Are you a liar?

 by David Long

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20).

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). 

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4).

If you are a liar then the Devil is your father (John 8:44). 

Where do liars go? Read Revelation 21:8. 

Stand in awe

 by David Long

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Psa. 33:6-9). 

Have you ever looked up at the stars on a dark night? Billions of them and yet we only see just a small portion of them. On the 4th day of creation it is said that God made the stars also, "he made the stars also" (Gen. 1:16). In that short phrase is the creation of the cosmos and it declares the glory of God (Psa. 19:1). Out of all the stars and planets, it is earth where God placed man, created in His image and where Jesus came and died for our sins (the greatest act of love). Though we have rebelled against Him, He offers salvation (Heb. 5:8-9). It is fitting that we stand in awe of Him for what He had done! 

Abortion

 by David Long

One of the great moral evils of our time is abortion. Why is abortion wrong? Because it is the killing of innocent life and because human life is sacred. You know something is wrong in our society when animal life is treated as sacred but human life is not. We cry, "Save the whales" but not "save the babies." You can go to prison for destroying an eagle's egg but not for killing a child in the womb. Man is wonderfully made because he is made in the image of God (Psa. 139:13-16). 

Drugs

 by David Long

The Bible does not says, "Thou shalt not use drugs." The Bible does not come right out and condemn Meth, Cocaine, PCP, LSD, Marijuana and other illicit drugs. So is it all right to use such drugs? No. Why? Because of our example and influence (Matt. 5:13-16). Because we are destroying our mind and body when we use such drugs (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Caffeine is a drug we don't think much about but too much of it can be harmful to the mind and body. 

Good character

 by David Long

What are some qualities of good character?

1. Respect for God (Eccl. 12:13-14).

2. Honesty (John 1:47).

3. Dependability (Matt. 25:14-30).

4. Self-control or self-discipline (1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 4:8).

5. Being just and fair (Micah 6:8; Matt. 18:23-35).

6. Morality (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Tim. 5:22).

Code of conduct

 by David Long

Is there a universal code of conduct? Are there rules of right and wrong? Yes there is, it's called the Bible. God's word is the standard of right and wrong. Morals don't come from man, they come from God. Read Titus 2:11-12; 2 Pet. 3:11; 1 Pet. 1:15; James 3;13; 1 Tim. 3:15. God's word is the guide in life. If the Bible is not your guide then you have the wrong guide. We don't get to decide what's right and what's wrong, God does! 

Tobacco

 by David Long

Wanna smoke? Wanna chew? No! Why? Because smoking and chewing are harmful to the body. Tobacco contains a drug that is habit forming and it is a bad habit (a sinful habit). Read 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Rom. 12:1. Tobacco use sets a bad example.

Dancing

 by David Long

Is dancing sinful? Well, I guess it depends on the dance. What do I mean by that? Any dance that would fall into the category of lasciviousness would be sinful. Lasciviousness is condemned in the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). Lasciviousness means "Unbridled lust, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females." So if you can find a dance that doesn't have indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females or unbridled lust, then do it. But that takes all the fun out of it, doesn't it and who wants to do it then?  Exactly! Get the point? Read Titus 2:11-12. 

Alcohol

 by David Long

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). Is that clear enough? If that's not clear enough then read Prov. 23:29-35 and if that's clear enough read Eph. 5:18. 

Justice, mercy and grace

 by David Long

Justice is getting what you deserve. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). That's what we deserve.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Because we sin we deserve death but because of God's mercy we can be saved from death (Titus 3:3-7).

Grace is getting what you don't deserve. We don't deserve heaven but because of God's grace we can have eternal life in heaven.

God extends His mercy and saves us by His grace when, in faith, we obey the conditions of acceptance. That involves obeying Jesus (Heb. 5:8-9). Believing in Him (John 8:24). Repenting of our sins (Acts 17:30). Confessing our faith in Him (Acts 8:37). Being immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16) and living faithfully the Christian life (Rom. 6:3-4; Rev. 2:10). 

Scriptural baptism

by David Long

What is necessary to make a baptism scriptural?

1. The right action. The right action is immersion (Acts 8:35-39). Sprinkling or pouring water on a person is not baptism. 

2. The right subject. The right subject is a person who can believe in Jesus (John 8:24), understand what it means to repent of sins (Acts 17:30) and can confess their faith in Christ (Acts 8:37). 

3. The right purpose. The right purpose is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), to have one's sins washed away (Acts 22:16) and to be added to the church of Christ (Acts 2:41, 47). 

Why am I here?

 by David Long

Do you know why you are here? Do you understand your purpose for living? Most people don't have a clue. The Bible is clear, "(This is) the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole (duty) of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:13-14). 

If you don't work, you don't eat

 by David Long

"The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through"  (Eccl. 10:15-18).

The Bible is not giving a lesson in political science in those passages but is talking about a strong work ethic, from the ditch digger to the ruler. Laziness is bad no matter if you are taking care of a house or a nation. Selfishness destroys houses and nations. We need to teach the Bible principle that if you are capable of working and you don't then you don't eat (2 Thess. 3:10).  

Vote for life

 by David Long

When it comes to the election of eternal life, you have the deciding vote. God has voted for you by sending Jesus to die for your sins (1 John 4:10). The devil has voted against you by tempting  you to sin. Now you have the deciding vote (Dt. 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Matt. 7:13-14). 

What saves?

 by David Long

What's the one thing that saves? There is no one thing that saves. God saves (Titus 3:4). Christ saves (Luke 19:10). The Holy Spirit saves (1 Cor. 6:11). The blood of Christ saves (Rom. 5:8-9). The word of God saves (James 1:21). The gospel saves (Rom. 1:16). Grace saves (Eph. 2:8). Mercy saves (Titus 3:5). Faith saves (Eph. 2:8). Repentance saves (Acts 11:18). Confession saves (Rom. 10:9-10). Baptism saves (1 Pet. 3:21). This is just a short list of things involved in salvation. There is no one thing that saves. Don't add to or take away from God's "recipe" of salvation (Dt. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19).