OceanSide church of Christ

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THE SAME BATTLES OVER AND OVER (1)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    Battles are not a pleasant thing to fight.

1.      They divide.

2.      They waste precious resources.

3.      They destroy property.

4.      They wound and take lives.

 

B.      Sadly, there are times when we seem to fight the same battles over and over.

1.      Once the kingdom of Israel was formed, they seemed to fight the same battles with the Philistines and the Amalekites.

2.      Husbands and wives seem to fight the same battles over and over in the home.

3.      Parents often fight the same battles with their children.

4.      Political battles seem to the same thing over and over.

 

C.    

1.     

2.     

 

I.                   IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH

 

A.    Morals involve things that are right and wrong.

1.      the Holy Word of God.

a.     

b.     

c.       Tim. 3:16).

2.     

3.      immoral.

4.      way.

 

B.     

 

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

 

1.     

2.      The scope: no so much as named among the Gentiles

3.      stepmother)

4.      the sinner

 

C.     Present:

1.      drinking, cursing, and, even the LGBTQ movement.

2.     

3.      If the church is going to be acceptable to God, we must take bold stands

 

For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

II.                DISREGARD FOR DIVINE AUTHORITY

 

A.    All that we do in word or deed is to be done in the name of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17).

 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

1.      Doing all in the name of Jesus means doing all by His authority.

2.      disregard the will of God brings the displeasure of God upon us.

 

B.     

1.     

a.      He came to worship God and brought an offering from what he had.

1)      He was a tiller of the ground (Gen. 4:2).

2)      4:3).

b.      His offering was rejected by God (Gen. 4:5).

 

But

 

c.      

 

If lieth at the door.

 

2.      explanation is given in Hebrew 11:4

 

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he he being dead yet speaketh.

 

a.     

b.      Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).

c.      

d.      was rejected.

 

C.     Present:

1.      Divine authority is just as important now as it was in the days of Cain and Abel (See Matt. 28:20).

 

Teaching you always, even to the end of the world.

a.      The apostles were commanded to teach only what Jesus had commanded.

b.      must be true of us today.

2.      Many refuse to adhere to divine authority in many areas.

a.      Instrumental music

1)      God has authorized singing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

2)      an instrument is to disregard diving authority.

b.     

1)      God has forbidden women from speaking in the assembly (I Cor. 14:34-35).

2)      public, leadership role in the worship of God.

3.      Day of Judgment (John 12:48).

 

He word that I have spoken, the same judge him in the last day.

 

III.             HOW TO GROW THE CHURCH

 

A.    The Lord wants His church to grow both spiritually and numerically.

1.     

2.      The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31-32) and The Parable of Leaven (Matt. 13:33) both reveal the growth of the kingdom.

3.      Growth comes by individuals being added to the body of Christ (Acts 2:47).

4.      The first century church grew tremendously in the first century

a.      About 3,000 (Acts 2:41).

b.      And the number of the men was about five thousand (Acts 4:4).

c.       The disciples and churches were multiplied (Acts 6:1, 7; 7:17; 9:31; 12:24).

 

B.      Not only does God tell us that He wants the church to grow, He has also

1.      The how of church growth is evangelism, that is, proclaiming the good news (Mark 16:15).

2.      The how of church growth is planting seed into good ground (Luke 8:11-15).

3.      The how of church growth is fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).

4.      The how of church growth is each one teaching one (Acts 8:26-39).

5.      The how of church growth is soul-winning (Prov. 11:28).

6.      The how of church growth is loving others enough to tell them of the Savior (Eph. 4:15).

7.      The how of church growth is not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16).

8.      The how of church growth is each member producing fruit (Rom. 1:13).

 

C.    

1.      The Crossroads Movement

2.      The Master Plan of Evangelism

3.     

4.      There are Christians scattered throughout all the denominations.

 

 

D.    man-made schemes for church growth.

1.      Entertaining worship

2.     

3.      Fellowship with error

4.      Refusal to condemn sin and error

5.      Refusing to proclaim the plan of salvation

6.      Less Bible in our messages to the masses

7.      Accepting denominational baptism

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    Yes, sadly we face the same battles over and over in the church.

 

B.      There are many causes for this.

1.      False teachers who infiltrate the church

2.      Weak elderships that will not support sound doctrine

3.      Unfaithful preachers who will not preach all the counsel of God

4.      Youth who are not properly taught by the previous generation

5.      Members who want to be like the denominations around them

 

C.     The only way to bring the battles of the past to a halt is for sound, strong, courageous men to arise, and put on the whole armor of God, and confront the enemy (Eph. 6:10-13).

 

Finally, whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

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