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"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among
you, serving as overseers..." (1 Peter 5:2)
Elders
Morris Bass, Rick Holt , Joe
Price |
"...let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless..." (1 Tim. 3:10)
Deacons
Aaron Bass, Rich Brooks, Mike Finn
John Hague, Dan Head |
"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
The Fruit of the Spirit:
Love
(#2)
Esther
Taken from Life Application Bible, page 839
Sermon Outlines:
Noteworthy News:
The Tsunami
The Fruit of the Spirit: Love (#2)
Joe R. Price
Love is the active
expression of goodwill; the very essence and expression of God and of
knowing God (1 Jno. 4:7-10). God has shown us His love in the death of His
Son (Rom. 5:8). God’s love for us is the compelling reason for us to love
Him as well as to “love one another” (1 Jno. 4:11). “We love Him
because He first loved us” (1 Jno. 4:19).
Love (agape) stands
first in the description of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). This love
has been defined as “unconquerable benevolence” and “undefeatable goodwill”
(Barclay). While the world defines love on a purely physical plane
(emotional, erotic, etc.), the word of God elevates love to the essential
motive of life (1 Cor. 13:1-3). In the “heavenly places” with Christ
we experience the love of God and learn how to love (Eph. 3:10-11; 1:3;
2:6).
Christ dwells by faith in
the heart of the person who is bearing the fruit of the Spirit. That person
is “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:17). The nature of love is
unselfish – looking outward toward others; sacrificial –
offering up itself to accomplish the welfare of others, and deliberate
– a conscious determination of the will. You do not “fall” into this kind of
love; you determine in your mind to live it toward others.
Love is active in
its expression of goodwill. “But whoever has this world’s goods, and
sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love
of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in
tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the
truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him” (1 Jno. 3:16-18).
Love is all-involving
in its response to the will of God.
“‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first
commandment” (Mk. 12:30). We love Jesus when we obey Him (Jno. 14:15; 1
Jno. 2:5). “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).
Love is the adhesive
that binds together the godly qualities and conduct of the Christian.
“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection”
(Col. 3:14, 12-13).
Love is the apex of
achievement in being like God in our lives.
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these
is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). “Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8).
“God is love” (1 Jno. 4:8).
Bear the fruit of the Spirit
and live in God’s love. By doing so we will love as we are loved: “that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the
width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which
passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”
(Eph. 3:17-19).
Top
Esther
Taken from Life Application Bible, page 839
“We treasure security, even
though we know that security in this life carries no guarantees –
possessions can be destroyed, beauty fades, relationships can be broken,
death is inevitable. Real security, then, must be found beyond this life.
Only when our security rests on God and his unchanging nature can we face
the challenges that life is sure to bring our way.
“Esther’s beauty and
character won Ahasuerus’s heart, and he made her his queen. Even in her
favored position, however, she would risk her life by attempting to see the
king when he had not requested her presence. There was no guarantee that
the king would even see her. Although she was queen, she was still not
secure. But, cautiously and courageously, Esther decided to risk her life
by approaching the king on behalf of her people.
“She made her plans
carefully. The Jews were asked to fast and pray with her before she went to
the king. Then on the chosen day she went before him, and he did ask her to
come forward and speak. But instead of issuing her request directly, she
invited him and Haman to a banquet. He was astute enough to realize she had
something on her mind, yet she conveyed the importance of the matter by
insisting on a second banquet.
“In the meantime, God was
working behind the scenes. He caused Ahasuerus to read the historical
records of the kingdom late one night, and the king discovered that Mordecai
had once saved his life. Ahasuerus lost no time in honoring Mordecai for
that act. During the second banquet, Esther told the king of Haman’s plot
against the Jews, and Haman was doomed. There is grim justice in Haman’s
death on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and it seems fitting that
the day on which the Jews were to be slaughtered became the day their
enemies died. Esther’s risk confirmed that God was the source of her
security.
“How much of your security
lies in your possessions, position, or reputation? God has not placed you
in your present position for your own benefit. He put you there to serve
him. As in Esther’s case, this may involve risking your security. Are you
willing to let God be your ultimate security?
“Strengths and
accomplishments:
* Her beauty and character won
the heart of Persia’s king
* She combined courage with careful planning
* She was open to advice and willing to act
* She was more concerned for others than for her own security
“Lessons from her life:
* Serving God often demands that
we risk our own security
* God has a purpose for the situations in which he places us
* Courage, while often vital, does not replace careful planning”
Key verse:
“For if you remain
completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the
Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet
who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:14)
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Why Do You Marvel at This?
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 8:23-27
1. Jesus was the object of
wonder, astonishment & admiration: Power (Matt. 9:32-33); Knowledge (Jno.
7:15); His teaching (Mk. 12:17).
2. Do you marvel at Jesus (person, power & presence)? What caused Jesus to
marvel? What caused His apostles (us) to marvel? Things we do not astonish
us.
I. JESUS
MARVELED:
A. At
Great Faith – Matt. 8:8-10, 5-8, 13 (11-12; Jno. 12:42-43); Acts 6:7 (Jas.
2:20); Acts 10:43; 1 Jno. 5:4-5.
B. At Unbelief – Mk. 6:4-6; Heb. 3:12-13; 11:25; Isa. 59:2; Rom. 6:23
(Matt. 11:28).
II. THE
APOSTLES MARVELED.
A. At
Jesus’ Power – Matt. 8:23-27; 16:16; Jno. 1:1-3; Col. 1:14-18.
B. At Jesus’ Teaching Practices – Jno. 4:27; Lk. 19:10; Mk. 2:13-17.
C. At Christians’ Departure from Truth – Gal. 1:6-7 (5:7); 2:20; 4:19
(Col. 1:27-28); 1:6; Col. 2:6-7.
III. WE
NEED NOT MARVEL:
A. At
Satan’s Effort to Deceive Us & Destroy Us – 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2:11; 1 Cor.
10:13.
B. When We are Hated for Following Jesus – 1 Jno. 3:13; Jno. 15:18-21; 2
Tim. 3:12.
C. At the Need for Conversion – Jno. 3:7 (3, 5); Col. 1:13; Acts 3:19; 2
Cor. 5:17.
D. At the Coming Day of Judgment – Jno. 5:26-29; 12:48; Acts 17:31.
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
The Sin of Lying
Scripture Reading:
Jeremiah 9:1-9
1. Lying is one of the most
prevalent moral problems we face.
2. Lying is at epidemic proportions in America – cf. Jer. 9:3-9.
3. Christians must be careful, Eph. 4:25; Phil. 4:8.
I. WHAT
IS LYING?
A. Root
Idea: Falsehood & Deception – cf. Matt. 28:13, 15.
B. A Broader Sense: Whatever is NOT what it Professes to be is a Lie:
1. Self-righteousness – Matt. 23:27-28.
2. Hypocrisy – 1 Tim. 4:1-2 (Matt. 23:27-28).
3. Precepts & doctrines of men – Rom. 1:25.
4. Religious lies – cf. 2 Cor. 11:13-15.
C. Another Type of Subtle Lie: Self-Deception – Gal. 6:3 (1 Jno. 1:8;
2:3-4; Jas. 1:22, 26; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 6:4.
II. WHY
DO PEOPLE LIE?
(Motives)
A. Out of
Fear – Matt. 26:69-74 (26:35); Lk. 12:4-5.
B. To Shirk Responsibility – cf. Lk. 14:18.
C. To Hurt Someone – Col. 3:8-9 (Gen. 39:13-20; Matt. 26:59-61).
D. To Get Gain or Gain an Advantage – Acts 5:1-8; Prov. 11:1 (Deut.
25:16); 1 Tim. 6:5.
E. For the “Greater Good” – Rom. 3:8; Matt.19:17; Micah 6:8; 2 Tim.3:17;
Eph. 2:10; Rom. 12:9; 16:19 (Jer. 4:22).
III. THE
OUTCOME OF ALL LIARS.
A. God
Warns us not to Lie – 1 Pet. 3:10-11
B. Lying is Disgusting to God – Prov. 6:16-17; 12:22.
C. Therefore, God will Punish All Liars – Prov. 19:5, 9; Rev. 21:8
(21:27).
Top
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the
light of Scripture)
The Tsunami
Joe R. Price
The death toll continues to
climb from the devastating tsunami that struck southern and southeastern
Asia December 26th. We extend our sympathy to all who have lost
family and friends in this disaster.
There are important lessons
of eternal truth that we should call to mind at such times, including these:
1. The awesome power of
this world and the God who created it.
When God destroyed this world by a flood it was not only one “fountain of
the great deep” that opened up, but all of them (Gen. 7:11). Can you begin
to imagine the deadly force that resulted? All power – and praise – belongs
to Him whose command created the heavens, the earth and the seas (Psa.
147:1-4, 5-6).
2. Those who suffer and die
in such events are not worse people than others because they do.
No, “time and chance” happens to us all (Eccl. 9:11). One man in India
reportedly lamented, “What did we do to deserve this?” The truth is that
these were not “worse sinners” than all other human beings because of this
tragic event (read Lk. 13:1-3). Death and suffering occur because sin
entered this world (1 Cor. 15:21-22; Gen. 3:19).
3. Now is the time to
prepare to meet God.
We have no guarantee of tomorrow. Life is a fragile gift from God, not to
be disregarded (Jas. 4:13-15). The end of the world will come suddenly,
like the tsunami (1 Ths. 5:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:10). Will we be ready?
We ought to live holy and
godly lives, always ready for the coming of the day of God (2 Pet.
3:11-12). Are you ready?
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