United Church of God

Faith Under Fire

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Faith Under Fire

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MP3 Audio (12.11 MB)

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Faith Under Fire

MP3 Audio (12.11 MB)
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Faith is being attacked in all directions in today's society. Faith is a critical component that you and I are being tested on every day and we must turn to God for help.

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  • KARS
    I am refreshing our families memory with the Booklet titled "Jesus Christ the Real Story" along with the four Gospels. At this time of year it can get easy to follow the winter soltice celebrations and Saturnalia if one does not prepare their mind for the Passover & Spring Holy Days. So to learn the truth of the matter and by removing Christmas from the picture; it is so much clearer of when and what actually happened. Also the fact that the prophets of the Old Testament and King David tell of the birth of Jesus Christ long before He was born. The booklet explains under the heading: "Jesus' Teaching on God's Law The common view is that the teachings of Christ in the New Testament annulled and replaced the teachings of the Old Testament. But do they?" This too helps explain through Bible study with this booklet what the truths really are. There are so many topics and subjects a minister can teach throughout their lifetime. It's up to us to do our own personel study, fasting, praying, etc. to understand and grow in grace and knowledge.
  • Ivan Veller
    Hello Seeking, “[T]he problem with the Old Covenant was not the laws, commandments or terms, but the fact that the people broke it! …The New Covenant…is a better covenant because it addresses the problem, or fault, of the covenant at Sinai and is based on better promises...God's law...is described as the central feature of the New Covenant. The law of God would actually become a part of man. God's law being written upon the hearts and minds of man would enable him to conquer sin… '[U]nder the New Covenant, “[t]hrough God's Spirit the law of God is written upon the hearts of Christians…The ‘new’ is an altogether better and more glorious administration of the same law of God ([2 Cor. 3:]8-9)…[When] we allow God's Spirit to work in our minds and lives, God's law—the same law written on the tablets of stone—becomes a permanent part of our lives as Christians. It manifests itself in thoughts, words, deeds and character that reflect God” (“Why Is the New Covenant Better?”): http://www.ucg.org/doctrinal-beliefs/why-new-covenant-better/ "A key objective of those better promises in the New Covenant is to set in motion the process of transforming the hearts and minds of those who respond to God's call to repent and accept Christ as their Redeemer. Through that process He offers to make them heirs of "the eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15)... 'A primary distinction between the Old and New Covenants is in where God's law is written (Jeremiah 31:31-34; compare Ezekiel 36:26-28)—not in whether it continues to define His will. Under the New Covenant the spirit or intent of the law is to be inscribed in the hearts of those who are converted by receiving the Holy Spirit" ("A New Covenant for Transforming the Heart"): http://www.ucg.org/booklet/new-covenant-does-it-abolish-gods-law/new-covenant-transforming-heart/ It is “‘established on better promises’…not…on different laws. The law stayed the same…'To enable people to internalize His law — to love it and obey it eagerly and willingly — God makes this promise: "...I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26-27). God's Spirit enables His people to obey His laws!" ("Does the New Covenant Abolish the Commandments?"): http://www.ucg.org/booklet/new-covenant-does-it-abolish-gods-law/jesus-teaching-gods-law/does-new-covenant-abolish-comm/
  • Lena VanAusdle
    @seekingthetruth You seem to assume that the old and new covenant are mutually exclusive, but that's not a full picture, " The general approach is to consider the Bible to be two totally different segments—the Old Testament that has a harsh God (the Father) who dealt with people one way and the New Testament, which has a loving God (Jesus the Son) who deals with people in a totally new and different manner. Many problems come from such an artificial dissection of God's Word. "Some want to argue that Jesus only kept the Commandments and upheld them because He came as a Jew and had to keep them until He died. They then claim that the apostle Paul did away with the Commandments of God and only focused on love and mercy. However, Paul told the Corinthian church that the Commandments were what really mattered in life (1 Corinthians 7:19). This was written around A.D. 55, which is 24 years after Christ died. That doesn't sound like the Commandments ended at His death! In addition, somewhere around A.D. 90 the apostle John wrote that the way we know we love God is if we keep His Commandments, and if we don't keep them, we don't have God's love in us (1 John 2:3-6). You might also notice this passage ends with the statement that we should walk as Jesus walked—meaning, live like He did" (http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/what-do-people-mean-when-they-claim-we-dont-have-keep-gods-law-anymore-under-new-covenant-) So why a new covenant? "Hebrews 8:7 tells us that yes, there was a flaw with that covenant: "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another" (NIV). "So where was the problem? The next verse tells us: "But God found fault with the people and said: 'The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah'" (verse 8, NIV). "The primary weakness of the Sinai Covenant was not in its laws but in the people's lack of a willing heart to obey them. Because they were not given the Holy Spirit, Israel's citizens were incapable of understanding and performing the full intent and purpose of God's teachings" (http://www.ucg.org/booklet/new-covenant-does-it-abolish-gods-law/new-covenant-transforming-heart/what-was-main-weakness/).
  • 2balite
    Since services were canceled due to bad weather conditions, it was refreshing to read your sermon about Faith. We don't have a good audio connection so we were grateful to read and study together on this very important subject. Thank you.
  • SeekingtheTruth
    You seem to hold to the old covenant. good luck with that. I hold to the new covenant. It's called a better covenant. I believe that.
  • KARS
    Thank you for these Sabbath sermons for those sleepless nights that those of us may have during the weekend. This message was uplifting and inspiring filled with hope,acts of obedience, faith, and the mercy of God our Father and His love.
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