Sermon Central
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The Call Of The Faithful
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jan 17, 2016 (message contributor)
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1. Seeing The Word Of Life
Contributed on Jan 17, 2016
The Word of Life is 1) Unchangeable (1 John 1:1a), 2) Historical (1 John 1:1b–2a), 3) Communicable (1 John 1:2b–3a), 4) Relational (1 John 1:3b), and 5) Joyful (1 John 1:4).
We live in an era that looks with suspicion on any type of certainty or conviction about the truth. Our society has abandoned the idea of absolutes, choosing instead to arbitrarily grant equal validity to every opinion and philosophical musing. Sadly, today’s church, influenced by the ...read more
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2. Growing God’s Way
Contributed on Mar 5, 2016
1) General Reassurance (1 John 2:12), 2) Assurance to Spiritual Children (1 John 2:13c), 3) Assurance to Spiritual Young Men (1 John 2:13b, 14b), 4) Assurance to Spiritual Fathers (1 John 2:13a, 14a)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging global leaders to rely more on government spending and less on monetary policy to spur growth as he prepares a budget that will push (Canada) into deficit. This week, Statistics Canada reported that output grew just 1.2 per cent in 2015, down from ...read more
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3. The Passing Of The World
Contributed on Apr 2, 2016
1) The Command not to love the world (1 John 2:15a), and 2) Reasons believers are not to love the world (1 John 2:15b–17).
A suicide bomber slaughtered 72 people and wounded more than 200 in a park in Lahore Pakistan last Sunday. Immediately after Sunday’s attack, thousands of Islamists marched from Rawalpindi to nearby Islamabad, commemorating what they regard as Qadri’s martyrdom. Pakistan’s prime ...read more
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4. Children Of The Resurrection
Contributed on May 27, 2016
Children of the Resurrection are not marked by 1) Murder (1 John 3:12, 14), 2) Hatred (1 John 3:13, 15), and 3) Indifference toward other children of God (1 John 3:16–18).
A recent story in a popular magazine gave some suggestions for “How to Heal a Family Feud.” It was sprinkled with anecdotes of families torn apart by petty squabbles, carefully nursed grudges, perceived and real hurts, and substantial doses of anger. But there were also stories of happy ...read more
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5. From Darkness To Light
Contributed on Apr 16, 2016
1) The Characteristics of Antichrists (1 John 2:18–19, 22–23, 26), 2) The Characteristics of Christians (1 John 2:20–21, 24–25, 27)
If you listen or watch what is claimed to be Christian TV or radio, some of the (false) teachers openly espouse gross Christological heresies. You can see bizarre blasphemies like the teaching of Creflo Dollar that Jesus did not come to earth as God in human flesh (Creflo Dollar, ...read more
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6. Overcome The World
Contributed on Jun 25, 2016
John gives three characteristics of an overcomer in 1 John 5:1–5: 1) Faith in the truth (1 John 5: 1a, 4–5), 2) Love for God and others (1 John 5:1b), and 3) Obedience to the Word (1 John 5:2–3).
Nike is one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel as a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24.1 billion (in its fiscal year 2012 ending May 31, 2012). It employs more than 44,000 people worldwide. In 2014 the brand alone is valued at $19 ...read more
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7. Love In Action
Contributed on May 21, 2016
1) Assurance of being in the truth (vv. 19–20), 2) Give confidence that prayer will be answered (vv. 21–22), and 3) Assure the believer of union with Christ (vv. 23–24).
Have you ever been praying and suddenly your conscience says something like this to you: “Look at you! Who do you think you are to come before God and ask anything from him! Why just this week you did things and said things that would disqualify you from ever receiving anything from God. ...read more
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8. Free From Sin
Contributed on Apr 29, 2016
1) Sin is incompatible with the law of God (1 John 3:4), 2) it is incompatible with the work of Christ (1 John 3:5–8), and 3) it is incompatible with the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:9–10).
One of the first questions we ask when we hear of the birth of a baby is, “Who does she look like?” Features such as physical appearance, including the color of hair and eyes, facial characteristics, the shape of the mouth or nose, height and build, are given at birth. Later on, as the ...read more
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9. Know The Word
Contributed on Jul 16, 2016
1) The Confidence that Faith Furnishes (1 John 5:13), 2) The Prayer that Faith Enables (1 John 5:14-17), 3) The Understanding that Faith Grants (1 John 5:18-21)
Life in this fallen world is filled with uncertainty, with few guarantees and little that can be depended on. Jobs vanish as companies downsize and outsource. The volatility of the stock market, the fluctuations of the economy, and increasing taxes create further uncertainty. Relationships come and ...read more
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10. Fix Your Hope
Contributed on Apr 23, 2016
Biblical hope: it is 1) Secured by abiding (1 John 2:28), 2) Manifested by righteousness (1 John 2:29), 3) Established by love (1 John 3:1), 4) Fulfilled by Christlikeness (1 John 3:2), and it is 5) Characterized by purity (1 John 3:3).
On the closing day of the 41st Parliament last June, the Conservative government’s final gesture was to stand for the second reading of Bill C-53, the Life Means Life Act. Its stated goal was to lock up the most vile murderers for the rest of their natural lives. Nicholson, responsible for ...read more
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11. Measure Your Faith
Contributed on Jan 24, 2016
1) An accurate belief in the nature of God (1 John 1:5), and 2) A genuine belief in the certainty of sin (1 John 1:6, 8, 10)
Ever since the fall, humanity has tried to deny the reality of sin, even though every human being is innately aware of its presence. (cf. Rom. 2:14-16). People today minimize and redefine sin, often alleging that the “failures” of their lives and certain “disorders” exist ...read more
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12. The Litmus Test Of Love
Contributed on Jun 11, 2016
1) Perfect Love & the Character of God (1 Jn. 4:7–8), 2) Perfect Love & the Coming of Christ (1 Jn. 4:9–11), 3) Perfect Love & the Christian’s Claim of Faith (1 Jn. 4:12–16), 4) Perfect Love & the Christian’s Confidence in Judgment (1 Jn. 4:17-21).
In scientific experimentation, a Litmus Test is a test to establish the acidity or alkalinity of a mixture. The phrase has also been applied metaphorically to represent a crucial test using a single issue or factor as the basis for judgment. (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © ...read more
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13. Confession & A Transparent Life
Contributed on Jan 31, 2016
True believers are 1) Cleansed from sin (1 John 1:7); yet, 2) Confessing sin (1 John 1:9); and even 3) Conquering sin (1 John 2;1a).
On April 29, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI met with a delegation of aboriginal Canadians he had invited to the Vatican at the request of the bishops of Canada. On the topic of residential schools, Benedict expressed “his sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the ...read more
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14. Our Advocate
Contributed on Feb 8, 2016
1) The believers’ Defense Attorney (1 John 2:1b)and 2) The Perfect Propitiation for their sins (1 John 2:2).
This week, the sexual assault trial of Jian Ghomeshi began with emotional testimony from a woman who said the disgraced former CBC star punched her in the head during an evening at his Toronto home in 2003. Mr. Ghomeshi is facing four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance, ...read more
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15. Keep The Faith
Contributed on Feb 21, 2016
John’s moral test for genuine salvation consists of: 1) The Test Stated (1 John 2:3), 2) The Test Applied (1 John 2:4–5) and 3) The Test Exemplified (1 John 2:6)
Most of us don’t like tests. Tests conjure up bad images in our minds: that horrible math final exam your senior year in high school, that stress test the doctor has ordered, or that dreaded driver’s license test with a dour instructor in the car with you demanding that you display ...read more
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16. Testimony Of God
Contributed on Jul 9, 2016
1) the particulars of the Father’s testimony to the Son (1 John 5:6–9), the apostle reveals 2) the purpose of that testimony (1 John 5:11), and, finally, closes this section by illustrating 3) its power (1 John 5:10, 12).
There is a group of people that claim to be the witnesses of God, they even call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. And they claim to be propagating the truth that God wants revealed. They claim to be echoing the witness of God. But the truth that God once revealed, the true witness of Jehovah God is ...read more
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17. Spirits Among Us
Contributed on Jun 4, 2016
John provides 1) A Command to test (1 John 4:1a) 2) A Reason to test (1 John 4:1b) and 3) Guidelines on how to test (1 John 4:2-6) the Spirits/False teachers in our midst.
James Marshall, the first to discover gold in California in 1848, and the “forty-niners” who followed him, used the term eureka, meaning “I have found it”. Other would-be prospectors quickly learned that not everything that appeared to be gold actually was. Riverbeds and ...read more