1/22 Fundamental Thoughts-Sermons

The Subject of Sin

John 4:15-18  (KJB) The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.  (16)  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.  (17)  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:  (18)  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

INTRODUCTION:           We see the woman at the well talking to Jesus at about noon (6^th hour). 

              Christ knew when she would be there.  He also knew the result of meeting her. 

              The woman has asked for the Living Water.

              She might have been jesting with Christ when she said, "neither come hither to draw."  She didn't want to come back daily to this well.

              She understood her physical thirst, but Christ was just about to awaken her to her other thirst.

              We each have a much deeper thirst, an inner, spiritual thirst.  This is a thirst that only Christ and Christ alone can satisfy.

              When we drink of this living water we are infused with

The Purpose, to serve God

With  an intent to commit our lives to Christ

With Significance,

With Energy and Motivation.

              With Jesus we are saved from the thirst of emptiness, loneliness, despair and hopelessness.

              Jesus is about to point out a problem with the woman at the well,       The sin in her life.

              She is now in a situation, where she must face the sin in her life. 

The reason she came to the well at noon, was to avoid the sin in her life.          Because, the other women at the well in the morning and evening remind her of what she was, either by whispering among themselves or totally shunning her.

I.            HER SIN EXPOSED                      (vv 16-18)

              A.           Jesus Convicted Her Heart

                             1.           She confessed her sin

                                           i.            "I have no husband."

2.           Why did the woman have to face the truth of her sin before she could be born again?

i.            She needed to know that she was a sinner.

(Romans 3:23)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

3.           She was weary and laden with the guilt of her life.

i.            She needed to understand what was causing that weariness.

4.           She had symptoms of a disease but had no idea what it was.

5.           She needed deliverance and didn't know how to be delivered.

i.            She had to understand she was a sinner.

                       

B.           The Woman Evaded the Question Of Sin.

                             1.           I have no husband

                                           i.            She told the truth

                                           ii.           She was living with a man.

a.           She tried to cover up that sin.

b.           She wasn't about to admit to doing anything wrong.

                             2.           Isn't that just like we are?

(Romans 3:10)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

II.           JESUS KNEW ALL ABOUT HER SIN     

              A.           She Had Five Failed Marriages

                             1.           Jesus knew the truth about her.

              B.           He knew whether or not she was guilty of:

                             1.           Making ungodly,

                                           i.            Worldly choices

                             2.           Being argumentative

                             3.           Being a poor housekeeper

                                           i.            Wife

                                           ii.           Mother

                             4.           Being cold

                                           i.            Distant

                                           ii.           Withdrawn

                                           iii.          Indifferent

                             5.           Being unfaithful

                                           i.            Immoral

6.           You and I don't know what she did or didn't do in theses instances.

i.            However, we each know what we have done in our own circumstances.

                             7.           Jesus knows the truth

                                           i.            About her sin

                                           ii.           About your sin

(Jeremiah 16:17)  For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

III.         JESUS REPROVED HER SIN

              A.           She Was Living With A Man

                             1.           That wasn't her husband.

                             2.           She didn't admit to sin

                                           i.            Yet she is guilty

                                   ii.           She knew she wasn't right

              B.           She Stood Guilty For All Her Sins

(John 4:14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

                         1.           God tells us we will never thirst.

                             2.           He also tells us we must be born

again.

                       

(John 3:7)  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

            C.           We Must Face The Truth

                             1.           Once we have accepted the fact that we are sinners.

2.           Accepting Jesus becomes easier.

(John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

CONCLUSION: Understanding that God does love you and He has always loved you, "…God so loved the world…" all of us worthless no good nobodies.

              Once that has soaked into your heart, and (Romans 3:23)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  once you comprehend you are a sinner that God loves (not your sin) We all have sinned and we ALL have fallen short. 

              And you have realized that if we will just believe that Jesus is God's only begotten Son, "…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."      

(Romans 10:9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

We then can realize that all we have to do is to call on Jesus' name.

(Romans 10:13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You say, Brother, the woman at the well didn't do all that.  It was done, read verses 28-29 and 39.

              She "confessed" that she had talked to "this the Christ."

That is what Romans 10:9 is talking about "…confess with thy mouth…"

              She also understood she was a sinner.

The scriptures do not state that she asked for forgiveness.

              Once we have God's Salvation, and understand it, then we need and ought to confess our known sins to God, and ask His forgiveness. 

              Understand this is a daily, if not an hourly task.

Not to ensure our Salvation, but to insure our reward.

1/21 Discontentment Is a Lack of Faith

The first sermon I ever preached was from Exodus 16. I was only 16 years old when I came back from camp and informed my father, who was a pastor, that God was calling me into the ministry. His response was to put me in the pulpit the following Sunday evening. With no training in sermon preparation, I began searching the Scriptures desperately trying to find something that had meaning to me personally. Growing up in a pastor’s home, I felt I related with the subject matter of murmuring people. Many were the nights that I saw my father hurt by members of his church who refused to get right with God. The account of the children of Israel murmuring against Moses seemed to resonate with me. I concluded that it was my job to straighten out the church and inform them of God’s impending judgment if they continued in their current path of complaints and criticisms.

After the sermon, my father sat me down in his office to critique my message. I can remember much of our conversation that night, but what stands out most is my father’s lack of appreciation. I was shocked. I had let those people have it! I had made the message clear. I had pointed toward the back of the auditorium and said, “If you don’t like it . . . there’s the back door.” I had preached on murmuring from the perspective of the preacher and perhaps not from God’s perspective. Recently, the Lord allowed me to return to this passage, and this time I saw the beam and not the moat.

Over the past few years, I have noticed my own lack of contentment in the ministry that God has given me. I have been convicted, and I have repented. I now wish to share my journey and the wonderful truth of being content with God.

Exodus 16 opens as the children of Israel are leaving the beauty and 70 palm trees of Elim and entering into the desolate wilderness of Sin. It appears that Israel only brought with them a month’s supply of food. They had left Egypt on the 15th day of the first month and now they are one month into their journey, afraid and without food.

“And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.” Exodus 16:1

This is what prompted the outpouring of criticism from the children of Israel towards the Lord’s leadership team. They cried out with discontentment about their present situation; and wished for death and slavery rather than to be starved to death in the wilderness. The most obvious problem with the attitude of the nation of Israel at this moment is that they have completely forgotten the fact that God will always provide where He chooses to guide.

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2-3

God’s mercy is ever evident throughout the Old Testament. Having full right to execute judgment upon the faithlessness of these rebellious children, God instead provides an incredible miracle of provision.
“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” Exodus 16:4

But there was a catch. The Lord allowed this miracle to test the nation. He desired to see if they would be obedient to His commands, or if they would rebel and choose to ignore God’s warnings.

Discontentment is a disease. Like a cancer, it can begin in the deepest parts of man and remain hidden quite nicely for some time. Yet discontentment will grow. The children of Israel had developed an attitude of discontentment over the past four hundred years while in bonds in the land of Egypt, consistently crying out to God to send a deliverer and save their nation from the horrors of slavery. God had freed them from that terrible fate and had delivered them by the hand of Moses. They were now free to follow God and trust His care. They failed. The cancer of discontentment had entered their hearts, and they began to see this amazing opportunity of freedom as a burden they must carry.

I imagine that as the food supply was getting low, the people of Israel began to wonder what God was going to do. I suppose that as a mother fed the last meal to her children she was anxious about the future of her family. Only thirty days into the journey the children of Israel lost all faith in God who performed the ten plagues of Egypt. A promise was not enough to slake the thirst for physical security, so they grew discontented and begged God that they might return to Egypt.

When I read about the Israelites murmuring against Moses, I no longer see angry church members bucking the authority of the pastor. Instead, I think about a pastor who is no longer satisfied merely serving God where God has called him. Forgetful is the minister that cannot recall with delight the calling of God in his life, the overwhelming joy (that drowned out criticism) to know that God was choosing him to serve in His kingdom.

I can remember studying for the ministry and dreaming of leading others to Christ, baptizing them, and pastoring them faithfully. More than anything, I can remember having a willingness to be used in any way God wanted to use me. If He wanted me to wash dishes in a Christian camp for the rest of my life, I would. If He wanted me to serve in a Christian college and help train others for the front lines, I was willing. If He wanted me to spend my life in the foreign fields of Africa, coming home to a thatched-roofed hut, and eating monkey brains for dinner, I was up to the task. Because at that point, ministry was not about me, it was not even about others, it was about God.

When the Lord called us to plant a church in Las Vegas, Heather and I were delighted. Yet, early on in the church plant, I began to fight one the greatest battles I have yet to face in ministry: the battle with discontentment. This is a battle I believe every church planter will face and is a battle that I still fight every single day of my life. Let me explain. When we would have 100 people in our church services on Sunday morning I would wonder why we didn’t have 120 like I was expecting. When we began running 150 people every Sunday, I would go home disappointed that there were not 175 as I had hoped. I began to convince myself that this discouragement was actually a healthy thing. “You should never be content with just a few that are saved; that’s what’s wrong with pastors today,” I used to tell myself. I can remember the day we had 174 people in church and thinking what a thrill it was to hit that number. I was happy for one week. When we had 200 in a service, I would spend the next few months begging God for 225. At 225, I prayed earnestly for 250. We are now averaging over 300 people every Sunday, and I wish I could say that at some magical number I became satisfied and contented with my service.

Recently, I heard the story of John D. Rockefeller’s interview for a national newspaper. The reporter said, “Mr. Rockefeller you are a multi-millionaire several times over, yet you continue to pursue wealth. When will you be satisfied with your riches; how much money is enough?” John Rockefeller simply replied, “One more dollar.” This is the story of a discontented man. If someone were to ask Tiger Woods, “Tiger, you had a beautiful wife at home, why did you end up giving your honor to these other women?” I believe he would say, “I was not happy, I was not content.” The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” I have learned a great lesson from the children of Israel: I must learn contentment. The alternative is to murmur against God!

The LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. Exodus 16:8

I had convinced myself that my weakness was my strength, that my sin was my sanctified gift. Never grow complacent and content was my motto. But looking back on the many Sunday evenings after church that I was edging ever closer to depression, I have come to realize that I was simply discontent. I do not want to become the minister that reaches 1,000 in attendance and is still looking to greener pastures. I refuse to be the leader of a mega church that has not learned to be satisfied with God but instead pines after a bigger auditorium. I fear that God may answer my pleadings of a larger church with many more in attendance, but that I will miss out on God’s perfect plan for me.

They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:13-15

The children of Israel cried out for water, and they got what they asked for. They cried out for food, and the Lord graciously sent them manna. They complained about the manna and begged for meat, and the Lord sent them quail. The Lord gave them their request every time they complained, but the Bible says He sent leanness to their soul. While I was training for the ministry, I heard pastor Jim Schettler say, “It is not what you accomplish in ministry that God is chiefly concerned with, but who you become that really makes a difference.” Too many times, we focus on our accomplishments and not upon our Saviour. Too many times our minds dwell upon our goals and not our God. Much too often our attitude is determined by our own perception of success rather than our walk with God.

It is not truthful for me to say that I have arrived at the end of my journey and now feel completely content with the ministry in which God has placed me. I still struggle daily with contentment. However, going forward I have made a decision that I will be satisfied with God’s provision, at peace with God’s plan, and content with God.

Article by: Joshua Teis
Senior Pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church

1/17 Fundamental Thoughts-Sermpns

Our Temptation

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  (2)  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  (3)  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (4)  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  (5)  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  (6)  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

James 1:13-15  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  (14)  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  (15)  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Introduction:       Genesis Chapters One and Two give us the account of the beginnings of God’s creation, at least that part of it that God would have us to know. 

              Included is a brief history of the plan and purpose of His creation.  God created man, and then formed him of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

              When considering these scriptures, or any other for that matter, remember the following four im­portant things.

              (1)          God is sovereign and has done what He did according to His Own plan and will.             [per­fectly]

              (2)          Man has been made a free moral agent [being] and has, as such, the ability of  making his own choice,     

                             whether it be according to the will of God or not,   whether it be good or bad, or in-between.

              (3)          Man is never to question that which God  has done, is doing, or does in the future

                                                                                         

(Romans 9:20)  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

            (4)          Everything in the Bible is NOT

                            a.           Understood,

                             b.           Ex­plained, or

                             c.            Interpreted, but

                             d.           Must be accepted by FAITH and   believed

                                                                                                                       

(Hebrews 11:1-3)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen  2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

(Hebrews 11:6)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I.            MAN'S TEMPTATION AND FALL INTO SIN!               (vv 1-6)

                       

(2 Corinthians 11:13-15)  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

            A.           The Submission of The Serpent Unto Satan             (v 1)

                        1.           Satan, Through The Serpent,

              Questions the Word of God                          (v 1)

              i.            He casts a shadow of doubt  upon God's Word, and

              ii.           He adds to God’s Word also          (v 4)

II.           EVE IS TEMPTED TO SIN BY SATAN                             (vv 2-5)

                       

(2 Corinthians 6:14-17)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

            A.           Eve learned that one can't

                             1.           Play with snakes and                                                                  

                                          i.              Not get bitten,

                     2.           You can't play with sin and not get trapped,

                             3.           You can't play with fire

                                           i.            Without getting burned                  (v 6)

                             4.           Eve also learned that one can't fool around with temptation and

                                    i.            Not yield to it

(1 Corinthians 10:13)  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

            B.           Eve's Fellowship With The Serpent Brought            

                             1.           Flesh­ly lust    [Desire]

                                           i.            Fellowship with SIN always does this

(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

                        2.           Eve saw

                                           i.            She lusted [desired to have]

                                           ii.           She took

                                           iii.          She ate

III.         EVE GAVE UNTO ADAM                                         (v 6)

              A.           We always take others into sin with us.

                             1.           Misery loves company!

             

              B.           Eve's Disobedience was DELIBERATE.

                             1.           God Had Said "DON'T"

                                           i.            And She DID

(James 4:7)  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

CONCLUSION: So what have we learned from this Bible story.  Without following God’s commands the Garden (Heaven) is out of our reach. 

God’s will (His command) is that we accept His Son and willing, with a true heart confess His name (Jesus) to others that Garden heaven is ours.

(Hebrews 10:22)  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

(John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(Romans 10:9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Isn’t it amazing, that Adam and Eve were in the very presence of our Lord and Savior, the pre-incarnate Jesus.

Talked with Him daily, knew Him, knew what He told them to not do and what they could do.  There only bounds was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  They were told NOT to eat of that tree.  Only one law, one crime, one sin and what did they do?

You and I have ten laws, and we do not have access to that tree, yet, because Adam ate of it, we now have eaten of it.  So we have ten times the requirements Adam and Eve had, yet they had a million times more freedom than you and I have.

Those 10 laws prohibit us greatly in respect to Adam and Eve and all the predecessors to the Mosaic Law.

Yet all God ask of you is to accept His Son and follow to the best of your ability those 10 laws.

Your salvation rests on nothing more than the amount of faith God will give you to accept His Son as your Saviour.

Remember, because of Adam you are a sinner, and because of Adam and Eve we were sons of the devil.  Born into a sinful wicked world, born of the devil himself.

You can change that, God has given us a way out, away to no longer be born of the devil.

(Romans 5:8)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God took His love off of Christ and put it on us, even though we were sinners and Jesus wasn’t a sinner.

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we stay with the devil, death an everlasting death in hell, whereas if we accept the gift of God, Jesus, then we have eternal life with God in Heaven with God and His Son Jesus.

(Acts 2:21)  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Just call on His name in sincerity with faith and belief, salvation is then yours.

You don’t have to know the Bible, you don’t have to do tricks or answer a lot of questions, just call on His name.

(Romans 10:9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Confess within your heart, and then confess to men, tell others what God has done for you.