TRAFFIC SIGNS IN CHRISTIAN LIFE

"And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the Vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that read it." Habakkuk 2:2

1." GO"

    -"Go forward" toward the better things for Christ and the Church.

    - Grow in grace.

    - "We need fewer, "Look out committees and more Go out commiittees.

    -  Go ye into all the world and..."

2. "STOP"

     - If you are on the wrong road.

     - If you are saying something, or doing something, that might cause others trouble, sorrow, etc,

3."DETOUR"

    - Stay away from bad company,

    - Give questionable amusements a wide berth.

    -  Boycott business concerns that sell booze.

4."SHARP CURVES AHEAD"

   -Many dangerous curves on life's highway;extreme caution necessary.

5."SCHOOL-SLOW DOWN"

    -Young people, if you are thinking of quitting school, speeding by it, or taking a short cut with your education, you had better think twice about it.

6."ROAD SLIPPERY WHEN WET."

    -When the "wets" are on the loose, the highways are never safe.

    - Alcohol and gasoline are dangerous mixture.

7."MOUNTAIN AHEAD-FILL UP."

    -There are mountains ahead of us in the pilgrimage of life. Let us prepared.

    - Have you enough oil?

       (foolish Virgins)

   

Drawing Near to Lord

"It is good for me to draw near to God." Psalm 73:28

Why is it good thing to draw near to God?

1. In doing so, We draw away from ourselves:

    a) A man needs to get away from himself at times.

    b) Too self-centered; selfish; self-pity.

2. In doing so, we draw away from the world.

    a) Away from the temporal; away from mammon;away from the snares and pitfalls of sin.

3. For same reasons it was good for the prodigal to return home.

    a) Forgiveness, re-in statement,abundance, peace of mind, self-respect, blessings of home.

4. It produces christian unity.

    a) the closer we draw to God the closer we come to our comrades of the cross, of all         denominations.

5. Thus we shall learn to know him.

    a) We can't know God by following at a distance.

    b) Be still, and know that I am God. 

Spreading The Gospel

"They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word." Acts 8:4

1. WHO PREACHED.
     a) The disciples Peter, James and John etc.
     b) The rank and file of the Church. "They that were scattered abroad."

2. WHAT THEY PREACHED.
     a) The word of God, "preaching the word."
     b) Salvation through Jesus Christ.

3. WHY THEY PREACHED.
     a) Because they believed the word.
     b) Because they realized the value of human soul.

4. WHERE THEY PREACHED.
     a) They began at home, Jerusalem.
     b) They spread out far beyond.

Conclusion: It is our duty to follow the example of this early church. They believed in the Gospel and they went everywhere preaching in the name of Jesus salvation from sin. The Church today finds here a worthy example to follow. 

Can Almighty LORD Be Limited?

"And they limited the Holy One of Israel." Psalms 78:41

God's wise and benevolent purposes are often frustrated. There are many things God would do for men if permitted.

1.Inconsistent Christian Living Handicaps God.

--Your inequities have separated.... Isaiah 59:1,2
--Your sins have withhold en  good things... Jeremiah 5:25

2.Lack of Faith Limits the Deity.

--Jesus of Nazareth "Could there do no mighty works because of their unbelief." Matt 13:58.
--Jesus: "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed." Matt 17:20.
--Many of us lack adventurous religion; we are afraid to "launch out into the deep."

3.Shallow and Selfish Prayers Restrict God.

--"Ye ask and receive not because..." James 4:3
-- The Pharisees in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

4. A Stubborn Will Limit God.

-- "He Came unto his own, and his own received him not." john 1:11
-- "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,... how oft would I have gathered thy Children.." Matt 23:37.


Application

-- God extends His gifts, but we must accept them.
-- Jesus invites us to come, but He can't compel us to come.
-- Jesus stands at the door and knocks but we must open the door. The key is on our side..

ONWARD - MOVING FORWARD

"Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward" Exodus 14:15

1. Go forward in Faith

2.Go forward against Evil

3.Go forward in Personal Religious Living.

4.Go forward in Churchman ship

5. Go forward to the Promised Land.

"Speak unto the Children of Israel that they go forward." Exodus 14:15b.

1. It was Time of Inactivity

             a) They expected God to Work a miracle

             b) God said they had a part to perform.

2. It was a Time of Testing

             a) How unusual was Gods command!

             b) God's way is always forward.

3.It was a Time of Crisis

             a) Defeat or victory lay in their hands

             b) God's purpose for the Jew. Would His people fall Him?

4.It was a Time of Victory   

              a) What Moses obedience did.

              b) Israel did march forward - to victory!.

Jesus Christ in the Old Testament

JESUS CHRIST 

IN THE 

OLD TESTAMENT

The Noble Bereans - Acts 17:10-15

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonian, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

A)Character and Conduct of The Bereans.

1) The gospel was preached to them by Paul and Silas.
2) The courteous deportment of the Bereans was favorable to the influence of the gospel preached.
3) They heard the gospel attentively.
4) They manifested a laudable spirit of inquiry
5) They received the word with all readiness of mind.
6)  Their acknowledgment of the truth was the result of diligent investigation.
7) They believed.

B) Their Condut is Worthy of Imitation. 

C)The Advantages of Imitating The Bereans.