Have you ignored the OT laws?

https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/the-character-of-god

Consider this: As His witness to the rest of the world, God’s laws were given to protect Israel. How have you experienced your personal obedience/disobedience to God’s laws benefit/harm your own life or that of others?

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“Based on all the things I've done, am I not a spiritual person?”

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📍 Sermon Outline

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

How can you forgive someone who has hurt you? While it may not be the obvious lesson to draw from a group of explicit Mosaic laws, we find that one of these sentences have been wildly misinterpreted (Exodus 21:23-25). Because of this, our Lord Jesus famously addressed this error in Matthew 5:38-39 by saying, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also". Was Jesus contradicting Moses? If not, how are we to make sense of both Moses’ law as well as Jesus’ statement?

Sandwiched in the middle of this mini-series on the idea that God’s laws demand a punishment that fits each crime, driving us away from sin and evil, we find an equally glorious truth drawing us towards mercy and love. As usual, it is only by understanding both these Old and New Testament statements that we gain a fuller, richer picture of our relationship to God, and thus our relationships with each other.

💭 Consider this: How, despite His justice, has God shown you mercy? To whom, despite your own sense of justice, can you show mercy today?

📄 Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/the-punishment-fits-the-crime-an-eye-for-an-eye

📍 Sermon Outline

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

Just how powerful is the human tongue?

Although the tongue is small and seemingly harmless it can cause destruction akin to arson. What regrets have you had about the words which you have spoken? What have other people said to you that has most built up your life?

Everyone says things they regret, either immediately or eventually. Sometimes these are small slips of the tongue, sometimes they’re life-altering sentences. Interestingly, the Apostle James knew this all too well.

Referring to our speech as “the tongue”, he vividly describes its seemingly limitless destructive powers to scare and warn his readers against the power of the tongue. By placing special emphasis on this facet of human life, he answers questions such as: Just how dangerous can our words be? What makes our speech uniquely deadly? What are its effects, intentional or unintentional?

📄 Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/the-power-of-the-tongue

📍 Sermon Outline

00:00 Trailer

01:21 Introduction

03:49 I. ITS POWER IS UNIQUE

15:33 II. ITS POWER IS DESTRUCTIVE

41:01 Closing Prayer

45:35 Reflection Question

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

What does the way that God cares for our property reveal about the way that He cares for us?

How valuable would it be if you could read the original Israelite laws for yourself? What would they tell you about how the Israelites lived? What would it tell you about their God? Well, did you know that God wrote a set of laws to govern crimes relating to personal property and we have those laws preserved for us in the book of Exodus!

In this sermon’s text we see the eternally almighty God stoop down to the level of limited, sometimes dishonest, often quarrelsome people. In the details of these laws, we discover a patient, caring, merciful God who’s special notice of His children and their belongings ought to draw us back to Him as that same cognisant heavenly Father today. Far from being a distant, overbearing tyrant, this text demonstrates quite the opposite to be true of our God. Come and see for yourself…

💭 Consider this: What does the way that God cares for our property reveal about the way that He cares for us?

📄 Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/the-punishment-deters-the-crime-property-laws

📍 Sermon Outline

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

If there’s a need for teachers, must we really be picky about who teaches?

It's no secret that teachers of God's Word are necessary, but it’s not just any kind of teacher that the church needs. What does God require in and from His teachers? How can we be sure we are meeting those standards? Why is it important for students to also be wary and know these warnings?

While the assumption may be that desire alone qualifies an individual to be a teacher, ignoring any other considerations would only lead to more harm than good. In fact, there is much more to evaluate, starting first with the manifestations of our heart - through our speech.

“Knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation”, mustn’t we be discerning?

💭 Consider this: You might not be an official teacher of the Bible, but you do have certain spiritual children whom you are influencing for better or for worse. What kind of impact do you think you are having on them?

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📍 Sermon Outline

08:00 I. THE COMMAND

19:22 II. THE REASON

40:50 Closing Prayer

42:37 Reflection Question

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

Does the Old Testament’s apparent works-based salvation contradict the New Testament’s faith-based salvation?

While a surface-level reading of both halves of the Bible might lead you to such a conclusion, the Apostle James makes it a point to use the examples of two Old Testament saints to prove his point. As such, true saving faith is always characterised by works, regardless of which side of the cross a person lived. Perhaps most importantly, what does the integrality of our works reveal about God’s divine purpose in our faith?

Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/faith-in-action

Sermon Outline

00:00 Trailer

01:31 Introduction

5:45 I. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM

28:23 II. THE EXAMPLE OF RAHAB

41:17 Closing Prayer

44:19 Reflection Question

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How can a loving God mandate death penalties in the Old Testament? The justice system established in the Israel of the Old Testament often seems cruel and savage. Because of this, you might be wondering at the plausibility of God being truly merciful and compassionate as the Bible claims. However, as with most apparent biblical impossibilities, this question boils down to our understanding of God’s nature and purposes. Not-so-curiously, today’s judicial systems and institutions evidence marks of the same justice that God once required of His people.

This is the first in a two-part series in which Ps Paul Cheng unfolds the true meaning and application of the phrase “an eye for an eye”, first examining its origin and subsequently its commentary provided by our Lord Jesus in the New Testament. Watch the second part here for the complete picture: coming soon…

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📍 Sermon Outline

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

What place does good works have in the Christian faith?

Salvation is by faith alone, not by works. But true faith always manifests as a transformed life in which good works are present.

So, what defines a “good work”? In this sermon, the Apostle James delineates 3 distinct signs of saving faith. Learn about how you can accurately use your works to ascertain your spiritual condition.

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📍 Sermon Outline

00:00 Trailer

01:26 Introduction

8:17 I. TRUE SAVING FAITH WILL NOT MAKE EMPTY PROFESSIONS

16:02 II. TRUE SAVING FAITH WILL HAVE TRUE COMPASSION

28:24 III. TRUE SAVING FAITH WILL HAVE TRUE CONVICTION

39:24 Closing Prayer

43:03 Reflection Question

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Copyright © 2024, Bethel Bible-Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

Having just delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, why did God let slavery continue?

The slavery established in the nation of Israel was unlike any other nation’s. Free from torture and fear, the Lord ensured His nation would be built upon just practices. But do these laws and passages hold relevance to us today, on this side of the cross? How should we view them as an illustration of our relationship to our own Master, Jesus Christ?

29:19 Then, for us, are we slaves?

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