Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:1-7

The Book of Jude warns us of something very sinister that will happen to the Church in the Last Days. Children of God cannot afford to be ignorant or neutral; Jude 1-19 sounds the alarm, calling us to the fight for the faith and do battle for the Bible.

These verses first reveal the danger of apostasy.

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed… ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4).

Apostasy, or turning back on the faith, is a very deceptive and destructive heresy. Jude warns of apostates, who have crept into the Church and deteriorated the integrity of God’s Word.

This passage also gives a description of the apostates.

Jude 17-19 claims that because they lack reverence for God, apostates freely mock holy things. They act without restraint, claiming the grace of God as a license to sin. And because they deny God as Lord of their lives, they exercise no rule or regulation.

Adrian Rogers says, “The basic ingredient missing in the life of an apostate is a fear of God.”

Third, this passage reveals the destruction of apostates.

Verse 5 reminds us of the children of Israel, who were delivered from Egypt, yet perished at the hand of God in the wilderness. Despite their experiences, they were never truly devoted to God.

There are people today who think they are saved, but they are not true believers. They have come to the borderline of truth but have never entered into that truth. Jude 6 says they will face destruction despite their profession, position, or possessions.

Finally, Jude reveals our defense against apostates.

If we want to contend for our faith, we must submit to the truth of the Gospel. We need to study what the Bible says. We must be familiar with its inerrancy, understand the deity of Christ, and know our salvation comes by grace through faith.

Our defense against apostasy is to live out our faith with boldness, together, in churches rooted in biblical doctrine. We must share our faith with others, giving it away freely.

Apply it to your life

We have been called to contend for our faith and fight for the integrity of Scripture. Study the Word of God and be ready to give an account for why you believe what you believe. Share your faith with others today.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Psalm 23:1

We can have all the things of this world and yet still be dissatisfied in our lives. Wealth, fame, and fortune do not fulfill a longing only God can satisfy.

The secret of satisfaction is found in Psalm 23:1, which says, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” This short verse is packed full of promises that, when correctly understood, can change our perspectives. We can be satisfied no matter what material wealth we may or may not have.

First, we notice what the Psalmist, David, calls God: The Lord, which translates to “Jehovah.”

Jehovah is the most sacred name, for it claims God as self-existing, having neither a beginning nor an ending.

When we claim God as Jehovah, we speak of His deity. But in the next phrase: “...is my Shepherd,” we speak of His humanity.

Adrian Rogers says, “In the Lord Jesus, we have sovereignty and sympathy, a king and a shepherd. We have a God who is able and a shepherd who is available, a God in the heavens and a shepherd in our hearts.”

In John 10, Jesus is called the Good Shepherd, who will lay down His life for the sheep (v. 11).

But in Hebrews 13, He's called the great shepherd, who rose back to life for the sheep: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant…” (v. 20)

He died to take care of the penalty of our sin, and He rose again to overthrow the power of our sin. And as the chief shepherd, He will one day take us from the presence of sin. Because He is sovereign, and He is our shepherd, the secret to satisfaction is the Lord, Himself. We must have a personal relationship with Him, as Jesus says in John 10:14: “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.”

A personal relationship with God means we are eternally secure in Him, permanently His, and protected by His grace.

Apply it to your life

The Lord God is our Shepherd, our provider, our healer, our peace and righteousness; He is the ever-present banner. We will never be satisfied apart from Him. Do you have a personal, permanent, protected relationship with Him?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Matthew 7:1
The new religion of the day is tolerance. What used to be a beautiful concept of recognizing and respecting others’ beliefs without sharing them, is now a toxic practice.

Tolerance was once a good virtue, an entitlement to your own opinion. Now, tolerance is an unreasonable thought that all opinions are correct.

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged…” In order to understand the true context of this command, we must take a hard look at today’s tolerance: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First, we must understand the concept of discrimination: to see what is good and what is bad. Before it became such a heated word, at its core, discrimination simply meant evaluation. Once we evaluate the difference between good and bad, we must eliminate what is bad, and appropriate what is good.

The Bible urges us to use this critical thought process to discern what is good and bad. Judgment based on Scripture is considered righteous, but judgment measured out of our own heart and mind is wrong.

Second, we must acknowledge the time for toleration. In Matthew 7, Jesus commands us to tolerate each other’s faults. This doesn’t mean we deny others’ faults, it simply forbids us from exercising unmerciful, self-righteous condemnation.

Luke 6:36-37 instructs, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

We have no right to judge others this way, yet we tend to execute merciless judgment over each other. This is rooted in our own iniquities, insecurities, and ignorance.

Adrian Rogers says, “There is no one big enough, no one just enough, no one loving enough to judge us but God Himself; and surely the judge of all Heaven and Earth will do right.”

Finally, there must be a time for serious self-examination.

Matthew 7:3 says, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”

In examining our own hearts and standing with God, we must be hard on our own sins and merciful with others.

Apply it to your life
Adrian Rogers says, “There are people who are hurting, in the church and out of the church. They don’t need your condemnation; they need your mercy.”

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15

The human condition is marked by a single, inherent problem of sin. Oftentimes, we try to explain away or excuse sin, but until we learn to deal with it, we will never know forgiveness. The Gospel Truth only becomes good news when we recognize the bad news, which is our own sin. In this message, we learn there are three things to know about the good news of the Gospel.

The Source

The reason for the Gospel is sin. We are all sinners. Our sin, whether confessed or ignored, comes with a penalty, pollution, and power over us. But because of the death of Jesus Christ, the penalty of our sin was paid in full. Jesus’ final words were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). By His death, we have been pardoned.

Because of the burial of Jesus, the pollution of our sin can be purged. When we get saved, Jesus makes our hearts clean. The pollution of sin is put in the grave of God’s forgetfulness.

And because of Christ’s resurrection, we have received Christ’s power over sin. It was sin that crucified Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. When Jesus rose from the grave, He demolished the power of sin.

The Force

The Gospel is a saving force. There is no other way to be saved but through Jesus. Adrian Rogers says, “If it’s new, it’s not true. There is only one Gospel, no other Gospel. It is gloriously simple; it is simply glorious.”

It is also a sanctifying force. It is present tense. We are being made more and more like Jesus every day. We have been saved from the penalty of sin and are being saved from the power of sin.

And it is a stabilizing force. When we get saved, we don’t keep our salvation… rather, it keeps us.

The Course

The course of the Gospel takes its toll on the whole world. It extends to every person, flows to every place, and covers every problem. The Gospel is the only answer to sin, sorrow, and death. This is the good news worth sharing.

Apply it to your life

Have you acknowledged the bad news of sin, that you might know the good news of the Gospel?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Ephesians 5:14

If we’re not careful, we may spend the prime time of our lives chasing the wrong goals. This is why we have to learn how to use and maximize our time for God’s glory. Ephesians 5:14-16 says, “Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

We must begin to see time as an incredible opportunity, so we may know how to live wisely in evil days. Time is a provided and present opportunity; it is a gift from God that we dare not let pass by. Adrian Rogers says, “There are two days that can steal the joy from today: one is yesterday and the other is tomorrow.”

In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul said, "...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” We must forget the guilt, glory, grief, and grudges of the past.

Time is a precious opportunity; the art of living is spending time wisely. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

We can organize our days according to four principles:

Prayer: it is the key that unlocks the door of the morning. Begin every day with prayer.

Priority: understanding the difference between urgent and important, we must prioritize accordingly.

Promptness: procrastination is a sin. We must cultivate the habit of instant obedience.

Power: this means we do God’s will in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, time is a passing opportunity. Adrian Rogers says, “Time is such a strange commodity; all you can do is use it or lose it.”

We will give an account for every passing day. Knowing this, we must cut ourselves loose from yesterday’s heartaches and failures and strain toward what’s ahead.

Apply it to your life

What do you intend to do with your day? Will you be a good steward of the time God has given you?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 18:21

One of God’s greatest gifts to us is forgiveness; He forgives us of our own sins, and He empowers us to forgive others who sin against us.

Forgiveness is costly; the forgiveness of our sins cost the precious blood of Jesus. And sometimes, it costs something of us to forgive others. Yet, Scripture provides endless reasons to forgive, no matter the cost.

First, we must forgive one another because God has so willingly forgiven us.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Second, if we do not forgive, we shut out the forgiveness of God.

Matthew 18:35 says: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Adrian Rogers says, “As long as you have an unforgiving spirit in your heart, you cannot get the forgiveness of God.”

Third, if we don’t forgive, our unforgiving spirit will do us great emotional damage, namely, bitterness.

We don’t just forgive an individual for their sake, but also for our own sake. So long as we keep our brother “on the hook” for something he’s done against us, we will also remain on the same hook.

Adrian Rogers says, “When you forgive, you set a prisoner free, and discover that the prisoner was you.”

Finally, forgiveness restores a broken fellowship.

Matthew 18:15 says, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”

We must forgive freely and quickly, taking the initiative and approaching offenders with a heart ready to receive them. We must forgive fully, not half-heartedly, and it must be final. Once we forgive, we must bury the offense in the grave of God’s forgetfulness and not bring it up again.

As a result, we set ourselves free from the prison of bitterness, and set our brother free from his guilt. Once free, there can be reconciliation, which can lead to revival.

Apply it to your life

Is there anyone that you’re harboring hate for or holding a grudge against? Is there bitterness in your heart? In the name of Jesus, deal with it; ask God for His strength to forgive. Don’t let an unforgiving spirit keep you from having genuine spiritual revival in your life.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Galatians 6:1-3

Whether we are saved or lost, we will all carry burdens at points in our lives; but we do not have to bear them alone. Galatians 6 shows us what to do with our burdens.

First, this passage addresses the burdens we take up, the ones we share.

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2).

As believers, we are called to take up the burdens of another brother or sister who is hurting—to restore those who have backslidden. We must remember that a broken person doesn’t need a lecture; he needs to be brought back to fellowship with God. A backslidden Christian is like a broken place in our net of believers. He needs us to approach him gently, humbly, and sympathetically. To fulfill the law of Christ, we must love our brother back to fellowship with God and mend the broken place in the net.

There are also burdens we bear, the ones we shoulder.

“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6:4-5).

We are not called to lives of ease, but of discipline. God lays burdens upon us and expects us to shoulder them ourselves. It is our own responsibility to repent and be saved.

Finally, there are burdens we give up, those we roll onto the Lord.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you...” Our loving Father urges us to lay brokenhearted burdens at His throne; our burdens can be used to bring us to our Master’s feet.

Adrian Rogers says, “Burdens come to the high as well as to the low; they come to the rich as well as to the poor, to the saints and the sinners, the old and young. These are burdens we were never meant to carry alone.”

Apply it to your life

If you are a believer, you are called to lift another’s burdens and bring backslidden brothers and sisters back to Jesus. Realize your own burden of responsibility to share God with others; cast your heartaches upon Jesus, for He cares for you.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 12:1-11

The Book of Acts shares numerous accounts of triumph over difficulty, as the first Christians experienced victory through prayer.

In Acts 12, the Early Church faced persecution from Herod, who unleashed violence and put the Apostle Peter in prison (v. 1-4). Yet, in verse 5, we see that “constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

As we fight our battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is fundamental that we learn how to pray as the Early Church did.

First, we must recognize the freedom of their prayers.

Our enemy doesn’t want us to understand this. But try as he might, the devil cannot stop us from praying to our God; we are free to pray anytime, anywhere.

Second, we see their faithfulness; they never ceased to pray.

Whether God answers swiftly or there is a season of waiting, our approach to prayer should be faithful, constant, and frequent.

Their prayers were also fervent: charged with intensity.

Prayer is warfare—we should expect some opposition from the enemy; but we must pray wholeheartedly with fervor, concentration, and effort.

Their prayers also brought them together in fellowship.

Churches, which are built upon prayer, should be in the habit of drawing near to God together.

The Early Church’s prayer also revealed their faith.

They recognized that they were entering the throne room of God. And as we speak to God, we must do so with the faith that He will answer.

We should also note the focus of that prayer.

This church prayed specifically for Peter, who was in prison and set to be beheaded in the coming days. When we pray, we should avoid generalized requests and focus on specific concerns.

Finally, we must remember the force of their prayer.

God miraculously delivered Peter from prison. In the dead of night, Peter’s chains were broken, and the prison door was open. Peter walked out, just in time.

Adrian Rogers says, “When we depend upon planning, we see what planning can do. But when we depend upon prayer, we see what God can do.”

Apply it to your life

Have you experienced victory through prayer? Remember: prayer is no substitute for work or common sense. But when you begin to merge prayer with obedience, God begins to work on your behalf.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: John 16:7

There are things we will never understand until we lay down our intellectual pride and let the Holy Spirit speak to us. Only when the Spirit speaks can we understand three truths regarding who we are and what God makes us.

John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

First, the Holy Spirit teaches the truth about the sinner’s basic problem.

A man is a sinner because of what he is and what he has done. Born into this fallen world, it is in our nature to give in to sin.

A man is also a sinner because of what he has not done. God made us to know, love, and serve Him; when we do not do that, we are refusing Him the glory He deserves.

But our ultimate problem is that we are sinners for not believing, because the greatest sin is unbelief. Unbelief is the parent sin, out of which all other sins come; it is proof of man’s wickedness, and it is what separates us from God forever.

Second, the Holy Spirit shows the truth about the Savior’s bountiful provision.

When we believe in Jesus Christ, He changes what we are at our very core and gives us a new nature. Adrian Rogers says, “Christians are not just nicer people; they’re new creatures.”

He also forgives us for what we have done. Every stain, blot, or blemish of our past is washed whiter than snow, buried in the grave of God’s forgetfulness.

He gives us the righteousness we need in order to be saved.

Finally, the Holy Spirit proclaims the truth about Satan’s broken power.

Jesus’s death on the cross was God’s greatest victory over evil. Satan’s kingdom was crushed; he now sails a sinking ship and rules a doomed domain.

When we receive Christ, we become more like Him every day. That is what our faith is all about, and what the Holy Spirit is working within us.

Apply it to your life

Have you laid down your intellectual pride and allowed the Holy Spirit to impart things only He can show you? Understanding man’s sinful nature and the Savior’s provision, are you becoming more like Jesus?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 2:1-14

The way to be blessed is to obey God, which requires our trust in Him; and to trust Him is to love Him, and in order to love Him, we must know Him.

1 Corinthians 2:1-14 shows us how to know God through the Bible.

“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

Heavenly wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view; human wisdom is deficient, while heavenly wisdom is sufficient. Human wisdom is superficial, transitory, and limited, and can even be dangerous. We can only know the things of God through our spirits. When He wants to teach or reveal something to us, He imparts heavenly wisdom in our spirits.

God has done three mighty acts that we might know Him; the first act is revelation, which is the communication of God's truth to man by God Himself. It takes the Holy Spirit revealing truth to us in order to really know that truth.

Adrian Rogers says, “The natural can never know the supernatural until the infinite reveals Himself to the finite.”

Secondly, God reveals Himself through supernatural inspiration, which is the very Word of God.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Third, God reveals Himself through supernatural illumination. The Holy Spirit is the one who turns the spiritual light on so that you can understand the things of God.

Adrian Rogers says, “I can never know the Bible as I ought to know the Bible until I have the mind of Christ.”

This doesn’t mean that we can know everything about God; it means that the average person who is obedient and diligent can understand the Bible and have personal communion with God.

Apply it to your life

Adrian Rogers says, “There is no knowledge of God without revelation, inspiration, illumination. And the illumination is your part where you come to God and surrender. When you come to God's Word this way, the Bible will burst aflame in your heart and in your mind and God will teach you things out of His Word.”