Outline of Sermons

1. Outline of Sermons • Fact Or Fiction? • Does God Condone Lying? • Amazing Grace! 1. Faith Is The Victory! 2. Would A Loving God Destroy Women & Children? 3. Whose Plans Are Best? 4. Sin Isn’t Funny, Ask Achan!

2. 1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

3. 6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.” 8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”

4. 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. 15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!

5. Grace & Faith • God’s grace manifested itself in the gift of the city of Jericho to the children of Israel. • The people’s faith is manifested by the obedience to the commands of God. • The end is that the walls fell and God delivered the city over to the Israelites.

6. Faith & Jericho • Heb. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.

7. Faith Is The Victory 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.

8. Biblical Faith • Liddell & Scott show that the verb pisteuo (believe) can mean “to comply” (1273). • H. Cremmer stated that the noun pisits (faith), both in the Old and New Testaments “is a bearing towards God and His revelation which recognizes and confides in Him and in it, which not only acknowledges and holds to His word as true, but practically applies and appropriates it.” (482). • W.E. Vine noted that pistis involves “a personal surrender” to Christ (71).

9. Lexicographer J.H. Thayer commented that pisteuo includes “a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah” – the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ.” (511). • O. Michel has stated: “Faith understood merely as trust and confession is not able to save. Only through obedience . . . and conduct which fulfills the commandments of God does faith come to completion (Jas. 2:22)” (604).

10. Bultmann contended that “‘to believe’ is ‘to obey’” (205). He stressed that this is particularly emphasized in Hebrews 11:7. He further made this interesting comment: “According to Paul, the event of salvation history is actualized for the individual, not in pious experience, but in his baptism (Gl. 3:27-29). Faith makes it his. Hence faith is not at the end of the way to God, as in Philo. It is at the beginning” (217).

11. Alan Richardson declared that faith “is confident reliance on God. It is the act by which he lays hold on God’s proffered resources, becomes obedient to what God prescribes, and, abandoning all self-interest and self-reliance, trusts God completely. . . . Obedience, conformity to what God prescribes, is the inevitable concomitant of believing” (75, 76)

12. Faith & Action (Obedience) • Mark 2:4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you

13. Faith & Action (Obedience) • John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. • Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. • Confusion comes from word believe.

14. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” • Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren.

15. Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? 19 And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. • Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. • Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience.

16. Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. • Romans 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore over you: but I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil. • Romans 1:5 through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake; • Romans 16:26 but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith.

17. Faith Alone Is No Faith At All • John 8:30-31 As he spake these things, many believed on him. 31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples;… • John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do.

18. Faith Alone Is No Faith At All • John 12:42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:.. • Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. • Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number that believed turned unto the Lord.

19. The Book Luther Wanted Thrown Out! • James 2:21-23 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.

20. How Does It Work Again? • Facts Presented • 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, 2 by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

21. Evidence Offered • 1 Corinthians 15:5-95 and that he appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; 6 then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep; 7 then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

22. Power Given • John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:..”

23. Action (Obedience) Taken • Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

24. A New Testament Example • Acts 16:30-34.. and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? • 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. • 32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. • 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. • 34 And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God.

25. Verified By God • Ephesians 2:8-10 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, that no man should glory. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.