Category: Repentance
Subject: Repentance
Invitation: The Prodigal Son
Invitation delivered by: Chad Gallman
Chad Gallman uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to emphasize both the mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father, and the necessity of a sinner to “come to himself” to receive that mercy.
Invitation: Godly Sorrow
Invitation delivered by: Josh Cox
Josh uses the text of 2 Corinthians 7:8-ff, to explain the godly sorrow that should be present in every person guilty of sin, that they might repent and be saved.
Examine Yourselves – Are You Saved?
It is an unfortunate truth that many are deceived in their belief that they are saved. While they may sincerely believe such to be true, their view is based upon their own subjective feelings in the matter, rather than the objective reality that they have satisfied the requirements given by the Holy Spirit in scripture.
Others may be unsure of their standing before God. This can be beneficial if it brings a careful examination of their faith before Him. However, constant questioning can undermine the faith, bring anxiety and unhappiness, and have a negative affect on the spiritual growth of the Christian. With this in mind, we ask the following questions as a means to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Sermon: What Is Godly Sorrow?
Most people experience sorrow as a result or consequence of sin. Is that sorrow godly sorrow, leading to repentance, or worldly sorrow leading to death? The lesson examines the difference between the two.
From the Preacher’s Pen: The Proof is in the Pudding
Last Sunday I used the phrase “the proof is in the pudding” while preaching. It is a phrase I had long heard, but some were wondering about it’s origin and meaning. So, I looked it up.
The phrase is actually a misquote of the phrase “the proof of the pudding” (which is fairly nonsensical), but is a shortened form of the phrase, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” which makes more sense. It means that to fully test something you need to experience it yourself. There are examples of the phrase being used early in the 17th century.
When I use it I intend a similar idea. That it is possible to claim something to be true, but claiming is not the same as demonstrating it to be so. There are numerous applications of this in scripture. For example, in the area of repentance. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:11 about the Corinthians proving of themselves, “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
When it comes to repentance, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is not enough to say you are sorry for your sin, you must prove it in your life. Makes sense!
In the News: Printers and Accountability
I am sitting in my office, waiting for a call from a service manager about our broken printer. Yes, that printer which broke down back on January 22nd. I called on the following Tuesday morning to schedule a service call, and have been given the runaround since.
It is actually a humorous story. We originally bought the machine from a local company called Denitech rather than online. The reason was the salesman’s desire to “do me a favor” in the hope that if we wanted more expensive equipment in the future, we would contact him. We chose this particular printer because it had a 1 year warranty (rather than 90 days), and because Xerox equipment we used previously proved to be dependable.
In the News: Last Second Shot!
Friday night the Castleberry girl’s basketball team won a game with the most exciting finish you can imagine. They were playing Mineral Wells, and were shorthanded. One of their players had blown an ACL ligament the previous week, and was out for the season. Their best player had a virus, and though she was playing, was struggling physically. None of their shots were falling, and they were down 12 points to start the fourth quarter.
The deficit continued until about halfway through the quarter, and then all of a sudden the shots started falling. The girls knew they had to win to keep their hopes of going to the playoffs alive. They dug down deep, and narrowed the deficit to one point. With 2.6 seconds left, Castleberry had the ball out of bounds. Josh (my son is the coach) drew up a play, and their best player banked home the shot for the win. The stands erupted, the girls (and Josh) went crazy, and everyone cheered.
Sermon: Indignation and Vindication
In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he discusses their repentance, following his previous letter of admonition. The Corinthians exhibited proper indignation (toward self), and by their actions were vindicated in the eyes of God and man.
In the News: Criticizing the Five Step Plan
I recently was sent an article titled, “Do We Have A Catechism?”, written by Ken Green. The form the article took, and the comments following, indicate that brother Green had posted it to his Facebook page.
Though brother Green gave no specifics in the article, it was critical of the preaching and attitudes of Christians in the past. Notice the following two quotes:
We do not have catechism classes that insist on the rote learning of the proper responses to various questions about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, faith, baptism, worship, and other doctrines. But, by and large, our people have done quite well in memmorizing (sic) things they can recite on a moment’s notice, while, too often, having little understanding of the material and never really growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
But there was a stretch of many years when at least a couple of generations grew up in our churches without hearing much about love, grace and forgiveness and how we’re supposed to treat each other, and it had some devastating effects.
Brother Green took issue with the call made for “distinctive preaching” and said that what was meant is that we should be “reciting the catechism.” It is becoming fairly common to hear a rather dismissive attitude towards the faith and practice of earlier generations of Christians. This is unfortunate.
Continue reading “In the News: Criticizing the Five Step Plan”
Invitation: Almost Persuaded is Eternally Lost
Invitation delivered by: Joshua Scroggins
Josh uses the text of Acts 26:28 and the lyrics of the song “Almost Persuaded” to exhort the audience to make the decision to serve Christ acceptably while time and opportunity remains.
Sermon: Giving the Sense of Peter’s Pentecost Sermon
The Title of this sermon refers to Ezra’s reading of the law to the remnant of Israel (Nehemiah 8:8), and giving a sense (explaining the law) so that his listeners could understand. This sermon is an exegesis of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, (Acts 2).
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
Sermon: The Lost Son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) teaches us four lessons. 1) The danger of ingratitude; 2) The Necessity of Repentance; 3) The Mercy and Compassion of God; and 4) The Importance of Rejoicing in the salvation of sinners.
Sermon Powerpoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
Sermon: Lessons from a Cataclysm
As we contemplate man’s vulnerability in the face of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, there are lessons to be learned about man’s responsibility to God. In the sermon, reasons are given why men reject God, and the call to repentance as we respond with Job, “I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
Sermon: Five Steps to Salvation
Stan here preaches a straitforward first principle lesson on the conditions God has placed upon man. In other words, the five steps any man must complete to be saved by God. As simple as this is, it is often misunderstood or denied by the religious world.
Sermon Powerpoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
