A. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20)
B. “The abomination of desolation” (Mt. 24:15) – heathen symbols and Roman standards erected in the temple
II. Based on misunderstandings
A. “Rapture” theories based on misunderstanding of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
B. “Tribulation” theories based on misunderstanding of Mt. 24:21 (but Jesus Himself says it would be fulfilled by that very generation hearing the words; 24:36)
C. The truth: Mt. 24 is about the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred in 70 AD; 1 Thessalonians 4 is about the second (and final) coming of Christ at the end of time
D. The “thousand-year reign” theories based on misunderstanding of Revelation 20:4-6
For thorough study on the errors of premillennialism, I recommend Foy E. Wallace Jr.’s God’s Prophetic Word, which can be accessed for free at restorationlibrary.org.
A. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 2:29-33)
B. To those “given over to idols,” the gospel is “new doctrine” of “strange things” (Acts 17:16-21)
C. To the mind clouded by false denominational doctrines, the simplicity of Christ’s gospel is still new and strange – vastly different than what they have been taught (Galatians 1:6-9)
II. Find common ground
A. Paul noted the desire to worship (Acts 17:22-28)
B. From there, Paul exalted God’s sovereignty (Acts 17:29-31)
III. Focus on the successes
A. Some will reject, mock, or delay (Acts 17:32-33; Matthew 10:14; Acts 13:49-51)
B. Rejoice with the open, honest hearts that believe (Acts 17:34; 2:41-42)
A. Ask – shows dependence upon the Father
B. Seek – involves effort, pursuit
C. Knock – suggests perseverance
II. The efficacy of prayer (Matthew 7:8)
A. Requests made by the righteous must align with God’s will (James 5:16; 1 John 5:14)
B. We can have confidence—boldness—that God hears us and grants mercy and grace to those who ask (Hebrews 4:16)
III. Confidence in prayer based on God’s nature (Matt 7:9-11)
A. God is good (James 1:17)
B. God is wise (Romans 8:28)
C. God is powerful (Ephesians 3:20)
A. To think in one’s heart, with a dash of boasting – but there was no grand spectacle, location, or action
B. This commander of the Syrian army was humbled by the common sense of servants
II. The praying Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14)
A. Guilty of self-reliance and self-righteousness
B. Rattled off his list of accomplishments to prove how great he was
C. Failed to recognize how pitiful he was in relation to God – the Pharisee was a sinner in need of mercy
III. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-2; 26:9-11)
A. Conscience cannot be our sole guide (Acts 23:1)
B. We now identify the actions of Saul of Tarsus as sinful, but he was doing what he thought was right
IV. Today
A. God’s commands must be obeyed (Acts 17:30)
B. Continual self-examination is needed (2 Corinthians 13:5)
C. Our conscience must be trained by the Word, not the world (Proverbs 3:5)
A. Brings salvation (Ephesians 2:8)
B. Has appeared to all men (Ephesians 2:9-10)
C. Is a teacher – what does grace teach us?
II. Grace teaches how we should live
A. Soberly – we must have self-control (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 2:2, 6)
B. Righteously – we must live right in a world of wrong (Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesians 5:3-7, 11; Galatians 6:10)
C. Godly – we must strive to be more like God (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Timothy 2:2, 10; 3:16; 4:7, 8; 6:3, 5, 6, 11)
III. Grace teaches about Jesus
A. We must look for His appearing – a terrifying thought to those not living according to the teachings of grace (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:8)
B. He sacrificed Himself for us (Galatians 2:20)
C. He purified us for Him (Ephesians 5:25-27)
D. Because of Him, we must be zealous for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
A. In Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-14)
B. In Judea (Matthew 2:19-23)
C. In Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)
D. In the hearts of His brothers (John 7:1-5)
E. In the lives of the Jewish people (John 1:11; 8:37)
F. In the whole wide world (John 1:10; cf. Luke 23:12)
II. What about in your heart and life? Is there room for Jesus?
A. Has the devil robbed you of His Word? (Mark 4:3-4, 15)
B. Does peer pressure overwhelm Jesus’ influence? (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17)
C. Is Jesus crowded out by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things? (Mark 4:7, 18-19)
III. Make room for Jesus!
A. Watch God do incredible things through you because of your commitment to Him! (Mark 4:8, 20; Philippians 1:21)
B. Give Him preeminence! (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 6:33)
1. Among family relationships (Matthew 10:37)
2. Social interactions (John 4:29)
3. Even in business dealings (Col. 3:23; Eph. 4:28)
“with” – a preposition denoting accompaniment – found in 1195 verses in the NKJV New Testament
I. God with us
A. Prophecy (Matthew 1:18-23; cf. Isaiah 7:14)
B. Promise (Matthew 28:20)
1. To quell fear (Acts 18:7-11 [in Corinth]; Hebrews 13:5)
2. To encourage peace (Romans 15:33; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:16)
II. Us with God
A. We died with Christ (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 3:1-4)
B. We live with Him! (Ephesians 2:4-10)
III. Us with us
A. Peace (Mark 9:50; Romans 12:18)
B. Love (Ephesians 4:2; John 13:34-35)
C. Forgiveness (Colossians 3:12-13)
D. Fellowship (1 John 1:7; Acts 2:42-45)
E. Work (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
A. “Trespass” (“fault” KJV) – “offenses” (Romans 4:25); “sins” (Eph. 1:7)
B. We were dead in trespass, but now are forgiven of those very same! (Colossians 2:13)
C. The responsibility of the “spiritual” (James 5:19-20)
II. To the faithful (6:2-5)
A. “One another” (Jn. 13:34-35; 15:11-17; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 11:33; Eph. 4:2,32)
B. Don’t think too highly of yourself (Romans 12:10)
C. “Burdens” (6:2) vs. “load” (6:5) – sorrows vs. responsbilities
III. To the preacher (6:6)
A. “A laborer is worthy of his wages” (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
B. Scriptural basis for financially supporting a preacher (1 Corinthians 9:7,14)
IV. To everyone (6:7-10)
A. The sowing & reaping principle (Galatians 5:19-25)
B. Don’t give up (1 Corinthians 15:58)
C. Look for opportunities to serve, and especially for opportunities among the church (Matthew 25:31-46)
A. I’ve been redeemed (Ephesians 1:7)
B. From sin, I’ve been set free (Romans 6:18)
C. He saved me from myself (James 1:14-15)
D. He blessed with heavenly wealth (Ephesians 2:7)
II. In Christ…
A. I’ve been baptized (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-4)
B. I press toward the prize, the upward call in the Lord (Philippians 3:14)
C. I’m armed with Spirit’s sword (Ephesians 6:17)
III. In Christ…
A. All blessings rest (Ephesians 1:3)
B. His name we must confess to men, proclaim it loud (Matthew 10:32)
C. In Him, salvation’s found (2 Timothy 2:10; Acts 4:12)
IV. God’s grace…
A. He loved me and He saved me (Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 4:10, 19)
B. Glory to the Lord of love (2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 19:1)
C. All praise to God above (Hebrews 13:15)
Listen to the song performed by brother Paul Mays below…
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)
ConcerningJesus.com 