Sermons About Paul
The Church of Thyratira: Revelation 2:18-28
In America, most of us have not been physically threatened for our faith. However, like the church at Thyratira, I would argue that most of our greatest temptations to compromise stem from either economic or social pressures. The church today is radically tempted to compromise by valuing the same things that the culture around us values. We serve a God who calls us to consider everything rubbish in order that we might gain Christ and be found in him. We cannot cling to the values of this world and still hold fast to the righteousness of our savior. Jesus offers us himself. Jesus calls us live lives of repentance, constantly letting go of our sin and clinging to his blood, shed on the cross for our sin, to forgive us and give us his perfect righteousness.
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The How and Why of Salvation
Ephesians 2:8-10 Martin Luther was perhaps the most devout monk in the Catholic church. As devout as he was, Luther struggled with a guilty conscience to the extent that he was constantly accounting, confessing, and punishing himself for his sins. In spite of this, he could never find peace. However, by studying the Word of God directly, Martin Luther discovered that men are saved by God's grace rather than by their works. This truth lay in stark contrast to what the Catholic church was teaching. As a result, a great reformation was launched when Luther published his 95 theses, which documented the inconsistencies between the teachings of the Catholic church and the truths of God's Word in the Bible. Among the many verses in the Bible pertaining to salvation, one of the best known passages is found Ephesians 2:8-10. In Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus, he gives a clear explanation of God's plan for salvation - specifically, how and why a person is saved. Paul also teaches us about the relationship between faith and works and warns us all about the heretical beliefs of legalism (it is possible to do good works to earn salvation) and antinomianism (it is possible to be saved without doing any good works), for either of these beliefs can consign a person to hell. In combating these heresies, Paul recognized the importance of maintaining a balance between the truths that a person is saved by grace apart from good works and a person who is saved will do good works. In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul placed these two vital truths side-by-side to provide us with a clear understanding of the role that faith and works play in God's work to save and sanctify us. He explains 1) How we are saved - Justification (vv. 8-9), and 2) Why we are saved - Sanctification (v. 10). We are God's workmanship and it is God Who works within us. We were created by God in Christ Jesus for good works - not as a result of works, but for good works. By studying the Bible, the reformers came up with a marvelous phrase to describe how faith and works work together. "A person is justified by faith alone, but faith that justifies is never alone." So, the reformers are reminding us that saving faith is always followed up and expressed by a life of good works. This spiritual concept signifies that we are totally dependent on God for our salvation as well as our spiritual development, which in turn, is exemplified by good works within us. Paul effectively stated his (and our) position before the Lord in 1 Corinthians 15:9 (NASB): "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." You are what you are by the grace of God and the grace of God alone!
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Sacred Joy: Philippians 1.27-30, 3.18-20
As we continue in Paul's letter to the church at Philippi we ask the following question this week: How shall we live in response to the glorious gospel? Paul commands a certain conduct from the believers in Philippi. It is a life lived as one who is a citizen of heaven. Too many times our conduct reflects a mind that is on the earthly instead of on the kingdom of heaven. What if we lived differently? What if our mind was on Christ and the kingdom of heaven more often? What if we thought biblically and lived biblically? How would our lives look then? Our prayer as we look at Paul's letter together this week is that we would strive together to live lives that promote the gospel. Just think, what if we really did this?
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Romans 7:21-25 The War Within (part 3)
We have been going through how Paul was battling with his flesh which desired sin while his redeemed spirit desired righteousness. The flesh and the spirit are not compatible when we have been saved. Before we are saved our flesh and our spirit are like two best friends. What the flesh does, the spirit does; what the flesh wants the spirit loves. But, after we are saved the flesh and our spirit are not longer buddies, but enemies; What the flesh does, the spirit detests; what the flesh wants the spirit hates. But this fighting between our redeemed selves and our flesh can lead us to wonder if we are indeed saved. We may wonder how God could want to save someone like us that seems to constantly do the opposite of what we should be doing. There a couple of points that I want to make concerning your assurance of salvation. I am going to take quite a bit of time on this because I think it is important. When I ask someone if he or she is saved, many times they point to a time in their lives where they went to the altar or when they were baptized. There are a lot of people who think that if they professed Christ one time in their life that is all they have to do. Their ticket to heaven has been punched. But it is more than a simple profession of Christ sometime in the past and that is all there is to salvation. With no good fruit, no good works, then faith is dead. I know people who swear that they are saved because of something they did years ago, but they do not exhibit any sort of good fruit in their lives. They do not read the Bible, they do not go to Church or associate with the Saints. Now, here is something that I want you to think about. The Bible never points to the past to prove a person's salvation. The Bible never points to a decision made in the past to give assurance of salvation. There is not verse that says: If thou have made profession in the past thou art saved. Thou art known by thine past fruit. No, we are known by the fruit we produce today. We are told to examine ourselves to see how we are today, not how we were years ago. Paul tells us that we need to prove ourselves. (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJVR) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But when a person is asked, "How do you know you are a Christian? Most times the answer will be, "Well, I made a decision for Christ 20 years ago. That means NOTHING! The Bible never verifies someone's salvation based on the past. It is always based on the present and if you do not have evident proof of your salvation NOW, then there is a very real possibility that you are not saved, no matter what happened in the past. So examine yourself prove yourself to be in the faith. You may say, well Mr. Preacher Man, how can I know that I am a true Christian. I believe, I go to Church, I have been baptized, I think I am a Christian. Jesus presented a criteria for whether a person is redeemed or not in Mathew 5. In this chapter Jesus explained how a true son or daughter of God lives as compared to the hypocritical Jews at the time which believed that their own self righteousness and works would save them. You want to prove yourself to be a true Christian, this is what you need to do. You need to compare your life with the Sermon on the Mount. When you do that you will see if you are a Christian or not. What is the standard in Mathew 5 that Jesus is pointing to? It is righteousness. Righteousness is the key to being saved. Jesus is saying that if you are a true child of God, if you have been truly redeemed and born again, the defining thing of your life will be righteousness. There are a lot of people who claim they are Christians, but where is the righteousness in their lives? You look and look and all you can find is a life filled with unrighteousness. You cannot live in a constant state of unrighteousness such as living out of marriage, homosexuality, drunkenness, etc and be a true Christian. Going to the alter 6 months ago, a year ago or 20 years ago and getting baptized means nothing if you are living in continual sin. You cannot live in continual unrighteousness and be a Christian. If this describes you, then you are going down the wide path that you think leads to heaven but in truth is leading straight into Hell. A born again person will exhibit righteousness. He will be sorrowful over his sins, he will yearn to do what God finds pleasing. Please turn with me to Mathew 5 starting with verse 3. (Matthew 5:3 KJVR) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If you are poor in spirit it means that you no longer rely on yourself. You know that without God, you have no hope of escaping His just judgment. Are you poor in spirit? Or do you think you can save yourself by yourself? You cannot rely on yourself to be good enough to be saved. (Matthew 5:4 KJVR) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Do you mourn over your sin? Does your sin bother you, or do you think that God understands your abiding sin and He will let you into heaven anyway? If you do not ever mourn over your sin, that is a sign that you are not saved. A big sign that you are not saved! Without Jesus covering your sins with His blood you cannot be saved and will most assuredly see Hell first hand. (Matthew 5:5 KJVR) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Being meek is the opposite of being out of control. Do you get out of control when you get angry or do you get out of control when you drink? Or does the Holy Spirit help you to have self control? If you are saved you will have control over yourself. (Matthew 5:6 KJVR) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Do you seek after the righteousness of God? Do you love God’s Holy Word, or do you think that the Bible is foolishness? If you do not desire the things of God, then you need to question your salvation! (Matthew 5:7 KJVR) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Do you exhibit mercy or are you unmerciful? (Matthew 5:8 KJVR) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Are you pure in heart? Or are you as wicked as the world? Only the pure will see God and Heaven. And you cannot rely on your own goodness. It is not enough simply to say you accept Jesus, but will God accept you? Only by the blood of Jesus can you be made right with God. You must repent and put your faith in Jesus to be made right with God. Now let’s skip down to verse 20. (Matthew 5:20 KJVR) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Verse 20 is the key to the whole sermon on the mount. The Pharisees went to the temple everyday, they paid tithes, they fasted, they prayed, they were religious zealots. Yes, they were religious zealots, but they were hypocrites and self righteous. You cannot be a hypocrite and be self righteous and see the kingdom of God. You must have the righteousness of Christ given to you. Your own righteousness will never get you into heaven. And the only way to have righteousness is to have the righteousness of Christ accounted to you by repenting and having faith in Jesus. If you are truly saved you will not desire the evil of the world but will instead desire the righteousness of God. In: (2 Timothy 2:19 KJVR) Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. And in: (Titus 1:16 KJVR) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Your profession of faith means nothing unless there is obedience to God’s Word. Unless there is righteousness, unless there is holiness in your life, you are not saved but still have the wrath of God abiding upon you. I have heard people say that you can come to Jesus just the way you are and not have to change anything on the inside or the outside. That is a lie straight out of the pits of Hell. If there is no transformation of the inner man, if you stay just the way you always have been, you are not saved! (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJVR) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (1 John 1:9 KJVR) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When you are saved you become a new creature in Christ and you yearn for the things of Christ. I hope the above points can help you to examine yourself to see if you are indeed in the faith and to help others understand their need for Christ. So now let’s go to our text for this morning. (Romans 7:21 KJV) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. Paul saw in himself the desire for evil even when he desired to do good. He understood that his flesh was fallen and still desired the evil things of the world while his redeemed self desired the things of God. When Paul desired to do what is good and right his flesh worked against him to try to get him to do that which he detested. The corruption of his flesh that he was born with, was still with him and he still battled it. Even when we are saved and when we desire the most to please God and work for God, our flesh wants to stop us, but not only do we battle with our flesh, but Satan and his minions know that our flesh is the place to attack us. It is such a struggle to do that which is right and so easy to sin. If someone offends you, it is hard to speak with kindness. But it sure is easy to speak with ugly words. How easy it is to lie and how hard it can be to tell the truth. How hard it can be to think of other people instead of yourself. This is some of the struggles we face between our flesh and our redeemed selves. Our flesh is sinful by it’s nature and it’s impulses are naturally toward evil and not good. Without the help of God we would naturally do evil. (Romans 7:5 NASB) For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Our flesh desires evil and before we are redeemed does nothing but evil. Only by the power of God and the work of Jesus upon the cross can we be saved from our wretchedness. (Romans 7:22 KJV) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: When you are saved you put on the new man, inwardly you become a new creature. Paul delighted in the law of God and he delighted in the new creature that he had become in his innermost self. He desired to obey God’s law. Do you desire to obey God’s law? If you do, it is a very good evidence that you have been truly converted! Being saved means you have a desire to do the things of God and to hate the things of evil. We not only believe in Jesus but we want to be like Him! Being saved means that you no longer love your sin but hate it. You detest it, you mourn over it. You agree with the Law of God against sin. We agree with what the Psalmists said: (Psalms 1:2 KJV) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Please turn to Psalms 119 starting with verse 9: (Psalms 119:9 KJV) BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (Psalms 119:10 KJV) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (Psalms 119:11 KJV) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalms 119:12 KJV) Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. (Psalms 119:13 KJV) With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. (Psalms 119:14 KJV) I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. (Psalms 119:15 KJV) I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. (Psalms 119:16 KJV) I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. When we are saved, we love the Word of God; it is precious to us. It is the way we want to live our lives; we desire to obey God in all things. If you think the Word of God is foolishness, then you probably are not saved. When you are saved God gives you a heart for His Word.
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Living Means Seizing (Ephesians 5 15-17) 10-25-09
To walk carefully in this world is to walk with wisdom, and to walk in wisdom means making the most of every opportunity we have, to redeem the time for the glory of God.
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Christ Redeemed Us From The Curse Of The Law
Unless you understand the gravity of your curse, you cannot possibly understand the glory of your blessing. In this text, Paul expounds the glorious exchange that occurs at the cross of Jesus: the Messiah becomes the bearer of our curse and the deliverer of our blessing.
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Sacred Joy: Philippians 2.5-11
The sermon passage today is no doubt one of the most glorious in all of Scripture. It is one that takes us from the highest of highs to the lowliest of lows only to re-ascend to the greatest of heights. As we look at this section on Christ’s humiliation and exaltation it is central to what Paul is calling the church at Philippi to and what we are called to as well. We are called to have a certain conduct and attitude as those belonging to Christ. I pray that we would be moved to exalt in worship the exalted Christ today.
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