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MID-WEEK PRAYER SERVICE OUTLINES
What Does
the Bible Really Say About Addictions? Ephesians
5:181. What is an addiction? "To
surrender oneself to something obsessively or habitually; a compulsive, habitual behavior that can be destructive" 2. Various types of addictions? Drugs (illegal
or legal) Chemicals (nicotine, caffeine, adrenaline, etc) Pleasure (shopping, work, food, etc) Attention Approval Relationships Security Dysfunctionalism Control Perfection Tradition Fear 3. God’s word to the Christian concerning addictions: Romans 6:16: “Do you not know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are
slaves of that one you obey--either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Key word? Slavery! 2
Peter 2:19: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome,
by him also he is brought into bondage. Key word? Bondage! Proverbs 20:1: "Wine makes people mock, liquor makes them
noisy, and everyone under their influence is unwise." Key words? Foolish behavior! Galatians
5:1: “Christ has liberated us into freedom. Therefore stand firm and don’t submit again to a yoke ofslavery.” Key word? Slavery! Galatians
5:21: “Envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I've told you in the past and I'm telling you again that
people who do these kinds of things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Key words? Indicates unsaved! 1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.”Key words?
The love of God is absent! Romans 7:20:
“Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.” Key
words? Under control of sin! 4. Understand this
about addictions:Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.” Key thought? Your addiction
becomes your God! “What the Old Testament called idolatry the modern world calls addictions.” Phillip YanceyJames
1:13: “No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil,
and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” 1 Peter 2:11:
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” Key thought? Death is result of addictions Romans 6:17: “But thank God
that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, and
having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of
your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness,
so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. Key thought? We are slaves
to sin or slaves of God! 5. Biblical ways to take to overcome addictions: Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that,
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Key point? Anticipate Jesus, deny addictions! Psalms 32:5: “I
acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” Key
point? Tell God all about it! Romans 3:23: “For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Key
point? You are not alone! 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Key point? Confess it and God will forgive you and clean you of it!
What
Does the Bible Really Say About Adoption? Galatians 4:1-7 1. Adopting us was expensive for God. Galatians 4:4-5;
Gal. 3:13 2. Adopting us means God had to satisfy His own legal requirements. Galatians 4:4-6 3. Adopting us means that God placed into us His Spirit
of Son-ship. Romans 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6; Mark
14:36 4. Adopting us means that God equips us to be like Him and His family. Romans 8:14 5. Adopting us means that God delivered us from a desperate
situation. Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 5: 6. Adopting us means that we
are God’s children eternally. Romans 8:30 7.
Adopting us means we are legal heirs of the Father and co-heirs with the Son. Gal. 4:6-7;
Romans 8:16 8. Adopting us means that we may suffer now but will enjoy glory later. Romans
8:22-23; Romans 8:18; 2 Corinth. 4:17
What
Does the Bible Really Say About Adoption? John
1:12-13; Galatians 4:4-7; Romans 8:14-17, 23 1. Adoption – the modern conceptAdoption is the process whereby a
person assumes the parenting role for another who is not kin and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. Adoption is intended to effect a permanent change
in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. 2. Adoption – the biblical conceptAdoption is that privilege given to the believer the title of son-ship placed publically upon
them by God. It does not come at salvation but is God’s gift because of our salvation. Adoption is a now – and
– later privilege. We are now the sons of God (I
John 3:2) but will be, in God’s presence, publically and legally placed into the position of Son-ship
with full rights to our inheritance. *Adoption
is not the same as Justification. Justification is the judicial act of God, by which He pardons all the sins of
those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law (Rom. 1:18)
In addition to the pardon of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified.
It is the act of a judge. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and
so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the
law (Rom.
5:1-10). It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness,
active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ (Rom.
10:3-9). *Adoption
is not the same Regeneration. Regeneration is an act of God whereby He bestows upon the believing sinner
new life. This life is God’s own life, the imparting of His own nature. God Himself is the Source and Bestower of His
life, so that believers are said to be “partakers of the Divine nature” (II
Peter 1:4), “created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians
2:10), “born of God” (John
1:13), “born again” (John
3:3, 7), “a new creation” (II
Corinthians 5:17). *Adoption is not the same as Redemption. Redemption is the act of redeeming, or the state of being redeemed; repurchase; ransom; release; rescue; deliverance;
as, the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo. Biblically, it is the procuring of God's favor by the sufferings and death
of Christ (1 Peter 1:17-19); the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin (Gal.
1:4) and the penalties of God's violated law (Gal. 3:13). My Father is rich in houses and lands; He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands! Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full-He has riches untold. My Father's own Son, the Savior of men, Once wandered o'er earth as the poorest of them; But now He is reigning forever on high, And will give me a home in heav'n by and by. I once was an outcast stranger on earth, A sinner by choice and an alien by birth; But I've been adopted; my name's written down- An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown. A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there! Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing: All glory to God I'm a child of the King. Chorus: I'm a child of the King, a child of the King! With
Jesus my Savior, I'm a child of the King! What Does the Bible Really Say About Apostasy? 1Tim. 4:1-3; 2
Tim. 4:1-5 1. Apostasy – What is it? Apostasy
or to be an apostate is an abandonment of one’s Christian faith; a person who has adopted Christianity as his religion
and advances into it to some degree, but then turns back to his original lifestyle. An apostate is one who has had intellectual
knowledge of Christ and experienced many of the external benefits of Christianity and yet had no true saving faith. It is
a willful, deliberate departure from God, and is never accidental. 2. Apostasy – What brings it to the surface? A. Persecution; Matt. 24:9-12 B. False teachers; Matt. 24:11-12 C. Temptation; Eph. 2:2-3 D. Worldliness; 2 Tim. 4:10 E. Neglect; Hebrews 2:33 F. Hardened hearts; Hebrews 3:7-12 G. Religion; Hebrews 6:4-5
3. Apostasy – Who can commit it? A. Unsaved people outside the church; 2 Tim. 3:1-9 B. Unsaved people within the church; 2 Peter 2:1-3 C. Professing Christians; 2 Tim. 3:4-5 4. Apostasy – Who cannot commit it? Possessing Christians! 5. Apostasy – What are the results? A. It is divisive. 1st Corinth. 1:11 B. It is destructive. 1st Corinth. 3:3 C. It is deadly. 2nd Corinth. 12:20 D. It is damning. Romans 16:17, Hebrews 6:1-8 What Does the Bible Really Say About Angels? Psalm 103:19-21 1.
What are angels? Spiritual
beings created by God for His service. The word angel means “messenger.” 2.
When were they created? Before
God created the material universe; Job 38:1-7 3. How many angels are
there? Heaven contains
too many angels to count; Daniel 7:10 4.
Do angels have bodies? In
their natural state they do not. However, angels can take on the physical appearance of a man. Gen. 18 5. What is their purpose? To do God’s bidding; Ps. 103:20 *Revealing
- They serve as messengers to communicate God's will to men. They helped reveal the law to Moses (Acts 7:52-53), and served as the carriers of much
of the material in Daniel, and Revelation. *Guiding - Angels gave instructions
to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2), to the women at the tomb, to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius; Acts 10:1-8 *Providing
- God has used angels to provide physical needs such as food for Hagar (Genesis 21:17-20), Elijah (1 Kings 19:6), and Christ after His temptation; Matthew 4:11 *Protecting - Keeping God's people out of physical danger, as in the cases
of Daniel and the lions, and his three friends in the fiery
furnace (Daniel 3 and 6). *Delivering - Getting God's people
out of danger once they're in it. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, and repeated the process for Peter in Acts 12. *Strengthening and encouraging
- Angels strengthened Jesus after His temptation (Matt 4:11), encouraged the apostles to keep preaching after releasing
them from prison (Acts 5:19-20), and told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck;
Acts 27:23-25 *Answering prayer
- God often uses angels as His means of answering the prayers of His people; Daniel 9:20-24; 10:10-12; Acts 12:1-17 *Caring for believers
at the moment of death - In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we read that angels
carried the spirit of Lazarus to “Abraham's bosom” when he died;
Luke 16:22 6. How do angels compare to humans? Stronger than man but not omnipotent; 2 Peter 2:11 Wiser than man but not omniscient; 2 Sam.14:20 More abilities than man but not
omnipresent; Daniel
10:10-14 7. Are all
angels good? No. angels
in heaven are called holy angels and fallen angels are called demons; Jude 6 8. Are we to worship angels? We are to worship God and God only! Rev. 19:10, Gal. 1:6-8
What Does
the Bible Really Say: “About Abortion?” Psalm 139:13-16 Responding to the arguments for abortion 1. The baby in the womb is not really human until it is born. Response:If the baby is not human, what is it? Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Exodus 21:22 " If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life…” The only difference between born and unborn babies is their size and location, not their essential nature
as a human being!
2. Because the unborn baby is not conscience, abortion is acceptable. Response: Babies have brain-wave activity at one and a half months and respond to external stimuli at three months.* *Frank Beckwith, Politically Correct Death, (Grand Rapids;
Baker Book House, 1995). 3. Abortion is more merciful than birthing a child with birth defects. Response: Why not kill an already-born child with birth defects? Psalms 139:13; “For You formed my inward parts. You covered me in my mother's womb.” John 9:3; “Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that
the works of God should be revealed in him.”
4. Because women have the right to control their own bodies, an abortion is acceptable if the baby is not wanted. Response: It is true that the mothers’ body sustains the baby. However, the baby is not part of
the woman’s body and is distinct from her body.
5. Because abortion is legal, it is acceptable, especially in the case of rape. Response: To do
so punishes an innocent party. It is the rapist who deserves punishment, not the unborn child. 6. God will never forgive a woman who aborts a baby. Response: This is totally untrue! Just as with all other sins, God will forgive! 1st John 1:9; “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” MARCH 24, 2010 What Does the Bible Really Say About God’s Predestination
and Man’s Freewill? Summary of Arminianism: Arminianism teaches that God is sovereign and elects men to be saved, but God’s election is based
on His foreknowledge of who would accept Christ and who would reject Him. All of mankind is depraved and stained in every
way by the original sin. But within each person is the deep desire to come back to the God who was rejected by Adam. All men
can be saved if they exercised their will and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Each person can exercise the will to accept
Christ and can also exercise the will to reject Christ even after salvation, thereby losing or giving up their salvation. Truths of Arminianism: 1. Predestination is conditional and not absolute. Romans 1:16; “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 5:1; “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinth. 1:21; “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” 2. The Atonement provided by Jesus Christ is universally offered to all. 1 John 2:2; “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 Tim. 2:4; “(God) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Mark 16:15; “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Acts 17:30; "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Hebrews 2:9; “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” 3. Mankind is totally depraved and has no ability to respond to God. Rom.
3:23; “For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God.” Gal. 3:22; “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” Isaiah 53:6; “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” 2 Corinth. 5:14; “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; Romans 5:12; “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” 4. The grace of God demonstrated by the
drawing of the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation but can be resisted by a person. John 6:44; "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 15:5; "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Errors of Arminianism: 1. Believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace. Through neglect of the spiritual things or forsaking their lives in Christ a believer can lose their salvation. John 10:28; "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Romans
8: 38-39; “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
2. There is much more emphasis placed on man’s freewill than the Bible allows. Much of what we see today in this area comes as a result of the revival efforts of men such as Charles Finney, Billy Sunday, and others in the 20th century. Also, certain seeker-church and mega-church models stress man’s ability of freewill over God’s sovereignty. John 10:25-27; "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Romans 11:1-10; “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, ‘Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life’? But what does the divine response say to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: ‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, to this very day.’ And David says: ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, and bow down their back always." Ephesians 1:3-6; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
March 17, 2010 What Does the Bible Really Say About God’s Predestination and Man’s Freewill?Summary of Calvinism: Calvinism basically teaches that man is totally depraved and unable to receive salvation. Because man is depraved, he has no free will in coming to Christ. God, exercising His sovereignty, first elected and decreed certain individuals to salvation in time past. God then extended His irresistible grace to those He elected. Therefore, man had nothing to do with receiving salvation because God chose to save him and caused him to believe. Because they are elected by God to be saved by His grace, they will continue in their faith until the end of their lives. Truths of Calvinism:1. Mankind is totally depraved and has no ability to respond to God apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 3:23, Gal. 3:22, Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinth. 5:14, Romans 5:12 2. Perseverance of the Saints is clearly seen in the Bible. Since it is God who initiates and culminates the salvation act, no one or nothing has the right or power to undo what God has done. No one or nothing can takes us out of the hands of God’s great and eternal care. We would rather call this The Eternal Security of the Believer. John 3:16Errors of Calvinism:1. Unconditional Election Romans 1:16, Romans 5:1, 1 Corinth. 1:21, 2. Limited Atonement 1 John 2:2, 1 Tim. 2:4; 6, Mark 16:15, 2 Peter 3:9, Acts 17:30, Hebrews 2:93. Irresistible Grace John 5:40; Acts 7:514. Perseverance of the Saints 1 John 5:16-17, James 5:19-20Summary of Arminianism: Arminianism teaches that God is sovereign and elects men to be saved, but God’s election is based on His foreknowledge of who would accept Christ and who would reject Him. All of mankind is depraved and stained in every way by the original sin. But within each person is the deep desire to come back to the God who was rejected by Adam. All men can be saved if they exercised their will and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Each person can exercise the will to accept Christ and can also exercise the will to reject Christ even after salvation, thereby losing or giving up their salvation.Truths of Arminianism:1. Predestination is conditional and not absolute.Romans 1:16, Romans 5:1, 1 Corinth. 1:21, 2. The Atonement provided by Jesus Christ is universally offered to all. 1 John 2:2, 1 Tim. 2:4; 6, Mark 16:15, 2 Peter 3:9, Acts 17:30, Hebrews 2:93. Mankind is totally depraved and has no ability to respond to God. Rom. 3:23, Gal. 3:22, Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinth. 5:14, Romans 5:12 4. The grace of God demonstrated by the drawing of the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation but can be resisted by a person. John 6:44; 15:5Errors of Arminianism:1. Believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace. Through neglect of the spiritual things or forsaking their lives in Christ a believer can lose their salvation.2. There is more emphasis placed on man’s freewill than the Bible allows. Much of what we see today in this area comes as a result of the revival efforts of men such as Charles Finney and Billy Sunday. Also, certain seeker-church and mega-church models stress man’s ability in his freewill over God’s sovereignty.John 10:25-27, Romans 11:1-10, Ephesians 1:3-6 March 3, 2010 What
Does the Bible Really Say About Predestination and Free Will? Romans 8:28-30; 10:9-13 1. Christians generally fall into two camps: Calvinists and Arminians A. What is Calvinism? System of Christian beliefs based on the works of Swiss reformer, theologian, and philosopher John Calvin (1509 –
1564). Held mostly by Reformed churches – Presbyterian, Reformed, and some Baptist churches (Independent and SBC). B. The main teachings of Calvinism are known as the Five Points
or TULIP *T
- Total Depravity
of Man: Also called the total inability of man, this teaching states that as a consequence of man’s original
fall into sin, every person born into the world is enslaved to sin and are by nature and choice sinners. People will not love
God, respect God or obey the rule of God because they are only interested in selfish and sinful motives. Thus no one will
naturally desire or choose to be saved because they are totally depraved and unable. *U – Limited Atonement:
This principle asserts that God’s choice from eternity of those who He will bring to Himself is not based on His foreknowledge
of that person accepting Him in the future or the virtue, faith, or merit of a person. God chooses some to be saved and these
are called His elect. God’s choice of a person to receive His salvation is His act of mercy and grace. *L - Limited Atonement:
Jesus’ death was a substitutionary death and a payment for the sins of, not the whole of mankind but only for those
He elected to receive His salvation. The argument is that since it would be unjust for God to pay the penalty for the sins
of the elect and still condemn the non-elect for those sins, all those whose sins were atoned for must out of necessity be
saved. The atonement God provided through Christ is limited only to the elect. *I – Irresistible Grace: God’s saving grace
is applied to those whom He chooses to save, and those whom He chooses to be saved will, in His timing be saved. Those who
are God’s elect will not be able to resist the influence of the Holy Spirit and will most certainly be saved. *P - Perseverance or Preservation
of the Saints: This teaches that since God saved only the elect, those who are saved will continue in their faith
until the end. The elect may backslide but only for a short time. If a person who claims to be in Christ lives a long time
away from the Lord, that person proves he or she was not one of the elect. This is different from the doctrine of “The
Eternal Security of the Believer” which teaches that a Christian is capable of committing any sin that
a non-Christian commits and can stay away from the Lord for a long period of time, but at the risk of God taking their lives
and losing their eternal rewards. If a person has truly been saved, nothing can take away their salvation.
Summary: Calvinism basically teaches that man is totally depraved and unable to receive salvation. Because man is
depraved, he has no free will in coming to Christ. God, exercising His sovereignty, first elected and decreed certain individuals
to salvation in time past. God then extended His irresistible grace to those He elected. Therefore, man had nothing to do
with receiving salvation because God chose to save him and caused him to believe. Because they are elected by God to be saved
by His grace, they will continue in their faith until the end of their lives.
Wednesday February 17, 2010 What Does the Bible Really Say About…The Unpardonable Sin? Matthew 12:31-32 1. Some ideas of what the unpardonable sin is: *divorce – Jeremiah 3:8: "Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.” *abortion – Ezekiel 16:21: ; Ezekiel 16:21; "That you (Israel) have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?” *adultery – 2nd Sam. 11:4 2nd Samuel 11:4 “Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.” *suicide – Judges 16:29-30 “And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. *backsliding – Matthew 26:74 “Then Peter began to curse and swear, saying, "I
do not know the Man!" 2. What does the Bible really say about the unpardonable sin? Four views of the unpardonable sin: A. Israel’s national rejection of the Messiah B. Accusing Christ of Satanic allegiance C. Failure to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life D. Willful, violent, and total rejection of the Holy’s Spirit’s
testimony about Jesus Christ. 3. What we can know about the unpardonable sin: A. A believer cannot commit this sin. B. A non-believer who experiences the conviction of the Holy Spirit has not yet committed this sin. C. The more a nonbeliever rejects the Holy Spirit, the harder the heart becomes and
the easier it becomes to reject Him until you may commit the unpardonable sin and sin away your day of grace. February 3, 2010 Will
homosexuals go to heaven? 1st
Corinthians 6:9-11 The Bible clearly tells that 1.The practice of homosexuality is sinful. Lev. 18:22; “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is
an abomination.” Lev. 20:13; “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.
They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.” Romans 1:26-28; “For this reason, God gave
them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use of what is against nature. Likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving
in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a debased – reprobate; unable to stand the test, rejected, refuse, worthless - mind, to do those things
which are not fitting.” 1st Tim. 1:9-10; “Knowing this, that the law
is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy
and profane – heathenish, wicked, desecraters - , for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
for fornicators, for sodomites – homosexuals – for kidnappers – those who traffic in human slavery -
for liars, for perjurers, - a person who breaks their oath, who does not do what they commit to - and if there is any
other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” However: 2. God loves homosexuals just like He does all other sinners. John 3:16; “For God so loved the world”…all
the people of the world, with all their sinfulness. But:3.Those that remain in an unrepentant, sinful lifestyle show they have no relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
1st
Cor. 6:9-11; “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals – the actual word is catamites. It describes those who are
what we would call today male prostitutes. Literally it means those who submitting to homosexuals. The KJV says effeminate
– a man who takes on the role of a woman in a man-to-man relationship – nor sodomites – the man who takes
the male role in the relationship – nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners –
someone who lies in wait to catch someone in a weak moment then use that weakness to their benefit - will not inherit
the kingdom of God.” 1st John 3:6-10; “Whoever
abides in Him does not sin – in the Greek language this means “to constantly abide and practice a lifestyle of
sin -. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness
is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins – practices sin – is of the devil, for the devil has sinned
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever
has been born of God does not sin – live in a lifestyle of practicing sin - for His seed remains in Him, and he cannot
sin – practice a lifestyle of sin – because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children
of the devil are manifested. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
Conclusion: Practicing homosexuals, as well as those who are practicing
any other lifestyle that is contrary to the righteousness of God, will not go to heaven. |
