If you look around, you will always find people who are “down”. There are a variety of circumstances that contribute to that from the culture to personal circumstances. The important thing is all this focuses on where they spend their time concentrating. The Apostle Paul was concerned about the Thessalonians because they had been victims of false teaching that told them that Jesus had already come and they thought that they had missed him. He encouraged and affirmed them for their faith and faithfulness. His message then impacts us today.
Growing in Obscurity (Acts 9:19-31)
If you look at the title of this message, you find that it is probably pretty strange. What does it exactly mean to “grow in obscurity? When you look at the life of the Apostle Paul (Still known as Saul during this time), we find that he had to disappear to move him into an advanced period of spiritual growth so that the Lord could use him to shake up the kingdom. You may be going through a period of obscurity right now in your own life. Is God growing you or are you fighting it? Paul serves as a great example for us as we examine his life.
You Must Make a Choice! (Matthew 7:13-14)
Our lives are always filled choices. They begin the moment we open our eyes in the morning... Do I get up or do I hit the snooze. Do I go to work or do I stay home? What will I have for lunch? Do I even want to have lunch? And the list goes on and on. There are no more important decisions that we can make than those that impact our eternal destiny. Will I follow Jesus or the world? What path should I walk on? What gate should I enter into? And that list goes on as well. The Lord addresses choices in today’s passage and challenges each one of us. What path will you walk on?
Start Loving! (Matthew 7:7-12)
We live in a time and a culture where “love” has seemed to go out of style and fall by the wayside. Instead of people loving each other, they react with violence and hatred. The Lord challenged His culture initially and us completely that we are to start loving. God’s relationship and passion gives us everything we need to start loving in the way that God demands us to.
Stop Judging! (Matthew 7:1-6)
Judging is one of the issues that everyone of us struggle with. We have a tendency to become the standard by which we measure everyone else. The problem is that our standard is flawed because Jesus is the only one that we should measure against. The Lord emphasized this in the Sermon on the Mount. Our focus needs to be on Him and His righteousness, not our own.
Overcoming Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
One of the most pressing issues in any person’s life is their tendency to worry about a whole host of issues. It doesn’t matter whether they are a believer or not. Worry has a tendency to consume us. We worry about all sorts of things such as food, money, future, and the list goes on and on. The Lord addresses the whole issue of worry in this part of the Sermon on the Mount.
Where is Your Treasure? (Matthew 6:19-24)
As the Lord continues His sermon, He becomes very practical. He emphasizes that our attitude toward money and it use indicates our relationship to Him. This hits right down where most of us live. Are you the owner of what you have or are you merely the manager? Your answer to that question indicates the uniqueness of your relationship to the Lord as well.
The Disciples' Prayer [Part #2] (Matthew 6:9-15)
Prayer is the great paradox of the Christian life. Praying is one of the easiest and yet hardest things to do in the Christian life. And as important as it is to our spiritual well-being, it is also very easy to pray in a way that doesn’t honor God but honors man. The Lord wanted His listeners to enjoy the privilege of prayer but also understand the dynamics of prayer. This is a continuation of the Lord’s “Sermon on the Mount” remarks regarding prayer.
The Disciples' Prayer [Part #1] (Matthew 6:9-15)
Prayer is the great paradox of the Christian life. Praying is one of the easiest and yet hardest things to do in the Christian life. And as important as it is to our spiritual well-being, it is also very easy to pray in a way that doesn’t honor God but honors man. The Lord wanted His listeners to enjoy the privilege of prayer but also understand the dynamics of prayer. This is a continuation of the Lord’s “Sermon on the Mount” remarks regarding prayer.
God Expects Moral Purity! (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)
A sociologist once said, “One of the most telltale signs of a deteriorating society is its loss of moral integrity.” When this foundational stone begins to crack and erode away, the effect is nothing short of disastrous. Since its beginnings, Christianity has stood against moral decline by upholding personal holiness. Paul challenges the Thessalonians directly and the church today indirectly that it is our responsibility to stand up in the face of the decline of our society.
We Can Face Anything Through Christ (Acts 5:12-42)
Paul said, “Anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ will face persecution.” The promise is that we will face difficulty and persecution if we take a stand for Christ in our lives. How do we do it? How do we face up to it? How do we handle it? The apostles faced imprisonment and beatings because they stood up for the Lord. Their reaction serves as an example for us in handling the rough times that the world throws at us.
Praying Like You Mean It (Matthew 6:5-8)
Prayer is the great paradox of the Christian life. Praying is one of the easiest and yet hardest things to do in the Christian life. And as important as it is to our spiritual well-being, it is also very easy to pray in a way that doesn’t honor God but honors man. The Lord wanted His listeners to enjoy the privilege of prayer but also understand the dynamics of prayer.
Giving is a Part of a Growing Christian's Life (Matthew 6:1-4)
Giving is always one of the awkward subjects to preach about. The world thinks that all the church does is ask for money and yet money is one of the most referred topics that the Lord addresses in the Bible. A person’s attitude toward money and its possession is really an indicator of where he or she is spiritually. Do I believe that all that I have is mine or do I believe that what I have is given to me by the Lord to manage? The answer to that question is an indicator of where I am spiritually.
The Sins of Our Age (Part #2) (Matthew 5:21-48)
How do I know that I am really saved? How do I know that I am really going to heaven? The Jews of Jesus’ day looked at how they were living and what they were doing? Their standard of righteousness was based on “good works” and following the Law. Jesus came along and told them that their standing with God was based upon who they were on the inside and not what they did. People do the same thing today. Today’s message focuses on “the sins or our age” and how our lives should be different.
The Sins of Our Age [Part #1] (Matthew 5:21-48)
How do I know that I am really saved? How do I know that I am really going to heaven? The Jews of Jesus’ day looked at how they were living and what they were doing? Their standard of righteousness was based on “good works” and following the Law. Jesus came along and told them that their standing with God was based upon who they were on the inside and not what they did. People do the same thing today. Today’s message focuses on “the sins or our age” and how our lives should be different.
Bringing America Back to God (Judges 1-2)
Happy Independence Day! What exactly does that mean? July 4 is the anniversary of the “Declaration of Independence” which is one of the most important foundational documents in the establishment of the United States. Do we even understand what that means for us today? The United States strangely parallels Israel as they moved away from the God of their fathers. Are you doing the same thing and is there hope for us?
The Word Make All the Difference (Matthew 5:17-20)
How does a person get to heaven? That was the question during Jesus’ day just like it is a question today. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord emphasized that the standards of righteousness that man had adopted were insufficient to open the door to heaven. The door to heaven was opened only through God’s standards which were revealed in Jesus. What that means is, “I can’t get there on my own!” I can only get there when I follow God’s standards and expectations. Those standards are revealed in His Word which is the emphasis of today’s message.
How to be a Man After God's Own Heart
King David has a tendency to be everyone’s favorite when they think of biblical heroes. God obviously loved him and saw great things in him. God chose him when he was a boy to be Israel’s king. One of the most unique things that God said about David was that “he was a man after God’s own heart.” What exactly did that mean and how can we have that as a part of our lives as well. The message today focuses on being a man after God’s own heart.
How to Avoid a Shipwreck (Acts 27)
Everyone is familiar with the Titanic. The R.M.S. Titanic set sail from Liverpool, UK on April 10, 1912 and sank on April 15, 1912 before completing her maiden voyage. History tells us that she struck an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. The ship could handle 2435 passengers in addition to 892 crew. If the passengers knew she was going to sink, they would have made other arrangements. Every shipwreck starts out as a normal voyage with the goal of completing the voyage like every other ship. Every life that is shipwrecked starts out pretty normal with the goal of finishing well. Shipwrecks come at the most unexpected times whether on board or in real life. Today’s message speaks of a shipwreck that the apostle Paul went through that parallels all of our lives also.
Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)
Woodrow Wilson told the story of being in a barbershop one time. “I was sitting in a barber chair when I became aware that a powerful personality had entered the room. A man had come quietly in upon the same errand as myself to have his hair cut and sat in the chair next to me. Every word the man uttered, though it was not in the least didactic, showed a personal interest in the man who was serving him. And before I got through with what was being done to me I was aware that I had attended an evangelistic service, because Mr. D.L. Moody was in that chair. I purposely lingered in the room after he had left and noted the singular affect that his visit had brought upon the barber shop. They talked in undertones. They did not know his name, but they knew something had elevated their thoughts, and I felt that I left that place as I should have left a place of worship.” This story sums up Matthew 5:13-16. The focus is on influence. It is God’s desire that we influence our surroundings. This is the one of the major points of the Sermon on the Mount.