June 9, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Angels. But first,
here's the message a Christian lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take your Bibles and open them to Hebrews chapter thirteen.
We are worshiping. We are serving a risen, reigning redeemer.
We are resurrection people. The Living Lord is in us, alive, alive,
(00:43):
alive in us. And because we are followers of Jesus,
we want others to know our savior as well. We
want others to know Christ. And Jesus called every one
of us to be his witnesses. He said, I will
fill you with the Holy Spirit, and you will be
(01:05):
my witnesses. And as we walk as spirit felled believers,
we share our faith and we show people what it
means to live for Christ, to honor Christ, to obey Christ,
to be Christians. That's what this passage is about. It
(01:26):
is about our Christian lifestyle. Now, let me remind you
that really Hebrews was a message. It was a sermon
first delivered, and like any good sermon, it has application.
And the application here is at the close of this passage.
Telling us exactly how now we are to live out
(01:48):
this muscular faith. So beginning of verse one, we're going
to read today the first three verses, and then we're
going to take our time through Hebrews thirteen the rest
of the way. But look at verse one of Hebrews thirteen.
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality
(02:09):
to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember
those who are in prison, as though in prison with them,
and those who are mistreated, since you also are in
the body. What is a Christian lifestyle. It is a
(02:32):
lifestyle of love. It is the love of Jesus Christ.
And that's why verse one says, let brotherly love continue,
don't stop loving one another. He's talking to Christian brothers
and sisters. In fact, the word that is used here
(02:54):
for love is phileoh or Philadelphia is a word which
actually means from the same womb, from the same womb.
That is, we have a fraternal We have a personal
familial relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, in
(03:16):
the church. Because the Church is not an organization that
we join, It is a family that we share together.
God is our father, Jesus our elder brother, and we
are family. That's who we are. Therefore, we are to
keep loving one another. Love one another, and that means
(03:39):
to keep on loving one another, because it's not always
easy to keep loving one another. But it does mean
that God gives you, by his spirit, the ability to
love people as He has loved people. And it starts
in the church, it starts within. We are to love
God and we're to love one another. And that's the
(04:02):
bottom line. That's what God has commended us fifty five
times in the New Testament, to love one another and
to keep on doing it. When Jesus took his disciples
into the upper room before the cross, the last hours
of his life, he gave them what virtually is his
(04:25):
last Will and testament. When you read John thirteen fourteen,
fifteen sixteen and the prayer this in chapter seventeen. This
is the legacy of our Lord, the last words that
Jesus gave to his disciples in preparing them for the future.
And what do you suppose the message was the message
(04:45):
of love? In fact, turn your bibles to John's Gospel,
chapter thirteen, and you can see it there. As Jesus
said in verses thirty four and thirty five. A new commandment.
I give to you something new. What is it that
you love one another? Not just that you love one another,
(05:07):
but just as I have loved you, you are also
to love one another. And watch this verse thirty five.
By this, all people will know that you're my disciples
if you have love for one another. He repeated it
(05:29):
again in the Upper Room, John fifteen, Verse twelve, This
is my commandment that you love one another as I
have loved you. Again in verse seventeen, John fifteen, these
things I command you. Love is not an emotion. Love
is not superficial, It is not sentimental. It is a
(05:51):
choice that we make. Therefore, God enables us these things
I command you so that you will love one another.
We are called together, chosen together in Christ. Together, we
believe together, we belong together. We are the family of God.
(06:16):
And because of that we are to love one another
as Jesus has loved us. That's what's new about this commandment.
There were commandments before in the Old Testament about loving
one another, about loving God and loving people. But now
Jesus is saying this is a different kind of love.
This is a love lifestyle. It is the Lord's lifestyle.
(06:37):
If Jesus has shown kindness to us, we should show
kindness to others. If Jesus has forgiven you, you should
love and forgive others. If Jesus loves you enough to
welcome you and to receive you, then you should love
people as Jesus loves people, and welcome them and receive them.
And on and on. We are to love like the Lord.
(06:59):
But who can do that? I can't. I can't love
like Jesus loves. Impossible. Have you made the discovery that
the Christian life is not hard? It's impossible in your
(07:20):
own strength. I mean, when you read these commands and
this challenge to love everyone, who can do that? No
one but God? Because God is love. That's what the
Bible says. God is love. So how do we love?
(07:40):
The love of God is poured out in our hearts.
Look at Romans chapter five and verse five. It's a
great verse that you should mark and memorize. But the
love of God is poured out in our hearts by
or through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The fruit of the Spirit is love. Jesus promised a
(08:03):
helper who would come alongside of us. He's been named
the other Jesus, the third person of the Holy, Holy,
Holy Trinity. This is Jesus in Us, Christ, in you, God,
in you, the Holy Spirit. He is the helper, the completerer.
He is the one who enables us and empowers us
to live the Christian life. Have you made the discovery,
(08:26):
the wonderful discovery of the spirit feeled love fill life
of Jesus in you. I'm grateful that the end of
this passage in Hebrews thirteen, when it talks about all
of these lifestyle callings of the Christian, how were to
live our lives? How we're to obey God? It says,
(08:46):
the Lord is my helper. Because I can't do this,
but God in me can't. The love of Jesus can
fill us and flow through us. That's why we need
to pray, and we need to ask God to fill
us each day and use us and then just spend
the day spilling out his love and grace on other
(09:07):
people's lives. You say, how can I do that by
obeying his commandment? It's right here in God's word. Let
brotherly love continue. Don't stop loving people, starting with your church.
Here's what John also said, the Apostle known as the
(09:30):
Apostle of Love. In verse fourteen of First John chapter three,
we know that we have passed out of death into
life because we love the brothers. How do you know
you're a Christian? How do you know? Well? One way
that you know is because you now have a love
for other Christians. You care about Christians, your brothers and
(09:53):
sister of Christ. But notice the follow up one John
three fourteen. Whoever does not love abides in death. If
your heart is headquarters for hate, if you don't have
a love for other Christians, you're not saved. It's repeated
in First John four eleven. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also to love one another. No one has ever
(10:14):
seen God. If we love one another, God abides in
us and His love is perfected in us. How are
people going to know that God loves them? Well, one
of the big ways is because you love them. Because
they see the love of God in you. They see
God's love in God's Church among God's people. That's why
(10:37):
you ought to love your church and love the people
in it. Again, First John four seven says, beloved, let
us love one another, for love is from God. But
whoever loves, has been born of God and knows God.
If you have been born again. Now you see, not
every person is a child of God. Say I thought
(10:58):
every person was a child of God. Know, every person
has been created by God and has the potential and
the promise to become a child of God. But here's
what Jesus says. Here's what the Bible says. You know,
when I speak is fallible. But when I speak God's word,
that's infallible. It's a powerful thing. That's why we so
(11:19):
often quote God's word. That's why we preach the word.
It's not that important what I say. What does God say?
All right? What does God say about who's a Christian?
Who is a child of God? For John's Gospel one twelve,
as many as received him to them gave he the right,
the privilege to be called the children of God. Jesus said,
(11:41):
you must be born again. You are not born a Christian.
You are born again when you believe, when you receive,
when you respond and invite Christ into your life, that's
when you are born again. And when you are born again,
the love of God now fiells you life. You have
something brand new, which is the love of Jesus and
(12:05):
so God is love, and God will enable you to
love others like Jesus loves others.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the Message
a Christian Lifestyle. In his book Angels, doctor Graham takes
you through scripture to explore how angels serve, protect, and
point us to the power of our Savior. We want
to send you this powerful book today to thank you
for your generous gift to help PowerPoint end this current
(12:37):
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This is so important. A two hundred thousand dollars matching
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one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(13:00):
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive group of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from stress. We want to
send you a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress
(13:21):
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Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign
up today. Now let's get back to today's message, a
Christian lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You know, we live in a world of a lot
of critics and a lot of sentence today. Just listen
to radio, political radio, sports talk radio. There's just a
lot of free flowing criticism, anger, all the rest. And
sometimes I see it among Christians. The lifestyle of a
(13:56):
Christian is to love God's people. You say, what's the church.
The church is God's people. It's not the meeting place.
We are the people of God, and we are to
love one another. Listen to one Peter one twenty two
to twenty three, Having purified your souls by your obedience
(14:17):
to the truth, for a sincere brotherly love, not fake love,
not phony love, but sincere brotherly love. Love one another earnestly.
That is like an athlete. It's an athletic word. You
can smell the grid iron here, love one another earnestly.
Work at it from a pure heart. Since you have
(14:38):
been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable
through the living and abiding word of God. Give yourself,
choose love, work at it. Because the way you show
love is to give love. It's not, as I said,
a sentiment or an emotion. It's not something we feel,
but we actively pursue. We choose use to do what
(15:02):
God has called us to do, and that starts with
loving Him and loving others. That's the Christian's lifestyle. And
it will cost you time and effort and energy, but
God will bless you for it, and people will know
that you're a disciple and a follower of Jesus because
(15:25):
of your love. Choose to love. It is a divine duty.
What does one Corinthians thirteen say, Even if I speak
with the tongue of men and angels, but I don't
have love, I'm but a clanging symbol, a sounding gong.
Life minus love equals zero. Life minus love equals zero.
(15:53):
And it's impossible to love people apart from the love
of God. So how do we do that? Well, he
tells us here how to do it. He says, start
by loving each other, and then love and show hospitality
to the stranger. Now he goes outside the church we've
(16:14):
been talking about inside the church loving one another. But
the church is not a club, a closed organization. The
church is to welcome, to show hospitality to people, not
just on the inside because we like each other, but
people on the outside who may not think like us,
(16:36):
or believe like us, or look like us, or vote
like us. People who are as the scripture calls strangers.
We don't know them yet. We haven't met these folks yet.
But God is bringing people into our lives always that
(16:59):
we don't know, and yet we are to love them
and to show what how we to love them by
showing hospitality. Do you hear the word hospital In that
word hospitality, I do hospitality. The church is not a
(17:21):
museum for super saints. It is a hospital for sinners
and strangers who don't yet know the Lord. Unfortunately, again,
we live in a culture where we are closed off
and we're all into ourselves instead of others. Life is
(17:44):
about relationships and the rest is just details. But we
don't know one another, we don't meet new people. We're
not open hearted. But a Christian what makes us different
where people will say what is that about you that
is different? What makes us different is we show hospitality.
(18:06):
We are open handed, open hearted. We even open our
homes to people we don't know. Now, in the day
of the Hebrew Christians, here the inns, the hostels, the hotels,
if you will, were fairly dangerous places. Many of them
were brothels and thieves and others surrounded them. I mean,
it was not a good, good time to go to
(18:28):
a hotel. There was no omni, no resort, no place
to stay. So what often took place among believers and
everyone really was to stay in people's homes. And so
in that day it was a Christian lifestyle to welcome
people into your home. Even churches started in houses. Now,
(18:49):
I understand the need for privacy, and you have your
own place, and I get that. But God has given
us a wonderful pulpit, and that is our own house,
our own apartment, in our own neighborhoods. Are you using
your hospitality? Say well, my house is not you know,
it's not that great. You're not there to impress people,
(19:10):
You're there to influence them for Christ. Are you using
your place of residence? Are you using your office? Are
you using your neighborhood as an opportunity to show hospitality?
God allows people to walk into our lives and look
(19:32):
at that phrase. It says there and when you do this,
you just may be entertaining angels without knowing it. What
is that about. It's a reference back to Genesis eighteen
when one day Abraham was sitting in his tent and
three individuals walked up. He'd never met them before and
never seen them before. This guy's came out of the desert.
(19:55):
And when they walked up, he invited them into their
his tent and they shared a me together. And you
know who those three individuals were, as it turned out,
the Lord himself and two of his angels. And so
all these Hebrew Christians would have known that story very well.
So when he says and you, when you entertain strangers,
(20:15):
welcome people into your heart, your hands, your home, it
just may be that you are entertaining angels and you
don't even know it. Now, there are angels all around us,
angels everywhere, supernatural world around and say it sounds all
supernatural to me. Duh, It is supernatural. Supernatural life is
(20:37):
all around us, is true. And if you could see,
if you could open your eyes, you would see angels
in this room. They're angels in the universe, and they're
angels on earth. They're not just in heaven. There here.
I wrote a book about it. But did you also
know that angel the word angel means messenger message, And
(21:01):
there are messengers who are angel like to us, people
who walk into our lives, and God has given us
the responsibility to share Christ with them, to share ministry
with them, to help them. You can become, in effect,
a servant of God, a messenger of God to someone
who needs the Lord. And I believe actually that's what
(21:24):
this verse is talking about, angels unaware. When you welcome
people into your life, you can become a messenger to them,
an angel to them. I've heard that story repeated many
many times, that Christian who went to a hospital room
and lady the person said, you were an angel to me.
(21:46):
You're entertaining angels unaware. How many times does God give
us the opportunity to help and serve and minister to people,
show hospitality and hey, you just may hit the lot
on it. It might be a real you never know, but
most likely you'll be entertaining angels unaware. When you welcome people,
(22:08):
you can be an angel, or they may be an
angel to you. Someone you need to bring you a
word of encouragement and help. There's one final thing that
I want to say before we close down this message.
There's so much here, but notice what also we're to
(22:29):
do as we show this love. In verse three, remember
those who are in prison, as though you are in
prison with them, and those who are mistreated, those who
are in prison, those who are in bondage, and those
who are broken in life, those who are incarcerated. In
the day of the Hebrews, here many were in jail
because of their Christian faith, and they were not to
(22:53):
forget those who were in prison. And we must remember
also persecuted Christians around the world today, there are people
who are persecuted, and we need to remember them and
pray for them. Pray for those who are persecuted, Pray
for those who are in prison. These only persecuted and
in prison because they're Christian. Some are in prison because
(23:15):
they deserve to be in prison. They did a crime,
they're doing the time. So what are Christians to do
about that. We are to go to people in prison.
We are not to forget them. Families that are ravaged
because dad is in prison, because a family member is
(23:39):
in jail. It's a major problem in our country right now,
millions of people in prison. You're listening to someone whose
life was dramatically impacted. Our family was a victim of
violent crime. My father was murdered. The man went to prison,
and part of me understands this whole thing. Well, they're
in prison. They deserve to be in prison. But God
(24:03):
has called us to remember those who are in prison,
and not just those who are in prison physically, but
those who are in prisons and bondage to drugs and
alcohol and other kinds of addictions, those who are in bondage.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
a Christian Lifestyle. On June thirtieth, we will close our
books on another year of ministry, and it's critical we
end strong. That's why generous friends have stepped forward with
a two hundred thousand dollars matching grant, which means every
dollar you give by June thirtieth will be doubled. Your
(24:43):
gift to help meet this grant in full is so important.
We'll send you doctor Graham's powerful book Angels. It's our
special gift and thank you to you. This encouraging book
reveals what Scripture says about God's messengers and how their
presence reminds us that Heaven is always near. Request your
copy when you call and give today. Call one eight
(25:03):
hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. You
can also text the word angels to five nine seven
eight nine. That's angels to five nine seven eight nine.
And don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
(25:25):
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot org. And also
be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is Your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
In Matthew eighteen twenty, Jesus promises to be with us
when we gather as a family of believers. For where
two or three gather in my name, there I am
with them, he says, I would love for you to
gather with us here at Prestonwood Baptist Church. When you
walk through our doors, you become part of our family
right away. Whether you've never been to a service at
(26:02):
Prestonwood or a life just got in the way of
regular church attendants. I would love to welcome you into
this family of believers, but we try our best to
make your visit as easy as possible. You can visit
our website at Prestonwood dot org to find the right
campus and time for you and your family. You could
(26:22):
also let us know you're coming on the website so
we can be ready and waiting to welcome you. Our
volunteers will make sure you never feel out of place.
They'll help guide you to the parking spots reserved for
first time visitors, get you settled into a service, and
even help you navigate our kids and student ministries, and
we would love to help you figure out how your
(26:44):
family fits in best In the long term. We have
so many opportunities to get involved, from small groups to
volunteering opportunities and mission trips. At Prestonwood. We want to
share the love of God with more and more people
till the whole world heres, and we want you to
be a part of that exciting mission. There's no substitute
(27:06):
for the love and encouragement and guidance found in the
Family of God, so remember you're always welcome at Preston Work.
There is a place for you here and I hope
to see you soon.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you doctor Graham's book Angels as our thanks. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five or six two seven.
You can also text the word Angels to five nine
(27:40):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how to honor your
spouse to build a stronger marriage. That's next time on
PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored
by PowerPoint Ministry. Say
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Angels. But first,
here's the message a Christian lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take your Bibles and open them to Hebrews chapter thirteen.
We are worshiping. We are serving a risen, reigning redeemer.
We are resurrection people. The Living Lord is in us, alive, alive,
(00:43):
alive in us. And because we are followers of Jesus,
we want others to know our savior as well. We
want others to know Christ. And Jesus called every one
of us to be his witnesses. He said, I will
fill you with the Holy Spirit, and you will be
(01:05):
my witnesses. And as we walk as spirit felled believers,
we share our faith and we show people what it
means to live for Christ, to honor Christ, to obey Christ,
to be Christians. That's what this passage is about. It
(01:26):
is about our Christian lifestyle. Now, let me remind you
that really Hebrews was a message. It was a sermon
first delivered, and like any good sermon, it has application.
And the application here is at the close of this passage.
Telling us exactly how now we are to live out
(01:48):
this muscular faith. So beginning of verse one, we're going
to read today the first three verses, and then we're
going to take our time through Hebrews thirteen the rest
of the way. But look at verse one of Hebrews thirteen.
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality
(02:09):
to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember
those who are in prison, as though in prison with them,
and those who are mistreated, since you also are in
the body. What is a Christian lifestyle. It is a
(02:32):
lifestyle of love. It is the love of Jesus Christ.
And that's why verse one says, let brotherly love continue,
don't stop loving one another. He's talking to Christian brothers
and sisters. In fact, the word that is used here
(02:54):
for love is phileoh or Philadelphia is a word which
actually means from the same womb, from the same womb.
That is, we have a fraternal We have a personal
familial relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, in
(03:16):
the church. Because the Church is not an organization that
we join, It is a family that we share together.
God is our father, Jesus our elder brother, and we
are family. That's who we are. Therefore, we are to
keep loving one another. Love one another, and that means
(03:39):
to keep on loving one another, because it's not always
easy to keep loving one another. But it does mean
that God gives you, by his spirit, the ability to
love people as He has loved people. And it starts
in the church, it starts within. We are to love
God and we're to love one another. And that's the
(04:02):
bottom line. That's what God has commended us fifty five
times in the New Testament, to love one another and
to keep on doing it. When Jesus took his disciples
into the upper room before the cross, the last hours
of his life, he gave them what virtually is his
(04:25):
last Will and testament. When you read John thirteen fourteen,
fifteen sixteen and the prayer this in chapter seventeen. This
is the legacy of our Lord, the last words that
Jesus gave to his disciples in preparing them for the future.
And what do you suppose the message was the message
(04:45):
of love? In fact, turn your bibles to John's Gospel,
chapter thirteen, and you can see it there. As Jesus
said in verses thirty four and thirty five. A new commandment.
I give to you something new. What is it that
you love one another? Not just that you love one another,
(05:07):
but just as I have loved you, you are also
to love one another. And watch this verse thirty five.
By this, all people will know that you're my disciples
if you have love for one another. He repeated it
(05:29):
again in the Upper Room, John fifteen, Verse twelve, This
is my commandment that you love one another as I
have loved you. Again in verse seventeen, John fifteen, these
things I command you. Love is not an emotion. Love
is not superficial, It is not sentimental. It is a
(05:51):
choice that we make. Therefore, God enables us these things
I command you so that you will love one another.
We are called together, chosen together in Christ. Together, we
believe together, we belong together. We are the family of God.
(06:16):
And because of that we are to love one another
as Jesus has loved us. That's what's new about this commandment.
There were commandments before in the Old Testament about loving
one another, about loving God and loving people. But now
Jesus is saying this is a different kind of love.
This is a love lifestyle. It is the Lord's lifestyle.
(06:37):
If Jesus has shown kindness to us, we should show
kindness to others. If Jesus has forgiven you, you should
love and forgive others. If Jesus loves you enough to
welcome you and to receive you, then you should love
people as Jesus loves people, and welcome them and receive them.
And on and on. We are to love like the Lord.
(06:59):
But who can do that? I can't. I can't love
like Jesus loves. Impossible. Have you made the discovery that
the Christian life is not hard? It's impossible in your
(07:20):
own strength. I mean, when you read these commands and
this challenge to love everyone, who can do that? No
one but God? Because God is love. That's what the
Bible says. God is love. So how do we love?
(07:40):
The love of God is poured out in our hearts.
Look at Romans chapter five and verse five. It's a
great verse that you should mark and memorize. But the
love of God is poured out in our hearts by
or through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The fruit of the Spirit is love. Jesus promised a
(08:03):
helper who would come alongside of us. He's been named
the other Jesus, the third person of the Holy, Holy,
Holy Trinity. This is Jesus in Us, Christ, in you, God,
in you, the Holy Spirit. He is the helper, the completerer.
He is the one who enables us and empowers us
to live the Christian life. Have you made the discovery,
(08:26):
the wonderful discovery of the spirit feeled love fill life
of Jesus in you. I'm grateful that the end of
this passage in Hebrews thirteen, when it talks about all
of these lifestyle callings of the Christian, how were to
live our lives? How we're to obey God? It says,
(08:46):
the Lord is my helper. Because I can't do this,
but God in me can't. The love of Jesus can
fill us and flow through us. That's why we need
to pray, and we need to ask God to fill
us each day and use us and then just spend
the day spilling out his love and grace on other
(09:07):
people's lives. You say, how can I do that by
obeying his commandment? It's right here in God's word. Let
brotherly love continue. Don't stop loving people, starting with your church.
Here's what John also said, the Apostle known as the
(09:30):
Apostle of Love. In verse fourteen of First John chapter three,
we know that we have passed out of death into
life because we love the brothers. How do you know
you're a Christian? How do you know? Well? One way
that you know is because you now have a love
for other Christians. You care about Christians, your brothers and
(09:53):
sister of Christ. But notice the follow up one John
three fourteen. Whoever does not love abides in death. If
your heart is headquarters for hate, if you don't have
a love for other Christians, you're not saved. It's repeated
in First John four eleven. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also to love one another. No one has ever
(10:14):
seen God. If we love one another, God abides in
us and His love is perfected in us. How are
people going to know that God loves them? Well, one
of the big ways is because you love them. Because
they see the love of God in you. They see
God's love in God's Church among God's people. That's why
(10:37):
you ought to love your church and love the people
in it. Again, First John four seven says, beloved, let
us love one another, for love is from God. But
whoever loves, has been born of God and knows God.
If you have been born again. Now you see, not
every person is a child of God. Say I thought
(10:58):
every person was a child of God. Know, every person
has been created by God and has the potential and
the promise to become a child of God. But here's
what Jesus says. Here's what the Bible says. You know,
when I speak is fallible. But when I speak God's word,
that's infallible. It's a powerful thing. That's why we so
(11:19):
often quote God's word. That's why we preach the word.
It's not that important what I say. What does God say?
All right? What does God say about who's a Christian?
Who is a child of God? For John's Gospel one twelve,
as many as received him to them gave he the right,
the privilege to be called the children of God. Jesus said,
(11:41):
you must be born again. You are not born a Christian.
You are born again when you believe, when you receive,
when you respond and invite Christ into your life, that's
when you are born again. And when you are born again,
the love of God now fiells you life. You have
something brand new, which is the love of Jesus and
(12:05):
so God is love, and God will enable you to
love others like Jesus loves others.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the Message
a Christian Lifestyle. In his book Angels, doctor Graham takes
you through scripture to explore how angels serve, protect, and
point us to the power of our Savior. We want
to send you this powerful book today to thank you
for your generous gift to help PowerPoint end this current
(12:37):
year of ministry on June thirtieth as strong as possible.
This is so important. A two hundred thousand dollars matching
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one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(13:00):
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive group of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from stress. We want to
send you a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress
(13:21):
when you sign up for email updates from PowerPoint Today.
Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign
up today. Now let's get back to today's message, a
Christian lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You know, we live in a world of a lot
of critics and a lot of sentence today. Just listen
to radio, political radio, sports talk radio. There's just a
lot of free flowing criticism, anger, all the rest. And
sometimes I see it among Christians. The lifestyle of a
(13:56):
Christian is to love God's people. You say, what's the church.
The church is God's people. It's not the meeting place.
We are the people of God, and we are to
love one another. Listen to one Peter one twenty two
to twenty three, Having purified your souls by your obedience
(14:17):
to the truth, for a sincere brotherly love, not fake love,
not phony love, but sincere brotherly love. Love one another earnestly.
That is like an athlete. It's an athletic word. You
can smell the grid iron here, love one another earnestly.
Work at it from a pure heart. Since you have
(14:38):
been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable
through the living and abiding word of God. Give yourself,
choose love, work at it. Because the way you show
love is to give love. It's not, as I said,
a sentiment or an emotion. It's not something we feel,
but we actively pursue. We choose use to do what
(15:02):
God has called us to do, and that starts with
loving Him and loving others. That's the Christian's lifestyle. And
it will cost you time and effort and energy, but
God will bless you for it, and people will know
that you're a disciple and a follower of Jesus because
(15:25):
of your love. Choose to love. It is a divine duty.
What does one Corinthians thirteen say, Even if I speak
with the tongue of men and angels, but I don't
have love, I'm but a clanging symbol, a sounding gong.
Life minus love equals zero. Life minus love equals zero.
(15:53):
And it's impossible to love people apart from the love
of God. So how do we do that? Well, he
tells us here how to do it. He says, start
by loving each other, and then love and show hospitality
to the stranger. Now he goes outside the church we've
(16:14):
been talking about inside the church loving one another. But
the church is not a club, a closed organization. The
church is to welcome, to show hospitality to people, not
just on the inside because we like each other, but
people on the outside who may not think like us,
(16:36):
or believe like us, or look like us, or vote
like us. People who are as the scripture calls strangers.
We don't know them yet. We haven't met these folks yet.
But God is bringing people into our lives always that
(16:59):
we don't know, and yet we are to love them
and to show what how we to love them by
showing hospitality. Do you hear the word hospital In that
word hospitality, I do hospitality. The church is not a
(17:21):
museum for super saints. It is a hospital for sinners
and strangers who don't yet know the Lord. Unfortunately, again,
we live in a culture where we are closed off
and we're all into ourselves instead of others. Life is
(17:44):
about relationships and the rest is just details. But we
don't know one another, we don't meet new people. We're
not open hearted. But a Christian what makes us different
where people will say what is that about you that
is different? What makes us different is we show hospitality.
(18:06):
We are open handed, open hearted. We even open our
homes to people we don't know. Now, in the day
of the Hebrew Christians, here the inns, the hostels, the hotels,
if you will, were fairly dangerous places. Many of them
were brothels and thieves and others surrounded them. I mean,
it was not a good, good time to go to
(18:28):
a hotel. There was no omni, no resort, no place
to stay. So what often took place among believers and
everyone really was to stay in people's homes. And so
in that day it was a Christian lifestyle to welcome
people into your home. Even churches started in houses. Now,
(18:49):
I understand the need for privacy, and you have your
own place, and I get that. But God has given
us a wonderful pulpit, and that is our own house,
our own apartment, in our own neighborhoods. Are you using
your hospitality? Say well, my house is not you know,
it's not that great. You're not there to impress people,
(19:10):
You're there to influence them for Christ. Are you using
your place of residence? Are you using your office? Are
you using your neighborhood as an opportunity to show hospitality?
God allows people to walk into our lives and look
(19:32):
at that phrase. It says there and when you do this,
you just may be entertaining angels without knowing it. What
is that about. It's a reference back to Genesis eighteen
when one day Abraham was sitting in his tent and
three individuals walked up. He'd never met them before and
never seen them before. This guy's came out of the desert.
(19:55):
And when they walked up, he invited them into their
his tent and they shared a me together. And you
know who those three individuals were, as it turned out,
the Lord himself and two of his angels. And so
all these Hebrew Christians would have known that story very well.
So when he says and you, when you entertain strangers,
(20:15):
welcome people into your heart, your hands, your home, it
just may be that you are entertaining angels and you
don't even know it. Now, there are angels all around us,
angels everywhere, supernatural world around and say it sounds all
supernatural to me. Duh, It is supernatural. Supernatural life is
(20:37):
all around us, is true. And if you could see,
if you could open your eyes, you would see angels
in this room. They're angels in the universe, and they're
angels on earth. They're not just in heaven. There here.
I wrote a book about it. But did you also
know that angel the word angel means messenger message, And
(21:01):
there are messengers who are angel like to us, people
who walk into our lives, and God has given us
the responsibility to share Christ with them, to share ministry
with them, to help them. You can become, in effect,
a servant of God, a messenger of God to someone
who needs the Lord. And I believe actually that's what
(21:24):
this verse is talking about, angels unaware. When you welcome
people into your life, you can become a messenger to them,
an angel to them. I've heard that story repeated many
many times, that Christian who went to a hospital room
and lady the person said, you were an angel to me.
(21:46):
You're entertaining angels unaware. How many times does God give
us the opportunity to help and serve and minister to people,
show hospitality and hey, you just may hit the lot
on it. It might be a real you never know, but
most likely you'll be entertaining angels unaware. When you welcome people,
(22:08):
you can be an angel, or they may be an
angel to you. Someone you need to bring you a
word of encouragement and help. There's one final thing that
I want to say before we close down this message.
There's so much here, but notice what also we're to
(22:29):
do as we show this love. In verse three, remember
those who are in prison, as though you are in
prison with them, and those who are mistreated, those who
are in prison, those who are in bondage, and those
who are broken in life, those who are incarcerated. In
the day of the Hebrews, here many were in jail
because of their Christian faith, and they were not to
(22:53):
forget those who were in prison. And we must remember
also persecuted Christians around the world today, there are people
who are persecuted, and we need to remember them and
pray for them. Pray for those who are persecuted, Pray
for those who are in prison. These only persecuted and
in prison because they're Christian. Some are in prison because
(23:15):
they deserve to be in prison. They did a crime,
they're doing the time. So what are Christians to do
about that. We are to go to people in prison.
We are not to forget them. Families that are ravaged
because dad is in prison, because a family member is
(23:39):
in jail. It's a major problem in our country right now,
millions of people in prison. You're listening to someone whose
life was dramatically impacted. Our family was a victim of
violent crime. My father was murdered. The man went to prison,
and part of me understands this whole thing. Well, they're
in prison. They deserve to be in prison. But God
(24:03):
has called us to remember those who are in prison,
and not just those who are in prison physically, but
those who are in prisons and bondage to drugs and
alcohol and other kinds of addictions, those who are in bondage.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
a Christian Lifestyle. On June thirtieth, we will close our
books on another year of ministry, and it's critical we
end strong. That's why generous friends have stepped forward with
a two hundred thousand dollars matching grant, which means every
dollar you give by June thirtieth will be doubled. Your
(24:43):
gift to help meet this grant in full is so important.
We'll send you doctor Graham's powerful book Angels. It's our
special gift and thank you to you. This encouraging book
reveals what Scripture says about God's messengers and how their
presence reminds us that Heaven is always near. Request your
copy when you call and give today. Call one eight
(25:03):
hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. You
can also text the word angels to five nine seven
eight nine. That's angels to five nine seven eight nine.
And don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
(25:25):
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot org. And also
be sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is Your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
In Matthew eighteen twenty, Jesus promises to be with us
when we gather as a family of believers. For where
two or three gather in my name, there I am
with them, he says, I would love for you to
gather with us here at Prestonwood Baptist Church. When you
walk through our doors, you become part of our family
right away. Whether you've never been to a service at
(26:02):
Prestonwood or a life just got in the way of
regular church attendants. I would love to welcome you into
this family of believers, but we try our best to
make your visit as easy as possible. You can visit
our website at Prestonwood dot org to find the right
campus and time for you and your family. You could
(26:22):
also let us know you're coming on the website so
we can be ready and waiting to welcome you. Our
volunteers will make sure you never feel out of place.
They'll help guide you to the parking spots reserved for
first time visitors, get you settled into a service, and
even help you navigate our kids and student ministries, and
we would love to help you figure out how your
(26:44):
family fits in best In the long term. We have
so many opportunities to get involved, from small groups to
volunteering opportunities and mission trips. At Prestonwood. We want to
share the love of God with more and more people
till the whole world heres, and we want you to
be a part of that exciting mission. There's no substitute
(27:06):
for the love and encouragement and guidance found in the
Family of God, so remember you're always welcome at Preston Work.
There is a place for you here and I hope
to see you soon.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you doctor Graham's book Angels as our thanks. Call one
eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven. That's
one eight hundred seven ninety five or six two seven.
You can also text the word Angels to five nine
(27:40):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how to honor your
spouse to build a stronger marriage. That's next time on
PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored
by PowerPoint Ministry. Say
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