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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:
"I Will Go to My
Father"
Sermon Outlines:
Noteworthy News:
Opinion Poll Madness
"I Will Go to My Father"
Joe R. Price
“But when he came to himself,
he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to
spare, and I perish with hunger! ‘I will arise and go to my father, and
will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I
am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired
servants.”’ (Luke
15:17-19)
What poignant and powerful
words! Every one – because we have violated God’s will – is a sinner (1
Jno. 3:4; Rom. 3:23). As such, we have either been forgiven in Christ, or
our sin remains a barrier that separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2). The
gospel of Christ reveals the remedy for our sins and the conditions upon
which God’s grace and mercy will be received (Rom. 1:16; 5:8-10; 6:15-18;
Mk. 16:15-16).
But, every sinner must be
convinced that he needs a Savior before he will obey the gospel and be saved
from his sins (1 Tim. 4:10). Yes, Jesus died for all men. His sacrificial
death is sufficient to redeem the sinner from spiritual death. But the
sinner must also want to be saved. He must come to the Savior to find rest
(Matt. 10:28-30). Like the prodigal, the sinner must go to the Father.
The words of the
prodigal son teach us the attitude of heart the sinner needs in order to be
forgiven of sins. When these attitudes are coupled with obedience to God’s
plan of salvation, His terms of pardon, one is assured of having God’s
forgiveness. We cannot go to the Father and receive His forgiveness without
both the proper attitudes and the proper actions.
Like the prodigal, the sinner
must be convicted of his sins. He must be convinced he is a sinner. The
wasteful son “came to himself,” implying he came to full recognition that
his conduct had been reprehensible (Lk. 15:17). Finally, he felt the full
weight of his sin (cf. Psa. 51:3). Only when the sinner is overwhelmed with
the burden of sin will he go to the Father seeking forgiveness on the
Father’s terms (instead of his own). Acts 2:37 represents such a group of
sinners. Being convinced by the gospel that they had murdered their
Messiah, they cried out in an anguished appeal, “What shall we do?”
The inspired apostle told them to repent and be baptized for the remission
of their sins (v. 38). The reaction the sinner has today toward his sins
must be the same. To be convicted of one’s sin is a sobering and humbling
moment for the person who wants to live with God’s approval rather than die
in the darkness of sin. For that person, it is a crucial step on the path
to the Father.
Like the prodigal, the sinner
must know who his sin is against (Lk. 15:18). Ultimately, all sin is
against God (Psa. 51:4). Although the prodigal’s father had not personally
seen his wasteful conduct, the son realized that his actions were
“before” him (or, “in his sight”, ASV). We would do well to
always remember that God sees all our actions and knows all of our thoughts
(Heb. 4:13). To obtain forgiveness from God, the sinner (like the prodigal
son) must willingly admit and acknowledge that his sin is against the God of
heaven. Without such godly sorrow there can be no repentance (2 Cor.
7:10). Only the contrite heart will make the journey back to the Father;
only the contrite heart will find a merciful reception (Psa. 51:17; Isa.
66:2).
The prodigal approached his
father in utter humility (Lk. 15:19). Truly, it is only the humble of heart
that will come to God confessing sin and pleading for mercy. The tax
collector of Luke 18:13 aptly shows this principle in his life. If one has
a problem with admitting his sin he also has a problem with pride.
Remember, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”
(Jas. 4:6).
When we sin against God we must
determine, along with the prodigal son, to “go to (our) Father.”
Like the prodigal’s father, our heavenly Father is longsuffering, merciful
and forgiving (Lk. 15:22-24; 2 Pet. 3:9; Rom. 2:4). Our heavenly Father
teaches us how to come to Him in order to be forgiven of our sins. The
gospel of Christ teaches sinners what to do to be saved: hear the
gospel, believe in Jesus as the Christ, confess my faith in
Christ, repent of my sins and be baptized into Christ for the
remission of sins, and then live a faithful life in service to Christ
(Jno. 6:45; 8:24; Rom. 10:9-10; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rev. 2:10).
Christians who sin are called on to repent and pray in order
to be forgiven (Acts 8:22-24; 1 Jno. 1:9). For the sake of your soul’s
salvation, come to yourself and go to the Father. He will forgive you.
“…for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
(Luke 15:24)
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Reasons to Repent
Scripture Reading:
Acts 26:15-20
1. The gospel is a call to
repentance unto life – Acts 26:17-20 (11:18).
2. We must not be like Esau! – Heb. 12:14-17
3. We must understand what repentance is:
a. “I’m sorry” is not repentance, 2 Cor. 7:9-10.
b. A change of heart that results in a changed life – Acts 26:20; Rev.
9:20-21.
4. Repentance grows out of godly sorrow – Neh. 9:1-3.
5. Satan blinds us to the seriousness of sin & the need to repent (by
minimizing sin).
6. If we cannot repent we will not confess sin – Jas. 5:16.
7. Why should I repent of my sins?
·
WHY SHOULD I REPENT?
1. Because
of understanding my sin – Lk. 13:1-5; Rom. 3:23; 1 Jno. 3:4; Psa.
51:4; Isa. 59:1-2.
2. Commanded to repent – Acts 17:30 (Heb. 11:6; Jas. 4:6-10).
3. Because there will be a Judgment Day – Acts 17:31; 2 Cor.
5:10; Rom. 2:2-3.
4. Because I want to be in the kingdom of God – Matt. 4:17;
25:41, 46; Acts 2:36-38, 41.
5. Because of God’s great goodness, Rom. 2:4; 2 Sam. 12:1-7,
13; Rom. 5:8 (Jno. 3:16).
6. To be clear of sin before God & man, 2 Cor. 7:10-11.
Conclusion
1. Neh.
9:2-3 – No self-righteousness there.
2. Jas. 5:16 – No self-righteousness where confession of sin truly occurs.
3. There can be no confession of sins & salvation in Christ without genuine
repentance – Acts 2:38; 8:22.
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Romans 14 and the Scope of
Fellowship
Scripture Reading:
Romans 14:1-8
1. Rom. 14 was written to help
Christians keep unity among themselves in the area of liberty (i.e., matters
which are indifferent before God).
2. There is a proper use of Rom. 14 today.
I.
UNDERSTANDING ROMANS 14.
A.
Outlining the Chapter.
B. The Text and Context.
C. Any Effort to Put Sinful Doctrines or Practices into Romans 14 is
Wrong."
D. Any Attempt to Prevent the Use of Romans 14 to Protect Conscientious
Scruples over Non-sinful Matters also Abuses the Text.
II.
DISPUTES OVER CONSCIENTIOUS SCRUPLES WERE DIVIDING BRETHREN.
A. The
Strong Brother – 14:3, 10.
B. The Weak Brother – 14:3-4, 10.
C. Both Pleased God – 14:4, 6, 10-12.
D. Receive each Other! Rom. 14:1 & 15:7
III.
DEFINING TERMS.
A. The
Weak (14:1).
B. The Strong (14:1; 15:1).
C. The Faith (14:1, 5, 22-23; Jude 3).
D. Doubtful Disputations – 14:1.
E. Offend: (14:13); cf. 1 Cor. 8:9-13.
IV. REMEDY: RECEIVE EACH OTHER IN YOUR DIFFERENT SCRUPLES OF CONSCIENCE.
V. AN APPEAL FOR UNITY IN MATTERS OF PERSONAL CONSCIENCE & LIBERTY – 15:1-7.
VI. MAKING THE RIGHT APPLICATIONS OF ROMANS 14 TODAY.
Top
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the
light of Scripture)
Opinion Poll
Madness
Joe R. Price
The campaigning is hitting a
fever pitch as candidates for office, from the White House to City Hall, vie
for votes. One way candidates shape and influence public opinion is by
taking polls and then announcing the results.
I don’t
know about you, but I am
pretty tired of hearing all the poll numbers for the presidential race.
Every day we are treated to more and more analysis, speculation and “expert
opinions.”
We can get that way toward
the word of God and the Christian life, too. Instead of doing our own study
of the Bible, we may rely on the study and teaching of others to decide what
we will believe and do. Or, we may survey the landscape, try to get a feel
for what others are saying and doing to help us make up our minds.
Personal faith comes from
personal contact with the word of God (Rom. 10:17). While we are glad to
have teachers who instruct us (this is God’s method of transmitting His word
around the world, Matt. 28:19-20), we must always be diligent in our own
study “to find out whether these things (are) so” (Acts 17:11).
Avoid the “it can’t be wrong
if everybody is for it!” way of thinking. Yes, it can be wrong. The way
that may seem right can lead to death (Prov. 14:12).
Avoid the “I
want to be on the popular side” way of thinking. The person with the most
votes wins. But, the majority is not always right. It was the majority
that died in the wilderness of Sinai. It was the majority that crucified
Jesus. It will be the majority that is eternally lost (Matt. 7:13-14).
Truth makes a thing right. Jesus is “the Truth” (Jno. 14:6).
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