"The House of..."
TEXTS: John 18; 1 Tim. 3:14-15; John 8:31; 1 John 1:8-9
TRUTHS:
1. There can be many things for the Church of Jesus Christ to focus on. Should we be a house of hope? A house of joy? A house of peace? Thanksgiving? While all those things are necessary for the people of God to experience, we should be committed to being a house of truth above all else. If we keep that focus, we will experience the Lord providing everything that we have need of. But if we don’t prioritize being a house of truth we may miss out on all that the Lord has for us.
2. God wants us to know the truth because the truth sets us free. What does the truth set us free from? From sin and from fear that torments us.
3. Sin leads to destruction but the Lord has given us the gift of confession. When we confess our sin, the Lord is able to forgive, redeem, and restore us.
4. When truth is preached about sin in a worship service, it is not meant to make those who have been forgiven of that particular sin feel guilty and singled out. That is not the heart of God. But the truth must be proclaimed if we wish to be free. The devil’s main objective is to tempt believers to sin and to then accuse them so that their lives are absent of peace and joy. Without hearing the truth, we will have more trouble standing firm against the tactics of our enemy.
5. God’s Word leads us away from sin and towards safety. That is why it is filled with warnings. There are seven clear and sobering warnings concerning sin in the NT. Those warnings are: (1) we should all be ready for death because it can happen at anytime, (2) don’t lie or do things in church for attention, (3) some sins can cause the Lord to deliver us to Satan for disciplinary reasons, (4) don’t treat the things of God as common, (5) don’t try to be sanctified through our good works while ignoring the gospel, (6) don’t get prideful about what the Lord has revealed and taught you, and (7) make sure you rightly care for others.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. How can a local church be committed to being a house of truth?
2. How would you define fear that torments? Do you have a testimony concerning how the Lord brought freedom from a fear that tormented you? How did He do it?
3. What does the act and process of confession look like and include? Is the process of redemption and restoration immediate or does it take some time?
4. What would you say to someone who seems stuck concerning a particular sin of their past? What counsel can we give to believers who find themselves in such a position?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
- Freedom from sin and fear that torments
- To cherish and uphold truth
Comments