1. When doctrine and truth are taught from the Bible, heresy and false teaching is easily identifiable.

2. If a pastor fails to systematically address doctrine the church begins to lose these truths.

The cults are full of people raised in churches who never were taught doctrine. At man in Wash, DC. Was a member of a cult. Said he could never under- stand the Trinity, so when the cult came along and said there was none, he joined it.

I recently received e-mail from a Mormon who made the statement that ex-Baptists made the best Mormons.

3. Problem in the church today is simply this: Preachers for several decades and not stuck to a systematic approach to teaching the Scriptures.
Matt. 28:19-20 says we are to teach, "all things whatsoever I have commanded you" Then and only then will the Lord be with us.

4. Preaching today is very one sided. J. Vernon McGee once said in his newsletter, "There is another covered wagon looming on the horizon of the future. The name is the "Social Gospel." Don't shoot at this wagon - Fosdick, Brunner, Bultmann, and Karl Barth are no longer in it. (These are the well know liberals of the past) Instead there are some conservative boys in this one. They all believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, but each one has a different translation, and they all are preparing seminars and books on the home."
The new generation thinks this is new.....further Dr. McGee said that they were somewhat like the proverbial cowboy who got on his horse and rode off in all directions.

5. Preaching should be directed at the heart. The heart's bulls eye is the mind, and is the gate that you reach the heart by. But, to have a good head knowledge log jam is of little value. It must get out of the mind and into the heart.

6. Salvation is more than a "fire escape from hell." Salvation is life and is a way of life. It is a life changing event, that changes and redirects the persons live. If it does not do this then it is false, and it is good evidence that it got to the head and mind, but not to the heart.

I. FIRST, LETS ADDRESS THE HEAD OF MIND WITH A TRUTH. THIS TRUTH IS SALVATION IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE!

A. II Tim. 3;15-17
1. "Be wise unto salvation"! The teaching of doctrine that Timothy had learned from a boy was to not "only" tell him how to be saved, but also to teach him about his life after salvation.

2. In other words, this passages teaches that salvation is the beginning, and we need to be taught to go further.

B. Then we are directed to the resource which will explain this new life to us and give us instruct- ion on what it is and how to do it. This is the purpose of Scripture which is the very Word of God to us on all matters.
1. the answer to man's problems is the Scripture. In 1 Timothy 3:16-17 God tells us:
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

There many saved people who are having great and varied problems. The hot lines on TV ministries are full of confused, hurting people who have a great need.

It is easy enough to say the "Bible is the answer or Christ is the answer," it another thing to put those phrases to working in helping overcome these difficulties.

2. Many have a head knowledge and mimic the phrases, yet still are troubled by sin, distressed by weaknesses, disappointed in others and can understand the song "why me Lord."

3. This Scripture says this truth----The Bible is the answer to direct us to Christ.

What is its purpose?

a. To establish what is truth. There are a lot of preachers, TV evangelists and churches all claiming different things and all claiming to have the truth. Clearly, somebody is wrong!

b. The Bible was given to us by God to reproof us, or set us, and matters straight. It is never fun or enjoyable to honestly address the issues in one's life.

But it is always necessary first to admit the sin exists in order to overcome it. The enjoyment follows when the destructive sin is removed from our lives.

I think some preachers enjoy preaching against sin because it may make them feel some power over others. Yet, God's man preaches the truth of God and of His wonderful salvation. He preach because of the love that God had for him and he wishes to share this Good News to with others.

Salvation can be miserable to a worldly Christian submitting to sin in their lives. The Word of God is given to bring us to conviction over sin.

c. God's word is to correct us or redirect us from error.

d. Then it is to instruction us in how to live.

Life is like a mine-field, a Christian finds himself in. The Bible is a map which shows where all the dangerous mines are, and tell us where they are not.

4. Verse 17 tell us why we are given the Bible in the first place?!
We never question why a set of instructions comes with something we are to operate. Some folks wisely, read them and then put what they learned into action. Others, stumble blindly using trial and error, making blunders and many mistakes.

Its like my computer. Every time I use it I learn something more it can do. When I read the manual I learn of things I had no idea that it could do. It would take years of trial and error to learn what can be discovered in only a few minutes of study.

1. II Corinthians 5:17 "therefore if any man be in Christ, he IS a new creature."
a. The man who trusts Christ, at the moment of redemption, becomes a new man!

b. If he does not become a new creature then he did not savingly trust Christ.

c. The believer is a new creature because he has a new nature that he did not have before. He receives the indwelling of the Spirit of God.

2. The result of being a new creature is that the person's life be changed. The direction a believer's becomes of living for Christ instead of living for self.
a. The Carnal mind and nature are at enmity with God and they are to be done away with. Romans 8:5-6.

b. Verse 9 Says Christians are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.

c. Verse 10 To be a child of God, you must have the spirit of God indwelling you. A Christian is full of the Holy Ghost or indwelled with the Holy Spirit, and there are no other kind!

d. Verse 10 says the Body is dead to sin, If the Spirit is present, and it always is in a saved person, the believer will never be comfortable living in sin. When the Christian sins the Holy Spirit uses the person's conscience to warn or alert him to the fact what he is doing is wrong. This is called "conviction". In other words the saved person is uncomfortable while in sin. He can't be completely satisfied. He may for a season, but then the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit will make that person a miserable soul indeed.

This is why Christ died. He died that we might overcome sin. He put sin to death and paid the debt we can't pay.

1. The Christian is freed from the necessity to sin Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and in doing so freed us from sin!

2. The lost man can only sin for he has no nature to cause him do anything else.

3. Verse 12, says, We are freed from sin, therefore do not let sin reign in you mortal body.

a. Verse 13, Don't give sin an occasion to get a hold on you. "don't yield your members (any part of our bodies) as a means to sin.

b. Verse 14 You are not under the domination of sin. But you are freed.

4. Verse 15, repeats Verse 1, "God forbid that any saved person remain in sin." This deals with the attitude, Well the devil made me do it and anyway its no big deal, God's grace covers it all anyway!

Paul says, God forbid, anyone saved person have such a tolerant attitude toward the evil and the hideous thing that sin is. Any sin.

C. So you see salvation is a life changing event!
It has to do completely with overcoming sin, both the penalty, which Christ paid, and then the personally battle each of us has in overcoming it in our lives.

Note V28 - 29....Christians are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ!

In other words God's plan is that Christian be different from the World which sins with no restraints.

This was God's plan before the world, that Christians are to live like Christ who lived as a man!

A. I Corinthians 10:13. "There is no temptation taken you but such is common to man."
1. It says simply, everyone has a carnal nature and that nature wants to be satisfied in sin.

2. But, God is faithful, who will not suffer (or allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

B. Folks that is the Good News, God first is aware of every temptation that comes our way!
1. Then He personally, makes a means of escape so that I don't have to give into the temptation.

2. James explains that God does not tempt us,and tells us where the desire to sin comes from.

3. James 1:14 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desire) and enticed."

When Verse 15, the lust is allowed to go unchecked or you don't fight it, it will continue and lead to sin, and sin brings death.

A. Simply, with a repentant heart, confess it to the Lord in prayer and ask him to help you overcome it.
1. I John 1:9 says to confess our sins. Folks that involves repentance.

2. True repentance can only come when first, we sincerely desire to overcome the problem. It could be a simple sin such as neglect, or as serious as adultery.

First you must want to overcome it. If you are saved, you'll want too to some degree. That is the New Nature at work in God's children.

B. A repentant heart, seeks a solution.
1. He ready admits it is sin to himself and the confesses it is that to God.

2. No excuses, He simply lays down his pride and stops fighting himself and God and turns away from sin.

3. We then just pled for mercy and the power of God to work in our lives.

C. Repentance means we get up, and walk in the direction that God wants us to.
1. Sin takes all kinds of forms. A preacher who I knew, liked to build and fly model airplanes. It became the main thing of his life. He neglected his studies, his church duties and even his wife.

As time pasted, this seemingly simple thing, innocent as it was, was the start of his martial problems, and also his leaving the ministry.

When he was told, about the problem, he simply dismissed it and would not accept it. Thank God that the preacher came to his senses and confessed his sin and it saves his marriage and ministry.

2. When we have a mind to fight, then victory becomes possible.

If we have no will to fight there is no possible victory. But if we obey God and we fight, we may lose some battles in the process of overcoming the sin, but the victory in the war is promised and assured.

1. God wants you first to know the truth, then to put it into practical application in our lives.

2. He said the way to do that is to:

First admit it is there, then put on the battle gear and go to war!

Second He says you can not lose, he you will fight, for you are indwell by the Holy Spirit, and He gives you the desire and power.

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