Category: Obedience
Subject: Obedience
Sermon: The Obligations of Freedom in Christ
The sermon is an exegetical treatment of Galatians 5 & 6, noting that the liberty we obtain in Christ is liberty from sin, not responsibility.
In the News: Compassion and the Rule of Law
Everyone is aware of the burgeoning crisis that is playing out on the southern borders of the United States. A rapid and large number of illegal immigrant children are entering the U.S. every day.
This large number of Central and South American children (many of them unaccompanied by adults) is overwhelming the resources of border authorities, leading to health concerns both for the children and the communities where they are housed, and fueling a great political debate regarding how to manage the situation.
Continue reading “In the News: Compassion and the Rule of Law”
Sermon: At the Crossroads
We all must make choices in our lives. Ultimately, our eternal destiny depends upon taking the narrow and difficult path that leads to life. The lesson discusses several questions all must ask themselves at one time or another, including:
- Will you obey the gospel?
- Will you live above sin?
- Will you pay the price of discipleship?
- Will you remember God while you are young?
- Will you endure to the end?
From the Preacher’s Pen: Follow HIS Directions!
Seek the Lord! That is the cry of faith. It is the need for every man and woman who lives upon the earth. This sobering sentiment is expressed clearly by the prophet Isaiah in his instructions to Judah.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9).
The most sobering aspect of these words is the realization that our success in seeking the Lord is contingent upon our knowing His thoughts. We can’t find Him is we don’t know where He is. We can’t know where He is unless He tells us. The most amazing thing is that He has, and yet people persist in following their own directions rather than His.
Consider the contrast of the text. In the same way that “the heavens are higher than the earth” so are God’s ways than our own. In other words, it is impossible for us to please God by our own devices. If you want to please God, you must seek Him. If in seeking you find Him, it will be because you followed His directions!
Sermon: King David’s Charge
The text of 1 Kings 2:1-4 is examined, clause by clause. King David’s charge to his young son Solomon, as he neared his death, is one that has applicable principles for us today.
Mining the Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-19
Late in his letter, Paul strings together a number of concise exhortations. These exhortations are typical examples of what God requires of his children. They are clear, and need little comment.
In the list, Paul enjoins them to: love and esteem those who labor for the Lord, especially in the realm of oversight; be at peace; admonish those who would disturb that peace; supply the special and peculiar needs of each of the brethren; return evil with good, always seeking the best for all men; rejoice; pray; be active in doing the Spirit’s work; respect God’s word; study to discern that word; and abstain from every form of evil. A single glance at the list affords the reader a clear picture of what God expects of us. We are to be loving, peaceful, godly people who insist upon and heed the truth revealed by God.
It is important to note that this list is far more than a list of “thou shalt nots”. Not only is the man of God to refrain from sinning, he is to be diligent and active in service to the Lord.
From the Preacher’s Pen: Free to Choose
The wise man of Ecclesiastes wrote, “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes” (7:29).
The text clearly teaches that man appears on the earth inherently good. This contrasts with the world view of the Reformed Theologian who contends that man is born to a state of absolute depravity. The text also absolves God of blame when evil abounds. It is not God’s fault or doing when suffering comes as the consequence of sinful behavior. God made man upright!
Why then do men do evil? Because God has given man a will, and men choose to do evil! “They have sought out many schemes.” No one wishes for God to do away with free will. It is His greatest gift, and the reason Moses wrote that God made man “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). However, when God gave man the freedom of choice, it was inevitable that some would choose to do evil things. Adam did, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Recently, I was given the following quote — a fitting end to this short missive. “You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice.” Wise words to consider the next time we are tempted to choose foolishly!
Sermon: Keeping in the Love of God
Brantley Gallman uses the text of Jude to describe what is necessary to keep ourselves in the Love of God.
Sermon: God Said It!
If God said it, that settles it, and we had better believe it. God is sovereign, and His will must be obeyed. Psalm 119:89 says, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”
Invitation: Rejecting God
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
The text of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 reveals an admonition of Paul to abound in obedience to the commands of God (especially in the realm of morality). Those who refuse to do so are not rejecting man, they are rejecting God.
Invitation: Jesus, the Perfect Example
Invitation delivered by: Chad Gallman
Chad points out that if we want to be saved, we can not do our own thing. Instead, we should imitate Jesus Christ, who, though He was the Son of God, did not do His own will, but the will of His Father.
Invitation: Do It and Like It!
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
Unlike parents who will say, “You will do it, whether you like it or not,” God calls for us not only to do it (obey Him), but requires that we like it as well!
Invitation: Don’t be Afraid to Miss
Invitation delivered by: Armando Vera
Too often people allow fear to paralyze them to inaction. Christians can be cheated out of character building, becoming what God wants us to be, and becoming successful even to the point of obtaining heaven, all because they are afraid to put forth the effort to succeed. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Sermon: The Human Heart
The heart, as the term is described in scripture, encompasses the intellect, emotions, conscience and will of man. As such, it must be kept pure. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
