A. Suffering is the result of sin (Job 1:1, 9-11, 20; 4:7-8; 8:5-6; 11:13-20; John 9:1-2; Luke 13:1-5)
B. Original sin (Ezekiel 18:20)
C. Predestination (Acts 10:34-35; 1 Peter 1:17)
II. Scriptural conceptions of God’s justice
A. Justice affirmed by inspiration (Psalm 7:11-13; 33:4-5; Isaiah 61:8; Deuteronomy 10:17-18)
B. Sodom (Genesis 18:16-32)
C. The golden calf (Exodus 32:1-6; 34:6-7) and the refusal to take Canaan (Numbers 14:11-12, 18-19)
III. How do we respond to God’s justice?
A. If we are not living according to His will, with terror (Romans 11:22)
B. If we are faithful, with trust (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 8:1)
A. “Sons of hell” (Matthew 23:15)
B. Hypocrisy (Matthew 23:2-3)
C. Sought glory for selves, not God (Matthew 23:5-7)
D. Spiritual blindness (Matthew 23:13)
E. Ignored “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23)
F. Appeared righteous outwardly, but inwardly full of hypocrisy and sin (Matthew 23:25-28)
II. The self-trusting Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14)
A. Contrasted with the humble tax collection (Luke 18:9, 13)
B. One cannot “earn” a place at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Romans 3:23; Matthew 26:28; Proverbs 3:5-6)
III. The converted Pharisee (Acts 9)
A. His bragging rights, zeal, and conscience (Philippians 3:3-6; Galatians 1:14; Acts 8:3; 23:1)
B. His conversion (Acts 9:1-6; 22:16)
IV. Even a person who has obeyed the gospel can fall away
A. The church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:4-5)
B. The church of Pergamos (Revelation 2:14-16)
C. The church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:20, 24-26)
D. The church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1, 3)
E. The church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:15-16, 19-21)
A. Two years a prisoner (Acts 24:27)
B. The dispute over their religion (Acts 25:18-19)
II. Paul’s hope and faith rested in the resurrection
A. His preaching (Acts 13:26-30, 48; 17:2-4, 18, 30-31, 34; 24:15, 25)
B. His writing (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Romans 1:4; 4:23-25; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
III. Our hope and faith rests in the resurrection
A. Despite physical, emotional, spiritual struggles
B. “When you are face to face with the unknown, rely on that which you do know” (1 John 5:4, 13, 14-15, 18-20; Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:51-57)
A. All three members of Godhead were present and active in creation (Genesis 1:1)
B. The Father was the “Divine Architect” (Genesis 1:3, 6-7, etc.)
C. The Son was the “Divine Agent” (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17)
D. The Spirit was the “Divine Adorner” (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13)
II. The Savior
A. The relationship between God and man needed to be restored (John 1:10-13; Isaiah 59:1-2; John 1:29)
B. His first advent was a mission of salvation (John 3:16-17; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 5:23; Acts 2:47b)
C. His second advent will be to deliver the faithful to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1)
III. The Judge
A. The judgment will be based upon His revelation (John 12:48; Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46)
B. He will judge righteously (Acts 17:31; Romans 2:16; Ecclesiastes 12:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:2)
C. We know the standard and we know the Judge (1 John 5:3; Matthew 11:30; Romans 8:1)
A. Felix was born a slave but was freed and rose to power
B. Drusilla was a member of the Herod family
II. Paul preached to them the gospel (Acts 24:25)
A. Righteousness (Psalm 119:172; Matthew 3:15)
B. Self-control (Galatians 5:23; 2 Peter 1:6; Titus 1:8; Galatians 5:24; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Matthew 14:4, 10)
C. The judgment to come (2 Corinthians 5:10; Acts 17:31)
III. The response of Felix (Acts 24:26-27)
A. Afraid (NKJV), trembled (KJV), terrified (ASV)
B. He procrastinated for a “convenient time”
C. He called on Paul again, but with the wrong motivation, hoping for a bribe (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Psalm 15:5)
A. Preparation for the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-3, 15-16)
B. Preparation for the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:36)
II. Revelation 14:13
A. Encouragement for faithfulness in the face of persecution (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:12)
B. Do not be distracted from the Lord’s work (Romans 12:2; 2 Timothy 4:8)
III. Revelation 16:15
A. Watchfulness and preparation
B. Simile also used by apostles in reference to final judgment (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10)
IV. Revelation 19:9
A. All are invited; the obedient are the called (1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:14)
B. Obedience results in sanctification and preservation (Jude 1:1)
V. Revelation 20:6
A. What is “the first resurrection”? (baptism, the resurrection at the second coming, or the resurrection of the cause following the destruction of Jerusalem?)
B. “The second death” is eternal condemnation (Rev. 20:14)
C. “They shall be priests of God” (1 Peter 2:9)
VI. Revelation 22:7
A. Same principle as Revelation 1:3
B. Continual action – keeps and keeps on keeping (James 1:25)
VII. Revelation 22:14
A. The tree of life
B. Obedience is essential (Hebrews 5:9)
A. Worship is a personal responsibility (1 Corinthians 11:28)
B. “According to the Way” (Acts 2:42)
C. “The God of my fathers” (Acts 22:3)
II. “Believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets”
A. Prophecies of the Messiah (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; Galatians 3:26-29; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 52-53)
B. Jesus and His disciples affirmed the prophecies were written about Him (Luke 4:16-21; John 1:45; Luke 24:25-27, 44-45)
III. “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.”
A. Belief of the patriarchs (Job 19:25-27)
B. The importance of the resurrection (Hebrews 6:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-52)
A. Take care of your conscience (1 Timothy 1:5, 18-19)
B. A good conscience protects against slander (1 Peter 3:13-17)
II. The conscience must be properly trained
A. Can we rely on men to properly train our conscience? (Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23; Isaiah 5:20)
B. We must rely on God to train our conscience (Psalm 119:9-16, 59-60; Proverbs 11:20)
III. Violating one’s conscience can endanger one’s soul
A. Numbing the conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
B. The conscience and baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)
A. How many churches?
1. How many did Jesus say He would build? (Matthew 16:13-18)
2. How many on the Day of Pentecost? (Acts 2:41-47)
3. How many when Paul wrote his epistles? (Ephesians 4:4-6; 1:22-23)
B. What’s the big deal?
1. The church is a part of God’s eternal purpose! (Ephesians 3:8-12)
2. The cost of the church shows the value God places on it (Acts 20:28)
C. Our attitude in reaching out to those in error (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
II. Reaching those who have left the truth
A. Are you spiritual? (Galatians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 20:27)
B. Too many have wandered away, and it’s time for them to come home (James 5:19-20)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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