, 5) Penitent of Heart, 6) Persistent in Faithfulness. The hearer should be familiar with the events in Acts 2 and the principles of evangelism as related to this conversion account. The aim of this lesson is to help the hearer understand more about the principles of evangelism taught in Acts 2.
In this lesson, we will study Acts 4. The apostles were arrested for preaching the resurrection. How did they handle this? We will note: 1) The Situation of the Arrest, 2) The Steadfastness of the Apostles, 3) The Sentence of the Sanhedrim, 4) The Supplication of the Saints. The hearer will be able to understand how the early church dealt with the problem of preaching the gospel in the face of opposition. We want to know how the early church handled problems so that we can imitate their faith.
For something to edify, it must have meaning. Not in the sense of emotion or feeling, but in the sense of the understanding. That is, if something is not intelligible or comprehensible by the intellect, then it cannot edify. True edification can only come through a situation where knowledge and instruction are imparted with the attitude of love.
However, when I looked into an English dictionary, I found the following definition. “Edify: enlighten, to improve the morals or knowledge of somebody.” Another dictionary said this. “Edify: to instruct or improve spiritually.” Does this surprise you? Do you think of being instructed as edification? Do you think of gaining new knowledge when you are edified?
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.
So usually when we read about the kingdom in the New Testament, it has reference to the church and vice versa. However, there are a couple of passages where the term kingdom doesn’t refer to the church, but to heaven.
In this lesson we will briefly look at the Asian church of Laodicea. We will note: 1) Some facts regarding the city, 2) Some facts regarding the church at Laodicea, 3) Jesus' message to the church at Laodicea. Each should be able to discuss Revelation 3:14-22 in its historical and spiritual context. To increase awareness of the church at Laodicea and the lessons we can learn from her mistakes.
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.
In this sermon we will examine the statement, "To The Blind He Gives Sight." He does this because there is, 1) A Need--the blind need to see, 2) A Name--only He has this authority, 3) A Notion--the blind who see will tell others, 4) A Nation--the blind who see will believe and worship together, and 5) A Night--an eternal blindness is coming for those who do not see. I want to impress upon each hearer that God wants all men to be saved and to come to the truth and to help the congregation become more evangelistic.
In this lesson we will learn that the life is in the blood as we compare the functions of blood with the functions of the blood of Christ: Blood 1) replenishes, 2) removes, 3) repairs, and 4) regulates. Each listener should recognize the function of the blood of Christ as it gives life to the body.
If I were a rich man, I would recognize, 1) my relationship with God regarding wealth, 2) the reasons God has given for wealth, 3) the problems associated with wealth. The hearer should be able to understand their responsibilities and attitudes toward wealth. I want everyone to have a proper, healthy, and reverent attitude toward the teaching within God's word regarding wealth.
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To the church of Philadelphia we have a message of 1) Opportunity, 2) Conquering, 3) Help in the time of need, and 4) Steadfastness. We should all be familiar with this letter and gain great encouragement from knowing that God continues to instruct and warn even when we are faithful.
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Fear comes from 1) Lack of Knowledge, 2) Lack of Love, and 3) Lack of Faith. That we may be able to overcome our fears and live in love, peace, and fellowship with one another.
When we have a right attitude toward God, we will 1) Fear God, 2) Worship God, 3) Love God. The hearer should have a fundamental idea of what it means to be godly: have a right attitude toward God.