Heritage Baptist Church of Frankfort IL

This psalm occurred after David's greatest sin. David acknowledges the depths of his sin. He had offended God. However, God was the only one who could forgive and do a supernatural work to restore the emotions and opportunities that sin had damaged.

The author of Hebrews uses Psalms 95 to remind and warn his readers that unbelief has been a problem for generations. The children of Israel saw God's power and presence, yet because of unbelief they missed God's rest. In today's church there are people who have heard the truth but are falling away from that truth. They have unbelief and are in danger of missing God's eternal rest.

The first two beatitudes give some of the entry requirements for being a part of the kingdom of heaven. Both show the failure of man to please God and his righteousness. Humility and repentance are the proper response to this reality.

Paul said some strong things to the church at Corinth. In this section Paul displays tact and care for these believers as he closes out this letter. He narrows down his desires for the church.

After showing that Jesus is better than angels and any man, the author of Hebrews moves to the fact that Jesus is greater than the greatest lawgiver, Moses. Moses was faithful in his task of leading the nation of Israel. Jesus is faithful in all His house of leading many brothers and sisters to glory.

This introduction to the Sermon on the Mount encompasses the whole of the book of Matthew and then focuses on the immediate context before the Sermon. The emphasis of John and Jesus' preaching before the Sermon was to preach repentance. As you enter the Sermon, righteousness and the need of it is emphasized. Without righteousness one cannot be a part of the kingdom. A recognition of sin in repentance would lead one to look for a righteousness outside of oneself in order to be able to enter the kingdom.

Paul was coming back to the church at Corinth. He prepared the Corinthians for his visit. If they did not take care of the sin that was ruining the testimony of the church and of Christ, Paul would be forced to administer discipline himself. Paul wanted the church to take care of this discipline but they had not yet done it. The goal of discipline is hope of restoration for the erring believer.

Jesus took on humanity for multiple reasons. His main desire was to bring many brothers and sisters with Him to glory. His humanity allowed him to defeat the one who has the power of death and deliver mankind from bondage to sin and death. He also serves as mankind's high priest before God.

This last lesson reminds us that humility is key in dealing with any kind of sin. This lesson reviews the sins that have been seen over the last few weeks, and concludes with pattern to battle sin in our lives.

Paul spent the last two chapters putting out a "fool's" speech to combat the super apostles. They gave their resume to attract followers. Paul gave all of his credentials, though all of them point to suffering and difficulty. Paul should have had to defend his character or impact. The Corinthians should have done this for them. He had not taken anything from them, but had been like a parent to them.

This message reminds us that the position of a deacon is not necessarily a position of leadership, but an official recognition of a call to service.

This is part 2 of the lesson on worldliness. It does review the previous week and definitions of worldliness. Three examples are given of worldliness in the church. Last lesson dealt with money. This lesson deals with vicarious immorality and idolatry.

Mankind is seemingly insignificant in comparison to the universe and the angels, yet mankind was created in the image of God and given responsibility to rule over the earth. Mankind gave up the opportunity to rule well, when they listened to Satan and fell into sin and death. The Son came into the world to be a man who was sinless that could take up the responsibility of rule. By His death, he makes it possible for all mankind to experience salvation and take part in ruling the world.

This section contains the last and the greatest passage emphasizing the rule of Son. The passage quoted is from Psalm 110:1. The Son rules while the angels serve. The angels served as messengers. Their messages were communicated in the OT. However, now the Son has come in miraculous power and with the offer of salvation. To ignore this message or let it drift away is to bring one into eternal condemnation.

Paul contrasts himself with the "super" apostles by giving a resume of who he is and what his accomplishments have been. However, must of his entries into his resume list his sufferings and difficulties. His ministry was not impressive, but from a human perspective was a failure. However, Paul's weakness was able to reflect God's grace and power.

Our tongue is the most offensive member of our body. Through it we can slander, gossip, lie, criticize, and cut down. What comes out of our mouth is an issue of our heart. We need to evaluate what in our heart caused the issues of our mouth.

Paul challenged the church to consider the danger of false teachers. They have all the subtilty of the devil and can make themselves look like light while directing people to darkness. They challenge truths about God and attempt to paint the picture of man's condition in rosy colors.

In starting Hebrews the author piles up Old Testament passages to reinforce the truth that Jesus is better than the angels. They worship and serve Him. His rule over creation, including the angels, is eternal. Even the fallen angels are under His rule.

All humans are competitive. However, we can become envious and jealous because someone becomes our rival. We do not trust God's providence that places others in positions of opportunity. The problem of envy if left unchecked will lead to murder.

Jesus is better than the angels because none of them were called Son by God. This was something prophesied in the Old Testament but clearly seen and fulfilled in the New Testament.

God has attempted to reveal Himself and His plans throughout the years. He used everything from prophets, visions, dreams, and through the written Word. Now He has ultimately revealed Himself through the Son.

Most Christians have come to conclusions about certain areas of Christian living. They arrived at these conclusions either by principles of Scripture or that is what has always been done. After reaching their conclusions, they look down on and despise others have have reached other conclusions. This has often been destructive for the unity of the church.

Paul wanted to defend to the congregation at Corinth from the "super" apostles that had shown up. He gives them three reasons why they should pay heed to him. He was their initial pastor, though he had not taken pay from them. His desire was for them to listen to his reasoning and reject the shallow and often false teachings of the new teachers at Corinth.

For many, the book of Hebrews is mysterious and distant. This is due to many of the OT references. The institutions and the people are not familiar to modern ears. However, this book serves the vital purpose of making people see that Jesus is better than anyone or anything. This book keeps people from giving up in their following of Christ.

John presented his gospel to ultimately show that Jesus was Messiah and God. He did this in many different ways. His purpose for believers was to encourage them as they were in a world that would persecute them. His purpose for unbelievers was to believe on Jesus and born again as sons and daughters of God.

Anger that is held onto can cause other problems. Resentment, hostility, grudges, bitterness, and fights are all off-shoots of anger. The believer has to come to several settled conclusions and take firm action to remove these vestiges of anger.

Chapter 21 is an epilogue to the events that came previously. Thomas' declaration was what John wanted his readers to believe. This chapter gives us a few extra things that might be on the mind of the reader. How was Peter restored to ministry? Was John never going to die? John gives us this epilogue to give some of those answers.

Anger is hard to define, but most people know it when they see it. It is a reaction against something or someone. However, no one can be blamed for your anger. You can only blame yourself.

The gospel of Christ was going to the new regions of Samaria. Phillip the evangelist saw many converted and baptized. One person was Simon the Sorcerer. He did what everyone else had done. However, it seems like later he may not have been saved. How does one figure out whether he was saved or not?

God serves as an example of a good father. When He is near, his children have no fears. He is forgiving and does not bring up past faults. He is a Father worthy of praise.

Impatience in this lesson deal with our response to the unintentional actions of others. There are many occasion when we let others accidents and failures enrage us. A constant state of impatience is irritability.

The false teachers in Corinth had taken up the common rhetorical tactic of comparing themselves to Paul and boasting of their accomplishments. Paul addresses the foolishness of comparing people and ministries. It was something Paul had previously addressed in 1 Corinthians. Paul will find his boast in the Lord and what the Lord had done with and through him.

John recorded two appearances of Jesus to His disciples immediately after the resurrection. Each one of these accounts served a purpose. In the end all of what John recorded served the purpose of pointing to Christ, the Son of God. The hoped for result is that you might believe on the Son.

Self-control is something everyone lacks. Self-control is governing our desires, cravings, emotions, and passions. We can see a lack of self-governing when it comes to eating, temper, and personal finances.

We can be selfish in many areas. Our selfishness can be seen in our use of time and money. It can also be displayed in inconsiderate attitudes we have toward others.

Paul starts this section of his letter to the Corinthians with a statement of being prepared to battle. Paul was being questioned by some in the congregation about his Gospel qualifications for ministry. Paul declares that he is ready to tear down the strongholds of the false apostles and teachers that have crept into the congregation at Corinth.

John includes two stories about the resurrection that confirm two things. First confirmation was that there was an empty tomb. Second confirmation was that someone had seen the risen Christ.

Pride comes in many forms. It can come in the form of moral self-righteousness, or correct doctrine, in an independent spirit or pride in achievement. All of these can be a reflection of our prideful hearts.

At the conclusion of his section on the collection for the Jerusalem church, Paul gives several principles related to giving in general and some of the blessing of giving to others.

Pilate had to make decisions about the person of Jesus Christ. Was He a king? Was He God? Pilate faced these questions that every human being must grapple with. A failure to accept the truth will lead to tragic decisions.

Paul gives instructions to the church for the collection and sending of their offering to Jerusalem. By his instructions Paul leaves the church an example of how to make the gathering and distributing of offerings honest. Churches want to be above reproach when it comes to the collecting, counting, and distributing of funds.

God has given us so many temporal and spiritual blessings. We often fail to acknowledge the gifts God has given. The world is known for its unthankfulness, but believers often fail to acknowledge the good from God's hand.