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Why the Gospel (Part 2)

Jim Leffel
Romans 2:17-23

There are three common responses to the moral guilt we have before God. The first is to reject the standard for moral guilt, resulting in hypocrisy. The second option includes self-righteousness that sees guilt as others problems, not our own. The last option is to repent and understand that our moral guilt can be solved through God's grace through Jesus Christ. Repentance through grace allows for genuine healing, true humility, and honest transparency with our shortcomings.

Keywords

{"passage": "Romans 2:1-4","passageabreviated": "Rom 2:1-4","passagetiny": "Rom 2:1-4","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "09/26/2004"}

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The Most Deadly Bacillus

Dennis McCallum
Matthew 23:5

A study of the lives of Ananias and Sapphira reveals the importance of addressing hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is damaging to the church and its reputation. What are the characteristics of a self-righteous hypocrite? The Bible teaches that hypocrisy can take a hold of a group and destroy authentic Christian community. It is critical that it is identified and rooted out. A testimony from Courtney is included.

Keywords

{"passage": "Acts 5:1-11","passageabreviated": "Acts 5:1-11","passagetiny": "Acts 5:1-11","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate": "0...

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The Pool of Bethesda

Dennis McCallum
Matthew 22:23-24

Jesus made bold claims that went against the religious leaders of his time. When Jesus heals a sick man, the Pharisees complain that he is breaking the Sabbath. Jesus declares that he was sent to heal the sick and grant eternal life. This is a strong claim that angers the religious mentality that the Pharisees held. This same religious mentality that the Pharisees held is found in many people today.

Keywords

{"passage": "John 5:1-27","passageabreviated": "John 5:1-27","passagetiny": "John 5:1-27","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate": "0...

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Isn't Freedom Dangerous?

Jim Leffel
Galatians 2:11-21

Paul rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy and how his actions don't communicate the truth of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. The grace of God motivates people to obey God based on total undeserved acceptance and contrasts legalism, where acceptance before God is based on our works or by obeying the law. Once we know Christ, the new identity we have through his death allows us to serve God out of grace, and not push us towards a lifestyle of active rebellion and sin towards God.

Keywords

{"passage": "Galatians 2:11-21","passageabreviated": "Gal 2:11-21","passagetiny": "Gal 2:11-21","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "...

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Faith, Fanaticism or Fakery?

Jim Leffel
Mark 14:3-11

What is a life lived out for Christ supposed to look like? An encounter with a woman and her perfume reveals what true fanaticism, and true fakery look like in light of dedicated faith. What should we pursue in this life? This event tells us that the answer is Christ.

Keywords

{"passage": "Mark 14:3-11","passageabreviated": "Mark 14:3-11","passagetiny": "Mark 14:3-11","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "02/...

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What God Really Wants From Us

Jim Leffel
Mark 7:1-19

The Pharisees question Jesus about why his followers are not following rituals as they eat. Jesus explains it is not external things that make someone impure. This comes from the inner life-the heart. Jesus exposes three problems about the Pharisees' misguided zeal: 1) hypocrites; 2) vain worship; and 3) illegitimate authority. He explains that God desires our hearts and not our external obedience. Only Jesus can fix our hearts and make us right with God. The way God's followers live impacts how others view who God is and what He wants from us.\r\n

Keywords

{"passage": "Mark 7:1-19","passageabreviated": "Mark 7:1-19","passagetiny": "Mark 7:1-19","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "10/14/...

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The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Dennis McCallum
Luke 18

In this parable, Jesus first describes a Pharisee who goes to worship in the temple. He exemplifies a self-righteous attitude, minimizing and compartmentalizing his sin in order to tell himself that he is justified before God. In contrast, the tax collector realizes his sin for what it is and confesses this humbly before God and asks for God's mercy. It is this second character who returns home justified before God, as God's righteous standard is not a comparison of how we measure up against others, but against His own perfection. This teaching also includes a personal testimony from Dave Glover about his own experience with this concept.

Keywords

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A Deadly Infection

Dennis McCallum
Luke 12

Jesus warns his audience about the temptation of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy could be identified by a lack of honesty in efforts to appear more righteous than others while neglecting their own short comings. God is more concerned with the internal heart attitudes than the external actions we do before people. As we reject hypocrisy, we are able to see God's power more fully and develop close relationships that are honest as we learn to cooperate to fulfill His purposes.

Keywords

{"passage": "","passageabreviated": "","passagetiny": "","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate": "04/16/2000"}

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The Good Samaritan

Dennis McCallum
Luke 10

Jesus interaction with an expert in the law shows our inability to keep God's law perfectly. Rather than try and use works to become right with God, Christ offers forgiveness through his death on the cross to fulfill God's law and have a relationship free from works. The expert in the law desired to be righteous on his own, so Jesus used a parable of the Good Samaritan to show that God's requirement of love requires initiative, compassion, meeting immediate and long-term needs, and a willingness to suffer discomfort. This was shown through Jesus' life as we are unable to love God and others perfectly but can have Jesus pay for our failures at love.

Keywords

{"passage": "","passageabreviated": "","passagetiny": "","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate": "02/13/2000"}

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