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First Alliance Church Weekly Sermons
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Thursday Aug 26, 2021
Thursday Aug 26, 2021
“Managing Sexual Desire” (part 2)
Proverbs 5:3-4
Some people have the idea that Christians never discuss sex, or, if they do, this discussion must take place behind locked doors. If that is true, then it is a shame that no one communicated this rule to the authors of the Bible. God created sex, and in his creation mandate he made sure that the human race can only flourish if sex flourishes. Since God obviously finds great value in human sexuality, we need to make sure we see our sex life from his perspective. This is especially true when it comes to how we manage our God-given sexual desire.
I It may be helpful to start off with an outline of chapter 5, so we have an idea where Solomon is going:
A. First, verses 3-6 focus on ______________ we should say “No” to sexual temptation.
B. Second, verses 7-14 tell us ___________ we can say “No” to sexual temptation.
C. Third, verses 15-20 continue Solomon’s advice about how to say “NO” to sexual temptation, but from a very d_______________ point of view.
D. Finally, verses 21-23 answer the question about why we should say “No” to sexual sin, but this time from _____________ perspective.
II Why should I manage my sexual desires? Because listening to sweet words of sexual temptation can result in a very _________________ life (5:3-4).
A. First, there is an issue we must deal with, and that is how many _____________________ see Proverbs chapter 5.
1. Many see in this chapter a patriarchal view of sex in which ______________ are always the victims and __________________ the victimizers.
2. But to see Proverbs in a more accurate way, we need to recognize these four points:
a. First, this book was written, not just for _______________, but for ______________________ as well.
b. Second, Solomon is writing about a sexual predator who was a woman, but that does not mean that in his mind o____________ women can be sexual predators.
c. Third, there is no doubt that the woman depicted in Proverbs 5 is an example of folly or foolishness, but Proverbs also depicts ___________ as a woman.
d. Fourth, there is a simple reason why Solomon talks about the adulteress (female) in chapter 5, and it is because Solomon’s concern is for his ______________.
B. What is wrong with this woman Solomon describes in verses 3-4?
1. First, __________ is she?
a. The Hebrew text calls her “the _________________ woman.”
b. She is strange for two reasons:
1. First, she does not live by the ____________ standards of Israel.
2. Second, she is strange because she is not a female r____________ of Solomon’s son.
c. The really strange woman was the a____________________ or prostitute.
d. There is something else about who she is: she may or may not be beautiful, but she does not ____________________ on her beauty to get what she wants.
2. Second, ______________ does she do?
a. The Jewish Old Testament scholar Michael Fox says that l___________ are the problem here, and l____________ are the only solution.
b. The strange woman uses her lips to f_______________ and manipulate the young man, hoping to persuade him to commit adultery.
c. The only way the son will escape her trap is if he uses his lips to counter her deceptive words with words of d____________________________.
d. The strange woman, or man, was an exception in Solomon’s day, but today he or she has become the n_________________.
3. Third, to what do her actions _________________?
a. When the young man does what the strange woman wants, the result is the complete _________________________ of his life.
b. Solomon’s point is that though this woman pours out honey with her lips, inside she is nothing but ______________________.
c. The woman’s temptation -- if the son yields to it -- will result in some kind of ______________________.
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Tuesday Aug 17, 2021
Graduation Sunday
“The Parable of Potential”
Matthew 25:14-30
The parable we are looking at today is one of the most well-known of all the parables of Jesus. Its message is relevant to people in all walks of life, but perhaps none more so than graduates who are on the verge of proving their potential.
I In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable about potential and we call it the parable of the __________________________.
A. The master implies that his assets are valuable because they can accomplish much, so he asks his servants to make the ____________ of them.
B. The parables of Jesus are meant to s________________ us and anyone listening to this one would be amazed at the amount which this man is willing to trust to his servants.
C. Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, “I remind you to s____________ u________ the gift of God which is in you” – God has given us gifts, but sometimes we let them go to s__________________________.
D. These servants had years and years, maybe a whole l_______________________, to do something with the talents they were given.
E. As Origen says, the master in this parable is obviously ____________ - through our Kingdom sowing he h_____________________ souls for his kingdom.
II This parable has several points to make:
A. First, don’t waste your potential doing only what you feel c________________________ doing – Instead set your sights on what you see as your best possible life, a life where you accomplish a________ God created you to do.
1. The one-talent servant did not take any c_________________, he did not even _____________, because he was afraid he would fail and look bad.
2. Giving into fear does not bring p____________________; it often exposes us to more and greater h_____________.
3. In the end, it will not be your talents and abilities that decide if you succeed or fail. That will be determined by whether you allow fear to e_______ u________ your dreams.
B. Second, this parable teaches us that we cannot afford to waste our potential on nothing but the o__________________________________.
1. It doesn’t take any t____________ or e_____________________ to let a jar of money sit in the ground.
2. Our big life goals often get crowded out by day after day of t_______________ inconsequential living.
3. It is easy to fill up our life with the ordinary, while we tell ourselves that we will work on our big plans t____________________.
C. Finally, this parable reminds us that as we use our potential, we have an obligation to r____________________ the one who gave it to us.
1. The point Jesus wants to drive home is that it is __________ who has given us all our potential.
2. Planning for how we will __________ life’s adventure is the biggest and most important rock in the jar of our life.
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
“Sixth Sunday of Lent: The Enemy of Suffering and Death”
Psalm 31:9-16
Of all the enemies the believer must face, none is more challenging than suffering and death. The text we are looking at today is one of the most unique passages in the Bible because it tells of the suffering of man and God. At the same time, few texts in the Bible give us more hope that we will be victorious over these two most formidable of all our enemies than the passage we are looking at today.
I Those churches who cannot or do not gather on Good Friday use this Sunday to teach about the death of Jesus, and they call it P_______________ S_________________.
A. How do we get Passion Sunday from the book of Psalms? The only Bible the early Christians had was the _________ ______________________ and they found in it everything they needed to know about Jesus and his mission.
B. Psalm 31 is about suffering and death, not just the suffering and death __________ experienced, but also the suffering and death ___________ must face.
II First, we see what suffering and death can do to h_________________ l___________.
A. First, David’s p________________________ (31:9-13).
1. Some are disappointed that David does not tell us s___________________ what is wrong.
2. This Psalm is o_________________ enough in its description of David’s trouble so that a______________ of us can see ourselves in it.
3. In verses 11-13 we find out that there is a p_________________ dimension to his problem.
B. Second, David’s p_____________________ (31:14-15).
1. There is a huge c________________________________ that comes in verses 14-15.
2. But how can David trust when his life is so overwhelmed with heartache? It is because David had been through many difficult t______________ with God.
C. Finally, David’s p_________________________ (31:16).
-Verse 16 concludes our text with __________ petitions:
1. “Let your face s_______________ on me.”
2. He asks God to rescue him with his u___________________________ love.
III Second, we see what suffering and death did to ______________________. This Psalm is a lament by David, but the authors of the Gospels also saw it as a m___________________ i_______________ of what Jesus endured.
A. First the p_____________ of Jesus (31:9-13).
1. Verses 9-10, which speak of David’s distress, anguish, and groaning, clearly anticipate the experience of Jesus on the __________________.
2. What David says about h______________ in verse 13, Luke says about ________________ in Luke 19:47.
B. Second, the p____________ of Jesus (31:14-15).
-At the height of his suffering Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” but his last words on the cross are the words of t_______ p___________, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.”
C. Finally, the p_____________ of Jesus (31:16).
1. There is a c________________ d___________________ between the prayer of David and the prayer of Jesus.
2. Jesus did not ask God to take the evil of his enemies and turn it back on t_____________; Jesus asked to take the evil on h________________ and transform it into the grace that saves rather than damns.
IV What do we see in Psalm 31?
A. We see that __________________ chose to express his suffering with the same words _________________________ used to express his suffering.
B. What does that mean?
1. First, it means that God h__________ and a__________________ our lament.
2. Second, if Jesus lamented what happened to him, that means he really f_______________ it.
3. Third, it means Jesus f____________ his whole self with every fear, pain, and sorrow the human race has ever known, and he took these things into himself so that he could be v_________________ over them all, and so that people, through their faith and trust in Jesus, could a_________ be victorious.
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
“Fourth Sunday of Lent: The Enemy of Disappointment”
Psalm 107
Psalm 107 begins as a call to worship and to give thanks to the Lord. It then turns to a very detailed examination of the causes of disappointment. Fortunately, however, it also includes a repeated emphasis on how we can deal with disappointment.
I First, disappointment is u_________________ (107:2-3).
A. We are raised to believe that happiness comes by m______________ and accomplishing goals, but the truth is, accomplishing goals c________________ protect us from disappointment.
B. The American novelist John Cheever said, “The main emotion of the adult American who has had all the advantages of wealth, education, and culture is ________________________.”
II Second, disappointment comes in all s____________ and s_________________ (107:4-32).
A. First, we see people who remind us that being l_____________ is a terrible disappointment (107:4-9).
1. There are young people who know exactly where they want to end up, but they have no idea how to g___________ there.
2. There are people who think they know where they want to go, but midway through their life journey they realize that they are not h_________________.
3. If you are lost in a dangerous place, the key to survival hinges on one thing: k_______________ and a_________________ that you are lost.
B. Second, we see people who remind us that being b_________________ is a terrible disappointment (107:10-16).
1. The U.S. has the _________________ incarceration rate in the world.
2. We can be bound in many ways: h__________, addictions, l__________, sins, fears, and unhealthy r_______________________________.
C. Third, we see people who remind us that being s_______________ is a terrible disappointment (107:17-22).
1. The Bible makes it clear that sometimes sickness comes to people as a p_____________________ for sin.
2. But the book of J____________ and the words of Jesus in J___________ chapter ______ make it clear that sometimes sickness is not caused by sin.
3. Sickness can bring about all sorts of disappointment:
a. We can be sick because we have sinned, and when we realize that we are to blame, we feel disappointed in o_________________________.
b. Sickness, if we feel we do not deserve it, can make us feel disappointed with _____________.
c. We can come to God and ask him to heal us, but if we are not healed, we experience what is perhaps the g__________________ disappointment of all.
D. Fourth, we see people who remind us that d_______________________ can fill us with disappointment (107:23-32).
1. The disaster which the Psalmist describes here is obviously s_______________, but that isn’t the only kind of disaster that can assail us.
2. The fact is, no life is s____________ from disaster and that can fill us, not only with f___________, but with disappointment that life will never be able to guarantee our safety.
III Third, it does not matter whether we have done anything to d______________________ disappointment or not.
A. In the second and third vignettes, the victims were r________________________ for what happened to them.
B. In the first and fourth vignettes, the victims did n__________________ wrong.
IV Finally, the only hope we have in the face of the disappointments of life is that God will h________________ us when we c___________________.
Monday Mar 08, 2021
Monday Mar 08, 2021
“Third Sunday of Lent: The Lie That God Is silent”
Psalm 19
Psalm 19 is a great hymn of praise to God and its first verse has been memorized by most believers. This Psalm, however, does more than praise God. It exposes as false one of the most common lies about God prevalent in our world today: the lie that God is silent.
I First, God speaks to us through his p________________ c____________________ (19:1-6).
A. When we see what God has created, it is impossible to think of him as a l_______________________. When it comes to his power and glory, God is a h_______________________.
B. “To pour forth” means to bubble up like a s______________ and here it has the idea of bubbling up with p__________________.
C. The sun, moon, and stars speak by merely b_______________; their e______________________ is their message.
d. David’s description of the sun is p_______________, not scientific, and it is expressed from the point of view of someone who lived in ___________ _____.
II Is there anything about the universe that speaks to us in a less poetic and more s____________________ way?
A. First, the universe proclaims, in a very powerful way, the message that God i________________, that God e_______________.
1. The most important discovery of the twentieth century is that the universe did have a b________________________.
2. Francis Collins says, “The very fact that the universe had a beginning implies that _________________ was able to begin it. And it seems to me that someone had to be o___________________ of nature.”
3. Stephen Hawking said, “The odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think there are clearly r___________________ implications.”
B. Second, the universe proclaims the i________________, the vastness, the greatness of God.
1. Astronomers now believe that in addition to our own Milky Way galaxy, there are another 100 to 200 _______________ galaxies and that each of these galaxies contains up to 100 ______________ stars.
2. The diameter of the universe is the distance light would travel in ______ ___________________ years.
C. Third, the universe proclaims God’s great l__________ and c___________ for human beings.
1. Our universe seems to be precisely designed to support l______________ on e________________.
2. Stephen Hawking, in A Brief History of Time, states, “It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who i_______________ to create beings like us.”
III Second, God speaks to us through his ___________________.
A. The features of the universe, with its vastness and complexity, reveals God to us, but see him from f____________ a____________.
B. First, in verses 7-9 David praises the different f_________________ of God’s Word and how beneficial they are to us.
C. Second, in verses 10-11, David talks about how d_______________________ God’s words are.
D. God’s Word gives us guidance so we will not r_____________ our life, or the lives of those around us, and it makes life r____________________.
IV Creation is speaking and God’s Word is speaking, but how do we know that we have heard the message? We know we have heard if we are being c___________________ by what we have heard.
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
“Second Sunday of Lent: Naming the enemy of Ingratitude”
Psalm 22:22-31
Ingratitude is far more than just a mark of bad breeding. Ingratitude is a vicious enemy of the Christian life. In our Lenten text today we see why ingratitude is so corrosive to our faith
I The Bible identifies Psalm 22 as a psalm of ______________, but for many Christians it is actually viewed as a psalm of _______________.
A. There are three reasons why Christians do this:
1. The first 21 verses give us a vivid and startlingly accurate description of the ________________________ of Jesus.
2. Christians view this as a psalm of Jesus because Psalm 22 is quoted ______________ times in the New Testament, and most of these references occur in the Gospel accounts of the ________________ of Jesus.
3. Christians view this as a psalm of Jesus because Jesus quoted verse 1 of this Psalm from the ________________.
B. If we limit Psalm 22 to a psalm about Jesus, then we miss out on a great source of s___________________ for us when we find ourselves facing hard times.
II In our text today, David gives us three reasons why ingratitude is t_______________ to the Christian.
A. First, ingratitude denies God’s __________________ over suffering (22:22-24).
1. The first 21 verses of this psalm testify to the fact that suffering can make us q___________________ the goodness of God.
2. After describing the worst suffering imaginable, David then launches into the most e__________________ invitation to worship God found anywhere in the Bible.
3. Not only has God not despised the afflicted one – not only has he not turned his face from him and rejected him – David says, he “has l_________________ to his cry for help.”
B. Second, ingratitude denies that God is p________________ with us in suffering (22:25).
1. First, we need to see that David is talking about being in a c___________________ worship service.
2. David says, “God, my ability to give you thanks, no matter how great my suffering, comes from s_________________ your presence in the worship service.
3. No matter what our circumstances, recognizing the presence of God brings about c_______________, not only in us, but sometimes in those around us.
4. Those who refuse to thank God when times are bad are d_______________ the presence of God.
C. Finally, ingratitude denies that God is going to ______________ his creation from all the horrible things happening around us.
1. The point of eschatology is this: right beliefs and good attitudes can only take you s_________ f_____________. Eventually, something has got to h______________.
2. It’s simple: If we believe God will one day make every ________________ right, we should have no problem giving him thanks now.
-But when we live with ingratitude, we deny that God is going to ______ what he s__________ he would do.
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
“Lent: Naming Our Enemies”
Psalm 25:1-10
Lent is a season of preparation for Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday, but Lent is also the time when the believer is led to confront the enemies of the Christian life. One of the worst of these enemies is loneliness. In our text today we see four of the sources of loneliness. Fortunately for us, however, we do not need to be satisfied with only naming the causes of loneliness. The message of Lent is that Jesus has defeated all four of these loneliness-producing enemies.
I Lent is more than a time of preparation. Lent recalls how Jesus faced many e_______________ on his way to the cross to win our salvation.
A. Loneliness can so distort our view of life that we begin to see life as meaningless and without any ____________.
B. “The first Sunday of Lent is the time to look the enemies of the Christian life in the face and n____________ them before God.”
II What is the source of spiritual loneliness?
A. First, s________________ God for who he truly is makes us lonely (25:1-2).
1. How can someone who is not at all ___________ us take away our loneliness?
2. Some try to claim that they are good friends with God, but they do it by bringing God __________ to their level, so that he is ________ them.
3. If you want to get a glimpse of how different God is, consider his ___________________________.
B. Second, the fear of s___________________ makes us lonely (25:3).
1. The Hebrew word translated “shame” in this verse does not refer to an i_______________ feeling but to an o_______________ experience of public embarrassment.
2. Old Testament scholars tell us that verse 3 is a _________________. David prays that ___________ of God’s people will be shamed, but that __________ who hate God will be shamed.
3. Shame makes us lonely. It makes us feel that we do not deserve to be part of the _______________ family or the family of ______________.
C. Third, the r______________________ of past sins makes us lonely (25:4-7).
1. The past cannot always be k____________ in the past.
2. Whatever we ____________ will one day be harvested.
D. Finally, our failure to k__________ the covenant God made with us makes us lonely (25:8-10).
III The Gospel says that Jesus came to call out these four enemies and to engage them in face to face c_________________.
A. What did Jesus do to end the loneliness that comes from seeing how different God is?
-He ___________; in the incarnation, in the physical body of Jesus, God became what we are. He became ______________ to show us who he really is.
B. What did Jesus do to end the loneliness that comes from our fear of shame?
-He experienced the shame of being n____________ to a c____________.
C. What did Jesus do to end the loneliness that comes from remembering our past sins?
-He took our sins on h____________________.
D. What did Jesus do to end the loneliness that comes from our failure to keep the covenant?
-By his death, he created a __________ covenant between us and God.
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
“Guarding Our Relationships”
Proverbs 18
Not everyone has a sweetheart, but everyone has relationships. On this Valentine’s Day 2021 we are going to get help from the Book of Proverbs on how to protect our relationships.
I If there is anything we all need help with, it is p_________________ our relationships.
-Relationships can be the greatest source of c___________________ to us, and relationships can be the greatest source of h_____________________.
II First, if we want satisfying and life-giving relationships, we must reject s_________________________ (Proverbs 18:1).
A. There are m______________ reason why someone might separate himself from others.
B. Solomon says this guy separates himself from people because “he seeks d______________________.”
C. Unfriendliness and a lack of s________________ judgment go hand in hand.
D. Some are alone, and they like being alone because they can devote all their energy to getting what they w_______________.
III Second, if we want satisfying and life-giving relationships, we must be willing to l_________________________ (Proverbs 18:13).
A. Why is it we do not listen?
1. I don’t listen because I’m s__________-c________________________.
2. I don’t listen because I’m p________________________.
3. I don’t listen because I’m not interested in r______________________.
4. I don’t listen because I’m a c________________________ freak.
5. I don’t listen because I don’t want to u________________________ any other point of view.
B. Not listening is folly and shame – It’s folly because when I don’t listen, I am acting like _________________.
C. Not listening is also shame – It’s a shame because when I don’t listen, I am treating the other person as my i__________________________.
D. Some of us are having problems in our relationships because we simply will not make the effort to listen, but real listening c__________________________ us.
E. Listening has the power to give birth to u___________________________ relationships; not listening has the power to s___________________ the door on any relationship.
IV Finally, if we want satisfying and life-giving relationships, we must be l____________________ (Proverbs 18:24).
A. Having many friends will not keep you from being hurt, because when it comes to friends, it is not q_________________________ that counts, but q_________________.
B. Having many f__________________ may not save you in hard times, and even a b____________________, depending on the circumstances, may not be willing to help.
C. Job 6:14 says something very convicting: “A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he f___________________________ the fear of the Almighty.”
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
“The Ten Commandments of Worship”
Psalm 15
What do you do to prepare for worship? Before we can ever prepare ourselves for worship, we need to understand what God requires of those who would come into his presence and worship him. We find these requirements for the worshiper in Psalm 15.
I Who is prepared to enter God’s presence and worship?
A. First, “He whose walk is blameless” (15:2a).
B. Second, the one who can enter the presence of the Lord and worship him is the one who “does what is righteous” (15:2b).
C. Third, the one who can enter into the presence of God and worship him is a person “who speaks the truth from his heart” (15:2c).
D. Fourth, the one who can enter into the presence of God and worship him must be one who “has no s____________________ on his tongue” (15:3a).
1. The Hebrew word translated “slander” means “to g___ a_________” or “to make the rounds.”
2. We should never forget that the word “d____________” actually means “slanderer.”
E. Fifth, the one who can enter into the presence of God and worship him must be a person who “does his neighbor no w___________________ (15:3b).”
1. We can hurt our neighbor spiritually by being a bad w________________.
2. If our neighbor knows we claim to be a follower of Jesus, then our life will either draw them c_______________ to Jesus or drive them farther a______________.
F. Sixth, the one who can enter into the presence of God and worship must be a person who “casts no s______________ on his fellow man” (15:3c).
G. Seventh, the one who can enter into the presence of God and worship him must be a person who “d_________________ a vile man but h_______________ those who fear the Lord” (15:4a).
1. We must not act as if all people live the s___________ kind of life.
2. When wrong is condoned and defended, it results in two things:
a. First, it distorts the m_____________ compass of society.
b. Second, it makes it more d__________________ for the wicked to see their behavior for what it is and seek God’s forgiveness.
H. Eighth, the one who can enter God’s presence and worship must be a person who “k_________________ his oath even when it h____________” (15:4b).
I. Ninth, the one who can enter God’s presence and worship must be a person who “lends his money without u______________________” (15:5a).
1. In a non-commercial society, lending only has one purpose: not to __________ money, but to h____________ a person in need.
2. In a commercial society, lending is done to make money, and it is intended for those who want to satisfy their w______________, not their n____________.
j. Tenth, the one who can enter God’s presence and worship must be a person who does not accept a b______________ against the innocent (15:5b).
II If we want to be on solid ground with our worship, what should we take from these ten commandments?
A. First, God is far more concerned about how we express our love to __________ and to _____________ than he is with our a______________ and our worship s_________.
B. Second, it is i_____________________ to keep all the ten commandments of worship all the time, but there is one who has done it: _____________ _____________.