Sunday, January 27, 2019

The Commands of Christ – Part 2: Repent, Follow Me, Rejoice & Let Your Light Shine


The Commands of Christ – Part 2:
Repent, Follow Me, Rejoice & Let Your Light Shine
HOFC - Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION
Matthew 28:18-20
 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nationsbaptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”


SERMON SERIES
Part 3 – Honor God’s Law, be reconciled, do not lust and keep your word
Part 4 – Go the second mile, love your enemies, be perfect and practice disciplines in secret
Part 5 – Lay up treasures in heaven, seek God’s Kingdom, judge not, but do not cast pearls
Part 7 – Pray for laborers, be wise as serpents, fear not, and hear God’s voice
Part 8 – Take my yoke, honor your parents, beware of leaven, and deny yourself
Part 9 – Despise not little ones, go to offenders, beware of covetousness and forgive offenders
Part 10 – Honor marriage, be a servant, be a house of prayer and ask in faith
Part 11 – Bring in the poor, render to Caesar, love the Lord and love your neighbor
Part 12 – Await my return, take communion, be born again and keep my commands
Part 13 – Watch and pray, feed my sheep, baptize my disciples
Part 14 – Receive God’s power and make disciples


TODAY’S SERMON
Part 2 – Repent, follow Me, rejoice and let your light shine

SCRIPTURE READING
Jesus is giving this command, to Preach, Baptize and Teach, to everyone who is a follower of Christ Jesus.  Then to the disciples, and today to His disciples.


   I.   REPENT


a.      Repentance in the Old Testament
                                                             i.      Ezekiel 18:20-24 “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. 22 None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

24 “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.”

1.      What was righteousness in the Old Testament?
a.      Righteousness is not a behavior that is in accordance with an ethical, legal, psychological, religious, or spiritual norm; neither is it conduct that is dictated by human or divine nature. It is not an action appropriate to the attainment of a specific goal; neither is it a ministry to one’s fellow man.

b.     So, it is nothing you “do”, not a work

c.      When God or man fulfills the conditions imposed upon him by the relationship, he is, in OT terms, righteous.

d.     Example: Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

e.      Abraham fulfilled the condition imposed upon him by the relationship with God, and that is he was to believe (put faith in) the Lord.

f.       Keeping the Lord’s decrees, doing what is just and right in relationships with God and man was credited to them as righteousness, and no sins (offenses) would be remembered by God. However, turn away from righteousness, and none of your righteousness will be remembered by God, verse 24 says “because of unfaithfulness you become guilty and will die”.

2.      God’s requirements in the Old Testament have not changed with the new, God wants us to be righteous in our relationship with Him and with others.

3.      When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

                                                          ii.      So what was repentance in the Old Testament? Vs 21But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. “

                                                       iii.      Repent literally means to “turn away from”, “go in the opposite direction


b.     Repentance in the New Testament
                                                             i.      Luke 24:44-47 “Jesus said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations…”


c.      Why repentance is a must
                                                             i.      Jesus tells us in Luke 24:47 “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached…”

                                                          ii.      You CANNOT live in sin and be forgiven!

                                                       iii.      Repentance must take place so there can be forgiveness of your sins

                                                        iv.      Without repentance, there is no forgiveness!

                                                           v.      Luke 17:1-3 “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.

If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.”

                                                        vi.      Without repentance, there is no forgiveness, we must repent of sin.


 II.   FOLLOW ME

a.      Follow Jesus’ teaching
                                                             i.      Do not follow yourself
1.      Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

                                                          ii.      Do not follow man
1.      Psalm 146:3 “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”

                                                       iii.      Do not follow trends, fads, crazes, new teachings
1.      Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

                                                        iv.      Do not follow what you “want” to hear
1.      2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

                                                           v.      Rather, follow Jesus’ teachings, not the teachings, traditions or commands of men


b.     Follow Jesus example
                                                             i.      1 Peter 2:21-25 “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”


c.      Follow Jesus as your Good Shepherd
                                                             i.      Matthew 28:20b I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

                                                          ii.      John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

                                                       iii.      Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake”


 III.    REJOICE

a.      In good times
                                                             i.      Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

b.     In bad times
                                                             i.      Romans 5:3 “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance…”


c.      In all things
                                                             i.      I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.”


 IV.    LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

a.      Your light is
                                                             i.      Matthew 4:16-17 “people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

                                                          ii.      John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

                                                       iii.      The light that people see is ON those living in the land of the shadow of death.
1.      Us, disciples, living in this world.
2.      And the light that is ON us? Jesus.
3.      When we follow Him we have the light of life.

b.     Your light does
                                                             i.      First, it draws others to yourself
                                                          ii.      Then, you direct them to the Lord through preaching the Gospel

c.      Your light is not your own
                    Without Jesus, there is no light


CONCLUSION

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus promises His disciples, while they are preaching, baptizing and teaching, He will be with us to the end of this age!

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