Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Romans 6:1-19

The grace of God enables us to live godly lives in Christ Jesus and empowers us to live in liberation. Romans 6 gives three basic principles for liberated living.

First, we must know our identification with Jesus, who gave Himself for us.
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 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” (Romans 6:5-6).

Adrian Rogers explains, “Calvary not only deals with the sin; Calvary deals with the sinner.”

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

Second, we must reckon our appropriation of Jesus.
“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Reckoning is acting by faith, on what we know to be true, which is that we are dead to our sins and alive in Christ.

Third, we must yield our emancipation to Christ.
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. We must choose against our old master. No longer will our eyes be a tool for sin, nor our ears be sin’s instruments, nor will our hands do its bidding.

Next, we must enthrone the Savior.
“...but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). We must make Jesus Lord of our lives, enslaving ourselves to Him, as Romans 6:18 explains: “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

When we become slaves of Christ, we receive new freedom, faithfulness, and fruitfulness. God will begin to live His life in us, claiming victory every step of the way.

Apply it to your life
Do you know that you identify with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection? Have you reckoned your life to what you believe? Have you yielded to Him?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Psalm 22

The Old Testament and the New Testament tell the same story of Jesus Christ. The entire Bible is all about Jesus and the fulfilled prophecy of His salvation.

Psalm 22 greatly details the crucifixion of Jesus Christ a thousand years before He was born.
This Old Testament picture of Calvary first shares the amazing prophecy of the cross. “O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent” (Psalm 22:2).

This verse mimics some of Jesus’ final words on the cross, as recorded in Matthew 27. Supernatural darkness came over the Earth at noonday, making it both day and night. Jesus was mocked and scorned, a prophecy fulfilled, not by Himself, but by His enemies.

“I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me” (Psalm 22:14).

According to the Gospels, Jesus’s bones were never broken; rather, He was pierced, and blood and water spilled from His side. These verses also prophesied that He’d also be stripped of his clothing, and lots cast for His garments.

Second, this passage describes the agonizing passion of the cross; no one has suffered like Jesus did.
To pay for our redemption and forgiveness, Jesus suffered at the hands of three.

First, He suffered at the holy hand of God; in the moment Jesus bore our sins, God’s eyes were too pure to look upon Him. As He was dying, Jesus was forsaken by the Father. (See Psalm 22:1.)

He also suffered at the hateful hand of man, as verse 6 says, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.”

And He suffered at the hellish hands of Satan; all of Hell’s demonic power was concentrated upon the cross.

But thank God, Psalm 22 also tells of the abounding provision of the cross. As a prophet, Jesus declares the Father; and as our great High Priest, He delivers the faithful.

Adrian Rogers says, “Salvation is more than having our sins forgiven; it is coming to a relationship where we can know God intimately and personally for ourselves.”

Apply it to your life
Do you serve Jesus Christ—the prophet and priest? Scriptures proclaim that this world belongs to Him, and He is coming back to it, soon.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Exodus 17:8-11

In this spiritual battle against the world, the devil, and the flesh, we can oftentimes be our own biggest enemies. In Exodus 17, God called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and led them through the wilderness toward Canaan.

Reading this story as Christians, we see Egypt represents the world, Pharaoh the devil, and Canaan the victorious life. There are four principles of victory found in this passage.

First, we must receive a gracious provision. In Exodus 17, the Israelites are in the barren land, dying of thirst. God instructs Moses to strike a rock with his rod, and when he does, water gushes from the rock. This is a glorious illustration of our salvation. Jesus, the rock of ages, was smitten for us. And blood and water that flowed from His side represent the Holy Spirit.

Second, we must realize God’s grand purpose. Adrian Rogers says, “God’s plan for His people was not merely that they come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness of Sinai. God’s plan for His people was that they go into the land of Canaan. God brought them out that He might bring them in.”

Many of us have been brought out of the world, but we’ve never experienced the victory of Canaan. But God has brought us out to bring us in.

Third, we must respect the grievous problem. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh...” As the Amalekites came against the Israelites in their weakest moments, the flesh will come up against us in our journey to the “promised land.” But we must remember the glorious principle: victory is God-given. We overcome the flesh by the power of God.

Adrian Rogers says, “Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness.”

When you take the rod of God, which is the Word, the Power, and the Spirit of God, and hold it high, you will see victory.

Apply it to your life
Do you need to see a victory in your life -- over your flesh? Remember: holiness is not the way to Christ; rather, Christ is the way to holiness.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: 1 John 4:17

As Christians, we find our identification in Jesus Christ. He became as we are that we might become as He is.

1 John 4:17 says, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

Our identification with Christ is a powerful truth; we are spiritually united with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. As a result, we are also united with Jesus in His victory.

Adrian Rogers says, “I’m not merely with Jesus on the cross; I have walked out of that empty tomb with Him.”

The Bible also proclaims that our identification with Christ is very present and practical.

His wisdom is our wisdom. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God…” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
His joy is our joy. In John 15:11, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
His sorrow is our sorrow. “...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Philippians 3:10).
His friends are our friends. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “...as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
His enemies are our enemies. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
His purpose is our purpose. In John 20:21, Jesus implores, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
His authority is our authority. In Matthew 21:18-20, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…”
Finally, His future is our future. “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
When we took Jesus as a heavenly bridegroom, He became one with us, that we might become one with Him.

Apply it to your life
Do you find your identification in Christ? Dwell on these verses and ask the Holy Spirit to confirm this truth in your heart today.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Psalm 22:1-31

The Old Testament and the New Testament tell the same story of Jesus Christ. The entire Bible expresses the fulfilled prophecy and united message that Jesus saves.

Psalm 22 greatly details the crucifixion of Jesus Christ a thousand years before He was born.

This Old Testament Calvary passage first shares the prophecy of the cross.
“O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent” (Psalm 22:2). This verse mimics some of Jesus’ final moments on the cross recorded in Matthew 27. A great darkness came over the Earth at noonday, becoming both day and night; Jesus was mocked and scorned, a prophecy fulfilled not by Himself, but by His enemies.

“I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me” (Psalm 22:14). According to the Gospels, Jesus’s bones were never broken; rather, He was pierced, and blood and water spilled from His side. Even the small detail of His asking for a drink fulfilled the prophecy that the One crucified for our sins would cry out in thirst. (Read Psalm 22:15.)

Second, this passage describes the agony of the cross.
No one has suffered like Jesus did.

To pay for our redemption and forgiveness, Jesus suffered at the hands of three.

First, He suffered at the holy hand of God; in the moment Jesus bore our sins, God’s eyes were too pure to look upon Him. As He was dying, Jesus was forsaken by the Father. (Read Psalm 22:1.) He also suffered at the hateful hand of man, as Psalm 22:6 says, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.” And He suffered at the hellish hands of Satan; all of Hell’s demonic power was concentrated upon the cross.

But thank God, Psalm 22 also tells of the victory of the cross.
As a prophet, Jesus declares the Father; as our great High Priest, He delivers the faithful. And as the Prince of Heaven, He dominates the future.

Adrian Rogers says, “People wonder what this world is coming to—I’ll tell you, it’s coming to Jesus.”

Apply it to your life
Do you serve Jesus Christ —the prophet, priest, and prince? Scriptures proclaim that this world belongs to Him, and He is coming back to it, soon.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:21; Genesis 32

Hebrews 11:21 says, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”

Many of us think self-sufficiency is a virtue, but truthfully, it is a vice. After deceiving his father to obtain his brother Esau’s birthright, Jacob was on the run for his life. God used this moment to cause Jacob to cease depending upon his own schemes. Jacob’s story reveals three principles to remember as we learn to lean on God.

First, God will protect us, but He will not pamper us.
In Genesis 32, Esau was pursuing Jacob with a vengeance. God appointed angels to protect Jacob on his journey, but Jacob needed to learn that his flattery and strategy would not work.

Second, God will hurt us, but He will not harm us.
Adrian Rogers explains, “God brought Jacob to realize that his only hope was God: not his scheming, but his surrendering; not his bargaining, but his begging.” As He loved Jacob, God loves us too much to leave us self-sufficient.

Genesis 32:24-25 says, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.”

Finally, God will break us, but He desires to bless us.
Genesis 32:27-28 says, “So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

God gave Jacob a new name: no longer was Jacob a schemer or conniver; when he learned to lean on God, he became a prince, Israel.

Following this encounter, Jacob was left with a limp. All his life, Jacob leaned upon his staff—but he was stronger with a limp than he ever would have been on his own two feet.

Adrian Rogers says, “Men throw broken things away, but God never uses anything until He first breaks it.”

Apply it to your life
Failure doesn’t need to be final; if you’ll judge yourself, you won’t have to be judged. Lean on the Lord Jesus Christ; it is your worship by faith that really matters.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:20

Family was first established by God in the Garden of Eden. Knowing family is a gift of God, the enemy has waged a war against the home. Hebrews 11 reveals lessons from a dysfunctional family, and offers hope for those who face unrest in the home.

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come” (Hebrews 11:20).

This passage looks back to the story of twin brothers Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25. They were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah, and together, they were a family plagued by favoritism, deception, and betrayal.

Esau, the eldest, sold Jacob his birthright for a bowl of stew. This small act of foolishness propelled a lifetime of dysfunction.

Genesis 27 goes on to reveal the failure of a dysfunctional family.

Isaac, the sensual father on his deathbed, blessed the wrong son for the wrong reasons. He was a man who lived for the things of this world and ended his life in sorrow. He represents many fathers who live self-centered lives, giving in to their appetites.

There is also Rebekah, the scheming mother who, favoring Jacob, helped him take the birthright from Esau. As a result, she lost the son she was trying to bless. Then there’s Jacob, the shady son, who connived his way to Esau’s birthright.

Yet, God was at work in this family; there was still faith in the disciplined father. Shaken by what he had done, Isaac came to his senses and returned to the Word of God.

Finally, this family reflects the forecast of a determined future.

Having returned to his faith, Isaac blessed both sons in the name of God, on the authority of Scripture. Yet, he had the foresight to know the godly lineage would come from Jacob.

Adrian Rogers says, “It is God who is moving history to a conclusion, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.”

Apply it to your life
Remember these deeply convicting words from Adrian Rogers: “The best thing any father could do is give his heart to Jesus. The best thing any mother could do is trust her children to Jesus and quit scheming. The best thing any child could do is stand on the promises of God, our birthright—the One who has blessed us with all heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus.”

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:17-19; Genesis 22:1-14

Hebrews 11 recalls the story of Abraham and Isaac from Genesis 22 when God called a father to offer up his son as a sacrifice. This story was a dress rehearsal for Calvary, in which God the Father would send His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

In the passages from Genesis and Hebrews, Isaac serves as an Old Testament illustration of Jesus Christ. His birth was prophesied and preset, and he was conceived miraculously. His mother Sarah had him after she “passed the age of childbearing” (Genesis 18:11).

Isaac’s name was divinely given; he was very loved by his father. He was offered up as a sacrifice and raised from the dead, as Hebrews 11:19 says, in a figurative sense. In the same way, Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin, and was specifically named by the Father, who loved Him. God sent Him as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and He was raised from the dead.

Genesis 22:2 says, “...Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

There was a purpose for this specific place: it speaks of the cross of Jesus Christ. As Isaac was led up a mountain to be sacrificed, Jesus also ascended a hill called Calvary, where He died.

Just before Abraham was to sacrifice his son, God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place. Likewise, God kept His promise to us and provided a Lamb, His only Son Jesus Christ, whom He loved, to take our place and to die for our sins.

Adrian Rogers says, “His name is Jehovah-Jireh (the God who provides), and the God who gave the first great gift is the God who will see us through.”

Apply it to your life
Do you believe in Jehovah-Jireh—the God who provides? Keep your faith in Him, who willfully gave Jesus, and will not hold His love back.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:17-19

Throughout life, we will experience two kinds of tests: those that cause us to stumble, and those that cause us to stand. The devil will tempt us to do evil, while God tests us to do good and make our faith strong and pure.

But God may ask us to do something that surprises us, and our response will reveal our true faith. In Hebrews 11, we are reminded of when Abraham’s faith was tested.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

When we face trials and temptations, there are three questions we should ask ourselves to pass the test of our faith.

Can I trust God with the possessions He has given to me?
God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to give back his only beloved son, Isaac. God wanted to know if Abraham loved Him more than he loved Isaac. God does not want a place in our lives; He desires, deserves, and demands preeminence in our lives. We need to consider if there is anything we would not give back to God if He asked for it.

Can I trust God with the purpose He has for me?
Adrian Rogers says, “Faith is not primarily believing God in spite of the evidence; it is obeying God in spite of the consequences, not having to know why.” Obedience is the proof of our trust in God. We must be informed, intentional and impassioned about seeking the will of God for our lives.

Can I trust God with the promises He has made to me?
God had already miraculously fulfilled His promises to Abraham before. Though he did not know how He’d do it, Abraham knew God would keep His promises again; and He did. God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place on the altar and gave Abraham back his son.

Adrian Rogers says, “We don’t live by explanation; we live by promises.”

Apply it to your life
Is your faith being tested right now? Remember: the trials that come from God are tailor-made. He knows where you are and He knows your circumstances. Have faith in Him.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:8-13

Hebrews 11:8 reminds us of the legacy of Abraham, who was called by God in his old age and became a champion of the faith. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance...”

Abraham's example gives us six principles to fortify our faith.

1. The Voice Principle: Abraham heard from the Lord.
The Lord appeared to Abraham through a supernatural experience. We have a greater advantage, having the written Word of God, the mind of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2. The Venture Principle: we must obey what we know.
Abraham heard and obeyed. If we are having a faith problem, it could actually be rooted in an obedience problem. Adrian Rogers says, "Our responsibility is not to totally understand, but to readily obey."

3. The Value Principle: We must establish priorities.
Abraham was a sojourner; he knew the land was not his home. (See Hebrews 11:9-10.) If we live for this world, we will eventually conform to it and become an enemy of God. Instead, we must have the mind of Christ and prioritize knowing God’s will.

4. The Vision Principle: we must stay focused and remain disciplined.
We must keep our eyes set on things above, and not on things of this Earth. When we see the promises of God, which are otherwise unseen by those without faith, we have a responsibility to live by them.

5. The Vigilance Principle: our faith will be tested, through heartache and tears.
We must remember that where God leads us, He will sustain us.

6. The Victory Principle: we get to enjoy the blessings.
Hebrews 11:12 says, “Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”

Abraham and Sarah conceived a child in their old age, and from that child, Abraham’s descendants were innumerable as the sand. Their victory came by a fortified faith.

Apply it to your life
Do you want a faith like Abraham, a faith that leaves a legacy? Listen to the voice of God, obey what you know to be true; remain disciplined, even when tested, keeping your eyes on things above.