I. “Every spiritual blessing…in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3)
A. Is it important to be “in Christ”? (Romans 3:24; 6:23; 8:1,39; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 15:19; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Galatians 2:16; 3:28; 2 Timothy 2:10; 3:15)
B. How does one get “in Christ”? (Galatians 3:26-27
II. Contact with the blood of Christ
A. “Baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 1:7)
B. Former life of sin is gone (Romans 6:5-7, 17)
III. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:4-7)
A. “Through the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5)
B. Results: justification by grace and heirs of the hope of eternal life
IV. Direct link between baptism and salvation (1 Peter 3:18-22)
A. Baptism is an “antitype”
B. Baptism “now saves us” (1 Peter 3:21; Genesis 3:1-5)
A. They “stood afar off” (Luke 17:11-12; Leviticus 13:45-46; Numbers 5:2-3)
B. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13; 5:12-15)
II. The Lord’s response
A. His instruction (Luke 17:14a)
B. Their obedience (Luke 17:14b; cf. Mark 16:15; Luke 6:27-28; 12:22)
III. The lone returner
A. Thanksgiving (Luke 17:15-16; Philippians 4:6-7)
B. Spiritual healing (Luke 17:19; Matthew 1:21; Luke 7:50; 19:10)
C. What about the others? (Luke 17:17-18; Romans 1:20-21)
A. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47)
B. The Day of Pentecost: “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:36-38, 40-41, 47)
II. Continuing through the book of Acts
A. Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:12)
B. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-36, 38)
C. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:6, 17-18; 22:16)
D. Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48)
E. Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:14-15)
F. The Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30-33)
III. Can you be baptized right if you are taught wrong?
A. Why were you baptized?
B. The example of the disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7)
A. Selfishness shown in “aggressive pronouns” (Luke 12:16-19)
B. Opportunities to share (Acts 2:44-45; 5:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:1-5, 12)
II. The rich fool thought only of this life
A. Success measured by materialistic standards (Luke 12:19)
B. “But God said…” (Luke 12:20; James 4:13-17; Galatians 6:10)
C. Are we more concerned with the temporary or the eternal? (Luke 12:21; 12:4-5)
III. God cares for us
A. We are valuable to Him (Luke 12:6-7; John 3:16-17; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
B. Warning against anxiety (Luke 12:22-34; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Colossians 3:1-3)
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?
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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