1. Important Things must be Secured n The enemies of Christ spared no effort!

2. Important Things must be Secured n (Matthew 27:65-66 NKJV) - “Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” {66} So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”

3. Important Things must be Secured n What is really important to you?

4. Important Things must be Secured n What is really important to you? n When something is important, I want quality. When it is unimportant, give me the cheapest that requires the least effort.

5. Important Things must be Secured n Jesus has told us the only way to be His disciple is to make Him the focus of your life. (Lk 14:26-27, 33)

6. Important Things must be Secured n (Luke 14:26-27 NKJV) “”If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. {27} “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

7. Important Things must be Secured n (Luke 14:33 NKJV) “”So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

8. Is Your Heart Secure? n Everything flows from the heart! (Mt 12:34-35)

9. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Matthew 12:34-35 NKJV) - 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.

10. Is Your Heart Secure? n Where is your focus? Be honest! (Mt 5:8; James 4:8-10)

11. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Matthew 5:8 NKJV) - “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”

12. Is Your Heart Secure? n (James 4:8-10 NKJV) - “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. {9} Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. {10} Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

13. Is Your Heart Secure? n We must first be crushed by repentance.

14. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Acts 2:36-37 NKJV) - “”Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” {37} Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?””

15. Is Your Heart Secure? n If we do not, we will be religious but with hardened hearts. (Heb 3:8,15)

16. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Hebrews 3:8 NKJV) - “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,”

17. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Hebrews 3:15 NKJV) - “while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.””

18. Is Your Heart Secure? n Please listen to God's instructions, start with the heart! (Prov 4:4, 21-23)

19. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Proverbs 4:4 NKJV) - “He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.”

20. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Proverbs 4:21-23 NKJV) - “Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; {22} For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. {23} Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”

21. Is Your Heart Secure? n Satan wishes to clutter and confuse your hearts so you will not turn to God. It is very easy to do this if you let him. (2 Cor 4:4)

22. Is Your Heart Secure? n (2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV) - “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

23. Is Your Heart Secure? n How often do you think about God's love and find patience there? (2 Thess 3:5)

24. Is Your Heart Secure? n (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NKJV) - “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”

25. Is Your Heart Secure? n How often do you take your cares to the Lord and by faith truly find the burdens of you heart lifted? (Phil 4:6-7)

26. Is Your Heart Secure? n (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV) - “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; {7} and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

27. Is Your Heart Secure? n Do you have sincere love for other Christians? (1 Thess 3:12-13)

28. Is Your Heart Secure? n (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NKJV) - “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, {13} so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

29. Is Your Heart Secure? n Are you really protecting your heart? Is it important to you?

30. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n When we know God, we will cleanse our hearts and draw near to Him. (Prov 3:3-7)

31. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (Proverbs 3:3-7 NKJV) - “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, {4} And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. {5} Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

32. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”

33. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n When I see God my heart should be filled with reverence.

34. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n When I see God my heart should be filled with reverence. n My concern is for what He sees rather than what men think. (1 Thess 2:4; Gal 1:10)

35. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (Galatians 1:10 NKJV) - “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

36. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (1 Thessalonians 2:4 NKJV) - “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”

37. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n In this fear we find comfort and motivation to make first things first!

38. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n In this fear we find comfort and motivation to make first things first! n This is not the fear of the legalist, the man who tries to obligate God to him by his own efforts. This only brings torment. (1 Jn 4:18-19)

39. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (1 John 4:18-19 NKJV) - “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. {19} We love Him because He first loved us.”

40. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n When a man truly fears God, you will see it by how he handles His word. (Lk 6:46, Heb 8:10-11)

41. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (Luke 6:46 NKJV) “”But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”

42. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (Hebrews 8:10-11 NKJV) - “”For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

43. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n {11} “None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.”

44. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n Do you know God and fear Him? (Prov 1:7)

45. We must have a secure view of the one true God. n (Proverbs 1:7 NKJV) - “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

46. Tests for what is really important to us. n Our casual approach to sin. (Heb 1:9; 1 Cor 6:18)

47. Tests for what is really important to us. n (1 Corinthians 6:18 NKJV) - “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”

48. Tests for what is really important to us. n (Hebrews 1:9 NKJV) - “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.””

49. Tests for what is really important to us. n What is your reaction when someone approaches you with concern about your spiritual condition?

50. Tests for what is really important to us. n What is your reaction when someone approaches you with concern about your spiritual condition? n Too often we show our priorities by ignoring these concerns, why? It is not important to us!

51. Tests for what is really important to us. n Our casual approach to Bible study. (1 Thess 2:13)

52. Tests for what is really important to us. n (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV) - “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”

53. Tests for what is really important to us. n When we know the source of this word we will show it!

54. Tests for what is really important to us. n What kind of hearer are you? Often I hear of people moved by a sermon or Bible study that walk away and do nothing! Why? It did not stay important to them! (Jas 1:22)

55. Tests for what is really important to us. n (James 1:22 NKJV) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

56. Tests for what is really important to us. n Why is the religious world unconcerned about closely following God's word?

57. Tests for what is really important to us. n "Consider a survey by Redbook magazine in August of 1961. Of the ministers in training, 56 percent rejected the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, 71 percent rejected that there was life after death. 54 percent rejected the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. 98 percent rejected that there would be a personal return of Jesus Christ.”

58. Tests for what is really important to us. n Our casual approach to God. (Col 3:17)

59. Tests for what is really important to us. n Colossians 3:17 NKJV) - “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

60. Tests for what is really important to us. n I see men in "churches of Christ" that claim we need a new way of looking at the Bible. Why? In my opinion they have changed their view of God.

61. Tests for what is really important to us. n Some are content with stirring up clouds of dust and confusion and concluding that we may then do what we wish. The man who fears God will only do what he knows is clearly found approved in God.

62. Tests for what is really important to us. n Our casual approach to raising our children. (Eph 6:4)

63. Tests for what is really important to us. n (Ephesians 6:4 NKJV) - “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

64. Tests for what is really important to us. n The greatest problem we face in the church are parents who think they know more than God! Anger is often expressed to those who try to show them God's way.

65. Tests for what is really important to us. n We must first show the way of faith by living by faith.

66. Tests for what is really important to us. n Our casual approach to our salvation. (2 Cor 6:1-2)

67. Tests for what is really important to us. n (2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NKJV) - “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. {2} For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

68. Tests for what is really important to us. n Some refuse to test their own conversion. Have you been baptized into Christ? (Acts 2:38)

69. Tests for what is really important to us. n (Acts 2:38 NKJV) - “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

70. Tests for what is really important to us. n Why do some get angry when it is suggested that their denominational baptism may not be acceptable to God?

71. Tests for what is really important to us. n What does a person who puts God first do?

72. Tests for what is really important to us. n What does a person who puts God first do? n Even if they need time for further study, they will be diligently pursing it!

73. Tests for what is really important to us. n What does a person who puts God first do? n Even if they need time for further study, they will be diligently pursing it! n What would you think of a doctor that said: "You might have cancer, but we will not worry about it?" We want certainty here. Why not with God?

74. Tests for what is really important to us. n What kind of confidence and assurance do you have? (2 Pt 1:10)

75. Tests for what is really important to us. n (2 Peter 1:10 NKJV) - “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;”