Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Stabilizing Truths

Theme: The Goodness of God

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by sin” (2 Peter 1:2-3)

Faith procures all the necessary supports and comforts of the abundant life

The Apostle Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit wrote this passage of Scripture to those whom God has given a supernatural faith, thus enabling them to live lives that express genuine faith.

It must be understood that true saving faith that affects the way mankind lives is a precious grace from God.

This faith comes from God to those who have truly surrendered their hearts and lives over to God’s will for them.

This faith procures all the necessary supports and comforts of the abundant life promised by Jesus Christ.

(John 10:10)

I would propose to you that there are “Stabilizing Truths” for God’s obedient children.

The stabilizing truths found in today’s message are for those who have a place of servanthood among the Body of Christ.

Just what are some Biblical stabilizing truths that a child of God could grasp today?

“Surely God is good… to those who are pure in heart.”

The first foundational truth the Holy Spirit of God wants to place deep in your mind and heart is that, “Surely God is good… to those who are pure in heart.”

(Psalm 73:1) This means that the obedient can trust in a God who is always good and there are five key areas in the Christian life through which the children of God can taste the goodness of God.

Lord will meet genuine needs

One, the Lord will meet genuine needs.

The Bible says, “God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:19) This is a powerful promise of God to all His children who will trust in God’s sovereignty in their lives.

This passage of Scripture informs us just how much God knows what we need and that He will meet those needs in a way that will cause Christ to be exalted in and through our lives.

The word for “need” (chreia) as it is used in Philippians 4:19 has the application of God meeting every need and want (The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon; Barnes notes) that will enable the child of God to grow in Christ and do service unto Him, his fellow man and to the body of Christ.

The Lord will provide all the necessities of life.

If it’s education He will make the way, Christian or secular, as long as it is preparing that child of God for what the Lord has ordained him to do.

If it is strength He will give it.

Whatever you need in business, work, health care, family, housing, transportation and pleasures of life that will cause you to draw close to Christ, God will provide for it.

It is important to remember to keep both the Apostle Peter’s and the Apostle Paul’s writings within the context of their teachings.

Peter referred to himself as a servant (2 Peter 1:1) and Paul was writing to the Philippians for being so faithful to help meet his needs.

(Philippians 4:16)

The promise of having all needs and spiritually healthy wants met is for those who are servants to Christ and servants to those of whom they come in contact with.

It is for those who have sacrificially met the needs of those who are doing the work of the Lord Jesus.

(The Expositors Bible Commentary; Matthew Henry Commentary)

“God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) is so real to me.

I know this truth.

The Bible tells me to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone… [for] the reason for the hope [I] have…” (1 Peter 3:15)

I wasted my opportunity to get a good education in high school and refused to go to college.

After coming to Christ in repentance He made the way for me to get 83 credits hours with the Assemblies of God out Springfield, MO. debt free.

When we as a church family faced battling brain cancer in my wife, Bonnie, we all saw the Lord make the way for her to go to Mayo Clinic and to University of Colorado Hospital which are two of the top ten hospitals in the U.S.A. that specialize in treating her type of cancer.

With no real health insurance, through a Christian organization, Christians from all over the United States and through family members we have no hospital bills.

The Lord monthly provides for all our family needs at home and in this church.

When our drive way at home and the drive way here at the church got in really bad shape, the Lord made a way for them to get fixed.

At the church He made the way for us to do our curbing, sidewalks and parking lot extension, all debt free.

We are seeing the Lord give us new vision for church improvements and continued outreach for Jesus in ways no other church gets to do here in Norton while all the time God proving Himself is Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will Provide.”

(Genesis 22:14)

Through twenty years of walking with Christ I have seen the Lord provide for many a faithful child of God in their business, work place, health crises, family needs, housing and transportation and yes even in the simple pleasures of life.

While training for the ministry Bonnie and I saw the Lord make a way for us to get to NACI “94, training for ministers and wives.

We did not need to go to that training put on by the Billy Graham Association, yet we wanted to be a part of what God was doing there.

The Lord made a way for us to go and even enjoy some natural and historical sights along the way down and back from Louisville, Kentucky.

A few years ago back Bonnie and I really wanted to do something special for our wedding anniversary.

We did not need to go somewhere as we had learned the joy of just being together and going for a walk on our anniversaries.

Yet in our greatest trial in life, the Lord made away for us to go to New York City, worship in Times Square Church and meet with men of God, preachers who hold the same convictions that we do.

Once when I returned home from serving the Lord at one of our EMF Conventions, Bonnie saw that I wanted more that I received at convention that year.

She prayed and our leadership responded to the Holy Spirit’s moving.

I got to attend a pastors conference hosted by Pastor David Wilkerson and his son Gary, men who have the same style of ministry and calling that I have.

It wasn’t a need, it was a want that when answered built my faith in God, glorified Christ in my life and enabled me to experience the illumination of the Holy Spirit, assuring me of God’s love for me.

I testify to the truth, “God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) Jesus tells obedient Christians that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, we will never need to worry about having food to eat, water to drink and clothes to wear.

(Matthew 6:33)

He will always forgive repentant sins

We have a God who knows and sees our genuine needs, He provides for those needs.

Two; He will always forgive repentant sins.

The Holy Spirit moved upon the Apostle John to write, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

(1 John 1:8-10)

There is a misunderstanding among Christians and non-Christians.

There are Christians who believe that they are not acceptable to sin, that the sin nature is gone.

Thus they become reckless in what they watch and who they let influence their lives.

This is why gossip, the defiling of persons, hatred of the brethren, and jealousy and boasting become sanctioned as non-sins in the Body of Christ.

This is why preachers and church leaders find themselves being overcome by pornography.

They feel they can watch anything and it won’t affect them negatively or break the heart of Christ.

Non-Christians have an idea that in the church everybody is suppose to be perfect thus using their imperfections as an excuse to neglect church attendance and stay away from the things of God.

Christians are going to slip into sin through thought, word or deed, thus the saying is true, “Christians are sinners saved by grace.”

The great news is when Christians fall into the sin, the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives inside them will convict them of sin.

Upon their repentance and confession God forgives them and Jesus is able to purify them.

If they allow Him, through the cleansing power of the written Word and through the Holy Spirit He can keep Christians from being overcome by a life of habitual sin.

A Christian can get His hand slammed in the door and slip into a misuse of God’s name.

Through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and agreement with God’s Word that it is sin, the child of God will be forgiven in Jesus name.

He will also be protected from living a life that is full of taking the Lord’s name in vain.

True story, I knew of a man who before he received Jesus as Savior and Lord had a foul mouth and constantly used the Lord’s name in vain.

It was an expected fruit from his life.

He became a Christian and was immediately transformed.

A couple of months later he was involved in an incident that caused him to slip into a misuse of God’s name and birth forth a great number of four letter words.

The Holy Spirit convicted him of it and he immediately asked the Lord to forgive him.

He prayed, “Lord take this from me” and the Holy Spirit moved upon him so gently assuring him of God’s forgiveness.

He is a man now who lives in such a way that all who know him would be extremely surprised if they ever heard him say a cuss word.

The expected fruit from his life changed from that of defilement to righteous speech.

No matter what besetting sin may come up in a Christian’s life, the Lord will always forgive a heart of repentance.

As the child of God fully surrenders his sinful desires over to the Lord, He will cleanse them of it.

King David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he would slip into sin, sins that broke the heart of God and brought chastisements upon himself and the nation he ruled over.

Psalm 51 was written by King David after his sin with Bathsheba was revealed.

His heart of repentance allowed him to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, thus enabling him to write out the words that God so wants Christians to hear as they willfully choose to live for Him.

Listen to the words of a heart that comes to know God’s forgiveness, “Against you… have I sinned and done evil in your sight… Surely you desire truth in the inner parts… (Psalm 51:4,6) A person with a repentant heart knows when he sins against God.

The Holy Spirit reveals to us in David’s writings that we cannot buy God off for he writes, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.

(Psalm 51:16-17)

Psalm 51 also shows us God willingness to forgive and purify a heart of wickedness, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin… Cleanse me… and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

(Psalm 51:1-2,7)

The plea of a heart that wants to be right with God says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.