Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus

Grace is God’s unmerited favor; it is the kindness of God shown to one who doesn’t deserve it and who can never earn it.

In his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul claims him as his own son in the faith. He calls Titus a trophy of grace—his life being the evidence of a true believer.

This special title, a trophy of grace, reminds us that not only should we be witnesses of God’s grace, but our lives should also be evidence of that grace.

First, we must recognize the delight of grace, which is liberty.

God’s grace is sovereign; He has chosen us, sought us out, and brought us back to Himself. He is the one who took the initiative; our salvation began with Him.

It is a saving grace. The Gospel is good news because it says that salvation is a free gift. We couldn’t work for it, so we can’t lose it.

Grace is also long-suffering; it was the plan all along. Titus 1:2 says, “…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began…”

Adrian Rogers says, “God planned your salvation before this planet was swung into space. Your salvation is not an ambulance brought to a wreck; it was in the heart and mind of God before anything ever happened.”

The securing and satisfying grace of God is what leads to peace. But we must also remember that denying grace leads to legalism.

We are not saved by keeping laws, performing rituals, or anything other than the grace of God. Rules do not make us more like Jesus—grace does.

Finally, we must recognize the enemy’s distortion of grace.

Grace is not a license to sin, and if we think it is, we need to reconsider our salvation. Though our works do not save us, we should want to keep God’s law, because we love Him.

We don’t work for our faith, we work because of our faith. As trophies of grace, we are God’s ambassadors, the evidence that His grace is the only thing that can save, cure, and satisfy us.

Apply it to your life

Does your life bear the evidence of God’s amazing grace? Do you delight in the liberty faith brings? Have you fallen into the trap of legalism, or used grace as a license to sin? Repent of your sins and receive God’s forgiveness.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:45

Death is a fact. People die suddenly, instantaneously, and in strange ways. But as believers, we have hope in Jesus Christ, who beat death and rose from the grave. 1 Corinthians 15 gives a picture of the day death died.

This chapter first explains the sovereign majesty of our Redeemer.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

In Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the second Adam; He is also called “the first fruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23). When He comes again, we will have a harvest. When Jesus Christ rose from the grave, He became the death of death; He sealed the deed.

Second, this passage describes the sacred mystery of the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Rapture is a sacred secret—no human wit, wisdom or scientific investigation could ever reveal it; only divine revelation. One day, the living saints will be brought up into Heaven, and the dead saints will be raised from the grave.

When Adam sinned against God, he died immediately in his spirit, progressively in his soul, and ultimately in his body. When the Lord redeems us, we are justified immediately in the spirit, sanctified progressively in the soul, and glorified ultimately in the body. We don’t know when the rapture will take place; we only know that we live in a world that is ripe for it.

Finally, this passage shows the steadfast ministry of the redeemed.

“...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

Because Jesus is alive, we have victory and must walk in that victory by serving Christ.

Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus has been the death of death, so He takes the pain out of parting, the gloom out of the grave. He takes the strength out of sin and the sting out of death.”

Apply it to your life

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Until Jesus comes again, we should work to further His kingdom with stability, fervency, and expectancy. Be steadfast, immovable, and abound in the work of the Lord.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Isaiah 53:1-12

There is only one Jesus; we exist to magnify Jesus through worship and the Word.

Seven hundred years before Christ’s birth, the prophet Isaiah wrote about Jesus, the promised Messiah and Savior of the world.

Isaiah 53 first prophesies Jesus’ Virgin Birth.

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground...” (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus’ miracle birth is essential to our faith. Without the Virgin Birth, Jesus would have been under the curse of Adam, and couldn’t have been our atonement for sin.

Adrian Rogers says, “He was born of a virgin that we might be born again; He became the Son of Man that we might become the sons and daughters of Almighty God.”

This passage also describes Jesus’ virtuous life.

“He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). We may have expected Him to come to Earth in splendor and majesty, but Jesus Christ was quite ordinary. He did not live in royalty or stand out in a crowd. Though He performed miracles, did good, and showed love, He was not without sorrows—only without sin.

This passage also addresses Jesus’ vicarious death.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus took our sins, shame, separation, and suffering. We owe everything to the Savior who took our place and became the object of God’s wrath.

Fourth, we see Jesus’ victorious resurrection.

“...When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days...” (Isaiah 53:10). Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and walked out of the grave; we serve a living, risen, victorious Savior.

Finally, this passage gives insight into His visible return.

“He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). He is coming again; our only hope in this world is to know Him and look forward to His Second Coming.

Apply it to your life

Today, magnify the Lord Jesus through worship and reading His Word. Thank Him for who He is: His birth, life, death, and resurrection.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Romans 12:6

A spiritual gift is not a natural talent; it is a supernatural ability from God. We must discover our spiritual gifts and be good stewards of what God has given us to use for His glory.

Romans 12:6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

If we want to discover what our spiritual gifts are, we must first present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. We must willingly give Him all that we are, recognizing that our lives do not belong to us; rather, we first belong to Jesus, and then to one another.

As living sacrifices, we stay put on the altar through discipline and devotion. Then we experience a complete transformation; Jesus becomes our inner nature, working from within. We cannot understand our spiritual gifts without the mind of Christ; when He renews our minds, we must think with them.

Adrian Rogers says, “The Jesus hidden in you is the Jesus revealed in you.”

Though we must carefully consider our gifts, we do not have to identify them before we begin to serve. No one has all the spiritual gifts, but every Believer has at least one. We must take inventory of how the Holy Spirit works in us. Think of when we feel most enlightened or when we find enjoyment, encouragement, or opportunity to serve.

This is a shared participation; we must begin somewhere with what we have and give our gifts a chance to grow. Our gifts could be prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, or mercy, to name a few.

When we seek out opportunities to serve in church, our gifts will be activated. If we are faithful to serve, we will eventually receive confirmation in our hearts of the assigned spiritual gifts.

As we allow God to use these gifts in us to serve one another, we will see their true value in a much deeper way. God is glorified and the Church is strengthened when we serve each other with what He has graciously given to us.

Apply it to your life

Today, consider what your church’s greatest need is, and how you can be of best use. As you are figuring out where you fit in the Body, be open to things you may not see as “glamorous.”

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 13

In this wicked world, where darkness spreads and lawlessness abounds, love is a rare commodity. As children of the light, it is our responsibility to learn to love. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul explains why love is exceedingly valuable in our lawless age.

First, love excels all other virtues, and without it, those virtues are meaningless.

“But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Love is more valuable than speaking in tongues, prophecy, and knowledge. Scripture is meant to encourage, exhort, and edify us, but if we handle it without love and use it to divide, we are nothing.

Love is even greater than faith. What good is faith that can remove mountains if it cannot remove malice in our hearts?

Love inspires a charitable attitude, but our good works are worthless if we do not do them in love (see 1 Corinthians 13:3).

Second, this passage explains that love enables all other virtues.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up…” (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Love enables us to be patient and kind; it enables a humble spirit, a courteous new nature, and an unselfish attitude. Love does not envy or harbor irritability. It enables us to be forgiving and sympathetic; it does not collect grudges, and it rejoices in truth (see 1 Corinthians 13:5-6).

Adrian Rogers says, “Love is not blind; literally, love sees more, but love forgives. Real love is not giving people what they deserve; it’s giving people what they need.”

Finally, in verse 7, the Apostle Paul says love, “...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

While other virtues fade and fail, the mighty force of love endures; it conquers all things, making friends out of enemies. It completes everything else, adding infinite value to prophecy, worship, and knowledge.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

One day we will see the Lord face to face. Our faith will become sight, our hope will become reality, yet love will continue on and on, throughout all eternity.

Apply it to your life

Are you learning to love, which excels all other virtues, enables the fruits of the Spirit, and endures all things?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:1

As Christians, our desire should be that our lives count for Jesus. We were not meant to simply sit in church on Sundays and co-exist with other believers. As children of God, we are called to serve Him by serving one another with our spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.”

As individual members of the Body, we serve different functions but are united in the same power. We were meant to live in unity, not in unison. Though we are ignited by the same source of strength and power, we are each assigned a specific spiritual gift distributed by the Holy Spirit Himself.

We were given our specific gifts the moment we were baptized into the Body of Christ. We just have to discover and develop these gifts as we grow as believers.

Paul identifies the spiritual gifts in Scripture: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, and mercy.

We must be careful not to exploit these gifts. The Devil can counterfeit our assigned gifts to lead the unsuspecting Christian astray. The Devil does not use raw material; he works from within our basic knowledge of Scripture and twists it to confuse and discourage.

Adrian Rogers says, “Your spiritual gift is not a toy; it is a tool. It is not for your enjoyment; it is for your employment.”

Each one of us is a gifted child, important to the Kingdom of God. It is necessary to realize our gifts, not only for our own relationships with God but for the sake of the Church.

Apply it to your life

If you do not know what your gift is, it does not mean you do not have one; you do.

Today, pray that God would reveal it to you and that you would accept whatever he has given to you as a good and grateful steward. Pray also that God would show you how you can serve in your church in a way that makes good use of your spiritual gift.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-18

The Body of Christ is not a building, it is not an establishment or an organization. It is a collection of believers with a mutual love for Jesus Christ and a desire to serve Him. Each of us is somebody in this Body of Believers.

1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”

The Body of Christ is a manifested person. It is the visible part of the invisible Jesus—the living, breathing display of his redemptive power and love for mankind. The Body’s purpose is to serve the Person—that Person being Jesus Christ.

The day we become born-again Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit; we also receive our spiritual gifts, which are given to us with the purpose of serving one another in the Body.

The Holy Spirit is the life of the Body and the Body’s motivating power. Each spiritual gift has a specific role in the Body, just as each part of a physical body has a specific role.

As an eye sees, a hand holds, and a heart beats, our spiritual gifts are meant to accomplish something for the sake of the Body, as it serves the Person.

Finally, we have a mutual programming. We as Christians are meant to operate alongside one another. God has designed His Church so that no one part of the Body can function as it ought apart from the others.

Adrian Rogers says, “Loyalty to Jesus means loyalty to one another.” We must love the Body and walk in unity, undivided. In our loyalty to each other, we prove our desire to remain loyal to Jesus. We have the same life and the same love, and we serve the same Lord.

Whatever our gifts may be, they were given to us for a reason, and that reason has everything to do with the Body of Christ.

Apply it to your life

Everybody is somebody in the Body of Christ. Today, make yourself available to the Lord and pray that He will reveal your gift to you. Discover your gift, accept it, and give yourself to the Body.

Whether it is listening to someone who is hurting or serving where you are needed in your church community, remember: when we serve one another, we are ultimately serving Jesus.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Romans 10:17-21

Adrian Rogers says, “Faith makes God’s grace available and real to us. Grace is God’s ability, and faith is man’s responsibility.”

In the Kingdom of God, our faith is the measure of our victory and success. Our belief is our greatest spiritual asset and richest currency. Conversely, unbelief is our greatest stumbling block. This is why there is an immediate urgency to receive what grace provides through faith in God.

Romans 10 reveals the intricacies of faith, what it is, and how to have it.

First, we must consider the object of our faith in order for it to be real.

When we rely on the wrong things, it can be dangerous to our spiritual health. We do not rely on positive thinking, or even on faith itself. True biblical faith is placed in Jesus Christ, alone.

Adrian Rogers says, “If the object of your faith is God, then the ambition of your heart ought to be to know Him.”

Once we confirm the object of faith, we see it originates from the Word of God.

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

In order to grow spiritually, we must hear from God; we cannot know the will of God by guessing at it. Faith cannot be generated; it is given, as Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

When God speaks to us through His Word and Jesus Christ, we will see the result of our faith, which is the Will of God.

The objective of our faith is to get God’s will done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

God is sovereign; He remains in control at all times. What He says He will do, He will accomplish. We have the beautiful opportunity to take part in His Will, through faith.

Finally, we must know the operation of faith, which is the work of God.

We do not work for our salvation, but our obedience to Him is proof that we believe in Him.

Apply it to your life

True faith does more than merely believe; it translates into action. When you pray and ask God what to do, and how to accomplish His Will for your life today, trust and obey Him.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Romans 10:1-13

Some may think being saved is an old-fashioned concept, but salvation continues to be man’s greatest need. Romans 10 describes the necessity and timelessness of salvation.

First, this passage reveals the freeness of salvation. “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:2-4).

Adrian Rogers says, “Some people think salvation roots in the merit of man. They think salvation is a reward for the righteous, but really it is a gift for the guilty.”

Many remain unsaved, not because they think they’re sinners but because they think they've never sinned. The worst form of badness is human goodness if human goodness is what keeps you from salvation.

Second, in Romans 10:6, we see the nearness of salvation: “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’”

We don’t have to go on a pilgrimage to find salvation, because Jesus Christ stepped out of Heaven to find us. He already paid the price with His life, already bore the weight of our sins on the cross, and rose to life to give us hope. We only need to be bold and unashamed as we confess Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Salvation is not an intellectual belief that we tack on along with other ideas; it is trusting and committing everything to Jesus, claiming Him as Savior and Lord.

Finally, we see the richness of salvation in Romans 10:12: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.”

Adrian Rogers says, “Nobody is so good they don’t need to be saved, and nobody is so bad that they cannot be saved.”

God wants everybody to be saved; anyone who calls upon Him will be saved. We may fail Him, but He has never failed us. Salvation is by grace through faith, trusting the Lord Jesus.

Apply it to your life

Are you sure and solid in your salvation? Consider the freeness, the nearness, and the richness of salvation today.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Psalm 127

Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”

God says fathers are to be like warriors, and their children are like arrows to be shot at the enemy. But an arrow is no more effective than the warrior who shoots it.

It is crucial that dads shoot straight.

If we want to hit the target with our children, we must be skilled and strong. An arrow could miss the target for several reasons. The wind may take the arrow, or the target may move. But this does not diminish the warrior’s responsibility to be strong in his faith.

Adrian Rogers says, “My responsibility as a dad is to shape, sharpen, and shoot those arrows at the enemy.”

Second, our arrows must be straight.

Because children are not born as straight arrows, it is our job to shape them.

There are eight ways to shape, polish, and sharpen our children:

-Start early.

-Be creative.

-Build their character.

-Set limits for your children.

-Assign responsibilities.

-Let your home be the happiest place in your community.

-Let your children see God at work in the home.

-Cover them with constant prayer.

Finally, our aim must be sure.

As Christians, we must have a goal, an aim, and a desire before we release our arrows.

Adrian Rogers says, “Arrows are not to be collected; they’re to be projected.” God has given us children, that they might go where we cannot go, and we’ve got to point them to a worthy goal.

One of these days, our children will be out of our hands. We point them at the enemy, and send them forth, letting them go. Even after we’ve let them go, we must pray that the winds of grace will guide them, keep them, and use them.

Apply it to your life

If you are the leader of your household, ask God to make you a mighty man. Get to work shaping, sharpening, and seasoning your arrows. Work on your skills and rethink what your goals and desires are for your family.