False Christian teachings, trends….
C H Spurgeon’s three sermon points were: the outward appearance of our trials; blessed fruitfulness of trials; and those exercised by trials. It is a 45-minute sermon that mentioned points I had never heard on this topic. The section about being exercised is very beneficial to know if you are in the midst of trials. All Christians will eventually be there. There are sermon highlights, and several term definitions.
The fruit of the Spirit cannot be artificially produced. These qualities must be developed in us by God’s grace. Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers the Lord’s purpose of growing His people in a wonderfully balanced way to make us increasingly like Christ. [Highlight points are provided after video.]
The purpose of this post is to clarify the prerequisites for dying to self and living to God, as in Romans 12: 1-2. The next post will cover some specific ways of dying to self and living to God.
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.