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I Believe in the Virgin Conception

Luke 1:26-38 (Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series).

Preached by Rev. William L. Barron on December 15, 2019 (Sunday Morning).

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North Greenville Church

North Greenville Church is a Reformed and Presbyterian fellowship that seeks to establish a traditio

North Greenville Church

3 days ago

In the final chapter of the letter to Titus, we remember Titus as a peacemaker in several cities. Herod Agrippa encountered Paul in prison. In Acts 26 Paul testified to him about the opposition of the Jews to Paul's ministry. He preached the Gospel to Agrippa, and he found no fault in Paul. However, Agrippa didn't respond in faith, even though he acknowledged the truth of Paul's words. Psalm 49 is descriptive of Agrippa's unredeemed situation and his destiny. Paul then describes what life is like for the unredeemed Cretans, a life of hatefulness and contention. They are pitiable people. They believe the lie of Satan--"you will not surely die"--as Adam and Eve did. They wanted to be like God and to know good and evil. Knowing the goodness of God was not enough for them. Shortly thereafter, Cain murdered his brother, Abel. The Cretans were hateful and hated one another. Titus and the elders were up against this situation. They were once like the Cretans, but God saved them. With Christ, we can be forgiving and not hateful. With salt and light from Christ, we are different, through God's mercy. We receive regeneration and renovation abundantly and overflowingly. Our life tastes good and can be seen. We have to be ready to do what is good, something that is repeatedly stated by Paul in Titus 3. Our good deeds point to Christ, not to ourselves. What the world thinks is good is not what God commands as good. This brings us in conflict with the world oftentimes. We are to be an "aroma of Christ", a fragrance of life. The lost should experience from us loving pity and care. This is the Holy Spirit working in us. ... See MoreSee Less

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Sermons Subscribe to Podcast All sermonsiTunes • Other Sermons (373) Next page » Salt And Light From Kindness And Love In Ancient Crete (Part 5) Titus 3:1-15 (Part of the Morning Worship at North G...

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North Greenville Church

2 weeks ago

According to the Paul Burstyn, writing in the Christian Herald, First Century myths live on in the Twenty First Century, and mythology affects reality in terms of values and behavior. Many of today's video games are based in mythology. In ancient Crete, people believed that people could become gods. Zeus was a human who became the chief of the gods. Paul's letter to Titus in Chapter 2 concerned marriage/family and business/work. These concerns appear often in scripture. They are the building blocks of society, and they were ordained by God before sin entered into the world. The Church was to restore these ordinances to their proper form. Capitalism is grounded in Biblical principles, with the conscience of God. In the family, the building block of sound doctrine is the "salt." Sound doctrine brings with it spiritual, physical and family/whole person soundness. Proverbs 3 is a summary of the teaching for the individual/family throughout all of scripture. Salt can be troublesome in excess, or ineffective where not used correctly. To preserve it must penetrate. The salt of sound doctrine in God's Word is an affront to sinners. Sound doctrine leads to sound living. Everyone is responsible to live rightly. Light in the family context is sound faith. Paul exhorts Titus to encourage wholesome, informed overseers of the family and of the flock, the church. Older, wise men work to restore soundness in doctrine and faith, overcoming what is lost in sin. Older women in the family must teach what is good by applying sound doctrine. They are to arrange things in order. Wives are often the managers of the household, and they bear the adornment of the Word of God. The Church was to actually invade the world of sin in Crete and in our time also. We are to be invaders also, being self-controlled and thinking sensibly. Jesus was an invader of the world in His time. Young men, taught well, must display what is good. In the ancient world, slavery was part of business. Business was to be conducted with sound doctrine and faith as well, so as to adorn the Gospel. Grace is illuminating and "salty." The apostles taught and lived the Gospel. By this means, the Church is made God's personal possession, forgiven and owned, for God's glory. ... See MoreSee Less

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Sermons Subscribe to Podcast All sermonsiTunes • Other Sermons (371) Next page » Salt And Light In Crete (Part 3) Titus 1:1-16 (Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series). https...

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North Greenville Church

2 weeks ago

Titus was a Cretan and a true son in the faith. He was also involved in the Corinthian church. He was a partner of Paul in ministry and a worker in God's mission, a peacemaker, who was commended by Paul. After completing his work in Crete, he ministered in Dalmatia. What do we know about Crete? It was known as an island of a hundred cities, and it was home to an 8,000-ft mountain. Paul had preached there, faced with deep mythology in its people, who were emulators of the pagan gods Zeus or Jupiter in their lying and womanizing. Cretans were known throughout the world as compulsive liars. Ovid termed the island as, "lying Crete." Paul sent Titus to be salt and light in Crete. We know that there were Cretans present for Peter's sermon at Pentecost. Some became converted and carried their new faith home to Crete. We can see by this background why Paul wrote what he did to Titus. Truth is connected to godliness. Vs. 2 refers to the "non-lying" God (vs. Zeus/Jupiter--consummate liars). Vs. 3 connects God and Jesus as Savior. Zeus carried no identity as savior to Cretans. God's gospel was countercultural to Crete. Titus and the elders he was to appoint in cities of Crete were to be agents of the Gospel; to straighten out the people and set communities in order. Paul taught Titus the qualifications of godly elders. He warned the Cretan church to be on guard, to work restoring what sin had destroyed. He emphasized true doctrine and commanded false teachers to be silent and to be rebuked sharply. He commanded the church to walk with the Holy Spirit and to know the scriptures so that the people will recognize disobedience, avoiding Jewish myths and commands of men. Our work in our time must be like that of Titus and Paul in Crete. ... See MoreSee Less

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North Greenville Church

4 weeks ago

To the Jews, the perception had grown that Jerusalem was the center of the universe, or the light of the world. If they had listened to the prophet Isaiah, they would have remembered that the promised Messiah would be, "...as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations..." (Isaiah 41: 6). Jesus is the light of the world. The people then lived in darkness, as people do today, and they liked it. Today, those who follow Jesus will walk in light. This has a special meaning for us, as through salvation we move from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Having moved into this kingdom, we become the light of the world. Yet, we have to commit to walking in the light, or all that is good and right and true. By this, we expose the darkness, and darkness cannot overcome Jesus, who is true light. Darkness flees from the light. We know that there is danger in the darkness, where there is evil and wickedness. We must avoid this darkness and expose it using the light of God. Light points to the Messiah. It is important to understand the difference between morals and ethics. Ethics is a system of boundaries between right and wrong that brings safety and contentment. Morals is what we are doing with ethics. The opposite of moral living is immorality, or not doing what God says, and God's ethics never change. We are called to be set apart in our handling of morality. We are to do God's bidding in reflecting God's light. His light rescues, as a lighthouse rescues errant ships from destruction. We are to warn those we know of dangers. In the words of Sinclair Ferguson, we are to be fishers of men and not frogmen, who are content to live contentedly under the water. We are to present challenges to those we know to embrace the new life. The reflected light of God in us gives guidance to those around us. Even when we make mistakes and confess them before others, it encourages them to confess. We should reflect the glory of God in everything we do. There are three final questions: Are others seeing God glorified in what we say? In how we are living? And in how we treat other people? In all, we must let the light of Christ shine through us. ... See MoreSee Less

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Sermons Subscribe to Podcast All sermonsiTunes • Other Sermons (369) Next page » Salt And Light In The World Matthew 5:13-16 (Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series). https:/...

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North Greenville Church

4 weeks ago

Salt crystals are small and insignificant, but not in many Bible stories. The men of Jericho told Elisha that the city was pleasant, but that the water was bad and the land unfruitful. Elisha had them bring a bowl of salt to him, and he threw the salt into the spring, and the water was healed. This was a miracle of God. The people of old rubbed down their babies with salt. Abimelech destroyed the city of Shechem and sowed the land with salt so that no crops would grow there. Lot's wife disobeyed and looked back at the destruction of Sodom, and was turned into a pillar of salt. James told us to season our speech with salt. So with this background we come to Jesus' proclaiming that His people are the salt of the earth, who must not lose salt's taste and thus become worthless. Salt preserves and has powerful effects. We are to have an impact on our culture and society. Are people drawn to us by our words and actions? Are we salty, in a good way? Historians say that salty preaching kept England from following the path of the French Revolution. However, being salty can bring persecution. Jesus told us that if we believe in Him, we will stand out. Salt enhances taste; it brings out flavor. If we are salty, we will build up and provoke good in others; we will bring blessings and not curses. The power of righteousness in community comes from Christ. Moses commanded the people to season their grain offerings with salt, and to season all offerings with salt. Keeping the covenant faithful to God is fruitful to us. Joseph was faithful to Pharaoh and to Potifar when tempted by his wife. Daniel was faithful while serving in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar and the Medo/Persian rulers. God offers blessings to the faithful, and by this comes a sense of joy. Jesus (John 17) prayed for us not to be taken out of the world, but to sanctify us in the Truth. The Psalmist (Psalm 34) proclaims that blessed is the man who takes refuge in God. ... See MoreSee Less

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