Month: June 2010

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM–PHILIPPIANS 3:1-12

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THAT I MAY KNOW HIM

PHILIPPIANS 3:1-12

Key Verse: Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

Introduction:

Knowing Jesus Christ as Savior is just the beginning of your knowledge of Him. There is so much more to know about our Savior.

To trust Jesus is to know Him and to know Him is to trust Him. Most Christians know very little about their Savior and that is a shame. God the Father wants us to know Him and His Son much better.

I. HOW DOES ONE KNOW JESUS?

A. We know Him by faith, Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

1. We receive Him BY FAITH, John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

2. We acquire ETERNAL LIFE by faith in Jesus, John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

B. We know Him by the TESTIMONY of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

1. The Spirit of God has SEALED our salvation, 2 Corinthians 1:22, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

2. We have His pledge or GUARANTEE of eternal life, Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

II. IF YOU KNOW JESUS YOU KNOW GOD THE FATHER

John 14:7, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

A. Unbelievers in Christ DO NOT KNOW God the Father, John 8:19, “Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”

1. They are WITHOUT GOD in this world, Ephesians 2:12, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

2. They have NO HOPE outside of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior, 1 Peter 1:3, 21, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

B. Because of their unbelief, the Pharisees hated the Father because they hated Christ, John 15:24, “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.”

1. By the works that Jesus did they should have believed in Him, John 5:36, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.”

2. Because of the works that God did in their midst they are INEXCUSABLE, Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

III. PROOF THAT WE KNOW HIM

A. We know Him if we keep His commandments, 1 John 2:3-5, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

1. A TRUE BELIEVER will keep His commandments, 1 John 3:22, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

2. His love for us MOVES US TO OBEY, 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

3. By keeping His commandments His LOVE IS PERFECTED in us, 1 John 2:5, “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

B. He has given us an understanding, 1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

1. To understand the Scriptures, Luke 24:45, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

2. To know the ONLY TRUE God, John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

3. To speak of His Word WITHOUT being ASHAMED, Psalm 119:46-47, “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. 47And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.”

CONCLUSION

To know Jesus Christ as your Savior is the greatest blessing known to man. He has given us that opportunity and much more. He has given us understanding in His Word to go beyond just knowing the Savior, to live for Him and to glorify Him in our lives each day.

THANKSGIVING–II CORINTHIANS 4:15

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THANKSGIVING
II CORINTHIANS 4:15,
“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”

Introduction:

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends. I look forward to getting together with the ones I love and share what God has given us, not only the good food, but also His blessings in other ways.

The Scriptures have a lot to say about thanksgiving. I would like to share some of these things with you today. I hope that we may be able to look with a different light on the things, both material and spiritual that God has done for us this past year.

I. BEGINNING THANKSGIVING IN PRAYER

Nehemiah 11:17, “And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.”

A. Praying always, Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

1. Continuing in prayer, Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

2. Instant and earnest prayer without ceasing, Acts 12:5, “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

B. Praying is vital to the welfare of God’s people, Philippians 1:19, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”

1. Being careful for nothing, Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

a. We are invited to come boldly before His throne, Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

b. We come through the blood of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

c. We come make our request in the name of Jesus Christ, John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

2. Through prayer God sanctifies the things of this life, 1 Timothy 4:3-5, “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

II. SONGS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

Nehemiah 12:46, “For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.”

A. Let us make a joyful noise before the Lord, Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

B. Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving, Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

1. For His goodness, Romans 2:4, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

2. For His love, Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

3. For His faithfulness, Psalm 119:90, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.”

III. LET US PUBLISH WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE WITH THANKSGIVING

Psalm 26:7, “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”

A. We should love God’s house as David did, Psalm 26:8, “LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.”

B. We should worship with integrity (David washed his hands), Psalm 24:4, “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”

C. We should praise God publicly for what He has done, Luke 19:37-38, “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

CONCLUSION

I hope that this Thanksgiving will mean more to you than ever before. The world is not thankful because they do not know our Savior. So let’s make this Thanksgiving special for the glory of our Savior and God, Jesus Christ.

STANDING FOR TRUTH IN THE LAST DAYS–Part 2–EPHESIANS 6:10-18

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STANDING FOR TRUTH IN THE LAST DAYS

PART 2
EPHESIANS 6:10-18

Introduction:

This is the second part of this message dealing with the last days before the coming of Jesus Christ to catch away His own unto Heaven. In the first message we dealt with BEING STRONG IN THE LORD and that our fight is not with men, but rather, with the powers of Satan, the Prince of this world.

This message continues that thought and deals with the weapons at our disposal for the fight before us. Consider the following:

II. HAVING DONE ALL TO STAND, STAND THEREFORE

A. Having your loins girt about with TRUTH, v. 14;

1. We have trusted in Christ after we heard the WORD OF TRUTH, Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the WORD OF TRUTH, the GOSPEL of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

a. You Trusted Christ after hearing the Word, Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

b. The Good News of salvation, James 1:18, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

2. We have GROWN UP (MATURED) in Truth, Ephesians 4:15, “But speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

a. Becoming that Perfect Man in Christ, Ephesians 4:13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”

b. Here the “New Man” become dominant, Ephesians 4:24, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

B. Having on the BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS, v. 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”

a. Stand therefore, resist every attack—as a soldier does in battle, 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

b. The enemy will not sleep, Isaiah 5:27, “None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:”

c. We must stand in Righteousness, Isaiah 59:17, “For he put on RIGHTEOUSNESS as a BREASTPLATE, and an HELMET of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with ZEAL as a cloke.”

C. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, v. 15;

1. READINESS of MIND that comes from the gospel WHOSE MESSAGE IS PEACE, Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

2. Whose message is RECONCILIATION, 2 Corinthians 5:18, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”

D. Taking the shield of Faith, v. 16; Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

a. Fear not, Isaiah 35:4, “Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.”

b. The Lord is our shield, Deuteronomy 33:29, “Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”

E. Having the helmet of Salvation, v. 17; Isaiah 59:17, “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

a. With the Helmet of salvation there is no danger of lethal wound, Job 11:18, “And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.”

b. Clad with the Zeal of the Lord, Psalms 119:139, “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.”

F. Using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the ONLY OFFENSIVE WEAPON, v. 17; Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is QUICK, and POWERFUL, and SHARPER than any twoedged sword, PIERCING even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a DISCERNER of the THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the heart.”

a. The Word was a known name of the Messiah, John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.”

b. It pierces to the soul, Acts 2:37, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

c. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, Revelation 2:23, “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”

G. The last weapon is PRAYER, v. 18; Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

STANDING FOR TRUTH IN THE LAST DAY–EPHESIANS 6:10-18

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STANDING FOR TRUTH IN THE LAST DAY

EPHESIANS 6:10-18

Introduction:

The Apostle tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:”

The verse describes our day. Every word in these verses is true of our day today. It is a time to….

I. BE STRONG IN THE LORD

A. Be strong in the POWER of HIS MIGHT, v. 10;

1. As Saul of Tarsus after his conversion, Acts 9:22, “But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”

2. As Abraham, Romans 4:20, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”

3. As the Apostle Paul in his later ministry, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

B. That you might be STRENGTHENED by HIS SPIRIT in the INNER MAN, Ephesians 3:16, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”

1. We should NOT have FAINT HEARTS or FEAR, Deuteronomy 20:3, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let NOT your HEARTS FAINT, FEAR NOT, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

2. We come before the Lord in PRAYER for STRENGTH, Psalms 138:3, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with STRENGTH IN MY SOUL.”

C. For we wrestle NOT AGAINST FLESH and BLOOD, v. 12;

1. This is not a contest of the flesh, but of the Spirit, Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside EVERY WEIGHT, and the SIN which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

2. We wrestle against SATAN, the RULER of THIS WORLD, John 14:30, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the PRINCE OF THIS WORLD cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

3. Against the GOD OF THIS AGE, 2 Corinthians 4:4, “In whom the GOD OF THIS WORLD hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

4. Against the SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS of WICKEDNESS, 1 Corinthians 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

D. THEREFORE, PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, v. 11, 13;

1. The NEW MAN will put on this armor, Ephesians 4:24, “And that ye put on the NEW MAN, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

2. This NEW MAN who has CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST, Ephesians 3:12, “In whom we have boldness and access with CONFIDENCE by the faith of him.”

3. The STRONGER MAN wears God’s armor, Luke 11:22, “But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”

II. HAVING DONE ALL TO STAND, STAND THEREFORE

A. Having your loins girt about with TRUTH, v. 14;

1. We have trusted in Christ after we heard the WORD OF TRUTH, Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

2. We have GROWN UP (MATURED) in Truth, Ephesians 4:15, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

B. Having on the BREASTPLATE of righteousness; v. 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”

C. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, v. 15;

1. Readiness of mind that comes from the gospel whose message is peace, Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

2. The message of RECONCILIATION, 2 Corinthians 5:18, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”

D. Taking the shield of Faith, v. 16; Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

E. Having the helmet of Salvation, v. 17; Isaiah 59:17, “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

F. Using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the only OFFENSIVE weapon, v. 17; Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

G. Praying and Watching on every occasion, v. 18; Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

SIN AND IT’S DEFEAT–ROMANS 5:6-14

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SIN AND IT’S DEFEAT

ROMANS 5:6-14

Introduction:

“Sin is a fundamental relationship: it is not WRONGDOING, it is WRONG BEING, deliberate and emphatic independence of God.” (Oswald Chambers).

Sin is a terrible thing. Religion deals with SINS (plural), only the Bible deals with SIN (singular)(the word appears 457 times in Scripture). God deals with the NATURE of sin, the HEREDITY of sin, and He deals with the DEFEAT of sin.

I. THE NATURE OF SIN – TOTAL DEPRAVITY.

A. One whose heart has turned away from God, Deuteronomy 29:18, Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;”

1. One who rejoices to do evil, Proverbs 2:14, “Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness [perversity] of the wicked;”

2. Those without faith, Deuteronomy 32:20, “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.”

3. Those who are disobedient, Genesis 2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

B. Those whose every desire is sin, Genesis 6:5, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

II. THE HEREDITY OF SIN – TOTAL.

A. One man brought sin into the world, Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

1. “The sin,”—the sin of unbelief.

2. “The death,” both physical and spiritual death.

B. Death came by this man also, Romans 5:18a, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;”

III. THE DEFEAT OF SIN – RECONCILIATION.

A. God sees but two men, Adam and Christ.

1. Note the repetition of the word “one.”

a. In v. 12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

b. In v. 15, ” But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”

c. In v. 16, “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

d. In v. 17, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”

e. In v. 18, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

f. In v. 19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

B. This story does not end in tragedy, but in victory, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

1. The Second Adam who knew no sin became sin for us.

2. In Him we see the victory of man over sin by the quickening power of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:45, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

CONCLUSION

Jesus has dealt defeat to Satan and sin by the offering of Himself as the sacrifice for sin that God required. Now we who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior stand justified before the God of Heaven.