NOTES FROM A SERMON PRESENTED BY DR. GREG SLOOP AT THE KANNAPOLIS CHURCH OF GOD. FOR VIDEO OF SERVICES, GO TO THE CHURCH WEBSITE, HTTP://WWW.KCOG.ORG, AND CLICK ON THE LIVESTREAM LINK TO VIEW LIVE OR FOR A REPLAY OF THE SERVICES. YOU MAY ALSO WATCH LIVE OR A REPLAY ON the DR. Greg SLOOP FACEBOOK PAGE. FOR AUDIO OF THE SERVICES, GO To THE WEBSITE, kcog.org, AND CLICK ON THE MEDIA PAGE.
May 21, 2023
October 24, 2021
Identifying the Disease
- The Affection of the Heart
- The Purity of the Mind
- The Submission of the Will
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:33–37 (NKJV)
8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
James 3:8–12 (NKJV)
The Cure for the Sickness
- Recognize the Sovereignty of God
- Serve Under The Authority of God’s Word
- Surrender (Give Up Control; Come Under God’s Hand)
A Prayer of Submission
- Lord, You are the King! I am Your subject. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- Lord, Your Word is true. My thoughts are at best incomplete, and at worst utterly wrong and mistaken. You are the source of truth, Truth personified. No truth comes from anywhere else but You! I will obey Your word and refuse all thoughts that do not agree with You. You are the authority and Your word is the only correct, true Word.
- Lord, I surrender my feeble attempts at holiness unto You. I submit my thought life and my will to You, O Mighty God.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
Psalm 31:12–15 (NKJV)
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:5–7 (NKJV)
Takeaway Thoughts
- Sin is not the root problem. It is a symptom of the real problem.
- One’s state of his or her relationship with Christ is the root problem of those who sin.
- The solution is to submit to God and enter into a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.
Devoted To You 