A. Jesus had confidence in the power of God to establish and sustain His church (Matthew 6:13; 24:35; 16:13-18)
B. Jesus had confidence in the scheme of redemption (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23)
C. Because of His confidence, the apostles developed a similar confidence (Acts 2:22-36)
II. CONFIDENCE OF DISCIPLES TODAY
A. We can have confidence in what God has done (Romans 6:1-10)
B. We can have confidence in what God will do (2 Corinthians 4:13-14)
C. Humility is needed to acknowledge God’s power (Psalm 44:6-8; James 4:10; Philippians 4:13)
III. WHAT CONFIDENCE CAN DO FOR US
A. We can approach His throne in prayer (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 5:14-15)
B. We can boldly proclaim His truth (Acts 4:29; Ephesians 6:13-20; Romans 1:16)
A. All who remain faithful will receive an eternal reward (Revelation 2:7, 10; 3:5, 21; Philippians 3:12-14)
B. We cannot earn entrance to heaven, but we will be rewarded for what we have done (Luke 19:12-26)
C. The teacher is rewarded for the faithfulness of converts (1 Corinthians 3:5-15)
D. Wayne Jackson: “The implication is plain – the more of our converts who endure and finally arrive in heaven, the greater our joy and reward will be.”
II. Degrees of Punishment in Hell
A. “More tolerable for Tyre and Sidon” (Matthew 11:20-24)
B. Guy N. Woods: “The greater the responsibility, the greater the guilt; the greater the guilt, the greater the punishment, in the day of final accounting.”
C. “Of how much worse punishment” (Hebrews 10:24-29; 2:1-4)
D. “The latter end is worse for them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20)
E. Many stripes vs. few stripes (Luke 12:41-48)
A. We cannot control how another person acts, but we CAN control how we react (Romans 12:17-21)
B. We cannot be apathetic about peace – PURSUE IT! (Romans 14:19; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11)
II. PEACE WITH GOD
A. There is a connection between faith and peace (Mark 5:24-34; Luke 7:36-50)
B. Through Christ we can have peace not only with each other, but with God Himself (Ephesians 2:11-16)
C. Does this mean our lives will be free from conflict when we obey the Lord? (Romans 5:1-4; Matthew 10:34-39; John 16:33)
III. WE SHOULD BE SPIRITUAL PEACEMAKERS
A. Lead others into a peaceful relationship with the Almighty (Matthew 5:9; Ephesians 6:14-15)
B. You know someone who needs the peace of Christ – what are you doing about it? (Romans 10:13-15; James 3:18)
In Romans 12, Paul offers a number of short exhortations to his readers. The King James Version translates the first part of verse 11, “Not slothful in business.” The Christian should be diligent for his employer, but the context this verse has more to do with the business of the church.
We sing a song, “I want to be a worker for the Lord.” Do we mean those words when we sing them? Do we truly want to “be busy every day in the vineyard of the Lord,” or are we just giving lip service?
All disciples are to be actively engaged in the work of the Lord’s church. We should be busy making disciples (Matthew 28:19), encouraging each other (Hebrews 10:24-25), and helping the needy (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27).
We do not always see the fruit of our labors, but we must not give up. If we are mocked or rejected or persecuted by those around us, we keep obeying God (1 Peter 2:19-20). The things we do in the name of the Lord are not done in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). May we never lag in diligence when it comes to the Lord’s work.
Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:10). This passages speaks to how we treat each other in the church. Paul had just written, “Let love be without hypocrisy,” in verse 9; our actions must match our words!
In another place, the apostle wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Do you see a brother or sister in need? Whether it is a spiritual, emotional, or physical need, it is our duty (and should be our delight!) to fulfill that need. Listen to each other and offer whatever assistance you can.
Our primary goal is to get to heaven, and secondary is to take as many with us as possible. This congregation is full of Barnabas-type encouragers, saints who want to see each other in glory. Keep lifting each other up and looking out for the eternal interests of your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
“Cling” is defined: “hold on tightly to; adhere or stick firmly or closely to; be hard to part or remove from.” Paul says that we are to “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). How do we do that?
First, we must know what good is. It is said that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), so we can start by looking at His actions and imitating Him. We are also told that the will of God is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2), so we can study what He reveals to us (James 1:21-25).
Second, once we know what it is, we need to think about it and apply it. Paul writes that we should meditate on noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous things (Philippians 4:8). What is the result of such meditation? Jesus tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things” (Matthew 12:35).
Are you clinging to what is good? Studying it and meditating on it? Are you bringing forth good things to encourage those around you?
To “abhor” is to “regard with disgust and hatred.” This is how God sees sin, and it must be how we see sin as well.
Christians have long opposed the action of abortion, seeing it as the murder of an innocent, defenseless human being. The New York state legislature recently passed a law that allows abortions after 24 weeks if the mother’s health is at risk. Certainly there are difficult decisions that need to be made by some in such cases, but there is a fear that the law can be manipulated and interpreted too broadly. One does not have to scroll through their Facebook feed very long to see several posts, editorial cartoons, and links to articles about the evils of abortion.
There is no doubt, per Romans 12:9, that we are to “abhor what is evil,” and that certainly includes abortion. Yet, how do we approach this and other subjects in our interactions with others? Do our words, either online or in person, do more harm than good? There are many in the world that have been deceived by people they trust, taught to accept things that Christians find unconscionable. If we verbally attack them, more times than not they will simply dig in and defend their position regardless of any argument presented.
Consider the approach God commands in Galatians 6:1 – “in a spirit of gentleness.” Think about the Facebook posts and interactions you have witnessed over the past week concerning abortion. How many times would you say the godly position was presented “in a spirit of gentleness”?
What we say absolutely matters, make no mistake about it! Should we oppose the evil of abortion? Of course we should! However, we need to be certain how we say it does not hinder our neighbor’s acceptance of the truth. Be gentle and patient and kind while being steadfast and uncompromising in God’s Word.
May we always be those who “abhor what is evil” while we seek to guide the erring toward God’s truth in gentleness. We must abhor the sin, but see the soul as precious to and wanted by the Almighty.
A. Who is Jesus? (Isaiah 9:6; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:4)
B. Why did He come? To accomplish the will of God (Matthew 26:39,42; 1 Peter 2:18-23)
C. The result of Christ’s humility: God exalted Him (Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Peter 5:5-6; James 4:10)
II. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “HUMBLE YOURSELF”?
A. The example of Christ: serving (John 13:3-17)
B. The struggles of the apostles (Mark 10:35-45)
III. THE BLESSINGS OF HUMILITY
A. God will lift you up (James 4:10)
B. God will guide and teach you (Psalm 25:9; Jeremiah 10:23)
C. God will give you grace (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5; Luke 18:9-14)
D. Humility is accompanied by wisdom (Proverbs 11:2)
E. Humility is honorable (Proverbs 16:18-19; 29:23)
“Let love be without hypocrisy” (Romans 12:9). Don DeWelt paraphrased these words, “Let your professions of love be real” (Romans Realized, page 197). Inspiration teaches us that love is the foundation for all of God’s commands: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). If we say we love, but do not allow it to influence our actions, that is the height of hypocrisy.
Christ warned against hypocritical behavior in Matthew 6. He said the hypocrites said and did things to “have glory from men” and to “be seen by men” (6:2,5). The love and honor professed by hypocrites is betrayed by their hearts, resulting in vain worship (Matthew 15:7-9). Hypocritical judgments hinder our influence for Christ among seekers of truth and guidance (Matthew 7:1-5).
Many opponents Christianity will use the word “hypocrite” as if they make a dollar every time it is said, but we need to be careful that we do not dismiss such accusations without self-examination. That is Christ’s point in Matthew 7. We cannot effectively teach the world about sin and redemption if we have not corrected the sin and sought redemption in our own lives.
Once we determine to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12), we can get to the business of leading others to their salvation. Continually examining ourselves, spending time in the Word, living it and teaching it. “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).
Looking to the Word as the standard, ask yourself, “Does the love I profess for God and man match the life I live?” Be honest with yourself and make the changes necessary so that you can, as Paul wrote, “let love be without hypocrisy.”
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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