Your speech is a reflection of and a testimony to the reality of your hearts. If your heart has been transformed, then so will your speech. Conversely, if your speech remains unrestrained by the gospel it indicates that your heart has not been transformed.

Salvation comes through faith. That is the most basic and important truth of scripture. But how do you know if you have saving faith?

Faith without works is dead and useless. Faith must produce works, and by those works, your faith is perfected.

When you have known and been transformed by the mercy of God the outward work response to this is showing mercy to others.

What are you ashamed of?

In a broken and sinful world, what is shameful is often celebrated, and what should be celebrated is shamed. To be ashamed of something is to feel shame or disgrace because you are embarrassed, guilty, or humiliated to be associated with it.

Insecurities and fears tempt you to be ashamed of Jesus and the gospel, but Christians must confidently identify with Jesus and boldly proclaim the gospel truth. That is easily said, but how can you resist the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel? This passage teaches us three ways to fight against the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel.

The faith of your parents is a blessing, but you must also actively stir up your faith by remembering what God has done for you, in you, and is doing through you.

Fanning the flames of your faith does not begin with the actions you take; it starts with turning your attention to what God has done and is doing. 1 Timothy 1:3-7 calls you to three ways you can fan the flame of faith in your life.

You might expect the cost of receiving the gift of atonement provided by the eternal Son of God to be high and costly. You might expect the requirements for exchanging your sin for the righteousness of Christ and being made heirs with Christ, adopted as children of God, to be complicated and difficult to achieve. However, in simple language, the Bible declares that to be saved from your sin requires the confession of Jesus as Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.

The most offensive thing is to dispute someone's definition of what is good. The greatest of these offenses is rejecting what someone claims makes them good. What is so offensive about Jesus is not that he died but that he had to die for your sins. The world is happy to receive him as a dying martyr, but a savior dying to atone for your sins requiring believing faith, the world finds offensive.

The crowd wanted a warrior king, but Jesus was the suffering servant who came to die for man's sins (Isaiah 53). The crowd wanted someone to affirm and support their cause, but Jesus called sinners to repent of their sins and believe in faith on him. Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), is also a stumbling stone and offensive to all who remain in their sin.

When lives are in danger, the first impulse is to think about how they can be rescued. The most horrifying situations are when there is no hope of saving those in danger. The gospel's good news is that God desires to rescue you and has provided a way for your salvation in Jesus.

Chapter two begins Paul's instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. Before addressing these issues, he lays the foundational truths of the church's call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin only in Jesus. In this sermon, I show the good gift of redemption, the desire of God to save, and man's only hope is in Jesus.

When you travel by ship, there is a moment when you realize that your safety is totally dependent on the integrity of the ship. When the ship leaves the dock, it does so slowly enough that the safety of the land seems to linger and remain within reach. However, as the ship sails further to sea, your sight of land grows smaller and more distant. At the distance of 2.9 miles, any sight of land finally slips beyond your site as the curvature of the earth limits your vision. When any sight of land is lost, and all you can see is water in every direction, is the moment that you realize that your life rests entirely in the ship's ability to reach the next port. As the sun sets and darkness cloaks all but what the ship's lights can illuminate, the feeling of dependency on the ship for safety is made all the more profound.

Paul knew something about shipwrecks. He had experienced near-death experiences in multiple shipwrecks. With these memories in mind, he writes to Timothy a charge to fight the good fight for the gospel and a warning of the grave consequences that come from rejecting the gospel.

For all the advancements in modern media, the most effective marketing approach has remained unchanged since the creation of time. The most effective and powerful persuasive tactic is personal testimony. It is helpful to hear about all the features of a product and how it could improve your life. However, what will draw your attention and acceptance toward purchasing something is when someone you know says, I use it; it helped me; you should use it too.

In this passage, Paul declares that the primary purpose of Jesus coming in the flesh to earth was to save sinners. In making this point, he shares his personal testimony of salvation, his sin before Christ, and the grace that he has now received. Through his testimony, we see the common depravity all experience, the hope of salvation through Jesus, and the testimony and worship that follows.

As children leave the house, parents often give short final instructions. These departing words are not new information but reminders of important things. A mom might remind her children of something they need to do while away. A father might remind his children of his expectations of how they should behave while away. And often, parents tell their children one more time that they love them.

These closing words of Paul’s letter are similar words of instructions. These are not new teachings but reminders of important truths.

In these closing words of his letter, Paul gives his final words to the church, hoping that the next time they will hear from him will be in person. In the first four verses, Paul encouraged the wayward brothers and sisters to repent of their sin and promised to deal sternly with those who would not. Secondly, in verses 5-10, he pleads with the brothers and sisters to give serious attention to the nature of their relationship with Jesus and the genuineness of their salvation so that they might be sure of their salvation.

The image of a train leaving the station has long been a helpful image for a present opportunity. When the train arrives, you have the opportunity to get on. However, this opportunity will not last. The train will leave, and when it does, you will lose the opportunity for travel.

How many will miss the opportunity to get on board because they are too tied to the luggage on the loading dock? Weighed down by concerns and worldly affection other than the departing train, they will miss the opportunity. Likewise, how many will miss the opportunity of salvation? Clinging tight to the affections and concerns of this world, many will miss the gift of salvation.

I cannot promise tomorrow, but I can declare today that now is the day of salvation.

Let loose of the things of this world and take hold of Jesus.

From 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Pastor Ben preaches on how the gospel transforms your life. In this passage, Paul uses "therefore" three times to build his argument for how an eternal gospel perspective transforms how you live. The resurrection transforms who you live for; therefore, the gospel transforms how you live, and; therefore, the hope of the gospel transforms how you relate to others.

Opportunities do not last forever. Salvation is available today, but the opportunity will not remain forever.  You must choose. Surrender your life to Christ and receive salvation or reject Him and remain in the condemnation of sin. The opportunity is now.

To be transformed is to be irrevocably changed. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it can no longer be a caterpillar again. Butterflies never return to being caterpillars, nor do those saved by the cross of Jesus go back to a life ruled by sin.

The end of Romans 5 says that where sin increases, so does grace. To the sinful mind, this sounds like an invitation to sin more to get more grace. In Romans 6, Paul responds by teaching what it means to be transformed. Yes, more sin equals more grace, but the response by one transformed by the gospel is not to desire more sin but more righteousness.

The Gospel of Luke records in the fourth chapter that just after beginning His ministry, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which was His custom. That day, by the sovereign providence of God, He was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read to the congregation. He stood, took the scroll, unrolled it to where chapter 61 was written, and read the first verse and a portion of verse 2.

When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. But Luke tells us that every eye in the building was still fixed on Jesus. He then spoke nine words that would forever change how we understand this verse. He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Isaiah 61 comes in the context of God proclaiming His righteous judgment to His rebellious people. But God's judgment is not focused on Israel's destruction but on her redemption and restoration. The prophet proclaims a hopeful word for us today as well. This is an encouraging word to help us persevere and a promise of the glory that is to come. Jesus declares that the prophet's word has been fulfilled, and this is good news that comforts us presently and gives hope for tomorrow.

You can read every apologetics book that has ever been written. You can ponder the mysteries of the universe and the human body's complexities. And though all creation testifies to God's glory, their testimony alone will not lead you to saving faith.

Like Thomas, it is not about more proof but presence. In the presence of Jesus, our fear is confronted, our faith is affirmed, and our belief is celebrated.

In an attempt to demonstrate His weakness and powerlessness, Jesus is ridiculed as a false king. But even in His suffering and mistreatment, His kingdom is unshaken. His authority as King of all kings is not threatened.

Death on the cross was intended to be humiliating and shameful. But on the cross, Jesus confronts the guilt and shame of our sin and overcomes it with His own blood.

Habakkuk knew that the judgment of God was coming. He knew there was no way to avoid it. He would likely die before God restored the people to the land. These were hard days. They were not going to get better in his lifetime. And yet Habakkuk ends this book with some of the most hopeful and joy-filled words in all of scripture.

Habakkuk had joy even in the brokenness of his present situation because he was looking toward the salvation of God that would come with the birth of Jesus.