I'll Be Honest

Listen to Jesus in John 15, He is saying that the branch will get what is given to it and excerpts nothing different; it gets what it needs. Meaning: If I don't have it today I don't need it today. What a liberating reality. This in no way means that we do not ask, we do cry out to God; but we trust that the Lord gives us what we need.

Believer, you might very well be looking at your faith way too much. Turn away from looking there and gaze at Him who can create faith, and then you will trust Him. How do we abide in Christ? John 15 tells us three things, let us consider those in this last sermon from the Men's Retreat.

In the Bible swords are given and used for one reason, to kill. And the sword of the Spirit has been given to us for the exact same reason, to kill our sins. We are in a spiritual war and we need to be familiar with our weapon and know how to use it. How can we actually use God's Word to kill the sins that seek to ensnare us?

When you read the Bible, do you read it as a textbook or as a treasure book? Do you read it to learn information and facts about God, or do you read it in order to know God?

Although Christ and the Church are distinct and not the same, the Bible describes them as inseparable. You can’t have Christ without also having His Church. You can’t be united to Christ without also being united to His Church.

Sadly, the word "blessed" is tossed around very flippantly in the world and professing Christianity. Often the word "blessed" is associated with earthly prosperity and happiness. But what does it biblically mean to be blessed?

As we put on each piece of the armor of God we need to remember that each piece needs to be put on as we're praying. As important as each part of our armor is, we'll find it all to be useless if we're not people who are always praying. We must never forget that our prayers need to be influenced by the third Person of the Godhead.

Written by John Newton, 1779 I asked the Lord that I might grow In faith, and love, and every grace; Might more of His salvation know, And seek, more earnestly, His face.

Believers who will be cast into Hell? Why speak in this way? It is because Scripture says there will be believers cast into Hell. Really? Yes. We have to use the language of Scripture even when it may not fit our preconceived notions and our doctrinal assumptions.

As Christians, we are in a spiritual war against the Devil, and we constantly feel the attacks from Satan that come upon us. In these times, we desperately need God's help. We also must pray for other believers who need God's help just as much who are also being attacked.

The Devil would love to have Christians think that they're the only ones going through spiritual opposition and difficulty. That's a lie. You need to remember that other believers are experiencing what you're experiencing and you need to pray for them.

In this question and answer session, Michael Durham answers various questions related to the topic of abiding in Christ and bearing fruit.

The Church is not complete without Christ; in the same way a body is incomplete without a head and a branch is incomplete without branches. But as strange as it might sound, we need to remember that Christ is also not complete without the Church; in the same way a head is incomplete without a body and a vine can bear no fruit without branches.

God is a God who communicates and He communicates to us His will through His laws. 1 Timothy 1:11 - in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Does the doctrine of God's sovereignty discourage you? The truth of God's control over all things should be a massive source of encouragement and strength.

We are commanded to love the brethren, love our neighbor, and love our enemies. Do love and like mean the same thing? Do hatred and dislike mean the same thing? Can you love someone without liking them?

Anyone who reads the four gospels in the Bible will soon realize that some things are said differently in one gospel from another. How should we understand and reconcile the apparent discrepancies contained in the four gospels?

We need to remember that Christ doesn't send us into the world to wear ourselves out serving Him in our own strength. If we're abiding in Christ, we can be sure He'll give us the strength we need to serve Him.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality. This is an audio-only sermon that Bob Jennings preached to his church as his exposited through his 1 Thessalonians series.

The Bible mentions besetting sins, but we need to remember that when it mentions them, it tells us to lay them aside. Some people will wrongly ease their conscience and not put away their besetting sins. We need to do what the Bible says and lay them aside (along with every weight).

As Christians, we function in two realms: the physical and the spiritual. As we grow, God often has to wean us off of being addicted to the physical realm so that we might know how to live in the spiritual realm.

In all of the accounts of the Bible that concern prayer, one of the most encouraging sections is what Jesus teaches in Luke 11:9-13. Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers and to not take "No," for an answer. And in addition to considering what Jesus is teaching, we would also do well to consider the things that He's not teaching from this account.

Do you believe that without Jesus Christ that you have nothing and can do nothing? Are you sin-sick without Him? Don’t despair; Jesus has promised that all who come to Him will never be cast out. He’s promised that all who call upon Him will be saved. This is the Gospel of Peace that we need to have constantly on our feet.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these th...

The following is the full sermon that Bob Jennings preached on Luke 21:33-36.