Here's The Deal (Part 2) Series

Sunday Morning October 7, 2001 Bel Aire Baptist Church, Hobbs, NM

Series: Discipleship[#3]

HERE’S THE DEAL (PART 2)

John 8:31-32

Introduction:

This is the second part of this sermon concerning the requirements of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Last week we identified Who we are to be disciples of and why.

This morning we will look at the second requirement of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Turn with me to John 8:31-32.

Just as we did last week, we need to answer a couple of questions before we can identify this requirement.

What Is The Bible?

A. What does the world say?

1. A good book.

2. A radical book.

3. An outdated book that is not relevant for today‘s problems.

B. What did Jesus say?

1. His teachings.

2. The truth (John 14:6).

3. Jesus is the living Word (John 1:1).

C. What do you say?

1. Is the Bible meaningful and useful in your life?

2. Do you live by the truths that the Bible teaches? Do you even know what those truths are?

3. Paul tells us that Scripture is God-breathed.

II. What Is The Bible’s Uses?

A. Leads to salvation (2 Timothy 3:15).

1. Even in year 2001, the Bible gives us the direction to how to be saved.

2. The Bible tells us why we must be saved.

3. The Bible tells us Who does the saving and from what.

B. After salvation (2 Timothy 3:16).

1. Teaching.

2. Rebuking.

3. Correcting.

4. Training in righteousness.

C. Thoroughly equipped for good works.

1. This is talking about living the Word of God in your life.

2. Does your life reflect the Word?

3. We are not to just have head knowledge about the Word of God but we are to be applying it, using it in our lives.

III. Here’s The Deal (John 8:31-32)

A. Hold to the Word.

Illustration:

If asked one of our new mothers here this morning to bring their child up front to me so that I could him or her, that is exactly what that mother would expect me to do. The mother would not hand her baby over if she thought for one moment that I would drop the baby, or the throw the baby, or swing the baby around, would she? She would expect me to take great care and concern about how I held her baby and I would not be allowed to take any chances at all.

1. We are to hold on to the Word of God with care.

2. When you read the Word or you hear the Word you are to hold to it in your life with great care and at all cost.

3. Notice in our passage, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you will hold to His teachings, His Word. There is no option given for the disciple.

B. Know the truth.

1. What is the opposite of the truth? A lie.

2. We live in a time that is very hard sometimes to figure out what is truth and what is not truth.

Illustration:

With three children, I can assure you that there are fights going on between those three children all of the time. There is also many things that get broken and tore up. I can also assure you that when I try to figure out who is the guilty party so that I can punish that person, I always hear, “It wasn’t me, so and so did it.” It has come to the point that I just “whip” everyone because I don’t know what is truth and what is not.

3. Jesus is telling us that if we will follow His teachings that we will find the truth in all things.

C. You will be set free.

1. Don’t we all want to be free?

2. You may be saying, “I am free”. I want to tell you this morning that you may live in a country that allows us to have many types of freedom, but if you do not have Jesus as your Savior, you are not free.

3. I am going to even go another step and say that there are many of you in here this morning that have been set free by Jesus Christ, but you have allowed the chains of sin to bind you and trip you up.

Conclusion:

What is the solution?

Hold to Jesus’ teachings and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Are you free this morning, or does the devil and the world have you in chains?