Unity ARP Church - Sermons

Romans 8:31-34                                                                                                                                                   

                 Last week we were blessed to hear the preaching and testimony of a converted Muslim.  For me, the most memorable quote from last week’s messages by Goeksan was when he said, “Being a Christian is hard!”  He said, “Being a Muslim is easy, but being a Christian is hard.”  In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said that “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.”  It is usually true that those who are nominal Christians, people who don’t take their faith seriously, often think of themselves as moral or good.  It is also true that those who are the most committed Christians are the ones that are most aware of their remaining corruption and sin.  Has the problem of remaining sin in the Christian life become a grievous burden to your soul?  If not, then it is doubtful that you are really trying to follow Christ and keep His commandments.  But if you are burdened over the remaining sin in your life, then today’s message will have a lot of meaning for you.  The message is that Jesus Christ “always lives to make intercession” for you! 

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Genesis 12:1-3

The true and living God is the “God of Abraham”.  The God of Abraham is our God.   He is still the same.  You and I can trust Him and we will find Him faithful, just as Abraham did.  The first three verses of Genesis 12 explain the call of Abraham and God’s promises to him. 

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Goeksan was a Turkish Muslim who was converted to Christ in Austria. He is in seminary now. He proclaims the message of the new birth with power and passion. Listen and pass it on to others. This message needs to be heard by the American church that is obsessed with entertainment.

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Goeksan was a Turkish Muslim living in Austria when he came to know Jesus Christ. In this message he tells of his conversion and about Islam and how to witness to a Muslim. This is a powerful presentation. Great Q & A time at the end.

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Genesis 11:27-12:1

Introduction to the patriarch Abraham and the God of Abraham.

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The Preacher’s Questions

Dr. Jack Whytock – Missionary with MT3 – Mobile Theological Training Team of World Witness (ARP Synod)

Micah 6:1-8

1 Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.

2 Hear, O you mountains, the LORD’S complaint, And you strong foundations of the earth; For the LORD has a complaint against His people, And He will contend with Israel.

3 “O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.

4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the LORD.”

6 With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

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The Importance of Greeting

Philippians 4:21-23 02/17/08

The first time I read these verses I was tempted to not preach on them. These familiar words read like Christian clichés or platitudes that have been strung together. But for the apostle Paul, these were no mere platitudes. In the space of two verses, Paul brought greetings to and from four different groups of believers. Paul does this in most all of his epistles. He uses the word “greet” 35 times! Greeting the saints was important to Paul. Is it important to us?

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Is God Really Great?

Philippians 4:20                                                                                                            02/10/08

Recently a number of books written by atheists have hit the bookshelves.  Some have even become bestsellers.  Here is a sample of a few recent titles:  The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins; God: the Failed Hypothesis by Victor Stenger; Atheism: the Case Against God by George H. Smith; and finally, God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens.  The atheists that are writing today are often what we would call “militant atheists”.  They engage in a “no holds barred” form of attack upon the Christian faith and the Christian God.  It used to be that atheists would argue mainly against the existence of God, but now they are directly attacking the character of God.  According to Christopher Hitchens, God is not great; He is a cruel, sadistic tyrant.

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Giving As Worship

PHILIPPIANS 4:10-19 01/27/08

A number of years ago, two Christian businessmen were in Korea and witnessed a strange sight – they saw a man in a field with huge ropes around his shoulders pulling a plow. A young boy guided the plow about 15 feet behind the man. Later the businessmen were telling one of the local Christians about that peculiar sight, to which he replied, “Oh yes, that man and his son are members of our church. You see, when the Communists bombed our church and we needed to rebuild it, that man had no money to give. But he loved the Lord so much he sold his ox, and now he pulls the plow and his boy guides it.”

Such sacrificial giving is an offering of worship that pleases God. That is the kind of giving that we find coming from the Philippian church. In 2Corinthians chapter eight Paul mentions the Macedonian churches, which includes the church at Philippi. Paul said, “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. …they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” The Philippians were not rich. In fact they were poor. But Paul says that they were rich in generosity. They gave as much as they could. Why? Was it because Paul was such a good fund raiser? Was it because Paul promised to send a specially blessed handkerchief to each person who gave 1,000 denarii? No, they gave because they loved Paul and they loved the saints. They Loved God and gave as an act of worship.

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PRESERVING PEACE

PHILIPPIANS 4:8,9                                                                                                    01/12/08

             In verse 6 we are told not to worry or be anxious about anything.  That, of course, is easier said than done.  But Paul gives us a solution to worry – prayer.  The cure for care is prayer.  You can pray about anything and everything that you are tempted to be anxious about.  And if you pray earnestly in faith, with thanksgiving, you will experience God’s peace.  But prayer is not the only factor involved in experiencing peace as a believer.  In verses 8 and 9 Paul moves on to talk about two other very important ways in which we maintain the peace that God gives us.  We must think the right kind of thoughts and we must put into practice what we learn in Scripture.  If we do, verse 9 says, “The God of peace will be with you.” 

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