The Tabernacle Today

This sermon was preached during our March 21, 2021 Sunday Service.

The Christian’s Goal

The One Another commands are to the Christian as the language of music is to the musician; keeping the One Another commands binds the hearts of those who are “walking in the light” of God’s Word together!

The command for Christians to love one another is by far the most used ‘One Another’ command, occurring a dozen time!

The ultimate expression of love!                                                         V. 16a

When Jesus died for sinners he was doing something for us we could not do for ourselves. That’s our standard as we love others!

Laying down your life is not just dying for another but laying aside your time, your resources, and your rights to meet the needs of another!

The Christian’s goal: love one another like Jesus loved us!                     V. 16b

“Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.”                      -I Timothy 1:5

Here we see that to love as Jesus loved is to lay down our time and our resources and our rights, and serve others!

Words alone won’t do: Prove you’ve got God’s love by actions!          V. 17-18

But sometimes people have made big mistakes and simply can’t find the way out. And it’s here where love can make all the difference!

If a Christian sees a need that his brother has and has the resources to meet it, but fails to do so, is that evidence he really has experienced the love of God?

If a hidden camera were to follow you around for an entire day, would it capture love in action?

Three Benefits of Loving One Another…

1.        A Greater Sense of Assurance                                       V. 19-20

2.        A Greater Sense of Answered Prayer                          V. 21-22

When you start to truly love others, you spend more time with them. And over time you learn to speak less and listen to them at the heart level more.  You are growing closer to God and to them, and so you pray more for them, more with them, and in a more God focused way for them!

3.        A Greater Sense of the Abiding Presence                  V. 23-24

I love how these last two verses teach us that obeying God’s commands is as easy as practicing the Two John 3:16’s!

JOY: Jesus, Others, You!

Homework:

Say thank you to somebody who has stood by you with the love of Jesus!

This sermon was preached on March 17, 2021 during our Wednesday PM Bible Study.

Growing Together in Christ  1 Peter 4:7-11

The __________________ of Jesus Christ is Imminent  V. 7a

What are our top priorities while we await Jesus’ return?

Spend ____________________ with God  V. 7b

Spend time with God’s ________________ (each other) V. 8-9

Share ________________ God has given you with the whole family    V. 10-11

From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.   –Ephesians 4:16

This sermon was preached on March 14, 2021 during our 10:15 a.m. Worship Service.

Got Fellowship?

Affirmation:

When the child of God

looks into the word of God

and sees the Son of God,

they are transformed by the Spirit of God

into the image of God

for the glory of God!

-Warren Wiersbe

The Christian faith is never presented in the Bible as something to be lived out alone! Instead God saves us to live out our faith with “One Another!”

We are going to start this series off with the foundational one another, the only true way any two Christians can have fellowship with one another.

The Foundational statement: God does not sin (at all!) 1:5

Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I Am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

But we have sinned…and we do sin…and we probably will sin  1:6, 8, 10

Verse 6 helps us define walking in the light – to walk in the light is to live according to the truth.

Verses 8 and 10 help us further define walking in the light – to walk in the light is to live according to the truth of God’s word, the Holy Bible.

Now thank God the fact that we are sinners who sin is only half of the story in these verses. But it is part of our story – if we try to deny our sin natures we will continue to be part of the problem in the world, not part of the solution!

The godliest people you ever meet are the most aware of their own sinfulness.

Jesus HAS saved believers 1:7

Jesus IS saving those who believe 1:9

Before you became a Christian you just had the old sinful nature around. But when you received Christ, you received the indwelling Spirit, and the fight is on for the rest of this life between the old nature and your new spiritual nature.

Jesus WILL save those who believe 2:1

If you are His by faith in Jesus, one day you will be free from the very presence of sin – that’s called glorification, and along with justification and sanctification it was all guaranteed the moment you were born again!

Our commitment to living by biblical truth is the basis of our fellowship 1:7

The basis of our fellowship with One Another is total commitment to the Bible as the word of God, our instructions for belief and behavior!

This sermon was preached on March 10, 2021 during our Wednesday evening Bible Study.

Soldiers Suffer for Greater Purposes I Peter 4:1-6

No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.  -John 15:13

Christ’s suffering _______________________ victory over death   V. 1a

Believers have a ‘___________________________ death’ to sin, resolving to serve Christ not sin  V. 1b

Believers are called to a ‘____________________ death’ to sin, redeeming their time  V. 2-3

Unbelievers need to turn to God ____________ their own death     V. 4-5

Believers who have died are ___________________________ victory over death   V. 6

Suffering in I Peter

Christ’s sufferings led to the glorious redemption of all who will believe

1:11; 3:18; 5:1

Believers should not be surprised by suffering

4:12

Suffering reveals who the genuine believers are

1:3-7

Suffering is temporary compared to the eternal glory that awaits believers

1:3-7; 5:10

Believers who suffer for the right reasons will be rewarded by God

2:20; 3:14, 17; 4:13, 19

Any unjust suffering believers experience will be avenged by God

2:23

Believers should avoid suffering for sinful reasons

4:15

Christ’s godly response amidst His suffering is our example amidst ours

2:21; 4:1

Suffering is an opportunity to glorify God

4:17

Suffering is an opportunity to witness for Christ

3:13-18

Believers aren’t alone in their suffering; other Christians worldwide understand

5:9

This sermon was preached on March 7, 2021 during our 10:15 a.m. Worship Service.

The Ark of our salvation I Peter 3:18-22

Christ died for _______________ V. 18a

Christ was actively _________ between His death and resurrection   V. 18b-20b

Jesus Rose triumphantly and is alive and in ________________!   V. 21b-22

The Ark of our salvation V. 20b-21

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  -Galatians 3:27

This sermon was preached on February 28, 2021 during our 10:15 a.m. Worship Service.

Opened minds preach Jesus! 

Affirmation: 

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” -Luke 24:46-47

This was the worldview of the Greeks & Romans, was fundamentally pessimistic – you can’t do anything about the chaos that the unkind and moody fates bring your way – and you certainly shouldn’t see history moving toward a purpose

A look at the other Great Commission passages

scars. So Jesus appeared to them all and showed the scars to Thomas.

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” -John 20:28-29

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20

And they sang a new song, saying (to Jesus): “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.”     -Rev. 5:9-10

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father put in His own authority, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” -Acts 1:6-8

Opened eyes looking at an opened Bible will lead to opened minds who finally understand God’s will for each individual life and the world!   

The 3 R’s of Evangelism according to Luke 24:46-47:  

1. We preach the Risen Christ, risen after dying for our sins

2. We preach Repentance 

3. We preach Remission of sins!

The Promise is the Person who is the Power – the Holy Spirit who indwells believers. 

There are 7.75 billion people in the world in 238 countries

2.4 billion are “Christian” (31.2%); 597 million “Evangelicals” (7.7%)

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105 countries that are over 80% “Christian” (44%)

34 countries are between 60% and 80% “Christian” (14%) USA = 77.5%

22 countries are between 40% and 60% “Christian” (9%)

20 countries are between 10% and 40% “Christian” (9%)

27 countries are between 2.5% and 10% “Christian” (11%)

27 countries are between 0.1% and 2.5% “Christian” (12%)

Only 2 report 0% – Maldives (pop. 512,000); Western Sahara (pop. 591,000)

46 countries are over 20% evangelical (19%) USA = 26.8%

44 countries are between 10% and 20% evangelical (19%)

64 countries are between 2.5% and 10% evangelical (27%)

84 countries are between 0.1% and 2.5% evangelical (35%)

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Current Evangelical Growth Rate:

32 countries have a 5% or greater Evangelical growth rate (13%)

99 countries have a 2.6-4.9% Evangelical growth rate (42%)

82 countries have a 0.1-2.5% Evangelical growth rate (34%) USA = 0.8%

26 countries have a NEGATIVE Evangelical growth rate (11%) UK, Japan 

This sermon was preached on February 24, 2021 during our 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study.

Four Challenges for Christians amidst trouble:

To get in trouble for the right _______________ V. 13-14a, 16b-17.

To focus on Jesus, not our __________________ V. 14b-15a.

To be _____________ to witness in the right way V. 15b-16a.

They conquered him (Satan) by the bold of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. -Revelation 12:11.

To remember what Christ’s suffering ______________ V. 18a.

This sermon was preached on February 21, 2021 during our 10:15 a.m. Worship Service.

Jesus meets you where you are

Affirmation:

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”  -Luke 24:46-47

“But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” -Matthew 26:32

“But go, tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him, as He said to you.” -Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:7, 10

After His resurrection, Jesus began to gather His disciples where they were, to take them to where they were supposed to be! And He still does the same thing with us today!

The first disciples excitedly talked about Jesus when they met V. 33-35

What would our church be like if each time we gathered, each person was ready to share something they had learned about Jesus that week?! It might be one of those things that would position us for revival!

Did you know that when believers share what God is doing in their life, Heaven is listening in?

Jesus personally attends the first Lord’s day service V. 36-43

“God, who is rich in mercy, appointed a people to Himself out of the fallen race; for their sakes, and as a theatre whereon to display the wonders of His providence and grace.” -John Newton

For I delivered to you first of all tht which I also received: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once. -1 Cor. 15:3-6

Jesus had to die because of 4 things that God cannot do:

God cannot lie (He is the Truth)

God cannot sin (that would act against His glory)

God cannot let sin go unpunished (Because He is holy and just)

God cannot stop loving people (His creation)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation (atoning sacrifice) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that HE MIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. -Romans 3:23-26

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. -John 3:36

This sermon was preached on February 17, 2021 during our 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study.

I Peter’s 3 main sections:

The believer’s status: secure and set apart 1:1-2:12

The believer’s roles and responsibilities: honor and love 2:11-3:12

The believers call amidst troubles: endure and thrive  3:8-5:14

All Christians are to cultivate loving ________ toward others V. 8

All Christians are to bless others with words and deeds V. 9-12

The word for blessing means “good __________.” We get the word eulogy from it!

Do you want to love life and see good days?

Give special _________________ to your words and deeds!

The Lord will accept those who repent but will punish those who remain in their sins.  -Hesychius of Jerusalem (412-450)