I'll Be Honest

One of the great tests of true Christianity is that God puts in His people a special love for other true Christians.In 1 John 3:14 it says "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death." This verse leads us to ask, "What does John mean when he says love?" If it is the test of whether we are actually saved or not, we don't want to get the meaning wrong. He goes on in verse 16 to show us what true love looks like, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Then in the following verse he gives us something very practical to tell if we have this love or not: 1 John 3:17 - But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Bob Jennings | January 22, 1997 | In 1 Corinthians 5:6, Paul urges believers to cleanse themselves of “the leaven of malice and wickedness” and to embrace “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Drawing from the Passover Feast in Exodus 12, Paul illustrates the Christian life as a spiritual feast characterized by honesty and integrity.

A believer's assurance of salvation is a particular place that Satan will often seek to attack. Our enemy wants to make us miserable, depressed, and defeated by believing lies that unsettle our confidence in Christ.

Jesus tells us to preach the gospel to every creature and make disciples of all the nations. But how do we also understand His command to not cast our pearls before swine or give that which is holy to dogs?

In our combat with the Devil we don't just need stability, but we also need mobility. We need to have adaptability in order to move swiftly in the spiritual realm. And we must not forget that our mobility comes from the gospel of peace.

If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you've been enlisted in the war against the Devil. And you can't use the doctrine of eternal security to delude you into thinking that you don't need to fight in this battle. The promise of victory is meant to give us assurance in the war, not to exempt us from the war.

How do I deal with not thinking correctly? How do we deal with how we think and what is going on in our heads? How do we think better? In this excerpt, from a Bible Doctrine study, Jeff and those in the audience give some thoughts to someone's question.

In this Ask Pastor Tim, Tim is dealing with how to study the prophets. We want to go beyond a surface-level reading of Scripture, but to dig deep in God's Word.This recording is from a Livestream that was done through Zoom.

The Pharisees were the religious leaders in Jesus' day and they were looked up to as a standard of righteousness. But Jesus came along and declared that these Pharisees are hypocrites who are going to hell. And then He points at us and tells us that our righteousness must exceed the hypocritical righteousness of the Pharisees. Does your righteousness consist of an external list of do's and don'ts, or has God given you a heart-righteousness?0:00 - Matthew 5.20 is connected to the previous verses.2:23 - Scenario - What must be true of me to get to heaven?5:15 - Often, we are afraid to sound like Jesus sounds!12:08 - Lloyd-Jones quote on the Scribes and the Pharisees.14:32 - The ordinary person was in awe by these religious leaders.17:26 - Notice how often Jesus deals with the Scribes and the Pharisees.19:47 - A survey of the religion of the Scribes and the Pharisees.24:49 - Luke 12.1 the Lord really sums it up.34:22 - Can all of us be honest with ourselves?43:40 - They were killing the Messiah but did not want to become unclean at the same time...hypocrites!48:48 - We are not perfect; I recognize that.53:38 - The following verses in Matthew 5 might have a legal feel to it, but the heart of the matter is people who are longing to serve the Lord.57:57 - Closing prayer.

Jesus said that He didn’t come to abolish the law but rather to fulfill it. What does Jesus mean when He says that? Does His fulfillment of the law nullify any obligation on our part to obey the law? How does Jesus’ fulfillment of the law relate to our law-keeping?0:00 – Reading of text and introductory comment.2:43 – Don’t tune out and think this is too complicated to understand.8:29 – Today we want to consider and unpack our Lord’s first three words.12:43 – Hermeneutics 101 is to compare Scripture with Scripture.20:14 – What was Christ’s relationship to the Old Testament?25:11 – What is the golden rule?28:00 – “Do not think that I came to destroy the law and the prophets…”35:59 – Did you do the will of God? Christ did on your behalf.40:57 – A study of the doctrine of obedience.45:50 – Keep the righteous requirement of the law.50:54 – God changes us to where we naturally keep God’s standard.58:35 – Closing prayer.

Question: Can a believer still have assurance of salvation if he remembers a time in his life when he was more godly than he is now?0:00 - Mack reads the question.0:12 - Paul Washer's response.3:08 - Michael Durham's response.5:04 - Mack Tomlinson's closing comment.

If you are a Christian, you are a person who is a light in a world full of darkness. And as much as the world hates it, you must not hide your light. Your light shining through your good works is one of the means that God can use to save others and bring them also into the light. A light under a basket is good for nothing. Christian, don't hide your light.

In Mark 11:22 and Jesus answered, saying to them, “Have faith in God.” This is a command, isn’t it? He does not say, ask for faith. He does not say wait for faith. He does not say, “Well, maybe in a year or two some faith will show up.” But he says: You do this. You believe in God. Have faith in who? On God; it does not say have faith in your feelings of faith.

Our Bibles declare that God is light (perfectly holy and morally pure), and if He's made you a child of light who loves the light, you need to always remember that the blood of Jesus has permanently secured your fellowship with God. Every accusation of hell falls before the cleansing blood of Christ. And as you continue to walk in the light and agree with God, your fellowship with Him will be continual and sweet.0:00 - Opening Prayer2:02 - Text - 1 John 1.5-105:38 - Proposition - God's goal tonight, for the rest of your life here and beyond this world, is for you to rejoice in this fact: That you are a sinner saved by grace.7:46 - Summary of four points.8:21 - [Point 1] - God is holy.17:50 - Michael shares about his son, saying he knew he was a sinner, but did not genuinely sense the reality of his guilt.19:43 - Illustration - I believed I could find my way out in my own power.25:35 - [Point 2] - Christianity's essence is fellowship with God.38:18 - A man from the audience stands up and says he wants to be in the light.39:07 - Is the passion for Christ still there?41:22 - How can you walk in God's light and still have sin?47:40 - Does cleanse us from all sin deal with sanctification or justification? 52:48 - Quick playing Satan's game and condemning yourself.1:00:06 - How can we walk in the light and sin and still have fellowship with God?1:06:34 - Illustration - Bertha Smith taking pains to clear her conscience. Keep your confession of sin up to date.1:13:38 - Closing Prayer

One of Jesus' well-known "I AM" statements was that He is the Light of the world (John 8:12). But we need to remember the amazing truth that by virtue of our union with Christ, He can then look at us and declare that WE are the Light of the world. Jesus doesn't point to the brilliant scientists with sharp IQ's and colossal intellects as the Light of the world. He doesn't direct us to the people with the most power and money who control the affairs of our world. Jesus Christ looks at simple, humble, weak people who believe in Him and calls them the Light in this dark world.

What are some principles that can help with being a godly spouse and a godly parent? In this video, Paul Washer deals with multiple topics and in the second half answers questions from the audience. This was a spontaneous extra session from the 2021 Fellowship Conference.0:00​ - Introduction6:26​ - Are you putting ministry above your family?18:13​ - Be subject to one another?27:20 - An area I have failed in.28:46​ - A husband needs his wife's respect.1:09:28​ - Now, as a Christian, how do I train my daughter?1:20:52 - How do I discern if my child is truly saved?1:27:46​ - How do I prevent my child from being self-righteous?1:33:14​ - What about sinful aspects of my spouse's culture?1:37:27​ - What about parental authority?1:44:56​ - What about a husband who neglects his wife?1:50:32 - How do you maintain joy in the home?

The world we live in is a corrupt putrifying cesspool that is in the power of the evil one. But thankfully, Jesus is saving people out of this wicked world and making them new creations. But if He's saved you out of the world, He now expects you to be like salt and make an impact on the world around you. Too many professing Christians go either to the extreme of thinking they need to become like the world, or the extreme of isolating themselves from the world. But if we are to be salt, we must both be different from the world and yet still make contact with the world.

What does progressive sanctification look like in a believer's life? Growth is something that you cannot see a dramatic amount of change from day to day, but over longer time periods there is a lot of change. And growth in our sanctification, similar to that we become increasingly conformed to the image of Christ.

You may know theology, but do you know how to pray? We need to remember that the disciples didn't ask Jesus how to preach, perform miracles, walk on water, etc., but they did ask Him to teach them to pray. If we can't pray, we're basically useless in the kingdom of God, no matter how much doctrine we know.

Do you know the glorious possibilities of the ordinary Christian life? The unlimited possibilities that we have with Christ? God has given us all encouragement in the Bible that we can grow in our knowledge and fellowship with Him. We need to believe that this isn't just for preachers, missionaries, and famous Christians who have had biographies written about them. We need to believe that this is possible for us.