Text: Nehemiah 4

We Will Face Opposition (v. 1-3, 7-8)

Trust in God (v. 4-5)

A Mind to Work (v. 6)

Pray and Act (v. 9)

We Are in This Together (v. 14,20)

Always Be on Guard (v. 16-23)

Text: John 21:25

The Bible is Concise – this is by design

The Bible is Understandable – in order to produce belief

The Bible has Everything We Need – we are not missing any information necessary to please God

Read the article: Many Other Things

Where Have We Been?

• Born innocent, without sin (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
• All who have reached an accountable age have sinned (Romans 3:23)
• Sin separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2; Ephesians 2:1-3)
• Without direction (Jeremiah 10:23)

Where Are We Now?

• Those who have not had their sins forgiven are still in the condition described above
• Christians have been saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5,8)
• We have been added to Christ’s church (Acts 2:47)
• We are part of His kingdom (Colossians 1:13)
• We are still on the earth (2 Corinthians 5:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14)

Where Are We Going?

• Death (Hebrews 9:27)
• Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10)
• From judgment, either to heaven or hell (Matthew 25:46)

How Does One Get to Heaven?

• Believe that Jesus is the Christ (John 3:16)
• Put away sin from your life (Acts 11:18)
• Confess your faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10)
• Be baptized into Christ to have your sins washed away (Galatians 3:27; Acts 22:16)
• Remain faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10)

How Does One Get to Hell?

• Anyway you want (Proverbs 14:12)

Read the article: Taking Stock

Text: John 21:15-19

Forget Past Mistakes – Peter made his share of mistakes, but he could not let them hinder his service to Christ in the future

Feed the Flock – teach & lead others in the way of Christ

Endure Persecution – Peter would eventually suffer death for his faith, he needed to be willing to face this

Don’t Worry About Others – After hearing his instructions, he asked about John. Jesus told him that his fate was of no concern to him, but that he must follow Christ himself.

Three Sins

Abraham & Hagar – attempted to help God instead of waiting for His way (Genesis 16:1-2; 17:16-21)

The Daughters of Lot – got their father drunk & laid with him to preserve their family (Genesis 19:31-36)

Esau & His Birthright – despised his birthright, sold it to Jacob for a meal (Genesis 25:32,34)

Trouble for Generations

Four Nations

• Four different peoples came as a result of these sins: Ishmaelites, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites
• All four of these caused trouble for God’s people generations later (Psalm 83:1-8)

Sin has Consequences

• Spiritual consequences
• Physical consequences
• Consequences for others

Text: John 18:37-38

What is truth? It depends on our perspective. Truth can be…

Comforting or Uncomfortable

• The word of God is intended to comfort us (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
• The truth is uncomfortable for some — convicts us of sin (John 16:8), exposes all of our flaws (Hebrews 4:12-13), calls us to sacrifice (Luke 9:23)

Encouraging or Discouraging

• The word of God is able to build us up (Acts 20:32); provides encouragement (Romans 15:4)
• Discouraging to others when it’s different than they expect and requires a change in attitude & life (Matthew 19:16-22)

Unifying or Divisive

• Unity is to be based on God’s word (John 17:20-21)
• Many believe teaching the truth is divisive; instead they opt for unity in diversity

Inclusive or Exclusive

• Truth is inclusive — the gospel is for all (Mark 16:15)
• Many think it is exclusive because not all will be saved (Matthew 7:13-14) — problem is not that truth is exclusive, but that they have excluded themselves from the truth

Good News or Bad News

• Message of grace, salvation, forgiveness, hope & eternal life
• The same message for others is a message of death (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) — speaks of judgment & punishment (Romans 2:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)

Conclusion — it all comes down to whether we accept the truth or reject it

Read the article: What is Truth?