One of the most popular artists of all time, and one that is still very popular today, was a man by the name of Vincent Van Gogh.  In 1885, at a time when society was embracing science’s view of evolution and long held beliefs in the Bible were under attack, Van Gogh painted a picture which he called Sill Life with Bible.  In the painting, against a dark background there is a large, open Bible on a table with a candle beside it which has burned out.  In front of the Bible is a small book, painted in yellow, of

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Peter is writing to the church at large near the end of his life, in order to shore up the foundations of the church, to strengthen the fortifications of the church, against the assaults by the enemy of the church.  And the enemy always assaults the church in the area of the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God.  The Word of God is always under attack.  It has been so since the beginning of the church, and it is even more so today.   Back in Peter’s day, the assault of false doctrine took the form of Gnosticism. 

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There are two extremes in view of salvation or Christianity today.  One is that which is based entirely on works, ceremonies, baptism, membership, rituals, confession, etc., and because of which they have virtually no assurance of their salvation, because they are really never able to achieve righteousness of such a degree that they can feel confident they will attain heaven. On the opposite end of the spectrum in view of Christianity is that since salvation is all by grace, that is the unmerited favor of God, since you are saved by no exertion of your own, you are kept saved,

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At a time when millions of people across the country are celebrating Christmas with special services and ceremonies both pagan and religious, it is with a sense of concern that I present this message to you today.  On the one hand, I feel a pressure to conform to the common theme of celebrating Christmas, as many other churches are doing.  And yet on the other hand, I feel the need to make a distinction in what I believe is the core of the gospel; mainly, as Jesus said, “They that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” 

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Well, since we finished the epistle of 1 Peter last week, I thought it was appropriate to do a couple of messages for the next couple of services on the subject of Christ’s birth before we get into our next series on 2 Peter. What I want to do today is focus on two passages of scripture in Isaiah which speak of the birth of Christ. There are other Messianic prophecies in Isaiah, but I just want to focus on two that particularly mention the birth of Christ.  The first is found in Isaiah 7:14. “Therefore the Lord himself shall

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If you were reading consecutively through 1 Peter, it almost seems as if chapter 4 would have been the logical place to end the letter.  The theme of 1 Peter has been sanctification, and at the end of chapter 4 we see basically a summary of the teaching that sanctification comes through suffering because of the reaction of the world to holy Christian living.  And in that context, Peter says that God will be the judge of such matters and we should entrust our souls to a faithful Creator.  But he also says that judgment will begin with the house

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The theme of Peter’s epistle is our sanctification.  He stated his thesis in chapter one, quoting the Lord who said, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  Sanctification is being set apart by salvation for holiness.  By justification we are reckoned as holy by what Christ did for us on the cross.  In sanctification we live out that holiness as Christ lives in us.  It’s living holy, because He is holy, and He is Lord of our lives and lives in us and through us.  So sanctification is submitting first of all to the Lord in doing His will. 

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I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the term “preppers.”  Preppers are people that are waiting, planning, and preparing for the apocalypse or something like the end of civilization as we know it.   These folks are convinced that the world cannot keep going like it is without imploding or exploding, and what life is left after the fallout will be forced to make do without all the luxuries and amusements and technology that we are now using.  And so they are prepping for this coming time by storing up weapons, ammunition, food, water, batteries and things

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The recurring theme of Peter’s epistle is the essentiality of our sanctification.  Sanctification means to be set apart unto God.  To be holy. To live holy lives.  And the point that has emerged again and again in this letter is that sanctification is a life that is characterized by living in the spirit and not in the flesh.  It is a life of holiness, as opposed to a life of self gratification. In chapter 1 vs 2, Peter says we have been saved “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ.” The Spirit sets us apart to

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