Envy
Envy is a disordered love that is dissatisfied with the lack or perceived insufficient measure of gifts and vocations given by God, and which resents another person for the presence or greater measure of those same gifts.
Proverbs 14:30
Pride
Pride is a disordered love that seeks to exalt myself above God and His will for my life, refusing to accept my God-given limitations.
Proverbs 16:18
The Seven Root Vices
In our struggle against sin, it is important that we learn to cut the root vices that feed sin, and to practice habits that encourage virtues that feed godly character.
Proverbs 5:21-23
Enduring To Victory
Spiritual warfare is a lifelong battle, and we must draw strength from Jesus so that we do not grow weary but endure until final victory.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Our Enemies – The World, the Flesh, the Devil
Our enemies in spiritual warfare are Satan, the fallen world, and our sinful nature, and we must resist their attacks and overcome them.
Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 6:12
The Fugitive’s Faithful Father
Despite David’s sin and unfaithfulness, God was faithful to save David and fulfill His covenant promises.
1 Samuel 28:1-2; 29:1-30:8 (30:1-8)
The Fugitive’s Fear
When David does not seek God and trust in His Word but instead acts based on his internal fears, he wanders into a period of exile and sin.
1 Samuel 26-28:2 (1 Samuel 27:1)
Why We Sing
We often hold two completely contradictory expectations of how God will respond when we turn to Him for help. God would have us know that He rejoices over us.
Luke 15:1-32
Authentic Assurance From The True God
Christians know that they have eternal life, that God hears their prayers, that their sins are forgiven, and that they are protected by Christ because they know the One True God.
1 John 5:13-21
Authentic Regeneration and Its Effects
Christians have been regenerated, given a new nature, so that they can not embrace a Satanic life of lawlessness and sin.
1 John 3:4-10
The Authentic Christian In Action
Authentic Christian faith is seen not in the claim to know God, but in the fruit of faith – obeying God’s commands, walking as Jesus did, and loving other Christians.
1 John 2:3-11
Authentic Atonement
When we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus the Righteous One, who has provided authentic atonement for us – bearing the wrath of God and purifying us from sin, allowing us to freely come before the Father.
1 John 2: 1-2
The Authentic Response To Sin
If we deny our sin, we are deceived, but if we confess our sin, we are forgiven and cleansed.
1 John 1:5 – 2:2
Right and Wrong Responses To Sin
If we deny our sin, we are deceived, but if we confess our sin, we are forgiven and cleansed.
1 John 1:5-2:2
Shepherds – Spreading the Good News
Angels are mighty beings who stand in the presence of God and do His will, but they were awestruck at the mystery of the Incarnation and praised God.
Luke 2:8-20
How The Mighty Have Fallen
Saul fell because he did not really seek to know God and His will, preferring to attempt to manipulate God into blessing his own desires and actions.
1 Samuel 28-2 Samuel 1; 1 Chronicles 10 (1 Samuel 28:4-7; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; 2 Samuel 1:17-27)
A Wicked King
Over time, Saul’s sin grew from a lack of personal integrity to consulting witches – with devastating effects for himself and those under his leadership.
1 Samuel 18-28 (1 Samuel 18:20-22; 28:3-7)
The Glorious Gospel
The Gospel is the glorious news of God’s saving grace, and it shows us how Christ saves us from our sin and is received by faith alone, apart from our works.
Romans 1:16-17; 3:10-24
The Disintegration of Community
Note: Due to a technical problem, the audio of this teaching was lost. However, the detailed outline may be viewed or downloaded below.
Ever since the Fall, sin and culture have disintegrated community and encouraged isolation from God and one another.
Genesis 3:1-24
Our Present Call – Walking Dead To Sin
Christians have been made alive to God but dead to sin in Christ, and are called to live in light of that reality.
Romans 6:11-14
Our Past – Walking Dead To God
All of us by nature were walking dead to God in our sin, but He has made His people alive to God in Christ.
John 5:24-25
The Rebel Prays
Jonah’s prayer of thanksgiving from inside the fish is a model of crying out to God with His Word, but it also reveals Jonah’s lack of personal repentance and his lack of compassion for the lost.
Jonah 2
The Rebel Runs From God
Jonah was called to proclaim God’s word to the city of Nineveh, but he rebelled and tried to flee from God and His call, but God relentlessly pursued him and even the sailors whose lives Jonah endangered by his rebellion.
Jonah 1
Vines That Choke the Church
Churches can not grow, produce fruit and multiply if they are divided by pride, walk in disunity with other believers, lack compassion for the lost, or are not willing to pay the cost to follow and serve Christ.
Luke 9:46-10:2
The Grand Arraignment
Through Isaiah, God is bringing a covenant lawsuit against His people, exposing their sin, announcing their punishment, and offering forgiveness and reconciliation if they will repent.
Isaiah 1