Love God, Love Others

Deuteronomy 5:1-21

The reason most folks struggle with the Ten Commandments is that they have never established a personal relationship with the Author.

It was these commandments that would draw God's people

into conformity with his pure character and

draw other nations around them into his perfect plan of salvation.

1^st  v.7 You shall have no other gods before me.

 In light of that relationship of loyalty to God, we should not worship any created person or being, for that would come between his love for you and your love for him.

If you want to live a life, one that is filled with peace, joy, and wholesomeness, then worship the true Author of life, the one and only living God. Don't give your life over to nongods such as position, power, and possessions. Don't turn to family, friends, networking, psychics, self-help philosophies, new-age philosophies, health and wealth religions, etc.

Fear God not Man

This sermon was preached on July 21, 2013.

(Luke 12:1-12)

The pressure of the Pharisees' example, along with the rise of persecution,

prompts Jesus to warn his disciples about whose opinion they value.

Peer pressure is a given in any culture. The power of those who seek conformity is very strong.

Persecution methods can be strong, controlling and painful.

Economic pressure was also sometimes applied, along with social ostracism.

1. Fear God not man so you won’t live a double life.

Jesus had a very large following. Evidently its size kept increasing.

v.1  ..crowds grew until thousands …“Beware of the yeast…their hypocrisy.

Popularity can breed a desire to remain popular and thus to soften the hard truth of our sinfulness before God.

The Gospel and Human wisdom

This sermon was preached on July 14, 2013

The Bible does not turn away from this reality: that the gospel may not make sense to everyone. 
But neither does it turn away from another truth...

Intro. To Corinthians     

"All of this evidence together suggests that Paul's Corinth was at once the New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas of the ancient world."

The Gospel as a contradiction to human wisdom (1:18-25)

He pointed out that the gospel is not a form of Sophia (human wisdom).

Its message of a crucified Messiah does not appeal to human wisdom

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!

But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.