I'll Be Honest

What do we have in common with those who deny what the Scriptures teach about Jesus? We have nothing in common with them. It is right that doctrine divides us from those who "do not abide in the teaching of Christ," because they "do not have God." (2 John 1:9-10)

Our relationship with God is called fellowship because He shares with us His love, peace and joy. What glorious realities these are for a sinner to be brought into the perfect peace of the Father and the Son.

Jesus Christ went to the Cross to open the door for us to share in the peace He had when facing the Cross. The world has forms of peace; financial peace, peace treaties, but Christ offers a peace that He earned for us and that is beyond any form of peace this world offers, it is to have peace with God.

You will either be offended by the Lord Jesus and the way He does things or you will trust Him entirely even though there are many times God does things that we don't understand. There are only two possible responses to Jesus Christ, to stumble over Him or believe in Him. Luke 7:23 says - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

This sermon, and the following two in the series, are especially helpful for Christians wondering about a particular teacher, whether he falls into this category of "false prophet." May the Lord help you to identify false teachers so that you may avoid and, when necessary, expose them.

False teachers often quote the Bible but they twist and misapply the real meaning of the Word of God in order to promote their own agenda.

False teachers will tend either to legalism, adding works to be saved or majoring on the minors; or lawlessness, living a sinful life while saying you are "forgiven and OK". Also, as is so common, they will simply be greedy and in the ministry for money. May we "beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." - Matthew 7:15

How is your fellowship with God? Can you boldly say, "Yes, my life is one of fellowship with the Father and with His Son--that is normative and descriptive of my life! No, it's not where I want it to be, I want more, but overall I know what it is like to be walking with God."

Is your Christianity a reflection of the God who is light in whom there is no darkness at all? The fundamental difference between the true Christian and false Christian is that the true Christian is reflecting God's character.

Some passages in the Bible are very hard to understand. However Hebrews 13:17 is not hard to understand, rather it's hard to hear. In our culture when people hear, "Obey your leaders and submit to them", they tend to cringe; whether it's because of abusive leaders or because of how individualistic a person may be. No matter what the reason, in this message Ryan Fullerton pleads with the Christian...

The doctrine of regeneration is one of the foundational doctrines of our faith and lack of clarity on it can lead to deadly error.

To be walking in darkness does not just mean that you are living in scandalous sins, but it means your life is not regulated by the Word of God. Do you start out your decisions by what you want to do and then come to the Bible and say "I hope it lines up"? Yet when it doesn't you just kind of justify it away? Rather to walk in the light is to start out with the Word of God and let it control your...

The task of taking the Gospel to the lost is to be taken not only occasionally, but intentionally; which is when you set aside time in your weekly schedule to go share the Gospel with the lost. If you do that on a consistent basis, you will find it is not easy. It is because at the point you decide to be intentional in sharing about Christ, you cross a certain line, and that is the territory of th...

There are all sorts of subtle ways that we can turn from Christ and the purity of the Gospel. Men will come along and say, "If you really want to be perfected, you need 'Christ plus something else'". In Galatians Paul is adamantly arguing that his Gospel came by the authority of Jesus Christ and that this is the Gospel that we want to lay a hold of.

The Apostle Paul was being accused of preaching a different gospel to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Yet Paul comes along in Galatians and says "by works of the law no one will be justified." for "if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."

Acts 20:24 - But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. This message was preached at Richard Gonzales' funeral on October 19, 2014.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

What does it mean to confess my sins? The Greek word means "to say the same thing", it's agreeing with God; agreeing that you missed the mark. Confessing of sin is an evidence of someone who is in the light and has fellowship with God.

1 John 2:1 shows us that what is normative for the Christian is that they don't sin. However, so often professing Christians have the mindset that sin is what is normal, but that is not the way John talks. He "writes these things to us so that we may not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous."

The Galatians were wanting to be perfected and grow and advance in the Christian life, and yet Paul came in and rebuked them for being conceited and biting and devouring one another. Why? Because they had gotten their eyes off of Christ and Him crucified and had turned back to the works of the law.

God does not intend for the Christian to always approach everything they do from a negative perspective by asking, "What's wrong with that?!" Rather we should be focusing on doing the good that we know we should be striving after! Excerpt from "Christian, Don't Sin"

In this sermon Tim deals with questions about the Lord's Supper such as this: How consistently should a church be taking it? What does it mean to eat "without discerning the body" and by doing so "drink judgment" on yourself?

The book of 1 John shows us that the difference between the lost and saved man is so clear that it is discernible and recognizable. John asserts that rather than it being vague, it is something that is evident when he writes verses like, "Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him..." - 1 John 2:4.

Men are imprisoned under the law but due to the weakness of the flesh they do not want to be there. But now God has done what the law could never do, in sending His Son He has now provided a way by which looking to Christ in faith we walk in the power of the Spirit.

When it comes to interacting with lost family members there is no pre-prepared formula to follow. Rather if we truly love them and have been praying for them, the Lord will lead us in what to say.