Abiding In Jesus

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

How does one abide? —  Prayer, studying the Word, deny self, drawing nigh to God.  

The closer we abide in the Vine, the more His life can flow through us to produce the fruit He desires. 

There are three basic fruits the Lord bears in the lives of His children.

1. Sanctification — We become more like Him - Rom. 6:22; Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:10. 

2. Spirituality — We behave more like Him - Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

3. Souls — We are burdened like Him - Rom. 1:13.

“Without Him I would be drifting like a ship without a sail.”  — Mylon R. Le Fever  

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission. 

Renewing The Inner Man

While every day brings with it unique problems, every day also comes with its own measure of grace from the hands of the Father in Heaven. 

Lamentations 3:22-25 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

The inner man is renewed day by day by fresh fuel, by fresh food, and by fresh medicine. What does this means?

-   It means you need to feed on the Word of God every day.

-   You need to pray to the Father every day.

-   You need the fellowship of the saints every day.

-   You need a fresh supply every day. 

We lose heart when we focus on everything but the one thing that maters most—our relationship with God and the renewing of the inner man day by day.

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission. 

The Lord Is My Shepherd

It isn’t all doom and gloom today. If you know the Great Shepherd you have plenty to be excited about.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

I’m ever so thankful that when I got saved I got more than a Savior. I also got a Shepherd. 

I got One Who loves me, tends to me, cares about me, leads me, feeds me, protects me and guides me through this life.  

Psalm 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

May the Lord’s sheep never be ashamed to exalt, praise and worship the One Who sought them and brought them in from the wild mountains of sin, Luke 15:4-7.

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission

Simple Saving Faith

A woman from the hated race of the Samaritans with low morals and a bad reputation comes to Jacob’s well to get water, and she meets Jesus. He tells her about an everlasting well of water from which she can take one drink and never thirst again. 

There are no miracles. No water turned to wine. No demons cast out. No one walks on water. Jesus simply tells her the truth and she believes it and is saved.  

This is the kind of faith that saves souls. Jesus said to come to Him as little children, Matt. 18:1-5. We are to simply come as we are and believe Him by faith. 

This is how it works for everyone who meets Him. One moment He is the Lord Jesus Christ, some holy, distant man who died on a cross. 

But, when faith is exercised in Him, He instantly becomes a personal Friend and the absolute focus and center of your being. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

His salvation is amazing because it brings about such an instantaneous depth of change, 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission. 

The Love Of God

There’s nothing like the love of God. It’s the greatest thing God ever did for any of us. Because He loved us, He was moved to do everything else He has done. 

1 John 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 

10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

I can't understand it or know why, but I know I have experienced it and I can never be separated from it - Rom. 8:38-39. 

God's love is best seen at the cross.

Could we with ink the ocean fill—-And were the skies of parchment made—-Were every stalk on earth a quill—-And every man a scribe by trade—-To write the love of God above—-Would drain the ocean dry—-Nor could the scroll contain the whole—-Though stretched from sky to sky. —-Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, 1050

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission. 

Heaven’s Gift

Before a gift can become what it was designed to be, it must first be given, then it must be received. 

God has given His gift to the world, the Christ-child born in Bethlehem. 

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 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 through him might be saved.

I unwrapped Heaven’s Gift when I was ten years old. I heard the message of Jesus and the cross and that if I believed in him and asked Him to forgive my sins and come into my heart, He would and He did and I will never forget the spirit of peace within. It’s still there. 

Is there a moment in time when you unwrapped Heaven‘s Gift? I hope so. It’s a life and death matter. 

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission. 

The Star

Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Following the star, these men traveled many miles through desert, crossed mountains and rivers. They endured hardships and faced bandits all for the sake of worshipping the new born King.  

It’s amazing that these heathen astrologers had enough insight to follow the star and recognize the glory of the One whom they had found. 

Matthew 2:10-11 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 

11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 

The wisest people in the world today are those who trust in Jesus as their personal Savior, who are willing to forsake everything and give Him worship and praise.

Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed permission.