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“Back to the Basics: 1”
Acts 2:22-41 (NIV)
22“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[b]
29“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[c]
36“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Peyton Manning will retire with the best quarterback statistics in the history of the NFL. His younger brother Eli is also an elite NFL quarterback. Yet, both brothers have quietly spent the past few off-seasons going back to their old coach-Coach Cut-and allowing him to deconstruct them and take them back to their most basic quarterback fundamentals.
Coach Cut (David Cutcliffe) was Peyton's quarterback coach at the University of Tennessee. They've stayed tight. "He's always been my coach," Peyton said in a recent interview. When Coach Cut started coaching for the University of Mississippi, Eli took notice and signed on to play there.
Peyton Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, when a serious neck injury left them believing his career was over. Enter coach Cut. After watching tape of Peyton's throwing sessions, Coach Cut told him, "Your mechanics are all wrong, you're going to blow out your arm." Cutcliffe then spent the next two years reconstructing Peyton the quarterback by taking him unceremoniously back to the basics. Eli Manning had a rough season in 2013, and similarly has allowed Coach Cut to carve him up and help rebuild him.
Why would these two premiere athletes allow their old coach to tear apart their technique and reconstruct their game? Because both Peyton and Eli know that a return to the "basics" isn't a sign of failure. It's actually the path to true success.
Going back to basics was the hallmark of the great Vince Lombardi. Many are very familiar with this legendary American football coach. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League from 1959-67, winning five league championships during his nine years. Following a one-year retirement from coaching in 1968, he returned as head coach of the Washington Redskins for the 1969 season.
One of the things which separated Coach Lombardi from the pack of other head NFL football coaches was his passion for going back to basics. Every year, at the beginning of the football season, he would stand in front of his players and say, “Gentlemen, this is the football.” It is impossible to get much more basic than that. He did this, not because he didn’t think his team of NFL superstarsknew what a football was, but because he knew it was a vital for their success. He realized the only way to explode his team’s success was to go back to the basics every year. Why is it important to take, not only ourselves back to basics every year, but, also, our team? Mr. Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”
FRIENDS…….TODAY WE START A SERIES ON “BACK TO THE BASICS OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH”.
SO……”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN……”THIS IS A BIBLE!!”
IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL RESOURCE IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE!
THE MORE YOU GET TO KNOW WHAT WESLEY CALLED…”THIS BOOK OF GOD”……THE HAPPIER YOU WILL BE AS A CHRISTIAN AND THE CLOSER YOU WILL BE TO JESUS!
“TRUST AND OBEY
FOR THERE’S NO OTHER WAY
TO BE HAPPY IN JESUS
BUT TO TRUST AND OBEY”
THE MORE THIS BOOK GETS INTO YOUR THINKING PROCESSES…..YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS…..YOUR REASONING…..THE DEEPER YOU WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY AND THE MORE SPIRITUAL IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE ON YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND WORLD.
THE BETTER YOU KNOW THIS BOOK…..THE MORE INVINCIBLE YOU BECOME AGAINST FALSE BELIEFS, CULTS, AND FALSE TEACHERS!
WE LIVE IN UNPRECIDENTED TIMES! TIMES WHEN PREACHERS, COLLEGE AND SEMINARY PROFESSORS, DENOMINATIONS, CHURCHES, AND INDIVIDUALS ARE DENYING BIBLE TRUTHS THAT HAVE BEEN TAUGHT SINCE THE NEW TESTAMENT DAYS. OUR SECULAR CULTURE IS SHAPING MANY CHURCHES AND WHAT CHURCH PEOPLE BELIEVE MORE THAN THE CHURCH IS SHAPING OUR CULTURE.
IT IS COMMON PRACTICE FOR PEOPLE TO RE-INTERPRET THE BIBLE TO FIT THE BELIEFS OF OUR SECULAR CULTURE RATHER THAN TO STAND FIRM ON WHAT THE BIBLE CLEARLY SAYS AND WHAT CHRISTIANITY HAS TAUGHT FOR OVER 2000 YEARS!
IT SHOULDN’T BE ANY SURPRISE TO US…..SINCE EVEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DAYS, PEOPLE ALREADY BEGAN TO DISAVOW WHAT THE APOSTLES AND THE BIBLE TAUGHT.
AND THE NEW TESTAMENT EVEN PREDICTED WHAT WE SEE BEING FULFILLED EVEN IN OUR DAY!
LISTEN TO THESE VERSES:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)
3“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
2 PETER 3: 3,17-18 (NIV)3“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.17Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.…”
Jude 1:1-4(NIV)Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for[a] Jesus Christ:2Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Ephesians 5:1-7(NIV)…1Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a]6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.7Therefore do not be partners with them.
MY FRIENDS, THE BIBLE IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO THE GENUINELY….CHRISTIAN LIFE! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO THE LORD….THE BIBLE IS THE PRIMARY WAY THAT YOU AND I CAN KNOW WHAT PLEASES THE LORD….AND WHAT IT MEANS TO DENY THE LORD!
THE BIBLE IS THE PRIMARY WAY THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD SPEAKS TO OUR HEARTS…..AND HELPS US TO DISCERN RIGHT FROM WRONG!
LISTEN TO THESE VERSES….
HEBREWS 4:12-13 (NIV) 12Forthe word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
2 TIMOTHY 2:15-19…Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.17Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,18who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
ONE OF THE BIGGEST LIES IN OUR SOCIETY IS THAT YOU CAN’T JUDGE SOMEONE AND LOVE THEM AT THE SAME TIME! BUT YOU CAN! GOD DOES IT ALL THE TIME!
JOHN 3:16-17….”FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. FOR GOD SENT NOT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD BUT THAT THE WORLD THRU HIM MIGHT BE SAVED.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NIV)9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
FRIENDS…..THE FIRST STEP YOU AND I NEED TO TAKE IF WE ARE GOING TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT “GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS OF OUR FAITH” IS TO MAKE GOD’S WORD A PRIORITY!
JESUS HIMSELF WARNED THAT IN THE END TIMES THINGS WERE GOING TO GET PRETTY CONFUSING TO PEOPLE…..IF THEY DON’T HOLD FAST TO THE WORD OF GOD.
Matthew 24: 3-14. 22-25 (NIV)…3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
22“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
IF YOU AND I ARE GOING TO SURVIVE SPIRITUALLY……WE MUST GET BACK TO THE BASICS OF THE BIBLE!
I’M NOT TRYING TO SCARE ANYONE! I DON’T BELIEVE THAT TRYING TO SCARE SOMEONE INTO THE KINGDOM WORKS ANYWAY!
BUT JESUS HIMSELF TOLD US….”WATCH OUT THAT NO ONE DECEIVES YOU!....MANY FALSE PROPHETS WILL DECEIVE MANY PEOPLE.”
HE WARNS US…..BECAUSE HE LOVES US!!
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE ASSURED OF “NOT BEING DECEIVED” IS TO KNOW GOD’S WORD…..TO “PUT GOD’S WORD IN OUR HEARTS!”
Psalm 119:11…(NIV)
11I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
I’m going to do something today that I don’t usually do……I’m going to ask you to make a commitment this week.
I don’t want you to make this commitment if you don’t mean it!
I don’t want you to make this commitment because others may be making this commitment.
BUT I WANT US TO DO SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC IF WE ARE GOING TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT “GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS”
I AM GOING TO GIVE AN INVITATION THIS MORNING!
I WANT TO INVITE YOU TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO READ THE BOOK OF I JOHN THIS WEEK.
IT IS ONLY 5 CHAPTERS……IT IS VERY PRACTICAL…..AND IT SAYS SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN!
SO…..I’M GOING TO ASK YOU IN THE OLD FASHIONED WAY…….THAT IF YOU WILL COMMIT THIS WEEK TO READ THE BOOK OF I JOHN……I WANT YOU TO RAISE YOUR HAND!
DON’T LOOK AROUND AT OTHERS…..JUST RAISE YOUR HAND…..AND SAY I MAKE A PROMISE TO GOD THIS MORNING THAT AT LEAST FOR ONE WEEK….I AM GOING TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS OF THE “WORD OF GOD.”
I COMMIT TO READ THE BOOK OF FIRST JOHN! YOU CAN READ IT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT…..THE MORE THE BETTER! BUT YOU WILL COMMIT TO READ IT AT LEAST ONCE IN ITS ENTIRETY!
WHO WILL MAKE THIS COMMITMENT THIS MORNING??
BENEDICTION:
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV)
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.