Doug Norman
The devil has schemes and strategies to tempt us to fall. Yet, God's Word calls us to stand! The largest battlefield is our mind. It is satan's grand target - if he can get the mind - he will eventually have access to the heart. To combat this, we are told to put on the helmet of salvation. This includes guarding four areas of thought: Our identity, How we think about daily living, Our destiny, Things that should be forgotten and things that should be remembered.
As this sermon series comes to a close, the question is asked, "What makes a church great?" Is it great attendance, giving more to the poor and needy, vibrant worship - all these may be good things but they certainly do not make a church GREAT! What makes a church GREAT is the love of Jesus Christ that is revealed there by His people. As followers of Christ, we are called to love, but in order to love as God calls us - it will take the inner working of the Holy Spirit.
John chapter 13 captures one of the most amazing scenes in all of scripture; Jesus Christ washing His disciples feet! It teaches His followers the blessing of humility and the power of serving one another. In this message we discuss the call to love, serve, and prefer one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. In order to fully embrace this call, you must first know who you are in Christ!
In this fifth part of the series we look at the deeper meaning of "godliness." In simple terms, godliness is holy living, but as we look closer, we find that it is holy living which can only flow from a heart which is captivated by the glory of Jesus Christ. As we see the greatness of Christ and what God has done for us through Him, we are stirred to good works.
The Bible is full of verses that exhort us to patiently wait on God. Waiting is harder and harder to do in what has become a "microwave," instant society. However, if we are going to see God's hand move in our situation, we must learn to patiently endure!
As we continue the series "Partakers of the Divine Nature," we look at the Christian virtue of temperance. God calls us to live 'self-controlled' lives in the midst of an indulgent society. Throughout scripture we see God's command to "control" the flesh. We must make every effort to be sure we are being led by God's Word and the Holy Spirit - and not the flesh.
Spiritual knowledge combats false teaching and the lies of the devil. Hosea the prophet declared that God's people were being destroyed by their lack of knowledge. It is no wonder then that the second virtue, 2 Peter 1:5 tells us to add, is knowledge. We must be active in our pursuit of understanding God and His ways!
It does not matter what the world does around us, the Lord has provided everything we need to live godly lives. In this sermon series, we will cover the seven characteristics that according to God's word will cause our lives to bear fruit and bring spiritual stability
The follower of Christ is empowered for Christian living and ministry by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 3:6, Paul tells the church that he and His ministry team were made "able ministers," which means qualified and adequately empowered! The scriptures call us to be full of the Holy Spirit. Let us seek daily to follow this command.
God never chooses us based on our resume. Many of us have a desire to be witnesses for Christ and for our lives to be used for God's glory. However, we often set out to accomplish this task in our own strength. Moses attempted this and failed, but by God's mercy, God's calling stayed on Moses and he learned that who God calls, He equips!
