Monolithic Country

Text:(Ps. 85) INTRO: The Israelites were under heavy chastisement, because of their sins, and therefore in need of revival. Sin is often the cause of spiritual stagnation and misery (c.f. Ps. 31:9, 10; 32: 3,4; Lam. 3:1-20) However, Jn. 3:8. We do our part; the Spirit will do His. I. REMEMBER THE LORD’S PAST FAVOR. (vv.1-3) We have forgotten God. We have been deceived by sin’s pleasures. We thought we would be happier away from God than with him, only to discover that it is not so. So the first step to revival is to shake off sin’s deceitfulness (Heb. 3:13) by recalling God’s goodness (Ps. 34:8) which is so much better than sin’s pleasures. Sin is like John’s scroll in Revelation: sweet in the mouth but bitter to the stomach (Rev. 10:10). That’s what happened to the Prodigal sin: he remembered he was much better off in his father’s house than away from his father (Luke 15:17, 18). So ask yourself: Am I better off now than I was then? II. PRAY FOR REVIVAL (vv. 4-7) Because ...

Acts 16:6-15 Introduction The Acts of the Apostles is actually about the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. Although in this passage we see Paul heeding the Macedonian call, over and above this is the Holy Spirit who leads Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia. To heed the call of missions or evangelism or ministry is ultimately to heed the call of the Spirit and to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Spirit in the whole matter of missions, etc. John 3:8 1. The Spirit Is Sovereign in Preventing (v. 6-7). - Don’t go without a call. Remember the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:15) and the children of Israel (Num. 14:39-45) - The demon-possessed man who was healed (Mark 5:19) - Moses (Deut. 32:48-52) - David (1 Chron. 28:2-3) - Reasons why God does not allow us to go: • We are not clean vessels (2 Tim. 2:15) • He wants to give glory to himself, not to us (I Corinthians 1:26-29; Judges 7:2) • We are needed where we are or he wants us to go somewhere else (Mark 5:19) - General rule: ...

Distinguishing the Genuine from the Counterfeit (I John 1:5-10; 2:3-6; 2:7-11) INTRODUCTION: Integrity is synonymous with being real, genuine quality, being true. It is the opposite of hypocrisy, of pretending to be something you are not. My wife was in Japan some time ago where she bought a 100 gig external hard drive for me. She wanted to have it tested first, but the sales clerk just laughed. “When something is made in Japan it's sure to work,” she said. That's integrity. A few years ago, I was in Hongkong on a mission trip. One of the things that surprised me when I arrived there was there were no security guards to check the bags that we were taking out of the airport. Integrity was taken as a matter of course over there! What about us Christians? Are we for real? Are our lives characterized by integrity or by hypocrisy? A certain pastor once shared with me how he became a Christian. He said he had a friend who became a Christian. Their barkada wanted him to drink beer...

Text: Matthew 18:3 INTRODUCTION: To enter heaven a condition is required: conversion. The consequence for failing to comply with this condition is you won’t be allowed to enter in. I. CONVERSION IS NECESSARY. IN ORDER TO BE SAVED, THERE MUST BE A CHANGE IN US. • Our hardened hearts must be changed into humble hearts in order to enter heaven. (A child is a symbol of humble dependence on God) Why? because heaven is a place where Jesus is Lord. (Col. 1:15-20) But a hardened heart will not allow Jesus to be Lord, so how can a person whose heart is not changed enjoy heaven? (Rom. 10:9) Satan was cast out of heaven because he was too proud to accept that someone else was Lord instead of him.(Isa. 14:12-15) • A humble heart implies repentance (a change of mind), acknowledging our sinfulness before God and acknowledging his greatness and graciousness. (Job 42:5-6) (Ps. 109:21-22) Repentance also means turning away from our sins and turning towards God. (Acts 3:19) • This does not compromise th...

Just discovered a very good Christian songwriter-singer and pianist too! Fernando Ortega. His songs are beautiful and heartwarming. Click here to know more about him as well as to listen to some of his songs.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God..." (Rom. 12:1) Paul stirs up their sense of gratitude because that’s where true change begins: in the heart; otherwise, we will have nothing more than mere external reformation (e.f., Matt. 23: 27-28). Gratitude is allied to love which is supernaturally produced (Gal. 5: 22) and aroused/evoked in us by the sense of God’s loving us first (Rom. 5:5; I John 4:19). And love is the root of which obedience is the fruit. Nevertheless, although love and gratitude towards God by reminding ourselves of God’s mercies (Ps. 103:1-5). We have here once again the mystery of sovereign- monergistic- grace and human responsibility. If change begins with supernaturally produced love and gratitude in the heart, which we nevertheless are responsible to stir up again and again, it follows that we must guard against that which kills our sense of gratitude towards God, namely, bitterness because it tends to magnify our pain and our sens...