Taking Stock

Where Have We Been? Born innocent, without sin (Ecclesiastes 7:29) All who have reached an accountable age have sinned (Romans 3:23) Sin separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2; Ephesians 2:1-3) Without direction (Jeremiah 10:23) Where Are We Now? Those who have not had their sins forgiven are still in the condition described above Christians have […]

What Have You Done?

Text: Genesis 3:13; 4:10 No Sin is Hidden from God God knew their sin even though they tried to hide from Him (Genesis 3:8) or deny it (Genesis 4:9) We cannot hide anything from Him (Hebrews 4:13) We are Responsible for Our Actions Adam and Eve both tried to shift the blame for their sin […]

Keywords in the Prophecy of the Coming Kingdom

Text: Isaiah 2:2-4 Mountain – government, authority (Daniel 2:44; John 18:36-37; Matthew 28:18) House – the church (1 Timothy 3:15), linked to the kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19) Nations – Gentiles, kingdom open to all (Acts 2:37-39; Ephesians 2:13-16) Come – individual responsibility to follow Christ (Joshua 24:15; 2 Corinthians 5:10) Teach – we must know God’s […]

Jesus Was Not What They Expected

Text: John 12 The Triumphal Entry (v. 12-15) – humble entry, rather than an impressive display of power Teaching about Sacrifice (v. 25-26) – Jesus offers eternal life, but one must be willing to lay down his life here The Crucifixion (v. 32-33) – crucifixion was supposed to turn people away from Christ and end the movement; it […]

Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked

Text: Psalm 1 The Righteous Man is Blessed (v. 1-3) He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly – following their thinking/advice He does not stand in the path of sinners – putting himself in a position to encounter them He does not sit in the seat of scoffers – among those who […]

Remember Lot’s Wife

Text: Luke 17:32 The Value of OT Examples – Romans 15:4 The Story of Lot’s Wife – Genesis 13:12; 18:20-21; 19:15-17, 24-26) Why Was She Punished? Disobedience (Genesis 19:17) Possible Motives that We Must Guard Ourselves From: Being too close to the people of the world (James 4:4) Being too attached to the riches of […]

Jesus’ Equality with the Father

Text: John 5:17-18 Jesus’ Testimony about Himself He called God His father (John 5:17) He did the works of God (John 5:19) The Father loved Him (John 5:20) The Father revealed things to Him (John 5:20) He had the same power as the Father (John 5:21) All judgment has been given to Him (John 5:22) […]