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)
A. “Swiftly…swiftly…” (James 4:14)
B. “How are we using God’s golden moments?” (Ephesians 5:16)
C. “Shall we reap glory? Shall we reap tears?” (Galatians 6:7)
II. Verse 2
A. “Millions…” (Matthew 7:13-14)
B. “Shall we sit idly…” (Matthew 9:35-38)
III. Verse 3
A. “Souls that are precious” (John 3:16)
B. “Souls that are dying” (Isaiah 59:1-2)
C. “While we rejoice our sins are forgiven” (Philippians 4:4) – may our joy motivate us to tell others!
D. “Did He not also die for these lost ones?…” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
IV. Chorus
A. “Into our hands the gospel is given, into our hands is given the light, Haste, let us carry God’s precious message, guiding the erring back to the right”
B. Matthew 28:18-20
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)