June 9, 2019

The Mystery of the Gospel

Ephesians 6:18-20
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20. for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak

Main Topics/Questions

Please consider the following topics/questions as you listen to the sermon:
1. What is the mystery of the gospel? What is one reason people didn't understand the gospel when Jesus came to earth the first time?
2. How far back does the mystery of the gospel go? What happened in the beginning?
3. What is God’s plan of salvation?
4. What is the relationship of what God told the serpent in Genesis 3: 15 "And I will put hostility between you and the woman, between your seed and her Seed; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." and Romans 16:20 "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen." written 4,000 years later?
5. In Genesis 3: 15, what is the significance of the words "her Seed"? How does this verse relate to Christ's crucifixion and what is the significance of the words "strike His heel"?

Related Texts
Genesis 12:1-3,
1  Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you..
3  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the
2  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing earth shall be blessed."

Genesis 18:18,
“… Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.”

Questions Continued:

6. How will all the families of the earth be blessed through Abraham?
7. How does Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac point to Christ?
8. What is the significance of God repeating his promise to Abraham, then to Abraham's son Isaac, the to Isaac's son Jacob?
9. Why does the list of potential candidates who could be the promised seed who will bring this blessing narrow? In the mystery of the gospel, who is the ultimate authority?
10. How do the prophecies contained in the following verses from the Old Testament relate to Jesus?

1 Chronicles 17:11-14
11 And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.
13 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
14 And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.

Psalm 22: 6-8; 16-18
6  But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7  All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8  "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"

16  For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17  I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18  They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

Psalm 16:10
“you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

Conclusion:

These are the mysteries of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A mystery that has now been fully revealed in the New Testament. A mystery that is now fully revealed to you. Do you believe it? And if you do believe will you reveal this mystery to others?

Click on the player to listen to the full audio sermon.

If the player doesn't work, you can listen to the sermon on Google Drive.

Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"

Please send an email to the Pastor if you have questions.

June 2, 2019

Luke 16:14-18 - The Inability of the Word of God to Fail

Luke 16:14-18
14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.
15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
17 “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Main Topics/Questions

Please consider the following topics/questions as you listen to the sermon:

1. How does today's text relate to last week's sermon about the Parable of the Unjust Steward?
2. How have some states been jockeying for position when it comes to the issue of abortion? How have the responses to pro-life legislation of some people shown that abortion has become their god? How is this like the Pharisees of 2,000 years ago?
3. If we were to prioritize all the greatest problems of the world today, what would be near the top according to Christ?
4. How do many get off track in understanding the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament? What is the most important issue?
5. The Old Testament contains three different kinds of laws. Which two kinds are no longer in effect? Why? Which one law code in the Old Testament is unchanging and still in effect? How can you tell which is which?
6. Where are we now when it comes to ethics and morality? What "truths" have we come up with on our own? What are some examples from Bible times?

Related Texts

Matthew 19:3-9:
3  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
4  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
5  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
6  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
7  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
8  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

1 Corinthians 7:15: "But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace."

Questions Continued:

7. So what is Jesus teaching us? About marriage? About divorce? About repentance and reconciliation? About abandonment?
8. Southern Baptists believe that divorce is only allowed Biblically for two reasons: sexual immorality and abandonment. But beyond that each Southern Baptist Church has some additional stances that will vary from local church to local church. What are some of these stands and what are some held by JBC?

Conclusion:
We don’t take stands just to take stands. We take our stand upon God’s Word, because as Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth.” It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of one letter in this entire Bible to fail. The Word of God truly is both a guide and a gift.

Click on the player to listen to the full audio sermon.

If the player doesn't work, you can listen to the sermon on Google Drive.

Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"

Please send an email to the Pastor if you have questions.