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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

LD

March 09, 2012

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  • Faith is not the only thing involved in being a Christian, but the element of faith is a most significant thing.

  • When you obeyed the gospel, you responded to the faith (Jude 1:3.

  • When you were baptized, you became faithful to the Lord (Acts 16:15.

  • Local churches can be called “faithful” (Colossians 1:2.

  • All who are Christians are “of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10.

  • It is by faith that we live (Romans 1:16-17.

  • The meaning of faith involves the idea of belief

  • Our believing is in things concerning Jesus and His Kingdom (Acts 8:12.

  • That faith comes always from the word of God (Romans 10:17.

  • Believing was the purpose of what the Bible says about Jesus Christ (John 20:30-31.

  • Faith involves personal confidence in the truthfulness of the gospel message.

  • The idea of faith involves the willingness to place one’s trust and reliance on someone else (God).

  • Faith means that I am totally willing to rely on God in all things (Romans 4:3.

  • Abraham was fully assured that God was able to perform what he had promised (Romans 4:20-21.

  • If I have faith personally, I have a similar trust in God (I Peter 4:19!

  • Faith involves the idea of fidelity.

  • The Bible steward was faithful because he was loyal, committed, and trustworthy (I Corinthians 4:2.

  • Our faithfulness (commitment and trustworthiness) is to last even tot he point of death (Revelation 2:10.

  • Living by faith involves confessing our faith

  • This is a condition of our salvation (Romans 10:8-11.

  • Confessing Christ is a condition of the Christian’s daily life. Living by faith is always confessing Him (Matthew 10:32-39.

  • The daily confession of Christ is my tie to the fellowship of God (I John 4:15.

  • So if by faith we live, we conduct our lives with trust in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20.

  • The life of faith trusts in the works of Jesus, especially His death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-4.

  • Living by faith always involves “holding fast” the word of God (Titus 3:5-7.

  • I may say I believe in God, but if my life does not demonstrate that truth, my actions prove my words to be false.

  • So then, living by faith exercises good works (Titus 3:8.

  • A faith which is without good works is an unsaving, non-justifying, dead faith (James 2:14-26.

  • The life of faith involves trusting in the words of Jesus, and living accordingly (Matthew 6:33-34.

  • Living by faith involves benefitting from faith

  • Faith brings blessings like joy and peace, hope, and power (Romans 15:13.

  • Through faith we receive our spiritual blessings. We are blessed because we believe that He hears our prayers (Ephesians 3:12.

  • Again, the blessing of personal confidence in ourselves coming through faith in Christ (Philippians 4:13.

  • The life of faith does not go unrewarded in this life, even though its primary concern is the life to come.

  • Living by faith involves maintaining our faith.

  • There is a need to stand fast, for faith, if left alone, will die (I Corinthians 15:1-2.

  • We must take care to hold fast so that unbelief will not replace faith and we fall away (Hebrews 3:12-14.

  • Otherwise, we might not get to enter into the promised land because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:15-19.

  • If we should come short of entering His rest, it will be because the gospel was not united by faith in us (Hebrews 4:1-2.

  • Faith comes by the word, but the word must also be united with personal faith in those who hear it!

  • We live by faith when we add virtues of Christian character to it (II Peter 1:5-7.

  • How can one say that he has faith or is faithful, when year after year he continues to woefully lack in these virtues of Christian character? Living by faith means the addition of these virtuous traits. For that reason we need to be all the more diligent in the increasing of those qualities (II Peter 1:8-11.

  • To be sure we do not fall from our own steadfastness, we need to “grow in the frace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:17-18.

  • To summarize:

  • A “faithful” Christian is one who takes his faith very seriously.

  • Because it is essential to his salvation.

  • Because it is essential to receive God’s blessings now and ultimately eternal life!

  • A “faithful” Christian is one who lives by faith. Are you “living by faith?”

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.


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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

LD

March 08, 2012

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  • II Corinthians 4:18 - things which are not seen are eternal
  • The Word of God
  • Jesus Christ, the Son of God
    • Men once saw Him (John 1:14.
    • He has and always will be in existence (John 1:1-2.
    • Today we see Him by faith as He is the author of our faith (Hebrews 12:2.
  • The Church of Christ
    • The church in the sense of the kingdom of heaven is an eternal kingdom, as seen in prophecy (Isaiah 9:7.
    • God translates the saved into Christ’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13.
    • On the last day, Christ will deliver the kingdom to the Father (I Corinthians 15:24.
    • As Christians, we must live faithfully so that we might not fall because the kingdom is an eternal kingdom (II Peter 1:10-11.
  • The inward soul of man
    • There is a spiritual body (I Corinthians 15:42.
    • We are warned against losing our soul (Matthew 10:28.
    • The soul of man is held accountable before God (Luke 12:20.
    • The inherently infinite value of the soul is based upon its eternal nature (Matthew 16:26-27.
    • When everything is destroyed on the last day, the eternal soul of man will live on.
  • The spiritual eternal body
    • To be alive in eternity, a body and a spirit must be united. This is why there will be a general resurrection. The body of eternity will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual, and bearing the image of the heavenly (I Corinthians 15:42-49.
    • The resurrection of Christ is our proof (II Corinthians 4:14.
    • Our temporal, temporary, and mortal tent will be replaced by an eternally permanent house called “life” (II Corinthians 5:1-4.
  • Weight of glory (or) the crown of life
  • Heaven - eternal life
    • The eternal soul of man has an anchor in the hope of heaven (Hebrews 6:18-19.
    • Eternal life is promised as having a water which, having been given, one will never thirst again (John 4:14.
    • It is the will of God that you have eternal life by way of the eternal word of God (John 6:40.
    • In heaven, there will be no possibility of being lost (John 10:28.
    • If you cannot see the yet unseen - yourself in eternity with God - they you will not see the need to be obedient to the gospel of Christ (Acts 13:46.
    • What will motivate a person to obey the Lord? Seeing the unseen. Seeing Jesus the author and finisher of faith and seeing themselves in the yet unseen “eternal life” (Acts 13:48.
    • What is it that motivates the Christian to persevere? Seeking “for glory, honor and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:7.
    • Do you see the outcome of your life as a faithful Christian (Romans 6:22?
    • Are you then sowing spiritual things (Galatians 6:8?
    • May we all be admonished with a view of eternal life (I Timothy 6:12.
    • Obeying Christ is the means to obtaining eternal life (Hebrews 5:9.
    • In Christ, we have been called to His eternal glory (I Peter 5:10.
    • Eternal life is our promise (I John 2:25.
  • The gospel of Christ is not temporal, temporary, or carnal. It is an eternal gospel with eternal consequences (Revelation 14:6.

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.


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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

LD

March 07, 2012

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For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.


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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

LD

March 06, 2012

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For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.


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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

LD

March 05, 2012

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  • Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17.

  • God attested Jesus with miracles (Acts 2:22

  • Multitudes responded to the miracles (Matthew 15:31

  • Concerning miracles

  • Many exclaim “miracle” when none has occurred.

  • When someone is healing rapidly

  • For the most natural of events

  • When someone escapes injury or death

  • Claims of miracles: apparitions, delusions, superstitions, frauds, modern day fake “faith” healers

  • Many do not believe in miracles today or in the Bible

  • Believers believe in the miracles of the Bible, but not in modern day miracles.

  • Efforts are often to preach “faith in the miracles,” but need to be preaching to produce faith via the miracles

  • The role of miracles

  • Faith came from the Word (Christ) (Romans 10:7

  • God attested to Christ via miracles (Acts 2:22

  • Today faith comes from the Word revealed (Romans 10:7

  • The miracles were written that you might believe (John 20:30-31

  • What the miracles regarding Jesus tell us about Jesus

  • Jesus is Lord of Creation

  • Chemistry

  • Water into wine (John 2:1-11 - the better wine

  • Feeding 5000 plus women and children with five loves, two fish … with twelve baskets leftover (Matthew 14:21

  • Feeding 4000 plus women and children (Matthew 15:38 … using seven loaves with seven “large” baskets leftover

  • Biology

  • Cursed the fig tree (Matthew 21:19-22

  • His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14

  • The sea

  • Walking on water (Matthew 14:25

  • Peace be still (Mark 4:39

  • Jesus is Lord over distance (space)

  • Healing nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54

  • Healing Centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13

  • Jesus is Lord over the curse of sin: sickness

  • Healing the blind man (John 9

  • The lepers (Luke 17:1-19

  • The lame, crippled, dumb, and others (Matthew 15:30-31

  • Jesus is Lord over the spirit world - casting out demons

  • Seven demons of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2

  • The naed man and the Legion of demons which entered the swine (Matthew 8:28-34

  • Jesus is Lord over the curse: death

  • Raising son of widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17

  • Raising Jairus’ daughter (Mark 6

  • Raising Lazarus (John 11

  • The blessing of believing in the miracles (Luke 7:22-23

  • The resurrection of Jesus

  • God made Jesus both Lord and Christ by His resurrection (Acts 2:24

  • The gospel message (I Corinthians 15:3-4

  • God raised up Jesus (Acts 3:15

  • Declared the Son of God by the resurrection (Romans 1:4

  • Therefore all men must confess Him (Romans 10:8-10

  • All men must obey the plan of salvation (Acts 2:38-41.

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.


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