A. He is our light, salvation, and stronghold (Psalm 27:1; 28:8)
B. His people will always have enemies (Psalm 27:2-3; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3)
II. God is our strength
A. We must intently seek Him with perseverance (Psalm 27:4)
B. He will protect us in times of trouble (Psalm 27:5; James 4:8)
C. Assurance of present and future deliverance (Psalm 27:6)
III. Yet, we experience lingering fear
A. Distractions of negativity (Psalm 27:7-9; Matthew 14:22-33)
B. Fear and doubt diminishes faith, but God is there (Psalm 27:10)
IV. God is our guide
A. We must be willing to learn and follow (Psalm 27:11-12)
B. Faith can get us through difficulties (Psalm 27:13)
C. Wait on the Lord (Psalm 27:14)
A. “The multitudes marveled” (Luke 11:14)
B. “Others…sought a sign from heaven” (Luke 11:16, 29-32)
C. “He casts out demons by Beelzebub” (Luke 11:15; cf. 23:2)
II. Christ responds to the slander
A. Exposing absurdity (Luke 11:17-18)
B. Exposing inconsistency (Luke 11:19)
C. “The kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20; cf. Exodus 8:16-19)
III. A parable showing superiority and strength
A. The strong man = Satan (Luke 11:21)
B. The stronger man = Jesus Christ (Luke 11:22)
IV. In spiritual warfare, there can be no neutrality
A. We must be engaged and united in the fight for the faith (Luke 11:23)
B. Attitudes of apathy and indifference are deadly (Revelation 3:14-19; 1 Corinthians 15:58)
A. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25)
B. “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” (Luke 10:26-28; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)
C. “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
II. The parable
A. The priest (Luke 10:30-31; cf. Deuteronomy 22:1-4; Exodus 23:4-5)
B. The Levite (Luke 10:32)
C. The Samaritan (Luke 10:33-35)
D. Which acted as a neighbor to the victim? (Luke 10:36-37a)
III. The call to action
A. “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b)
B. A timeless truth (Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23; Romans 13:10; Galatians 6:10)
A. What is 2+2? What happens when you drink poison? When you shoot a loaded gun at someone?
B. In nature, you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8)
C. The spiritual application (Matthew 7:15-23)
II. Applications from the Old Testament
A. Eve believed a lie (Genesis 3:1-6, 16-19)
B. Jacob believed a lie (Genesis 37:28, 31-35)
C. The prophet believed a lie (1 Kings 13:11-24)
III. Applications from the New Testament
A. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:59-8:1; 9:1-2; 23:1)
B. Cornelius (Acts 10-11)
C. Apollos (Acts 18)
D. Our advantage (John 8:31-32)
* You will not find this word in the dictionary. If you type “deludedism” into Microsoft Word, it will get the squiggly red underline. The word was made up by the late brother Paul Hodges, and I first heard it in a lesson he presented at Lehman Avenue church of Christ in Bowling Green, Kentucky, over fifteen years ago. On July 11, 2016, brother Hodges went home to his reward, and I know the Lord’s kingdom was benefited greatly by his service over the years. He was a gifted song leader and a dedicated servant, and he was staunch in his opposition to the various false “ism’s” of the religious world, including “deludedism.” The idea behind “deludedism” is this: it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are honest and sincere, God will save you. What do you think? Is it a valid system of belief?
I. The opportunity and responsibility to spread the gospel (Luke 10:2)
A. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
B. The perpetual commission (1 Timothy 4:12,16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:3-4; 2:2; Titus 2:1,3-5)
II. Many will reject God
A. Jesus predicted such (Matthew 7:21-23)
B. Jesus’ instruction to the seventy (Luke 10:10-11)
C. We must not waste time (Matthew 7:6), but do not doubt the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16)
III. Rejecting God puts one in an eternally dangerous position
A. Sodom (Luke 10:12; Genesis 13:13; 18:32)
B. Tyre and Sidon (Luke 10:13-15; Acts 21:3-4; 27:3)
IV. Rejection is hurtful and disappointing (Luke 10:16)
A. Our success is measured in faithfulness
B. Remember what God told Samuel (1 Samuel 8:4-7)
A. “Worthy of praise is Christ our Redeemer” (Titus 2:11-14)
B. “Worthy of praise…glory, honor, and power” (Hebrews 13:15)
C. “Worthy of all our soul’s adoration” (Psalm 103:1-5)
II. Second verse
A. “Lift up the voice in praise and devotion, saints of all earth before Him should bow (Colossians 3:16)
B. “Angels in heaven worship Him saying, Worthy art Thou!” (Hebrews 1:6; 2:7; Joshua 5:13-15)
III. Third verse
A. “Lord may we come before Thee with singing, filled with Thy Spirit, wisdom and power” (Ephesians 5:17-21; 2 Timothy 1:7; Acts 17:2,17; 18:4,19; 19:8-9; 24:24-25)
B. “May we ascribe Thee glory and honor, worthy art Thou!” (Hebrews 11:6)
A. “I’m excited about what you’re doing! Can I call you Lord?” (Luke 9:57)
B. Jesus said, “Yes, but…” (Luke 9:58; 9:51-53; 14:28-30; 8:13; John 15:18-20; 2 Timothy 3:10-12)
II. The procrastinator
A. This man said, “Yes, I will follow, but…” (Luke 9:59)
B. There are things more important than family (Luke 9:60; 14:26; 1 Corinthians 7:12-15; Romans 12:18)
III. The one who looked back
A. This man said, “Yes, I will follow, but…” (Luke 9:61)
B. Jesus said, “Don’t look back!” (Luke 9:62; Hebrews 10:24-25; John 6:66; James 3:1-2; Ephesians 4:15; Galatians 2:11-13)
A. “Help my unbelief” (Luke 9:41; Mark 9:22-24; Luke 17:5)
B. We must be a positive influence for righteousness (Matthew 5:16; 13:33)
II. The power of prayer
A. Prayerlessness and powerlessness go hand-in-hand (Luke 9:1, 42; Mark 9:28-29)
B. The providence of God (Esther 4:13-14)
C. Pray for opportunities (Ephesians 6:18-20)
III. The pitfalls of popularity
A. The Lord’s purpose (Luke 9:43-44; 5:32; 19:10)
B. We will face opposition (Luke 6:22-23)
C. We will be treated unfairly, like the Lord (1 Peter 2:18-24; 4:1-2)
A. Started in Jerusalem, then expanded to the whole world (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; 8:1,4)
B. “Church” is used in a universal sense (Matthew 16:18; Act 2:47) and a local sense (Romans 16:1,5)
C. Division and teaching things contrary to Scripture is condemned (1 Corinthians 1:10; Galatians 1:6-9)
II. The church is the collection of the saved
A. The Lord adds to His one body, the church (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23; 1:22-23; 4:4)
B. The church is a body of unity (Ephesians 4:1-6; John 17:20-21)
C. Only the faithful will be saved (Hebrews 5:8-9; Revelation 2:10; Matthew 16:24)
III. How does one become a member of the Lord’s church?
A. Or, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 2:38-41)
B. How does one get into Christ? (Romans 6:3-7; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:26-27)
C. How does one get into the church? (1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:47)
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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