Category: Salvation
Subject: Salvation
Sermon: Grace and Obedience
The texts of Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 2:12-13; James 2:14-26 and Luke 17:7-10 are used to describe the relationship of grace and obedience to the salvation of men.
Invitation: Salvation by the Hem of His Garment
Invitation delivered by: Brantley Gallman
In Luke 8:43-48, the account of divine healing of a woman teaches us a wonderful lesson concerning the Power of Jesus. First to heal, but also to save the souls of men!
Sermon: Jesus Saves Us From Despair
If not for the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives would be miserable. Contemplation of the value of life without God leads only to despair. We rejoice that in Christ we have the hope of heaven!
(Note: the audio was derived from a different source than normal. It is low quality, but very understandable).
Invitation: Our Desire to be Further Clothed
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 a desire for immortality that he describes as a groaning. The language is beautiful, and describes a desire that every child of God should have.
Sermon: Calling on the Name of the Lord
Sermon by Josh Cox.
All agree that one must call on the name of the Lord to be saved. However, many do not really know what that entails. The scriptures reveal clearly what it is to call on the name of the Lord.
The Parable of the Sower
Jesus often taught by parable. A parable is a story told, using simple objects or situations, to illustrate a spiritual principle. Such illustrations can be extremely powerful, and this is certainly the case with his Parable of the Sower. The parable is included in all of the synoptic gospels, (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; Mark 4:2-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-15).
The accounts reveal that the disciples were first confused about the meaning of this parable. Fortunately for us, Jesus gave to them and us a clear explanation of his words. Consider the following important points that can be derived from this parable. Citations will be from the account recorded by Luke:
God’s Law of Procreation
I came across an old chart as I was cleaning out my office last week. It was from a workbook titled, Cottage Meeting Manual, by Maurice Tisdel. The title of the chart was “God’s Law of Procreation.” The information on the chart I will summarize in this short article.
The first column considers the vegetable kingdom. God’s word reveals that the first plants came about through God’s creative work. “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:11). From that point on, however, as observation reveals, new plants have propagated through the seeds of their “parent” plants. Each seed produces a plant of the same “kind” as the plant from which the seed came. There are no exceptions to this rule. It is observable, the result of natural law.
Sermon: The Final Judgment
A discussion of Matthew 25:31-46 which deals with the final judgment of the world by the Lord.
Sermon: Religious, Yet Lost
The New Testament identifies several individuals who were lost in their sins despite their devotion to God. The four mentioned in this lesson: Saul, Cornelius, the rich young ruler, and the Pharisees. None can be saved until obeying the commands of God!
The Patternists: Am I a Legalist?
The term “legalist” is commonly used by religious people today. It is not a biblical term, so we have to define it either by Webster, or by common usage.
The term is defined as follows by Webster: “an advocate or adherent of moral legalism.” So, to know what a legalist is, we need the definition of legalism. Again, Webster supplies: “strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.”
Still, to get a full understanding of what a legalist is, perhaps we can gain insight by examining any antonyms (words that mean the opposite). Interestingly, a search of antonyms at the website: synonyms.net supplied only one word as an antonym to legalist. It is “antinomian”. Webster defines the term: “one who holds that under the gospel dispensation of grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation.”
It is peculiar that people are given to such extremes. How is it that an acknowledgement of salvation by grace through faith necessitates (in the mind of so many today) a belief that obedience to God’s will is not required?
I believe the following inspired word from Hebrews 5:8-9, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
I also believe what Paul said by inspiration of the Spirit about Christ’s second coming. That He would come, “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ“ (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Does that make me a legalist? If so, I confess I am, as I cast my lot with the Holy Spirit!
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Sermon: The Value of a Single Soul
A key in being active in evangelizing the lost is understanding the value of a single soul.
Sermon: Considering “Consider”
The word consider is defined: 1) to think about; 2) to be thoughtful of…
There are a numerous things that the scriptures teach us to consider. For example, the importance of being industrious, the sacrifice of Christ, and your brethren in Christ.
FB: God Has Not Cast Away His People
In Romans 11, the apostle Paul notes that God has not forsaken His chosen people, the Israelites (vs. 2). However, he emphasizes in the letter that there has been a change in who God regards as chosen! He states in verse 5, “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Now, the remnant that remains of God’s chosen or elected ones, are those who have obtained grace. As Paul noted in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
This remnant includes those among the Jews who believe and obey the gospel of Christ, and also those among the Gentiles who do the same. In our text, Paul refers to the Gentiles as “a wild olive tree, …grafted in among them” (vs. 17).
God be praised that whether Jew or Gentile, we all have the hope of heaven if we believe!
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Invitation: A Remnant
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
In Romans 11:5 Paul notes that the remnant saved by God in the New Covenant are chosen “according to the election of grace.”
Mining the Scriptures: 1 John 1:4
In John’s opening words, he affirmed himself to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ, and that His resurrection is the basis of his readers’ standing with God. As Paul wrote, the gospel is “the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16).
In verse 4 he states, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” Actually, manuscript authorities differ on whether the word is “our” or “your.”
If “our”, the apostle would have reference either to himself (as he used the editorial “we” to begin the epistle (cf. vs. 1), or to the common joy both he and the readers would experience through the reality of their fellowship in Christ. If “your”, the meaning would be the same, but directed to his readers alone.
Regardless, our contemplation of the redemptive acts of Jesus brings great joy to our lives as Christians. Because we believe in Him, we have fellowship together, and the hope of heaven. There is no greater source of joy available to us!
