A. Turn from idols (1 Thessalonians 1:9; Colossians 3:5)
B. Turn to God (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:1-6; Matthew 18:3; Ephesians 4:17, 22-24)
II. Serve God
A. Includes service to neighbors (Philippians 2:3-4; Galatians 6:10)
B. Involving ourselves in God’s will (Galatians 2:20)
III. Be an example
A. Imitating the apostles (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17)
B. Imitating Christian leaders inasmuch as they imitate Christ (Hebrews 13:7; 1 Peter 5:2-3)
C. Providing a good example for others (Titus 2:7; Philippians 2:14-15; Matthew 5:16)
IV. Looking forward to His return
A. He promised He will come back (1 Thessalonians 1:10; John 14:1-3; Matthew 24:36, 42; 1 Thessalonians 5:2)
B. “There’s a Great Day Coming” (2 Thessalonians 1:7)
A. The women were perplexed (Luke 24:1-4a; 23:55-56; John 18:11, 15)
B. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:4b-6a; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, 58)
II. “They remembered His words”
A. Jesus predicted His death (Luke 24:6b-7; 9:21-22, 43-45; 18:31-34)
B. The importance of His words (Luke 24:8; 6:46-49)
III. “They told all these things”
A. “I Love to Tell the Story” (Luke 24:9)
B. Who will believe us? (Luke 24:10-11; 8:4-15; Romans 10:14-17)
C. Invite people to investigate the truth (Luke 24:12; 2 Corinthians 13:5)
A. The Bible is to be our guide (Psalm 119:105; 1:1-2)
B. The Bible is all-sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 4:4)
C. Our words, deeds, and even thoughts must be made subject to God’s direction (Colossians 3:17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
II. God tells us what to change
A. Put off the old man; put on the new man (Ephesians 4:17-24; Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)
B. Be truthful and trustworthy (Ephesians 4:25)
C. Watch your temper (Ephesians 4:26-27)
D. Work so you can share (Ephesians 4:28; Galatians 6:2)
E. Watch your mouth (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Timothy 4:12; Matthew 12:36-37)
F. Do not grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 5:16-17)
G. Get rid of the bad and replace it with the good (Ephesians 4:31-32)
III. God’s child must have a changed heart
A. The example of Ezra (Ezra 7:10)
B. Protect your heart (Matthew 15:18-19; Philippians 4:8; Psalm 119:11)
A. The cross of rebellion (Luke 23:39; Matthew 27:44; Joshua 24:15)
B. The cross of repentance (Luke 23:40-42)
C. The cross of redemption (Luke 23:43; Hebrews 9:16-17; Acts 2:38; Acts 19:4-5; Luke 16:22)
II. “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”
A. The rending of the veil (Luke 23:44-45; Hebrews 10:19-22; 1 Peter 2:9; Acts 6:7)
B. The death of our Lord (Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5)
C. The conversion of the centurion (Luke 23:47; Mark 15:39)
III. Joseph of Arimathea
A. The secret disciple (Luke 23:50-51; John 19:38)
B. His call to action (Luke 23:52-54; Isaiah 53:9)
A. Early disciples changed the whole world (Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Corinthians 8:5)
B. God’s people are only God’s people if they live according to God’s Word (2 Chronicles 7:14; Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 16:25)
C. Live so people see Jesus, not us (Romans 1:16; 1 Timothy 4:12; Matthew 5:13-16)
II. Do not be influenced by the wrong associations
A. “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Proverbs 13:20)
B. Guard against sin (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; Colossians 3:1-4; Philippians 3:14; 1 John 2:15-17; Hebrews 11:25)
III. Two critical sins to avoid
A. Hypocrisy (Titus 2:1-10)
B. Apathetic indifference; “wanting to have it both ways” (Joshua 7; Revelation 3:14-22)
A. Carried the cross (Luke 23:26; John 19:17)
B. Family connections (Mark 15:21; Romans 16:13)
C. God uses negative experiences to prepare us for something greater in His kingdom (Romans 8:28; James 1:2-3; Philippians 2:14-16)
II. The weeping women
A. “Blessed are the barren” (Luke 23:27-31; Deuteronomy 7:12-14)
B. The destruction of Jerusalem
III. Radical forgiveness
A. Their ignorance (Luke 23:32-34; Acts 3:17; 13:27; 2:37)
B. His enormous love (Romans 5:6-8; Ephesians 4:32)
IV. Man’s contempt of Christ
A. Contempt from the people (Luke 23:35a; Matthew 27:39-40)
B. Contempt from the leaders (Luke 23:35b; Matthew 27:41-43)
C. Contempt from the soldiers (Luke 23:36-37)
V. “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38) – how do we treat Him?
A. The importance of faithfulness (2 Timothy 1:8, 11-12, 15-17)
B. We must be willing to follow God and fellowship His people, whatever the cost! (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:16, 20-21; Ephesians 2:10)
II. The ministry of Onesiphorus
A. He “often refreshed” Paul (2 Timothy 1:16; 1 Corinthians 16:17-18; Philemon 7, 20)
B. He “was not ashamed of my chain” (2 Timothy 1:16; Ephesians 4:1; 6:19-20; Matthew 5:10-12; Acts 4:18-20; 5:28-29)
C. He “sought me out very zealously and found me” (2 Timothy 1:17; Acts 28:30-31; 2:42, 46; 5:42)
D. He ministered in “many ways” (2 Timothy 1:18; Hebrews 6:10)
A. The accusations (23:1-2; Acts 10:38; Luke 20:20-26)
B. “Are You the King of the Jews?” (23:3; John 18:33-37)
C. “I find no fault in this Man” (23:4-6)
II. Before Herod
A. Herod’s curiosity (23:7-8)
B. Jesus’ silence (23:9-10)
C. Herod’s mockery (23:11-12; Revelation 3:17-18)
III. Before Pilate (again)
A. Pilate’s plan (23:13-17)
B. The Jews’ rejection (23:18-19)
C. Jesus delivered to the will of the Jews (23:20-25; Romans 12:1-2)
A. Peter didn’t want to get too close to Jesus (Luke 22:54; John 18:15-16)
B. Peter didn’t object to sitting with His enemies though (Luke 22:55; Psalm 1:1; Ephesians 5:8-11)
C. He didn’t want to stand out in the crowd (Luke 22:56-57; 1 Peter 4:1-4)
II. The danger of the “little white lie”
A. His attempt to stay incognito (Luke 22:56-58)
B. Are you ashamed of the Lord, His church, His truth? (1 Peter 3:15)
III. One sin often leads to more sin
A. The arrest in Gethsemane (Luke 22:49-50; John 18:10-11; Luke 22:51; John 18:26-27; Luke 22:60)
B. Easier and easier to repeat sin, sometimes out of self-preservation
IV. How do we respond to our error?
A. Caught red-handed (Luke 22:60-61)
B. The omnipresence of God (Hebrews 4:13)
C. Godly sorrow (Luke 22:62; 1 John 1:9)
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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