Saturday evening we had our monthly Saturday night singing. It was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship, and all who were present were greatly edified.
The next scheduled singing:
February 16, 2008
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Everyone is welcome. Please come and lift your voices in praise to God!
Four examples are given to illustrate the concept of scriptural authority. These four are: 1) Baptism as immersion; 2) Singing in worship; 3) First day of the week contribution; 4) Elders in every church.
Apathy, the distractions of sin, lack of study, discouragement, a lack of love… All of these things can be an impediment to spiritual growth.
Grace does not excuse us from personal responsibility. The idea of cheap grace, so popular today, is false. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Rom. 6:1-2). Rather, Paul says that grace teaches us to deny worldly lusts, and live “soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”
The gospel of John records several short conversations Jesus had as He began to attract disciples at the beginning His ministry. These conversations are contained in verse 35-51 of John 1.
The reaction of the Muslim community to a cartoonists depiction of the prophet Muhammad points out a radical difference between the Islamic faith and Christianity. While the Muslims are moved to anger and violence, the true Christian is called to love his enemies, and try to turn them away from error through the preaching of the Lord’s gospel.
This sermon is a discussion of the text of Romans 10:1-13. It includes a discussion of the difference between the two covenants; the necessity of faith and confession unto salvation; and a definition of the phrase, “calls upon the name of the Lord.”
Jeroboam convinced the Northern Tribes that it was too much to ask them to return to Jerusalem to worship God. Instead he fashioned golden idols, and introduced idolatry to the nation of Israel. (cf. 1 Kings 12). It is often claimed that God requires too much of us. Is it true? This sermon establishes that what God requires is reasonable and doable for the Christian.
The Word, God’s Son, is behind the entirety of creation. “without Him nothing was made that was made.” Because of the positions He holds as Creator and Savior, He is worthy of our worship and devotion. As John so eloquently put it, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Consider carefully the person and position of your Lord.
The atheist has an insurmountable problem in his efforts to explain the existence of humanity without the presence of a divine being. The theory of evolution, used to promote the idea of our physical development over eons of time, can in no way explain the existence the fixed moral standards that have been present throughout human history.
The temptation of our Lord was a necessary part of his experience on earth. The Hebrews writer said that “in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God” (2:17). As such, in that He “has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (2:18).
2 Timothy 2:20-21 and the surrounding context reveals that the Christian’s spiritual welfare depends upon their diligence in serving him. The difference between vessels of honor and dishonor is the willingness of said vessel to sanctify themselves to God’s service.
Profanity is an outward expression of a dissolute and evil heart. It is wickedness, and unworthy of the Christian profession.
The question is not whether a Christian may fast (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:5) or abstain from eating meat (cf. Romans 14:6). These things are certainly allowed, though never commanded by God.
The question is whether a church has the right to elevate such man-made traditions to the level of “Canon Law.” (Note, the Catholic requirements mentioned above were lifted from the 1983 Revision of the Catholic Code of Canon Law). This is a practice clearly condemned by Jesus in Matthew 15:8-9.
The text consists of what is commonly called the Limited Commission, in contrast to the “Great Commission” recorded in Matthew 28:16-20. On both occasions the apostles were commanded to go and preach, but where the “Great Commission” had as its scope “all the nations,” the commission of Matthew 10 was limited to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
