If you and I claim to be Christians - to be saved and headed for heaven - what evidence can we offer to back up that claim? In this passage for this message, the Apostle John lays out the evidence of true salvation. This issue comes down to knowing Jesus and being able to demonstrate that we know Jesus. We are going to look at this under four points: how we know that we know Him; how we know the one that does not know Him; how we know we have the love of God in Him; and how we know that we are in Him.
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Among us American citizens, there is a sharp divide over how to apply the independence our Founding Fathers declared for us almost two and a half centuries ago. There is that sharp divide because there is a sharp disagreement over what freedom means for us internationally, politically, financially, morally, and spiritually. We are known around the world as the land of the free, but not everyone in this land at all agrees on what it means to be free. As the disagreement rages on, we Christians must stay centered on the Author and Perfecter of our Faith. We must ask Him, "Lord, what does it mean to be free?" For an answer from Him, we turn to this passage to look at four points: the true disciple, the truth that sets us free, the truth of enslavement to sin, and the true freedom in the Son.
How is your salvation working out for you? Is your salvation all you thought it would be? How are you working out your salvation? Are you doing with it all that you should be?
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Over time, people naturally settle into certain ways of doing things. We call those traditions. Traditions can embody what is special to us or what is practical for us. The dangerous trap we must avoid is putting too much emphasis on our traditions so that we give them too much prominence. In this passage, we see Jesus clash with some men who had stepped into that trap and were leading others into that trap. In His rebuke of them, we see a lesson on what not to do when God's command clashes with our tradition.
In thinking about what our Lord's resurrection means to us, we should not only think about our assurance of living; we should also think about our aim in living. Jesus' resurrection has clear and powerful implications, not only for how long we live, but also for how well we live. In this message from this passage, I will show you that the resurrection of and from Jesus, not only gives us life beyond the grave to look forward to in the future, but also gives us life beyond this world to look for in the present.
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I see things in Psalm 146 that we need to get a hold of in this election cycle and keep a hold of in any election cycle: the call to praise that puts God in His proper perspective, the futility of trusting in passing princes, and the blessedness of hoping in the God of heaven.
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What is all this talk about being saved? Many people in the world and this country look at us Christians with some perplexity and wonder that. In being Jesus' witnesses, we are to be as clear about His message and offer of salvation as He is. Jesus’ statement on this in John 5:24 is one of the clearest, most straight-forward statements that Jesus ever made, and it needs to be always tacked up on the billboards of our minds to be used over and over in witnessing to our lost neighbors. Jesus shows us that salvation is more than a mere adjustment in how one lives, in order to qualify for heaven and get out of going to hell. I will show you this in two points I take from what Jesus says in John 5:24: the clear requirement for salvation and the clear reality of salvation.
Should we Christians get too wrapped up in making New Year’s resolutions? Well, making resolutions is certainly a biblical idea. A resolution is simply something you set your mind to do, without wavering on it, and all through the Bible we see the call to do this. As we look at the new year ahead of us, I want to pinpoint a place in Scripture where I see two resolutions worth making - resolutions we must make - resolutions for more than a trimmer waistline or a tighter budget - resolutions for the right kind of life.
I have been thinking about the simple but meaningful name of this holiday: Thanksgiving. I think we need to hear from God a word about giving thanks. It’s a simple message really, about a simple practice, but one that is much more important, to our daily walk with God and our daily happiness, than we tend to think.
Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (HCSB)
As one particular key truth of the gospel was being attacked in Corinth, Paul felt it was necessary, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, to review the whole gospel for the Corinthians. In doing that, Paul gave us all a wonderfully simple outline of the gospel, so that we can say to one another and our neighbors, “This is the gospel.”
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (NASB)
After burying my father-in-law, I bring you a message that comes out of the overflow of the living water of God’s Word I was immersed in, in preparing to preach his funeral. How we face death is an important part of our walk with the Lord and our witness to the world. In this message, we are going to look at how we face death as Christians.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (NASB)
On Wednesday, August 19th, 2015, at 1:40 PM, the Lord called my father-in-law, Curtis Baker, home to Himself. This is the message I preached at his funeral, sharing my personal reflections on the man he was, as well as preaching on his reasons for and the hope he has in being a Christian.
John 11:25–27
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God...” (NASB)
The time of Acts was an incredible, powerful time in the life of the young church, but was not without its problems. Our brothers and sisters of that time faced pressing opposition from powerful religious and political enemies. It does us good to look in on what they faced and how they handled it, as God worked powerfully among them and through them. In this message, we come to a passage that has always reached out and gripped my heart, where Luke tells of something I wish for us today.
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things? 26 ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. (NASB) I believe that life in this nation is both a privilege and a responsibility. I believe that we have been blessed with much to do much with. Therefore, I believe that we must constantly be giving ourselves a spiritual heart checkup to make sure our priorities are what they should be. We come to some sobering, yet joy-filling, words from Jesus to help us do that today. 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (NASB)
As American Christians, we are in a battle for righteousness in this nation. For the honor and glory of God, and for the good of all people, we must be engaged in pursuing righteousness. And if we are, we can be sure of this: there will be an initial cost, but there will also be an eternal reward.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (NASB)
God has His own ideas about how people are supposed to live, and He is not indifferent to how people are choosing to live. God has emotions - He has strong feelings - and in His Word here, we see that He has strong feelings about the wicked and for the righteous.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves the one who pursues righteousness. (NASB)
On July 4th, by the grace of God, we celebrated our nation’s 239th birthday. At least for today, by the good will of the Ruler of all nations, America the Beautiful still stands. Under the sovereign hand of God, what is our hope that America will continue to stand? In God’s providence, is there something we can really do - something we can really work for - to ensure that this nation has a future?
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. (NASB)
Same-sex “marriage” is a lie. And it is a lie that must be countered. The best way to counter the up-swelling propagation of a lie is with the clear, compassionate, unflinching proclamation of the truth. The best way to expose a counterfeit is to expose the real thing. That is what I do in this message.
And Pharisees came up to [Jesus] and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (ESV)
On this Father’s Day, out of all the fathers we celebrate, I felt impressed to magnify and celebrate the Father of all fathers.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (ESV)
In this Mother's Day message, I hold up to you two Godly women who left a lasting legacy in the life of their grandson and son.
*Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.* Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
*Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Israeli Green Field Photo Copyright: Kuna George/123RF Stock Photo MANUSCRIPT COMING SOON
MANUSCRIPT COMING SOON *Scripture quotations are from/based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Hands with Bread Photo Copyright: Jacek Nowak/123RF Stock Photo
MANUSCRIPT COMING SOON *Scripture quotations are from/based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] ESV "multiplied" [2] ESV "every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult" [3] ESV "Everlasting Father" |
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