Genesis 1:1-13 - A Tale of Two Fig Leafs

TOPIC: Sanctity of Life;
TITLE: A TALE OF TWO FIG LEAFS – Sanctity of Life Sunday

TEXT: Genesis 1:1-13

Life is precious – Jesus healed and raised people – He valued life.

But "value" of life and "sanctity" of life are different. Value means something has worth … and life does! But sanctity says it's sacred, holy, and related to God somehow.

God gives life and ends life ….

“GOD … GIVES LIFE TO ALL THINGS”

1 Timothy 6:13

“HE … GIVES TO ALL LIFE AND BREATH”

Acts 17:25

“IT IS THE SPIRIT WHO GIVES LIFE”

John 6:63

Jesus said the greatest gift we could give to a brother is our life … and I suppose it is even a greater gift that we can lead them to the giver of eternal life. After all, didn't He say He was "the Life"?

The sanctity of human life speaks of the issues related to life in general but more importantly to the taking of life.

The issue isn't whether we should allow abortion or euthanasia or not, or whether or not it is even right or wrong … the issue is …

WHETHER OR NOT WE KNOW THE WILL, OF GOD AS WELL, AS WHETHER OR NOT WE INTEND TO OBEY THAT WILL.

You see the issue is sin; the manifest rebellion of the creature against the creator. Peter said it all and best when he told the Sanhedrin, “It is better to fear God than man!”

You simply cannot stop the symptom of the problem unless you attack the cause of it first.

The "Evolution - Creation" controversy! The cornerstone of our faith is dependent on our view of the Word of God: IS IT INERRANT AND WHOLLY APPLICABLE TO YOUR LIFE … OR ISN'T IT?

For the believer, the Word must be the defining quality of the Rock of his faith and trust and hope. Turn to – James 1:13-16.

For the believer life begins at conception! WHY? Because the Word says it does...

What of Jeremiah, of John the Baptist?

This message is to all of us; not just to those who have taken a life. Let me speak to your hearts of three kinds of life, each threatened by unnecessary death.

The three faces of eve ... all three are rooted in "UNBELIEF"

Unbelief (as in my case) can get us to …

1. The Eve who encourages another to take a life or encourages another to disbelieve God in another area [drinking, smoking, lying, cheating, adultery, gossip, tithing, church attendance]
2. The Eve who aids in the taking of a life or aids in the committing of any number of other equally God denying sins
3. The Eve who directly causes the taking of a life or deliberately rebel in another area of sinful disobedience

But, just as Eve, I was shown a way of recovery and reconciliation with God. So too has Eve II. And so too has Eve III.

FACTS:

1. sin is sin; all sin is rooted in unbelief
2. God's never surprised or shocked by our sins
3. some sin incurs harsher judgment [Proverbs 6:27-28; Hebrews; James 3:1]
4. God desires recovery and restoration IF –

a. WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE US

1 John 1:9

b. HE WHO CONCEALS HIS SINS WILL NOT PROSPER, BUT HE WHO CONFESSES AND FORSAKES THEM WILL FIND COMPASSION

Proverbs 28:13

c. we, like David, ask to be cleansed and restored

d. we SUBMIT TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL FOR HE WILL FLEE FROM [US]

James 4:7

5. Satan desires to hold you ...

a. You can't undo the past, don't try … go on with life.
b. don't quit, keep trying
c. don't be an Ostrich
d. fellowship till it hurts (2 or 3 are better than one)

APPLICATION: The "rights" we hold so dear are simply our selfish and transparent loincloths, our pathetic effort at hiding from God, and our silly attempt at elevating ourselves to equality with God.

Like Adam and Eve, we are bitten by the father of lies. Like them, we deny the Creator and lust after ourselves and the puny work of our hands and minds.

But like Adam and Eve we too are offered a way out. God so loves us that He offers us a way to recover, to be restored to a right relationship, a newness of life. Christ is the Redeemer of all in all situations.

YOU ARE FORGIVEN IF YOU ASK … SO ASK! HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE THE LORD YOUR GOD YOUR MAKER.

CHALLENGE: But you know there is a greater loincloth at work in the world ... we stand by, deny the Word of God, and let the souls of thousands slide slowly and surely into hell ... what is the greater evil . . .

1. the fall in the Garden, with its contamination of the souls of all the human race; or
2. the killing of kids one at a time, knowing that heaven is filled with the sweet sounds of millions of tiny voices as a result, or
3. the one who knows the truth and stands silent as the screams of billions echoes from the canyon walls of hell?
   

You decide … come now and acknowledge the Spirit’s convicting power. Which fig leaf is your fig leaf? What are you hiding behind yours?

Christianity, Expository, Genesis,
Homiletics, Outlines, Preaching,
Sermons, Sanctity of Life

ACTS 7:50-53 - Are These Things So!

SERIES #13: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - Witnesses to Jerusalem
TOPIC: Sovereignty (of God); idolatry, sin (Victimless-), will (Providential - of God)

TITLE: ARE THESE THINGS SO? An application from the Older Testament!
TEXT: Acts 7:50-53 (1-53)

Stephen closes his proclamation with a quote from Isaiah 66:2 - "WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?" … then says …

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?

“They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

TRUTH CLAIM: Stephen clearly and pointedly attacks Israel's history of idolatry and rebellion from the Hebrew scriptures ...

Idolatry: “image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object”
[Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary]

Here is seen a perfect display of our three-fold theme in the Acts of the Apostles …

The Preeminence of The Living Lord
The Prominence of The Holy Spirit
The Power of The Authentic Church

This is the only known sermon (Acts 7:1-53) of Stephen and it reveals …

• a focus on Israel missing their Meshuah
• a stress on Spirit’s repeated blessings and warnings
• a fearless (powerful) witness from the authentic church

Stephen is asked: “Are these things so?”

Remember: Stephen not a natural Jew; a Greek convert to Judaism (or perhaps raised amongst the Diaspora)

However: his grasp of Jewish history and Old Testament teaching is flawless; not to mention his grasp of the meaning of texts

So: put yourself in the council’s shoes …

• they knew the older testament better, right?
• think of their years of study under Israel’s best
• this young, Hellenist-upstart threatened their power, privilege, position, and possessions

The Charge: accusers charge he is inciting an insurrection in order to …

• destroy the temple [believed to be a sign of God’s departure from Israel; 6:14] and
• change (do away with) the Law of Moses [believed to be essential to godly living and daily blessing; 6:13]

Stephen's countercharges: his response is ...

• pointed (through the Word)
• powerful (through humility)
• patriotic (through faith)
• personal (through the Holy Spirit)

Religious Idolatry: four areas addressed (all of works, not grace) –

• Their Lineage (worship of human ability; the flesh) [2-8]
• Their Land (worship of earthly Israel and her patriarchs) [9-38]
• Their Law (worship of the law; remember the law is for the lawless) [37-43]
• Their Legacy (worship of and hope in a temporal end) [44-53]

In Detail:

• God calls and directs their fathers [2-16]
• God protects and delivers their fathers [17-41]
• God tries and tests their fathers [42-44]
• God delivers their fathers’ possession [45]
• God establishes roots for their fathers [46-47]
• God reveals His nature to their fathers [48-49]
• God reminds them who has done this [50]

Interesting is how Sthephen uses parallels and contrasts to make his point …

• For example – similarity between Hebrew children’s rejection of Moses [39] (“ruler and judge”) and their rejection of Christ Jesus [51,52]
• Another – Aaron’s calf “the works of their hands” in the wilderness [40-41] and the temple “made by human hands” [47]
• Another – Solomon (the son) builds temple with human hands [47] rather than David (the father), contrasted with the Son of God building temple not made with hands rather than the Father [48]

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What aspects of Stephen’s sermon are directly applicable to our situation in our context?

I. THAT WE TOO ARE CALLED OUT!

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'”

John 8:12

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called”

Ephesians 4:1

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps”

1Peter 2:21

II. THAT WE TOO HAVE PROMISES!

"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Luke 24:49

“But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

2 Peter 3:13

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”

1 John 2:25

III. THAT WE TOO HAVE …

A Linage:

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Romans 8:15

A Land:

"In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”

John 14:2

A Law:

“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. … So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty”

James 2:8, 12

A Legacy:

“to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”

1 Peter 1:4

IV. THAT WE TOO HAVE POTENTIAL TO SIN!

The presence and glory of God cannot be confined to a specific place, no matter how holy! God’s people have consistently and constantly resisted His messengers.

Even the most hallowed religious paraphernalia and rituals can be and often are abused.

Moses’ “Righteous One” of Israel is the target of the entire Law and Prophets … this is Jesus the Son of God, who we know as Father.

The Father of “The Linage”, the Creator of “The Land,” the Giver of “The Law,” and the Lord of “The Legacy” which must be venerated!

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

Hebrews 4:1-2

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Stephen didn’t condemn his persecutors ...

• or insist the Jews had no right to possess the Promise Land, or
• or curse the desirability of a divine code to live by,
• or their having a house of worship …

Instead he condemned the veneration of these things above the Provider and Object of the things.

Stephen’s objective was to twofold –

1. to counter charges with historical facts and
2. to confront sin with truth [Swindoll]

Everywhere the Western church venerates ancestors, engages in uppity nationalism, covets and craves property, while pursuing a personal legacy ...

Legalism (in the form of legislative entitlements) is running rampant in every public and private venue; and it encroaches on the church ...

The building of mega-church complexes and communities (which suck life out of the authentic church) is continuous ...

Boundaries established by God in ages past are being moved or destroyed at will in this age ...

My concern is for what I call victimless-sin … sins like Israel’s … so egregious to the Father ...

Yet, to Joe Christian, they are viewed as harmless and not worthy of concern (e.g., homosexuality, Internet pron, recreational drugs and drinking, gossip, tale-bearing, backbiting, the "virtual" denial of Jesus as Lord, virtual-paganism, virtual-atheism, relativism, political correctness, aberrant worldviews, etc.)

How are we giving God glory for His eternal home, His grace, and His promises?

"So if you’ve been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is …. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things of earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ …. When Christ … is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. So consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which amount to idolatry."

Colossians 3:1-5
[my partial paraphrase]

Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Idolatry, Outlines, Preaching,
Sermons, Sin, Sovereignty, Will

ECCLESIASTES 1:3 Under the sun!

TOPIC: Hope; Apathy, Hopelessness

TITLE: UNDER THE SUN - No thing new there!
TEXT: Ecclesiastes 1:3-11

What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place it rises there again. Blowing toward the south, then turning toward the north, the wind continues swirling along; and on its circular courses the wind returns.

All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again. All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done.
So, there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, 'See this, it is new'? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.”

INQUIRY: What three questions, when answered, would help man have a more abiding hope?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DILEMMA?

A. The Introduction of Sin (Rebellion)
B. The Denial of Sin
C. The Absence of the Fear of God

II. WHAT IS THE PRODUCT OF OUR DILEMMA?

A. Common Depravity
B. Certain Death and Judgment
C. Constant Conflict

III. WHAT IS THE CURE FOR OUR DILEMMA?

Christ Jesus is the cure for all of man’s problems,

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Apathy is defined as the “lack of emotion or feeling” and “indifference.”

Apathy is a compound word, having a negative prefix attached to the Greek word pathos. It’s similar to our word amoral (a-moral), meaning “not moral” or “without morals” or “immoral” in English.

Social commentators and pollsters have been talking about America’s apathy for some time now, especially among voters.

Religion watchers and analysts have been seeing the same phenomena in the American spiritual community.

It’s almost as if everyone has become indifferent to the condition of the world, there is an observable absence of animated concern.

• Would you agree with me the world, including the USA, is in a real mess?
• Would you agree with me the mess is bigger than you have ever seen in your life?
• Would you agree with me that far too many people seem to have given up, a kind of a nationwide sigh of resignation?

I must confess I’ve been apathetic lately too. But I’ve been trying to motivate people to action: you, neighbors and acquaintances, but with no appreciable success.

I’ve found myself telling others I’m sorry I ever had kids. I’ve been feeling somewhat hopeless. I’ve needed some hope.

Would you agree with me, Billy Graham is one of the most popular and trusted people alive today?

Well, through a 1950s message he reminded me of something: my hope is anchored to the Rock of my salvation.

INQUIRY: What three questions, when answered, would help man have a more abiding hope?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DILEMMA!

A. Introduction of Sin (Rebellion)

1. The Origin

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened.”

Genesis 3:6, 7

2. If anyone should feel bad about the world that’s been left to our children, it is Adam and Eve.
3. Paul said,

“Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Romans 5:12a

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Romans 3:23

B. Denial of sin

“If we say that we’ve no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we’ve not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

1 John 1:8-10

C. No Fear of God

1. Following the resume of a classic sinner, Paul writes,

“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Romans 3:18

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:7

II. WHAT IS THE PRODUCT OF OUR DILEMMA!

A. Common Depravity

1. Depravity has filled our prisons, half-way houses, and gutters
2. It has destroyed families, marriages, careers, homes, communities, and even churches
3. It has brought us hopelessness and emptiness
4. It’s left us confused, numb, and burdened

B. Certain Death and Judgment

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

Hebrews 9:27

1. The world seems to have no understanding of either
2. First Death

Our graveyards are full of these -

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

3. Second Death

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”

Revelation 2:11

“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power”

Revelation 20:6

“And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:14

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8

4. Sheep-Goat Judgment

C. Constant Conflict

1. Every day of man’s existence, since the fall, has been scar pocked with conflict
2. Life’s road is littered with the wreckage of human conflict
3. Every home, every city, every nation

III. WHAT IS THE CURE FOR OUR DILEMMA!

Christ Jesus is the Cure!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.”

1 Corinthians 15:22

Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25, 26

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: I ask you, “Do you believe this?”

Though man has changed the world, in 6,000 years of existence he hasn’t changed the cause of the world’s problem or eliminated its rotten fruit.

We’ve disguised, renamed, and remodeled sin … and given it an extreme makeover … but a jackass in a dress is still just a boy donkey!

We’ve used philosophy, technology, and psychology to explain it away … but running down the street with arms out shouting, “To infinity and beyond,” won’t get you in the air!

We’ve used mysticism, plastic surgery, open-heart surgery, cryogenics, diets, expensive spas and mud baths, botox, and cucumbers to avoid it … but a Tom Cruise looking Frankenstein is still a dead thing!

Christ is the cure!

I don’t need to regret that I did not have a plan to change the world or to make it a better place for my kids. Because Jesus did!

My job is not to save the world, my job is to tell my kids about Jesus, their job is tell my grandkids about Jesus.

[IN CHRIST] In the movie “In America,” an Irish family is chasing a dream to start over. The father has lost his ability to feel anything since the death of his son (for which he blames himself). He lost his hope and desire to love, laugh, and cry. Through a chain of events (the presence of innocence, an act of love, a death, a birth, a miracle, two adorable little colleens) his faith in God is restored and his hope returned.

The movie presents America as the hope and dream of all, a place for new beginnings, a place to leave the past and build for the future … but they set the film in NYC and so you see the pain, the tears, the sorrow, and the depravity all around.
The potential for apathy and hopelessness was still there; clearly, effort alone could not protect them. In the end, it was the faith of the two little Irish girls that gave them all hope and purpose for living … to see Frankie (the son) again, and be with him.

Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

“In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who’ve fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:17-20

Yesterday, Christ made atonement for your sins. You need to receive Him into your heart through repentance in order to receive His atonement.

Today, Christ is at His Father’s right hand, in fact He is His Father’s right hand, in-terceding for you. You need to appropriate His intercession through prayer.

Tomorrow is not yet here, but Jesus has prepared a place for you, that where He is you may be also.

Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You come, let’s take care of business today!

Apathy, Christianity, Ecclesiastes, Expository, Homiletics,
Hope, Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

MICAH: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne in Southern California or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

6:1-8

YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD - What does the Lord take delight in?

quick link to MICAH: Seed Archive

Homiletics, Micah, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons, Sermon Series

ACTS 5:1-11 - The Great Pretenders

SERIES #8: Acts of the Apostles - Witnesses to Jerusalem
TOPIC: Hypocrisy; Deception, Duplicity, Fear of the Lord, Sin

[PLATTERS] During the late 1950’s The Platters sang a classic song called “The Great Pretender”; telling of a love which wasn’t sincere. Today’s mes-sage is about something even more egregious.

TITLE: THE GREAT PRETENDERS -- The Cost of Doing Business with Satan!
TEXT: Acts 5:1-11 [4:29-5:16]

INQUIRY: What was the sin that precipitated such severe discipline?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. One of many was PRETENSE!
II. One of many was UNBELIEF!
III. One of many was ARROGANCE!
IV. One of many was THE SIN OF EDEN!

TRUTH/CONTEXT:

[F. F. Bruce] The great Scottish scholar says of this event: “An act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the people of God.” [Cited in Stott, Acts, p.109]

In this passage we are given a positive and a negative of early church life … notice the word “But” in verse one, contrasting Ananias and Sapphira’s niggardliness with the preceding events and Barnabas’ generosity.

[ROGERS] A few years ago Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue BC of Cordova, TN, spoke on the subject of sin to the student body of one of our seminaries … he named three prominent precursors to a person’s fall into sin:

1. an undetected weakness
2. an unexpected temptation
3. an unprotected life.

[FAME] Andy Warhol, that weird artist of the post-sixties era, is credited with having said, “Everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame.”

Little did Ananias and Sapphira imagine theirs would come in this way.

We can agree this was probably not this couple’s first temptation to sin, nor was it the first occurrence of sin by them. Is it God’s warning to the church? Yes!

REVIEW: This passage is great for the purpose of recalling the threefold theme of the book of Acts:

1. the Preeminence of Christ
2. the Prominence of the Holy Spirit
3. the Power of the authentic church.

Authentic fellowship is marred; the authentic followed by the counterfeit.

Sadly we have many people today who are either disbelieving or offended or shocked by this story. When we compare it to others there is no reason to be; for example: Achan or Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, Jephthah, and the Levitical Priest who divided his wife into 12 parts and sent a part each to the tribes of Israel.

INQUIRY: What sin precipitated such severe discipline?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. One of many was PRETENSE!

They took the name of the Lord their God in vain! And their selfish desires got the best of them.

A. The desire to belong
B. The desire for the esteem of others
C. The desire to be seen
D. The desire to appear

1. fruitful among the fruitful is strong
2. righteous among the righteous is strong
3. spiritual among the spiritual is strong

Note: taking the Lord's name in vain is not using God's name when cursing (though it is a sin), it is calling yourself a Jew or a Christian when you are not one!

II. One of many was UNBELIEF!

They did not trust the Lord to meet their needs if all was given!

A. They didn’t truly trust God to care for them in the present
B. They didn’t truly believe that if they gave all, the Lord would meet their future needs

Conclusion: giving it all taxed their faith too much

C. They had no reality of relationship

[RELEASE] Susan Smart wrote about an experience as a student pilot. It seems she did well with all of the in-flight training except recovering from stalls. She previously panicked every time; her instructor told her she must master it to be licensed. On her first attempt she froze, her hands glued to the controls, the Cessna 150 flip-flopping in the air, spin-ning downward out of control. She tried to recall what her instructor had told her … “If you ever get into a spin in a Cessna 150, just let go of the controls. It’s built to pull out of a spin on its own.”

Instead she fought for control. Finally, in desperation, she called on God and shouted at herself, “Let go!’ She released the controls. After some wild yawing and pitching, the craft leveled out. She had descended al-most a mile but she was safe.

Smart pointed to similarities with our relationship with God. We’re told to trust and let go in spite of how fearful it is and in spite of how hard it is to release the controls of our lives! Before Cessna designed it into their aircraft, God had designed it into His plan for our future with Him.

III. One of many was ARROGANCE!

Like the Jews of old they thought God could not see what they were doing!

He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it."

Psalms 10:11

They have said, "The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed."

Psalms 94:7

Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'"

Ezekiel 8:12

IV. One of many was THE SIN OF EDEN!

They heeded Satan and one another rather than God!

A. The text says, “Satan filled his heart.”

“You’re of your father the devil, & the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, & doesn’t stand in the truth, because there’s no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar & the father of it.”

John 8:44

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Luke 16:13

“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’”

1 Kings 18:21

B. In the same way that God needed to make a point in the Garden, make a point with the Tabernacle (i.e., the sons of Aaron), in the Promised Land (Achan), and with two kings (Saul & David) … He needed to make a point at the inception of the authentic church.

APPLICATION: There were many other sins committed by this couple besides lying to the Holy Spirit ... the story here begins in the hearts of the two antagonists: it is their inward disposition not their outward operation that reveals the problem.

Wheat can only recognize the tares among us when we reach maturity.

CHALLENGE: What lessons may we learn?

1. The non-discrimination of iniquity; even you can be its victim
2. The Enormity of Sin: God hates it; it ruins fellowship, unity
3. The commonness of guile (deception, fraud, duplicity, etc.); Jesus called Nathaniel “a man without guile.”
   
4. The unfortunate necessity for church discipline.
5. The deceitfulness of our heart and the need for the Holy Spirit to goad our consciences.
   

God desires transparent, real people for His Body; as the east African church is fond of saying, “[God wants a people] without ceilings and walls.” (Stott, ibid)

Most Christians are oblivious to what is going on around them in the visible Body of the Church today.

Many are living a lie, faking it: hoping no one notices … believing God will not hold it against them … knowing but not comprehending the Living Word of God.

For examples I give you the following links as examples of church leadership in the past two years: Bynum & Weeks, Paula & Randy White, Tommy Tester, Carlton Pearson, the Paulk brothers, Jason Christy, Dick Dewert, Lonnie Latham, Ted Haggard … and hundreds more who are hiding in sinful deception as I write this!

Romans 3:18 warns us about "the fear of the Lord" ... where is the fear of the Lord in all of this?

This discipline of Ananias and Sapphira, however, got everyone’s attention: see 5:5 and 11 ... “great fear” … I wish it would today … for He is the same God today as He was back then!

Apostates, Christianity, Deceivers, Expository,
Fear of God, Holy Spirit, Homiletics,
Non-believers, Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

Judges 2:3: Thorns & Snares

TOPIC: Obedience; Disobedience, Justice, Wrath
TITLE: THORNS & SNARES – The Proof Is Indeed In the Pudding!

TEXT: Judges 2:3

“Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!
II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

A. Our Enemies Will Be Pains In Our Daily Lives!
B. Our Enemies Will Trap Us In Things We Can't Control!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Israel is not far from the shores of the Wilderness and yet here they are in this predicament. (READ ALOUD: Judges 2:10-11)

And when God rebuked them they named the place Bochim (Baw-gghh-heem; the weepers or the place of weeping).

Here is the basic outline of the entire Book of Judges:

Israel –

1. Is instructed to obey
2. Agrees to obey
3. Disobeys
4. Suffers
5. Cries out (repentance)
6. Is judged
7. Is restored
8. Is instructed to obey

That’s it; over and over Israel goes through this cycle. Even individuals are shown to exhibit the same characteristics (e.g., Samson, priests, Jephthah, the greedy Levite, etc.).

Paul says this about the Old Testament ...

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

1 Corinthians 10:11

Would you say we’ve been in that cycle here in the United States? In the world?

Now look at what our history with God shows: Crusades, Dark Ages, Popish religion, paganism, materialism, Holocaust, Inquisition, witch trials, slavery, 500 years of conflict in Ireland, Bosnia/Rwanda/Darfur, terrorism, Islamic radicalism, wars, abortion, pedophilia, pornography, secular humanism, public homosexuality, judicial activism & tyranny, greed, selfishness, drugs, promiscuity, educational decay, taxation without representation, social & racial discrimination … and I could go on!

Worse haven’t we become a world which blames others for these thorns and snares?

You see our enemies don’t have to be nations, but they may be; one thing is for sure … if they are allowed to have at us, “they will become as thorns in [our] sides and [they] will be a snare to [us]”!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!

Consider how the contemporary church has disobeyed God ...

A. The Great Commandments [Matthew 22:37-38]
B. First Things First

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

D. Sacrifice

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1

E. Others

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

[CHEAP WORDS] A non-believing lawyer went to a friend’s church, listened watching speechlessly to the behavior of many who he knew … especially a number whom he’d seen in court or whom he represented.

“How did you like the service?” His friend asked at the close of the service. He answered, “As a lawyer let me respond in this way: there is a world of difference between testimony and evidence.

"Words are cheap; it’s easy to give testimony for Christ, but quite another matter to offer evidence of God's purifying power in one’s life in Christ. Didn’t your Jesus say ... 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'” [Mark 7:6]

II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel …”

Judges 3:1

A. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE PAINS IN OUR DAILY LIVES!

1. Entertainment industry is surely testing us

a) Audio & video
b) Prurient & voyeuristic desires
c) Gambling and pampering

2. Political system is surely testing us

a) Lacks a clear Christian national-view
b) Lacks a Christian worldview

3. Educational system is surely testing us

a) Corrupting the minds of our young people
b) Anti-Americanism
c) Lying & cheating
d) Communistic & socialistic

B. OUR ENEMIES WILL TRAP US IN THINGS WE CAN’T CONTROL!

1. Our own churches

a) Mega-church growth
b) Theological conflict
c) Church splits & pastoral hostility
d) Tares & wolves

2. Judicial system:

a) 9th Circuit decision this week
b) Kelo
c) Gay marriage
d) Destruction of the family

3. Secularism-humanism

a) Paganism
b) Drug trade
c) Pornographers
d) Materialism
e) Victim class
f) Laziness

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So where have we disobeyed the LORD? Remind them of the above AND it was up to God’s people to drive the enemies of Israel out but it was in fact the Lord who drove them out.

And don’t you see: God’s people are failing to be obedient by faith so that He will drive them out for us!

Except with obedience and repentance, we will see no change in our nations! [2 Chronicles 7:14]

[REAL WITNESS] Let's not be like those who are seen and heard being un-Christian. People who know we are Christians will wonder greatly at our conduct.

We might say, “I do this or that not as a Christian, but as a sinner saved by grace." Or we might even try, “I do this or that not as a Christian, I am at work where I may not act like a Christian.”

“But,” the observer will ask, “when the sinner or worker goes to Hell, what will become of the Christian?”

How will God judge us when we appear before His throne? Will it be for what we sang or prayed in church, or will it be for our witness before a lost and dying world?

It will be whether His Son ever knew us!

[NAME CHANGE] Once a soldier was reported to Alexander the Great for showing cowardice on a particular occasion; when the soldier appeared before Alexander the Great, he asked him his name. He said, “Alexander, sir!” Alexander rebuked him for the dishonor he’d brought upon the name and ordered him to change his name or behave in a way that honored the name.

It would not be a better thing to have fewer Christians laboring in the Lord’s vineyard but it would be to have better ones.

It would seem to me that most of what passes as Christianity today could certainly use a name change.

Didn’t the LORD say we were not to take His name in vain? Isn’t calling oneself a Christian but not behaving as one taking the name of Jesus in vain?

Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

PSALMS: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne (FBC/LV) in Southern California or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

50:7

I AM YOUR GOD - God's all sufficient essence!

100:4 (1-5)

NEW EACH DAY - How to avoid making Jesus trivial!

CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (November 5 "Evening")

104:16

HEIRS OF HEAVEN - The Mysterious Hand of God!

CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (August 13 "Morning")

Expository, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Psalms, Sermons

ZEPHANIAH - Seed Archive

Zephaniah 3:2

TOPIC: Apostasy (national)

TITLE: Believers! Examine Thyself - A four-fold indictment of national apostasy!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is it about national apostasy that bothers God?

There are four things about national apostasy that God hates …

I. A people without hearing!
II. A people without knowledge/discernment!
III. A people without foundation!
IV. A people without reverence!

Homiletics, Outlines, Preaching,
Sermons, Zephaniah

HEBREWS - Seed Archive

4:14 -- 5:10

TOPIC: Eternal Life, Easter

TITLE: OUR HIGH PRIEST - The Source of Eternal Life!

The Hebrews were as familiar with the duties of the High Priest as modern Americans are with the duties of the President of the United States.

Their daily lives were permeated with priests, altars, and sacrifices; the writer of this epistle reminds them God has provided them a perfect High Priest and a Perfect Sacrifice for the heavenly temple ... the Lamb of God.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why do we need such a High Priest?

Because we need an Intercessor ...

I. Who Is Appointed By God!
II. Who Is in the Presence of God!
III. Who Is God!

The Hebrews had the shadow of the good things to come ... we have found the reality and that reality is in Jesus ... we have found the evidence of His atoning work written in blood on the altar of God's Word.

God would encourage us to persevere in the face of obstacles. We have a forerunner who is our hope, and anchor of our soul, both sure and steadfast.

12:25

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

TOPIC: Salvation; hearers, judgment, last days, warnings

TITLE: LAST DAYS WARNING - Salvation Message
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three types of listeners are seen here?

I. STUBBORN LISTENERS! (they refuse to listen)
II. UNHEEDING LISTENERS! (they do not heed the warning)

A. Earthly - did not escape him! (Moses)
B. Heavenly - will not escape Him! (God)

III. WARNED LISTENERS! (they heed the warning)

Hebrews, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

LAMENTATIONS - Seed Archive

1:1

"How lonely sits the city That was full of people! She has become like a widow Who was once great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces Has become a forced laborer!"

TOPIC: People of God

TITLE: The Cost of Disobedience - How to be Lifeless, Alone and Enslaved!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does God want His people ["the city"] to be?

I. He wants her full of life! [a city once "full of people," now "lonely"]
II. He wants her great among nations! [once "great," now widowed]
III. He wants her regal! [then a "princess," now a "forced laborer"]

1:4

The roads of Zion are in mourning

Because no one comes to the appointed feasts
All her gates are desolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she herself is bitter.

TOPIC: Price of Sin [Church health & behavior, Spiritual infidelity, Worship; holiness]

TITLE: BLACK GOLD*: The Heavy Price of Infidelity! [* see 4:1]
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why does the way to Zion mourn?

I. Attendance problems! [1b]
II. Missing Elders ! [1c]
III. Complaining priests! [1d]
IV. Declining [read "Reclining"] virgins! [1e]
V. Insensitive members [1f]

Apostasy, Christianity, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Rebellion, Sermons

1 TIMOTHY - Seed Archive

2:14-15

Indeed, Adam wasn't deceived, rather it was the woman, who, being utterly deceived, fell into transgression. [author's translation and italics]

Topic: MOTHER'S DAY [Children; Consequences; Eve; Family; Parenting; Sins of the Fathers] Title: What Every Mother Wants Her Children To Know!

Truth Claim: Our roles in life, as men and women, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are dictated by two factors: (1) our federal disobedience in Adam and Eve and (2) our daily disobedience in our daily lives!

Man can't change this; not with all his resources over all time; nor can society, race, nationality, law, education, family or wealth!

Foundational Inquiry: If Eve could, what would she want all of her children to know?

She'd want them to know ...

I. God's commandments are not just for hearing, but for obeying!
II. God's Commandments may not make sense to man, but then they don't have to!
III. God's Commandments, when disobeyed, carry grave consequences!

Application: Were Eve here now, she'd try to convince you she made a horrible mistake. She'd try to demonstrate, every day, Satan is doing to you just what he did to her ... he's singing the same old song, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not ...' ?" [Genesis 3:1]

Mother's take note: Satan, like wolves in the pasture, isn't after the mature sheep, those who fight back and wear "the full armor of God," he's after your little lambs, those who depend on you to know better and to teach them!

1 Timothy, Christianity, ,
Expository, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Religion, Sermons

GENESIS - Seed Archive

Gen 1:1 [Cp. John 1:1]

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

TOPIC: Nature of God
TITLE: The Creation - What Is It All About?

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What does the creation say about God?

I. It Says God Is Mighty! (He is Omnipotent)
II. It Says God Is Loving! (He loves us)
III. It Says God Is Worthy! (He is worthy of worship)

Gen 3:7

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin (or girdles) coverings."

TOPIC: Sin [Obedience]
TITLE: THE GREAT FALL - How our evil eye was opened!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What was the progression in this eye opening event?

I. The Commission of Sin!
II. The Consciousness of Sin!
III. The Confrontation of Sin!

Gen 4:1-16

Topic: Unrighteousness vs. faithfulness
Title: THE FIRST UN!

[UNRIGHTEOUSNESS] In the late '70s and early '80s, Seven-Up Bottling Company promoted their product with an amusing advertising campaign around the word UnCola ... its intent was to position itself against more well known colas.

Foundational Inquiry: Why was Able favored over Cain?

I. Because Cain was unfaithful!
II. Because Cain was unrepentant!
III. Because Cain was undone!
IV. Because Cain was unsaved!

Gen 7:17

"Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased

and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth."

Topic: Last Days [Days of Noah]
Title: THE DAY THE RAINS CAME DOWN!

Foundational Inquiry: What is the significance of God's choice of the flood and the Ark?

I. They Point to A Similar Day! [Genesis 6:5-7 vs. Luke 17:26-27]

II. They Point to A Similar Judgment! [Genesis 7:23 vs. 2 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10a]

III. They Point to A Similar Escape! [Heb. 11:7 vs. Ephesians 2:8; John 10:9; 14:6]

IV. They Point to A Similar Redeemer!

Gen 8:20-9:17

Topic: Noahic Covenant

Title: THE RAINBOW COVENANT

TRUTH CLAIM: Man, created in the image of God, has shown throughout time that he is incapable of being trusted. God again and again has come to our rescue and time and time again we have frustrated Him! Shame on us!

Foundational Inquiry: What does the Noahic Covenant mean to contemporary man?

I. That we should continually sacrifice!

II. That we should never forget!

III. That it's fire next time!

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: In spite of the fact that God regretted He made man, in spite of the fact that He had every right to wipe man from the face of the earth, He offers a reprieve, an opportunity to start over ... sealing it with a beautiful and timeless sign, the rainbow.

Man is passive in this transaction; God provides all, man contributes nothing. Take this moment and consider how we ought to respond to God's reprieve, the foregoing of final judgment until the fullness of times. Certainly we should not be responding the way we have!

Gen 28:8-9 [Cp. 26:34-35; 27:46; 36:1-6]

Topic: Sin; Anger, Flesh, Pride, Rebellion, Spirit, Vengeance

Title: DIGGING OUR OWN GRAVE!

Foundational Inquiry: What three sins of pride does Esau exhibit in his choice of wives?

I. The Sin of Rebellion!

II. The Sin of Anger!

III. The Sin of Vengeance!

Genesis, Homiletics, Preaching, Sermons

MALACHI - Seed Archive

Malachi 1:6

"'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?'"

TOPIC: Commitment; Fear (of the Lord), Honor, Service, Worship
TITLE: "If I Am?"

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: If God really is Father and Master, where is His honor, where is His due?

I. If Father, where is His honor?
II. If Lord, where is His service?

Christianity, Expository, Homiletic,Malachi,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons