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10 years ago
20150604
Nehemiah 9 - Grace Greater Than All Our Sins
At Northwest Bible Fellowship
20140515
Psalm 51 Summary
Outline
- v1-2
- Requesting to be washed from sin
- v3-6
- Honestly acknowledging our sin
- v7-9
- Wash me so I may be clean and have joy
- v10-12
- Wash me so that I can have You with me, and so I can have Your Holy Spirit
- v13
- Wash me so that I may turn others to You
- v14-15
- Wash me so I may sing and praise You
- v16-19
- Wash me so I may bring a pleasing sacrifice
Key v13
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
If I want to have a significant positive influence on other people, I need to be washed from my sins first, then I can.
Application
I'll set aside some time on Saturday evenings to examine my life for sin, and to come up with specific practical actions to take in order to change.
20131206
Matthew 27:1-31 - Reconsidering when we're set in our ways
Outline
- v1-2
- "When the morning was come..."--what kinds of things do we do in the morning?
- v3-10
- Judas tried to repent, and the council bought a potters field with the money
- v11-14
- Jesus didn't argue back
- v15-18
- Pilate gave the people a choice between Jesus and Barabbas
- v19
- Pilate's wife warned him
- v20-23
- The council and the crowd insisted for Barabbas to be released and Jesus to be crucified
- v24-26
- Pilate tried to transfer the responsibility
- v27-31
- The band of soldiers mistreated Jesus
Key v19
When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
Sometimes we're already set in our ways to carry out a certain activity and the Lord lets something happen to warn us. We shouldn't merely dismiss the warning and continue in our sin like we had planned.
Application 1 Corinthians 10:12
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
When something happens or somebody says something to make me unsure whether I'm going the right way, I'll reconsider it before the Lord even if I was already set in my ways.
20130926
Matthew 22:1-22 - Outline
- v1-7
- The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a wedding
- v8-10
- The Lord used the unworthiness of some to provide opportunities for others
- v11-14
- One was called but not chosen because he did not have the garment
- v15-22
- The Lord provided a marvelous response to a very difficult situation
20130903
Exodus 16 - Outline
- v1-3
- Israel complained against God and His servants because they were hungry
- v4-12
- God told them that He would send food
- v13-15
- The Lord sent manna
- v16-18
- The Lord provided just the right amounts
- v19-21
- The Lord's provision was day by day
- v22-30
- We should rest when it is the Lord's time for us to rest
- v31-36
- We should prepare to tell future generations about the Lord
20130823
It Is Sin To Allow Bad Depictions From Videos
The Bible Provides Instructions That Apply To Videos
Here are four objectionable depictions that are in videos:
We Are Affected By Listening To Things
You may argue that, "A video I watch is just an inconsequential external situation. It doesn't affect me." But paying attention to it is a decision from your heart, and it is sinful to make bad decisions about what to watch. Jesus warned that merely looking at a woman with bad motives is equivalent to immoral action in your heart.
As a matter of fact, it is reckless to pay attention to wrong messages. Proverbs warn, "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causes] to err from the words of knowledge." (19:27) "A wicked doer gives heed to false lips; [and] a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue." (17:4) "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked." (29:12)
1 Timothy 4:1 warns, "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." This applies directly to videos containing occult messages. Some people go away from believing in Christ, lending an ear to such messages. So these are things that we need to make sure not to give heed to.
Fictitious Depictions Still Evoke Real Sins
You may argue that video content is not sinful because "It is not real." However, when it comes to sin, it's the thought that counts. When God sent the flood during the time of Noah, part of the problem was the wicked people's evil imaginations. When sinful ideas are portrayed in videos, the portrayals may be synthesized through special effects, but they still convey messages. Remember that Philippians 4:8 instructs us to think about virtuous things.
There Are Some Objects That Can Be Sinful To Keep
You might argue that it is OK to obtain or keep videos because they are just physical objects and "There is nothing unclean of itself..." (Romans 14:14), but that is taking that verse out of context. The videos may merely be objects, but obtaining or keeping them is an action, and actions can obviously be sins.
Generally, people keep videos to display, and people watch them to give heed to the messages they convey. Videos are effective at conveying messages and examples, and there can definitely be messages and examples that are bad. In that way, videos today are similar to books in history. As there have been books with bad content, there are videos with bad content.
Not all videos have bad content, but many do. With our videos that contain bad messages, let's take the example from the believers dealing with sinful books during the revival in Acts 19:19: "Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [people]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it to be] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver." (paraphrased)
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Paraphrased from Philippians 4:8)You might have thought that the Bible does not say anything about the videos that we watch (TV, movies, home videos, and Internet videos). However, the Bible does instruct us what kinds of things we should think about, and that applies to watching videos.
Here are four objectionable depictions that are in videos:
- violence
- immodesty
- bad language
- the occult
We Are Affected By Listening To Things
You may argue that, "A video I watch is just an inconsequential external situation. It doesn't affect me." But paying attention to it is a decision from your heart, and it is sinful to make bad decisions about what to watch. Jesus warned that merely looking at a woman with bad motives is equivalent to immoral action in your heart.
As a matter of fact, it is reckless to pay attention to wrong messages. Proverbs warn, "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causes] to err from the words of knowledge." (19:27) "A wicked doer gives heed to false lips; [and] a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue." (17:4) "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked." (29:12)
1 Timothy 4:1 warns, "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." This applies directly to videos containing occult messages. Some people go away from believing in Christ, lending an ear to such messages. So these are things that we need to make sure not to give heed to.
Fictitious Depictions Still Evoke Real Sins
You may argue that video content is not sinful because "It is not real." However, when it comes to sin, it's the thought that counts. When God sent the flood during the time of Noah, part of the problem was the wicked people's evil imaginations. When sinful ideas are portrayed in videos, the portrayals may be synthesized through special effects, but they still convey messages. Remember that Philippians 4:8 instructs us to think about virtuous things.
There Are Some Objects That Can Be Sinful To Keep
You might argue that it is OK to obtain or keep videos because they are just physical objects and "There is nothing unclean of itself..." (Romans 14:14), but that is taking that verse out of context. The videos may merely be objects, but obtaining or keeping them is an action, and actions can obviously be sins.
Generally, people keep videos to display, and people watch them to give heed to the messages they convey. Videos are effective at conveying messages and examples, and there can definitely be messages and examples that are bad. In that way, videos today are similar to books in history. As there have been books with bad content, there are videos with bad content.
Not all videos have bad content, but many do. With our videos that contain bad messages, let's take the example from the believers dealing with sinful books during the revival in Acts 19:19: "Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [people]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it to be] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver." (paraphrased)
20130801
Matthew 16 - Outline
- v1-4
- The request for a sign
- v5-12
- A warning about leaven
- v13-17
- Who people say Jesus is, and who He really is
- v18-19
- Peter was blessed because God revealed to Him who Jesus really is
- v20-28
- Jesus foretold the death He would suffer and the glory that would follow
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