The Gospels vs. Claims of Fabrication

Welcome! Today we begin a three-week series that is something significantly different from our usual Sunday morning. Normally we have a message that is either based on a particular passage of Scripture (sometimes our series take us through a book of the Bible), or a topical message that looks at a variety of passages from the Bible to see what it has to say about a given topic. Although these two types of messages have differences, they are the same in that the Bible is what we go to in order to learn.  

Personally, I trust the Bible. I love the Bible. I have been a Christian for close to 25 years, and over that time, my respect for the Bible as a source of wisdom, as being a trustworthy account of history, as being a tool God uses to personally speak to my life, has only grown year after year after year. In contrast, my respect for the world as a source of these things has fallen continually. In addition, my respect for myself, apart from the wisdom I have gained from the Bible, has also only become less and less over time. This has not happened because I have become increasingly brainwashed, or because I am losing my mind; it has happened because the Bible has proven itself again and again to me. Things I thought might have been wrong in the Bible have turned out be because I misunderstood what the Bible was saying or because I was led astray by other sources, Christian and otherwise. 

Jude: Build Yourselves Up in the Faith

Good Morning!  We will conclude our series “Persevering in the Modern World” this morning.  The series is based on three small, single chapter, one page books of the Bible, Obadiah, II John and Jude.  Today we will go through the book of Jude.  Before we do that, I would like to talk about perseverance.  What does it mean?  What function does it serve?  What impact does it have? As I grow older, I feel like the quality of perseverance becomes a more and more essential character quality just to make it through each day.  How else will we avoid becoming weary or tired, avoid discouragement, and not lose heart or give up doing good and right things?

Let’s pray and ask God to give us insight into this crucial aspect of life:  Perseverance

Lord Jesus, we do not want to falter or fail.  God we want to be ones that stand firm for you.  Our modern world does bring us a host of challenges, and yet the lies have not changed.  Apart from You, we are enticed by the same self-serving temptations that have been here since the Fall.  Strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees that we may accomplish Your good, pleasing, and perfect will.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

2 John: Walk in Love

Carl has entitled this series, “Persevering in the Modern World.” The three little books that we are looking at – Obadiah, 2 John, and Jude – each have something to teach us as we live in the reality and the expectation of God’s kingdom. They might be neglected as being small and insignificant, but their message is as relevant now as it was when they were written. God wanted them in the Bible for a reason.

We need to persevere because the world is against us. We are “going against the flow” as followers of Jesus. We ought not to “blend in” with our surroundings and be indistinguishable from other people. What should identify us as Christians? As we look at 2 John today we will find one answer. What did Jesus say should be the primary mark or characteristic that sets us apart as his followers? Is it our doctrinal purity? Is it our avoidance of sin (certainly not a bad thing in itself)? The answer, of course, is in John 13:35:

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.

Obadiah: The Kingdom will be His

Good Morning!  Today we will begin a new series.  The theme of the series is “Persevering in the Modern World.”  It is a short, three week series.  We are going to explore three of the smallest books in the Bible, Obadiah, II John, and Jude.  Each book is only one chapter long.  Obadiah comes from the Old Testament and II John and Jude from the New Testament.  Whenever we approach God’s word, it is important to reflect and be aware that it does not return void.  It accomplishes His purposes.  Whenever we pick up a Bible to read, it is a good idea to pray and ask God what he wants to say to you.  Each of these books has its own powerful message that has practical application in our lives today.  Obadiah has a focus on pride and the effects of pride.  It also has promises for God’s people which are encouraging.  Both II John and Jude contain warnings and encouragement and instructions on how we should live.  In combination, these three books give us an overview of God's coming Kingdom of righteousness and how we are to live while we wait for His kingdom to come.

Today, we will cover the book of Obadiah, but before we jump in, let’s take a moment and pray.