Where does one start when telling others what the cross means to them? I will start with one word: RECONCILIATION. It should humble us that Jesus had to die on the cross for us to be reconciled. What does it mean, by the cross, to be reconciled?
I. By the cross, we have been reconciled to God. "To reconcile all things to Himself." A. The relationship, broken by sin, has been healed by the cross. B. On the cross, Jesus reached out, took my hand and joined it to the hand of God. C. Because of the cross, we can be at one with the God of the universe. II. By the cross, we have been reconciled to each other. Ephesians 2:14-18 A. The rift between Jews and Gentiles has been healed by the cross. B. The rift between all people can be healed. C. Because of the cross we can be reconciled to each other. III. By the cross, we can be reconciled to ourselves. A. Self-acceptance is a big thing today. Christian self-acceptance is not accepting our sorriness. B. It is complete acceptance. We can forgive ourselves. We can be at peace within ourselves. C. Because of the cross, we can live life to the fullest. Galatians 2:20 We claim this reconciliation by our faith in Jesus Christ. ARE YOU RECONCILED?
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This was part of my New Testament reading this morning in my trek through the Bible. I saw this preaching possibility and want to share it with you. The sermon is about Diotrephes, who gave John and the church problems. What was wrong with Diotrephes and why should we try not to be like him?
I. Vs. 9 - He was egotistical. Diotrephes would not take second place in the church, even to the great apostle John. Everything had to go his way or it didn't count. I've pastored him. How about you? II. Vs. 10a - He was a liar who spoke abusively about others. He "bad-mouthed" John and anyone else who would stand in his way. Being malicious, he would not hesitate to lie to get his way. III. Vs. 10b - He abused his power. He did not want to help the visiting evangelists and would not let others do it either. We need to beware of those people who will stop the work of the Lord in order to keep things the way they want it. IV. Vs. 11 - He was a bad example. Basically, what John wrote was - Don't be like Diotrephes. Also, he hinted that Diotrephes was not a Christian: "He that doeth evil hath not seen God." If you recognize any of Diotrephes in you, erase it now! One of the greatest fears of an athiest is that no one is in charge. Sometimes we are "practical athiests" because we forget who is in charge and live our lives as though we are in charge. The text tells us who is in charge.
I. Verses 15-17 - Christ is in charge of our world. A. Vs. 15 - He alone is the visible expression of God in the world. B. Vs. 16 - He alone is in control of all authorities and powers in the world. C. Vs. 17 - He alone holds it all together - the world and our lives. II. Verses 18-20 - Christ is in charge of our church. A. Vs. 18 - He is the head of the church. B. Vs. 19 - He is the source of God's fulness in the church. C. Vs. 20 - He is the heart of the ministry of the church. III. Verses 21-23 - Christ is in charge of our lives. A. Vs. 21 - He delivered us from what we could have been. B. Vs. 22 - He intends to present us to the Father whole and complete. C. Vs. 23 - He expects us to remain faithful to Him as He works in us to complete the process. Christ is in charge. Does this fact shape our view of the world? Does it shape how we face the world? Is it evident in the ministries of our churches? Does it inspire us to a deeper level of faithfulness to Christ? Psalm 36:1-12
The text contains a clear delineation between wickedness and righteousness, and a clear call to follow righteousness. I. Verses 1-4 - The Folly of Wickedness A. Vss. 1-2 - "There is no fear of God before their eyes." B. Vs. 3 - They speak iniquity and deceit. C. Vs. 4 - They love evil and think of it all of the time. (We need to keep in mind that wickedness is not just adultery, stealing, etc. It also comes from wrong attitudes, etc.) II. Verses 5-12 - The Wisdom of Righteousness A. Vss. 5-6 - The wisdom of righteousness is based upon the mercy and faithfulness of God. B. Vss. 7-10 - The wisdom of righteousness is based upon the compassion of God. C. Vss. 11-12 - The wisdom of righteousness is realized in continually seeking to live close to Jesus and to remember the folly of wickedness. Thls poem was in the E News from FBC Camilla. It is a great sermon
illustration. (Thanks to Bro. Rick Williams.) I saw them tearing a building down, A gang of men in a dusty town. With a “yo heave ho” and a lusty yell, They swung a beam and the side wall fell. I asked the foreman if these men were as skilled As the men he’d hire, if he were to build. He laughed and said, “Oh , no indeed. Common labor is all I need.” For those men can wreck in a day or two, What builders had taken years to do. I asked myself as I went my way, Which kind of role am I to play? Am I the builder who builds with care, Measuring life by the rule and square? Or am I the wrecker who walks the town, Content with the role of tearing down? All of Romans 5 tells us what God does for us, but the four verses we will examine gives us a vivid picture of what He does for us.
I. Verse 8 - He loves us. "But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." He loves us in spite of the fact that we are sinners. We are all sinners. No one is exempt. Christ died on the cross out of God's great love for us. John 3:16 II. Verse 9 - He saves us. "Much more then being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." God's wrath is a terrible thing. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example. Only through Christ can we escape it. III. Verse 10 - He reconciles us. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by His life." Without Christ, people are separated from God, which is a terrible place to be. We are saved by His death and reconciled by the life of the resurrected Christ. IV. Verse 11 - He gives us joy. "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." John 15:11 Notice that He gives us all of this through Christ. "These are the things that you shall do; speak every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. 17. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against your neighbour; and love no false oaths; for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord."
Zechariah 8 is an island of tranquility in a sea of negativity. (This is a reference to all of the prophets, not just Zechariah.) There is judgment and hope in most of the prophets in the Old Testament, but this chapter is a treasure of hope for Israel. But they are reminded of what God's expectations are for them in this tranquil time. In other words, God would bless but they had responsibilities too. This is a good lesson for us as to what God's expectations are for us. I. Vs. 16a - Be Truthful. (Another good word here could be trustworthy.) II. Vs. 16b - Be fair in judgment. ("gates" = courts) III. Vs. 17a - Be kind to your neighbor. IV. Vs. 17b - Be honest - don't lie against people. A "false oath" is perjury. These are not things that we do to be saved. We are saved by faith in Jesus. These are things that we should do because we are saved. We can't be self-righteous about those who stray. Paul tells how to treat them.
I. Verse 1 - Be Gentle - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." II. Verse 2 - Be Helpful - "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." III. Verse 3 - Be Humble - "For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Someone has said that "the church is the only army that shoots its own wounded." These verses help us to avoid that. |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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