Category: Conviction
Subject: Conviction
Sermon: Efforts at Evangelism
The efforts of the apostles and other preachers of the New Testament, revealed in the book of Acts, served two purposes. First, to save souls. Second, to equip those souls to be soul winners themselves.
Sermon: Courage Needed
In the presence of a hostile and intolerant culture, the Christian needs the spirit of power, love and a sound mind to boldly proclaim the gospel of our Lord
From Saul to Paul
In the apostle Paul’s previous life he was a successful man. A Pharisee of the Pharisees, his zeal for the law commended him to the Jewish leadership. He was a Roman citizen, a student of the respected rabbi Gamaliel, and of the tribe of Benjamin. Among the Jews, these attributes brought him a great deal of respect.
And then, everything changed. The Lord appeared to him while traveling to Damascus (Acts 9), and Saul was confronted by a new reality. The Christians he actively persecuted turned out to be right! Their claim that Jesus was the Christ from God was absolutely true. Saul of Tarsus was actively persecuting the Messiah and his followers.
So Saul changed. This was an indication of his personal integrity. His willingness to acknowledge fault and change direction is perhaps the most laudable thing about the man. As he put it in Philippians 3:7-9, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…”
From Saul the Persecutor to Paul the apostle, he showed himself an honest man, acting with integrity. As such, he earns our respect, and we should seek to emulate him. As Paul wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Sermon: Nehemiah – A Man for His Time
Nehemiah was the right man in the right place and time for his service to God. He had a heart of compassion and concern for God’s people, and the confidence to provide for them with God’s protection and help.
The Mob Mentality
We live in harrowing times. The present pandemic is becoming more and more intrusive in the world. Not only have many died from the COVID-19 virus, but there is a growing panic in America and throughout the world.
It is hard to know whether things are as bad as they seem to be. The virus is actually fairly mild compared to others, but it is new, and seems to be easily spread. Regardless, it is being covered by the media 24/7, and is resulting in major lifestyle changes in America.
When Truth Doesn’t Match Conviction
This past week the Mueller report was submitted, and the Attorney General of the United States revealed that the report exonerates the President from the charge of criminal conspiracy to collude with Russia in the 2016 election. For the last two years many leaders in the opposition party were convinced that the President was guilty. Now that the report has been released, recommending no indictments, many continue to believe in his guilt.
The purpose of this article is not politics. I am aware that many want to see the report before making any final decisions, and that others will not be satisfied until they not only see the report, but the mountain of documents upon which it is based. My point is that many will stubbornly hold to their personal conviction regardless of what is actually so. And this tendency is not limited to a particular political party, or even politics itself.
Sermon: Marks of True Devotion
A discussion of Romans 12:1-8, indicating the need for self examination to ensure we are diligently sacrificing ourselves to our Lord as transformed individuals. This requires us to be active in our service to Him.
“Speak to us smooth things”
Some people have a problem with truth. Not all truth, just truth they find objectionable. By refusing to listen to it, they fail to hear what is needed to convict and convert them from sin to righteousness. Are you one of those people? Am I?
FB: A New Creation
In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (5:17).
This is both a statement of fact (acknowledging the new birth), and a statement of wonder! When one becomes a child of God, everything changes! Where once we were dead in sin, we are now dead to sin. Where once we had no hope, we now have eternal hope. Where once we had no purpose to our lives, now we rejoice in our singular desire to serve God in all things.
As Paul, “we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (vs. 20). It is a commitment you will never regret!
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Sermon: The TRUE Daniel Plan
There is a new diet book out called, The Daniel Plan. It references a passage from Daniel 1:8, where Daniel refused the diet of the king of Babylon. There is a true plan found in the book of Daniel, which if followed, will bring spiritual benefits and health.
Sermon: Admonitions to Young Preachers – 4
In this final of four lessons on the subject, the sermon discusses Paul’s admonition to Timothy to contend for the truth as a young preacher.
Invitation: The Character of the New Man
Invitation delivered by: Justin Carrell
Justin gives a paraphrase of Colossians 3, as Paul describes the character of the new man of Christ.
From the Preacher’s Pen: Love and Tolerance are Different Things!
While on the internet earlier this week I came across a quote by Rick Warren. There are many things that Warren teaches that are not true, but he got it right with this statement:
Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense.
You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.
This truth can easily be demonstrated with the parent/child relationship. Many children grow up to embrace beliefs or practices that their parents reject. The parents will express disapproval and may be intolerant of such rebellion, but that in no way indicates a lack of love.
The same thing is true regarding our interactions with one another as Christians. Paul wrote (cf. Galatians 6:1-2) that it is the spiritual man’s duty to correct his brother who is in sin. To do so is an expression of love.
It is also an expression of love to convict the alien sinner of his personal guilt when it comes to sinning against God. It is our duty to the world to seek to save their souls from sin. When we condemn their sin and call them to repentance, we are not hating them. We are practicing charity!
Invitation: Be Who Jesus Knows You Can Be
Invitation delivered by: Armando Vera
Jesus is certain we can make it to heaven. That’s why he prepared those mansions for us. We can have confidence too, and live for Him. All men can be saved!
Sermon: Two Cons
Sermon 4 of 9
Gospel Meeting May 5-10, 2012
Speaker: Chip Foster
Two concepts are examined, using Jeroboam as an example (1 Kings 12:25-30). The first, CONvenience. The second, CONviction. Good application is made to Christians in our time.
