Weekly Sermon

James 2:5 reads, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

James 2:5 indicate that those from the poor class in relation to this world who place their trust in Christ as Savior are chosen by God to be rich in relation to His kingdom.  Regardless of their poor status in the realm of this world, they possess an abundantly rich status in the realm of faith.  Indeed, every one of us who are the children of God through faith in Christ are spiritually rich in the realm of faith.  These spiritual riches may be considered from two perspectives.  First, we may consider our spiritual riches in the realm of faith in relation to our eternal salvation.  Second, we may consider our spiritual riches in the realm of faith in relation to our daily walk.  So then, in this first part of the message, let us consider the first of these truths.

Weekly Sermon

Psalm 119:18-20 reads, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.  My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.”

Through these three verses, the psalmist, this young man of God, this faithful servant of the Lord, expressed the burden of his heart for the Lord’s guidance in his life.  Even so, in these three verses we find nine characteristics concerning the burden of the Lord’s servant for the Lord’s guidance.  Thus if we would also walk as faithful servants of our Lord, we must also maintain a burden for our Lord’s guidance in our lives.  Yea, we must also maintain these same characteristics in our burden for our Lord’s guidance.

Weekly Sermon

1 Peter 2:6 – “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”

 I.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is a Living Stone. (1 Peter 2:4)
II.  In Christ we also are lively (living) stones. (1 Peter 2:5)

Weekly Sermon

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 exclaims, “What?  Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Brethren, too many of us believers too much of the time are living our Christian lives on the ground of a spiritual lie.  Too many of us too much of the time are living out our lives as if they are our lives to live as we please.  Too many of us too much of the time are making the decisions of our lives as if they are our decisions to make as we choose.  Too many of us too much of the time have convinced ourselves that we have the right and the freedom to do what want to do, to say what we want to say, to enjoy what we want to enjoy, to pursue what we want to pursue, to choose what we want to choose, to think what we want to think, to feel what we want to feel, and to desire what we want to desire.  Yea, even when we would never make such a bold claim to such complete freedom in these areas because we recognize that there are some spiritual boundaries that we are not to cross, we still live out our lives and make our decisions most of the time on the ground of our own heart’s natural course without any consideration of any higher authority or priority.  We would not stubbornly declare, “It’s my life, and I will live it the way I want to!”  Rather, we simply go forward each day with whatever flows naturally.  Thereby, without stubbornly declaring it, we actually live out our lives the way that we want to. 

In addition, our adversary the devil has deceived us with the lie that we believers are no longer under the law, but are now under grace, and that because we are now under grace, we have the spiritual freedom to live and decide as we please.  Brethren, the great deceiver, our adversary the devil, is a liar from the beginning.  Certainly it is a Biblical truth that we believers are no longer under the spiritual bondage and condemnation of the law, but are now under the spiritual freedom and justification of God’s saving grace.  However, God’s saving grace does not provide us with the spiritual freedom to live and decide as we please.  As Jude 1:4 reveals, this is the teaching of the ungodly, who are ever “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [unbridled lust, doing whatever one pleases].”  Rather, God’s saving grace has provided us with the spiritual freedom to overcome temptation and sin and to walk in fellowship with God and in righteousness before God.  Even so, Galatians 5:13 declares, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”  In addition, Titus 2:11-12 proclaims, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” 

Now, the truth of our obligation and responsibility as believers to live in this manner is founded upon another truth – the truth that we are “bought with a price,” with the price of the shed blood and sacrificial death of God the Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So then, from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 let us consider four important elements concerning this truth that we are “bought with a price.”

Meditations in Jeremiah

In Jeremiah 30:10-11 the Lord our God proclaimed unto His people Israel, “Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”

Although the Lord our God made promise to His people that He would never completely disown them and forsake them, but that He would eventually deliver them and restore them, yet He indicated that He certainly would correct them “in measure” and would not leave them “altogether unpunished.”  Even so, in Hebrews 12:5-8 God’s Word declares unto us New Testament believers, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”

Weekly Sermon

In Romans 1:14-16 the apostle Paul gave testimony, saying, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.  So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Brethren, how seriously do we take our Lord’s commission to preach the gospel of Christ to the lost world around us?  How ready and committed are we to preach the gospel at any given opportunity?  How much confidence do we have in the gospel to convict and save the lost?  How faithful are we in our gospel witness from day to day?  In Romans 1:14-16 the apostle Paul delivered a testimony under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit concerning his own faithful service in gospel witness.  Thereby the apostle is presented as an example for our faithfulness in gospel witness.  Even so, by that example we are taught three truths concerning this matter.

Weekly Sermon

Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord our God.  Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves as such a living sacrifice unto the Lord our God.  The opening portion of the verse presents the first command – “And be not conformed to this world.”  Then the second command follows – “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  Herein the word “transformed” means “to be formed over,” that is – “to be changed into a different form or a different character.”  Brethren, we are not to be conformed unto this present evil world.  We are not to be in the same form or in agreement with this present evil world.  Rather, we are to be “transformed.”  We are to be changed into a different form and a different character than this present evil world.  So then, let us consider the need for our transformation, the objective of our transformation, and the means to our transformation.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to three previous sermons:  Be Not Conformed to This World (Part 1) - Romans 12:2
                                                                                          Be Not Conformed to This World (Part 2) - Romans 12:2
                                                                                          Be Not Conformed to This World (Part 3) - Romans 12:2

Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.  Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives us two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves to live unto the Lord our God.  The first of these two commands is found in the opening portion of the verse – “And be not conformed to this world.”  The word “conformed” means “to be formed together,” that is – “to be made into the same form, or to be brought into agreement.”  Brethren, we are not to have the same form as this present evil world; and we are not to be in agreement with this present evil world.  We are not to think like this world thinks, feel like this world feels, behave like this world behaves, talk like this world talks, or look like this world looks.  We are not to have the same philosophy, the same priorities, the same purposes, the same desires, the same interests, the same habits, or the activities that this world has.  Brethren, we are not to make our decisions or have our mind set like this world does.  We are to “be not conformed to this world.”

Yet the question might be asked – Why are we not to be conformed to this world, and how important is it to our Christian lives that we not be conformed unto this world?  God’s holy Word reveals a great number of answers to this question.  Already in the first three parts of this message (see above), we have considered eight of these answers.  We are to “be not conformed to this world” (1) because this world stands opposed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, (2) because this world stands opposed to true Christianity and the true followers of Christ, (3) because this world is willfully without God, (4) because this world is under Satan’s deception, (5) because this world is following Satan’s direction, (6) because this world is evil and wicked by nature, (7) because we have been delivered out of this world, and (8) because we are not of this world, but of the Lord our God.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to two previous sermons:  Be Not Conformed to This World (Part 1) - Romans 12:2
                                                                                      Be Not Conformed to This World (Part 2) - Romans 12:2

Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.  Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives us two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves to live unto the Lord our God.  The first of these two commands is found in the opening portion of the verse – “And be not conformed to this world.”  The word “conformed” means “to be formed together,” that is – “to be made into the same form, or to be brought into agreement.”  Brethren, we are not to have the same form as this present evil world; and we are not to be in agreement with this present evil world.  We are not to think like this world thinks, feel like this world feels, behave like this world behaves, talk like this world talks, or look like this world looks.  We are not to have the same philosophy, the same priorities, the same purposes, the same desires, the same interests, the same habits, or the activities that this world has.  Brethren, we are not to make our decisions or have our mind set like this world does.  We are to “be not conformed to this world.”

Yet the question might be asked – Why are we not to be conformed to this world, and how important is it to our Christian lives that we not be conformed unto this world?  God’s holy Word reveals a great number of answers to this question.  Already in the first two parts of this message (see above), we have considered six of these answers.  We are to “be not conformed to this world” (1) because this world stands opposed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, (2) because this world stands opposed to true Christianity and the true followers of Christ, (3) because this world is willfully without God, (4) because this world is under Satan’s deception, (5) because this world is following Satan’s direction, and (6) because this world is evil and wicked by nature.

Weekly Sermon

This sermon is a companion to the previous sermons:  Without Him We Can Do Nothing - John 15:4-5
                                                                                      Abiding in Christ - John 15:4-5
                                                                                      Christ's Words Abiding in Us - John 15:7

In John 15:16 our Lord Jesus Christ presented the truth, saying, “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.”

In this verse our Lord is speaking to His own, to those who have received Him through faith as their personal and eternal Savior from sin.  Even so, in the opening portion of the verse, we who are Christ’s own through faith in Him find two truths concerning our present Christian lives in this world.  First, we find a truth concerning our place in this world.  Second, we find a truth concerning our purpose in this world.