Sermon: The Grace of God

October 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The grace of God is one of the most misunderstood and abused topics about the attributes of God, especially when it comes to the debate over grace versus works. This sermon examines what the grace of God is and shows how God (instead of man) is deserving of all the glory when it comes to their receiving salvation. I challenged some common misconceptions that “Christians” have about grace, one being that there are no conditions that we must fulfill to receive the grace of God; the other being that we must do works to merit eternal life. There is a middle ground between these two that is correct. Listen and let me know if you agree or disagree.

 

The Grace of God     MP3     PowerPoint

 

 

Filed Under: Audio Sermons and Classes, Grace vs Works, Nature and Character of God Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Almighty Jesus Christ?

August 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Whenever we hear the word “Almighty,” Who do we usually think about. Do we usually only think about the Father, or do we think about Jesus Christ also?

AMONG-LAMPSTANDSThis may or may not surprise you, but the scriptures do say that Jesus is “Almighty.” This is much to the dismay of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who teach that Jesus is not God. (They do not speak for Jehovah, so I will refer to them only as “Witnesses” from now on)

A popular verse that shows the deity of Christ is Isaiah 9:6, which is a prophecy about Jesus that calls Him the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Witnesses usually have a quick comeback to this verse that says, “Jesus is not called the “Almighty God,” but only the “Mighty God.” They miss the fact that there are at least two references of God the Father in the Old Testament that refer to Him as the “Mighty God” also (Isaiah 10:21, Jeremiah 32:18).

Nonetheless, there is a verse that refers to Jesus as the Almighty. It is Revelation 1:8:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Witnesses may respond by saying that the context does not demand that this is a reference to Jesus; that this is not Him speaking. But the rest of the book shows us clearly who the Alpha and Omega is talking about. Jesus calls Himself the first and the last in Rev. 1:17 and 2:28, which means the same thing as “the Alpha and the Omega. But Revelation 22:12-16 makes it clear who the Almighty Alpha and Omega is.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches.” (Revelation 22:12-16)

The Book of Revelation reveals that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty. Whenever the scriptures speak of the Almighty God, we need to train ourselves to see the whole Godhead in that statement. The name of God, Yahweh or Jehovah, refers to the whole Godhead in scripture. The next article I write will show that Jesus is referred to as Jehovah (or Yahweh) in scripture.

Works Cited

Photo from http://calvarychapelofwm.com/2010/06/16/revelation-1-part-2/

Filed Under: Deity of Christ, Nature and Character of God, Watchtowerites (aka "Jehovah's" Witnesses) Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: A Buddhist Theist

July 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

interview2This was a very interesting discussion for me. I really enjoyed it. Erica said that she is a Buddhist, but also believes in God, which seemed contradictory to me. My understanding of Buddhism is that it is an atheistic religion.

According to BuddhaNet, a major Buddhist website:

There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgment Day. Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing allegiance to a supernatural being.

But as with pretty much every religion (including “Christians”), I have learned that just because someone claims to be something does not mean that they believe everything the religion teaches.

Erica Click here to listen

More audio interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: Jane Doe

July 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

interview2“Jane Doe” didn’t want to give her name, but I was thankful she gave me some time to talk to her about spiritual things. She is a Catholic who is not sure exactly what happens after death. This interview was done outside, so the wind may make it hard to hear at times.

She gives the “Catholic 10 Commandments,” which excludes the second commandment, which says not to make any graven images to bow down to them. They do this and make the last Commandment on coveting two separate commandments.

Jane Doe Click here to listen

Other Audio Interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: Emily

July 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

interview2

Emily was not too interested in the gospel or in spiritual things. She has an interesting background. Her father is Jewish and her mother believes in Christ. She has gone to church and synagogue. I didn’t get through the whole gospel, but this was a learning experience for me. My favorite part of the interview is when I read Isaiah 53:4-6 to her and asked her who it is about. Of course, she said Jesus. I asked her a lot of interesting questions about Judaism, and I did go through the Ten Commandments with her.

Emily Click here to listen

Other Audio Interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: Mary Jane

July 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Mary Jane was sitting at a table by herself finishing up her meal. I have been trying to make goals for myself to talk to certain kind of people that I do not talk to as much. One of those groups is older people. interview2My experience has been that older people are more difficult to share the gospel because they are stuck in their ways or unwilling to listen to someone who is so young. It seems hard for these older folks to accept that what they have believed for so long about the gospel may be incorrect. Because of these things, I tend to try to share the gospel with mainly younger people.

But I am seeing that this attitude is not a good one to have. It can be really easy to profile people whenever you evangelize based on how receptive you think they will be. I am happy that I had this conversation with Mary Jane. It was an encouraging one.

Mary Jane Click here to listen

More Audio Interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: Jane

July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

interview2

Jane believes that only people that do really bad things go to Hell. She also believes that she is a good person and will go to Heaven if she died today. Listen to this interview to see if this is true:

Jane Click here to listen

Other Audio Interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Audio Interview: Greg

July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

interview2Greg was waiting for a friend that was coming to study the Bible with him. While he was waiting, I shared the gospel with him. His friend walked up about halfway through the interview, but does not get involved in it. He just listened. There is some pretty loud music playing in the background.

Greg Click here to listen

More audio interviews

Filed Under: Audio Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We Are Sheep…

June 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The word of God shows us not only who our God truly is, but also who we truly are. We must see ourselves as we are. But at times it is difficult to honestly examine ourselves and our need for someone other than ourselves. We like to feel independent sometimes, but nothing could be further from the truth! We need the Lord, and the scriptures make that clear. We could look at many verses in the bible to show this, but I think that they are all summed up in the fact that we are sheep in need of a shepherd.

Shepherd-of-Psalm-23

from http://www.soulshepherding.org/articles/bible-verses/psalm-23-pictures-to-pray/

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This text is just so loved by all. It just fills us with comfort and joy. God is the shepherd, we are the sheep. I’ve been thinking about this relationship. Have you ever thought of what this says about us as the sheep? Truthfully, that is not too complimentary! Sheep are weak and helpless. They are natural prey. They have no natural defenses. They constantly are going astray. Sometimes a sheep might fall onto its side, and start kicking and screaming because it cannot get back on its feet. It will dig its way into a bush to get one cusp of grass and then get caught there. It will start twisting and turning to get out, usually making the situation worse. It will get to the point where it is just so exhausted and collapse. Sheep are dirty, cannot clean or take care of themselves. They left to themselves would graze the same patch of land until there is nothing left. They will graze the same streams until they are contaminated and full of parasites. Left to themselves, sheep will kill themselves.

wolf vs sheep web

from http://www.jita4life.org/wolves.htm

Psalm 23 is a beautiful psalm about our God and our relationship to him, but it also says something about us, we are sheep. It says something about us that few are willing to grasp and embrace and bring to ourselves. We are in need of care and guidance, and without our shepherd, there is no hope! We would left to ourselves die spiritually! We can fall into the danger of thinking we are doing good on our own, and sometimes we need God to give us that little extra nudge to make us better. But that is not what sheep are like. They are utterly dependent, and we need to be also!

But I am afflicted and needy; Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.Psalms 70:5

We are helpless without our Shepherd!

The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.   18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, 19 To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Psalms 33:16-19

We just cannot be powerful enough to take care of ourselves against the enemy. Satan will devour us if we think that. We are defenseless and natural prey without the Lord.

Filed Under: Christian Living Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Gospel of God

June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Below is the text to a new page on our site that people who receive one of our tracts can go to to learn more about the gospel.

We thank you for coming to our site and for considering more the things of God. The tract that you received has the most important message known to man: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel shows us our true state before God. This is so important for each one of us to understand. It is SO easy for us to look at ourselves as being good people that would be right with God if we died today, but the scriptures are clear that this is not the case. The Apostle Paul, speaking for Jesus Christ, said:

“”THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE” (Romans 3:11-12).

God formed every one of us in the womb. He made us upright, but we have sought to live life our own way that is contrary to His will (Eccl 7:29). We have all broken His law; we have sinned. This is bad news to us because God is GOOD. This fact means that God cannot just let us off the hook for our lawlessness. We are guilty criminals before the Judge of all the earth because of our sin. No matter how many times we have broken His law, we are deserving of His wrath. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We should be grateful that every time we sin that God does not strike us dead. He has done this in the past (Acts 5:1-11, Gen 38). God is being patient with you right now, giving you time to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

God is a God of justice and righteousness. The Bible says that “He will by no means clear the guilty” (Numbers 14:18). As long as you remain in your sin, you are an enemy of God. He is angry at you. His wrath abides on you (John 3:36). If you die in this position, you will receive the full cup of His wrath for eternity in a place the Bible calls Hell. Please consider the hell-1following verses that tell us what kind of people God will not allow into Heaven:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5-6
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Revelation 21:8
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Every one of these sins are damnable offenses, even down to the “little white lie.” If you remain in any of these sins (or others not mentioned in these lists), the wrath of God abides on you.

crucifixion 22But there is good news (the Gospel). Jesus Christ, the Son of God (God in the flesh), came to this earth 2000 years ago to be a sacrifice in your place. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Then He gave His life in our place. He received upon Himself the death that we deserve for our sin. God in His anger against sin crushed Him, pierced Him,  chastened Him, and killed Him for our sin (Isaiah 53). Then three days after His death, He was resurrected from His tomb and seen by hundreds of eyewitnesses. This is the ultimate evidence that the Bible gives to Jesus’ claims. This eyewitness testimony proves that the Bible is God’s word. It proves that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven and the ONLY way to be forgiven of your sins.

Please consider these things. God is right now giving you the opportunity to hear the Gospel so you can come to know Him before it is too late. You are not promised tomorrow. Over 150,000 people of all ages die every day, and many (if not most) of them leave this life not right with God and suffer His wrath for sin. Believe the Gospel and repent. Submit yourself to Jesus Christ. Make Him your Lord and Master. He can forgive you and cleanse you from all of your sins. He gave His life for you so you could be reconciled to God.

If you decide not to obey the gospel, there is no hope of forgiveness for you. This is the ONLY way God has given to be right with Him.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…

If you would like to study these things further, please do not hesitate to contact me at (724) 505-1615 or at EvangelismHelp@gmail.com. You can also leave any questions or comments you may have at the bottom of this page. The comments are moderated, so they will not be seen by anyone else that visits the site.

Also, if you are interested in finding a church in your area that is faithful to God, please contact me. I would love to help you in finding Christians that can help you to better know the Lord. Please do not assume that any church that you go to is teaching the truth. There are many (if not the majority) churches that claim to be “Christian” that are teaching false things that can lead you away from God.

Thanks again for visiting EvangelismHelp.com. We are here to serve you!

Filed Under: Gospel, The Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts