The institution of marriage is under incredible attack in recent years. It is being redefined, disregarded, and devalued. This is evident by the high divorce rate, the rising rate of cohabiting couples, the rise in same-sex marriages being performed, and the legalization of gay marriage. Now more than ever, Christians need to have a firm understanding of the biblical institution of marriage and divorce

Saying the words -I forgive you- can be very difficult, especially when the pain that has been caused runs deep. Even more difficult is to say the words -I forgive you- and mean it. Yet it is critical that we be able to say those words and mean them because if we harbor unforgiveness against someone who has asked for forgiveness, God will not forgive any of our sins. Why and what can be done to avoid this trap-

We live in a day and age where the ideas of accountability and personal responsibility are becoming relics of the past. However, the Reformers argued that there are three marks to a true and biblical church- -1- the pure preaching of the gospel, -2- the proper administering of the sacraments-baptism and the Lord's Supper, and -3- church discipline. Nevertheless, most Christians think of church discipline as being about as loving as the Spanish Inquisition or the Salem Witch Trials. But if we understand Matthew 18-15-20 in light of its broader context, what we'll discover is that church discipline-or rather church accountability-is one of the most loving things a church can do.

There is this constant spiritual battle that rages inside the believer between his flesh and his born-again self. For some, this pulling of the old self can be easily resisted most days, but for others the progress of their sanctification will be measured not in yards, but in inches. The process of the Holy Spirit transforming them into the image of Christ will be fraught with many, and often, grievous spiritual setbacks, which in many cases can lead to extreme despair, depression, and doubt. If you're someone who struggles with besetting sins to the point of spiritually flogging yourself, this passage and this message is for you.

As Christians we often become so focused on the enemy that is without that we forget about the enemy that is within. James 1-14 says, -each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.- That is true of every one of us. So often we are the one who furnish Satan with all sorts of weapons he can use against us. We make his job of dragging us into sin easy because we hand him the tools to use against us.

The resurrection of Christ is found in all four gospels, because the life and death of Christ are meaningless apart from the resurrection. If Jesus is still in the grave then, as Paul says in 1 Cor 15 -we of all people are the most to be pitied.- But he's not still dead. He has risen, which is what John 20 is all about. But John 20 is not just here to tell us that Jesus has risen from the dead, but to convey a particular message and to make a particular point.

The resurrection of Christ is only significant and meaningful when we understand it in light of his death, when we understand and appreciate what Christ experienced and accomplished in his crucifixion. Nothing else Christ did or taught, nothing else about Christianity, nothing else about the Bible, makes any sense apart from a thorough understanding and appreciation of the cross of Christ, not even the resurrection of Christ can make sense. The cross of Christ is what gives meaning to everything else in the entire Bible.

Sardis was a city in decline but the residents themselves didn't know it. The irony of the church in Sardis is that the church itself was in decline, on the verge of dying, and didn't know it. Like the city, they were living in the past. The church had started out great. They had everything in place. They had all the right ministries. They seem to be doing all the right things, but they had forgotten what makes the church unique from every other organization out there-the gospel. The local church must be gospel driven. She must remember what she received in her salvation, and keep it, and proclaim it or else Christ himself will come against her.

How do you turn any conversation into a gospel conversation- Maybe it is someone you meet at a coffee shop. Maybe it is someone you are standing next to at the bus stop. Maybe it is someone you strike up a conversation with while sitting in the waiting area of the doctor's office. In this message we will take a look at how Jesus turned an ordinary conversation with a woman at a well into a gospel conversation.

Well-intended Christians who have a biblical and accurate understanding of the gospel often can still present the gospel in an unbiblical and inaccurate way. This is usually done because the Christian is trying hard not to be offensive or because he or she really wants to present the gospel in a way that will make coming to Christ irresistible. Sometimes there is a focus on God's love or in finding contentment as the reason to believe the gospel message. However, while it's not wrong, and in fact would be good, to talk about the love of God and the complete satisfaction of knowing God in a gospel presentation, we cannot stop there. There are at least four gospel elements that should be included in any gospel presentation.