A. New Testament examples (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 11:27-30)
B. A command (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Hebrews 8:6; 7:4)
II. A spiritual activity
A. An act of grace (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 6-7)
B. An act of fellowship (Psalm 41:1-3; Acts 20:35; Luke 12:32-34; Philippians 1:5-7)
C. An act of joy (2 Corinthians 9:7)
D. Giving liberally/sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:3-5, 12; 9:6)
1. The apostles (Mark 1:18, 20; Luke 5:27-28)
2. The widow (Luke 21:3-4)
3. Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37)
A. Delay caused by weather (Acts 28:11-13)
B. Confinement (Acts 28:16-20)
C. Chains (Acts 28:20, 30; Philippians 1:12-14)
D. Government (Acts 28:30-31; Romans 12:18; 13:1-7)
II. Unhindered by attitudes
A. Superstitions (Acts 28:11, 2-6)
B. Apprehension (Acts 28:13-15)
C. Intimidation (Acts 28:16)
D. Rejection (Acts 28:21-29; 9:15)
A. Poverty, homelessness, hunger, suicide (John 10:10b)
B. Jesus offers hope that transcends financial security (Colossians 1:27; Matthew 6:19-21; 2 Peter 1:4)
C. Jesus offers hope that transcends temporary relief of famine and poverty (John 6:35; 4:14)
D. Jesus offers hope that transcends disease and death (John 11:24-26)
II. Jesus is the answer to threats against the faith
A. From the outside: humanism, postmodernism, atheism, agnosticism, Buddhism, Islam, denominationalism
B. From the inside: liberalism, ultra-conservatism (anti-ism)
C. Jesus is the answer (Acts 9:5; 2:37-38; 1 John 1:1-3; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 2:15; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 John 2:24-25)
III. Jesus is the answer to our permissive society
A. Tolerance of sin (Isaiah 5:20)
B. Jesus is the answer (Titus 3:3-7; Philippians 4:8; Psalm 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
IV. Jesus is the answer to our search for spiritual perfection
A. Seeking God (Hebrews 11:6) and to be like God (Genesis 3:5-6)
B. Jesus is the answer: follow Him! (Matthew 5:43-48; Colossians 1:28)
A. God’s Word is truth (John 17:17) and it cannot be destroyed (1 Peter 1:22;23; Mark 13:31; Psalm 100:5)
B. No man can destroy the Word of God (Jeremiah 36:1-2, 20-23; 31:33)
II. Truth is unchangeable
A. People may exchange truth for a lie (Romans 1:25)
B. God does not change (Hebrews 1:10-12)
C. The Word is God’s power (Romans 1:16; Galatians 1:6-7)
III. Truth is powerful
A. It is sharp (Hebrews 4:12)
B. It causes men to want to change (Acts 2:37) and tremble if they don’t (Acts 24:25)
IV. What can the truth do for us?
A. It can make us free (John 8:32)
B. It can sanctify us (John 17:17)
C. It can purify us (1 Peter 1:22)
V. What is our responsibility toward the truth?
A. Lovingly teach it (Ephesians 4:15)
B. Worship according to it (John 4:24)
C. Rightly divide it (2 Timothy 2:15)
D. Meditate on it (Philippians 4:8)
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)
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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