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Sermons, verse by verse
and book by bookSermons,
verse by verse.
At Huikala we preach through books of the Bible, one passage at a time.
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The series
Messages on questions our church family asked to hear preached, taken straight from the Scriptures.
Introductory Thoughts
God actually allows for some diversity of thought.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.Colossians 2:16-17
Uniformity of thought can be just as if not more destructive than diversity.
Neither unity nor diversity are moral concepts. The source of truth is what is important.
God warns us to test everything in light of the Scripture. Note the following passages, especially Galatians 1:6-9 where the Gospel message is especially guarded against modifications.
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:Revelation 2:1-2
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.1 John 4:1
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.Galatians 1:6-9
Modern denominations which claim to have prophets have no biblical standing, as any prophet at any time must go through a biblically mandated verification process.
Christian Cults
A cult can be identified by evaluating their answer to the following two questions.
Who is Jesus?
What is His nature?
Jesus’s divinity is clearly stated throughout the New Testament.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;Hebrews 1:3
Not everyone who claims Jesus is truly His disciple.
There will be those who claim Christ but work to tear down His true followers.
Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.2 Corinthians 11:1-4
Religious, even miraculous works, are not indisputable evidence.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.Matthew 7:21-23
Cults threaten loss of eternal life for those who leave.
Christian Denominations
We’ll divide these churches into two groups for the purpose of our discussion.
What is their view of salvation?
What authority does the church have in the life of believers?
Catholic, Orthodox
Dispute over wording in the Nicene Creed regarding the Holy Spirit.
Dispute of church polity: who has the authority to make changes?
Catholics affirm that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son; Orthodox reject this, saying the Holy Spirit only proceeds from the Father.
Catholics affirm papal authority. Orthodox reject it. Huikala rejects papal authority as well. Pastors are seen as undershepherds; only Jesus’s words and teachings are authoritative.
Catholicism and the Reformation
The salvation controversy: Faith alone, or faith + works? Does God require some contribution from you in salvation?
The Scriptures teach that salvation is through faith alone, by God’s grace alone, requiring no contribution from man. The Catholic church, the Orthodox church, and many other denominations have strayed from Scripture in teaching faith + works.
Since anyone can claim authority, we must have a rock-solid source of truth. The Bible alone provides this. It has for thousands of years, and it will continue unchanged, unaltered until the final judgments. All teachings must be analyzed in light of the Bible. Tradition cannot trump truth.
The Gospel message with Jesus as Divine Savior is the centerpiece of Scripture. The Great Commission is our task. Any church that does not have the Great Commission as it’s #1 priority is not obeying the teachings of Jesus.
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