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Sermons about Apologetics/Doctrine
Are You Following the Right Christ?
Just because someone teaches from the Bible, does that mean they are teaching the truth? John warns us that there are many “antichrists” already among us, and some are inside our churches! How can we identify these people to make sure we are not following false teachers, and how can we know for sure that our own faith is real and not counterfeit?
What You Heard from the Beginning
As John the Apostle writes to his beloved children in Ephesus, he desires to stir their hearts into remembering their beginnings; when they first believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation; when they first received the gospel in faith. But why is it so important to be reminded of our beginnings in the gospel? Do we have any control for how much the gospel affects us now compared to when we first believed?
The Cure for Our Greatest Problem
The world has tried every imaginable way to end war and crime and hatred and violence, yet despite all their best efforts to bring lasting peace to mankind through education, politics and money, nothing has changed. And nothing ever will change until we recognize and admit that our greatest problem is sin, and our greatest need is a Savior.
The Need for Authentic Christianity
The early church faced persecution from its inception, but after a few decades, a new enemy appeared that was even more deadly. False teachers arose from within their own ranks and began to destroy the church from the inside. John wrote this letter to give clear ways to distinguish false doctrine from authentic Christianity. Does your life show evidence of these marks of a genuine believer?
What If We Really Believed the Bible?
Ask the average churchgoing Christian if they believe the Bible and they will quickly respond, “Of course I believe the Bible… I’m a Christian!” But the proof is not in what we say, it is in what we do. Are there commands in Scripture that we know, yet we are not actively obeying? Is there any visible evidence in our lives that our faith is real? Imagine what God could do through us if we really believed the Bible and put it into action!
Identity Theft (The Ultimate Deception)
People have many false views of who God is. It seems that everyone has created their own version of God; a “god” they are comfortable with. They choose the parts about God they like and ignore the parts they don’t. But God’s true identity cannot be changed to suit us. He alone is God, and we cannot fashion Him into our own image. Until we have a right understanding of who God really is, everything in life will be off course, and we will never know how to really live. Do you truly know who God is?
The Gospel Doesn’t Need To Be Fixed!
If someone offered you a glass of water from the purest spring on earth, but told you they had mixed it with poison, would you drink it? Of course not! And yet thousands of people in churches every week drink in sermons tainted with false doctrine. Today’s message exposes two extremely dangerous trends sweeping through pulpits across America, and reminds us of the vital importance of keeping the gospel message pure.
The Fool and His Folly
In our generation today, as always, we need to clearly understand the truth. We need to understand who we are talking to when we are discussing Jesus Christ with unbelievers. We also need to know what assumptions they are making when they say things like, “All religions are basically the same,” or “No one can know for sure,” or “That’s just your interpretation!” There are certain assumptions being made at the foundation of these arguments against the gospel. When we shed light on these falsely assumed foundations, the truth can be seen more clearly.
Heart of the Unbeliever
When it comes to war, it is vitally important to know the enemy. When it comes to spreading the gospel message, we also need to know what we’re up against. We need to understand how an unbeliever thinks. What is actually going on in their heart when they say, “I don’t believe in God.” Are they pleading ignorance? Do they need further proof?
Truth or Tradition – What are We Fighting For?
There are many issues in the church that have caused heated debate and division over the years. Surprisingly, most churches don’t argue over major doctrinal issues, but over far less important matters like what type of music is right or wrong, which instruments are acceptable in the church and which ones are worldly, whether suits and ties are more pleasing to God than casual clothes, etc., etc. If we don’t learn to put these issues into their proper categories, we will end up confusing tradition with truth, and we will be guilty of exactly what Jesus warned us about — trading in the commands of God for the traditions of men!
The Corruption of the Church, Part 2
Over the centuries, false doctrine has made its way into the church in many forms, and today there are millions of people being taught things that are absolutely untrue. Many people are told to pray to Mary, that she was sinless, that she is a co-savior with Christ, and even that she rose from the dead and ascended to heaven! How is it possible that churches can teach such things when there is not one verse in the entire Bible to verify these false claims? How did such lies make their way into the church, and what should our response be?