OceanSide church of Christ
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NEWNESS OF LIFE
Aaron Cameron
INTRODUCTION
u couple of weeks
u Gospel Meeting, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
u Sometimes, it is good to be reminded of the foundation on which we should build
u A few Facebook posts and stories inspired this sermon
u We all know children, we all love children
u Children can not only be a comparison for a new Christian, but for us
WE WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF
u When babies are born, they trust implicitly that someone will take care of them
u Babies will instinctively grip the finger of an individual
u Similarly, when we are first baptized, we trust implicitly that
u Membership in local congregation
u Form bonds or strengthen bonds with people we have become close to
u I Peter 2: 1-2
u As experienced Christians, we need to ensure we do all we can to serve those that are less experienced than we are
PLANNING, OR SURPRISE?
u Babies are brought into this world, sometimes through much
u Some couples take many months, or years of planning to start
u Some need assistance
u We should never feel saddened or inconvenienced by a new life
u Sometimes, gaining faith and believing in Christ can take a long period of study
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Psalm 127:3, Hebrews 11:1, 2 Timothy 2:15 SPECIAL CARE u
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Advances in medical technology, caring staff u
John 16:21 u
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May experience questioning of faith later, especially in college
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Advances in technology make the Gospel easier than ever to access u
We can support these folks through prayer, study, reaching out u
James 1:2-3, 12 TIMID AT FIRST, THEN TESTING OUR LIMITS u
Babies are careful at first u
Sleep a lot u
Eventually learn to crawl, walk, be more physically active u
When we are first baptized, we are very careful, very timid u
We are unsure of our place in the congregation, and unsure of
where or how to use our talents u
encouragement, experience u
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Do not provoke your fellow Christians, lest they become
discouraged THE DELIGHT OF A CHILD u
One of the most amazing sights is the smile of a child u
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Being apart is difficult on both parents and children u
To God, our love for Him is one of His favorite things u
We need to be delighted to get up on Sunday, get out on
Wednesday, to assemble with others u
We need to be excited to pray, to be thankful, to humbly ask u
We need to be elated to have time to study the Bible A BEHAVIORAL FOUNDATION u
Babies form a behavioral foundation that lasts their entire lives u
Encouraged by parents, grandparents, other relatives u
Takes a long time to build trust but they do eventually u
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Proverbs 22:6 u
We should never stop showing love to one another u
We should always be full of respect for one another u
We need to form good habits u
Philippians 2:3-4 u
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 CONCLUSION u
for the year, we must be reminded how we are to act toward those who are
experiencing hearing the Gospel for the first time. u
We must never esteem ourselves higher than others. We must have a
culture of respect and enthusiasm. u
We must be excited about God. u
We must encourage one another when we stumble. u
We must encourage non-Christians to hear the Word, believe in
that Word and develop a core of faith, acknowledge they are sinners and repent
from that behavior, confess their belief in Jesus, and be baptized to wash away
those sins and be born again. u
Cantona u
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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
John 3:16