More Than You Expect
A. THE BEGGAR GOT MORE THAN HE EVER EXPECTED.
B. MANY OF US COME TO RELIGION EXPECTING THE WRONG THING.
A. MANY EXPECT AS THE LAME MAN TO MERELY RECEIVE ALMS.
1. The church has a duty( Acts 2:44-45; 1 Cor. 16:1-2 ).
2. 2 Thess. 3:10.
B. TO STRAIGHTEN OUT FAMILY PROBLEMS.
1. God has the answer( 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ).
2. And an efficient order for the family( Eph. 5:22-27; 6:1-4 ).
3. But what if some are not cooperative with God( Matt. 10:34-36 ).
C. TO MAKE FRIENDS, TO IMPROVE SOCIAL LIFE.
1. It will gain us friends( Rom. 12:10; Acts 2:42-47 ).
2. It will make us more pleasant to be around( Rom. 13:8; 1 Pet. 3:8-9 ).
3. Gal. 5:22. Christians are good people who seek peace( Rom. 12:18 ).
4. Jesus demands a difference( Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:33 ).
5. This will often lose us friends( 1 Pet. 4:3-4 ).
D. MONETARY GAIN AND BUSINESS CONTACTS( 1 Tim. 6:5 ).
1. Emphasis is to be put on repudiation of material things( vs.17; Mat.6:19-21 ).
2. We are to be good stewards of material things( 1 Tim. 6:17-19 ).
3. Matt. 6:24. Who is our Master?( 1 John 2:15-17 ).
E. WHAT THE JEWS AND GREEKS LOOKED FOR( 1 Cor. 1:22-24 ).
1. Sometimes we demand of God signs and miracles. We expect some kind of
fireworks or electricity when we come up out of the water.
2. Sometimes we want to associate with the "religiously correct crowd."
Whatever will exalt us intellectually or socially.
3. What are we after, earthly gratification or eternal life?( 1 Cor.4:13 ).
F. HUMAN GLORY( Mat. 6:2; Gal. 1:10 ).
A. PEACE OF MIND( Phil. 4:6-7 ).
B. A BETTER LIFE, NOT BETTER LIVING CONDITIONS
( Luke 9:57-58; Rom 6:1-3 ).
C. FELLOWSHIP WITH HIS FATHER( 1 John 1:6-7 ).
D. FORGIVENESS( 1 John 1:7 ).
E. DELIVERANCE FROM SIN AND DEATH( 1 Cor. 15:55-57 ).
F. ETERNAL LIFE( 1 John 2:24-25; John 14:1-3 ).
G. ALL OF THIS IS SALVATION - NOT POWERS OR FEELINGS, NOT A
CREDIT CARD FOR FLESHLY BLESSINGS. A CHANGE IN
RELATIONSHIP, ALIVE TO GOD, FREE FROM SIN.