3 Minute Sermons

Obedience is the Key

2011-07-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;" - 1 Peter 1:22-23

As Christians we are asked to fulfill the law by loving one another. We are called to act on obedience, not conscience, and we are called to this action not for reward, but for the sake of fulfillment. For in the fulfillment of Providence we are given life, a gift beyond reward.

"Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say."

- Philemon 1:21

The Christian and Homosexuality

2011-04-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Questions about homosexuality are becoming more prominent to Christians. The bible states that homosexuality is a sin; simple fact. But often times we focus on the sin and forget about the sinner. Sin is an action. We are taught to hate the sin and love the sinner. God has placed very few of us in places of judgment and justice. Know you're role.

One of the greatest problems with this, is those who take pride in their sin. By doing so, they are taking a direct opposition to God's will. But, even here, we must persevere.

"But he who is joined with all the living has hope..." - Ecclesiastes 9:4

We must always strive to save those who are lost. We must always try to lead the lost to their repentance.

We must always love.

"If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,' if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you."

- 2 Chronicles 6 36:39

Procrastination on Salvation

2011-03-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." - John 4:35

Everyday, how many people do you pass who needed you to speak to them? How many, through a simple engagement could have received the salvation of their soul. Are we that busy?

Consider that 80% of Americans consider themselves Christians. Many of them are lying. But if everyone spoke to just one non-believer, how long would it take for everyone to have been sincerely witnessed to? How many would come to know him?

Now is the time! And here is where we start! But I'm a little busy right now, so my maybe tomorrow is better.

"For he says,

"In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you."

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise."
- 2 Corinthians 6 : 2-8

Consistency and Accountability

2011-03-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

“For I the LORD do not change…” - Malachi 3:6

Nor should we. We do, but we must strive for consistency, for our testimony relies on it. Many lie in wait, to catch you in your moment of failure; they want to see nothing more than to bring you down by your own actions.

They point to others who claim membership to the church, citing what they have done or said. But remember, while we must hold our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable, in the end, we can truly really only hold ourselves.

Hold yourself accountable in all things you do. In all things you do be the glory of God.

“Have no fear of them,nor be troubled, butin your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness andrespect, having a good conscience, so that,when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

- 1 Peter 3:14-16

The Problem of Evil

2011-03-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

Long ago, Epicurus once said,

"Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?"

There is no doubt this question is not easily resolved. But there is also no doubt to God's endless love and majesty.

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

- 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

It is not that God is not willing, or is not able, to abolish evil, but it is that He manifests that power though man, and his willingness and ability to resist evil. It is not God's problem with evil, it is our own.

Do what is Right.

2011-03-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." - Genesis 4:7

When we do what is right, not by us, but by God, we gain a momentum to our lives through it. But when we do what is wrong, we lose that momentum, that movement, and stop following God in our moment of failure. We often feel as if we are dragging our feet through the muck in life. With a short review, we can see that our choices have stopped us from moving at all.

Ignore all that is not right, that is not good, that is not of God. We must get moving, we must finish the race.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

- 2 Timothy 4:7