Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I hope that all of you are having a very good week. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post the sermon once again.
This has been a fairly calm week in the weather department for my area. Over the last few weeks, we've had flooding, tornadoes and hail. My town has come through unscathed, but others have had significant damage. I thank the Lord that my town is good, but I would ask that you all pray for those who have to deal with storm damage.
Please continue to pray for those who are dealing with outbreaks of disease around the world. Pray for those in Congo dealing with the Ebola virus, and pray for those in several different countries who are experiencing an uptick in measles cases.
Let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in the nations of Algeria and Qatar. Pray that many will hear about the love and grace of the Lord Jesus.
Over the past weeks, we have been in the midst of a series of messages dealing with false teachings that cropped up in New Testament times. We have seen in previous messages that Jesus Himself dealt with two areas of false teaching during the time that He was ministering on this earth.
After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, the Apostles had to deal with false teachings that started to emerge within the church. One of the false teachings that started up had to be quickly dealt with by the Apostle Paul. This false teaching is called antinomianism. This is a belief that claims that since we are saved by grace, we no longer have to keep the commandments as outlined in other places in the Bible. Some even went so far as to say that since we are under grace, we should sin so that grace could abound to us more and more.
We see Paul's response to this clearly in the book of Romans. In Romans 6:1-2 Paul states, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" Paul goes on to say in Romans 6:15. "What then? Shall we sin because we are no longer under the law but under grace? By no means!" Paul will go on to say that we have been set free from sin by Jesus so that we can become servants of righteousness.
The Bible is quite clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not be works. Grace is a gift of God. However, the Bible is also quite clear that we are to live lives of holiness. In Hebrews 12:14 it tells us that without a life of holiness, no one shall see God. James tells us in his epistle that good works and a life lived righteously are evidences of a true possession of saving faith. I John 5:3 states, "Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome."
I think that we can clearly see that the Bible does not support the ideas of antinomianism is any way, shape or form. We are saved from sin so that we might be holy and sanctified unto the Lord. We are to live lives of good works so that others will see our good deeds and give glory to the Father who is in Heaven.
Now, how does this idea of sin and holiness play itself out in our world today. I believe that the idea that comes closest to the antinomian idea today is the attitude toward sin that many Christians seem to possess. For instance, I've heard many express the idea that they can sin and that God will forgive them. It's no big deal. They will say something like, "I know it's wrong, but if I do it, God will forgive me anyway."
This attitude towards sin and forgiveness is not the attitude that a Christian should have according to Scripture. The Bible says that we are to have the same mindset within us that was in Jesus Christ. Paul will tell us in Romans 12 that we are to present ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice that is holy to the Lord. I John 3:6 tells us, "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him." The Christian is called upon to work to eradicate from sin from his life.
Now, I'm not saying, and the Bible is not saying that Christians never sin. However, the Bible calls on believers in Jesus to have the proper attitude towards sin. We are to have the same attitude as Jesus did. We are to seek the things of God and seek with the power of the Holy Spirit to live a life without sin.
If we do sin, we are to confess our sins to the Lord. In I John it tells us that if we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just and He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We should never have a casual attitude about sin. We should never take the grace and mercy of the Lord for granted. Those who truly have a deep love for Jesus within their hearts will want to obey Him and serve Him.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the sermon on Saturday, Lord willing. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. I will have a review of a dog book on Wednesday. Before I close this week, I would ask for your prayers. I am currently working at a job that is very difficult. Please pray that the Lord will help me in a special way this week. May God bless you all. Amen.
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