God often uses man as a vessel for His own Holy purposes. But He not just uses people for His purposes, God also shapes them into a particular vessel so that His children can fulfill their intended purpose in life. In this passage, we learn how God is a potter, and we are His clay who are shaped into Christlikeness as vessels of His glory.
Sometimes when we complain and grumble over a situation or a circumstance in our life, we indirectly grumble over God Himself. When we grumble and complain about people whom God has placed under our care or within our reach, we are frustrated with God. But having such an attitude is basically a sin we commit against God. In this passage, we learn about how we can overcome this sin of being frustrated with God our lives.
Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit through God’s word, a Christian can be self-deceived for this entire life. How can we as Christians avoid self-deception? How can we prevent ourselves from succumbing to the temptations in our lives? In other words, how can we grow more in holiness? Listen to the sermon to find out.
God often gently convicts His people of their sinfulness and rebelliousness even when the sins of His people might seem like an insignificant sin, lest such a sin grow into fruition. But when a nation commits idolatry, God also does not withhold from punishing and rebuking them. In this passage, we learn how to avoid being in opposition or hostile to God and His ways in our daily lives.
Christians in the Bible and in general have often been convicted of the foolishness and evilness in being quick to practice what is prohibited by God. How can Christians be wise and understanding people? How can they prevent from making the same mistakes again and again? In other words, how can they be obedient to God? Listen to the sermon to find out.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from confronting and rebuking our sins committed against God and His people. When such a reminder is given to us because of our sins, God expects all of us to practice repentance. In this Passage, we learn what true repentance is and how can we practice true repentance.
Every local church is a collection of individual church members. Therefore, fostering a healthy church depends in some measure on fostering healthy church members who understand the centrality of living and working together as one body for the glory of God. Most importantly, it requires members of the church to live out the implications of the gospel within the context of a local community.
Church Discipline is disciplinary act from the elders of the church to rebuke, correct and restore a person from a sinful lifestyle in order to prevent the soul from further damage. It is a way of bringing back the prodigal into the fellowship of God and believers. In this passage, we learn why and how we need to practice church discipline.
We don’t often hear people talking about being content today. When we do, it’s often in terms of what would be ideal rather than characteristic of our lives. In this passage, Paul gives an explanation of how he has labored for contentment in Christ and in the worst of circumstances he can have joy, since his circumstances could never give him the fulfillment he seeks anyway, he seeks to be content in the person of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, God sets aside His redeemed people primarily to fellowship with Him and to glory Him by reflecting His character through His people in this world. God is glorified when His redeemed people show certain marks that remind the world about God and His kingdom. In this passage, we learn how sincere love for others and constantly fighting sin in our lives through repentance and overcoming temptation, are the ongoing marks of a true Christian.