Authority In Religion

“Can We Do A Thing Which God Has NOT Instructed Us To Do By Faith?" - [The Principle of Submission - Seeking Permission For All We Believe Teach & Practice] - All we do in our service to God has its source of permission, or authority. Either God has instructed us through His word to believe & do a thing or man has taken the initiative to authorize the thing believed or done. Which can be done by faith? -  MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 7/12/2015

“How To Establish Faith” - [The Principle of Submission - How Can  We Establish That Which God Wants & Demands From Us? How Can We Know We Are Walking By Faith?]   - God has used the basic laws of communication to reveal His will to us. Don’t think that if God had spoken in nothing but direct statements or commands that unity would exist! There are many things God has explicitly stated that the majority of those professing faith in Christ refuse to believe & obey. Understanding approved examples as well as the necessary implications of  the statements God has made are both essential to understanding and abiding in God’s divine will. -  MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 7/19/2015

“5 Things That Will Keep Many Out of Heaven" -  (Matthew 7:21-23) - 1) False words, [It’s Not What You Claim, But What You Do!] — 2) False faith [It’s Not How Much You Believe, But What You Believe!] — 3) False hope [It is NOT what you THINK, but what is REAL] — 4) False knowledge [It is NOT what you think, but what is TRUE] -- 5) False practice [It is NOT what you know, but what you DO] — MP3  / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 05/08/2016

The Need For Divine Authority -  PPT

How To Determine If Something Is Authorized By God - PPT

Does Silence Authorize?? -  PPT

Explaining The Nature of Biblical Authority -  PPT

The Difference Between Expediencies & Additions! -  PPT

No Authority For Institutionalism & The Social Gospel - PPT

Walking By Faith Series

Walking By Faith - (Need For Divine Authority) - MP3 / PPT

Source of Our Faith -  - MP3 / PPT

Establishing Our Faith - MP3 / PPT

The Silence of Scripture -  - MP3 / PPT

Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth -  - MP3 / PPT


Series on Institutionalism by Keith Sharp


More Lessons On Authority

“Strange Fire” — (Leviticus 10:1-11) — Nadab & Abihu - what might they tell us today about worshipping God? — AUDIO / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 04/14/2019

“Strange Fire” — Modern Day Applications (Leviticus 10:1-3; Hebrews 12:25-29) What are some things people today might do as worship and service to God that could also be classified as “Strange Fire”?  AUDIO / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF 04/21/2019

“Sitting At The Feet of Jesus” - USING THE SCRIPTURES (Luke 2:41-50; 4:1-13) How should we think about the scriptures and how should we use them? As Christ followers, let us sit at Jesus’ feet and learn what He has to say AUDIO / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF 05/19/2019

“Traditions, Are They Good or Bad?" —  Wouldn’t you consider it foolish to want to discard a practice merely because it is a “tradition?” So why are some so CRITICAL of traditions? Are there TRADITIONS we MUST keep? Are there traditions we MUST reject? Can some traditions be either good or bad?  -  (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Matthew 15:2-9)  —  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 10/14/2018

“Give Me That  SHOW Time Religion" —   (Jeremiah 6:16; Deuteronomy 12:29–32; 2 Timothy 4:1–5)  There Is A MAJOR Problem With “Contemporary Worship” & Why So MANY CANNOT SEE IT —  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 09/02/2018

“Always Verify The Source" —   (Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8) — Many things are taught “in the name of Christ”which we can be certain are not actually from Christ. How can we tell? Are we like the Berean’s? Are we confident the things we believe, teach and practice are from Christ? —  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 04/15/2018

“Serving God With Reverence & Godly Fear” — (Hebrews 12:18-29)  —  Obedience honors God / Disobedience dishonors God.  — We CAN ONLY obey God by doing what He has said / We CANNOT obey God while doing different from what He has said.  -- God has revealed what He wants - We honor God by doing what He has revealed / We dishonor God when, instead, we do what we want.  -  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 12/24/2017

“Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth” — (2 Timothy 2:15)  - God’s word is THE TRUTH — God’s word can be understood. What are some neccessary qualities and  methods needed to understand God’s truth? —   AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 10/15/2017

“Uncertain Sounds” — (1 Corinthians 14:6-12) - Paul emphasizes the need for uniformity, harmony, distinction & clarity in teaching. These things are the product of the truth. In contrast, what is produced when the teachings of men corrupt the message we preach? —  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 5/28/2017 

“The Law of Exclusion” —  Walking By Faith - What is OUR attitude towards the need to establish authority for all that we do?  Is the NT the ONLY source for our faith, teaching & practice?  If we add to or take away from the teaching of the NT, are we walking by faith?  If we do only those things we know are authorized in the NT, how confident can we be that we are doing what is right?—  AUDIO /  PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF — 4/9/2017

“The Relevancy of The Old Paths" -  (Jeremiah 6:10-20)  - ONLY IF we obey the Lord and stay within the revealed pattern will we find rest for our souls!  MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 09/4/2016

“What Does The Bible Say About That?”  - [Selected passages] - Our understanding of the Bible is not so much dependant upon our intellect, or intelligence, but rather our humility - upon our willingness to believe and obey that which God has revealed. This lesson focuses on some plain, straitforward passages illustrating this truth - e.g., What does the Bible say about religious division? or women being in positions of church leadership? What does the Bible say about the church and recreation and entertainment? What does the Bible say about marriage, divorce and remarriage? When someone does me wrong, how should I handle it according to the Bible? Is salvation by faith only according to the Bible? Is baptism essential for salvation acording to the Bible? -  MP3  / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 11/15/2015

“This Is NOT A Salvation Issue! … OR IS IT?” - [1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 7:21-23; 2 John 9,10; Romans 14] - A salvation issue is usually defined as something for which a person will go to hell if he persists in and does not repent. Often times when we have a scripture or topic come up that we have a disagreement with someone about - we might say that “it’s not a salvation issue so there’s no reason to discuss it.” - What exactly is and is not a salvation issue? - How do we know what is and is not a salvation issue? - And just as importantly, why do we feel qualified to say that something is not a salvation issue?  - MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 5/24/2015

“The Lord’s church in an 'Experience Driven Culture'” - [John 6:60-69] - As churches decline in membership, they begin to compromise to sustain numbers - Many churches have adopted the "market driven" approach – i.e., Find out what people want and give it to them - WHAT EVER THAT IS! — Many churches of Christ are dondoinge the same things! Can the church fight apathy and materialism by feeding people's carnal appetites? Has the word of God lost it’s power & effectiveness? What should the churches response be to the populace and its increasing hunger for an “experience” & disinterest in the truth?  - MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 5/17/2015

“David’s Oxcart & Uzzah’s Error" - [2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:1-14] - David’s attempt to move the ark to Jerusalem was unsuccessful - Uzzah loses his life - David is afraid of the Lord . . . What did David do wrong? What did David learn? How could David accomplish his desire & please God? What are some crucial lessons we NEED to learn from this tragic event? - MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 10/5/2014

Reflecting Upon Our Attitude Toward The Scriptures - Nehemiah 8:1-12 - Do we want to learn God's way? Do we properly respect God's Word? - July 4, 2010 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

The Power of God's Word - (Hebrews 4:12) - The Word of God is sufficient for faith, sanctification and perfection - October 10, 2010 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

How Does Error Survive In The Face of Truth? - Why people resist the truth - Some tactics used to keep error alive - October 31, 2010 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

Is Your Faith In The Wisdom of Men or The Power of God? – The manner of Paul’s preaching and the source of the message he preached - 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 - January 16, 2011 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

Perverting The Gospel - Galatians 1:2-12 -This lesson deals with some ways that men pervert the Gospel of Christ and what we can and should do about it - February 27, 2011 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

"Bible Terms and Phrases Used In Unbiblical Ways - (Titles / Offices)" - False Teachers Use The Bible! -They very well may use Bible language – but they misunderstand it - misapply it – and misuse it! - Satan used the scripture too! In this lesson we will be studying the terms "Reverend, Pastor, Elder, Bishop, Deacon, Priest, Saint" - October 30, 2011 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

"Bible Terms and Phrases Used In Unbiblical Ways - (Baptism)" - False Teachers Use The Bible! - Satan used the scripture too! In this lesson we will be studying the term "Baptism" and some of the ways men twist the Bible meaning of the term - November 6, 2011 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

"Bible Terms and Phrases Used In Unbiblical Ways - (Grace, Faith & Works)" - Terms that are perhaps abused more than any. Does grace exclude action on our part? Does faith alone save? Is it heretical to teach that there is a sense in which works are required for salvation? - November 13, 2011 - (Part 1) MP3 / (Part 2) MP3 / PPT / PDF 

Bible Terms and Phrases Used In Unbiblical Ways - (SIN) - Men have gone to great lengths trying explain away sin - justify sin - minimize sin - etc. Friend, if you sin it is not because the devil made you! It is NOT because "you are only human!" or because you were "born totally depraved!" We sin when we violate God's law. - December 4, 2011 -MP3 / PPT / PDF

"No, But We Will _______________ That We Also May Be Like All The Nations" - Some lessons from 1 Samuel 8. Israel was not satisfied with God's provisions and lacked respect for His word - and therefore had greater respect for the provisions and wisdom of men. What are some ways we may be guilty of the same attitude? - December 18, 2011 - MP3 / PPT / PDF

Where Will It Stop - (A lesson on apostasy) - (Audio / PowerPoint) - 

Where Will It Stop - The Law of Logical Extension - (Audio / PowerPoint

The Divine Will, Basis, and Plan For Unity - (Audio / PowerPoint) - 

Do We Need A New Hermeneutic? - (Audio / PowerPoint) -

"Preaching Jesus Christ And Him Crucified" - (1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2) - Many say: "We Ought To Preach the Man, (Jesus), and NOT the plan." True enough - Jesus IS at the center of ALL TRUE GOSPEL PREACHING! But preaching that ignores HIS teaching is NOT gospel preaching, (Mt 28:18,19; 2 Tim 4:2; Acts 20:27) - Our preaching must include both the man and the plan! – MP3 / KEYNOTE / PPT / PDF (8/4/2013)

“Worshipping God In Spirit & In Truth” - (John 4:19-26) - What does Jesus mean when he says, “those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth?” Most suggest that it means, “with the right attitude and proper form.” Whie this is true - I want to suggest that there is more involved in the meaning than this. - MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 1/26/2014

“Why We Do NOT Use Mechanical Musical Instruments In Our Worship To God” - (Hebrews 13:15) - This lesson attempts to answer one of the most commonly asked questions members of the church of Christ are asked. The principles established in a previous lesson, (Worshipping God In Spirit & In Truth), are built upon and applied to this subject. Hope that all will benefit from this important study, whether you are a member of the church of Christ or not. - MP3 / PPT / KEYNOTE / PDF - 2/2/2014


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