E.P.I.C. Word of Truth

Enter into Rest (Hebrews 4:1-11)

We need to enter into the rest that only God through Jesus can provide us. There is rest available to the weary and burdened soul: rest for your spirit, the rest of salvation, the rest of submission and the rest of service.
All this is available to the Christian who just seeks to acquire it.
Faith in Christ should equal rest in Christ; but this is not always the case. Too many times Christian do not progress in their walk with Christ. We need to be very careful and diligent about not missing out on the rest that is available to every Christian if we would only pursue to acquire it.
We need to choose to enter into this rest with Christ. We should not just be content to be saved from Hell, but we should be choosing to live for Heaven.

Being Careful with the Word of God (Tradition vs. God's Word) (Mark 7:1-13)

This Word of Truth is about our care in the handling of the Word of God. We must make sure we are getting it right. We must make sure we are not elevating the teaching or the tradition of men over God's Word. Jesus speaks very strongly against putting traditional teaching on a pedestal higher than God's Word. It is extremely important that we interpret Scripture carefully and correctly. We must compare Scripture with Scripture. It is a terribly sinful thing to teach and preach tradition that is in conflict with the Word of God. We must study out and own doctrine and own standards and own convictions for ourselves, and not just because it has always been taught that way. We need to make sure we are being Biblical, and not traditional in our thinking and in our application of Scripture. 

"Hearken... to do them" (Deuteronomy 4:1-6)

What the Bible teaches us is of utmost importance in our life. We need to determine to live by its teaching and principles. We need to "hearken... to do them." We need to hearken to live out God's will in our life. We need to hearken to live out the word of God in our life. As part of this hearkening we need to have an understanding of the word of God, and that understanding needs to be growing and maturing. We also need to make sure we have the pure word of God, not a corrupted version of it, but the pure word of God in our life. In order for us to have true freedom we need to live under the authority of God and His word. We need to hearken to His authority in our life and to His sovereignty in our life. 

Given a Charge (Numbers 27:18-23)

We have all been, like Joshua, given a charge from the Lord for our life. Are we living out that charge? Are we living out God's will for our life? Are we living out the charge of being witnesses for Him? Are we living out the charge of bringing others to Jesus? Are we living out the charge of sharing the gospel to the world? We have all been given a specific charge for our life as well - are we living out that charge from God? 

Laboring & Living Rightly in the Lord (I Corinthians 16:5-14)

In our passage Paul will be coming again to Corinth, but he tells them he will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost because there is a great door opened there for ministry as well as many adversaries. Paul is being sensitive to the Lords timing and opportunities the Lord is giving him to minister. He tells the Corinthians to not despise his “son in the ministry” Timothy who would be coming to them. Paul gives them in this passage some final words regarding their labor in the Lord, regarding living rightly in the Lord, and loving rightly in the Lord.

Faithfulness in Circumstances (II Timothy 4)

In this message we are going to look at the ultimate closing remarks of Paul, in that we will be examining the closing statements of the book of II Timothy and Paul’s last written words.
The Marked Significance of These Remarks
The deathbed statement of any individual has an importance that is not attached to other remarks. This is what lends much significance to II Timothy. It is the final written communication of Paul; it is his final message. It has a note of sadness that is not detected in his other epistles. Nevertheless, there is the overarching tone of triumph, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Paul wrote his own epitaph in chapter four of Second Timothy verses 6-8.

God's Special Team (Colossians 4:7-18)

In this passage of Scripture you may start to recognize many of the names Paul mentioned in these closing remarks and start thinking how Paul’s ministry was not just Paul going it alone, but there were many people involved in his great ministry every step of the way. Paul got the headlines. He was the main preacher. He drew the crowds but he also had an amazing, faithful and special team of people behind him, supporting him, praying for him, and doing their part for Christ and His Gospel.

Your Way or God's Way? (I Chronicles 13)

Whose eyes are your actions right in? In whose eyes are your decisions right in? Whose eyes is what we do or actions we take right in? Is it right in our own eyes? Is it right in our friend’s or family’s eyes? Is it right in the world’s eyes? Or is it right in the Lord’s eyes? – We need to make sure our decisions and actions we take are always right in the Lords eyes! For that is what ultimately counts.

Temperance (II Peter 1:6)

It is impossible to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord without this character trait of temperance or self-control. Temperance is the power of God to do what you know you should do. A life that is lived with little or no temperance is a life that is filled with guilt and regret. That is why the Apostle Peter urges us to develop this character trait of temperance. We must learn to exercise self-control, we must learn to say "no" to many things in order to have the time and ability to say "yes" to the things that matter. Temperance can change our life from a life of impulse decisions to a life of purposeful deliberation. 

Two Blind Men (Matthew 20:30-34)

We see a sorrowful picture of two blind men. They were poor, blind, and helpless. Then came a passing opportunity, followed by an earnest prayer. In this prayer they demonstrated boldness, faith and wisdom. There was also present a rebuking crowd along with a willing Saviour, who extended them a gracious offer and granted them a perfect cure. We may by blind ourselves, have a seemingly insurmountable problem, but we too have a willing and compassionate Saviour, if we have called on Him to save us from our sins, that we can take all our needs to as well.