Do You Really Believe the Gospel Is Powerful?

December 18, 2012 by 1 Comment

When was the last time that you shared the gospel with someone? The answer to this question can at times can lead us to feel ashamed because we just do not share the gospel as much as we should; if at all. Do we believe that the gospel is the power of God that leads to salvation? (Rom 1:16). Do we believe that everyone needs to hear the gospel and obey it? We may say wholeheartily that we believe these things, but do our actions show this?

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:14-17, NASB).

At times we are like those in this verse who say, “be warmed and filled” but do nothing to help them. These people claim to be Christians, but their actions do not show this to be true. If we really believe something to be true, will we not act? The Lord has given us a mission. If we really believe that the Lord wants us to evangelize, We will evangelize. If we really believe the gospel must be heard and obeyed for someone to be saved, we will tell it to the lost.

Do you have faith that the gospel is the power of God that leads to salvation? Do a lost person a favor. Prove it!

 

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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

 

 

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Why Is There SOOO Much Evil?

June 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

How many times have people decided to not follow God because of all of the evil, sickness, and death in this world? They do not believe that a God that is good should allow these things to happen in the lives of “good” people. How would you answer this common objection?

One thing people do not realize is this: If God decided to rid all of the world of evil tomorrow, they would be part of that number. God says,

“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 3:10-12).

If God were to destroy all of the evil on this planet, there would not be that many people in this world. We all have done evil in the sight of God. God is the only One that is Good.

Listen as Mark Spence from Living Waters deals with this issue:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ0whlNNWsM&w=560&h=315]

***I do not agree with all the views of Living Waters

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Ezekiel Lessons: New Life From God

June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

One of the most well-known prophecies in the book of Ezekiel is the Valley of Dry Bones prophecy in 37:1-14. The purpose of the prophecy is to show that God can give deliverance to a rebellious people that have no hope (Israel-v11). He gives them hope, telling them that He will bring them back into their land.

This vision of the valley of dry bones is an interestingthe_valley_of__the_dry_bones_by_loswl-d36usal one. Ezekiel is placed in this valley by God and asked by God if these bones can live again. This question must have been a faith-testing question. Ezekiel answered it perfectly in saying that God is the one who knows if this can happen. God tells him to prophecy to the bones, and Ezekiel watches as the bones come together, have flesh put onto them, and are given the breath of life. This surely would have been an amazing thing to witness. Ezekiel saw God’s power to give life to the dead.

This section of scripture is an encouraging one to examine. Just as God can give life to these bones that seem to have no hope of living, He has the power to do the same with us and with those who we teach His word to. His word is powerful!

Jesus says that we must be born again. We must receive new life if we want to have hope. We are in a dead state, but God through His word is able to raise us from our condition of death. No matter how dead in sin we are, He is powerful to forgive! He can bring the spiritually dead person that you share the gospel with to life. The Gospel is that powerful!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

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Ezekiel Lessons: The Uncomfortable Work of Evangelism

June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ezekiel put in A LOT of effort to obey God, even to the point where obeying God put him into uncomfortable situations. He was asked to do many difficult things. Heezekiel-lying on his sidere are some examples:

  • In Chapter 4 of Ezekiel, God wants Ezekiel to get the point of the siege God is going to let happen to Jerusalem by acting out physically to represent the sin of Israel and Judah.  He is to lay on his side for 390 days “the same number of days as the years of their sin” to represent Israel’s waywardness, and then turn over and lay on his other side for 40 days.
  • Also in Chapter 4, Ezekiel is commanded by God to to make a defiled bread with ingredients that they would not commonly use in bread except for in cases of scarcity of food. This bread was to be cooked over human dung. After Ezekiel intercedes, God allows him to use cow dung instead. I don’t know about you, but that does NOT seem appetizing!
  • In Ch24, he is told not to mourn for his wife that God takes from him. “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded” (Eze 24:16-18).

God asks His people to do some hard things at times. This is seen clearly in Ezekiel’s ministry. Would you be able to do these things to show your devotion to God? It is clear that Ezekiel had God as his first love.

God asks us to do some difficult things also. We are commanded by Jesus to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses daily to follow Him (Luke 9:23). He is not saying to deny ourselves of some things wnot-evangelisme like, He is saying to deny OURSELVES. We are to put His will above our own, even if that calls us to do some very sacrificial things, even to die for His cause.

Another thing that is not always exciting to do is evangelism. For some people, pulling out their teeth with a pair of piers sounds more exciting. But this is something that all Christians are called/commanded to do. Yes it is uncomfortable, but if we love Christ we will do it. Would you prefer to do the things that Ezekiel had to do? They sound A LOT harder to me.

Obeying the Lord is not always comfortable, but it is always the right thing to do!

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Ezekiel Lessons: Being Watchmen

June 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ezekiel 3:17-21
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. 20 Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

Hazor WatchmanIn the early cities of Biblical times, the cities were walled to protect them. At the gates there would be a high tower with a watchman. Any danger to the city could be detected from a far distance. The watchmen were wise men who had skills in discerning the enemy and protecting the city. If an enemy approached, the warning had to be sounded as early as possible.

God tells Ezekiel that he has been made the spiritual “watchman” of the people. He was accountable for doing his duty in warning the people about the upcoming danger God was bringing against them. He needed to preach God’s word to the people to give them the opportunity to be right with the Lord again. If he did not warn them, their blood was on his hands!

Do we see ourselves as the watchmen of the world today?

We have been given a commission to preach God’s word also.

As I stated in another article, we need to remember that there are lost people out there that, if they do not hear the gospel and obey it, will spend an eternity away from the presence of God! We as watchmen, need to warn those who are in sin about what their lifestyle will lead to and tell them what the Lord has done for them through Christ so they may be reconciled to Him. We also have been appointed to be watchmen.

Do we believe that the gospel needs to be heard and followed by the lost so they may be right with God? Are we being God’s watchmen today?

Paul, an example for us of a watchman

Acts 20:26-27
26 “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

Paul declared the whole will of God everywhere he preached. He held nothing back that could help others get to heaven. He could say with good conscience that the blood of men are not on his hands because he warned everyone he could. Can we say the same?

One of the most uncomfortable songs to sing about evangelism is “You Never Mentioned Him To Me”. The chorus to this song is not something that should be said to someone that considers themselves as a watchman:

“You never mentioned Him to me, You helped me not the light to see; You met me day by day and knew I was astray, Yet never mentioned Him to me.”

How many people do we know would tell us on that day that we did not warn them?

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Ezekiel Lessons: Speak God’s Word, Not Ours

June 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ezekiel 3:4
Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

Ezekiel 3:11
And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God…’

What message was Ezekiel commissioned to share? There was only one message that was given to him: what GOD gave him. This is what he was commanded to speak to the people. To speak anything else or do anything else other than what the Lord commands would put Ezekiel into the same condition of rebellion as the people.

What is it that we are sharing with the lost? What are we saying to bring them to Christ. You hopefully are saying to yourself, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ.” If that is your answer, GREAT! But it is sad that there are so many that don’t share the gospel first aswolf in sheeps clothing Jesus Himself commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

There are some who claim to be Christians that are trying to attract people to their churches instead of Christ because of the great children’s ministry, the great worship band, the big festivals and social meals, etc. There is so much focus on feeding the carnal side of man instead of the gospel and attracting them to Jesus in these ways that just are NOT biblical. These things are not the gospel.

There are others that share a more appealing message instead of the gospel; a message that does not talk about sin, hell, or repentance. They like to share a gospel that focuses mainly on the love of God and never looks at the justice of God. Whenever they do this they teach a different gospel and a DIFFERENT GOD! These men along with others who are teaching false things are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are not bringing people to Jesus Christ, but to a Jesus of their own making.

Ezekiel dealt with men who were doing this also. There were false prophets giving the Israelites a false sense of security, making them think that they were ok in their rebellion. In chapter 13:8, the Lord said to these men who were giving a false sense of security to His people, “I am indeed against you.”

Only God’s word can satisfy man’s greatest need; fellowship with the God of Heaven. Only the gospel that our God has given can save. People must hear about their sin and their need for repentance if they are going to be truly converted to Christ! In Galatians chapter one, Paul wrote of those who were bringing a different gospel than what was first preached. He said that he marveled that the Galatians were so quickly turning to another gospel, which was not really a gospel at all. There is only one gospel that the Lord has given; one “good news” on how we can be set free from sin. Anything else is not good news, because it cannot save.

But what if the preaching of God’s word does not bring the people to Christ? Well, this may sound harsh, but: SO BE IT! It is better for the church that those who won’t accept God’s word not be in their number instead of changing the message or adding carnal things to the message to try to bring the unregenerate in. Remember, our goal is to make DISCIPLES.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20).

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Ezekiel Lessons: Messengers MUST be Faithful to God

June 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ezekiel 2:8
But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house

no-hypocrites-allowedOur fate will be the same as those who are rebellious in the world if we ourselves are rebellious. There is not a place in the church for hypocrites. I heard someone say a while back a statement that I believe is true: “There are not any hypocrites in the church.” The truth is, you cannot be a Christian and a hypocrite at the same time.

We can not proclaim a message about the Holy God if we ourselves aren’t living lives focused on holiness. People will not listen to a message when we are being a hypocrite! Our actions can hinder the message from being followed by others. Our hypocrisy can also lead others astray.

“Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy” (Galatians 2:11-13).

We need to remember that there are other people watching us. We are in huge danger if we cause a disciple of the Lord to stumble. Remember that the Lord says it would be better us “if a millstone were hung around [our] neck[s], and [we] were thrown into the sea” if we cause someone to stumble because of our hypocrisy.

The warning that God gave to Ezekiel also shows us how important it is to love God’s word AND obey it. If we are not obeying what we read, we will be told by the Lord to depart from Him. He is the author of eternal salvation only to those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

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Ezekiel Lessons: God’s Attitude Toward Sin

June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We see God react in two ways to the sins of Israel. First, He was hurt by Israel’s sin

BrokenHeartEzekiel 6:9
Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?‘

We see in these verses that God wanted nothing more than His people to listen. He time and time again reached out to His people through the prophets, but they would not listen. To see God say that He was “crushed” by the sins of His people should give us a reason to think about the Lord before we decide to sin, especially after He has displayed His love for us through the cross. He truly cares for His people.

Secondly, we see that sin is something that God hates and MUST judge.

“She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’ 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’– 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations” (Eze 5:6-9).

When God made a covenant with Israel, He said that He would destroy and scatter Israel if they did not obey His statutes. God is faithful. This means that even if He must punish His people, He will keep His word.

Seeing how God responds to sin should lead us to action. We know the world is en route to meet the God of Heaven and stand before His righteous judgment seat. Should they not be warned right now that they are His enemies, and not His friends?

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Ezekiel Lessons: The Condition of the People

June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ezekiel 2:3
And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

hell-1Israel was no longer a holy people. They were rebellious and had turned away from the Law of God. Within the book of Ezekiel, the word ‘rebellious’ is used about 20 times speaking of the Jews and their leaders! In chapter 5, the Lord says they were actually worse that the nations surrounding them. They built alters to idols and even sacrificed their children to these so-called gods. They thought the Lord did not see these wicked things they were doing, but to their dismay He saw every single thing. Unfortunately to this nation, their rebellion would lead to certain destruction.

People in this world today are not too much different from Israel in Ezekiel’s time. Just as Paul says to Timothy, the people in this world are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:2-4).”

The world is open rebellion to God. Why don’t we tend to look at sin in this way? This is exactly what it is. They are shaking their fists at God thinking that there will not be punishment for their deeds. They are without God and without hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12). These people desperately need to see that Jesus is Lord before it is too late for them. The Lord is longsuffering with them for now, but there may come a time that the rebellious of this world will meet God in all His glory and bow the knee to Him and experience the full fury of His wrath.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we MUST persuade these rebellious people to turn to God and be reconciled to Him before it is too late (2 Cor. 5:11).

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