“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8) This sermon is a discussion of repentance. Ppt: Clean Hands and Pure Hearts Outline: Clean Hands and Pure Hearts To …
Continue reading Sermon: Clean Hands and Pure HeartsHumility
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Why were the Bereans described as “more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica?” How are we to receive God’s word? Ppt: The Nobility of the …
Continue reading Sermon: The Nobility of the BereansWhen king Saul spared Agag, and failed to utterly destroy Amalek in 1 Samuel 15, Samuel rebuked him. He reminded him of the days “When you were little in your own eyes” (1 Samuel 15:17). When Saul had a humble view of himself God had made him king of Israel. When Saul grew with pride, …
Continue reading Sermon: When You Were Little in Your Own EyesPart 1 in a series of lessons which consider the teachings of Jesus in the upper room, shortly before going to the garden to be betrayed. This first part considers the example and instruction Jesus gave of washing the disciples feet in John 13:1-17. Ppt: In the Upper Room (1) – Washing Feet Outline: In the Upper …
Continue reading Sermon: In the Upper Room (1) – Washing Feet“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7, NASB). What does Paul mean …
Continue reading Sermon: He Emptied Himself
At this juncture in his epistle, Paul has reached his points of application. He has written of the spiritual blessings in Christ, the way in which the Ephesians were redeemed, and God’s use of himself in the revelation of the mystery, along with his prayer for the Ephesians’ realization and appropriation of the strength offered …
Continue reading Ephesians 4:1-6 Jesus journeyed from Israelite territory into Gentile territory. Mark’s account notes this decision was one made for the purpose of concealment, possibly from His enemies (cf. Mark 7:24). Despite the efforts to remain hidden, “a woman of Canaan,” who was in utter distress, found Him. This, along with the following scene, speaks of the woman’s …
Continue reading Matthew 15:21-28James called his readers adulterers and adulteresses because of their friendship with the world. He then called them to repentance saying, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). This lesson considers his demand. Ppt: Clean Hands and Pure …
Continue reading Sermon: Clean Hands and Pure Hearts
James continued the theme of his epistle – “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22) – by bringing to the mind of his audience an attitude which was ungodly and destructive. He speaks of presumption (v. 13-15), arrogant boasting (v. 16), and the sinfulness of omission (v. 17). It is …
Continue reading James 4:13-17 The enemies of Paul in Corinth waged war with carnal weapons. They boasted in the flesh of things which actually presented them as foolish. Yet, the Corinthians put up with their folly, and were being deceived by their false doctrine (11:3-4). In order to shock the Corinthians back to normalcy, Paul stooped to reluctant boasting. …
Continue reading 2 Corinthians 11:16-21