Intro: Acts 4

• Favorite passage is in Acts 4
• My bible has the heading ‘Prayer for Boldness’ at vs 23
• The church is praying to God to give them boldness in speaking the word
• This has helped me in the past in getting up in front of people to deliver lessons
  • Shows that even the early church had fears they needed to overcome
  • Lets look at all of chapter 4 and we’ll see the four things the early church did that helped them gain boldness as Christians

1. Followed those that set an example

• Beginning of the chapter: Peter and John
  • Preached Jesus and the resurrection – 5000 men believed
  • Sanhedrin arrested them, and even while surrounded, still preached
  • Vs 13 mentions that even the Sanhedrin recognized this boldness
• The elders and other men of our congregation step up regularly and provide an example of boldness
• Missionaries like Christina’s mom
• The young men leading prayers, leading singing, giving lessons… At their age I was a big chicken and didn’t dare to try to overcome my fears.
• Examples we may not think about:
  • Hannah understanding the truth and being baptized

2. Tell other Christians so they can help

• After being threatened Peter and John went and told the church vs 23
• They sought comfort and strength in the family that God has provided.
• Paul – Gal 6:2 – "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
• We cannot bear each others burdens without first baring our burdens to one another
• God has given us each other as a support group.
• Several years ago when I first started attending Grandview Pines, I asked David if he would talk to the elders about opening up Wednesday night devotionals to the men of the congregation — so that some day when I felt comfortable enough I would have the opportunity to get up here and preach.
• Since then, you’ve all poked, prodded, and encouraged me to get up here.
• I would not be able to be up here if it weren’t for my Christian brothers and sisters!

3. Pray!

• Vs 24-29 The church asked God for help: "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word"
• James 1:5 – "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting."
• When we need strength, ask God without hesitation — He will provide!

4. Just Do it!

• Vs 31 And when they had prayed…they spoke the word of God with boldness.
• Having examples to follow, asking people for help, and praying for God’s blessings will not get you anywhere if you at some point you don’t just do it!
• As David said in his lesson Sunday, "Man Up!"

Conclusion:

Not just referring to public speaking. All parts of our lives as Christians require boldness.

• Bold Choices
  • Movies and TV shows we choose to watch or music that you listen to
    • Have you ever changed the channel or walked out of a theatre because the content in the movie was not something that a Christian should dwell on? Phil 4
  • People we choose to spend time with
    • Sometimes this is the hardest part – people we thought were friends are actually horrible influences on us against Christ
      •  Prov 1:8-19 Talks about this exact thing.
        

        Vs 15: "My son, do not walk in the way with them,
        Keep your foot from their path; "

      • We have to do the right thing and make that difficult break for the sake of our own souls.

          

• Lewd Jokes
  • Ever stopped someone in the middle of a joke they were telling just because it wasn’t something that should be told

• Standing up against those making fun of or talking about people – Titus 3:2 "speak evil of no one"
• Backing up those who are standing up for Christ
  • Much easier to be bold when we have others being bold with us. That goes back to having an example to follow and asking others for help.
• Finally – Realizing that we’ve sinned and making it right with God
  • Everyone has sinned.  Rom. 3:2
  • Everyone has an opportunity to overcome that sin.
• A Christian:  Repentance — not just an apology, but a desire and bold attempt to resist further temptations — is required to overcome sin
• A non-Christian:
  • Must hear the word of God – Not a miraculous voice, but a simple study of the scriptures. Romans 10:17
  • Believe that word – Hebrews 11:6
  • Repent of Sin – just as it is for the Christian it’s not just an apology, but a desire and bold attempt to resist further temptations – Acts 17:30
  • Confess that Christ is the Son of God – Matthew 10:32
  • Baptized for the remission of sins Acts 2:38 — Not a washing away of filth, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. 1 Peter 3:21
  • Strive to be Faithful and BOLD
    • Heb 3:12-14 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called  “Today,”   lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end

If you have failed to be a BOLD Christian and need our help and prayers or if you need to step up and make that BOLD decision to be a Christian, come tonight as we stand and sing.

“That’s just your interpretation.”

When I hear this phrase used in relation to spiritual correction and doctrine, it gets under my skin and makes me want to step up on my soap box for a while, so when David showed me this lesson I jumped on it immediately and decided that I would use it for the invitation tonight.

This lesson is a bit of a departure from most lessons we hear. It is written only using scripture, and gives answers to eleven common questions about man’s salvation.

Unfortunately some do make the word of God void by their tradition (Mk.7:13), and twist the scripture to their own destruction (2 Pet.3:16), and even are handling the word of God deceitfully (2 Cor.4:2).

Through tonight’s lesson we’ll be able to see how we can let Scripture interpret scripture, and help put an end to the age old excuse of “That’s just your interpretation.”

The handout you’ve received is the original document with all the scripture references I am using tonight. I will not be giving them as I read the scripture, so make sure that you take this material home and study it diligently yourself and with others so that they might come to a full knowledge of the scripture and how it interprets itself, and not just rely their own interpretation and twisting of it.

INTRODUCTION

…Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

1. IS THE BIBLE ALL WE NEED FOR SALVATION?

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation…

2. IS THAT SALVATION FOR EVERYONE? Lets finish the previous verse…

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

3. SO IF SALVATION IS FOR EVERYONE, DOES THAT MEAN EVERYONE WILL BE SAVED?

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

4. WHY WON’T EVERYONE BE SAVED?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

5. HOW CAN A MAN BE SAVED?

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

6. DOES ONE HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH TO BE SAVED?

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

7. CAN ONE BE SAVED IN ANY CHURCH?

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

8. CAN A SAVED MAN EVER SO LIVE AS TO BE LOST?

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

9. HOW CAN AN UNFAITHFUL CHRISTIAN BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED?

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

10. WHEN SHOULD ONE BE SAVED?

For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

11. WHY YOU SHOULD NOT DELAY YOUR SALVATION?

whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

CONCLUSION:

“Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;

Because I will do this to you,

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Show Him that you love Him by coming now as we stand and sing.

In many things in life, you have to pick sides.

In sports around here we typically pick Auburn or Alabama. When you play games, it’s Red or Blue team.

You’ve seen the “I’m an Apple, I’m a PC” ads, right? These ads are geared towards convincing you that Apples are better than PCs. They’re trying to get you to pick their side when choosing what type of computer to buy. And if you are going to buy a computer, at some point you will have to choose a side.

When picking sides, typically you look at the benefits of choosing one over the other. In the Apple/PC debate you choose based on which one you’re most familiar with, or which one is the easiest to get technical support for, or runs the programs you need. In deciding Red or Blue you look to see who has the highest score, or has the fewer teammates to try and balance things out. In choosing Auburn over Alabama — well, that one’s not always completely rational.

Just like these companies and teams which have run nation-wide campaigns trying to convince you that they have the better product, that they are the one who deserve your time, money, and devotion, that given what the other side offers you’d be better off choosing them, God and Satan have been campaigning for our souls! Each tries to convince us that they have the better offer for us.

We have to make a choice:

Luke 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

In choosing whether or not to serve God, we can consider His power:

Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the Heavens and the Earth. I think we often miss the full meaning of this: In creating the universe, He defined the very way our universe works — he defined things like physics — and then set them in motion. And He did it by just speaking. We have scientists that have spent billions of dollars building machines like the Large Hadron Collider to try and figure out how just a tiny part of the universe works. But God already knows how it all works because He created it.

He saved His chosen people by delivering the 10 plagues upon Egypt and by parting the Red Sea.

And he gave everyone in the world a chance for salvation by sending His son, Jesus. A man who performed so many miracles that John says in chapter 21, verse 25 — the very last verse of his book — “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”

But let me just list a few:

He had full control of the weather and the sea — He was able to calm it simply by speaking. He walked on water, He healed the sick, He raised people from the dead, and even came back from the dead Himself.

Even beyond the power and support and comfort that God provides Himself, He has also given a more earthly, physical support system to all Christians: the church. We are to strive to help each other by bearing one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2. We are to comfort and edify (build up, encourage) each other. As well as recognize accomplishments and good works. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-14.

Now Satan on the other hand, offers earthly pleasure, albeit temporary. Hebrews 11:25 But that pleasure comes at a price. Not only will it often have earthly consequences, but it will have an eternal consequence as well. Satan lies and tempts and is described as “a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. He doesn’t care about you, he only seeks to drag you down with him.

He has no real power, however, only the power we let him have. Matthew 8 starting in verse 28 shows us a confrontation between Jesus and demons that have possessed two men. There was no contest. The moment they saw Him they acknowledged His power.

James 2:19 says that demons believe and tremble.

In the face of God, Satan is nothing.

Knowing all this, wouldn’t you want the supreme creator of the universe on your side? When life throws trouble at you — and it will, no matter what — wouldn’t you want the best possible guide helping you through it?

I know that most of us here are Christians and understand this already. My goal tonight is to give you a renewed sense of hope because of the power on our side. Much like the book of Revelation, I want you to understand that no matter what happens to us here and now — as long as we are faithful — we will be victorious. Like Paul notes in Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The flipside to all of this is that if you are not a faithful Christian, you are on the side that’s against God. God has drawn a line that needs to be crossed. That line is sin, and everyone has been on the wrong side of the line at some point or another. Romans 3:23

God has provided a way to take care of sin. To go back across that line of sin and join the winning side. For the unfaithful Christian, you only need to confess your sins and repent — to turn away from the sin in your life. 2 Cor. 7:9-10. Refuse to let Satan determine which side you’re on. If you’re struggling, prayer and study of God’s word will make it easier to resist temptation in the future.

For those of you who haven’t yet chosen a side, the reality is you let Satan choose you. You’ve done nothing to ally yourself with God, so you belong to Satan because you’re on the wrong side of sin. In order to come to God’s side, you have to make a choice to do something .

First hear God’s word, Romans 10:17, which you have heard both in your bible class and by what I’ve spoken tonight. If you believe what you’ve heard, then let that belief become action by obeying God in repentance of sin Acts 3:19 and confession of His name Romans 10:9-10. Then, you must come into contact with the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ through baptism. 1 Peter 3:21. Finally, a faithful life of service to God is required. Being a Christian isn’t just a single moment in time, but a continual growth in Christ.

If salvation is what you desire — if you want to be on God’s side more than anything else in the world — His invitation to cross the line is always open, but now is the only time we are guaranteed.

1 Kings 19:11-13

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out.”

In order to hear a whisper — especially in a noisy environment — you have to get close to it and concentrate, and even remove the other sounds that are competing with it. On the other hand, a shout can be heard from quite a distance, and is heard whether or not we desire to listen to it.

God’s Word is a small, still voice. It’s a quiet, delicate whisper, not a shout. God doesn’t force his message on us, instead He expects us to focus and concentrate on it. Unfortunately when seeking God, we are often distracted by the noise and flash of our daily lives. We get so caught up in the business of being busy, that we forget to stop and listen to that still small voice by spending time with God in prayer and studying his Word.

I myself am guilty of letting other things distract me from studying on a daily basis. This weighs on my heart as I’ve urged people from this pulpit to study and don’t do it myself as often as I should.

Studying the Word daily is a great thing, an awesome concept, but until we actually do it, it just remains a concept. It remains something vague that we’ll “get around to” — like setting the clock on the VCR, or changing light bulbs around the house.

In order to make it real, we need to devise a plan, and apply this plan to our lives.

Christina and I know first hand how beneficial a plan can become in getting things done. When we first started talking about getting married, we decided that we would wait five years before we started having children. This was so that we could get to know each other better, and become financially stable. This July will be five years and we are just now starting to get out of debt.

Financial stability was just a grandiose concept to us that never got any application. Then last year my sister introduced us to Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and we learned how to plan our finances. Having that plan enabled us to turn this concept, idea, what have you into a concrete application with results.

Lets make a plan and turn the concept of studying the Word into a concrete application.

With this in mind, I’m going to borrow from what I’ve learned while doing my finances. The most important thing we learned was the zero balance money budget where you account for every dollar you earn and spend in a month so you’ll know where all of your money is going.

Borrowing from this, I’ve created what I call the Zero Balance Time Budget, and it works the same way, you account for the time you earn –which by the way is the same for everyone, 1440 minutes per day– and allot it to the different activities in your life, making sure you account for every minute so that you’ll have 0 at the end. This will help us direct how we spend our time. Ephesians 5:15-16 says: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

On the sheet I’ve created, I’ve put down some of the basics that most people will have, and you’ll notice that Bible Study is first. We want to be like the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8, giving first to the Lord. I’ve also got several blanks here for you to fill in for you to customize to suit your needs.

I’ve also provided on the back a schedule to help plan things a little better. I’d like for you to take a sheet and go home and have a time budget meeting with your family. Try starting out with giving 15 minutes of uninterrupted personal time to God in the morning, then plan for another 15 minutes in the evening with the family together. When you do this, turn off your cell phones, your TVs, remove everything that could possibly distract you or drown out that quiet, delicate whisper.

And just to be clear, the idea behind this isn’t to section God off from the rest of your daily life. He is to be included in everything we do.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The intent of this time budget is to allow you time to give 100% of your attention to God and the study of His Word.

As you grow in study, you’ll find that you’ll want to give more time to God. Don’t hesitate to revisit your time budget and add to it. The 30 minutes a day is just a starting point. We can never give enough of our time and energy, or money, or anything to repay God’s gift to us.

By the way, since all this is a rather new idea, I’d appreciate any suggestions for improvement to my forms and such. I want this to be as useful as possible.

One other thing that we learned was to have an accountability partner. To have someone that will hold us to what we need to do. My sister is ours, and we are hers. God’s design of the church gives us our own accountability partners: each other.

James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses (or sins) to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Christians, if you haven’t been studying God’s word regularly, and you know that this is something that you should be doing, do something to change that tonight. James tells us, “Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” I come to you tonight confessing that I need to study more regularly, and I need your help, encouragement and prayers that I’m able to start this and stay strong in doing it. Do you need the same?

If you are not a Christian yet, and you believe in God, then salvation is still just a concept, an idea. Fortunately God has a plan for you to help it become a concrete application with results in your life. His plan is this:

First you must repent of your sins, turn away from that old life that separates you from God. Luke 13:3 and Acts 2:38.

Confess His name. Matthew 10:32-33

And finally obtain forgiveness through baptism for the remission of your sins. Acts 2:38.

First, I started out with four different glasses containing clear liquid in front of me: a cup with a smiley face, a cup with Snoopy and friends on it, a swirled glass from Red Robin, and a Coca-Cola glass. I then asked for a volunteer.

Several hands shot up quickly. [Mr. Burns]Excellent.[/Mr. Burns] I called on one of them and asked him just to pick one of the glasses and drink what was in it. He grabbed the Coca-cola glass and took a BIG mouthful and immediately spit it out.

You see, only one of the glasses had water in it, the rest had vinegar.

Water and vinegar pretty much look the same. And sometimes on first glance, a lot of places of worship look the same.

Good things can come out of both water and vinegar. They’re both ingredients in some very tasty recipes, but there’s one thing water can do that vinegar can’t, and that’s quench your thirst.

The same is with places of worship. You see some of them doing a LOT of good, clothing people, feeding the poor, giving people something to feel good about, the list can go on for miles. However there is only one that has the water of Life that Jesus speaks of to the woman at the well in John chapter 4. We want to pick that one, and not the ones filled with vinegar.

And there are a ton of places to worship, all teaching some sort of religion, but according to Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

I then asked the volunteer: “Why’d you choose the one you chose?”

He responded with the typical, “I dunno…”

I guess he could’ve picked one of these glasses because he thought it looked cool, or maybe he likes Snoopy, or likes smiley faces… Or trusts that Coca-Cola would be the right one because that’s the one he’s heard of… Unfortunately none of these things have anything to do with what’s inside of them.

I recently had a conversation with a brother that has fallen away. He had come to my office to talk to me about selling life insurance, and was trying to garner some sort of rapport with me. “Hey, I heard you’re a member of the church of Christ too, is that right?”

I replied, “Sure am.”

“Do you still attend?”

I’d like to believe that I kept a straight face. If I’m a member, then I’m attending still, right? I replied affirmatively and told him which congregation I currently attend.

His response: “Oh yeah, I visited there once, it was too conservative for my tastes. You know how when you grow up in one type of church, you just gotta find something different.”

Again, I struggled to keep my expression from changing. He grew up in a place that knows and taught the truth, but instead of sticking with it, He has chosen to drink vinegar over water, because the design of the cup is different. Hopefully I can have a chance to talk to him about it in the future, maybe talk to him about the ultimate life insurance. I’ll try, but I’m not certain it will be any good. Paul warns Timothy of this in 2 Timothy chapter 4:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth.”

He may have already made his decision.

He used the term conservative when talking about our congregation and I have to keep from rolling my eyes when people start throwing the labels conservative and liberal around in reference to places of worship. These are man-made labels. God doesn’t use them. There is really, only scriptural, and unscriptural.

Our decision of where to worship cannot be based on if its in a house or in a building, or how pretty and new the building is, or the number of people that attend, or how many kids they have in their youth group. It has to be based on something stronger, something that doesn’t change with the whims of the people that attend. It has to be based on the Truth.

I asked the volunteer, “If I’d let you, how would you determine which has water and which has vinegar?”

He replied with, “Smell them.”

Examine them, right? Perform some tests?

This is how we are to determine where we are to worship.

In 1 John 4:1, John tells us to “test the spirits” and warns us that “many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

We have to examine what they teach… and make sure that its the Truth.

Knowing that there is vinegar in some of these, if I hadn’t placed any restrictions, he would’ve done everything he could to find the glass with the water. Why then, with something so important on the line as their soul, would anyone want to choose without examining it first?

What If I were to pour some of this vinegar into the water, would he still want to drink the water? Even if a place does everything else right, but is just a little wrong in their teaching, they are still wrong.

We must study the Bible to know the Truth.

Paul, in his letters to Timothy stresses several times the importance of studying the Scriptures. In 2 Timothy 3 starting in verse 14 he says: “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Timothy was like most of the kids I spoke to that night, he was raised by family that knew the Scriptures. Not everyone has had that luxury. Some people have been raised in religions that have false teachings, some don’t believe in studying the scriptures diligently. My eye twitches EVERYTIME I hear the phrase, “Oh that’s not a salvation issue” when baptism, or church attendance, or any number of scriptural issues are brought up.

Those kids are very blessed to have the parents they have. But what if I asked the parents to pick from a glass, and instead of tasting it, smelling it, or examining it, they grabbed one and handed it to their kids. Do you think that they would, knowing that it could have vinegar in it, drink it without testing it themselves?

The same applies to worship as well. I know that everyone that teaches at our church strives to teach only the truth, but I, along with the elders, and the teachers, can be wrong. Don’t take what we say at face value. It is each individual’s responsibility during sermons and classes to follow along in their Bible, take notes and study them afterward, and by all means, ask questions. Never stop testing the spirits, because ultimately, the only one that is responsible for your soul at judgment day is yourself.

We’d already heard Jeremy give the invitation that night, we’d sung an invitation song and given anyone an opportunity to come forward. I want to stress that that is not the only time that a person can respond to the Lord’s invitation. It can be anytime, day or night.