Subtopic: "Standing For The Truth: Our Contention"

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H. Coleman Sr. For Sunday April 28, 2014

Text: St. John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; (vs32) And ye shall know the truth,( i.e.to realize in the very depths of your being the trustworthy character of my word.)  and the truth shall make you free.”

Jude Verse 3 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." 


PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.17, Page 392, a comment on St John 8:32 “There is the highest knowledge--- the truth. There are many truths, but this is the truth. This truth means the great facts of human redemption through Jesus Christ. We need not to list them; they will naturally occur to each in there magnitude , beauty, and order. They are various, yet one, constituting one Divine system of salvation. This is the truth made known by Christ, and to know this is the highest knowledge attainable by man, because it pertains to his spiritual nature, and involves his highest good. It is the most necessary and valuable.”

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.22, Pages21-22, a comment on Jude verse 3. 1. The Matter To Be Contended For. (1) It is the doctrine of faith, or the truth which is to be received in order to our salvation. It is called "faith" because it is the instrument used by the Holy Spirit to work faith. (2) It is the faith "delivered" by God, not delivered by man. The natural man can no more perceive than he can discover the things which are of God (1 Cor.2:14).(3) It is the faith delivered "once for all". No other faith will ever be given. No new doctrines are to be added to the circle of faith, though the truth may be cast in new forms, and shaped according to the intellectual and spiritual  demands for immediate action or attention of each age. Therefore (a)it is a great sin to despise the faith delivered to us; (b) we ought to be thankful for it; (c) we ought to receive and obey it in the love of it; (d) we ought to guard it against heretical perversions. (4)It is a sacred deposit placed in the hands of trustees--- "delivered to the saints." not to holy prophets and apostles merely, but to all saints, even in ages destitute of prophets and apostles. (a) It is a solemn trust, involving great responsibilities. (b) The saints are to keep the faith for their own salvation and comfort. (c) They are to keep it for generations to come. (d) How much is the world indebted to the saints! (e) The trustees of the faith ought to have holy hands and holy hearts. 2. How Shall The Saints To Contend For The Faith.   (a) by refuting and convincing gainsayers, (b) by praying for its success, (c) by confessing it boldly before men, (d) by mutual exhortation, (e) by holy example, (f) by suffering for the truth."

Subtopic: Let Your Blood Cover; Let Your Blood Prevail

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H Coleman Sr. For Sunday April 20, 2014

Text: Exodus 12:12-14"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.(vs13) And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (vs14) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever".

Lev. 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for your soul."

1 Peter 1:18-21 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (vs19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (vs20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (vs21) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

Premise

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.22, Page 50, a comment on 1 Peter 1:18-19. REDEMPTION NECESSIATES HOLINESS. “1. Redemption is from the vain manner of life received from our fathers. “Conversion;” equivalent to “manner of life.” Christ died to deliver us from the sinful manner of life received from our fathers. From hell; yes, that is clear. “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all;” (Isa.53:6) “He bore our sins in his body on the tree.”(1 Peter 2:24)      “There is therefore now no condemnation,” (Romans 8:1), ect. But that is not the end for which he died, as only a means to that end. Holiness in us was the purpose for the atonement, so much so that if we can imagine one getting no further than the cancelling of his sins only, we would be compelled to say that Christ died for him in vain.(see 2 Cor.5:15; Gal.1:4; Gal.5:25-27; Titus 2:14). Redemption by Christ is from the life of the natural man: “If any man be in Christ Jesus, it is a new creation.” 2. Redemption is only effected at unspeakable cost .     “ Not with corruptible,” ect. An emphatic testimony that redemption is through our Lord’s death --- not through his life, or example, or holiness, or mediation, but, as Scripture invariably says with unwavering consistency, by “his blood”. God himself bore the penalty of human guilt that he might righteously extend his mercy to the guilty. Nor can we imagine any method which so glorifies his grace and reveals himself. Think of the worth of our Lord’s offering. The universe were as nothing compared to the Son of God. What unfathomable meaning is in the words, “the precious blood of Christ”! Now, this stupendous price was paid for nothing less that we might be holy.”

Subtopic : "He Knoweth The Way That I Take"

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H. Coleman Sr. For Sunday April 13,2013

Text: Job 23:8-14 "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: (vs9) On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: (vs10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (vs11) My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. (vs12) Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (vs13) But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. (vs14) For he perfometh the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him."

Philippians 3:11-15 "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (vs12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (vs13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (vs14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (vs15) Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.7,Page 404, a commentary on Job 23:10-- GOD'S KNOWLEDGE AND MAN'S DISCIPLINE. "Job has just been owning his difficulty in finding God. He searches in all directions, forward and backwards, on the left hand and on the right, and he cannot discover God (vers.8,9). But although it is so hard for him to attain to a knowledge of God, he is quite certain that God knows him. We are known by God before we think of acknowledging him, and when we are bewildered with the mystery of life all is clear and open to God. God knows the way that his servants take. (1) Past experiences. He knows what we have had to contend with, and why our lives have been vexed and tried. (2) Present circumstances. At the very moment when we have some new difficulty to face, some new height to climb, or some new snare to avoid, God is with us, perfectly understanding the whole situation. (3) Future scenes. One step is enough for us, because God knows all that lies before us. Although our way may seem to be leading to impossible regions, he who sees the end from the beginning can lead us through. If God knows our way, we have not to travel like Columbus, over untried seas. The whole route has been mapped out by God. We cannot be lost if he who knows our way is our Guide."

Subtopic: Day By Day I Will Make This Journey

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H. Coleman Sr. For Sunday April 6, 2014

Text: Psalm 37:23-26 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (vs24) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. (vs25) I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (vs26) He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.”

Romans 8:28-31 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. (vs29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (vs30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (vs31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary Vol.8,Pages 290-291,a comment on Romans 8;28 “In The Widest Sense Human Life--- “ the steps of [each] man,” the path in which he treads--- is under God’s guidance; upheld by his power, directed by his counsel (Proverbs 20:24). As a journey is made up of single steps, and one false step may be fatal; so life, of momentary experiences and acts of choice, of which the greatest may hinge on the least. Life or death may hang on a pair of damp sheets or wet shoes, or a whiff of poisoned air. The fate of an empire may turn on the flight of a bullet. A spider’s web spun across a dark opening has saved a fugitive from his persecutors. A successful career or a happy home may be owing to a seemingly chance meeting. If, therefore God rules human affairs, he must foresee and control their most minute and secure causes.”