Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church Sermons

Understanding and Faith develop in the Christian life. In the man born blind they develop through three stages: INITIAL ENCOUNTER INCREASING UNDERSTANDING INTENSE FAITH

Seven characteristics of God's gospel work: DIVINE DIRE DIRECTIVE DISTRESSING DIVISIVE DYNAMIC for DISCIPLES

to properly understand the relationship between sin and suffering, we need to properly understand... MAN'S SHALLOW ASSUMPTION THE FATHER'S DEEPER DESIGN CHRIST'S GLORIOUS COMPASSION

COMMAND Be perfect CATASTROPHE & CARNAGE The Men of Genesis You and Me CHRIST Promise... Expanded Clarified Fulfilled Applied

God’s flawless plan to redeem His people for His own glory works even through our sins and weaknesses COMMAND Believe and THEN obey CATASTROPHE Pilfering Polygamy CARNAGE Esau's Rage Rebekah and Leah's Rivalry Laban's Racket CHRIST Presence Perspicuity Price Peace

SERIES Theme: God is working out a flawlessly perfect plan to redeem His people in such a way that He receives maximum glory Main Point of Today’s Sermon: God’s flawless plan to redeem His people for His own glory is not always dramatic, but it’s always moving Command  Live a Humble, Quiet, Obedient Life Catastrophe Favoritism Fleshliness  Carnage  Favoritism leads to Rivalry Fleshliness leads to...

God’s flawless plan to redeem His people for His own glory is not undone by our fluctuating faith. COMMAND Focus the Promise Face the Problem Fortify their Place CATASTROPHE Selfish Slippery Short-Sighted CARNAGE Children See Brothers Strive Women Suffer CHRIST Melchizedek Isaac Smoke & Fire

God’s flawless plan to redeem mankind for His own glory cannot be derailed by human wickedness. COMMAND God is... Righteous Rescuer CATASTROPHE CARNAGE Ham's Shame Utopia's Sham CHRIST God... Remembers Re-Enlists Relates Repeats To what are you looking for hope? Better circumstances? Addictive substances/ behaviors? Accomplishments? or CHRIST?

COMMAND Relationship Representation CATASTROPHE Deception Doubt Denial Devastation CARNAGE Cain Lamech "Culture of Death" CHRIST Eviction from the Garden Accepting Abel's Sacrifice Cain's Warning and Mark Lamech's Better Brother Enoch The Seed of Woman

Because Jesus is the Timeless Eternal Son of God, anyone who keeps his word will never see death. JESUS IS TIMELESS AND ETERNAL who He's NOT who He IS KNOWING AND KEEPING JESUS'S WORDS Father and Son glorify each other to honor Father and Son is to keep the Son's Word those who dishonor the Son and yet claim to love the Father are liars ESCAPING DEATH we do NOT earn eternal life from doing good wo...

THE BIG IDEA: True children of God are not slaves to sin, but instead, they love and follow Jesus. ... we see this by considering our...   RESIDENCE   Where do you Live? RELATIONSHIP  Are you a True Son of the Father?  REDEMPTION  Are you still a slave to sin?

the Distinction between Jesus and Unbelievers from below / of this world vs from above/ NOT of this world the Dynamics of Jesus and the Father’s Relationship Sent  Supported Submitted  the Destiny of Unbelievers Sin and Sins A glorious “unless”  The Son of Man is lifted up 

What Jesus Says about Himself 12: I am the Light of the World  14: I can bear true witness about myself  16: my judgment is true  What Jesus Says about His Opponents 12: they WILL walk in darkness   15: they judge according to the flesh 19: they neither know Jesus nor the Father   What Jesus Says about His Followers

Every human life is sacred because it was fashioned by God for a purpose, therefore everyone, especially every Christian, must value and defend all human life. BELIEVE RIGHTLY -- God's work is... Intimate Impressive Intricate Intuitive BEHAVE RIGHTLY -- we must... Act in Compassion and Humility Make the Gospel Central to Everything We Do Intervene Check Ourselves for Self-Righteousness

Five Elements of this Christmas Story A Curious Conception (v18) A Strange Justice (vv19-20) A Powerful Name (v21) A Fulfilled Prophecy (vv22-23) Precise Obedience (vv24-25)

Two Actions in this passage: 1) Action of God through Revelation 2) Action of Man through Response Three Sermon Takeaways: 1) The Lord uses the weak to shame the strong 2) God uses the Christmas story to strengthen our faith 3) We must respond to the revelation we have received

The Intentionality of Prophecy 1. The Messianic Prophecies are Intentionally Specific  2. God Intentionally Chooses the Receiver of Prophecy to be a Wicked Man because Man is Wicked  3. Christ Intentionally Fulfills the Promised Hope

Micah 5 tells us THREE THINGS God's Shepherd-Ruler will do… He will Shepherd a Flock into Hostile Lands  He will Expand His Flock into Every Land  He will Deliver His Flock Forever from All Enemies

Three practical instructions... Answer Slander with Praise — vv 1-2, 8 Trust God for Protection and Vindication — vv 3 & 7 Rest in Confident Prayer — vv 4 & 5-6

People will keep DIVIDING over WHO Jesus IS (40-43) The Prophet OR The Christ?  Surely NOT the Christ People will keep DEBATING over WHAT to DO with Jesus (44-49) Arrest Him Hear Him Out Insult & Threaten  Jesus will keep DRAWING People TO Himself (50-52) Chief Priests and Pharisees Officers  Nicodemus 

Are You Listening? Jesus calls urgently Jesus calls compassionately Jesus calls everybody  Are You Thirsty? Are You Drinking?   What does it MEAN to drink?  WHAT are we drinking?  What HAPPENS when we drink? Quotations read were from: The Silver Chair, by CS Lewis Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John, by JC Ryle

They’ve Absorbed “Folk” Theology  They’ve Rejected Sovereignty  They’ve Practiced Inadequate Faith