Dead With Christ 10-4-26 AM

 I.            The placement (Rom. 6:3).

a.      Notice Paul’s preposition: into.

          i.      Paul does not say baptism happens because we are already in Christ.

          ii.      He says we are baptized into Christ.

b.     This language describes a change of relationship.

          i.      There is a before and an after.

          ii.      Outside of Christ; then into Christ.

c.      This is important because every spiritual blessing God gives is in Christ.

d.      To be in Christ means that Christ is now the sphere of our spiritual identity:

           i.      His death becomes the basis of our forgiveness.

           ii.      His righteousness defines the direction of our lives.

           iii.      His people become our people.

           iv.      His Father becomes our Father.

           v.      His resurrection becomes the guarantee of our resurrection.

e.      Paul says something very similar in Galatians 3:27.

           i.      Romans says baptized into Christ.

           ii.      Galatians says baptized into Christ.

           iii.      This is extremely plain language.

f.        Paul goes even further in Romans 6: baptized into His death.

           i.      Why His death?

           ii.      Because this is the place where the price was paid for sin.

           iii.      Jesus shed His blood in His death.

g.      To be baptized into His death is to enter the saving benefits that came about because of that death – not because water possesses some spiritual power.

h.      It is because God has appointed baptism as the believing, penitent sinner’s entrance into union with the crucified Christ.

i.        This should help us better understand some blessings associated being in Christ:

           i.      In Christ there is forgiveness.

1.      The blood of Jesus cleanses from sin (Rev. 1:5).

2.      It is not because we earn forgiveness by getting in water.

3.      Not because the water washes sin from our skin (1 Pe. 3:21).

4.      It is because Christ died for our sins, and God has told the believing, penitent sinner where he will meet Christ’s saving death.

            ii.      In Christ we become part of His body.

1.      Acts 2 tells us of people hearing the apostolic message, repenting and being baptized, after which the Lord added the saved to His church (Acts 2:38, 47).

2.      Acts 20:28 describes the church as the people Christ purchased with His own blood.

3.      Christ did not purchase one group with His blood and save another group somewhere outside it.

4.      The saved are His blood-bought people.

           iii.      In Christ we receive a new identity.

1.      Our defining identity is no longer: my sin, my past, my failure, my rebellion.

2.      It becomes: I belong to Christ.

j.        These all help us understand that baptism is much more than joining a congregation, completing a church requirement, or getting wet in front of an audience.

k.      If you were baptized biblically, you can look back on that moment and say: My baptism is when, through faith in God’s working, I surrendered myself to Christ, was washed in His blood, an entered the saving relationship He promised.

l.       If you believe in Jesus but have never been baptized into Him, Paul’s wording deserves your serious consideration.

          i.      If baptism is into Christ, why would we tell someone that entering Christ has nothing to do with salvation?

          ii.      If baptism is into His death, why would we separate baptism from the saving benefits of His death?

m.    Baptism does not merely point toward Christ; God places us into Christ.

II.            The performance (Rom. 6:4).

a.      What does baptism look like?

b.      Paul says it looks like a burial.

c.       This is not accidental imagery.

           i.      Jesus died, was buried, and was raised.

           ii.      Paul says our baptism corresponds to that pattern.

           iii.      We die to the rule of sin, we are buried in water with Christ, and we rise to walk in newness of life.

d.      Burial naturally corresponds to immersion.

           i.      You don’t bury someone by placing a few drops of dirt on his forehead.

           ii.      You don’t bury someone by pouring a small cup of dirt over his head.

           iii.      Burial involves being placed beneath.

e.      The Greek verb translated baptized has the meaning of “to dip, plunge, or immerse,” and that is why Romans 6 imagery fits immersion so naturally.

f.        Virtually all historical commentators across all Christian religions, with only a few exceptions, wrote that burial language fits immersion.

g.      Paul says buried by baptism.

h.      When you read baptismal accounts, they read as burials.

           i.      Jesus and John were in the water.

           ii.      John baptized near Salim because there was much water there.

           iii.      Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.

i.        If God just said get wet, the manner would not matter.

j.        God gave baptism meaning – it is a burial.

           i.      When a believer goes beneath the water the act proclaims that the old life is dying with Christ.

           ii.      When the believer is raised from the water the act proclaims a new life has begun.

k.      God designed baptism to preach the gospel with our bodies.

l.        Baptism is a burial because God designed to resemble Christ’s burial.

III.            The purpose (Rom. 6:4).

a.      Paul tells us why we die and are buried with Christ – so that we can rise different.

b.      Notice the movement – death, burial, resurrection.

c.       This should sound familiar to us (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

           i.      Paul reminds the Corinthians of Christ’s death for sins, His burial, and His resurrection.

           ii.      This is the saving gospel.

d.      Romans 6 shows the sinner responding to that gospel in a God-given likeness of it.

           i.      Christ died – we die to sin.

           ii.      Christ was buried – we are buried in baptism.

           iii.      Christ rose – we rise to walk in newness of life.

e.      The gospel is not just something we believe happened.

f.        It becomes the pattern into which our lives are placed.

g.      Romans 6:17-18.

           i.      The Romans obeyed a form, or pattern, of doctrine.

           ii.      This means a likeness.

           iii.      Paul just described death, burial and resurrection.

h.      This is why baptism is not a human work attempting to earn salvation.

i.        It is obedient faith reenacting the gospel God has told us to obey.

j.        Pay attention to Paul’s sequence.

           i.      Paul does not say, “Believe, begin walking in newness of life, and later be baptized.”

           ii.      He does not say, “Repent, receive newness of life, and then baptism symbolizes it.”

           iii.      He does not say, “Confess Christ, receive newness of life, and afterward be buried to demonstrate what has already taken place.”

k.      What Paul says is “We were buried with Christ by baptism into His death so that we can be raised to walk in newness of life.”

l.        Faith, repentance, and confession are all necessary.

m.    But none of those should be isolated from the God-given response that culminates in baptism.

           i.      Faith, repentance, and confession all bring us to baptism.

           ii.      In baptism, through faith in the working of God, the old person is buried with Christ and the new life begins.

n.      The power is not in the water – it is in God.

o.      Colossians 2:12 makes the very clear.

           i.      Who is working – God.

           ii.      Who is trusting – the sinner.

           iii.      Who is saving – God.

p.      Baptism is not salvation by human merit – it is salvation received through obedient faith in God’s working.

q.      Notice the word – walk.

r.       Baptism is not the finish life of discipleship – it is only the beginning of the new walk.

          i.      Some talk about baptism as though the only important thing is getting someone into the water.

          ii.      Paul, and God, are both equally concerned with how that person lives when he comes out of the water.

s.      When we are buried with Christ, there are some things that need to stay buried:

          i.      Bitterness, sexual immorality, dishonesty, cursing, selfishness, drinking, uncontrolled anger, envy, jealousy, worship of money.

          ii.      Whatever is sinful about us needs to stay buried.

t.       We don’t rise from baptism to continue living as though nothing happened.

          i.      Paul says we rise to walk in newness of life.

          ii.      Listen to what he told the Corinthians… (2 Cor. 5:17).

          iii.      Romans 6 – baptized into Christ.

          iv.      2 Corinthians 5 – in Christ, a new creation.

u.      If you’ve been baptized, Romans 6 is asking you, “Are you living like someone who died?”

v.      Every day we are choosing again to live the life that began when God raised us with Christ.

w.    We are buried with Christ so we can rise to live like Christ.

IV.            The promise (Rom. 6:5).

a.      Paul has moved from the past “were baptized,” to the present, “walk in newness of life,” to the future, “we shall be…”

b.      Baptism looks backward to cross, changes how live today, and points towards future resurrection.

c.       Paul certainly uses resurrection imagery in describing the beginning of Christian life, but verse 5 reaches toward the ultimate consequence of union with the rise Savior – those united with Christ in baptism have hope of sharing in His resurrection.

           i.      One day Jesus will return, the graves will open, the dead will be raised, and judgment will come.

           ii.      Those who belong to Christ will be raised to eternal life with Him.

d.      The Christ who conquered death will raise His people from death.

e.      Baptism says “I am tying my entire future to Jesus Christ.”

           i.      His death becomes my death to sin.

           ii.      His burial shapes my burial in baptism.

           iii.      His resurrection begins my new life.

           iv.      His final victory over death guarantees my hope beyond the grave.

f.        This should change the way you and I face death.

           i.      We grieve and we hurt.

           ii.      We miss people.

           iii.      We don’t pretend death is pleasant.

           iv.      But we don’t face it the grave as though it is the end of the story.

g.      For the one united with Christ, burial is temporary.

h.      Jesus walked out of His tomb, and because He lives, His people will rise.

i.        Those who die with Christ can face death expecting resurrection with Christ.

A Life Or Death Choice 9-27-26 PM

I.            Mt. Sinai (Hebrews 12:18-21).

a.      What our writer does is remind these brethren that they are no longer in a place of fear.

b.      Notice the words that are used to describe the place where the law of Moses was originally given:

           i.      Burned with fire;

           ii.      Darkness and tempest;

           iii.      Terrible was the sight.

c.       The setting for these comments is found in Exodus 19.

           i.      The people of Israel had been led by God to Mt. Sinai.

           ii.      It was here that God was going to make a covenant with them and reveal it to Moses so he could instruct the people.

d.      It was a physical place, but one of fear to the Israelites.

           i.      It was so scary to them that they asked that Moses speak to God for them because they could not bear to hear God.

           ii.      They were told not to touch the mount or allow an animal to touch it or else they or the animal were to die.

e.      But notice verse 21:

           i.      It was terrifying to Moses as well.

           ii.      We don’t have a record of this being said by Moses anywhere else.

           iii.      It was revealed by inspiration to the author of Hebrews.

f.        What is he saying here?

           i.      Remember that he has been encouraging them to remain faithful in the midst of storms.

           ii.      Now he says remain faithful, choose life, for, or because, you haven’t come to a physical, scary place like Sinai.

g.      He, by inspiration is comparing the physical, lesser, nature of the Old Law to the spiritual, greater, nature of the new covenant brought in by Christ.

           i.      He is letting them know the weakness of that to which they are headed.

           ii.      It is a place of death and fear.

II.            Mt. Zion (Hebrews 12:22-24).

a.      Our writer now reminds the backsliding brethren of that which to which they had come.

b.      First, notice the place itself.

           i.      It is the city of the living God.

1.      Remember that death was threatened to those Israelites.

2.      Here, God is seen as the living God.

3.      This also gives a sense of being able to approach God, whereas the people were afraid and sent Moses at Mt. Sinai.

           ii.      It is a spiritual place, the heavenly Jerusalem.

1.      Everything was physical under the Old Law.

2.      They knew that they had not entered into a heavenly city, but by faith, it was theirs.

3.      Their forefathers had looked for that city, but they had come unto it.

4.      If they had come to it, they needed to act like citizens of it.

c.       Second, notice the population.

           i.      There is an innumerable number of angels.

1.      There are so many that the writer could not put a number on it.

2.      Our Lord had said he could call legions of angels.

3.      Other passages picture a host of angels that is amazing to behold.

4.      Then there is something that does not come across well in the KJV.

5.      The phrase general assembly in verse 23 seems to point to the church, but in the Greek, it is an extension of what is said about this innumerable number of angels.

a.      It is the only place in the New Testament where this phrase is used.

b.      It literally means a festal gathering.

c.       In the secular Greek writing, Thayer tells us that it was used for a festal gathering of the whole people to celebrate public games or other solemnities.

d.      He also says this is connected to what the angels are doing right now.

e.      They are gathered in heaven celebrating and praising God, which is pictured in other passages in the New Testament.

6.      The NIV renders it this way: “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly”.

7.      The ESV this way: “ and to innumerable angels in festal gathering”.

           ii.      There is the church of the firstborn.

1.      The firstborn is a reference to Jesus being the firstborn from the dead, having died and been raised to never die again.

2.      Being a part of this church, or assembly, shows that Christians are going to be raised one day to never again die.

3.      It also shows that we are not alone.

4.      One of the great privileges of being a Christian is having family all over the world.

5.      Ashley mentioned this numerous times last week.

6.      We are a family of brothers and sisters in this church.

7.      Notice what Barnes wrote about this: “The Christian is united in feeling, in honor, and in destiny, with the excellent of all the earth, and of all times.”

8.      These peoples names are written in heaven.

a.      Several passages teach us of the book of life.

b.      We are to want our names written in that book.

c.       Michael Phelps is an amazing athlete and his name is written in a book of records that is amazing.

d.      I read that he broke a record that had stood for over 2,000 years when he won his 13th individual gold medal.

e.      Having his name written in that book of records pales in comparison to having one’s name written in heaven.

           iii.      God, the Judge of all, is part of the population.

1.      Christians have come to this city and are able to be in the presence of God.

2.      Our writer has spoken of this in previous passages.

3.      We need to go through no priest to get to God because we are priests who can approach His throne.

           iv.      Jesus is there.

1.      The Mediator of the New Covenant is waiting there to come take us home.

2.      We will be in His presence, able to worship and glorify Him for all eternity.

           v.      Think of who all is waiting for us in that great city that is ours.

d.      Third, notice the perfection there.

           i.      The spirits of just men made perfect.

1.      This refers to those who died before the death of Christ that were in a right relationship with God.

2.      They were made perfect, or complete with the shed blood of Jesus because they had lived by faith.

3.      This would include all those who were written about in chapter 11.

4.      This is that great cloud of witnesses at the beginning of the chapter.

           ii.      We are made complete spiritually in Christ.

           iii.      If you notice, the words that of are in italics in verse 24.

           iv.      These were added by the translator and cannot be found in the original text.

           v.      They don’t need to be there because the writer is not comparing the blood of Jesus to that of Abel.

           vi.      Instead, he is comparing the sacrifice of Jesus to that of Abel.

1.      Abel offered an animal.

a.      Animal blood cannot make a man perfect.

b.      It only rolled forward the sins of man.

2.      The blood of Jesus speaks better things because it brings  perfection.

e.      Mt. Zion offers so much more than Mt. Sinai. 

Why Don’t You Play Music? 9-27-26 AM

I.            A brief history.

a.      When you go back in the history of the church you can read arguments against the use of instruments in worship.

          i.      We don’t read of any use of them but we do read of argumentation against them.

          ii.      The basic argument used by John Chrysostom, and this was in the late 4th to early 5th centuries, is that Old Testament worship is contrasted with Christian vocal praise.

          iii.      In other words, it was fine in the Old Testament but now in the New Testament the voice only was to be used.

b.     You have to go another two centuries before you find some hint at it trying to be introduced into Roman Catholic worship.

         i.      There is some hint that a pope named Vitalian tried to enter an organ into use in worship during his reign, which was from 657-672 AD.

         ii.      There is some pushback in certain Catholic writings about this though.

c.     However, beginning in the late 800’s the organ began to be used and became very widespread in use after the 1100’s.

d.     One of the issues of the Protestant Reformation, which began in the late 1500’s, was the use of instruments in worship.

          i.      Luther started out against them, but came to believe that if the New Testament does not specifically condemn it, it can be used.

          ii.      John Calvin, however, strongly opposed them.

          iii.      The Reformed churches that descended from Calvin, such as the Presbyterians, remained instrument free for a number of years.

          iv.      It was not until mid-1800’s that organ came into prominent use in this religion.

e.      Early Baptist churches did not use the instrument for some time.

           i.      Charles Spurgeon was one of the greatest Baptist preachers ever, and he refused to allow instruments into his congregation in London.

           ii.      In the US, instruments began to be used in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s.

f.        It is said that when John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, was asked about their use he answered, “I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither seen nor heard.”

           i.      There is some debate now about whether he said that or not.

           ii.      Methodist historical records record at least three organs in Methodist chapels during the lifetime of Wesley.

           iii.      It was not until much later in the 1800’s that they became common in Methodist churches.

g.      When it comes to churches of Christ, there is great documentation that there was absolutely no use of instruments of music in the beginning of the restoration movement here in the US.

           i.      Alexander Campbell said that to spiritually minded Christians, instruments would be as a cowbell in a concert.

           ii.      Nearly all of the early preachers in restoration history staunchly opposed such.

h.      The first use of an instrument is believed to have been in Midway, KY.

           i.      The singing there was reported to be terrible.

           ii.      The preacher, L.L. Pinkerton stated that the singing was bad enough to “scare even the rats away.”

           iii.      The congregation began to meet on Saturday evenings to practice their singing and a melodeon, basically a small piano, was brought in to help establish pitch.

           iv.      Someone began to play the melodeon as the song was being sung.

           v.      Apparently, some of the members liked the help it gave their sound that they asked the preacher if they could use it on Sundays.

           vi.      Pinkerton agreed to it and the next Lord’s Day it was used.

i.        After this, other congregations started using it and it became very divisive in the church.

           i.      Along with the Civil War and the church’s response to that, instrumental music became a dividing line between brethren.

           ii.      What took place was a great divide, with a lot of bitterness.

           iii.      There were congregational divisions, fights over property, and a lot of personal conflict.

           iv.      Eventually, the two sides split into two sides: the church of Christ were the non-instrumental music congregations and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ were the instrumental music congregations.

           v.      This split was officially recognized in the 1906 US Census.

           vi.      The Disciples of Christ had 8,293 buildings and almost a million members.

           vii.      The churches of Christ had 2,649 buildings and about 160,000 members.

j.        So that is a brief history of the use of instrumental music in worship to God after the beginning of the New Testament church in the 1st century.

II.            Numerous arguments for the use of instruments.

a.      When those who propose the use of instruments talk with us they have several arguments for their use.

b.      One is that it is a natural talent and so it ought to be dedicated to God.

           i.      Some have the talent of singing, while others have the talent of playing an instrument, and since God gives both abilities, we should be able to use both in worship to God.

           ii.      If this were true, that natural abilities should be used in worship, how can we limit it to just playing instruments of music?

           iii.      Anything that involves the natural senses should be allowed then.

           iv.      God hasn’t given a religion to use that is based on natural senses.

           v.      Paul said “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” not “be natural and do what your senses allow you to do.”

           vi.      We are told that we walk by faith, not by sight, or anything else natural.

c.       Some say that since we can have instruments on the home, we should be able to have them in the church.

           i.      The argument against instruments of music not being allowable in worship has never been on any basis of instruments, in and of themselves, being sinful.

           ii.      There is nothing inherently sinful in any musical instrument.

           iii.      There are things in our home that we would never have in worship.

           iv.      We have meat in our meals at home but we would never put that on the Lord’s table.

           v.      It needs to be pointed out that if we were to meet in our homes for worship, as they did in the 1st century, it would be just as wrong to use instruments there as it would be in the church building.

           vi.      It is the worship that matters, not the place of worship.

d.      A big one is that there is supposed to be instruments in heaven so we should be able to have them on earth.

           i.      This argument comes from some verses in the book of Revelation (Rev. 5:8; 14:2).

           ii.      We need to remember that the book of Revelation is a book of symbols or signs.

           iii.      We also need to remember that heaven is a spiritual place and physical things are not in heaven.

           iv.      When it comes to 14:2, G.K. Wallace made a great observation that I want to share with you.

           v.      What John heard was “as the voice of a great thunder,” “as the voice of many waters, and “as harpers harping with their harps.”

           vi.      There is a great difference between saying a thing “is” and saying it was “as.”

           vii.      What this means is that this passage is nothing more than a comparison.

           viii.      The volume of the 144,000 singers was as great thunder, the rhythm was as many waters, and the melody was as harpers harping with their harps.

e.      Another big argument is that there was use of instruments in Old Testament worship.

           i.      This is a true statement.

           ii.      There were also a lot of other things in Old Testament worship.

           iii.      Lamps burning, incense burning, animals burning.

           iv.      Are we going to allow any of those things in our worship?

           v.      Another thing to remember is that because something is found in the Old Testament but not condemned in the New still doesn’t make it acceptable.

           vi.      There is no passage in the New that says we should not burn incense, but we don’t do it.

           vii.      If silence authorizes the practice, then everything in the Old Testament that isn’t specifically condemned is to be allowed.

f.        Some say that instrumental music is an aid and compare it to using a walking cane to help walk or glasses to help see.

           i.      Think about it like this: writing and typing are co-ordinate – two ways of printing words on paper.

           ii.      Instrumental music and singing are co-ordinate – two types of music.

           iii.      A song book is not co-ordinate to singing.

           iv.      A pen is not co-ordinate to writing.

           v.      The song book has the same relationship to singing that a pen has to writing.

           vi.      When you use an instrument in worship you are doing another thing than sing, not the same thing.

           vii.      A man singing uses a song book with notes to aid him.

           viii.      One who plays an instrument uses a song book as well, the same aid.

           ix.      So an aid aids the aid in this argument.

           x.      The instrument is not aid, it is an addition.

           xi.      It is not like a pen or paper, which are aids to writing.

           xii.      It is not like a computer or typewriter which are aids to typing.

g.      Some say that there is no law against instrumental music so it can’t be a sin because sin is transgression of the law.

           i.      That definitely is the definition of sin (1 John 3:4).

           ii.      The idea is that since there is not a “thou shalt not,” then it is okay to use it.

           iii.      Listen to 1 Cor. 4:6 and 2 John 9.

           iv.      There is a law on how to praise God (Eph. 5:19).

           v.      To go beyond that law is transgression, which means instrumental music in worship is sinful.
III.            The use of “psallo” as means to authorize instrumental music in worship.

a.      The word translated “making melody” is from the Greek word “psallo.”

            i.      A form of this word is used five times in the New Testament.

            ii.      It is found twice in 1 Cor. 14:15 and is translated sing.

            iii.      It is found in Rom. 15:9 and is translated sing.

            iv.      It is found in James 5:13 and is translated sing.

b.      This word is interesting because it changed meaning through the years in the Greek language.

            i.      The basic meaning of the word has to do with plucking or twanging.

            ii.      It referred to plucking or twanging a beard or hair, a carpenter’s chalk line, a bowstring, or the strings of an instrument.

           iii.      As you can tell, in order to “psallo” something, there has to be something to pluck.

c.       For instance, an archer would pluck the string of his bow to shoot an arrow.

           i.      You can say the archer psalloed his bow.

           ii.      He had to have a bow to pluck though.

d.      A man building a house or building would pluck the carpenter’s line to make a chalk mark.

           i.      You can say the builder psalloed his carpenter’s line.

           ii.      He had to have a line to pluck though.

e.      A musician would pluck the cords of a musical instrument.

           i.      You can say the musician psalloed his instrument.

           ii.      He had to have an instrument to pluck though.

f.        You might be wondering why I’m giving these illustrations.

g.      The reason for this is that he verb “psallo,” to pluck, like any other verb, has to have an object.

           i.      What is the object in Eph. 5:19?

           ii.      There is no musical instrument mentioned.

           iii.      The heart, though, is mentioned.

h.      Paul is using this in a figurative way – to pluck the strings of the heart.

           i.      Paul is saying that when a Christian sings, he or she is psalloing the heart.

           ii.      The Christian is simply making melody in the heart.

i.        The Greek word “baptidzo” means to dip, plunge, or immerse.

           i.      You can dip someone in a lot of things can’t you.

           ii.      The Bible says to dip, plunge, or immerse in water.

           iii.      The element is named.

j.        Same with the word “psallo” – the heart is the element that is to be plucked or twanged.

k.      Our hearts are to be part of our worship in song – it is not just merely chanting words to a melody.

(Some material came from a sermon by G. K. Wallace)

What Is Involved In Repentance? 9-6-26 AM

I.            Repentance involves recognition.

a.      Before I can turn from sin, I must recognize it in my life.

b.      This is what David did (Ps. 32:5).

           i.      Notice the change: David had previously tried to live with his sin, but healing began when the hiding ended.

           ii.      He said, “I acknowledge my sin.”

c.       When Nathan confronted David over his sin with Bathsheba, notice David’s words – I have sinned against the Lord (2 Sam. 12:13).

          i.      No excuses.

          ii.      No blaming Bathsheba for being where he could see her.

          iii.      No blaming the pressure of being king.

d.     Psalm 51 shows the same heart (Ps. 51:3-4).

          i.      It is not “I made a mistake,” or “Things just got out of hand.”

          ii.      Just “I sinned.”

e.      We need to ask ourselves: “What am I currently explaining that God wants me to confess?”

f.       What am I calling a weakness that God calls sin?

g.      What behavior am I defending because admitting the truth would require me to change?

h.      Repentance cannot begin while we are still negotiating with God’s definition of sin.

i.        We cannot turn from sin we refuse to admit.

II.            Repentance involves remorse.

a.      Recognition says: “I sinned.”

b.      Remorse says: “What I did grieves me because it grieves God.”

c.      2 Cor. 7:9-10

          i.      Sorrow and repentance are not identical.

          ii.      Godly sorrow produces repentance.

d.     You can be sorry without repenting.

          i.      You can be sorry you got caught.

          ii.      You can be sorry because your reputation has been damaged.

          iii.      You can regret losing a marriage, a job, a friendship, or someone’s trust.

e.      Worldly sorrow is mostly concerned with: “What has my sin done to me?”

f.       Godly sorrow asks: “What has my sin done to my relationship with God?”

g.     Peter and Judas provide a stark contrast.

          i.      Both failed Jesus terribly.

          ii.      Both experienced deep emotion afterward.

          iii.      Sorrow alone is not enough.

          iv.      True sorrow must move us toward God.

h.      We’ve known people whose lives totally changed because of their conversion, which involves repentance.

          i.      Former drunks who drink no more.

          ii.      Former criminals who no longer break the law.

          iii.      People who used to curse and swear who no longer take God’s name in vain.

i.       They understood there is a difference in regretting that your life is not what it should be and allowing conviction to redirect what you do with the rest of your life.

j.      We should not just ask, “What is this going to cost me?

k.      We should also ask, “What did this do to my relationship with God,” “Whom did I hurt,” or, “What does my reaction to this sin reveal about my heart?”

l.    God sorrow grieves the sin, not just the consequences.

III.            Repentance involves resolve.

a.      Recognition concerns the mind and remorse engages the heart.

b.      Resolve engages the will.

c.      We have to reach a point where repentance says: “I am turning around” (Ro. 12:2).

d.      Repentance involves a changed mind that produces a changed direction.

           i.      It is not: I’ll try not to do that quite as often, or, I need to be more careful so I don’t get caught again.

          ii.      It is: This road is taking me from God, so I am leaving this road.

e.      Have you ever been driving and realized you took the wrong road?

          i.      You can admit you are going the wrong way.

          ii.      You can feel terrible about how much time you’ve wasted.

          iii.      You can talk for a while about how you missed the turn.

          iv.      But until you turn the vehicle around, you are continuing to get further and further from your destination.

f.       Recognition and remorse matter, but eventually, repentance requires a turn.

g.     Spiritually we have all said, “I know this is wrong and I hate I keep doing it because I feel terrible afterwards.”

h.     Those are all good statements and feelings, but nothing changes until we turn from the sin.

i.       Resolve has to become practical.

          i.      If our phones lead us into lust, how will we change our access?

          ii.      If certain people always bring gossip into our lives, what will change in those relationships?

          iii.      If someone is telling me something about my baptism that isn’t right, who am I going to listen to about it?

j.       Repentance does not just say “I shouldn’t.”

k.     It says, “Because I shouldn’t, therefore, I will.”

IV.            Repentance involves reformation.

a.     This is where the turn begins to show itself.

b.     True repentance produces a changed direction of life (Matt. 3:8).

c.     Genuine repentance produces fruit.

d.     There is no better picture of this than the parable of the prodigal son.

          i.      “When he came to himself…” (Lu. 15:17).

          ii.      This is a tremendous description of recognition.

          iii.      He finally saw things correctly.

          iv.      He remembered his father’s house.

          v.      He looked around and saw what his choices were producing in his life.

          vi.      “I will arise and go to my father…” (Lu. 15:18).

          vii.      Recognition, remorse, resolve.

          viii.      Then verse 20: “And he arose and came to his father.”

          ix.      Here is reformation.

          x.      I will arise became he arose.

          xi.      He put his intentions into action.

e.      Many people have spiritually lived for years between those two statements.

          i.      “I will someday.”

          ii.      “I will soon.”

          iii.      “I will eventually.”

          iv.      “I will when I’m older.”

f.       Repentance moves from “I will arise” to “he arose.”

g.     What will actually be different because we repented?

          i.      Will things change in my marriage?

          ii.      Will things change in my speech?

          iii.      Will things change in my attendance?

          iv.      Will things change in my private life?

          v.      Will things change in my attitude towards others?

h.      Repentance becomes visible when a changed heart produces changed actions.

V.            Repentance involves restitution.

a.      Sometimes repentance requires more than stopping the sin.

b.      We must repair what the sin has damaged as much as we are able.

c.       This is where Zacchaeus becomes a powerful example (Lu. 19:8).

           i.      Zacchaeus did not say, “I feel bad about how I’ve treated people.

           ii.      His repentance reached his wallet.

           iii.      This is when you know something has truly changed.

d.      Zacchaeus understood that if you take something wrongly, simply stopping the theft does not make the previous theft right.

e.      If we can restore it, we should restore it.

f.        Repentance asks: “What can I make right in this situation?”

           i.      If we lie about someone, we need to correct the lie.

           ii.      If we stole something, we need to return or repay it.

           iii.      If we harm someone’s reputation, the apology should be as public as the accusation.

           iv.      If we cheat someone financially, repentance needs a checkbook.

           v.      If we sinned against our spouse, repentance seeks our spouse’s forgiveness as well as that of God.

g.      There will be situations that prevent restoration.

           i.      We can’t reverse time.

           ii.      We can’t erase every consequence.

           iii.      We can’t force another person to trust us again.

           iv.      But, repentance does what it can.

h.      Restitution does not mean we earn God’s forgiveness by fixing everything we broke – we could never do that.

i.        Restitution is one of the fruits that can demonstrate that our change of heart is real and genuine.

j.        Zacchaeus did not purchase salvation by paying people back, but his willingness to make things right revealed what had happened with him.

k.      We need to ask some questions when repenting:

           i.      Is there anyone besides God I need to apologize to?

           ii.      Is there anything I need to return?

           iii.      Is there anything I need to repay?

           iv.      Is there a lie I need to correct?

l.        Repentance repairs what it can instead of merely regretting what it did.

The Danger Of False Teachers 8-29-26 AM

I.            The doctrine of false teachers (2 Pe. 2:1-2).

a.     Peter describes their teaching as “damnable heresies” or “destructive heresies” depending on your translation.

         i.      The word for heresies carries the idea of a choice, a party, or a teaching that creates division.

         ii.      Peter is concerned with doctrines that lead people away from the truth.

b.    Notice the inspired adjective – destructive.

         i.      This is not disagreement over something insignificant.

         ii.      It is about teaching that destroys spiritually.

c.     Peter then says that some even deny the Lord who bought them.

         i.      Whatever form their denial took, Peter is saying their teaching and their lives amount to a rejection of the authority of Jesus.

         ii.      It is a rejection of the Lord who purchased them, which He did so by means of His blood (Acts 20:28).

         iii.      These weren’t people outside of Christianity criticizing it.

         iv.      Peter warns of people who had been saved by Jesus but were turning from the Master who bought them.

d.     Sadly, many are going to follow their false teaching.

          i.      One version says, “…their sensuality.”

          ii.      Another version says, “…their lascivious doings.

e.      What this indicates is that their teachings were leading people from holiness.

          i.      It was some type of teaching that appeals to the flesh.

          ii.      Later in the chapter, Peter describes their lust, greed, and corruption.

          iii.      Their doctrine was giving people permission to live contrary to moral life Jesus calls His people to live.

f.       Notice the result – the way of truth will be blasphemed, or evil spoken of.

          i.      Their sin does not just hurt them.

          ii.      Outsiders, those in the world, will speak evil of the way of Christ because of them.

g.     We all should be aware that this happens even today.

          i.      When people claim to follow Jesus but live in open rebellion to Jesus, the world notices.

          ii.      We can’t tell people that Christ delivers from sin while we deliberately choose to live in sin.

          iii.      We can’t call others to holiness while defending our own ungodliness.

h.     We should never evaluate doctrine based on whether or not it makes us comfortable.

i.       A message isn’t true because:

          i.      I like it.

          ii.      It agrees with what I already think.

          iii.      A popular preacher says it.

          iv.      A religious tradition teaches it.

          v.      A lot of people believe it.

j.        A message is only true when it agrees with what God has revealed.

k.      Teaching that leads us from Jesus does not lead us to life.

II.            The design of false teachers (2 Pe. 2:1, 3).

a.     Peter not only tells us what false teachers teach, but also how the operate.

b.     Verse 1 says they secretly bring in these heresies.

          i.      Something is introduced quietly or craftily.

          ii.      It carries the idea of bringing something in by one’s side so as to hide it.

          iii.      Some have described this word to mean through the side door.

c.      False teachers don’t blow a trumpet and shout they are about to teach something that contradicts scripture.

          i.      Instead, error is mixed with truth.

          ii.      Enough truth is present to make the error sound believable.

          iii.      This is what makes false doctrine so dangerous.

d.     In verse 3, Peter says that through their covetousness, or greed, they will make merchandise of them with false words.

          i.      Notice their motivation – greed.

1.      Later he will say their hearts are trained in greed.

2.      They are not out to serve the people they are teaching but with what they can get out them.

3.      People are merchandise to them; something to be used for personal advantage.

          ii.      Notice their method – false or feigned words.

1.      The original language carries the idea of something formed or molded.

2.      This is where we get our word plastic.

3.      The words have been carefully shaped to sound good, be persuasive, in order to accomplish something.

          iii.      But sounding good and being true are not the same thing.

e.      It is for these reasons we always emphasize the need for book, chapter, and verse.

           i.      Not because every biblical conversation has to become an argument.

           ii.      Because God’s word is the standard, not someone’s personality.

f.        This requires discernment by every Christian.

           i.      We can’t outsource our Bible knowledge to someone else.

           ii.      People will let us down if we depend solely on them.

g.      The Bereans were praised because they searched the scriptures to see if the things Paul and those with him spoke were true or not (Acts 17:11).

h.      This is the responsibility of every Christian.

           i.      Listen carefully.

           ii.      Study humbly.

           iii.      Compare what is taught with scripture.

           iv.      Then, we have to be willing to reject even something we want to believe if God’s word shows that it is wrong.

i.        A counterfeit can only fool us when we don’t know the genuine article well enough to recognize the difference.

j.        The same is true spiritually.

k.      The best defense against deception is a deep knowledge of the truth.

III.            The destruction of false teachers (2 Pe. 2:1, 3).

a.      Peter has shown us what they teach and how they deceive.

b.      He now shows us where their road leads them.

c.       Peter wants Christians to understand that God has not overlooked what is happening with these false teachers.

           i.      Judgment may not happen immediately but that does not mean it is not coming.

           ii.      This is what verses 4-9 reveal.

1.      God did not spare rebellious angels.

2.      God judged the world in Noah’s day.

3.      God judged Sodom and Gomorrah.

           iii.      The point is that God knows how to judge sinful people and knows how to rescue those who remain faithful.

d.      The false teachers may appear successful for a season.

           i.      They may attract followers, gain influence, or benefit financially.

           ii.      None of those things will change the final outcome.

           iii.      Their judgment does not linger forever, their destruction is not asleep, and God has not forgotten.

e.      This means we should never judge the truth of a message by the popularity or apparent success of the messenger.

           i.      A large audience, financial success, popularity, or influence does not prove truth.

           ii.      God’s word will always be the standard (John 12:48).

f.        There is also another warning we must not miss.

           i.      Verse 2 says that many will follow them.

           ii.      This may be the most frightening part of the passage.

           iii.      False teaching does not just affect the teacher.

           iv.      People follow the false teacher, build their lives on that message, but are being led away from their only hope – the gospel.

g.      When God warns us about false teaching, He is not being too restrictive – He is protecting us.

Preparing To Endure The Storms 8-23-26 PM

I.            There must be dedication to others (Hebrews 12:12-13).

a.     As we prepare for storms, we must be willing to do for others.

b.     The writer tells us to lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

          i.      The phrases or words “hang down” and “feeble” indicate that which is giving way or giving in.

          ii.      We are to be on the lookout for our brethren who are giving in to the storms and are sinking.

c.      We do that by clearing the way for others.

d.      As I drive or ride in a car, one thing that I notice is the terrain around me.

          i.      I’m sure you do as well.

          ii.      Some places I’ve driven through have amazed me at the thought of what had to go in to getting a road through that terrain.

          iii.      There had to be a building up of the area, a clearing of trees or rock, a leveling of the rough spots.

          iv.      It was a lot of hard work by others that allowed me to get through that area with relative ease.

e.      Many of the storms through which I’ve been able to come were made much easier because I have seen some of you go through them or know of others who have gone through them.

          i.      I doubt you thought of me or others as you were passing through your storm.

          ii.      You were just trying your best to make it through.

          iii.      I do imagine though, that you thought of others who had gone through something similar and came out the other side still faithful.

f.       This is how we are dedicated to others.

          i.      We don’t want the lame, the hurting from the storms to be turned out of the way.

          ii.      The phrase “turned out of the way” is from a medical term that indicates a limb being twisted out of place, dislocated.

          iii.      All that comes from that is painful and harmful.

          iv.      We are striving to make the way safer for those who are coming after us.

g.     This indicates that during a storm, we can’t simply be focused on ourselves.

h.     You and I are not simply living for self, we are living for others as well.

i.       How we or endure the storms of life will impact others.

j.       You and I should be seeking to allow others to be healed.

          i.      Healed literally means to bring about ones salvation.

          ii.      How we handle or endure storms affect the salvation of others.

          iii.      It may be our children, brethren, or the lost or some combination of those.

k.      People are watching and we must be dedicated to them in order to endure the storms.

II.            We must denounce bad attitudes (Hebrews 12:14-15a).

a.      Whether or not we like to think about it, the attitudes we display influence how well we recover from things.

           i.      Attitudes that are positive, cheerful, and that show kindness towards the ones around us allow for better chances of recovery.

           ii.      Attitudes that are negative, sour, or unkind affect us as well.

b.      No matter what we might say or think, our attitudes towards others affect our ability to handle storms, and ultimately our salvation.

c.       In this context, we must remember to whom this was originally written.

           i.      It was written to Jewish converts.

           ii.      These brethren were being tempted to go back to Judaism, but they needed to move forward and embrace all aspects of Christianity.

           iii.      They needed to understand they were to be involved in the lives of all men, not just other Jews.

d.      They had to follow, or seek earnestly, peace with all men.

           i.      This goes along with what we discussed last Sunday morning.

           ii.      If we want to influence others for good and be right with God ourselves, our attitudes towards others must be positive and seeking peace.

           iii.      This peace is not just non-violence, but establishing peace through the gospel, which indicates right relationship with God.

           iv.      We can’t treat others poorly and expect them to obey the gospel.

e.      We have to live lives of holiness before others and we do this with others by treating them properly.

           i.      This shows we have been called out from the world.

           ii.      We are putting God’s purposes before our own desires.

f.        If we don’t do this, we will fall from God’s grace.

g.      Bad attitudes are this root of bitterness that are mentioned.

           i.      A bitter root produces bitter fruit.

           ii.      These attitudes that are inside us manifest themselves in our actions toward others.

           iii.      When we hold in bitterness towards others, whether individuals or groups, we are destroying ourselves.

           iv.      A rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself.

           v.      That is what we are doing to ourselves if we don’t dig out those roots.

h.      We must denounce bad attitudes to endure the storms of life.

III.            We must avoid defilement (Hebrews 12:15b-17).

a.      When we allow bad attitudes to remain in us, we become defiled spiritually.

           i.      One of the hardest things about having a flower bed is keeping the weeds out.

           ii.      If you just snatch the weed off the top of the soil it will only grow back and bother you again.

           iii.      You have to remove all the roots for the weed to truly be gone.

           iv.      It is the same with bad attitudes.

b.      Bad attitudes lead to bad sins and spiritual defilement.

c.      Our writer now shows what type of weeds can grow when the roots of bitterness are allowed to remain.

d.      Those who allow the roots of bitterness to grow become those who treat that which is holy as that which is common.

           i.      It may be our bodies that we treat as common, which would lead to fornication.

           ii.      It could be the way we treat our brethren or the souls of others or our own souls.

e.      Our writer was inspired to use Esau as an illustration of this.

           i.      He placed the physical needs of his life above the spiritual needs of his life.

           ii.      He traded away his birthright for some food.

f.        He didn’t think about the future only about the present.

g.      He took something that was important and made it common.

           i.      If you think about it, he gave up a good relationship with his parents.

           ii.      Not only that, he gave up the opportunity to have the Messiah descend through his lineage.

h.      Because of his profanity, willingness to treat the spiritual as common place, he lost out on a tremendous opportunity.

i.        Defilement leads to missed opportunities.

           i.      We miss out on the opportunity to do good to others.

           ii.      We miss out on the opportunity be an example.

           iii.      We will miss out on the opportunity to go to heaven.

j.        In verse 17, the ASV has, “for a change of mind in his father”.

           i.      Esau sought a change later but because of earlier actions his father could not change his mind.

           ii.      We must live with the consequences of our defilement.

           iii.      This does not mean that Esau could not repent of his sin, just that he couldn’t change the outcome with his father.

k.      When we defile ourselves with sin, there are consequences of it.

           i.      It may be a lost opportunity to influence someone.

‍ ‍ii. Whatever it is, we have to deal with those consequences, possibly for life.

l.        We must avoid defilement to endure the storms of life

What Do You Want Me To Do For You? 8-23-26 AM

I.            Comparing the two.

a.      Both came to Jesus because they believed He could do what no one else could (Mark 10:35, 47).

           i.      Whatever else was wrong with James and John’s request, they understood something correctly: Jesus had authority they did not.

1.      They could not appoint themselves to place of honor in His kingdom.

2.      If those positions were to be granted, Jesus was the One to whom they had to come.

           ii.      Bartimaeus understood the same thing but at a much deeper level.

1.      He could not open his own eyes.

2.      So when he heard Jesus was passing by, he cried out to the One he believed could do what he could not do for himself.

           iii.      This is the point where prayer begins isn’t it?

1.      Prayer is an acknowledgement that there are things we can’t do and we need God.

2.      John 15:5; Heb. 4:16.

           iv.      Prayer is much more than giving God information.

           v.      Prayer is admitting our dependence up on God.

b.      Both had definite desires (Mark 10:37, 51).

           i.      Neither said, “Jesus just do something.”

1.      Their desires are expressed plainly.

2.      We need to speak specifically to God in prayer (Matt. 6:11; Php. 4:6).

3.      Specific prayer forces us to identify what is occupying our minds.

           ii.      Sometimes our prayers remain general because general prayers never force us to confront what we really want.

1.      Lord, bless me – how?

2.      Lord, help me – with what?

3.      Lord, make things better – what exactly needs changing?

          iii.      There is great value in saying to God, “Father, this is what I desire,” then laying it all out there.

1.      Not because God doesn’t know.

2.      But because we need to know what we are asking for.

          iv.      Specific prayer brings the desires of our hearts into the light.

c.      Both were invited by Jesus to speak.

          i.      Jesus did not silence either party.

1.      He invited them to answer.

2.      He already knew their hearts, but He still asked, “what do you want me to do for you?”

          ii.      The Lord is not threatened in the least by our requests – He invites us to bring our desires and cares before Him (1 Pe. 5:7).

1.      The invitation to pray does not mean every request is granted.

2.      It does mean every faithful child of God is invited to speak.

II.            Contrasting the two.

a.      The question of Jesus may be the same to both groups, but the hearts answering Him are very different.

b.      One request came from ambition; the other from need.

            i.      *Mark 10:37 – they are asking for status, position, recognition.

1.      They want to be elevated above others.

2.      The other disciples sure understood it this way (Mark 10:41).

3.      Jesus exposes the underlying problem (Mark 10:42-43).

4.      Their request reflected the world’s definition of greatness.

            ii.      Mark 10:51 – the request of Bartimaeus is entirely different.

1.      He is not asking to be greater than anyone else, just for mercy.

2.      James and john are asking to be raised above others.

3.      Bartimaeus is asking for mercy.

4.      What a stark contrast.

           iii.      There is nothing wrong with asking for blessings from God.

1.      We have to ask, “Why do I want what I want.

2.      Remember what we read from James 4:3 earlier?

           iv.      A prayer can sound spiritual while being driven by pride.

1.      Lord, make me successful – why?

2.      Lord, give me more – why?

3.      The request may not be sinful, but the motive may be.

           v.      God is concerned with not only with what I ask, but why I ask.

c.       One wanted Jesus to serve their ambition; the other depended upon His mercy.

           i.      Mark 10:35 – almost sounds like an attempt to secure a blank check before telling Jesus what they want.

1.      Promise you will give us what we are about to ask for.

2.      Discipleship does not mean getting Jesus to do whatever we want.

3.      Discipleship means learning to want what Jesus wants.

           ii.      Mark 10:47 – he does not come as though Jesus owes him something.

1.      He comes as a man utterly dependent on mercy.

2.      This is the posture that prayer requires, like that of the publican in Luke 18:13.

           iii.      There is a big difference between saying, “God use your power to accomplish my will,” and saying, “God I am depending upon you. Do what is right in my life.”

1.      One treats God as the servant of our will or agenda.

2.      The other approaches God as Lord.

           iv.      Faith does not demand Jesus to serve my agenda; it depends upon His mercy.

d.      Jesus’ question exposed something different in each heart.

           i.      Why would an omniscient Jesus ask either group what they wanted?

1.      Jesus already knew.

2.     Jesus was not asking because He lacked information.

          ii.      The question was for them.

          iii.      With James and John, Jesus wanted to them to verbalize the request to expose their misunderstanding of spiritual greatness.

1.      When they gave their response, this opened the door for Jesus.

2.      Mark 10:38 – Jesus basically says, “You know what you want but you don’t understand what you are asking.”

3.      This allowed Jesus to teach them greatness in the kingdom comes from service, not position (Mark 10:43-44).

4.      Then He gives the ultimate model (Mark 10:45).

5.      Jesus got them to expose their ambition so He can reshape it.

          iv.      The answer of Bartimaeus expresses faith and dependence.

1.      He confesses his inability while expressing confidence in Jesus’ ability.

2.      Jesus gives him a wonderful answer (Mark 10:52).

          v.      God already knows what we need (Matt. 6:8), so why pray?

1.      Prayer is not giving God information He lacks.

2.      Prayer changes our posture before God.

3.      In prayer, we confess need, expose our desires, examine our motives, surrender our wills.

          vi.      Prayer does not inform God; it reveals and reshapes the heart of the one praying.

e.      One sought greatness; the other responded by following Jesus.

          i.      There is a beautiful detail at the end of the account of Bartimaeus.

1.      Jesus tells him his faith has made him whole.

2.      But the verse does not stop there (Mark 10:52).

          ii.      Jesus said, “Go your way,” and Bartimaeus basically says, “Your way is my way.”

1.      While James and John wanted glory, Bartimaeus simply wanted to follow Jesus on the road.

2.      James and John wanted seats while Bartemaeus wanted sight.

3.      When he got it, he used it to follow Jesus.

         iii.      What will we do if God gives us what we ask for?

1.      If He gives us health, will we use it to do more for Him?

2.      If He provides for us financially, will we give as we’ve been prospered?

3.      If He opens the door, will we walk through it to glorify Him?

4.      If He answers the prayer, will we allow the answer to lead us closer to Jesus?

         iv.      The blessings of God are not an end; they should move us to greater discipleship.

III.            Concern for today.

a.     What should these two encounters teach us and change in us today?

b.     We should pray with dependence.

          i.      Bartimaeus knew he could not heal himself.

          ii.      We need that same recognition (Ps. 121:1-2; Heb. 4:16).

          iii.      Prayer is an act of faith that says, “God I need you.”

          iv.      Our culture prizes and praises self-sufficiency and prayer destroys the illusion of it – we desperately need God.

c.      Pray honestly and specifically.

          i.      We should be able to answer the question of Jesus honestly before God.

          ii.      When Paul tells us to let our requests be made know unto God, we need to do just that.

          iii.      Tell God what hurts, what we fear, what we desire, what we hope will happen.

          iv.      Nothing good comes from pretending before the God who already knows our hearts.

d.     Examine our motives.

          i.      This is the warning from James and John.

          ii.      We need to first ask, “Why do I want God to give this to me,” before we ask, “Is this something God can give me?”

          iii.      Are we wanting it because it feeds our pride or because it makes us more devoted to Jesus?

          iv.      Are we asking for God to be glorified or just our own comfort?

          v.      Do we want God’s will – or God’s assistance with our will?

          vi.      Ps. 139:23-24.

e.      Submit every request to God’s will.

          i.      Jesus modeled this for us.

1.      If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

2.      This was honest and specific, but it was not the end.

3.      Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.

          ii.      This is mature prayer, that shows a surrendered will.

          iii.      We must bring our desires to God and then lay them beneath His wisdom.

          iv.      1 John 5:14.

f.       Let answered prayer produce greater discipleship.

          i.      Once sight was given to Bartimaeus, he began to follow Jesus.

1.      That ought to be our desire – “God, if you give me what I’m asking for, use it to make me more faithful”

2.      God, if I’m healed, let me serve you more.

3.      If You bless me, give me opportunity to bless others.

4.      If you open this door of opportunity, let me glorify you through it.

          ii.      But we also need to be willing to day, “Father, if Your answer is no, may I have the strength and will to follow You anyway.”

          iii.      Sometimes faith is demonstrated when God gives us what we ask.

          iv.      Faith is definitely demonstrated when God does not give us what we ask and we follow Him anyway.

1.      Paul learned that lesson with his thorn in the flesh.

2.      He asked three times for it to be removed and God said… (2 Cor. 12:9).

          v.      The goal of prayer is not just to get an answer but to grow as a disciple no matter what the answer is.

Danger Signs Of Lukewarm Christianity 8-16-26 AM

I.            They were in danger because they were unsafe (Rev. 3:15-16).

a.      Jesus says “I know your works.”

          i.      It wasn’t that they were doing nothing.

          ii.      One writer said that what they were doing works wise was probably just giving money but never actively participating in the Lord’s work.

b.      Jesus is saying, “I know all that you are doing and you are not hot or cold, just lukewarm and that makes me want to vomit.”

          i.      He is not saying that he is a little disappointed in them.

          ii.      He is saying, “You’re spiritual condition is so unacceptable that I am about to reject you.

c.      The Greek language literally says, “I am about to vomit you out of my mouth.”

d.      What needs to be remembered is that this is not being written to people who have never belonged to Jesus, but to the church at Laodicea – these were Christians.

          i.      Christians were being warned that they were facing rejection by Jesus.

          ii.      This is one of the multitude of passages that make the idea of “once saved, always saved” a ridiculously false doctrine.

          iii.      Leroy Brownlow wrote that the threat by Jesus to spew the Laodiceans out of His mouth makes no sense if apostasy is impossible.

e.      Jesus gave a similar warning in John 15:6.

          i.      The branch is in Him.

          ii.      The danger is failing to remain in Him.

f.        Paul warns us as well (1 Cor. 10:12) – you can’t meaningfully warn someone not to fall if falling is impossible.

g.      There is a difference in confidence in Christ and complacency toward Christ.

h.      We need to go over our past actions as well as present practices, but that isn’t enough.

i.        We also need to ask am I walking with Jesus, am I fighting sin, am I praying, growing, repenting, serving, becoming more like Christ?

j.        Yesterday’s faithfulness will never substitute for today’s faithfulness.

II.            They were in danger because they were unaware (Rev. 3:17-18).

a.      They said, “I am rich, I am prosperous, I need nothing.”

b.      Jesus said, “You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked.”

c.      There was a tremendous difference between their perceived condition and their real condition.

d.      What Jesus is really saying is, “You don’t know what condition you are really in.”

          i.      Their greatest problem was not that they were poor; it was that they didn’t know they were poor.

          ii.      Their greatest problem was not they were blind; it was that they didn’t know they were blind.

          iii.      Their greatest problem was not they were naked; it was that they didn’t know they were naked.

e.      Their city had trained them to say that they needed nothing.

           i.      An earthquake hits: We don’t need Rome’s help.

           ii.      Illness arises: We have the best medical treatments in the known world.

           iii.      Need clothing: We have the best wool in the world.

           iv.      Need money: We are a banking center for all of Asia Minor.

f.        Somewhere along the way, the attitude of the city had become the attitude of the congregation.

g.      Self-sufficiency had infected their spirituality.

h.      They had enough religion to make them comfortable, but not enough devotion to make them do some self-examination.

i.        There is a very dangerous assumption we as Christians can make: I’m here, so I’m ok.

           i.      I came Sunday morning.

           ii.      I’m at Bible class.

           iii.      I’m taking the Lord’s Supper.

           iv.      I’ll put some money in the plate.

           v.      I’m still in the directory.

           vi.      Everything must be fine.

j.        This letter from our Lord destroys that logic.

           i.      We can sing “I Surrender All” while surrendering very little.

           ii.      We can take the Lord’s Supper and never give thought to the sacrifice of Jesus.

           iii.      We can know enough Bible to diagnose everyone else’s spiritual problems while being blind to our own.

k.      This is why self-examination is so important (2 Cor. 13:5).

l.        We need regular self-examination because a self-deception is very possible.

m.    The most dangerous spiritual blindness is thinking you can already see.

III.            They were in danger because they were unclothed (Rev. 3:18).

a.      There is definitely irony here on the part of Jesus.

          i.      The city was famous for its luxurious wool.

          ii.      But, Jesus says, “You need clothes, but not what your city produces.”

b.      They could dress themselves in Laodicean wool but only Jesus could clothe their souls.

c.      Jesus tells them they need white garments; an image which appears frequently in the book of Revelation.

          i.      Rev. 3:4-5.

          ii.      Rev. 6:11.

          iii.      Rev. 7:9 tells of the redeemed before the throne.

          iv.      Rev. 7:14 tells of how their robes became white.

d.     Blood makes their robes white.

         i.      Not their goodness, their wealth, their accomplishments, or their religious resumes.

         ii.      Only the blood of the Lamb.

e.     When Jesus says they are naked and need to buy white garments from Him, He is saying, “What you possess cannot make you acceptable before God. You need only what I can provide.”

f.       The Laodiceans had clothing everyone else admired, but Jesus saw nakedness.

g.     We can do the same thing spiritually.

h.     We can say:

          i.      My family has always gone to church.

          ii.      I’ve been a Christian for 30 years.

          iii.      I know my Bible.

          iv.      I don’t do the things other people do.

          v.      I’ve been an elder, or a deacon.

          vi.      I preach.

          vii.      I teach.

          viii.      I give.

i.        None of these things replace being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and then walking in the light.

j.        It will never be a matter of “Do other Christians think I am spiritual?”

k.      It will always be a matter of “How does Jesus see me?”

l.        We need the white garments Christ provides, which represent the cleansing, righteousness, purity, and victory that are made possible through Him.

m.    We can look spiritually well-dressed to people and stand naked before God.

IV.            They were in danger because they were unopen to Jesus (Rev. 3:19-20).

a.      This warning is not the anger of someone who wants to destroy them, but the correction of Someone who wants them back.

b.     Jesus says He is standing at the door and knocking.

          i.       We need to remember something very important.

          ii.      Jesus is speaking to Christians.

          iii.      This is not Jesus knocking on the heart of a non-believer, attempting to get the non-believer to invite Him into his heart in order to be saved.

          iv.      It is Jesus standing outside a congregation that had effectively shut Him out.

c.      Revelation 3:20 is written to Christians in an unfaithful congregation and the knocking pictures Jesus seeking readmission as they repent and return to being a faithful and obedient congregation.

d.     Think of how tragic this is:

          i.      They still had a congregation.

          ii.      They still had services.

          iii.      They still had religion.

          iv.      But Jesus was on the outside looking in.

e.      Jesus is appealing to them to respond to Him.

           i.      He has not stopped caring.

           ii.      He has not stopped loving.

           iii.      He is calling, correcting, warning, and inviting them back.

f.        Notice the individual responsibility – “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door.”

           i.      Each member of the congregation had the responsibility to change him/herself.

           ii.      It may just be one who no longer wanted to be lukewarm.

g.      If even one would answer, Jesus would be in fellowship with him or her, which is indicated by Jesus saying He would eat with that person.

h.      How does Jesus end up outside the life of a Christian?

           i.      We don’t usually wake up one day and say, “I don’t want Jesus anymore.”

           ii.      We get busy with work, kids activities, sports, our phones and devices, entertainment, investments, projects, vacations, hobbies, politics, or any other number of things.

           iii.      None of these things necessarily announce to us “I am replacing Jesus.”

i.        We simply give Him less, then less, then even less, until Jesus is just getting the leftovers.

           i.      Leftover time, attention, energy, devotion.

           ii.      And somehow, we still convince ourselves, “Everything is fine.”

j.        Jesus refuses to be an accessory to our lives because He is Lord.

k.      The Laodiceans had not stopped believing Jesus existed.

l.        They had simply learned how to live without depending on Him.

m. A life too full for Jesus is a life that is spiritually empty.

Do Not Grow Weary 8-9-26 PM

I.            The problem (Hebrews 12:3).

a.      The writer starts out by telling them to set their thoughts on Jesus to avoid one of the great problems Christians face: growing weary in living for the Lord.

           i.      The word for “wearied” carries the idea of “to despond”.

           ii.      We don’t usually use this word as a verb, but as an adjective.

           iii.      We might say, “He is becoming despondent”.

           iv.      Despondent carries the idea of depression.

           v.      Despond means to become depressed by loss of hope, confidence, or courage.

b.      This whole book is about building up one’s faith in Christ as the Better option to anything offered, including Judaism.

           i.      Faith gives us courage to face the storms of life in whatever form they may take.

           ii.      These brethren needed the courage to take on Judaism and their friends and family who were calling them back to it.

c.       It takes great courage to stand up for Christ against family and friends.

d.      It is very possible to grow weary or lose courage, which causes us to become spiritually depressed.

e.      I believe this is why the Holy Spirit inspired the writer to use the word we have translated endured with reference to Jesus at the beginning of this passage.

           i.      He reminded them of the fact that Jesus endured all that the sinners of the Jewish leaders threw at Him.

           ii.      That word carries the meaning of “to endure, bear bravely and calmly”.

f.        One of the things that has always amazed me about the night and day of the trials of Jesus is the calmness our Lord maintained throughout.

           i.      He never yelled back or became angry.

           ii.      He endured bravely and calmly all that was thrown at Him.

g.      It could have overcome Jesus but His faith was such that He would not allow it.

           i.      He wouldn’t grow weary because of that faith.

           ii.      These brethren, and us are encouraged to have that type faith.

h.      This problem of growing weary is very real and we must prepare for it.

II.            The possibilities (Hebrews 12:3-5).

a.      From where do these trials or storms come?

b.      Our writer gives us two places from which these trials come.

c.       I want to mention one that is not in this context.

           i.      Sometimes we are tried because of we live in a sinful world.

           ii.      Disease, natural storms and things such as this happen, while possible given by God, but not all of them.

d.      Sometimes we are tempted to be grow weary because of the sins of others.

           i.      This is what we see from the life of Jesus.

1.      He endured the slights and abuses of sinners.

a.      Contradictions means to a speaking against.

b.      All types of accusations were hurled at our Lord.

2.      He also resisted unto blood.

a.      The writer uses a word that is only found here for resist.

b.      It literally means to set down troops against.

c.       This goes along with the idea of the word translated strive, which means to struggle or fight against a thing.

3.      Jesus went to war against sin and set Himself up against it until His blood was shed.

4.      These brethren had not done that, but notice the word yet.

5.      It was coming possibly and they needed to be prepared for it as do we.

          ii.      The attacks of the world, the pressures of people around us, can all add up to weary us.

1.      We must prepare for them and know they are coming.

2.      Faith must be built up and we must be maturing spiritually before the storms arrive.

3.      Remember that these brethren had already been chastised by the writer because they had failed to grow.

e.      Sometimes we are tempted to grow weary because of the discipline of God.

           i.      Our writer was inspired to quote from Proverbs 3:11-12.

           ii.      In this text, the writer is reminding us that sometimes God is disciplining us because we are out of line.

           iii.      We need rebuking or discipline because of our actions or inactions.

           iv.      These may be considered storms we’ve brought on ourselves.

f.        This was something they should have known because the writer told them they had forgotten this teaching.

           i.      It was from an Old Testament passage so they should have known it.

           ii.      It was something that had been taught and needs to be taught to Christians throughout all ages.

g.      We have storms in life because of sin in the world, because of the sin of others, and because of our own sin and God disciplines us for it.

III.            The purpose of discipline (Hebrews 12:6-11).

a.      We might ask why God feels the need to discipline us.

b.      The first reason, and greatest, is that He loves us.

           i.      If God did not care about us, then He would not worry with us when we do something wrong.

           ii.      Love will not allow someone to keep on sinning.

           iii.      Love is seeking out the best for someone, which is the opposite of allowing one to continue in sin.

c.       The second reason is that God is our spiritual Father.

           i.      He scourges every son He receives.

           ii.      Scourges is a metaphor for training to be followers of His.

1.      We need this training don’t we?

2.      The Christian life is not a natural one.                                                         

d.      Verse 8 tells us that God disciplines us for our good.

e.      He gives us an illustration of our earthly parents.

           i.      Our parents disciplined us according to their whims, just like we do our children.

1.      Certain things that one set of parents may not allow their children do may be allowed by another set.

2.      Some things are big deals to one set of parents while they don’t mean so much to another set of parents.

3.      Sometimes we discipline for something once and then let it slide the next.

ii.      We aren’t consistent like God is.

f.        If we honor our parents, should we not much more honor God and place ourselves in subjection to Him?

g.      The third purpose that is given is that it causes us to yield the fruit of righteousness.

           i.      We come to realize the behavior we have been exhibiting is wrong and God will not tolerate it and we change.

           ii.      This is wholesome or peace bringing.

           iii.      We will live lives of righteousness because we have learned what is not acceptable through God.

           iv.      Children come to understand that certain actions are not acceptable because of parental discipline.

           v.      The same is true for the child of God.

The Silence Of The Scriptures 8-9-26 AM

I.            Two important principles concerning silence.

a.      We use silence in our normal understanding of language.

b.      Surely God would expect us to use it to understand Him.

c.       Wedding invitation - June 6, 7 PM @ Blackwater Macedonia.

           i.      One date is specified -we know not to show on the 5th or 7th.

           ii.      The invitation doesn’t have to list all the other dates.

d.      The time and place are specified.

e.      The 1st principle is: if one or more options out of a category are specified, silence about all other options in that category excludes them.

            i.      Pharmacists fill a prescription based on what the doctor writes not what he did not write.

            ii.      Builders build according to size of what architect drew not what he did not draw.

            iii.      Notice this Biblical example - 1 Samuel 13:13 - Leviticus 1:7.

f.        Did you notice a category in which invitation was silent?

            i.      The invitation said nothing about dress.

            ii.      All options are open because the invitation says nothing about it.

            iii.      If it said formal attire then everything else would be excluded.

            iv.      I do need to be careful as to appropriateness and modesty but everything is open as to dress.

            v.      A biblical example - the Lord’s Supper - the day is specified but not the time.

g.      Second principle is if a category is left open with nothing specified, we may choose any options in that category.

II.            Old Testament evidence of silence prohibiting.

a.      Genesis 4:3-4.

            i.      Abel’s offering was by faith (Hebrews 11:4) - which comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) - not what was left unspoken.

            ii.      Cain’s was what he wanted to give and was rejected.

b.      Noah constructed the ark by faith (Hebrews 11:7), which is defined for us in Genesis 6:22.

            i.      This idea is often ridiculed - one man said here he goes pulling out Noah’s worn out saw.

            ii.      The question still remains, would Noah have been saved changing divine directives?

c.       Nadab and Abihu were destroyed for not respecting God’s silence (Leviticus 10:1-2).

            i.      God had told them from where their fire was to come (Leviticus 16:12).

            ii.      They ignored that command and obtained fire from somewhere else and were destroyed because of it.

d.      Deuteronomy 10:8 - only the Levites were mentioned.

            i.      Was this silence prohibitive?

            ii.      Yes, because of 1 Chronicles 15:2 - implies no one else.

            iii.      They were to carry it by poles (Exodus 25:12-14).

            iv.      David decided to move by a new cart (2 Samuel 6:3).

            v.      This was a sin because as David later confessed…(1 Chronicles 15:13).

e.      Exodus 20:2-3.

            i.      Jeremiah was told to tell people to amend their ways (Jeremiah 7:3).

            ii.      Jeremiah 7:31 tells us about their ways at that time.

            iii.      Notice Wayne Jackson’s statement about this: A comparison of this passage, with the original law forbidding idolatry, plainly shows that a practice which the Lord has not commanded is equivalent to an explicit prohibition. The Bible is it’s own best commentary.

f.        Why was Moses kept out of Promised Land?

            i.      Was it not because He failed to listen to the silence of God?

            ii.      God had told Moses to strike a rock to obtain water in the past (Exodus 17:6).

            iii.      The second time God was going to give water out of a rock to the Israelites had a different command - to speak to the rock (Numbers 20:7-9).

            iv.      Instead, Moses struck the rock like he had done in the past and God punished him for it (Numbers 20:10-12).

            v.      If Moses had respected the silence of God on this issue, Moses would probably have made it into the Promised Land.

III.            New Testament evidence of silence prohibiting.

a.      1 Corinthians 4:6 - we are not to go beyond the things which are written.

           i.      If we go beyond what is written, we have gone into silence.

           ii.      Again, what is God saying when He hasn’t said anything?

b.      Notice 2 John 9.

           i.      There is an objective body of truth.

           ii.      To step beyond, whether something mentioned specifically or in the realm of silence is sinful.

c.       Colossians 2:22-23 - will worship.

           i.      Vine says it is voluntarily adopted worship whether unbidden or forbidden.

           ii.      Thayer says it is worship which one devises and prescribes for himself.

           iii.      If I can, with divine approval, operate in the realm of silence, why can I not devise and prescribe for myself what I want?

d.      The Hebrews writer stated the superiority of Jesus over the angels.

           i.      One of his points was one may not place angels in the same class as God’s Son.

           ii.      Why not - because of what is said in Hebrews 1:5.

           iii.      When God is silent, man can‘t presume upon God.

e.      Notice Hebrews 8:4.

           i.      Why could Jesus not function as a priest on earth?

           ii.      Hebrews 7:14.

           iii.      God through Moses spoke nothing about priests from the tribe of Judah.

           iv.      Silence amounts to no authority

           v.      This argument has never been answered by those that say silence allows.

IV.            Consequence of rejecting this principle.

a.      The consequence is I can do nearly anything I want.

b.      Notice statement from Rubel Shelly from around forty years ago: “If it were the case that anything not expressly forbidden in the New Testament is permissible in the Christian religion, then we could not only use pianos to accompany our singing but beads to aid our prayers, crucifixes to focus or devotion, and hashish to enhance our sensitivity. We could also initiate an organizational network similar to that which has been protested so strongly in Catholicism or begin financing church projects w/bingo games (where legal) on Tuesday evenings. Not one of these things is explicitly forbidden in the New Testament, and no one who denies the legitimacy of the authority principle as outlined above can consistently argue against any of them.”

The Role Of The Holy Spirit In Conversion 8-2-26 AM

I.            The work of the Holy Spirit in conversion.

a.      The primary work of the Holy Spirit in conversion is not to open the heart of the sinner to illuminate the word of God.

           i.      This is Calvinism.

           ii.      Calvinism teaches that since we are so depraved in heart and soul, the Holy Spirit must act directly upon our hearts to allow us to understand the word of God.

           iii.      This is a disgraceful view of the inability of God’s word to be understood and taken in, which is completely false.

b.      The primary work of the Holy Spirit in conversion is to convict the hearer of his sinfulness.

           i.      Two examples show this to be the case:

1.      Those on the Day of Pentecost were converted to Christ as the text bears out, calling them saved (vs. 47).

a.      Before they were saved, they were pricked in their hearts by what Peter and the 11 were preaching (Acts 2:37).

b.      They were convicted of the fact that they had killed the Son of God and were lost.

2.      The second is the conversion case of Saul of Tarsus.

a.      There is no doubt that as he sat blind in the house of Judas on Straight Street that he was not convicted of his sin.

b.      He was repenting of all that he had done against Jesus in his efforts to kill Christians.

c.      The Holy Spirit does the convicting in the heart of sinners (John 16:7-8).

          i.      The word “reprove” is the same Greek word that is translated “convinceth” in John 8:46 and “convicted” in John 8:9.

          ii.      Thayer says this word means “to convict, refute, confute, generally with a suggestion of the shame the person convicted of crime, fault or error; or sin”.

          iii.      NASB and ESV have the word “convict” instead of “reprove”.

d.      The work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion process is to convict the hearer that he or she has sin for which forgiveness is needed.

II.            The way the Holy Spirit convicts is through the word of God.

a.      The Calvinist tells you that the Holy Spirit operates directly on the heart of the sinner.

b.      In Acts 2, you have the Holy Spirit in both presence and power before a multitude of people who were lost.

           i.      If there was ever a time where the Bible would teach that the Holy Spirit operates directly on the heart of a sinner this would be it.

           ii.      There is no doubt that the people present understood something different was happening before them.

c.      The Calvinist would tell us that the Holy Spirit must open the heart of the sinner in order for there to be understanding of scripture, but in the direct presence of the Holy Spirit there was only confusion on the part of the lost.

           i.      Notice Acts 2:6-7, 12.

           ii.      They were confounded and amazed.

           iii.      Other translations have words like bewildered, amazed, perfectly astounded, perplexed.

           iv.      Do any of those words sound like enlightened or illuminated?

           v.      In fact, some of those people present called out and asked, “What shall we do”.

           vi.      This in no way indicates that the Holy Spirit operated directly on their hearts.

d.      These people only came to a point where they could be converted when Peter and the 11 preached to them and told them what to do.

           i.      Notice Acts 2:14, 22, 36.

           ii.      Peter lifted up his voice and said hear my words.

           iii.      Peter said for them to know assuredly.

           iv.      Notice again Acts 2:37 – “when they heard”.

           v.      Notice Acts 2:40-41 – with many words, they that gladly received his words.

e.      Here is a group of sinners in the presence of the Holy Spirit who came to understand that they were lost because of the words spoken by Spirit inspired men, not a direct operation of the Holy Spirit on their hearts.

f.       The conversion of the Ethiopian is another illustration of the way one is saved.

          i.      Acts 8:26-40.

          ii.      Philip was told by the Holy Spirit to go to this man.

          iii.      Why not just do it Himself?

          iv.      The answer is, because that is not how the Holy Spirit operates.

g.     The conversion of Cornelius is another example this.

          i.      Acts 10:5 – “he shall tell thee…”

          ii.      Acts 10:22 – “to hear words”

          iii.      When Peter recounted this conversion he said… (Acts 11:14).

          iv.      Notice also that the Holy Spirit was present in this case and even came upon the sinner and his sinful family (Acts 10:44).

          v.      These people still needed to be baptized because they were in their sins (Acts 10:47-48).

          vi.      Why couldn’t the Holy Spirit cut out all time, travel, and money that it took to get Peter to Cornelius and just do it Himself?

          vii.      The answer is, because that is not how the Holy Spirit operates.

h.     The parable of sower has no point if the Holy Spirit operates directly on the heart of a sinner.

i.       How did Apollos mightily convince the Jews?

          i.      Acts 18:28 – convinced is from the root word used in John 16:8.

          ii.      He convicted them of truth by showing them by or through the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

          iii.      Why didn’t the Holy Spirit jump on their hearts to show them this fact?

          iv.      The answer is, because that is not how the Holy Spirit operates.

j.       There are numerous verses that teach the fact that the sinner needs to hear God’s word in order to obey God.

          i.      John 15:3.

          ii.      Acts 15:7.

          iii.      Acts 14:1.

          iv.      Acts 16:32-33.

          v.      1 Thessalonians 2:16 – Jews were guilty of rebellion against God for this.

          vi.      James 1:21.

k.      The New Testament is clear that the Holy Spirit works through the word of God in convicting men of their sins leading to their conversion.
III.            Wrong ideas taught by saying Holy Spirit acts directly on the heart.

a.      This doctrine does away with the need for preaching.

          i.      1 Corinthians 1:21.

          ii.      John 6:44-45.

b.     This doctrine shows God to be partial.

          i.      If all do not receive a direct operation of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, God plays favorites.

          ii.      Acts 10:34-35.

c.      This doctrine does away with the mission of the church.

          i.      Matthew 28:19-20.

          ii.      Mark 16:15.

          iii.      2 Timothy 2:2.

d.     This doctrine refutes the all sufficiency of the scriptures.

          i.      You don’t need the Bible if the Holy Spirit is acting directly on your heart.

          ii.      2 Timothy 3:16-17.

e.      This doctrine destroys the idea that the gospel is God’s power to save.

           i.      If the Holy Spirit is acting on you, there is no need for the gospel message.

           ii.      Romans 1:16.

f.        This doctrine refutes every conversion account in the book of Acts.

           i.      We’ve already looked at some of them.

           ii.      In not one case did the Holy Spirit act directly on the heart of one who was converted.

e. Though present in a very powerful way in Acts 2, He did not act directly.

Run The Race 7-26-26 PM

I.            The reminder.

a.      Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses… (Heb. 12:1).

b.      The word “wherefore” connects this chapter to chapter 11.

           i.      This word, sometimes seen as therefore, is an emphatic conclusion.

           ii.      It carries the idea of, “In light of all that was just said.”

c.       Because Abel trusted God, Noah obeyed God, Abraham left home, Moses chose mistreatment with God people, you keep running too.

d.      The word compassed about is also translated surrounded.

           i.      It means to be encircled, or to have something situated all around you.

           ii.      Wherever they look, they can find evidence that faithfulness is possible.

           iii.      They are surrounded by Abel’s worship, Noah’s obedience, Abraham’s trust, the prophets courage.

e.      The word translated cloud has the figurative meaning of a large, dense multitude.

           i.      This was not some small band of exceptional spiritual heroes.

           ii.      It is a massive company of people whose lives declare that God is trustworthy.

f.        The word translated witnesses is from the Greek word that we get our word martyr.

           i.      A witness is someone who testifies to what is true or false.

           ii.      I used to believe this meant this great cloud of Old Testament faithful were in an arena watching and cheering us on as we run.

           iii.      I have come to believe that this means their lives are bearing witness to the faithfulness of God.

           iv.      They are not merely watching us – they are speaking to us.

1.      Abel’s life testifies, “Worship God His way.

2.      Noah’s life testifies, “Obey even when no one else understands.”

3.      Abraham’s life testifies, “Follow God even when you don’t know every detail.”

4.      Moses’ life testifies, “The reproach of Christ is worth more than the treasures of Egypt.

5.      Every person in Hebrews 11 says, “We endured by faith, and you can too.”

g.      We live in a culture that constantly shows us examples of compromise.

           i.      We see people abandoning commitments.

           ii.      We see marriages discarded.

           iii.      We see convictions surrendered.

           iv.      We see Christians gradually getting more and more comfortable with sin.

h.      Scripture reminds us that we are also surrounded by examples of endurance.

           i.      The Christians who taught you the gospel.

           ii.      The godly men and women who remained faithful through grief.

           iii.      Those who served Christ through illness.

           iv.      Those who quietly worshiped, prayed, gave, served, and obeyed for decades.

i.        Their lives all testify that God can be trusted.

j.        You may be struggling, but you are not the first to struggle.

           i.      You may be suffering, but you are not the first to suffer.

           ii.      You may feel tired, but you are not the first to feel tired.

k.      Others endured, and by God’s grace, we can endure too.

l.        The faithfulness of those before us reminds us that we can finish the race.

II.            The renouncing.

a.      “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…” (Heb. 12:1).

b.      These witnesses remind us that the race can be completed, but also that you have to renounce some things that hinder us.

c.       The imagery comes from athletic competition.

           i.      The ancient Greek world valued athletic contests and running events were central to those competitions.

           ii.      Some races were fairly short, but others required great stamina.

           iii.      The precise distance could vary, but they were races of endurance rather than one sudden burst of speed.

d.      Athletes trained intensely and practiced great discipline.

           i.      They would condition their bodies by running with weights on.

           ii.      When it was time to compete, runners removed anything unnecessary that could restrict their movement.

e.      A person might train while carrying resistance, but no sensible runner enters the race wearing unnecessary weight.

           i.      You may train with weights.

           ii.      You do not race with them.

f.        The writer applies this picture spiritually.

g.      The phrase lay aside means to take off, or remove.

           i.      It is used of taking off clothing.

           ii.      It describes deliberate action – the runner is not waiting for the weight to fall off accidentally.

           iii.      There are things that Christian must intentionally put away.

           iv.      We can’t pet them, excuse them, or manage them.

           v.      We have to remove them.

h.      The word translated weight refers to a bulk, burden, mass, or encumbrance.

           i.      A weight is not necessarily sinful in itself – it may simply be something that slows us down.

           ii.      This is a distinction that matters.

           iii.      The writer says to lay aside every weight and the sin that besets us.

           iv.      Some things are inherently sinful while others are spiritually dangerous because they consume attention, weaken resolve, or interfere with faithfulness.

           v.      The question is not, “Is this technically sinful?

           vi.      The question is, “Is this helping me run toward Jesus?”

           vii.      A hobby may not be sinful but it can become a weight.

           viii.      A relationship may not begin as sinful, but it can become a weight.

           ix.      Same with work, technology and other things, because even good things can become harmful when they keep us from the best thing.

i.        The phrase easily besets us is also translated clings so closely.

           i.      It’s the only time this Greek word is used in the New Testament and seems to carry the idea of something that easily surrounds, entangles, or trips us the runner.

           ii.      The picture is of sin wrapping itself around our feet and making it difficult to impossible to run the race.

           iii.      Sin never helps us run – it only entangles.

           iv.      Some interpreters suggest that, in this context, the sin is that of unbelief, which fits the major warning of Hebrews.

           v.      Remember the warning about the Israelites who failed to enter the land of rest (Heb. 3:19).

           vi.      These Jewish Christians were being tempted to not trust Jesus, to turn away from the sufficiency of Jesus and return to what was familiar.

j.        Every runner has to ask, “What is slowing me down?”

           i.      What have we allowed to become spiritually heavy.

           ii.      What is weakening our prayer life?

           iii.      What keeps us from assembling with the saints?

           iv.      What is filling our minds with sinful thoughts?

           v.      What keeps wrapping around our feet?

k.      It is different things for each of us.

           i.      We cannot run freely while insisting on carrying what Jesus calls us to put down.

           ii.      We can’t pray, “Lord, help me run” while refusing to release the thing that is keeping us from running.

l.        God’s command is clear: lay it aside, put it away – confess it and repent of it.

m.    Think of a runner wearing a backpack.

           i.      He started running well but along the way he has decided to pick up stones.

           ii.      The stones have labels on them: pride, bitterness, lust, envy, fear, unbelief.

           iii.      After starting well, he can now barely put one foot in front of the other.

           iv.      How would we think of that runner if he would not put down those rocks?

           v.      In reality, how are thinking of ourselves if we are running weighed down with these problems?

n.      We can’t run faithfully while holding what God tells us to release.

III.            The running.

a.      “…let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” (Heb. 12:1).

b.      The writer does not tell us to admire the course, study other racers, or study the race from a distance.

c.      He says “Let us run.”

d.      Christianity requires personal participation.

          i.      No one can run for us.

          ii.      Not our parents, spouse, elders, or preacher.

e.      Other Christians can and should encourage us, correct us, pray for us, and run beside us – but you and I must continue responding to God in faith on our own.

f.        Let us run shows that the command is corporate.

           i.      The Christian life is personal but it is not meant to be isolated.

           ii.      We run, encourage, bear one another’s burdens, provoke one another to love and good works, assemble with one another.

           iii.      The church is not a crowd sitting beside the course criticizing the runners.

           iv.      The church is a community running together.

g.      The word patience, or endurance, denotes steadfastness, or the ability to remain under a burden without abandoning one’s commitment.

           i.      This is active faithfulness under pressure.

           ii.      Continuing to obey when obedience becomes difficult.

           iii.      Continuing to pray when we haven’t gotten an answer yet.

           iv.      Continuing to serve when no one notices.

           v.      Continuing to resist temptation when the struggle doesn’t immediately disappear.

           vi.      Continuing to trust God when we don’t understand what He is doing.

h.      The word for race is the word from which we receive the word agony and it describes a struggle, conflict, or race.

           i.      The Christian life is never presented as effortless.

           ii.      There is resistance and sometimes a lot of it.

           iii.      There is strain, pain, and opposition.

           iv.      There are moments when faithfulness hurts.

           v.      It does not mean we are on the wrong course.

           vi.      Sometimes difficulty is evidence that we are actually running.

i.        The race is “set before us.”

           i.      We don’t design the course, God has.

           ii.      Different Christians run through different terrain.

           iii.      Some run through seasons of prosperity while other through poverty.

           iv.      Some run through chronic illness.

           v.      Some run through grief.

           vi.      Some run through persecution.

           vii.      Some run through family hardship.

           viii.      We don’t choose every hill or obstacle.

           ix.      We are responsible for running the course God has placed before us.

           x.      Comparison is dangerous because we aren’t running someone else’s course.

           xi.      We might look at someone and think their course is easy, while they are struggling and we don’t know it.

           xii.      We have to run the race that is set before us.

j.        The Christian life is race, not a sprint.

           i.      A sprint depends heavily on explosive speed.

           ii.      A distance race requires pacing, discipline, and endurance.

           iii.      It is possible to begin the Christian life with excitement and still fail to finish faithfully.

k.      Jesus warned about those who received the word with all joy but have no root.

          i.      They endure for a little while and then, when it is difficult, fall away.

          ii.      We all know people like this.

l.       The race is not completed by one emotional moment, but by daily faithfulness.

          i.      One prayer at a time.

          ii.      One temptation overcome at a time.

          iii.      One act of forgiveness at a time.

          iv.      One worship assembly at a time.

          v.      One decision at a time.

m.    We can’t confuse slow progress with failure.

n.      At the end of his life, Paul said… (2 Tim. 4:7).

          i.      He did not say he had just started the race.

          ii.      He said, “I finished…”

o.      Faithfulness is not proven by how fast we start, but by refusing to quit.

IV.            The riveting.

a.      “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Heb. 12:2).

b.      Our English word “rivet” can describe fastening something securely in place.

c.       The writer tells us to fasten our attention on Jesus.

d.      The word for looking means to look away from one thing in order to concentrate on another.

          i.      This is not a mere glance in the direction of Jesus.

          ii.      It means directing our attention from distractions and fixing our eyes on Jesus.

          iii.      We look away from the crowd, the world, our failures, ourselves, temporary suffering and from the temptation to quit.

          iv.      We look to Jesus.

1.      Jesus is the founder of our faith, which carries the idea of leader or champion.

a.      Jesus has gone before us,

b.      He opened the way and completed the course perfectly.

2.      Jesus is the perfecter in that He brings faith to its intended completion.

a.      Jesus does not merely stand at the finish line telling us to run.

b.      He has already run the course.

e.      Think about the phrase “for the joy that was set before Him.”

          i.      He endured the cross but it was not joyful.

          ii.      All that pain, rejection, the cross, the nails, the yelling were not joyful.

          iii.      The joy lay beyond the suffering.

          iv.      He saw the result of His sacrifice, the redemption accomplished.

          v.      He saw the joy of Heb. 2:10.

          vi.      Jesus did not enjoy the cross because it was easy but because our salvation was worth the suffering.

f.       Jesus endured the cross.

          i.      Crucifixion was designed to produce prolonged suffering and public humiliation.

          ii.      It was reserved for the worst of the worst.

          iii.      The condemned person was displayed publicly stripped, mocked, naked, and left helpless before the crowds.

          iv.      For Jewish readers, crucifixion also carried the stigma of De. 21:23.

          v.      Paul used this language… (Gal. 3:13).

          vi.      Jesus accepted the place of shame, the mocking, the rejection.

          vii.      He was treated like an criminal and endured the hostility of sinners.

          viii.      He bore our sins in His own body.

g.     Despising the shame does not mean Jesus felt no pain or humiliation.

          i.      He regarded the shame as insignificant compared to the joy and glory beyond it.

          ii.      The shame spoke loudly, but Jesus didn’t let it have the final word.

          iii.      Through it all, the jeering, the temptation, the pain, Jesus remained on that cross.

h.     Because of that, He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

          i.      Jesus finished His race.

1.      The cross, the grave, the shame, were not the end.

2.      Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sat down at God’s right hand.

3.      Sitting indicates the completion of His sacrificial work (Heb. 10:12).

          ii.      Jesus won His race and now reigns beside the Father.

i.       We often lose endurance because we rivet our eyes on the wrong thing.

          i.      When we fix our eyes on the difficulty, it appears greater than God.

          ii.      When we fix our eyes on other people, their opinions begin controlling us.

          iii.      When we fix our eyes on ourselves, our failures overwhelm us.

j.       The answer is not to try harder but to look higher.

          i.      Look to Jesus when obedience is costly, when we are ashamed or our past, when people misunderstand our faith, when suffering makes us question whether continuing is worthwhile.

          ii.      Jesus endured more than we will ever endure, was tempted but without sin, was rejected without become bitter, and suffered with abandoning God’s will.

k.      The One who calls us to run is the One who ran before us.

l.        We endure our race by keeping our attention on the One who finished His.

The Grace Of God And The Prodigal Son 7-26-26 AM

I.            The prodigal in the beginning (Lu. 15:11-16).

a.      His actions represent grace without responsibility.

b.      His defining words are “give me.”

c.       Dividing inheritance before death was possible in the ancient world.

           i.      The way the younger son did it was deeply disrespectful.

           ii.      What he was saying is that he wanted what belonged to the father without wanting the father in his life.

           iii.      He valued the father’s possessions more than the father’s presence.

d.      The father divided the property as asked.

           i.      We know the younger son got all his things together and traveled into a far country.

           ii.      While there, he wasted all he had in reckless living.

e.      In the parable, the far country is not merely a location.

           i.      It represented the direction of the boy’s heart.

           ii.      He wanted freedom from his father’s authority.

           iii.      The son wanted the benefits of being a son with the responsibilities of being a son.

f.        Eventually, everything and everyone he came to trust disappeared.

           i.      His money was gone as well as his friends.

           ii.      Then the food was gone because of a famine.

           iii.      His independence led to slavery.

g.      This is what sin always does: promises independence but produces bondage.

h.      The attitude of the son towards his father still appears today when people want God’s gifts but reject God’s authority.

            i.      They want forgiveness without repentance.

            ii.      They want salvation without submission.

            iii.      They want heaven without holiness.

            iv.      They want Jesus as Savior but not as Lord.

i.        This can even affect how Christians approach the local congregation.

            i.      When we ask, “What programs does this congregation provide for me,” “What can the church give my family,” or “What will I receive by attending here?”

           ii.      Those questions are not always wrong, but they become dangerous when we never ask: “How can I serve,” “How can I encourage,” How can I help the congregation fulfill its mission,” or “What responsibility has God given me within His body?”

j.       The same misunderstanding appears in teachings that separate grace from a faithful response to God.

          i.      Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, but biblical faith is never just passive agreement.

          ii.      Faith trusts God enough to respond to what He commands.

k.      Grace does not remove human responsibility.

l.        Grace makes salvation possible and teaches us how to live (Titus 2:11-12).

m.    Grace does pardon, but grace also trains.

n.      Wanting the Father’s gives without the Father’s authority leads us away from home.

II.            The older brother (Lu. 15:25-32).

a.      His actions represent responsibility without grace.

b.      The older son had stayed with the father.

           i.      He worked in the fields.

           ii.      He did not waste his inheritance in a far country.

c.       But when he heard the celebration and learned of his brother’s return, he became angry and refused to go inside.

d.      His response reveals what had been growing in his heart (Lu. 15:29).

e.      His defining words are essentially, “Look at me.”

f.        His speech is filled with himself.

            i.      I have served you.

            ii.      I have never disobeyed you.

            iii.      You didn’t give me a goat.

            iv.      You never threw me a party.

            v.      He wasted all your money.

g.      The younger son had left the father physically while the older son remained.

h.      However, the older son had grown distant emotionally and spiritually.

            i.      He did not see himself as a beloved son.

            ii.      He spoke as an unappreciated servant.

            iii.      He did not understand that everything he possessed came from his father.

i.        The father had to remind him of this (Lu. 15:31).

j.        Think of all the things the older son received for years: protection, provision, relationship, and inheritance, but he acted as if the father had given him nothing.

k.      The younger son believed he could live without the father, the older son believed the father could not live without him, and both were wrong.

l.        The older brother represents those who embrace responsibility but feel little need for grace.

            i.      Jesus confronted this attitude in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lu. 18:9-14).

            ii.      The Pharisee had a list of what he was not – an extortioner, unjust, adulterer, like the tax collector.

            iii.      He had a list of what he did – fasted, gave tithes, practiced religious discipline.

            iv.      The problem was not that he avoided sin and practiced discipline, but that he trusted those actions as proof that God was in debt to Him.

m.    We can develop that same attitude.

           i.      We don’t use instrumental music in worship, we don’t have women preachers, we don’t follow denominational creeds.

           ii.      We take the Lord’s supper every Lord’s day, we teach baptism for the remission of sins, we teach that Christians must remain faithful, we seek biblical authority for our worship and practice.

n.      These all matter but doing them and other right things does not give us permission to become self-righteous.

o.      We are not right with God because we discovered a way to save ourselves, but because of the sacrifice of Christ that moved us, through faith, to obey the gospel.

p.      Lu. 17:10 – obedience does not earn grace – it is the faithful response of someone who knows he/she needs grace.

q.      Those how believe they never need forgiveness usually have little interest in extending forgiveness.

r.       Those who forget how much grace they received often become reluctant to show grace to others.

s.       When obedience becomes a reason for pride, we have forgotten grace.

III.            The prodigal in the end (Lu. 15:17-24).

a.      Luke 15:17 marks the turning point for him.

            i.      Sin had distorted his thinking.

            ii.      Repentance came when he finally saw his condition honestly.

            iii.      He remembered his father’s goodness and how his father’s servants had more than enough food while he starved.

b.      He prepared his confession (Lu. 15:18-19).

c.       At the beginning, his word were “give me” – now they had become “make me.”

d.      He no longer approached his father with entitlement, but with humility.

           i.      He did not deny his sin.

           ii.      He did not blame the famine.

           iii.      He did not blame his friends.

           iv.      He did not blame his upbringing.

e.      He said, “I have sinned,” and then got up and went to his father – his repentance produced movement.

f.        The father’s response is beautiful picture of grace.

           i.      While the son was still far off the father saw him.

           ii.      The father felt compassion, ran to him, hugged, and kissed him.

           iii.      He then ordered that a robe, a ring, and shoes be brought.

           iv.      He restored the son and called for a celebration.

g.      The son did not earn that reception.

           i.      But he did return, confess, and submit.

           ii.      He accepted the responsibility of repentance because he finally understood the value of grace.

h.      God’s grace is offered freely, but has to be received according to God’s will.

i.        A biblical pattern appears repeatedly:

           i.      God provides grace;

           ii.      God reveals His will;

           iii.      People respond with obedient faith;

           iv.      God gives the promised blessing.

j.        Ephesians 2:8-10 holds these truths together.

           i.      We are saved by grace through faith, not by works that would allow us to boast.

           ii.      But, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared for us to walk in.

k.      James 2:14-26 explains that faith without works is dead.

           i.      Works do not replace faith.

           ii.      Works reveal living faith.

l.        Matthew 7:21

m.    The son’s journey did not create the father’s love because the father already loved him.

n.      His confession did not purchase the father’s compassion because the father was already compassionate.

o.      But the son had to come home to enjoy fellowship with the father.

p.      Grace was waiting but the son had to return.

q.      Grace is received when humble faith turns toward the Father.

IV.            Illustrations of the pattern of grace.

a.      The relations between grace, God’s command, obedient faith, and God’s blessing appears throughout scripture.

b.      These examples don’t teach that people earn God’s favor, but that trusting God means responding to what God has said.

c.       Noah is an example of grace.

           i.      Grace warned Noah about the flood (Gen. 6:8).

           ii.      God then instructed Noah to build the ark.

           iii.      By faith, Noah built the ark, obeying God (Heb. 11:17).

           iv.      God saved Noah and his family through the flood.

           v.      Noah did not earn God’s grace by building the ark, but Noah would not have been saved by a faith that did not build.

d.      The account of the walls of Jericho is an example of grace.

           i.      God said He had given them Jericho before they took the first step (Josh. 6:2).

           ii.      God then gave the command to march around the city as He did.

           iii.      The people did what God said do.

           iv.      God gave them the city on the seventh day.

           v.      The marching was not powerful enough to take the city, but their obedience demonstrated they trusted the God who had already promised victory.

e.      Naaman is an example of grace.

           i.      A young Israelite slave told Naaman’s household about the prophet in Israel.

           ii.      God commanded Naaman, through Elisha, to go and dip in the Jordan seven times.

           iii.      Naaman, though not at first, obeyed the command.

           iv.      God restored his flesh.

           v.      The water had no magical powers but God healed Naaman when Naaman finally obeyed His word.

f.        The blind man in John 9 is an example of grace.

           i.      The man was found by Jesus.

           ii.      Jesus placed the mud on his eyes and told him to go wash.

           iii.      The man did what Jesus said do.

           iv.      Jesus restored His sight.

           v.      The man did not heal himself by going to the pool, but he would not have demonstrated faith if he had refused to go.

g.      The plan of salvation is an example of grace.

           i.      God’s grace appeared in the Person of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11).

           ii.      Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day.

           iii.      The gospel calls for us to respond through faith (mention plan of salvation).

           iv.      It’s important to note that in baptism, we are not boasting in something we have accomplished, but trusting in what God accomplishes (Col. 2:12).

           v.      God saves us from our sins.

           vi.      We don’t obey to earn grace, but we obey because we trust the gracious God.

Faith That Overcomes The World 7-12-26 PM

I.            Overcoming faith grows by looking to God (Heb. 11:23-29).

a.      The account begins with the parents of Moses, Amram and Jochebed.

           i.      Pharaoh had commanded that all Hebrew baby boys be killed.

           ii.      Moses’ parents knew the command but they refused to allow fear of the king to become greater than their trust in God.

           iii.      They hid Moses for three months.

           iv.      Their faith didn’t mean they felt no fear, but that fear did not control their obedience.

           v.      Their faith became the environment in which Moses’ own faith would eventually grow.

b.      Years have now past and Moses has grown up in the house of Pharaoh.

           i.      Moses had position, education, privilege, and access to wealth.

           ii.      Moses had what so many spend their whole lives trying to obtain.

           iii.      Moses refused to let Egypt define him.

           iv.      Notice that the text does not say sin offers no pleasure – it says the pleasure of sin is fleeting.

1.      Sin promises much and delivers little.

2.      It offers pleasure but hides the consequences.

3.      It offers comfort but takes away peace.

4.      It offers freedom but produces slavery.

           v.      Moses had to choose between temporary pleasure with Egypt and temporary suffering with God’s people.

           vi.      The reason for this is found in verse 26 (Heb. 11:26).

1.      Moses looked beyond the palace;

2.      Beyond the borders of Egypt;

3.      Beyond the suffering;

4.      He looked to the reward of God.

           vii.      Moses endured because he was looking for the invisible God rather than the visible king.

1.      Pharaoh was visible, but temporary.

2.      God was invisible, but eternal.

           viii.      The funny thing about Moses is that he did not start out as a man of great faith.

           ix.      At the burning bush he offered several excuses.

1.      Who am I?

2.      What shall I say to them?

3.      I am not eloquent.

4.      Please send someone else.

           x.      Moses began his leadership phase with weak and hesitant faith, but he did not remain there.

           xi.      His faith grew to the point where he could stand before the most powerful man on earth and say, “Thus says the Lord…”

           xii.      His faith was then displayed through the Passover.

1.      Moses believed God’s warning and trusted God’s provision.

2.      This led him to instruct the people to obey.

3.      The blood had to be applied, and everywhere it was, the firstborn lived.

4.      Everywhere it was not applied, the firstborn died.

           xiii.      Then Moses led God’s people to the Red Sea.

1.      Behind them was Pharaoh’s army and in front was the Red Sea.

2.      Humanly speaking, there was no escape.

3.      The people panicked but listen to what Moses said… (Ex. 14:13).

           xiv.      Moses had learned to look to God.

1.      He could not part the sea or defeat Pharaoh’s army on his own.

2.      But he trusted the God that could.

c.       Some of us become discouraged because our faith is not as strong as we think it should be.

            i.      Remember Moses.

            ii.      He grew in faith, moving from excuses to courage – from looking at himself to looking at God.

            iii.      We have to grow in the same way.

d.      Faith grows when we listen to God’s word, obey what He has said, remember what He has done, and trust Him with what we can’t control.

e.      We also have to make the same choice Moses made.

            i.      Will we enjoy temporary pleasure or identify ourselves with God’s people?

            ii.      Will we seek the treasures of the world or the reward of God?

            iii.      Will we fear the anger of man or endure by seeing Him who is invisible?

f.        The world is overcome whenever we say:

            i.      I would rather suffer with God’s people than prosper without God.

            ii.      I would rather lose the approval of people than lose the approval of God.

            iii.      I would rather possess Christ than possess everything the world can offer.

g.      Growing faith looks past our own weakness and trusts God’s power.

II.            Overcoming faith obeys even when God’s way seems unusual (Heb. 11:30-31).

a.      Israel’s first great challenge after crossing the Jordan was the fortified city of Jericho.

            i.      The city was protected by large walls.

            ii.      God’s place sounded unlike any battle plan man had ever devised.

            iii.      The people were to march around the city once for six straight days.

            iv.      On the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times.

            v.      After the seventh time, the priests would blow trumpets and the people would shout, and God said the walls would then fall down.

1.      No battering ram, siege ramp, or conventional military attack.

2.      March, wait, and obey.

            vi.      Have you ever thought what the people in Jericho thought when they saw this being done?

            vii.      Think about how strange it must have sounded to the Israelites, yet the obeyed.

1.      They did not try to improve God’s plan.

2.      They did not change His instructions in any way.

3.      They did not march for a few days and then quit because nothing was happening.

            viii.      The walls fell, not because marching has some natural power to destroy stone walls, but because God acted when His people obeyed.

            ix.      Faith does not require us to understand everything God commands.

            x.      Faith requires us to trust the One who commands it.

b.      We then read about Rahab.

            i.      She, along with everyone else, had heard about what God had done for the Hebrews.

            ii.      She told the spies she knew God had given them the land.

            iii.      She believed Jericho would fall because she believed that Israel’s God was the true God.

            iv.      It’s important to note that the Hebrews writer is not praising her lie or even condoning it.

            v.      Hebrews is praising her faith in receiving and protecting the spies because she believed God would give Israel the victory.

           vi.      We don’t use her faith as an excuse for dishonesty.

           vii.      The text commends her trust in God and her willingness to act on that trust.

           viii.      Rahab’s past did not prevent her from turning to God.

           ix.      Her city was under condemnation, but she chose to align herself with God’s people.

           x.      She did everything she was told to do and, as a result, she and all that were in her house were saved.

c.      God’s instruction will not always agree with the wisdom of the world.

          i.      They world probably won’t understand why we forgive those that wrong us.

          ii.      The world probably won’t understand why we remain sexually pure.

          iii.      The world will not understand why we refuse to compromise truth for acceptance.

d.     People may even mock obedience because it appears ineffective.

          i.      Israel marched for six days and the walls still stood.

          ii.      Faith kept marching.

e.      Sometimes we stop obeying because we don’t see immediate results.

           i.      We pray briefly and quit.

           ii.      We resist temptation for a short time, then surrender.

           iii.      We try to restore a relationship and then become impatient.

           iv.      We serve without recognition and begin wondering whether it matters.

f.        Jericho reminds us that the absence of immediate results does not mean God has failed.

g.      Keep marching, obeying, trusting.

h.      Rahab reminds us that faith is available to people with broken pasts.

           i.      Her life had been marked by sin but her future was changed by faith.

           ii.      God’s grace does not excuse our past – it redeems us from it.

i.        Faith obeys God completely, even when His way seems unreasonable.

III.            Overcoming faith acts courageously for a better resurrection (Heb. 11:32-35a).

a.      An important thing to note is that the people mentioned here were not perfect.

           i.      Gideon was hesitant.

           ii.      Barak needed encouragement.

           iii.      Samson was impulsive and morally weak at times.

           iv.      Jephthah made a reckless vow.

           v.      Samuel’s own sons did not follow his example.

           vi.      The prophets sometimes became discouraged.

b.      Hebrews is not teaching that faith makes us flawless, but that flawed people can accomplish God’s purposes when they trust Him.

c.       Inspiration begins to point out some tremendous things these people did all through faith.

d.      They conquered kingdoms:

           i.      Gideon led a tiny army against Midian and God led him to victory.

           ii.      Barak led small Israel against the forces of Sisera.

           iii.      David defeated many nations around Israel.

           iv.      All these victories were demonstrations, not of human greatness, but of divine faithfulness.

e.      They enforced justice:

           i.      David, at his best, ruled with justice and fairness.

           ii.      Samuel judged Israel and called the nation back to faithfulness.

           iii.      Godly leaders acted to restrain evil and defend what was right.

f.        They obtained promises:

           i.      God fulfilled all His promises according to Joshua.

           ii.      He gave Israel the land, delivered the people from their enemies, and established David as king.

           iii.      Some promises were received during their lifetimes, but the ultimate fulfillment remained ahead.

g.      They stopped the mouths of lions – Daniel’s faith did not keep him out of the lion’s den but it did sustain him while in the den.

h.      They quenched the power of fire – think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast into the fiery furnace.

i.        They escaped the edge of the sword:

           i.      Think how many times David had to evade Saul.

           ii.      Elijah escaped Jezebel’s threat.

j.        They were made strong out of weakness:

           i.      Gideon said he was the weakest member of the weakest clan.

           ii.      Samson’s strength only returned when he called on God.

           iii.      David was a young shepherd facing a trained warrior.

k.      They put foreign armies to flight:

           i.      Israel’s greatest victories often came when the odds seemed impossible.

           ii.      Gideon and his 300 men are a prime example.

l.        We may never stand before an earthly leader who demands we bow to an image, but every day we face pressure to bow to the world.

          i.      We are pressured to place career above character;

          ii.      Acceptance over truth;

          iii.      Comfort over service;

          iv.      Personal desire over God’s will.

m.    Overcoming faith acts courageously because it believes there is a better resurrection.

n.      This should change how we look at sacrifice:

          i.      Giving up sin is not losing life – it is choosing better life.

          ii.      Serving Christ is not wasting life – it is investing in eternal life.

          iii.      Remaining faithful under pressure is not foolish – it is preparation for resurrection.

o.      Faith risks the present because it believes in the future.

IV.            Overcoming faith endures when earthly deliverance does not come (Heb. 11:35b-38).

a.      Some believers could have escaped suffering by abandoning their loyalty to God but they refuses.

           i.      Some chose death rather than unfaithfulness because they believed in a better resurrection.

           ii.      This is the center of overcoming faith.

           iii.      Jeremiah was mocked, beaten, placed in stocks, imprisoned, and lowered into a muddy cistern.

           iv.      Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned.

           v.      Micaiah was slapped and placed in prison for speaking the truth to Ahab.

           vi.      Faithfulness does not always bring applause – sometimes it brings chains.

b.      Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, was stoned in the courtyard of the temple after rebuking the people for their unfaithfulness.

c.       The Hebrews writer tells us that some were sawn asunder, or in two.

           i.      We don’t know for sure who this was.

           ii.      Tradition says it was Isaiah at the hands of wicked King Manasseh.

           iii.      This tradition is found in some ancient Jewish writings as well as in the writing of Justin Martyr.

d.      Many prophets were killed with the sword.

           i.      Elijah stated that Israel had forsaken the covenant and killed the prophets.

           ii.      Jezebel had killed many prophets, although Obadiah hid 100 in caves.

e.      They went about in the simplest of clothing, being terribly treated.

           i.      They wore rough clothing and lacked material possessions.

           ii.      They were treated as though they were worthless but God gave His judgment of their value in verse 38.

           iii.      The world rejected them but the world did not deserve them.

           iv.      The world considered them failures, but God considered them victorious.

f.        There is an interesting linguistic pattern in verses 37 and 38.

           i.      The phrase “wandered about” is used twice here.

           ii.      This is interesting because it is two different Greek words translated this way.

           iii.      The first one emphasizes going around from place to place.

           iv.      The second one emphasizes roaming without a settled place.

           v.      We see that these worthy men were driven from place to place and had no secure home in this world – David hid in caves, Elijah fled to the wilderness, the prophets hid in caves to hide from Jezebel.

g.      God’s faithful were sometimes treated as fugitives – yet they still overcame the world.

          i.      The world could take their homes but not their hope.

          ii.      The world could take their possessions but not their treasure.

          iii.      The world could take their freedom but not their faith.

          iv.      The world could take their lives but not their resurrection.

h.     We have to reject the idea that faithfulness will always produce an easy life.

i.       Hebrews 11 gives us two pictures of faith:

          i.      Faith escapes the sword and faith is killed by the sword.

          ii.      Faith shuts the mouths of lions and faith is tortured.

          iii.      Faith receives the dead back to life and faith dies believing in a better resurrection.

j.       The difference is not that one group had strong faith and the other had weak faith.

k.     Both had faith.

l.       God, in His wisdom, chose to work through victory in some lives and through suffering in others.

          i.      We should certainly pray for deliverance.

          ii.      We should ask God to heal, protect, provide, and rescue.

          iii.      But our faith cannot depend upon receiving the answer we prefer.

m.    We have to examine how deeply we are attached to this world.

n.      Would we remain faithful if following Jesus cost us something important to us?

o.      The saints in Hebrews 11 overcame because they knew this world was not their home.

Living A Life Of Prayer And Study 7-12-26 AM

I.            Prayer ties us to God’s will.

a.      Paul begins by saying that he has not ceased to pray for them.

           i.      Prayer was not a last resort for Paul.

           ii.      Prayer was part of the Paul’s spiritual labor for people he loved.

b.      We know Paul could not physically be with every church all the time, but he could still bring them before the throne of God in prayer.

c.       This teaches us something important about prayer: prayer is one of the ways we participate in what God is doing in the lives of others.

d.      But notice what Paul prays: that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will.

           i.      He is not asking God to give them everything they want.

           ii.      He is asking that they be filled with what God wants.

e.      Sometimes our prayers sound like this: Lord, bless my plans, fix my problems, change this person, open this door, make this easier.

           i.      There is nothing wrong with bringing our needs before God. – scripture teaches us to do that.

           ii.      But prayer is not just about getting God to move toward our desires – it is also about God moving our desires toward His will.

f.       Jesus showed us this in Gethsemane.

          i.      In the garden, Jesus prayed for this cup to pass from me.

1.      This is honest prayer.

2.      This is not shallow religious language.

3.      Jesus brought His anguish of that moment to the Father.

          ii.      But Jesus did not stop there did He?

          iii.      Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

          iv.      This is the heart of prayer.

g.     Prayer ties us to God because prayer teaches us to say, Father here is what I want or desire but I want your will more if they don’t match up.

h.     If we never pray or have a shallow view of prayer, we are going to have a problem.

          i.      We will start assuming our will is the only thing that matters.

          ii.      We will chase our preferences, protect our comforts, defend our pride, and call it wisdom.

i.       When we pray and grow in prayer, we are reminded that we are not God.

          i.      Prayer humbles us.

          ii.      Prayer refocuses us.

          iii.      Prayer reminds us that the world does not revolve around us.

j.       A real prayer life also changes how we see other people.

          i.      Paul is praying for other Christians because he wants them to walk with God.

          ii.      He is not merely praying they be healthy, successful, safe, and comfortable.

          iii.      He is praying for their spiritual formation – that they know God’s will.

          iv.      He wants them to please the Lord, to bear fruit, endure temptation and trial, to give thanks.

k.      This should challenge the way we pray for others.

          i.      This should change the way we pray for our spouse.

          ii.      This should change the way we pray for our children.

          iii.      This should change the way we pray for our friends.

l.       Prayer helps us see people eternally.

          i.      Prayer reminds us that everyone we meet has a soul.

          ii.      Every person is moving towards eternity.

m.    Paul’s prayer for them is focused on God’s will, not human preference.

          i.      Filled with the knowledge of God means Paul wants these Christians to be deeply shaped by what God desires.

          ii.      This is not just information, but spiritual wisdom that leads to a better life for God.

n.      Paul prays for knowledge that becomes life.

o.      This means we may need to pray differently – not less honestly but more eternally.

          i.      Pray about our burdens, but also pray about God’s will.

          ii.      Pray about our health, but also about our holiness.

          iii.      Pray about our needs, but also about our obedience.

          iv.      Pray for open doors, but also the courage to walk through them.

          v.      Pray for our family’s safety, but also about their salvation.

          vi.      Pray for our church’s needs, but also about her faithfulness.

p.     A life that matters does not just ask God to support our agenda.

q.     A life that matters keeps surrendering to God’s will.

r.      Prayer truly ties us to God’s will.

II.            Study tells us God’s will.

a.     Paul prays for the Colossians to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in “all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

b.     How do we come to know God’s will?

          i.      Not by guessing, following our feelings, copying culture, or doing what seems easy or personally beneficial.

          ii.      We come to know God’s will because God has revealed Himself.

c.      This is why the study of God’s word is so vital.

          i.      Bible study is not just collecting religious facts or knowing names, dates, maps, and doctrines.

         ii.      Those things can help, but the goal of Bible study is not to win Bible trivia.

         iii.      The goal is to know God, understand His will, and walk in His ways.

d.    The Psalmist says to God that your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

         i.      This means the word of God does not merely give information about ancient people.

         ii.      It gives light for the path in front of us.

e.     The world is constantly discipling us:

         i.      Our phones are doing it with social media telling us what is important.

         ii.      Entertainment is doing it by showing what the world thinks is popular.

         iii.      Politics is doing by saying he is bad and he is good.

         iv.      Advertisements are doing it every day.

         v.      Our friends can be trying to influence us.

f.      We are being formed every day so the question should always be “Who or what is forming me?”

g.    If we are not being intentionally formed by the word of God, we will be unintentionally formed by something else.

h.    Study is vitally important because it helps us see what really matters in life.

         i.      Without scripture, we may think life is mainly about getting ahead, but we are reminded that life is about walking with God.

         ii.      Without scripture, we may think enemies are people to be destroyed, but we are reminded that we are to love, pray for, forgive, and seek reconciliation with them.

         iii.      Without scripture, we may think money is security, but we are reminded that God is our provider and that generosity matters.

         iv.      Without scripture, we may think suffering means God has abandoned us, but we are reminded that God uses it to strengthen us.

         v.      Without scripture, we may think death is the end, but we are reminded that there is life beyond the grave because Jesus rose from the tomb.

i.      Think about Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

         i.      Martha was busy serving, being active doing things that probably felt necessary.

         ii.      Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him teach.

         iii.      Martha got upset that her sister wasn’t helping her with the things she felt were necessary to be a good hostess.

         iv.      Jesus did not tell Martha the things she was doing were evil.

         v.      He said Mary had chosen “that good part.”

j.      This account is a much needed correction for many of us.

         i.      We can become busy with life, work, family, church, good things, and still neglect the one thing that gives meaning to all the rest.

         ii.      Study is sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning before we run to.

         iii.      Study says, “Lord, before I decide what matters today, let me hear from you.”

k.     When we study correctly, it creates a desire to get closer to God.

l.       We are not just trying to know the Bible better, we are trying to know God better.

          i.      The more we see His holiness, the more we will repent.

          ii.      The more we see His mercy, the more we will trust.

          iii.      The more we see His wisdom, the more we will listen.

          iv.      The more we see His promises, the more we will endure,

m.    Study is not about mastering a book, but being mastered by the God who speaks through the book.

n.      Paul’s language connects knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and life.

           i.      He says this knowledge leads to a worthy walk and deeper knowledge of God.

           ii.      True study is meant to travel to the heart and then the hands, feet, habits, home and our whole life.

o.      We have to study the Bible with humility and obedience.

p.      We should ask of a passage:

           i.      What does this show me about God?

           ii.      What does this reveal about my heart?

           iii.      What does this call me to believe, repent of, obey, or share?

           iv.      How does this help me live a life that matters?

q.      Study should not make us proud, but prayerful.

r.       We can know Bible facts and still miss God’s heart.

s.       A humble Bible student learns to see life through God’s eyes.

III.            Prayer and study turn the way we live.

a.      Paul does not end with knowledge alone.

           i.      He says the purpose is to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

           ii.      One version says to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him.

           iii.      The word walk refers to direction and pattern of life – how we live every day.

b.      This is where prayer and study meet.

           i.      Prayer without study can become directionless and study without prayer can become prideful.

           ii.      We can talk to God but ignore what He has said,

           iii.      We can know correct answers but have a cold heart.

c.       Prayer and study together helps to forma life that stays close to God.

           i.      In prayer we speak to God and in study God speaks to us.

           ii.      In prayer we surrender our will and in study God reveals His will.

           iii.      In prayer we ask for strength and in study we learn what the strength is for.

           iv.      In prayer we intercede for others and in study we learn what others need most.

d.      Together, prayer and study moves us from spiritual intention to spiritual transformation.

e.      Paul reveals several results of prayer combined with study in this passage:

          i.      We bear fruit in every good work.

1.      A life close to God becomes useful to Him.

2.      Prayer and study prepare us to serve others better.

          ii.      We increase in the knowledge of God.

1.      The more we walk with Him, the more we come to know Him.

2.      Knowing God leads to eternal life (John 17:3).

          iii.      We are strengthened will all power for endurance, or patience.

1.      Paul did not we will be strengthened so we never struggle.

2.      He does say we will be strengthened so we can endure.

          iv.      We give thanks to the Father.

1.      Prayer and study train us to remember grace.

2.      Paul reminds them that God has qualified them, delivered them, translated them, and redeemed them.

3.      Gratitude grows when we keep remembering what God has done.

f.        How do we implement prayer and study together?

           i.      Pray about the text before we study it – ask God for wisdom to understand and properly apply the passage before reading it and to see His will in it.

           ii.      Study the text before we pray our plans – many times we start our day by thinking of all the we have to do and then asking God’s blessing on our efforts.

1.      What if we opened scripture first and let God’s word shape what we ask for?

2.      Scripture teaches us to pray, “Lord help me walk worthy of you today in what I will do.”

           iii.      Turn scripture into prayer.

1.      When the text speaks of God’s will, ask God to fill us with knowledge of His will.

2.      When it speaks of bearing fruit, ask God to make our lives fruitful in good works.

3.      When it speaks of endurance, ask God for strength when we want to quit.

4.      We can make this passage a daily prayer: “Lord, fill me with the knowledge of your will. Help me walk worthy of you. Make me fruitful. Help me know you more. Strengthen me to endure. Make me thankful. Keep me mindful that you delivered me from darkness and brought me into the kingdom of your Son.

           iv.      Pray for others with eternal priorities.

1.      Pray this for our spouse, or children, grandchildren, congregation, struggling Christians, even those not yet Christians.

2.      Ask God to help them learn His will and to walk worthy of Him and then be a guide for them in that effort.

           v.      Start small and build, not just react.

1.      A lot of times we don’t pray or study until bad things happen.

2.      It’s also hard to jump in all at once in a big way – we can get overwhelmed.

3.      Open your Bible and read just a few verses.

4.      Ask those questions we mentioned earlier – what is this teaching about God, about what I need to do or change.

5.      Pray to God about that thing.

6.      A life that matters is not built on one dramatic moment, but on intentional efforts of daily surrender.

g.      The early church did these things (Acts 2:42).

           i.      This is study and prayer together.

           ii.      When they did this, their lives changed and they became great influencers for God and good.

           iii.      They did not become perfect, but they became devoted.

           iv.      God then used them to point others to Christ.

h.      Prayer and study matter because they form a life that pleases God.

True Freedom In Christ 7-5-26 AM

I.            True freedom requires discipline (John 8:31).

a.      Jesus begins with an “if” statement.

           i.      This means there is a condition.

           ii.      It also means there is a possibility that some will not continue.

b.      Jesus is speaking to Jews who believed in Him.

           i.      Jesus does not treat their belief as a shallow moment of interest.

           ii.      He says true discipleship is shown by continuing in His word.

c.       The word translated “abide” or “continue” means to remain, stay, dwell, or make your home in something.

           i.      It is the same word used often in 1 John.

           ii.      It carries the idea of settled residence, not a temporary visit.

           iii.      It is the difference between passing through a place and pitching your tent there.

d.      Jesus is saying, “Don’t just admire my word. Remain in it. Don’t just hear my word. Live in it. Don’t just begin with me. Continue with me.”

e.      The means true freedom requires discipline.

           i.      Not to earn salvation.

           ii.      Not as in trusting ourselves.

           iii.      But as in staying close to Christ and refusing to drift.

f.        A person does not accidentally remain in Christ.

           i.      We drift accidentally.

           ii.      We abide intentionally.

g.      Think about the discipline required for national freedom.

           i.      The freedoms celebrated by us in this country were not preserved because of one emotional day in 1776.

           ii.      They required endurance, sacrifice, training, and perseverance.

           iii.      Soldiers did not win freedom by simply believing freedom was a good idea.

           iv.      They had to continue in the cause.

h.      In a far greater way, Jesus is telling us that spiritual freedom is not found in a momentary interest in Him, but in remaining with Him.

           i.      Many want freedom from guilt, but not discipline in the word.

           ii.      Many want freedom from consequences, but not surrender to Christ.

           iii.      Many want freedom from fear, but not daily faithfulness.

           iv.      Many want Jesus as a Savior, but resist Jesus as Lord.

           v.      Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

           vi.      This means discipleship is not occasional attention to Jesus, but a life built in and around Him.

i.        We need to ask:

           i.      Am I abiding in Him or occasionally visiting?

           ii.      Am I continuing in Christ or slowly drifting?

           iii.      Am I letting His word correct, shape, restrain, and lead me?

j.        Freedom is found by staying with Christ.

II.            True freedom results from deity (John 8:32).

a.      Jesus says freedom comes from truth.

          i.      On one occasion, Pilate asked what is truth.

          ii.      Jesus lets us know (John 17:17).

b.     Truth is not:

          i.      Whatever culture currently approves.

          ii.      Whatever I sincerely feel.

          iii.      Whatever works for me.

          iv.      Something man invents.

c.      Truth comes from God (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

d.      This means true freedom results from deity – from the divine will of God, revealed through His Son.

e.      Jesus is not offering human opinion.

          i.      He is not giving self-help advice.

          ii.      He is not presenting one religious option among many.

f.       Jesus is the Son speaking the truth of the Father.

g.     This truth contains the message that sets sinners free: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

          i.      Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose on the third day.

          ii.      Through obedient faith, we are united with Him and freed from sin.

h.     This is why truth cannot be tampered with.

          i.      If man changes it, it is no longer God’s truth.

          ii.      If man softens it, it is no longer God’s truth.

          iii.      It man adds to it, it is no longer God’s truth.

          iv.      If man removes from it, it is no longer God’s truth.

i.       The power is never in our edits, but in the word of God.

j.       A medicine only helps if it remains what the doctor prescribes.

          i.      If a pharmacist decides to alter the formula, remove the active ingredient, or replace with something else, it may become more pleasant, but it will no longer heal.

          ii.      The gospel is God’s remedy for is and we aren’t free to rewrite the prescription.

k.      This matters because people often want freedom without truth.

           i.      They want peace without repentance.

           ii.      They want forgiveness without surrender.

           iii.      They want salvation without obedience.

           iv.      They want Jesus without the word.

l.        Jesus ties freedom to truth – you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

m.    We have to love truth more than tradition, more than comfort, more than popularity, more than personal preference.

n.      When truth confronts us, we don’t argue with it – we obey it.

III.            True freedom rejects dishonesty (John 8:33-34).

a.      The Jews responded to Jesus with a dishonest claim.

          i.      They had been in bondage to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Syria.

          ii.      At that moment, they were under Roman rule and occupation.

b.     Their dishonesty went deeper than history – they were denying their spiritual condition.

c.     Jesus was speaking about bondage to sin and they tried to change the subject to ancestry – we are offspring of Abraham.

d.     Jesus did not let them hide behind religious heritage – everyone who commits, practices, sin is a slave to sin.

          i.      Practices, or commits, points to ongoing action, continual sinning with no change or repentance.

          ii.      Jesus is describing a life ruled, patterned, and mastered by sin.

e.      Sin promises freedom, but produces slavery.

           i.      Sin says you are in control while it quietly takes control.

           ii.      Sin say this will satisfy you, while making you emptier.

           iii.      Sin says you can stop when you want while tightening the chains.

f.        One of the first steps in recovery movements is when a person finally say I am powerless over this.

           i.      No matter how we feel of all of a program like that, that first admission reflects a biblical reality: healing will not begin with denial, only truth.

           ii.      As long as a person says he does not have a problem, the chains remain hidden.

g.      We can’t be freed from sin we won’t confess.

           i.      Where am I pretending to be free while sin is ruling me?

           ii.      What sin have I renamed so I don’t have to repent of it?

           iii.      What attitude, habit, relationship, or desire has more control over me than I want to admit?

h.      It may be anger, pornography, alcohol, gambling, cussing, greed, pride, gossip, the need to control others, or many other things.

i.        Jesus does not expose sins only to shame us, but to free us.

j.        We can’t receive freedom while defending our chains.

IV.            True freedom remains dedicated (John 8:35-36).

a.      Jesus now gives a household picture.

          i.      A slave may be in the house but he does not have permanent standing in it.

          ii.      A son belongs there and has a lasting place.

b.     Jesus is warning them and us: don’t assume that closeness to religious things equals freedom.

          i.      They were descendants of Abraham.

          ii.      They had been given the Old Testament.

          iii.      They had the temple.

          iv.      They had religious identity.

c.      Jesus says that only the Son can make a slave free.

d.      The word free means released, liberated, set loose from bondage.

e.      Real freedom is not self-declared, it is Son-given.

          i.      Only Jesus can free us from sin because only Jesus has authority over sin.

          ii.      Only Jesus can free us from sin because only Jesus offered Himself for our guilt.

          iii.      Only Jesus can free us from sin because only Jesus bore condemnation for us.

          iv.      Only Jesus can keep us in the Father’s house because only the Son remains forever.

f.       This means true freedom remains dedicated.

g.     We remain in Christ because freedom is found only in Christ.

h.     During the Revolutionary War, freedom from tyranny required bloodshed.

          i.      The Declaration announced the cause, but blood was shed to secure it.

          ii.      Freedom came at a cost.

i.       That is also true spiritually, but on a far greater level.

          i.      It took blood to free America from tyranny.

          ii.      It took blood to free us from sin.

j.       Not the blood of soldiers, but the blood of the Son of God (1 Pe. 1:18-19).

k.     True freedom is not doing whatever we want, which is often just another form of slavery.

l.       True freedom is being released from sin so we can belong to God.

m.    Freedom is not life without a master, it is life under the right Master.

          i.      The world says to be free by serving yourself, but Jesus to be free by being set free by the Son.

          ii.      The world says to throw off all restraint, but Jesus abide in my word.

          iii.      The world says to define your own truth, but the Jesus say to know the truth.

          iv.      The world says to hide your sin but Jesus says to confess it and be made free.

          v.      The world says you are free when no one rules you but Jesus says you are free when sin no longer rules you.

n.      The Son sets us free and we stay free by remaining in Him.

Faith That Embraces The Promises 6-28-26 PM

I.            Faith pursues the promise (Heb. 11:8-10, 17-18).

a.      Abraham’s faith is shown in two major acts: He left Ur of the Chaldees and was willing to offer up his only begotten son Isaac.

b.      There are some key words that we need to notice:

           i.      Obeyed – Abraham’s faith moved him to action.

1.      Biblical faith is never mere agreement.

2.      Abraham did not simply believe God existed; he trusted God enough to act.

           ii.      Called – Abraham did not create his own mission.

1.      God initiated it.

2.      Faith begins when God speaks and we respond.

           iii.      Sojourned – this means Abraham lived as a temporary resident.

1.      Abraham did live in the promised land eventually.

2.      However, he did not fully possess it.

           iv.      Offered up – describes Abraham’s willingness to give Isaac back to God.

1.      The text doesn’t say Abraham understood everything.

2.      It says he trusted God who had made the promise.

           v.      Only son – refers to Isaac as the unique son of promise.

1.      This is the same phrase used by God the Father about Jesus.

2.      Isaac was one of a kind and there was never to another like him.

3.      Abraham had other sons but not like Isaac, the son of promise.

c.       When God called Abraham to leave Ur and go to a land, God did not say what land or how to get there.

           i.      He said to a land I will show you.

           ii.      Here we read that Abraham went out not knowing where he was going.

           iii.      Abraham didn’t have a detailed itinerary.

           iv.      He did have a divine promise.

d.      Later, God tests Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac.

           i.      This created a crisis because God had promised that through Isaac Abraham’s offspring would be named.

           ii.      Here is God commanding Abraham to give up that son.

           iii.      The reason Abraham was willing is found in verse 19 – he believed God could raise him from the dead.

           iv.      Abraham did not know how God would keep His promise, but he did know that he would keep His promise.

e.      Faith does not always know the route, but faith knows the guide.

           i.      Some people won’t obey God until they understand every consequence.

           ii.      They want to know how every relationship, financial decision, and family situation will work out first.

           iii.      Abraham says faith obeys when God’s word is clear, even if the outcome is not.

f.        For us today, it means leaving sin behind even when it’s been familiar.

           i.      It means obeying Christ in baptism even if family does not understand.

           ii.      It means forgiving someone, serving someone when it costs, or trusting in God through a season of life where the future is not clear.

g.      In Acts 16:9, we read about what we call Paul’s Macedonian call.

           i.      Paul had never been in Greece and had not been allowed to go.

           ii.      The call comes and Paul drops everything and goes.

           iii.      They had no gps, no Siri, or Google Maps.

           iv.      He went because he got the call.

h.      Faith does not require visibility before obedience.

i.        Faith obeys God’s word even when God has not shown the whole road.

II.            Faith perceives the Promise-Giver (Heb. 11:11-12).

a.      Sarah’s faith was not in her age, body, or her circumstances, but in the character of God.

b.      There are some important key words or phrases in these two verses:

           i.      Received power means God supplied what Sarah did not naturally possess – the promise was fulfilled by divine power, not human ability.

           ii.      Past the age emphasizes the impossibility of the situation from a human standpoint – Sarah was beyond childbearing years.

           iii.      Considered carries the idea of judging, counting, or concluding something to be true – Sarah made a faith judgment about God.

           iv.      Faithful means reliable, trustworthy, dependable – Sarah believed God would do what He said.

           v.      Promised reminds us that faith rests on God’s word, not human optimism.

c.       Sarah’s account is not a simple story of perfect faith from beginning to end.

           i.      In Genesis 18, Sarah laughs when she heard the promise that she would bear a son.

           ii.      Her first reaction was disbelief.

d.      But Hebrews 11 remembers the final position of her faith – she came to regard God as faithful.

e.      That matters with God.

           i.      Faith does not mean you have never struggled.

           ii.      Faith means you bring your struggles under the truth of who God is.

           iii.      The result was staggering (Heb. 11:12).

           iv.      God produced a multitude out of barrenness.

f.        Faith does not deny weakness – it looks beyond weakness to God’s faithfulness.

g.      Some of us may look at our lives and say: It’s too late, I’ve done too much damage. I am too weak. My family is too far gone. I have failed too many times.

           i.      Sarah reminds us that the issue is not whether you are strong enough.

           ii.      The issue is whether God is faithful.

           iii.      This doesn’t mean God will give us everything we desire, but He will keep every promise He has ever made.

h.      God has promised forgiveness in Christ.

           i.      He promises strength in the time of temptation.

           ii.      He promises resurrection.

           iii.      He promises to complete His work in His people.

           iv.      He promises that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

i.        I have a preaching friend, who if I called his name you would probably know, who had a terrible accident.

           i.      He can no longer walk but he can still preach and does.

           ii.      He continually points out God’s goodness in his life even with the injuries he has.

           iii.      His life shows that life is not easy, but that God remains faithful.

j.        This is Sarah-like faith: not confidence in circumstances, but confidence in a faithful God.

k.      Faith measures life by God’s faithfulness, not our limitations.

III.            Faith Pilgrims toward the promise (Heb. 11:13-16).

a.      Verse 13 is the heart of the passage – these people lived and died believing promises they had not fully received.

b.      There are some key words or phrases in this we need to notice:

           i.      Died in faith means their faith endured to the end – they did not abandon God because fulfillment was not going to be in their lifetime.

           ii.      Seen them from afar means they perceived God’s promises by faith, though they did not yet possess them by sight.

           iii.      Strangers and pilgrims describes people who do not fully belong to the land where they live – they are residents, but not truly home.

           iv.      Desire in verse 16 speaks of deep longing – their hearts were set on something better.

           v.      Better country points beyond Canaan to the heavenly homeland God has waiting for His people.

c.       Hebrews says they acknowledged that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

           i.      This does not mean they hated life.

           ii.      It means they understood life properly.

d.      They knew the land promise mattered, but they also knew God’s greater promise pointed beyond earthly geography.

           i.      They were seeking a homeland.

           ii.      They desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one.

e.      Then comes one of the most beautiful statements in Hebrews (Heb. 11:16).

           i.      They were not ashamed to live like pilgrims.

           ii.      God was not ashamed to be called their God.

f.        Faith changes how we view the world.

           i.      The world tells us to make our home hear.

           ii.      Faith says that this world is not our final home.

g.      This should changes our priorities.

           i.      We don’t live for possessions as though they are permanent.

           ii.      We do not treat comfort as our highest God.

           iii.      We don’t compromise truth just to be accepted by the culture.

           iv.      We don’t despair when life is hard, because we are headed to a better country.

h.      Christians should be the best citizens, neighbors, workers, and family members.

i.        But, we should never forget: we are strangers and pilgrims here because our citizenship is in heaven.

j.        Faith lives full here because heaven is home.

IV.            Faith proclaims the promise (Heb. 11:20-22).

a.      Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all looked forward and their faith spoke into the future.

b.      Look at these key words and phrases:

           i.      Blessed means they spoke covenant promises to the next generation – this was not sentimental wishing, but faith in God’s covenant word.

           ii.      Concerning things to come emphasizes that their faith reached beyond their own lives.

           iii.      Made mention means Joseph deliberately spoke about the exodus before it happened.

           iv.      Departing refers to Israel’s future deliverance from Egypt – Joseph believing God would bring His people out.

           v.      Bones in verse 22 shows how concrete Joseph’s faith was – he gave instructions about his burial because he believed God would bring Israel to the promised land.

c.      Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things still to come.

d.      Jacob, near death blessed Joseph’s sons.

           i.      He leaned on his staff and worshiped.

           ii.      His body was weak, but his faith was looking forward.

e.      Joseph may be the most striking example here.

           i.      At the end of Genesis, Joseph was powerful in Egypt.

           ii.      But he did not want his bones to stay there permanently.

           iii.      Joseph died in Egypt but his faith was packed for Canaan.

           iv.      He believed in a future he would not personally see in his lifetime.

f.        Faith is not only personal; it is generational.

           i.      We have to speak God promises to those coming after us.

1.      Parents, grandparents, elders, teachers, and mature Christians need to bless the next generation with truth.

2.      Not vague positivity, worldly success slogans.

           ii.      We have to teach them about God’s promises.

1.      Tell them God is faithful.

2.      Christ is worth following.

3.      Sin destroys.

4.      Obedience matters.

5.      Heaven is real.

6.      There is one church.

7.      Jesus is coming again.

8.      The resurrection is worth waiting for.

           iii.      A dying Joseph gave instructions about his bones because he believed God’s promise

g.      What instructions are we leaving behind by the way we live?

h.      Many of us know families where a faithful grandmother or grandfather never saw all the fruit they prayed for.

           i.      They taught bible classes, brought children to worship, prayed over names, and kept pointing the family to Christ.

           ii.      Some died before seeing children or grandchildren obey the gospel or come back to the Lord they had left.

           iii.      But their faith still spoke after they were gone.

i.        That is Joseph’s kind of faith: one that says, God is not finished, even when my life is.

j.        Faith speaks God’s promises to a future it may never see.

Blessings Of Being Justified 6-28-26 AM

I.            The blessing of peace (Rom. 5:1).

a.      The word “therefore” points back to chapter 4.

          i.      Paul has just stated that righteousness is counted to those who believe in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

          ii.      Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

b.     When Paul states since we have been justified by faith, he is not talking about a shallow mental agreement.

          i.      Biblical faith trusts God enough to respond to Him.

          ii.      It is faith that moves.

c.      When we are justified, we have peace with God.

d.      This is not a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart but a changed relationship with God.

           i.      Before justification, we are not neutral.

           ii.      We are not simply confused people trying to do our best.

           iii.      Sin makes us enemies of God (Jam. 4:4).

           iv.      Before justification, we are on the wrong side of the battle.

e.      Notice what Paul writes later in the letter (Rom. 8:6).

f.        When WWII ended, the signing of the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri did not merely create a feeling of peace.

          i.      It officially ended a state of war.

          ii.      The relationship changed because the conflict had been settled.

g.     This is the picture in this verse.

          i.      Through Jesus Christ, the conflict caused by sin is settled.

          ii.      The sinner no longer stands as an enemy of God but as one brought near thought Jesus.

h.     We need to understand there is a difference between feeling peaceful and being at peace with God.

          i.      Some people feel calm but are still lost.

          ii.      Some people feel religious but are still guilty.

          iii.      Some people feel confident but are still unreconciled.

i.       Paul writes that the justified person has peace with God “through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

j.       This means our assurance is not built on our goodness but on His cross.

k.     Because Jesus settled our guilt, we can live at peace with God.

II.            The blessing of grace (Rom. 5:2).

a.     Paul tells us that through Jesus we have “access” to get into grace.

b.     This carries the idea of being brought into the presence of someone important.

          i.      We don’t barge into God’s favor.

          ii.      We are brought in through Christ.

c.      Notice the phrase “this grace wherein we stand…”

          i.      Grace is not something God gives at the beginning of salvation and then takes away.

          ii.      Grace is the place where the justified live.

          iii.      We stand in it.

d.     Grace is God’s unearned favor.

          i.      It is not wages or payment.

          ii.      It is not God rewarding us because we are impressive.

          iii.      It is God giving what we do not deserve because of what Christ has done.

e.      This verse shows us that faith and grace go hand in hand.

          i.      Grace is God’s part.

          ii.      Faith is man’s part – our part.

          iii.      Obedient faith receives what grace provides.

f.       When one is baptized into Christ, he puts on Christ (Gal. 3:27).

          i.      We don’t earn grace in baptism.

          ii.      We submit to Christ in faith and receive what only grace can give. 

g.     A few weeks ago, Jincy and I got to go to a grand opening of a new factory in the Shoals area.

          i.      The reason we got to go was not because we belonged there or they were letting just anyone in there.

          ii.      We got to go in there because we had been invited because Jincy works for Congressman Aderholt.

          iii.      We got to go because someone with authority allowed us access.

h.     This is grace – we did not have access to God because of our record – Jesus gives us access because of His.

i.       A lot of us struggle because we feel we are barely tolerated by God.

          i.      I’ve heard people say “I hope I just get in the back door of heaven” or something like this.

          ii.      They just hope God lets them in and it doesn’t have to be a fine place for them.

j.       Romans 5:2 says the justified stand in grace.

          i.      There are no levels of grace.

          ii.      You are either in it or you are not.

k.      We do need to remember that we stand in grace but are also warned we can fall from it.

          i.      We can’t treat grace as a license to do what we want.

          ii.      We have to treat grace as something we will never let go.

l.       Grace gives us access we could never earn.

III.            The blessing of tribulation (Rom. 5:3-5).

a.     This blessing probably surprises us that is even considered a blessing.

b.     Peace and grace – absolutely.

c.     Surely not tribulations.

d.     Paul says the justified can even rejoice in sufferings.

          i.      Not because they are enjoyable.

          ii.      Not because pain is pleasant.

          iii.      Not because Christians pretend hardships don’t hurt.

e.      We rejoice because God uses tribulations to produce something in us.

          i.      Suffering produces patience, or endurance.

          ii.      Endurance produces experience, or character.

          iii.      Character produces hope.

          iv.      Hope does not allow us to be ashamed.

f.       The world sees difficulties and suffering as things to be completely avoided.

          i.      The world says the best life is the easiest life.

          ii.      Paul says God can use these things to strengthen faith.

g.     The word translated “experience” or “character” contains the idea of testedness, genuineness, approvedness – it is the quality of something that has gone through the fire and remained.

         i.      Gold is refined by extreme heat.

         ii.      The extreme heat does not create the gold, but reveals it and purifies it.

         iii.      The heat separates what is precious from what does not belong.

h.    In the same way, trials do not create faith out of nothing, but they test and strengthen real faith.

i.      A Christian who has endured grief, sickness, opposition, temptation, and disappointment with trust in God often has a depth that cannot be manufactured in comfort.

j.      Some of the strongest Christians you know are not strong because life has been easy – they are strong because they have walked with God through pain.

         i.      They have learned to pray when answers were slow.

         ii.      They have learned to trust when feelings were weak.

         iii.      They have learned to obey when obedience was costly.

k.     Paul is not saying every hardship automatically makes every person better.

         i.      Some become bitter.

         ii.      But when suffering is endured with faith, God uses it to build endurance, character, and hope.

l.      This hope will not disappoint us.

m.   Have you ever looked forward to something, really built it up in your mind, and then, when it finally got there, was not what you hoped?

         i.      Heaven will never be that way.

         ii.      No one is going to stand in God’s presence and say, “I expected more.”

n.     God uses present trials to deepen future hope.

IV.            The blessing of God’s love (Rom. 5:6-8).

a.     Paul now takes us to the depth of God’s love.

         i.      Jesus did not die for us when we were strong.

         ii.      Jesus did not die for us when we were righteous.

         iii.      Jesus did not die for us when we had cleaned ourselves up.

b.     Did you hear how Paul described us – and that is when Christ died for us.

c.     Verse 8 is one of the greatest statements in all of scripture.

d.     God did not just say He loved us – He demonstrated it.

e.      All of us who were aware of the events of 9-11 were moved by the sacrifice of so many first responders on that day.

          i.      Rushing into a burning skyscraper.

          ii.      Doing all they could to save people and then many of them dying for it.

          iii.      Those acts move us because of the sacrifice

f.       Paul says even among human beings, it would be rare for someone to die for a righteous person.

g.     Someone might die for a good person.

h.     God’s love goes beyond that – Jesus died for the ungodly

i.       Jesus did not die for friends only but to turn enemies into friends.

j.       When we doubt God’s love, we can’t measure it first by our circumstances – we have to measure it by the cross.

          i.      Our circumstances change.

          ii.      Our feelings change.

          iii.      Our health changes.

          iv.      Our relationships change.

          v.      Our finances change.

k.      The cross stands as God’s ultimate demonstration of love – God shows us His love at the cross.

l.        The cross proves God loves us at our worst.

V.            The blessing of salvation (Rom. 5:9).

a.      Paul tells us we are justified by the blood of Christ.

          i.      This means the death of Jesus is not just an example of love.

          ii.      It is the means by which our guilt is answered.

b.      Because we are justified by His blood, we will be saved from the wrath of God.

c.      That is an uncomfortable but biblical phrase.

          i.      God is loving, patient, gracious, merciful, and kind.

          ii.      But God is also holy and just.

          iii.      His wrath is His settled opposition to sin and rebellion.

d.     The justified are saved from wrath because Jesus has dealt with our sin.

e.      Many people want salvation from anxiety, hardship, loneliness, or consequences.

          i.      Those are real burdens.

          ii.      Our deepest need, however, is salvation from sin and judgment.

f.       Paul says those justified by the blood of Jesus will be saved from wrath.

          i.      This should humble us.

          ii.      This should sober us.

          iii.      This should make us thankful.

          iv.      This should move us to warn others.

g.     God’s wrath is not a preacher’s scare tactic.

h.     It is a biblical reality, but so is God’s mercy.

i.       The only safe place from wrath is in Christ.

j.       Christ’s blood saves us from the wrath our sin deserves.

VI.            The blessing of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10).

a.     Reconciliation means a broken relationship has been restored.

b.     Because of sin, we were God’s enemies.

          i.      The problem was not that God wronged us.

          ii.      The problem was that we sinned against Him.

c.      God’s justice does not allow for fellowship with sin.

          i.      God is holy.

          ii.      Sin separates.

d.     But through the death of Jesus, reconciliation is made possible.

          i.      Our sins caused us to leave God.

          ii.      The death of Jesus opened the way back to God.

          iii.      And when we put on Christ, we are brought back into relationship with God.

e.      But Paul adds something important – “much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

          i.      The death of Jesus makes reconciliation possible.

          ii.      The life of Jesus makes continuing salvation possible.

f.       A dead Savior could save no one.

          i.      Jesus died, but He did not stay dead.

          ii.      He reigns – He intercedes – He keeps His promises.

g.     We’ve all known of friendships or families that become divided over some incident.

          i.      Sometimes those situations are never resolved.

          ii.      In some, though, someone reaches out in humility, apologizes and makes things right so the parties can be reconciled.

h.      This is a small picture of what God has done through Christ.

i.        Except in our case, God was the offended party and He made the first move.

j.        This means Christianity is not merely rule-keeping – it is restored relationship with God.

k.      Obedience, doctrine, worship, and holiness all matter.

l.        But they all flow from this reality – through Christ, enemies can be reconciled to God.

m.    Jesus brings enemies back into relationship with God.

VII.            The blessing of atonement (Rom. 5:11).

a.      Atonement carries the idea of a change of state – from enmity to friendship, separation to fellowship.

b.      Atonement is sometimes explained by stating it broken into syllables – at-one-ment.

           i.      This means being made at one with God.

           ii.      This is not the technical meaning, it captures the blessing very well.

c.       Jesus allowed us to go from enemies to friends of God.

           i.      Because of His death and resurrection, we can be at one with God.

           ii.      And this brings joy, the verse tells us.

d.      The justified person does not merely rejoice in blessings from God, but in God Himself.

e.      Think of a child estranged from his/her parents.

          i.      The greatest gift would not be merely receiving something in the mail from the parent.

          ii.      The greatest gift would be coming home, sitting at the table, and knowing the relationship has been restored.

f.       This is the joy of atonement.

g.      God is not sending gifts from a distance and that is all – He brings us near.

h.      Some people want God’s gifts more than they want God – you can’t have one without the other.

i.        The greatest blessing of justification is not merely we avoid wrath, though we do.

j.        The greatest blessing of justification is not merely we gain hope, though we do.

k.      It is not merely that we gain peace, grace, and salvation, though we do.

l.       The greatest blessing is God Himself.

m.    Atonement gives us joy because we are brought back to God.

Standing On The Promises 6-14-28 AM

I.            God’s promises are based on His character.

a.      God who never lies.

b.      Paul did not say:

            i.      God usually tells the truth.

            ii.      God tries His best to keep His word.

            iii.      God’s track record is good so far.

c.       Paul was inspired to write that God never lies.

d.      The promise of eternal life does not rest on my strength, my mood, my consistency, or my worthiness.

e.      It rests on the nature of God Himself.

f.        The value of a promise to be believed is based on three things.

           i.      The integrity of the one who promises – surely God has shown Himself to be trustworthy (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Th. 5:24; 2 Th. 3:3).

           ii.      The ability of the one who promises – surely God has shown Himself able to fulfill promises (Jer. 32:17; Lu. 1:37; Ac. 17:31).

           iii.      The past record of the one who promises – surely God has shown a spotless record in keeping promises (De. 7:9; how many times is God called a rock in the Psalms, - all because of His record of faithfulness).

g.      When it comes to the integrity of God, He measures up perfectly (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Ti. 1:2).

h.      God does not simply make the choice not to lie.

i.        God cannot lie because lying would contradict His own nature.

j.        This means when God speaks, faith has somewhere solid to stand.

           i.      When God promises forgiveness, you don’t have to wonder if He really means it.

           ii.      When God promises judgment, you should not assume He is bluffing.

           iii.      When God promises eternal life in Christ, you do not have to wonder if death gets the final word.

k.      Because God cannot lie, His promises are more reliable than our fears.

II.            God’s promises are bound to Christ.

a.      The Bible is not a random collection of disconnected promises.

b.      It is one great story of God keeping His word.

c.       When you look at the promises of God, they form a thread throughout scripture that all point to Jesus.

           i.      The seed of woman promise (Gen. 3:15).

           ii.      The promise of Abraham to make of him a great nation, have a great land, and all the earth be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).

           iii.      The promise to David to continue his lineage (2 Sam. 7).

           iv.      The promise of a restoration of a remnant of Israel after captivity.

           v.      The promise of a coming Messiah.

           vi.      The promise of a new and everlasting kingdom.

           vii.      The promise of a new covenant.

d.      When you come to the New Testament, these promises are all fulfilled in or by Christ.

            i.      Those who are His are spoken of as partakers of the promise (Eph. 3:6).

            ii.      The promise of the Savior of the seed of David is fulfilled in Christ (Acts 13:23, 32; 26:6).

            iii.      Paul says by inspiration that the promise to Abraham is not just for Israel but for all who will be children of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:16, 19, 29).

            iv.      The Hebrews writer goes back to the original promises, giving them spiritual significance in a better covenant that is “based on better promises” (Heb. 8:6).

e.      This is really what Paul states in 2 Cor. 1:20.

f.       Jesus is God’s great Yes.

g.      Jesus is not plan B – He is the fulfillment of every promise God has made.

h.      This means we don’t interpret God’s promises apart from Jesus.

           i.      We don’t use God’s promises as slogans for selfish ambitions.

           ii.      We come to Jesus and ask, “Lord, what have you promised, and how do I live in faithfulness to you?”

i.        Some promises in scripture were physical and specific to certain people in a certain time and place.

           i.      Some were conditional.

           ii.      Some were covenant promises.

           iii.      The greatest promises are spiritual and eternal, fulfilled in Christ: forgiveness, reconciliation with God, resurrection, eternal life, and a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

j.        Because Jesus is God’s Yes, every promise is bound to Jesus.

III.            God’s promises are backed by His power.

a.      A person can have integrity and still be unable to keep a promise.

          i.      A father may promise to take his child fishing and mean it, but a storm comes.

          ii.      A friend may promise to do something for us and mean it, but an illness hits.

b.     Human beings are limited.

c.     God is not.

d.     When God reaffirmed the seed promise to Abraham, He said, “I am God almighty” (Gen. 17:1).

          i.      The promise was not resting on Abraham’s age, Sarah’s womb, or human probability.

          ii.      It rested on the power of Almighty God.

e.      Jer. 32:17.

f.        Luke 18:27.

g.      God is not hampered in any way when it comes to fulfilling His promises because God is omnipotent.

h.      In reality, the promises of the New Testament were confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus.

           i.      Acts 17:32.

           ii.      The resurrection is God’s receipt that the promise has been paid for.

i.        If God raised Jesus from the dead, then God has the power to raise us.

j.        If God conquered the grave, then God can forgive our sins.

k.      If God kept His promise at the cross and the empty tomb, then God can keep His promise all the way to eternity.

l.       We have to stop measuring God’s promises by our limitations.

          i.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can forgive me.”

          ii.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can use me.”

          iii.      We don’t need to say, “I don’t see how God can get me through this.”

m.    The promise does not depend on what we can see – it depends on what God can do.

n.      Because God is almighty, no promise of God is too hard for Him.

IV.            God’s promises beg for a faithful response.

a.      Notice the logic in this passage (Heb. 10:19-23).

           i.      Because Jesus opened the way, draw near.

           ii.      Because God is faithful, hold fast.

           iii.      Because God promised, do not waver.

b.      God’s promises are not meant to be admired from a distance.

c.      They are meant to be obeyed, trusted, and stood upon.

d.      Hebrews 11:11.

           i.      Sarah’s faith was not in herself.

           ii.      Sarah’s faith was in the One who promised.

e.      Our faith in God’s forgiveness is not tied to how remorseful we are, but to the fact God is faithful to forgive when sin is repented of (1 Jn. 1:9).

f.        Our faith in any promise of God has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with the God who made the promise.

g.      What promise do you need to act on today?

           i.      Maybe you need to confess sin because God has promised forgiveness.

           ii.      Maybe you need to obey the gospel because God has promised salvation in Christ.

           iii.      Maybe you need to stop wavering because God has been faithful longer than you have been afraid.

h.      Faith does not mean life will be easy.

i.        Faith makes living this life much easier.

j.        Because God is faithful, His people can hold fast.

Are We Willing To Pay The Price? 6-7-26 AM

I.            Discipleship comes with a cost.

a.     Jesus says that if we will follow Him, we have to deny ourselves.

b.     What does it mean to deny ourselves?

          i.      It does not mean hating our personalities.

          ii.      It does not mean ignoring our needs.

          iii.      It does not mean pretending that we don’t matter.

c.      It means surrendering ownership of your life.

d.      It means saying, “Jesus, you are Lord and I am not.”

e.      We all have a tendency to want to be preeminent.

           i.      This is what is behind the statement of Jesus found in Matt. 5:5.

           ii.      A meek person puts his will underneath the will of God.

           iii.      Blessing from God will only come when we put ourselves out of the lead seat and insert the Lord there.

f.        Jesus does not call us to add Him to our lives as an accessory.

g.      He calls us to hand Him the keys.

h.      The first price of discipleship is death of self-rule.

i.        We sing “take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to the” but do we really mean it?

j.        If we die to self, this means following Jesus will challenge our priorities.

           i.      It may cost us a sinful relationship.

           ii.      It may cost us popularity.

           iii.      It may cost us habits or attitudes we’ve defended for years.

           iv.      It will cost us control over our time, money, speech, attitudes, and desires.

k.      The question is not, “Can I follow Jesus and keep most things the same?”

l.        The question is, “What must change because Jesus is Lord?”

m.    Following Jesus begins when self stops being in charge.

II.            Discipleship is constant.

a.      Mark’s account records Jesus as saying, “take up his cross and follow me.”

b.      Luke’s account adds one very important word – “daily” (Lu. 9:23).

c.       Jesus is not describing one very emotional moment.

           i.      I’ve heard people say something like, “I’ll never forget giving my life to Jesus in the parking lot of the church building” or something like that.

           ii.      It is a very emotional moment followed by little to no change in actions or attitudes.

d.      Jesus is describing a life from new birth until physical death (Rev. 2:10).

          i.      The cross is not something we pick up once and then put down.

          ii.      It is something we carry daily.

e.      The Hebrews writer states we are to encourage one another daily (Heb. 3:13).

           i.      It is not a Sunday only exercise.

           ii.      It is an everyday exercise to get help us get to heaven.

f.        This is not a job where you clock in for several hours a day and then clock out and can forget about it til the next day.

g.      This is not something we can remove around certain people and take it back out when we are around people like us.

h.      Some people are willing to cede control to Jesus in a crisis but not in everyday life.

           i.      It is easy to give control to Christ when we realize we can’t fix it, but keep control until we are going off the cliff.

           ii.      It is easy to confess Christ when we enter the church building, but not so much at work or play with friends outside of Christ.

i.        Jesus calls us to everyday discipleship.

           i.      Every day in our homes.

           ii.      Every day in our decisions.

           iii.      Every day in temptation.

           iv.      Every day in good times.

           v.      Every day in hardships.

           vi.      Every day in every aspect.

j.        Discipleship that involves carrying our cross is not a moment; it is a daily way of life.

III.            Discipleship is complete.

a.      When Jesus said “take up his cross,” the first-century people hearing Him did not hear a religious slogan.

b.      They saw a Roman execution scene that was very familiar to them.

c.       The cross was not some fancy decoration.

           i.      It was not jewelry.

           ii.      It was not a cool, new tattoo.

           iii.      The cross was an instrument of torturous death.

d.      To take up a cross meant you were walking to your death.

e.      Jesus is saying that the disciple must be so surrendered that even life itself belongs to God.

f.       Then Jesus states… (Mk. 8:35).

          i.      Jesus is not calling us to lead reckless lives, not thinking at all about our physical lives.

          ii.      He is calling us to complete loyalty.

          iii.      There is no area in our lives where we can say, “Jesus, you can have everything but this.”

g.     This is where discipleship becomes uncomfortable.

          i.      Jesus gets our public and private lives.

          ii.      He gets us on Sunday mornings and Friday nights.

          iii.      He gets our worship and our money.

          iv.      He gets our words and our thoughts.

          v.      He gets our plans and our relationships.

          vi.      He gets our bodies and our futures.

h.     Yes, if faithfulness demands it, the disciple must be willing to die for the Lord.

          i.      Remember Paul on his way to Jerusalem?

          ii.      Acts 21:12.

          iii.      This is to be our attitude if it ever comes to that, which is much easier said than done.

i.       Jesus is not asking for part of us, but all of us.

IV.            Discipleship must be done with consideration.

a.     Jesus asks two very searching questions in Mark 8:36-37.

b.     Jesus is using financial language.

          i.      He is talking about profit and loss.

          ii.      We have to sit down and do the calculations.

c.      I heard a clip from Dave Ramsey the other day.

          i.      A guy called in with about 2 million dollars in low interest debt.

          ii.      He and his made 1.5 million and had 5.2 million in assets

          iii.      He was wondering if it was better to pay off the debt or invest money that would bring in more percentage wise than his debts cost.

          iv.      Dave Ramsey said he needs to do the math and factor in risk, which the guy had not done.

d.     Jesus is inviting us to do the math on our soul’s eternal value versus the value of the here and now.

          i.      This was not the only time Jesus would tell His hearers they needed to do the math.

          ii.      On another occasion where Jesus was speaking about the cost of discipleship, He had this to say… (Lu. 14:25-33).

          iii.      We have to count the cost.

e.      What if we could gain all that this world has to offer?

f.       And then lost our souls?

g.     Jesus says that is not success – that is the worst trade-off imaginable.

h.     The world is always offering trades:

          i.      Trade truth for acceptance;

          ii.      Trade holiness for pleasure;

          iii.      Trade worship for busyness;

          iv.      Trade conviction for comfort;

          v.      Trade eternity for now.

i.        Jesus tells us to think very carefully.

j.        Count the cost but take in consideration all the numbers.

k.      Yes, following Jesus costs something, but not following Jesus costs far more.

l.        The world is far too small a payment for our souls.

V.            Discipleship involves confession.

a.      Jesus says that is possible to be ashamed of Him, which will lead Him to be ashamed of us (Mk. 8:38).

b.      This is not just about private belief.

c.      It is also about public allegiance.

d.      To be ashamed of Jesus is to distance ourselves from Him when identifying with Him becomes costly.

           i.      It is wanting His salvation but not His name.

           ii.      It is wanting His promises but not His words.

e.      A true disciple confesses Christ (Rom. 10:9-10).

f.        Confession is not empty religious language.

g.      It is expressed allegiance, saying “I belong to Jesus.”

h.      We definitely confess Christ by what we say, but also by what we refuse to hide.

           i.      We confess Him when we speak the truth in love against error.

           ii.      We confess Him when we refuse to be embarrassed by His teaching.

           iii.      We confess Him when we identify with His church and not man-made traditions.

           iv.      We confess Him when we repent instead of excuse sin.

           v.      We confess Him when we are baptized into Him.

           vi.      We confess Him when our lives make it clear that Jesus is Lord.

i.        A disciple cannot be secretly loyal to a public Savior.