Articles from May 2016

Here are the completed noted from the Sunday Morning Worship Service May 22, 2016:

Scripture: Jeremiah 30:1-3

1. The Establishment of the Bible’s Authority

A. The Bible claims to be no ordinary book, but claims to be the Word of God.
Phrases such as “Thus saith the Lord” or “God spake these words” appears over 2,000 times in the OT
In the NT –

• 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”
• 2 Peter 1:20, 21“The prophecy came no in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”
• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “When ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the Word of God”
• Galatians 1:11, 12 “The gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ”

If the Bible is not God’s Word, it is no longer a good book, but a lying book.

Why Believe the Bible is the Word of God? (Outside of the fact that it claims to be)

1. Manuscript Support (Manuscript – a handwritten copy of scripture)
   1. Quantity and date of manuscripts
2. Archaeology
3. Scientific Accuracy of Scripture
4. Fulfilled Prophecies of Scripture- Isaiah 48:3-5
5. The testimony of Jesus to the Scriptures

Supporting Scripture:
Matthew 4:3-10; Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27; John 5:39, 45-47; John 17:17

• In His recorded words, He referenced 14 OT books
• Jesus quoted from the OT
• He believed the history of the people and events recorded in the OT
• Jesus informed the Pharisees that they erred “not knowing the scriptures”
• Jesus used the Scriptures as His weapon of choice against the devil
• Jesus anticipated the NT writings –John 14:26; 16:12-15

B. Scripture is God breathed – 2 Timothy 3:16a
Lit. “God Breathed” or “Breathed out by God”

• When Scripture speaks, God speaks
• The authority behind the Bible is God Himself – God’s Word

2. The Acceptance of the Bible’s Authority- 2 Tim. 3:16b

• Doctrine – Tell us what to believe
• Reproof – Tells us what is wrong
• Correction – Tells us how to correct the wrong
• Instruction in righteousness – Tells us how to live

God’s Word provides guidance – Psalm 119:105
The Word of God provides comfort – Psalm 119:50

Key Statement: Since the Scriptures are God’s Word, they inherently possess His authority as His speaking (Practical Christian Theology – Floyd H. Barackman, Pg.31)

God communicates Himself to us through Scripture

• Who He is
• What He is like
• How to have a relationship with Him
• How to live
• What He wants for our lives

3. The Perversion of the Bible’s Authority

1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

When?
Latter times – the period from the first coming of Christ until His return

What?
Some shall depart from the faith

• Depart – falling away from an original position
• Apostasy – Falling away from the truth

Doctrines of Demons: Teaching that originates from demons

1- Evolution – Genesis 1, 2
Supporting Scripture:
Psalm 19:1; Psalm 148:4-6; Isaiah 40:28; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Acts 17:24, 25; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:11

2- Homosexuality, transgender, bisexuality
Supporting Scripture: Genesis 19:1-25; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26, 27; 1Corinthians 6:9-10; 1Timothy 1:9, 10

3- Sexual immorality (accepted as a way for life) Co-inhabitation is a way of life
Supporting Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:4
Sexual Sin:

• Grieves the Holy Spirit
• Displays a graphic self-centeredness
• Dishonors those made in God’s image
• Violates God’s plan for marriage
• Total opposite love which is a fruit of the Spirit

4- Abortion – Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5
5- Denial of the Deity of Christ – John 14:9
6- Denial of the resurrection – 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
7- Denial of eternal punishment in Hell – Luke 16:23, 24
8- Denial of Scripture
9- Reinterpret the Bible
10- Compromise with sin
11- Toleration of sin in the church
12- No need for repentance
13- Get to heaven by your own self-worth and good works

2 Timothy 4:3, 4 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Not endure sound doctrine

• People becoming intolerant of the confronting, demanding preaching of God’s Word

Why?

• Driven by their own lusts
• Desiring preaching and teaching that offer them God’s blessings apart from repentance  (Pleasant sensations that leave them feeling good about themselves)
• People will want what they want to hear not what they need to hear

Ears tickled

• Wanting to hear what is culturally acceptable
• People will have an itch to be entertained but not challenged with Biblical truth

Turn away from the truth

See Jude 3 – Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

In Closing

Corner Stone Statement of Faith
The Holy Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  The Bible is our sole and final authority for faith and practice.

George Washington (1st President) –
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without the Bible.”

What authority does the Bible, the Word of God have in your life?

• None
• Selective
• Partial
• Complete

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Morning Worship Service May 15, 2016:

Scripture: Colossians 2:6

8 Marks of Someone Living Out the Reality of Christ:

Review from Part #1

1- Reverence for God

• 1 Peter 2:17 “Fear God” (Awe & Reverence)
• Acts 9:31 The early church walked in the fear of the Lord

Fear Defined: Fearing God is having a sense of awe or reverence toward Him.

2- Priority of Relationship – Matthew 22:37

John 14:21a – He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:
23a – Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:
24a – He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:

3- Moment by Moment Sensitivity to the Spirt – Galatians 5:16

4- Disgust of Sin – Romans 6:12, 13

Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil”
A. Why Sin should be Disgusting to the Christian:

• Sin separates from God
• Sin leads to death
• Sin deceives
• Sin destroys families
• Sin enslaves
• Sin changes futures
• Sin has infected you
• Sin lead to the crucifixion of Jesus

B. Characteristics of Someone Who Tolerates Sin:

1. Puts their happiness and self before their holiness and God
2. Resists the convicting work of the Holy Spirit
3. Rationalizes their sin
4. Excuses their sin
5. No longer shocked at the presence of sin in their life
6. Abuses the gift of forgiveness

C. When Sin is not Dealt with in a Believers Life:

1. Fellowship (closeness) with God hindered
2. Impacts our relationships & affects others
3. Physical impact – Psalm 32:3-5
4. Escalation of sin
5. Inviting God’s discipline – 1 Corinthians 11:31, 32; Hebrews 12:5-11
6. Grieved inwardly
7. Contradicts who we are “In Christ”

5- Passion for Holiness – 1 Thessalonians 4:3a, 7

Holiness – “Absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind – placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself” (My Utmost for His Highest)

Holiness – Conformity to the character of God

• Though absolute holiness can never be achieved in this life, all areas of the believer’s life should be in the process of becoming completely conformed to God’s perfect and holy will.
• To be morally blameless – Separated from sin and separated to God

Sexual Sin:
1- Grieves the Holy Spirit
2- Displays a graphic self-centeredness
3- Dishonors those made in God’s image
4- Violates God’s plan for marriage
5- Total opposite love which is a fruit of the Spirit

6- Commitment to a Community of Believers – local church

A. Commitment to Christ at Salvation should be followed by a commitment to His visible body, the local church – Acts 2:41

• Baptism
• Public declaration of your faith in Christ

B. Indications of Being Connected to a Local Church in the New Testament:

1- The phrase “whole church” indicates a verifiable membership – Acts 15:22
2- Records kept – Acts 2:41
3- The responsibility for pastoral oversight and spiritual leadership – 1 Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:17
4- Instructions given for church discipline – Matthew 18:15-17

C. The Benefits:

1- To be challenged – Hebrews 10:24, 25
2- To be equipped – Ephesians 4:11, 12 – Systematically taught the Word of God
3- To be held accountable – Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5
4- To have a loving, compassionate support system – Galatians 6:2, 10
5- Enables you to take part in the church’s business and become fully engaged in the church’s ministry

D. The Responsibilities:

1- To exercise their gifts and abilities – 1 Peter 4:10, 11

• Church is not a “spectator sport”

2- To financially support the church’s ministry – 2 Corinthians 9:7
3- To carry out God’s mission in the world – Acts 1:8 (Local and abroad)

7- Participation in Missions

A. The Purpose of Christ’s Coming

• Luke 19:10 – For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
• Matthew 18:11 – For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost
• 1 Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief

B. The Command Prior to Christ Leaving

• John 20:21 – Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
• Acts 1:8 – But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

C. Vital part of the believer’s life

8- Living with an Eternal Perspective – Colossians 3:1, 2

“Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.” – Jonathan Edwards

A. Life is short especially when considered from an eternal perspective

B. The Lord’s return being imminent (could happen at any moment)
1 John 2:28 – Little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed at his coming.

C. Essential that we manage our lives well

• Our Time (how we use it)
  • Time: Measurable period in which something takes place.
  • Ephesians 5:16 – “Redeeming the time”
  • Time is space in eternity.
  • We live in time but belong to eternity
  • Time is an opportunity to invest in eternity
  • Time: “An earthly trust which, if invested wisely, will produce eternal treasures”
  • Time = Opportunity (To waste time is to miss opportunities)
  • How we manage our time reflects our values and priorities
• Our Treasure (how we use our money and possessions)
  • Matthew 6:19-21
  • You will never find a hearse pulling a U-Haul. Why? Because you can’t take it with you.
• Our Talents
  • 1st – Natural Talents: Any God given natural ability
  • Given by God at birth through parents to benefit mankind generally
  • 2nd – Spiritual Gifts:  An extraordinary gift(s) of the Holy Spirit given to believers at salvation to equip them for service in and through the church – 1 Corinthians 12:11
  • Our Investment in lives (impacting lives for eternity)
  • “The best use of one’s life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”
  • Life’s value is not its duration but its donation.

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Morning Worship Service May 8th, 2016:

Practical Principles for Mothers and their Children

Scripture: Proverbs 31:28

General Principles:

1. Watch your tongue and tone

2. Invest in the relationship – Be honest and transparent

• Giving one another the freedom to express their
  thoughts and feelings when they see inconsistency
  in us (without defending ourselves)

3. Always restore

4. Live with no regrets

5. Consistently communicate love for one another (Regardless) – People are impacted by what we communicate to them with our attitudes and actions

6. Be considerate of one another – Philippians 2:3, 4

7. Be concerned about their eternity

Specific Principles for Mothers:

• The home marks a child for life.
• Howard Hendricks
  • Be consistent
    A. In Discipline
    B. In Testimony
  • If we profess to believe God’s Word but ignore
    His instructions, our children will be confused

2. Ask God for wisdom when to intercede and when to allow
them to reap the results of bad decisions

Specific Principles for Children:

1. Honor her by listening and evaluating what’s being said – Proverbs 6:20-23; 23:22; 31:26a

• Old fashion
• Out of touch
• Not relevant

2. Be there – spend time with her

3. Make sure she is taken care of – 1 Timothy 5:8

• Example of Jesus – John 19:25-27
• Physical, emotional, spiritual

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Morning Worship Service May 1, 2016:

Scripture: Colossians 2:6

8 Marks of Someone Living Out the Reality of Christ:

1. Reverence for God

There are more than 150 references in the Bible to the fear of God.
While the majority of these are in the OT there are a sufficient number in the NT to support that this is the heart attitude we should cultivate today.

• 1 Peter 2:17 “Fear God” (Awe & Reverence)
• Acts 9:31 The early church walked in the fear of the Lord

Fear Defined: Fearing God is having a sense of awe or reverence toward Him.
The person that Fears God becomes so acutely aware of His moral purity and power that one is genuinely afraid to disobey Him.

Characteristics of a Person Who Fears God:
Has a Deliberate Caution and Carefulness in Respect to Divine Things

• Opposite of having an unhealthy, causal and familiar attitude about God and spiritual matters – not flippant with God
• Does not have a causal approach to worship

Lives in the Conscious Presence of God

• Conscious that we are never out of His all-seeing eye
• A God fearing person should be the same at all times, knowing he lives every moment of his life in God’s presence.

2. Priority of Relationship – Matthew 22:37

“The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain” (Taken from My Utmost for His Highest)

• Meeting with God is not an optional
• Love for Him overflows to obedience to Him

John 14:
21a – He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:
23a – Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:
24a – He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:

• A thirst exists to know Him better
• No know sin unconfessed or un-repented of and nothing is allowed in life which separates from Him
• No interest into which He cannot be brought

3. Moment by Moment Sensitivity to the Spirit – Galatians 5:16

Continually walking by the Spirit – vs. 16

• A yield to the Spirit every moment of every day – Walk in-step with the Spirit
• No neutral ground – either walking by the Spirit of walking in the flesh (gratifying the flesh)

4. Disgust of Sin – Romans 6:12, 13

Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil”
Any form of disobedience is evil.

A. Why Sin should be Disgusting to the Christian:

1. Sin separates from God
2. Sin leads to death
3. Sin deceives
4. Sin destroys families
5. Sin enslaves
6. Sin changes futures
7. Sin has infected you
8. Sin lead to the crucifixion of Jesus

B. Characteristics of Someone Who Tolerates Sin:

1. Puts their happiness and self before their holiness and God
2. Resists the convicting work of the Holy Spirit

How –

• By applying the truth to others instead of their self
• Getting angry at the messenger
• Puts off dealing with the sin at the moment of conviction

3. Rationalizes their sin
4. Excuses their sin
5. No longer shocked at the presence of sin in their life

“The greatest security against sin is to be shocked at its presence” – Thomas Carlyle

6. Abuses the gift of forgiveness

• The thought lurks in the back of their mind that I can commit this act of sin and then confess it later and receive God’s forgiveness.
• Displays a lack of gratitude for the price that was paid for their forgiveness.

C. When Sin is not Dealt with in a Believers Life:

1. Fellowship (closeness) with God hindered
Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-3; Psalm 51:11
2. Impacts our relationships & affects others
Genesis 3 – Seen in Adam & Eve; Joshua 7
3. Physical impact – Psalm 32:3-5

• Anxiety
• Health
• Stress

4. Escalation of sin
Example of David – 2 Samuel 11
5. Inviting God’s discipline – 1 Corinthians 11:31, 32; Hebrews 12:5-11
6. Grieved inwardly

• Loss of joy – Psalm 51:12a
• Grieving the Spirit of God – Ephesians 4:30
• Quenching the Spirit – 1 Thessalonians 5:19

7. Contradicts who we are “In Christ”