Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Exodus 20:4

The Ten Commandments are wonderful laws to live by, for all time, eternal and universal. When we build our families upon them, they become our strength. The first commandment tells us who to worship: “No other gods.” (Exodus 20:3) The second commandment tells us how to worship. Understanding this, we can begin learning family worship.

First, we must have a proper conception of God. Man is incurably religious; if he doesn’t worship the true God in the right way, he will worship something else. There are all kinds of false idols: we make idols of ourselves, money, family, popularity, pleasure or sex, and sports.

Exodus 20:4-5 reads, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."

This holy, righteous jealousy of God means He will not compete with our toxic idols, for they represent our lust, greed, war, and vengeance. False worship is iniquitous; it corrupts the minds. The greatest thing we can do for our children is to teach them to worship.

2 Chronicles 26 tells the story of King Uzziah, who decided to worship God in a way that was forbidden. His disobedience led to his son’s sins, and his grandson’s sin, each one of his descendants drifting further from the correct conception and picture of God. Adrian Rogers says, “Sin never hurts just one person; understand that. We’re bound up in our humanity together. And the most hideous result of sin is its effect on the sinner’s children.”

In 2 Timothy 1:5-6, Paul said to Timothy, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and in thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

The law of sowing and reaping reaps for good, too. True worship leads to generations of believers, each as devoted to God as the last.

Apply it to your life

Do you worship the one true God? Do you worship Him in spirit and in truth? Do your children know that you love Him more than anything else?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 5:6-6:12

Our families cannot survive apart from a moral base, which is why it takes God to make a home. God’s plan for the home is to be so super-charged with spiritual truth and godliness that these things will go from one generation to another.

To do this, we must refer back to the timeless Ten Commandments found in Deuteronomy 5. The Ten Commandments declare the great revelation that there is one Lord. Scripture declares the fact of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one!”

Creation displays the hand of God; the laws of God have been discovered by scientists… not the other way around.

Faith discovers the belief in God. By Scripture and Creation, we have external evidence of our Creator; by faith, we have internal evidence. Adrian Rogers says, “God so created you that when your heart is right, your heart will respond to the fact of God.”

The great response to this revelation is one love. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Our love for God should be a sincere, selfless, strong love, that our children learn more from than anything else. By our loving response to this great revelation, we realize our great responsibility to uphold this law.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

We must teach the Ten Commandments to our children, convincingly and creatively. Learning Scripture doesn’t have to be dull; it is caught as well as taught.

We must teach consistently and conversationally; when the curiosity factor is high, we must answer.

And when we teach these commandments conspicuously, our children will know without a doubt that we believe what we believe.

Apply it to your life

Have you had the great revelation of one Lord? Have you responded with a great love for God and a desire to teach His Word to your children? Teach them, convincingly, creatively, consistently, conversationally, and conspicuously.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Hebrews 10:36

We live in a society of instant gratification, so much so, most of us are out of the habit of waiting. But so many times, there is a waiting period between asking and receiving. This is why we must learn the virtue of patience.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…”

Adrian Rogers says, “With God, timing is more important than time.”

There are reasons God delays our requests or withholds blessing for a time. God may not give us what we want when we want it, because we are not ready to handle it. As we wait, we will develop and grow in faith, becoming ready to receive it. We should also remember that God does not give answers to those who are not diligent. As we wait, we must learn to diligently seek Him. God could also be waiting to ensure we are devoted to Him rather than the blessing we seek from Him.

There are three things to consider as we patiently hold onto His promise.

First, we must remember yesterday’s provision.

We are prone to forget the works and goodness of God, and how He graciously delivered us before.

God has seen us through dark times, trials, and difficulties; we should always remember He took care of us yesterday.

Second, we must resolve today’s patience.

Many fail to receive because they have failed to endure. We cannot throw away our confidence, because we will need it to bear up under trials and difficulties. Patience is more than waiting or silent suffering; it is abiding with steadfastness and constancy. It is the bridge between doing the will of God and receiving the promise. Patience is not grinning and bearing—it is a blazing hope that refuses to let go of the promise.

Finally, we must rest in tomorrow’s promise.

Adrian Rogers says, “God doesn’t owe us explanations; God gives us promises.” No matter how dark the days become, God will keep the promises He gave us in Scripture. There will be a bright tomorrow because God’s Word will never pass away.

Apply it to your life

We need patience, so we might inherit the promises of God. Remember yesterday’s provision, resolve today’s patience, and rest in tomorrow’s promise. Get a hold of the Word of God and never let it go.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2:14-15

Every Christian is in need of a passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ that overflows into service and worship. However, the cause of Christ has been deeply hurt by extremists and their misguided zeal. We must understand the dangers of extremism and the beauty of God’s grace.

Titus 2:14 speaks of Jesus: “...who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

First, zeal can affirm the grace of God.

When we truly love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will become zealous about truth and excited to do good works for the kingdom of God. This is a good and godly thing because we are called to go “all in” with our love for Jesus; however, when taken to the extreme, good things can become bad things.

While affirming zeal, grace avoids extremism.

Adrian Rogers says, “Zeal and moderation go together, properly understood; they are not enemies, they’re friends. But extremism is the enemy of both zeal and moderation.”

Zeal that is divisive and destructive can be deadly to our churches, homes, and communities. Principles are great when used as tools to live by, rather than as weapons to hurt others.

We do not need to compromise on holy living, but we need to learn to live by grace.

When we obsess and debate over incidental things, we lose sight of what is fundamental. This kind of zeal is foolish, profitless, fruitless, and divisive. When we have zeal for the wrong things, we’ll often fight the wrong enemy with the wrong weapons and wrong energy.

Compromise is not the answer to extremism: grace is.

Titus 2:15 says, “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Grace is not an excuse to sin or an encouragement to laziness, it is an invitation to give everything we are to the cause of Christ.

We must be zealous of good works, with an attitude of sweet reasonableness. We may not always agree with everyone on everything, but we must prioritize what is important.

Apply it to your life

Each and every one of us must be filled with a passionate love for Jesus Christ, but what we do with that love is crucial. Affirm zeal, avoid extremism, and remember that we will achieve more together than divided.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

Many of us believe the lie that God will only accept us on the basis of our performance. But this idea is the opposite of grace and faith in Jesus. Scripture reveals how grace grants us freedom from the performance trap.

1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

First, we must acknowledge the ruin of perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the disease of judging ourselves by our achievements. Perfectionism is a thief; it promises rewards but steals our joy and satisfaction. Because it is an unattainable goal, we’ll never truly feel accepted—in fact, we may even become angry at God.

Perfectionism is harmful to others; perfectionists judge others for not reaching the high standards they themselves cannot reach.

Adrian Rogers says, “One of the finest things you could do would be to let others know you are not perfect. They’ll relax a little bit—not because they learn it (that you’re not perfect), but because they learn that you’ve learned it.”

Perfectionism can also ruin a church. A church is a fellowship of sinners saved by grace, all in different stages of progression; we are works in progress, not yet perfect.

God does not look for perfection from His children; He wants excellence.

If we ever want to be free from the performance trap, we must recognize the marks of perfectionism in our own lives.

1. Are you an idealist or a realist?

2. Do you set impossible goals for yourself and others, failing to fulfill them?

3. Do you try to be the best, or to do your best?

4. Are you project-minded or process-minded?

5. Do you dwell on failure or do you learn from it?

God does not keep score or make lists of our accomplishments and failures.

By His own grace, God has already accepted us—not because of anything we can do, but because of what Christ has done. Through faith, we can accept that acceptance, and learn to accept others.

Apply it to your life

Are you caught up in the trap of performance? Recognize the marks of perfectionism in your own life, and remember that you can be freed from it. Accept the acceptance God has already given to you.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Romans 6:6-7

Nothing liberates us from lives of sin like the wonderful grace of God. God’s plan for us today, tomorrow, and the rest of our lives is abounding victory through His amazing grace.

Romans 6:6-7 says, “...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

We must know our identification with Jesus, who gave Himself for us.

Jesus acted on our behalf. When He died for us, we died with Him. When He was buried, we were buried with Him. And now, we have in us the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Adrian Rogers says, “We have become one with Jesus Christ because He became one with us. He took of our nature that we might take of His nature.”

We must reckon our appropriation of Jesus.

Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reckoning is acting on what we know to be true, which is that we are dead to our sins and alive in Christ. This is a continual practice: every day, we must reckon with our faith and believe that we are free from the penalty of sin.

We must yield our emancipation to Christ.

Our submission to Christ is what completes our faith. The victorious life is God’s work in us; we cannot do it without Him, and He will not do it without us. Yielding begins when we dethrone sin. No longer will our eyes be tools for sin, nor our ears be sin’s instruments, nor will our hands do its bidding. We must make Jesus Lord of our lives, enslaving ourselves to Him.

Then we must enthrone the Savior.

Romans 6:13 says, “...but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

When temptation comes, we must yield to Jesus. Once we do, His amazing grace will come into our lives, and in that grace, we will see abounding victory.

Apply it to your life

Do you identify with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection? Have you reckoned your life to what you believe? Have you yielded to Him and enthroned Him as Savior?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Galatians 5:1

We live in a world that speaks much about freedom but knows little about it. Jesus came to set the captives free, to break the power of sin.

Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” When we understand the dimensions and dynamics of freedom in Christ, we can live liberated lives.

In Jesus Christ, we are free from the bondage of legalism.

In Galatians 1:6, Paul questions why some deserted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and followed a “different gospel”. The specific “gospel” these believers bought into had to do with self-effort and good works. But the true Gospel reminds us of God’s unconditional love. We cannot earn salvation on our own; it is the grace of God alone that saves us from our sins.

Adrian Rogers says, “God’s love is an action toward us, not a reaction to us. It is not based on what we are but on who He is.” The true Gospel of grace speaks of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; anything else is false.

We’re also free from the bondage of criticism.

There are some who entangle fellow believers with their own preferences and subject them to criticism. But we must stand fast in the liberty in which Christ has made us free. Though we must be conscious of our weaker brothers, we cannot be in bondage to them. Every demand of the law has been paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ. We must remember who we are in Him and that He loves us.

Finally, we’re saved from the bondage of fatalism, or the elemental forces of nature.

In Galatians 4, Paul discusses the Galatian church’s fascination with astrology. In their obsession, some of these believers had enslaved themselves to the idea of fate. But Christ has set us free from the slavery of circumstance. We were in the heart and mind of God before the foundations of the world were established.

The cross of Jesus Christ reminds us that when we die to ourselves, we find liberated living.

Apply it to your life

Are you living the executed, energized life in Christ? Don’t stay in bondage today; you’ve been set free from legalism, criticism, and fatalism. Praise God for all He’s done in your life and walk with Him.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 3:3-7

As Believers, this world is not our home; but while we’re on our way to glory, we are to demonstrate God’s grace to those around us. Titus 3 reveals the life we could have if we choose to live grace-filled lives.

This passage recognizes our past guilt.

We are sinners by birth, nature, and choice. Titus 3:3 says, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.”

This passage also describes our present grace.

Grace is absolutely contrary to human nature. All the wisdom of this world could never explain it. But having experienced God’s grace for ourselves, we understand what we were once foolish.

By His grace, we are freed from a life of sin and the hateful spirit that plagues this messy world.

Scripture says, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” (Titus 3:4-5).

Grace is rooted in God’s love; there is nothing we can do or stop doing that will save us; it is the grace of God alone that atones our sin. The Holy Spirit supernaturally regenerates us and cleanses us from the inside out. It is a continual work; day by day, the Spirit keeps us, renews, restores, and refreshes us.

Adrian Rogers says, “God doesn’t love us because we’re valuable; we’re valuable because God loves us.”

This present grace is rooted in the saving death of Jesus Christ. (See Titus 3:6.)

Jesus Christ provided himself as an innocent sacrifice; He bore our sins and died the death we deserved.

This grace is also for our future glory.

Titus 3:7 says, “...that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Because of God’s grace, we are joint heirs of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is a token of our future inheritance. We are simply passing through this world as pilgrims on our way to greater things; the best is yet to come.

Apply it to your life

Have you been forgiven of your past guilt, renewed by God’s present grace, and received the promise of future glory? Let your life be a testament of God’s wonderful grace.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2:11-15

Grace is God’s love, which He gives at a great cost to Himself. Salvation is something we could never obtain ourselves; it is only by His grace that we can be saved.

There is not one spiritual thing to earn, but there is so much to learn; it is so important that we are not a disgrace to God's grace.

Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…”

We live in this physical world, but as Christians, we are meant to live differently from this world’s systems and orders. We are called to love people, but we cannot love this world’s system. (See 1 John 2:15.)

Adrian Rogers said, “A Christian ought to stand out in this world’s system like a diamond in a coal mine; like a gardenia in a garbage can.”

This world has a prince, the devil, who is the mastermind behind this world system. This world has an evil philosophy made up of skillfully woven ideals and values that seem beautiful but are dangerous.

This world is hostile to the things of God because Jesus exposes sin and evil. The world’s purpose is to draw us away from Him.

Genesis 13 tells the story of Lot, a classic example of a “worldly Christian,” or a man who was a disgrace to grace.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew who, rather than seeking God, followed the world’s enticing attractions to an unspeakably wicked land called Sodom.

Recognizing Lot’s mistakes, we learn that we must:

1. Resist the pull of the world

2. Refuse the persuasion of the world

3. Realize the pollution of the world

4. Remember the price of the world

Lot’s story shows us what it costs to serve the world—it costs our potential, influence, family, and reputation. The same forces that worked on Lot are working on us today. We must remember the amazing grace of God, and decide every day to honor that grace by living godly lives.

Apply it to your life

There is a world system working on us today; be aware of the world’s prince, its philosophy, its power, and purpose. Don’t be a disgrace to grace: live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present time, because the Lord is coming soon.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2

The amazing grace of God is what writes our spiritual biographies. Titus 2:11-15 explains how God saved us, and brought us from grace to glory.

First, this passage reminds us what grace brought: salvation.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…” (Titus 2:11).

Without Jesus, we are spiritually dead, separated from God. We are considered devilish, disobedient to God, and depraved in our humanity. We cannot redeem our depravity and earn salvation; however, God brought salvation to us, because of His grace.

Adrian Rogers says, “You’re not saved by the merit of man, but by the mercy of God; not by the goodness of man, but by the grace of God. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty.”

Secondly, Titus 2 reveals what grace taught: sanctification.

“...teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” (Titus 2:12).

Though saved by grace, we cannot continue to live in sin. There is nothing to earn, yet there is so much to learn. We must engage in discipleship and study God’s Word.

Third, Titus 2 explains what grace sought: service.

“...who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14).

Grace is a gift at the cost of the giver, and we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus. We are also purified from the inside out; we don’t work for God’s love, but our good works are a sign that we love the Lord.

This passage also calls us peculiar; we are meant to be different, set apart, a trophy of grace used for the service of God.

Finally, this passage shows us what grace wrought: glorification.

“...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:13).

The story is not over yet; what began in grace will end in glory. As believers, we have a glorious hope that He will come again. And one day, we will see Him, the one who saved us by His grace.

Apply it to your life

Do you have the blessed hope of Christ’s return in you? Remember the amazing grace of God today, which brought salvation to you while you were dead in your sins.