“ The Bible is not just a collection of stories. ” Stories can also put people to sleep. They might also encourage people not to take God’s Word seriously.
The Bible is not just a collection of stories, they are accurate accounts. The Bible is the truth; we are to live by it. God’s Word is life. It cannot be altered.
The preaching and fellowship should be for nourishing, encouraging, and equipping God’s people.
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Hebrews 4:12
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful
to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16
“ Don’t trust in self , trust in the Lord Jesus ” The following verses were mentioned:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
It is good to look at these verses and realize what we are capable of.
But look also at the next verses and remember that we are not helpless and have a choice:
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
Don’t keep thinking how you are going to fail, but how you can stand by the grace of our Lord Jesus. We need to trust in the Lord Jesus not ourselves.
Unless your faith is firm,
I cannot make you stand firm.”
Isaiah 7:9
And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
1 Peter 1:5
“ Part 3: What does the Bible say about sin? ” This is what the Bible says about sin:
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.
31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30
You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Hebrews 3:13
But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”
2 Timothy 2:19
Instead of telling people not to worry, “but our sovereign God can even use sin to move you toward point B”, we should make sure that people understand that sin leads to death, and God does not want us to sin, but to repent and turn from it instead.
“ Part 2: What does the Bible say about sin? ” (NKJV
However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
2 Samuel 12:14)
This is what the Lord Jesus told Peter:
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.
So when you have repented and turned to me again,
strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:32
The Bible says about Paul:
We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.
Acts 26:14
even though
I used to
blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.
1 Timothy 1:13
This is what the Bible says about sin:
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.
31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man
“ Part 1: What does the Bible say about sin? ” Does the Bible say that God uses our sin?
Unworthy1 touched on this issue, so I hope this is not a duplicate, but here are some points that I think are important to get across:
This is what the Bible says about David’s sin:
9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?
11 “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”
13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”
2 Samuel 12
(NKJV
However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, t
“ Consider God’s Way ” 6
Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
7
Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lordthat he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
8
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55
“ The Right Path ” It’s very important to make sure that we are on the right path.
The Bible describes only two paths that we can be on:
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.
Luke 13:24
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27
“ Some verses to consider ” I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did,
1 Corinthians 10:1-6
So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt,
but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.
Jude 1
don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.
Hebrews 3:8
“ God Is Wisdom! ” Excellent sermon showing that all wisdom comes from God and is revealed through Jesus Christ. (Job 28:28; Col.1:28; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Colossians 2:1-3; James 1:5)
Great points regarding the eternal consequences of sin, not just in this life, but especially in the life to come. God sees all sin, even if we think we got away with it (Jeremiah 17:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14) and it will be revealed on Judgement Day. (Hebrews 9:27; 1 Timothy 5:24) However, God is rich in mercy and He frees us from our bondage to foolishness and sinful lives that would justly condemn us to hell for eternity. (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). He accomplishes this through His wisdom, grace and mercy by granting us the gift (Romans 6:23) of repentance and saving faith in Jesus’ complete, finished work on the cross. (2 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
Thank you Lord Jesus for freeing us captives! (John 8:34; Luke 4:18-19)
“ Amen! ” This message has conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, as well as God’s grace.
Well said; wisdom is a person that we should follow to have life:
God has united you with Christ Jesus.
For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself.
Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
1 Corinthians 1:30
And yes, when we have wisdom we can discern the difference between truth and lies:
So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.
1 John 2:21
“ The Zigzag Course Sermon (Point C - Bonus) ” Point C (Bonus) - Our continuing in sin doesn’t glorify God (Romans 3:8; Hebrews 10:26-27) and there are dire consequences for it; Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land, David lost his son and the kingdom was divided…. We must immediately repent of sin (Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 17:30-31) and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross! (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
(For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23)
“ The Zigzag Course Sermon (Point B) ” Point B - Where is Point B? It’s not so much that the Lord is moving us to another physical location, vocation, or earthly relationship as much as molding us into His image. (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17) He desires to make us into His faithful servant having equipped us to live a Godly life (2 Peter 1:3; James 4:7; 1 Corinthians 10:13) while actively sharing the gospel with a dying world. (Romans 1:16; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)
“ The Zigzag Course Sermon (Point A) ” Point A - Obviously, the Lord knows that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. However, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. (For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. - Isaiah 55:8) He may desire to take us on another path, as displayed in Exodus, in order to achieve His end goals, glorify His Holy name, and refine us along the way.
4/3/2025 2:17 AM
