Sunday Morning Starters

On Wednesday Robert Harkrider spoke to us from 1 John 5. "Things a Christian Knows for Sure" encouraged us to embrace the promises of God. This lesson serves us well as a "Sunday Morning Starter."

Things a Christian Knows for Sure

1. Faith overcomes the world (1 John 5:1-5).

2. Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:6-10).

3. Believers have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

4. God answers prayer (1 John 5:14-15).

5. One born of God "keeps himself" (1 John 5:16-19).

6. The real life is in Christ (1 John 5:20-21).

Thanks to Robert Harkrider for reminding us of things we can know for sure!

Jason Cicero

Truth or Consequences

Scripture: 1 John 4

Tuesday night Robert Harkrider spoke to us from 1 John 4. "Truth or Consequences" challenged us to be honest with 1 John 4:1-6. The Scriptures say it matters what we believe and practice.

If we desire God's approval:

1. Doctrine matters (1 John 4:1-6).

2. Our actions matter (1 John 1:5-6).

3. What and who we love matters (1 John 2:15-17; 4:7-8, 20-21)

It matters how we handle differences:

1. Believe not every spirit (1 John 4:1).

2. Realize that some will depart (1 John 2:19; 1 Timothy 4:1-2)

3. Refuse false teachers (2 John 9-11; Romans 16:17)

Thanks to Robert Harkrider for reminding us that it matters what we believe and practice!

Jason Cicero

The Love God Commands

Scripture: 1 John 3

Monday night Robert Harkrider spoke to us from 1 John 3. "The Love God Commands" calls us to "believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ" and to "love one another" (1 John 3:23). Every other commandment of God hangs on the first two.

We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:8-10). We love our neighbors because our love of God affects our love of others (1 John 4:7-8, 11-12). We love our neighbors because our love of others affects our love of God (1 John 4:20-21). Our attitude of heart is to be sincere, not hypocritical (1 John 3:10-19).

Thanks to Brother Harkrider for reminding us of the love God commands!

Jason Cicero

The Love God Hates

Scripture: 1 John 2

Sunday Robert Harkrider spoke to us from 1 John 2. "The Love God Hates" reminded us that God doesn't love everything. Neither should we.

1. Remember what the world is - the realm of Satan's influence.

2. Remember what the world does to us - drives the love of God from our hearts.

3. Remember where the world is going - passing away.

Thanks to Robert Harkrider for reminding us that we should not love the world!

Jason Cicero

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Scripture: 1 John

Sunday morning Robert Harkrider spoke to us from 1 John 1. "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" reminded us that it matters how we live as Christians. Gnostics of the first century had a wrong view of the body which resulted in a wrong view of living as a Christian. We must not make the same mistake.

Walking in the light involves confession of sin and repentance. One's heart must be humble. There is the purpose to obey every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Sin does not reign in the life of a Christian. The lifestyle of a child of God is one of light, not darkness. Sin is not practiced, it is regretted, confessed, and repented of from the depth of one's heart. The believer has security as he walks with the Savior. As long as we walk with Him we have the assurance of Heaven!

Thanks to Robert Harkrider for reminding us that it matters how we live in Christ!

Jason Cicero

A Sin Often Overlooked

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Robert Harkrider spoke to us yesterday morning about "A Sin Often Overlooked." The sin? Being unthankful.

Overcoming Ingratitude

1. Count your blessings - not your bruises.

2. Accept your troubles without complaining.

3. Acknowledge what you have - and would not trade.

4. Remember your gifts - instead of coveting more.

Thanks to Robert Harkrider for reminding us to be thankful!

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

Go out of your way today.

Get there 15 minutes early.

Invite a visitor to lunch.

Hug a little child.

Encourage someone who’s not been trying.

Take the sermon tapes to the shut-ins.

Compliment the preacher’s wife.

Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.

Bubba Garner

Under the Sway

Scripture: 1 John 5

"We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one." (1 John 5:19).

The whole world "lies in the power of the evil one, i. e. is held in subjection by the devil" (Thayer's). To avoid his power one must belong to God. To lie in the power of God is to be free from the subjection of the Devil.

Read 1 John 5 in preparation for our meeting with Robert Harkrider. Know the whole world lies under the Devil's sway. Know God and be delivered from the Devil's power.

Jason Cicero

God Is Love

Scripture: 1 John 4

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

1 John 4:8 does not say, "God loves." 1 John 4:8 does not say, "God is loving." 1 John 4:8 says, "God is love." His essence is love. His nature is love. He is love.

Read 1 John 4 in preparation for our meeting with Robert Harkrider. Know the God that is love. Know Him and love!

Jason Cicero

We Shall Be Like Him

Scripture: 1 John 3

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3).

God hasn't told us as much as we might like to know about Heaven. Know this: "we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). Be content with being like Him.

Read 1 John 3 in preparation for our meeting with Robert Harkrider. Know that in Heaven "we shall be like Him." In this hope, purify yourself.

Jason Cicero

That You May Not Sin

Scripture: 1 John 2

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2).

From the beginning God's message to man has been, "Do not sin." Yet sin man does. In Christ, "we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). An "Advocate" is "one who pleads another's case before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant" (Thayer's). God says, "Do not sin." Yet we do. Jesus goes before the God we have sinned against and pleads for us. His plea is heard because He Himself is the "propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2). A "propitiation" is an atonement, an appeasing. Jesus paid for our sins with His own blood and appeased the wrath of God. We have a relationship with God because of Jesus, not because we do not sin.

Read 1 John 2 today in preparation for our meeting with Robert Harkrider. Determine not to sin. Rejoice that when you do, you have an Advocate with the Father.

Jason Cicero

That Your Joy May Be Full

Scripture: 1 John 1

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4)

1 John was written "that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:4). Joy is an internal delight that comes as a result of being in relationship with the true and living God. God's desire is for our "joy" to be complete.

Read 1 John 1 today in preparation for our meeting with Robert Harkrider. Experience the joy of the Lord. Allow Jesus Christ to make your joy complete.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

Look up. It’s His day.

Look up. It’s His worship.

Look up. It’s His assembly.

Look up. Self gets too much attention.

Look up. At Him, not your neighbor.

Look up. You won’t go where you’re not aimed.

Jason Moore

The Devil's Desire and Me

Scripture: 1 Peter 5

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Four things to do in light of the Devil's desire:

1. Be sober - to abstain from wine (Strong's).

2. Be vigilant - to watch, i. e. give strict attention to, be cautious, active (Thayer's).

3. Resist him - stand against, oppose (Strong's).

4. Be steadfast in the faith - firm, solid, compact, hard, rigid (Thayer's).

Jason Cicero

The End of All Things is at Hand

Scripture: 1 Peter 4

"But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers." (1 Peter 4:7)

Two things to do in light of the end of all things being at hand:

1. Be serious - be of sound mind, exercise self-control (Thayer's).

2. Be watchful in your prayers - to abstain from wine (keep sober), be discreet (Thayer's).

Jason Cicero

That He Might Bring Us to God

Scripture: 1 Peter 3

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit..." (1 Peter 3:18).

Sin separates one from God. Once separated there is nothing one can do to bridge the gap. Christ did what no other could do.

The cost of this reunion was high. Christ suffered. He was put to death.

Christ suffered and died "that He might bring us to God." Remember His suffering and death. Rejoice in the reunion He made possible.

Jason Cicero

Taste and See

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Tasted - geuomai - a primary verb; to taste; by implication, to eat; figuratively, to experience (good or ill): KJV - eat, taste (Strong's).

"Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him" (Psalm 34:8; ASV).

Jason Cicero

Salvation and Suffering

Scripture: 1 Peter:1:1-12

Read 1 Peter 1:1-12 and hear the conclusion: We have a salvation worth suffering for!

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn your statutes." (Psalm 119:71; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

How the first Sunday started…

God spoke; creation obeyed.

Let’s try that for a change.

Jason Moore

Just Like Us

Scripture: James 5:16-18

"Elijah was a man just like us" (James 5:17; NIV).

He prayed. It did not rain. He prayed again. It rained.

You and I are just like Elijah. Do what he did. Pray.

Jason Cicero

God and the Devil

Scripture: James 4:7-8

God - draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

The Devil - resist Him and he will flee from you.

Jason Cicero

Two Types of Wisdom

Scripture: James 3:13-18

1. The Wisdom from Above - "is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).

2. The Wisdom from Below - "is earthly, sensual, demonic" and leads to "bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts" along with "confusion and every evil thing" (James 3:14-16).

Be "wise and understanding" (James 3:13). Show "by good conduct" that your "works are done in the meekness of wisdom" (James 3:13). Seek "the wisdom that is from above" (James 3:17).

Jason Cicero

Guilty of All

Scripture: James 2

"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

Question: Why is James 2:10 true?

Answer: Because God is behind every law.

Jason Cicero

Thinking About Trials

Scripture: James 1

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." (James 1:2-3).

James is practical. Trials of all kinds will come our way as we make our journey from Earth to Heaven. Our attitude toward them will make all the difference here and in eternity.

Count - to consider, deem, account, think (Thayer's).

Joy - calm delight (Strong's).

Fall - to fall into something that is all around, i.e. light among or upon, be surrounded with (Strong's).

Trials - a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity (Strong's).

Knowing - to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of (Thayer's).

Testing - that by which something is tried or proved, a test (Thayer's).

Faith - conviction of the mind, trust of the heart, surrender of the will.

Produces - do work fully, i.e. accomplish; by implication, to finish, fashion (Strong's).

Patience - cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy (Strong's).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." (Hebrews 12:28)

We need grace in order to serve God acceptable. We need reverence. We need godly fear.

What we need, He gives.

Jason Cicero

Looking Unto Jesus

Scripture: Hebrews 12-13

"...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2).

Hebrews 11 is full of descriptions of folks who lived by faith. Their faith prompted them to do great things to the glory of God. Even though the world was not worthy of any of them, we do not look to any of them. We look to the One of Hebrews 12. We look unto Jesus. Those in Hebrews 11 could not do for us what the One in Hebrews 12 did. He endured the cross. He despised the shame. He secured our salvation. We look unto Him.

Jason Cicero

Remission

Scripture: Hebrews 10-11

"Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." (Hebrews 10:18)

"Remission" is about forgiveness, freedom, pardon, and deliverance (Strong's). The offering of Jesus' blood for our sin is sufficient. There "is no longer an offering for sin" because our sins have been taken away by the blood of the Lamb!

Jason Cicero