Just as Ishmael, the son of the flesh, persecuted Isaac, the son of Promise, so it is today. The Ishmaelites are in bondage and slavery. They belong to the "church" which is of the flesh, here below. But Christ's true church is the Jerusalem from above, being His creation.
The true church in this world does not look like the image most people have of it. A big cathedral, a large congregation, a popular preacher. Rather, the church in this world is not triumphant, it is despised, and its focus is Jesus Christ and Him crucified, not a big menu of programs to attract the worldling.
This morning we consider the dark side of angelic beings - the unholy angels. Who are they, where did they come from, how do demons relate to them, and most importantly how WE must be wise to their presence and tactics in local churches.
Angels are a very frequent indirect subject in scripture. We say "indirect" because they are servants of the Lord sent out to serve His people. They are not to be worshipped nor exalted, as the Apostle to the Hebrews makes evident. Nevertheless, the subject of angels helping us serves to be a great encouragement to believers.
We cannot be saved if we believe that our own power is required to contribute to our salvation. Salvation is of the Lord alone. We are born dead in sin, dead to God. The Lord must speak and command the dead man to come forth from the grave
In this sermon by J.C. Ryle, we are given three pictures taken from Acts 26:24-29, Festus, Agrippa, and the Apostle Paul. Which one describes us?
The world is a fearful, evil place. We must always trust in Christ, acknowledging our weakness, in dealing with these fears. Fear will lead us to sin unless we trust in the Lord and believe His promises.
Paul tells us that he was brought to the point of despairing of life itself, having the sentence of death in him and just knowing he was going to die. But he found out that the Lord put him in that very situation to teach him not to trust in himself, but in God.
The "new gospel" infects many churches and individual professing Christians today. It teaches that there is indeed room for man to boast in his salvation.
