Sermons About Good
Back to Good: Decisions
Pastor Jeff finishes the series "Back to Good" by examining decisions.
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3rd John`
John in his first letter gave the church two options for how to interact with each other. John said you are either actively loving one another or you are actively hating each other. Though our hearts might think there is some middle ground like indifference or dislike, John doesn't give us that option. I John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. John's point was that the evidence that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord is Savior is found in whether or not you love. Loving means you have life. If you are not loving, you are hating, and hating is death which is evidence of not being transformed by Jesus. This is the big bold claim of Christianity that has been forgotten. If this were the reputation of the church in America, heck if it was the reputation of Sovereign King in Garner, no church could build enough seats to hold the people that would want to be a part of that community. You see, the only way you can live out this seemingly impossible truth is to recognize and realize that this is the kind of love that Jesus showed to you. He laid down His life on your behalf so that you would lay down yours for others. There is a direct correlation at play. - The depth to which you understand your sin and what Christ did to overcome it will be the depth to which you will love people who are hurting and in need. - Live with a big, present realization of your sin and Christ's work for it, and you will love others no matter what because that is how you are loved. - Live with a small or non-existent realization of your sin, and you will wait for people to get on your level before you love them. In all practicality though, what does our laying down of our life look like? Verse 17 tells us 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. John essentially says, "Put feet on your faith." With whatever you have, help those in need. If you close your heart against those in need, you must not understand that Jesus loved you while you were still in need. Jesus loved you while you were still a sinner; He laid down His life for the unrighteous. You couldn't get cleaned up enough for Jesus to love you. Our God got dirty and loved the dirty. Let's not talk about loving then. Let's do love. Let our love be seen in not only truth speaking, but also in love doing. This week at Sovereign King, we are closing out our "House Rules" series: one that has been more transformational to the life of this church than any other I can of. And today, we are going to study the entire letter of 3 John. There, John is going to give us an example of two people who will live out the two extremes that we just mentioned. One guy is named Gaius and another is named Diotrephes. Their names give sort of the impression of a Greek Tragedy, and sadly, their story would probably make a good one. Mark Dever in his book "Promises Kept" will describe these guys in this way. - He says one of them is a trouble maker for the Gospel. - The other is a trouble taker for the Gospel. - One makes problems. The other takes on problems. Now here is what I don't want to do. I've been through the fire as a preacher's kid and now as a preacher, seeing the absolute dirty underbelly of Christianity. I have seen things that are so repugnant that they have literally led me to vomit. But that is a story for another day. I also have heard many of your stories, and some of you must have seen the same things I saw that led me to puke my guts up. This sermon is not going to rehash the worst of Christianity. We are going to take a look at these two men. One of them is going to be a life to avoid, and one of them is going to be a life to emulate and we going to avoid one and emulate another. - And as we do each Sunday at SK, we try to answer at least one Big Picture Question in each sermon. So this week's Big Picture Question is this: Big Picture: What is the difference between a maker of trouble and a taker of trouble for the sake of the Gospel?
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Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Feb. 15, 2009 Sunday AM message by Pastor Rae Orozco - "Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil"
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The Faces of Good and Evil, p2
How to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be prepared for every good work which God has ordained for us.
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Love Is Sincere
Learning to run from what is evil and cling to what is good, which is the love of Jesus Christ. Our walk and our Relationship with God should be pure and we can only experience that if our love for God is pure.
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Barnabas: Finding a Good Man
Goodness is more than just a preferred quality. It is evidence of God's activity in your life.
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Back to Good: Temptation
Pastor Jeff continues in our series 'Back to Good' by looking at temptation and obedience.
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The Faces of Good and Evil, p1
"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). "[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44-45).
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Back to Good: Marriage and Sex
We live in a nation that spends more money on porn than on professional sports. Our views of sexuality are seriously messed up and it can have grave consequences. So how did God intend it? Pastor Jeff paints a picture of how marriage and sexuality are supposed to be through the lens of Genesis and how they can be, no matter our past, through the empowering grace of Jesus Christ.
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Transform...by Grace
A false assumption many people make is that the goal of transformation tries to turn “bad people†into “good peopleâ€. That statement is so far from the heart of God. God is not trying to make us “goodâ€, He wants to make us free! God wants us to understand that transformation is a by-product of grace, and it is grace that allows us to experience our freedom in Him. As we close out this series God reveals this important truth to Moses and to us in the most unusual place.
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