A. There is a habitation built by the living God (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; 1 Peter 2:5)
B. For all of every nation (Rev. 5:8-10; Acts 10:34-35; Is. 2:2)
C. Who seek that grand abode (Hebrews 11:6; 8-10)
II. Verse 2
A. A city with foundations, firm as the eternal throne (Revelation 21:14; 22:3)
B. No wars nor desolations shall ever move a stone (Revelation 21:27; 22:4)
III. Verse 3
A. No night is there (Revelation 22:5; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:8-14; Acts 26:18)
B. No sorrow, no death and no decay (Revelation 21:3-4;
1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
C. No yesterday, no morrow, but one eternal day (1 John 2:25; Matthew 25:46)
IV. Verse 4
A. Within its pearly portals, angelic armies sing (Revelation 5:11-12)
B. With glorified immortals, the praises of its King (Hebrews 12:22-24; Matthew 8:11)
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…
(outline based on Tillit S. Teddlie’s hymn of the same name)
I. Singing, praying, offering
A. Note the frequency: “Oft,” not “occasionally” or even “when convenient” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
B. Singing and praying (1 Corinthians 14:15)
C. The collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
II. The bread
A. Represents His body (Matthew 26:26)
B. “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)
III. The cup
A. Represents His blood shed on the cross – “for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28)
B. These things are done “with one accord” – “the communion of the blood of Christ…of the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:16)
(outline based on Gene C. Finley’s hymn of the same name)
I. Giving in to temptation
A. God does not tempt man to sin (Matthew 6:13; James 1:13)
B. God provides an escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
C. When we give in to temptation, it is because “we let the tempter lead us astray” (James 1:14)
II. Weariness of faith
A. Don’t ever give up (Galatians 6:9)
B. Don’t complain (Philippians 2:14-15)
C. Focus on the big picture, the final destination, not the temporary obstacles of this life (Philippians 3:12-14)
III. Verbal sins
A. We should guard our words carefully (Matthew 12:36; Ephesians 4:29)
B. Let us be patient in our speech (James 1:19-20)
IV. Sinful thoughts
A. “We let them stay” (Mark 7:21-23; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
B. Godly thoughts and worldly thoughts are incompatible with each other (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17)
(outline based on L.O. Sanderson’s hymn of the same name)
I. Verse 1
A. He left heaven and came to earth (Philippians 2:5-7)
B. He did this knowing He would be rejected (John 1:5, 10-11)
II. Verse 2
A. He faced temptation (Hebrews 4:15)
B. He spent much time teaching (Matthew 7:28-29) and praying (Luke 5:16)
III. Verse 3
A. He faced intense emotional strain, followed by physical pain (Luke 22:41-44; Matthew 27:21-31)
B. He suffered death upon the cross (Philippians 2:8; Romans 5:8)
A. There is no sin too great for God to forgive – Christ’s blood makes us whole! (Ephesians 1:7)
B. He will be our guide and provide light in this world of darkness (John 1:4-5)
II. Verse 2
A. The joy of His mercy and love should cause us to sing with joy (James 5:13)
B. His magnificent blessings should motivate us to avoid evil, to cling to Him, and to remain loyal throughout life (James 1:17, 21-22, 25)
III. Verse 3
A. God still speaks! (John 12:48; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
B. What hinders us from full obedience and genuine discipleship? (Luke 9:23-26; Mark 12:30)
C. Trust in His power to save (1 Peter 1:3-5)
A. Jesus is the Good Shepherd seeking to unite all into His one flock (John 10:11, 16)
B. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12; 1:4, 9)
II. Hear Him
A. Jesus stood outside, knocking on the door of the church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)
B. “He who has an ear, let him hear with the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:22)
III. Love Him
A. God pleads for peace and unity among His children (Luke 15:28-32)
B. If we see Him and hear Him, we cannot help but love Him (John 14:15)
IV. Obey Him
A. The longsuffering of God is not limitless (Luke 13:6-9)
B. If you love Him, you will obey Him (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3)
A. When we come face-to-face with God’s holiness, we see how undeserving we are (Job 40:3-5; Isaiah 6:5)
B. Yet, His grace allows us to be near Him, in His embrace (Ephesians 2:8-9)
II. God’s guidance
A. Closeness to God gives us peace and rest (Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 11:28-30)
B. Closeness to His Word provides guidance and guards us from sin (Psalm 31:3; 73:24)
III. God’s glory
A. If abide in His Word, He will never abandon us—in times of joy, sorrow, or even death (Hebrews 13:5-6)
B. And when that time of death comes and we await the final judgment, we have confidence that He has prepared a place in glory—in His eternal “home on high” (John 14:1-3)
Based on a hymn written by Wilkin B. “Chief” Bacon in 1943.
I. First verse: the crucifixion
A. We must be motivated by His mercy, even while suffering (Luke 23:34)
B. “For us He died that for Him we might live” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
II. Second verse: the resurrection
A. We must be motivated by His resurrection to share the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:13-20)
B. Baptism recreates the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-5)
III. Third verse: the hope of heaven
A. We must be motivated by His promise to receive us to a prepared place in eternity (John 14:2-3)
B. Evangelism is an outpouring of love and gratitude for the Savior (Matthew 28:19-20)
IV. Chorus: can He depend on you?
A. Do we respond appropriately to His great sacrifice? (Acts 4:20)
B. Our focus must be on eternity (Colossians 3:1-4)
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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