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Jesus suffered

  1. Jesus suffered for us, the just for the injust, to bring us to God, 1 Pet 3.18.
  2. Jesus suffered for us, as an example, 1 Pet 2.21.
  3. Jesus suffered before us, in persecution, Jn 15.18.
  4. Jesus suffers with us, as we share in his sufferings and comfort, 2 Cor 1.5.
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Serving God’s purpose

By John Henson, Dibrell congregation, McMinnville TN

ACTS 13:36

I. DAVID SERVED GOD’S PURPOSE

  1. By becoming king.
  2. By writing inspired scripture.
  3. By being the one through whom the Christ would come.
  4. By prophesying the coming King — Jesus.

II. WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE FOR US

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:21 That we might be made the righteousness of God.
  2. Galatians 2:16 That we might be justified by an obedient faith.
  3. Hebrews 12:10 That we might be partakers of his holiness.
  4. 3 John 8 That we might be fellow helpers of the truth.

III. ARE YOU SERVING GOD’S PURPOSE?

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Outline of Christianity in 10 Ws

If you like alliteration, this is the outline for you. Ten — count ’em — ten Ws to form upon your lips and wave your hands over. You can supply a ton of Bible texts for each point. This is a good summary of the whole of the Faith.

  1. The Will — God willed man’s existence and salvation from eternity.
  2. The Word — God became man in the person of Jesus Christ.
  3. The Wound — Jesus was wounded for our transgressions.
  4. The Well — Life and power spring from the Holy Spirit.
  5. The Way — The Bible reveals God’s plan, purchased people, and practice of righteousness.
  6. The Work — Eternal salvation is the objective of every effort by God’s people.
  7. The War — Conflict with evil powers is at the heart of faithfulness.
  8. The World — Saints are in, but not of, and sent to, the world.
  9. The Worship — God seeks people who worship in spirit and truth.
  10. The Worth — Heaven is worth giving up life, limb, and luxury.

UPDATE: I’ve reordered a couple of these, to reflect a more logical progression. I flipped nos. 3 and 4 and nos. 9 and 10.

—JRMatheny

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A lion’s courage

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion, Prov 28.1, ESV.

As God’s righteous saints, let us be bold and courageous:

  1. When it comes to prayer, 1 Chr 17.25; Heb 4.14-16.
  2. When it comes to evangelism, Acts 9.27; 23.11; 28.31; Eph 6.19-20; Phil 1.14; 1 Thes 2.2.
  3. When it comes to the truth of the gospel, Mic 3.8; 1 Cor 16.13; Gal 2.5, 14; Phil 1.15-18.
    • About Jesus as the only Way, Jn 14.6; Acts 4.12.
    • About the Bible as God’s Word, 2 Tim 3.16-17; 2 Pet 1.20-21.
    • About eternal salvation as the church’s work, Rom 6.22-23; 1 Pet 1.9; Heb 5.9; 9.12, 15; 1 Jn 5.11.

—JRMatheny

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The Heart-Knower

By John Henson, Dibrill congregation, McMinnville TN

  1. God knows your heart, Luke 16:15.
  2. The great heart-knower consulted, Acts 1:24.
  3. The one who searches the heart cares, Romans 8:26-28.
  4. What does he know about your heart?
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The work of a preacher

By Ron Thomas, Highway congregation, Sullivan IL

1. The message of the preacher, 2 Timothy 4.1-5

2. The purpose of his preaching, Colossians 1.24-29

3. The exemplar of the preacher, Acts 18.1-6

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How to make every effort to enter through the narrow door

Lk 13.24: “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (NET).

Let us exert every effort:

  1. In knowledge, Prov 2.1-5.
  2. In prayer, Col 4.12.
  3. In meeting together, Heb 10.25; 12.1.
  4. In the gospel, Phil 1.30.
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The essence of the gospel

  1. Salvation, 1 Tim 4.16. Jesus saved man by his death; man saves himself and others by teaching about Jesus.
  2. Suffering, Col 1.24. Jesus suffered for man, and man suffers for his gospel.
  3. Sanctification, Jn 17.19. Jesus sanctified himself that he might sanctify his followers.
  4. Service, Mt 20.25-28. Jesus served man by giving his life as a ransom, and his people serve God and others by giving their lives for the gospel.
  5. Simplicity, Jn 14.28-31. Jesus gives us his peace, his promise, his power, his proof of love in obedience—this is all we need in order to rise and go.