False Christian teachings, trends….
In this sermon, Dr. Boice delves into the paradox that as a Christian, we must die in order to live. His sermon text was Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [Dr. James Boice was a contemporary and a friend of R C Sproul; they were born in the late 1930’s; Boice died of cancer in 2000, 17 years before Sproul.]
This brief article from Got Questions Ministries gives a thorough answer to what it means to ‘trust in Jesus.’ I am certain that if you are answering that question with your own reason, that you have answered in an incomplete way. Furthermore, most ideas about Christianity that are floating around in the social sphere are very wrong. Just read through the Bible and you will begin to see that. Mainstream, seeker friendly churches also err greatly. So, please spend 5 minutes of your time and get the correct answer.
This post contains a 3 minute, 30 second video that explains Romans 12:1 and 2. All born-again believers need to learn and do the things specified in these two verses. It also indicates how that is accomplished in a believer’s life. For those who might want more, a recent post is added; that post explains the mindset of surrender
This post contains an 8-minute excerpt from Dr James Boice’s 35-minute sermon. The excerpt speaks to how believers must deal with the world if they would follow Christ. In that portion, Dr. Boice spoke of how Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote of facing such trials when he was placed in the Soviet prison system. Boice’s quote came from Solzhenitsyn’s work, The Gulag Archipelago; he framed it as the correct perspective of a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. The quote actually explains Jesus’ words: deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Me. [Highlight points are below video for those who would rather read]
This post contains a 5-minute video from Got Questions Ministries that explains what it means “to take up your cross and follow Jesus.” You will also learn what it does not mean and how you may evaluate your commitment to Jesus.
This post contains a 10-minute podcast by Pastor Patrick Hines on the ‘righteousness of God.’ He frames it in terms of Martin Luther’s experience before he discovered this righteousness that God; how he discovered this righteousness; how it impacted him. In the middle of the podcast is a 3+ minute example of the typical thoughts a woman had on her way home from shopping; the example typifies human sinfulness and helplessness to enter into heaven without the imputation of Christ, our Savior’s righteousness to us and our trusting in that instead of anything we might do
In this post, Pastor John MacArthur uses Ephesians 5:1-7 to explain God’s love and Satan’s counterfeit, perverted version of love that world-lings seek. In the process, the born-again Christian will likely get some clarity about what is pleasing to God and what types behavior, longings… are to be avoided.
This post contains an excerpt and the full video from which it derives. It covers some widely misunderstood scriptures regarding ‘calling’ by God and much more that is relevant to the Christian life. Pastor Hines opened with the intention of discussing Romans 12:1-2, but via questions from listeners was led into explaining the phrase ‘God desires all to be saved….’ He explained two passages related to that from 1 Timothy 2 and 2 Peter 3. [Highlight points follow excerpt.]
Pastor Ramsey is preaching about Israel and the church to help people think biblically (covenant theology) about modern Israel and the church. He is not addressing current problems in the holy land. This sermon is part one of three, he titled it ‘Israel.’ The next sermons will be, ‘the temple,’ and ‘the land.’ Highlight points are provided and a link to Pastor Ramsey’s Sermon Audio site.
This post contains a 10-minute reading from Calvin’s Commentary on Hebrews 12:4-8: My Son, Despise Not the Chastening of the Lord. It mostly describes appropriate ways to receive chastening from the Lord. Directly below the video are the words of Calvin which were read by the creator of the video, for those who would rather read, and those who would do both; also for easier review of talking points.