Christian Life Church Sermons

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Good News! Your Best Years are Ahead of You."

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Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Take the Lid Off"

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Revival Service with Andre Van Zyl

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Revival Service with Andre Van Zyl

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Answering Our Culture, Pt. 3"

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Answering Our Culture #3:  "You Can't Trust the Bible."

Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever."

Matthew 24: 35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

I.  Is the Bible we have today accurate?

"inerrant” –in its original autographs the Bible contains no mistakes.

-Scripture itself claims to be inspired by God.

2Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

-The Old Testament claims 3,808 times to be transmitting the very words of God.

-The Gospels confirm O.T.

Mt. 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Rev. 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

-Jesus bore witness of the scriptures.

Mt. 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Luke 24:44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

A.  Can we trust the copying process?

The importance of this is that copies existed within the generation of those who wrote it, and within the lifetimes of those who could have disputed the information of the New Testament.

Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell.                                     Lee Strobel -Lawyer and Journalist for Chicago Tribune; all about facts.

B.  How did the Bible come together?

The test used to determine the Canonicity: “Canon”Gk.- measuring stick or rule.

1. Apostlicity.

2. Spiritual Content.

3. Doctrinal Soundness.

4. Usage.

5. Divine Inspiration.

C.  Aren't the stories of Jesus just legends?

First, they were generally eyewitness accounts.

Second, the writers of the Gospels and the rest of the New

Testament were willing to die for what they wrote.

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Pruning with a Purpose"

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 Pruning with a Purpose

                     John 15:1-10, Galatians 5:22, Matthew 13: 8 & 23, Jeremiah 29:11

Just as electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to produce light, so the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruit.

Jesus is the vine, God the Father is the vine grower, and the true believers are the branches.

Pruning, Fruit-bearing, and Abiding.

1. First of all, Pruning…

John 15 "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit."

The responsibility of pruning, shaping and trimming, is not the responsibility of the other branches. That responsibility is God’s and God’s alone.

Pruning does not simply mean spiritual surgery. It is not just the removal of what is dead. It can also mean cutting away the good and the better so that we may enjoy the best.

2. Then, there is Fruit-bearing.

In Galatians 5:22, we read "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

We are not producing fruit to please ourselves, but to give to serve others.

3. There is Pruning, there is Fruit-bearing, and then there is Abiding.

We are called to be transformed and reflect the image of Christ, and to abide in his love.  The more we abide in Christ, the more fruit we bear; the more fruit we bear, the more the Father has to prune us, so that the quality keeps up with the quantity.

We cannot conform to his image, we cannot produce His likeness unless we abide in Him. The daily inflow of the Holy Spirit, is the only power to bring forth spiritual fruit.

John 15:2, Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He cuts down, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.

1. Remember that your Heavenly Father is the Vinedresser.

Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as the vineyard of the Lord. Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel as His choice vine. The prophet Hosea pointed out that because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, they had become like an empty vine.

2. Remember that our Heavenly Father has a divine purpose

if there is something in my life that is preventing me from producing Christ like characteristics, He will prune, mold, and shape me, until I have fulfilled the purpose He has for my life.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

He is shaping us to make us more like Christ, the True Vine. He is working to remove from us, those things that do not help us fulfill that purpose.

3. Remember, the Vinedresser only removes what is unnecessary.

He moves among us with His Pruning Knife to remove those dead things from our hearts, such as bitterness, resentment, selfishness, anger, self-centeredness, arrogance, pride, self-righteouness, and a religious spirit.

Our Heavenly Vinedresser prunes us repeatedly. He prunes us constantly. He is removing from us what we do not need. He is removing from us what hinders our growth and our witness for Him. It may be painful for a time, but we need to remember that these are things that prevent us from enjoying a full and rich life in Christ.

4. Remember, it is vital that we stay connected to the Vine.

the single most important thing for us as Christians is to maintain our vital connection to Jesus, the True Vine.

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me”.

1. God’s Pruning produces fruit bearing believers if we abide in Him.

2. Your Heavenly Father is the Vinedresser, and it is His hand which holds the       Pruning Knife.

3. Your Heavenly Father has a purpose for your life.

4. The Vinedresser removes only what is unnecessary.

5. It is vital that we stay connected to the Vine.

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Answering Our Culture, pt. 2"

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Answering our Culture #2 There is no absolute truth.

John 8:31; 14:6

Tooth fairy?  Santa Claus?  Easter Bunny?                                                    

• They feel that absolute truth is too hard, if not impossible to find.

• Too many charlatans.

• Relativism, has no accountability to a standard.

1.  IF TRUTH IS RELATIVE, THEN. . .

A.  All spiritual truth is valid.

Jesus says He is the only truth and only way to the Father is through Him.     Islam claims that Christianity is false.

B.  Persuasion is not allowed - tolerance is king.

C. No moral absolutes.

II. IF TRUTH IS ABSOLUTE, THEN. . .

A.  It can be found.

Definition:  Truth must be objective (true for all people), universal (true in all places), and constant (true for all times).                                                        

The words "truth", "true," and "truly" appear in the Bible 338 times.  Jesus says, "I tell you the truth," 80 times in the Bible.

 What is going to be the final authority for my life?  What's standard will

B.  It must be acted upon.

John 8:31 - To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  32, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

C.  Anything untrue must be rejected.

John 14:6:  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

III. COMMITMENTS

1. I commit myself to seeking the truth.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

2.  I commit myself to living the truth.

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Eph. 4:14-15 We will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because somebody has told us something different or cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.  Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times - speaking truly, living truly - and so become more and more in every way like Christ.

3.  I commit myself to believing the truth.

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Altar Your Thinking"

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Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Answering our Culture, Pt 1"

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Answering Our Culture #1: Be Prepared to Give an Answer

1Tim 4:1-4;   1Peter 3:15-16                      

Book- True for You, but Not for Me, by Paul Copan;

“Several Reasons why People reject Christ”

2Tim.4:1-4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

I. Many will reject the truth.

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

A. It goes against previous “knowledge.”

B. It’s inconvenient.

II. People will gather others who agree with them. (3-4)

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

This is critical – too often the church has been guilty of pushing people away, right into the arms of people who don’t know Christ and don’t care to know Him, because they are accepted as they are.

Colleges breed anti-Christian beliefs, which does two things.

First, it gives young people an excuse to reject what they have learned  about God, the Scriptures, truth, and whatever, all backed by the official sanction of a paid instructor.

Second, it serves to confuse others who have legitimate questions, but don’t know where to find answers. One of the things our students are being told is that we can only believe the things they can see.

III. Be Prepared.

A. Pray. Only God can open the heart and mind of a person.

B. Bring the Word. (2)

2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

The word “preach” means to herald or proclaim.

C. Bring your testimony.

1 Peter 3:15-16. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

First, make it personal – the hope “you” have, not just the Christian population in general.

Second, talk in ways that respect the person you are visiting with. Not condemnation, or sreaming.

D. Live a holy life. 1 Peter 2:11-12

1Pet. 2:11-12  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "Reasons to go to Church"

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Click here (or right click and select "save as") to download "The Greatest Gift of All pt 5"

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Giving The Heart of Christmas

Luke 2:21On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. 22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of doves or two young pigeons. 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.

He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lords Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty- four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Gen 7:11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner–those who are not your offspring.

The amount of prothrombin present actually is elevated above one-hundred percent of normal

God initiated circumcision with Abraham.

Rom 2:28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a mans praise is not from men, but from God.

Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Not a work of man but of the Spirit.

Eph 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions –it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision (that done in the body by the hands of men)

12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,

16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with Gods people and members of Gods household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Peace- Prosperity; set at one again.