Make every effort to live in peace with all men!
A. Preface: Yes, we make every effort to live in peace with all men! Heb.12:14
1. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
2. Attention please, the scripture comes with ‘and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord’!
3. For faith to be perfected, we have to make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy!
4. In doing so, we have to be separated from the world! 2Cor.6:17-18
We fix our eyes on what is unseen, not on what is seen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.
5. We do not argue on earthly things. We do vigorously contend for things eternal! 2Cor.4:17-18
6. For we know if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed.
We have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Cor.5:1
B. Contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. Phil.1:27
1. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence,
I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being
frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved-- and that by God.
2. Contend earnestly! Jude 1:3
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and
urge you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
C. Paul and Barnabas sharp dispute and debate with them. Ac.15:2
1. Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers:
Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. Ac.15:1
2. This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.
So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers,
to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. Ac.15:2
3. Elders are to hold firmly to the trustworthy word as it has been taught.
So that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who oppose it! Titus 1:9
D. Church of Christ is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Ro.14:17
1. Because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Ro.14:18
2. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Ro.14:19
E. Peter had these to say! 1 Peter 3:10-12
1. For, he that would love life, And see good days,
2. Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 3:10
3. And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 3:11
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication:
But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil. 3:12
F. Apostle Paul started a violent dispute! Ac.23:6-10
1. Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin:
My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.
I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.
2. When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
3. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits,
but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 23:8
4. There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously.
"We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 23:9
5. The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them.
He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 23:10
G. A man full of God’s grace and power gave up his life argue for the truth! Ac.6:8-11
1. Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.
2. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-- Jews of Cyrene
and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 6:9
3. but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. 6:10
May the Lord bless you and keep you always! Preach this August 11, 2019.
VIDEO SERMON BY BROTHER CHAN ON August 11, 2019