Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17 We have been well taught that we are saved by FAITH! "BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!" (Acts 16:31). But we have not been as well taught what saving faith is. For example, how often do we discuss the relationship between trusting Christ and loving Christ. Can you trust him savingly and not love him? Evidently John ...

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17 According to verse 15 in our text, if your love for God is cool this morning it's because love for the world has begun to take over your heart and choke your love for God. The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot coexist. And every heart loves something. The very essence of our nature is desire. There ...

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31 As long as Jesus Christ embodies a radical freedom from the love of things and a deep delight in the service of others, then those who get their joy in life from luxury rather than love will not be able to receive Jesus for who he really is. "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" ...

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31 Let's sum up, then, the two parables of the chapter. In verses 1-13 Jesus told a parable to make the point that we should use our money shrewdly—not as the world counts shrewdness, but shrewdly for the advancement of the gospel in the lives of more and more people so that they will receive us into eternal habitations (v. 9). Money is ...

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31 What would be the counterpart to this attitude in the church today? It would be professing Christians who read these parables and say, "I am an eternally secure child of God. I am justified by faith alone. Don't tell me that the way I use my money could jeopardize my eternal destiny." The answer to this contemporary form of cheap grace is this: ...