Knowing That What We Know is Truly True

Even if we didn't know there is a word for it, epistemology, we all have a theory about deciding what is the truth. And how do we arrive at that truth? There are several ways, depending on the circumstance. We will look at some sufficient means of knowing the truth about Jesus and some that are not.

Luke 24:13-35,24:3,6:46
John 20:11-16,21:1-7
James 2:19
Matthew 11:25-27,13:10-11,16:13-20,17:1-5,27:54
1 Corinthians 2:14,12:3
Hebrews 2:14-17
Romans 4:25,1:3-4
1 John 4:2-3

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• Read Luke 24:13-35. Cleopas asks the stranger, "Do you not know these things?" What things does he mean?
• What is epistemology?
• Explain why physical senses alone are not sufficient for knowing the truth about Jesus. Give an example from Scripture that demonstrates this truth.
• Why are facts and Bible study insufficient for knowing the truth about Jesus?
• What is the one infallible way of knowing the truth about Jesus and the resurrection? Consider whether this is the basis for your epistemology.
• Why is it important for us to understand that Jesus came in the flesh?
• Despite the testimonies of Simon Peter, God the Father at Jesus' transfiguration, and the centurion at the cross, the disciples still did not grasp that Jesus is God's unique Son. What had to happen so that they could understand this truth?
• Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement: Jesus can be a person's Savior, yet not his Lord.

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Our Final Victory

There is no denying that Jesus died. But His death was not final! It isn't the end of the story. Ultimately He has power over death. Death is dead! And we can share in celebrating this victory.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58,15:26
Genesis 2:8-9,2:15-17,3:17-19,5:1-32
Revelation 20:11-15,21:8,1:18,2:11,20:6
2 Timothy 1:10
Hebrews 2:14-15,9:27
Romans 8:38-39,6:23,6:3-10,4:25,5:10
John 11:25,19:30,5:24,8:51
Matthew 27:50
Mark 15:37
Luke 25:46,16:23-24
Jeremiah 9:21
Ecclesiastes 7:2
Ephesians 2:1-2,2:5
Acts 2:24
Psalm 116:15
Galatians 3:13

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. Why does the apostle Paul say in this passage that God gives us victory over death when we all will still die, just as Jesus died?
• What does Genesis 3:17-19 teach us about death?
• What are the two types of death? Describe what each one means.
• What is the second death described in Revelation 20:11-15? Who will experience it?
• What good news do 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14-15, and Romans 8:38-39 give us about death?
• Read John 11:25. How can it be that we may die, yet live?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

He Is Risen

Imagine the mindset of the mourning women as they headed to the tomb that early Sunday morning. They were expecting to pay their respects to their beloved dead friend, but the angels asked them why they were seeking the living among the dead. That simple question should redirect our focus from the death on the cross to the living resurrection!

Luke 23:55-24:18,8:3,24:23
Matthew 27:60,5:17
Mark 16:3-4
John 20:1-2,10:11,10:17-18,14:1-4
Hebrews 11:17-19
1 John 3:16
Philippians 3:10-11
Acts 2:22-24
1 Peter 1:3,1:6,1:8-9

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Who asks, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" Who is seeking the living among the dead and why?
• Often in the Bible, dawn or early morning is the time God uses to make new revelations. Sunrise is when the Lord surprises His people. What were the surprises the Lord had for the seekers on the Sunday morning described in this chapter?
• Abraham, Jesus, and the apostle Paul provide examples of people living in light of the resurrection. How have other people in the Bible shown that they live in light of the resurrection? How do you show that you live in light of the resurrection?
• Why is it important for us to redirect our emotions in difficult situations to Scripture? What effect will that have on our thinking?
• What does the angels' question teach us about God's sovereign providence?
• What is the connection between the Lord's resurrection and our Joy?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

None Left Behind

Much can be learned about the relationship between the Father and the Son with Jesus' final words on the cross. God turned away as His Son willingly suffered for us. He was separated from Jesus. But He did not leave His Son behind; God reclaimed Jesus' body as a resurrected and living Lord!

Matthew 27:27-46,27:55-56
Psalm 22:1-21,27:8-9
Luke 23:45
Exodus 10:21
Amos 8:9-10
John 1:1-2
Numbers 6:24-26
2 Corinthians 5:21
1 Peter 2:24
Galatians 3:13
Habakkuk 1:13

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Read Matthew 27:27-46 which describes the greatest abandonment ever to occur.
• Who was being abandoned - and by whom?
• Why was this the only abandonment with any honor and redemption?
• How do we know that judgment occurred at Calvary?
• Who was being judged?
• What different individuals and groups contributed to Jesus' social abandonment while He was on the cross?
• Read Psalm 22:1-21. From this passage, describe the emotional desertion the Son experienced on the cross.
• What was the deepest part of Jesus' suffering on the cross?
• Why was it the source of His greatest suffering?
• How do we know that Jesus ultimately was not abandoned?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Jesus in Gethsemane, Is There No Other Way?

If God is the great and all-powerful God of the universe then why did He make His only Son suffer and die? That wasn't very nice! Couldn't there have been an easier and better way to save us?

Matthew 26:36-46,1:27
Hebrews 4:15-16,2:17,1:3,10:4
Romans 8:7,1:18,3:24-26
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Acts 4:12
Isaiah 64:6
Colossians 2:23
1 John 4:10
John 13:31-32,6:40

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Describe Jesus' circumstances in the text.
• Explain why He would ask, Is there no other way?
• The Father said no to the Son for several reasons. What is the Bible's teaching in Hebrews 2:14-18,4:14-16 about why the Father said no?
• In His garden brokenness, what does Jesus reveal to us about the Father?
• What parties were at war in the garden of Gethsemane?
• Who brought an end to the war, and how did He accomplish it?
• Why couldn't we drink the cup of God's wrath for ourselves?
• Why could only Jesus drink it, and what did His drinking it accomplish?
• What was the cosmic contradiction that needed to be set right?
• How did God set it right?
• What is the ultimate reason the Father said no?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

The Two Most Influential Men of the Gospel

According to the Apostle Paul the two most influential men of all time are Jesus Christ and Adam. In Romans 5 Paul argues for how the influence of each affects our eternal destiny.

Romans 5:12-21
2 Corinthians 1:20
John 5:39
Luke 24:25-27
1 Corinthians 15:45
Psalm 139:18

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• In What ways are Adam and Christ similar?
• In what ways are we related to Adam?
• In what ways are Adam and Christ different?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Persevering Love

Is your salvation forever? Can it be lost? The Apostle Paul definitely has an opinion about that. Especially when we consider what Christ did for us!

Romans 5:6-10,8:29-39
1 Peter 3:18
Ephesians 5:2

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• How does Paul explain justification?
• Explain the links in Paul’s chain of salvation.
• What proof does Paul give that God is for you?
• Have you ever thought about what it means for Christ to be ever interceding on your behalf?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Who Am I?

Our culture is so self absorbed that the only answer to the question Who am I? leaves us without much hope. Maybe the question should be Whose am I?.

Galatians 2:14-21

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a Squire from his country house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As thought it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectations of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the Other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!
Who Am I? Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• In whom do we find our true identity?
• Why do we need to seek righteousness?
• What does it mean to be justified through the faithfulness of Christ?
• What does it mean to be new and loved?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Against Anger and Vengeance

Jesus' new normal changed how we should deal with anger, revenge, and retaliation.

2 Chronicles 24:20-22
Acts 7:59-60
Romans 12:14-21,5:6-10
Matthew 5:10-12,5:14,5:38-42,23:34-35
Psalm 137:7-9
Luke 6:27-28

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Give an Old Testament example of how God's people sought revenge.
• Give a New Testament example of how God's people are to seek revenge.
• What changed?
• What did Paul mean by Heap coals of fire on your enemy's head?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Where Is God When It Hurts?

Troubles, difficult times, hurts, challenges... everyone has them. But why? What do they mean? Why does it seem like God is so far away when troubles come? Let's turn to Scripture and learn where to turn in our times of need.

Psalm 73
2 Corinthians 4:8
Isaiah 55:8-9
Hebrews 12:15
Ecclesiastes 1:12-14
Matthew 5:10-13,7:13-14
Acts 5:40-41

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• What or who is the proper focus of Scripture?
• How does this truth affect your understanding of why we go through difficult times?
• How does Satan work in your hardship?
• Where does the Psalmist tell us to go when facing trouble?
• From where do we find meaning in our circumstances?
• Why does one protect himself from bitterness?
• How does one protect himself from bitterness?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

The Gospel of the Meantime - From Suffering to Glory

How should we spend the meantime -- the time between the present age and the age to come; between the resurrection of Christ and His second coming; between the suffering and the glory? Paul describes this as a time of eagerly waiting, patiently hoping, and praying.

Romans 8:15-27,5:1-2,8:1,8:11
Matthew 5:11
Psalm 130:5
Titus 2:13
2 Corinthians 4:17

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• Why does creation groan?
• Why are many Christian's concept of salvation too small?
• Why do Christians groan? (3 reasons)
• How do we explain the Spirit groaning?
• How are we to wait?
• How are we to live in this present age, as we wait for salvation to be completed?
• What is the source of our hope in this age of suffering?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Why Shouldn't I Sin?

If grace abounds then shouldn't I keep sinning so I can receive more grace? Paul might disagree.

Romans 6:1-14,5:6-10,5:20-21,6:15,6:19-23
Jude 1:4

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Peeking Into God's Photo Album

If God kept a photo album of humanity's important memorable moments, what pictures would He be able to show you?

Romans 3:19-26,7:21-24,6:22
Psalm 51:5
Ephesians 2:13
Revelation 16:19
Hosea 1:2,3:1-3
Colossians 1:22

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Do You Also Want to Go Away?

Do some life experiences make you wonder if you want to continue your relationship with God? Significant loss often makes us want to turn away in our walk with Christ. How can we faithfully continue on the path? In those low times Jesus asks Do you also want to go away or will you continue on?

John 6:30-69,6:1-21
Deuteronomy 8:2
Job 1:8-11
Romans 11:33-36
Proverbs 3:5-6
2 Corinthians 4:8

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Who Is This Jesus?

Jesus has been assigned a lot of names in the Bible to describe his nature. Let's see if we can use some of them to find out who He is.

John 1:14-51
1 John 1:9

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Why Do You Worry?

Everybody has some worries. It's in our nature. The Bible tells us not to worry! How can we get there?

Psalm 37
Matthew 6:25-34,8:23-27,10:29
Philippians 4:6
Genesis 50:19-20
Romans 8:28
1 John 3:1

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

The Left-Handed Savior

Some think being left-handed is a handicap, yet most left-handers think it is an asset. Let's learn about a left-handed savior.

Psalm 2
Judges 2:11-23,3:12-30
Joshua 6:26
Revelation 11:15

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

No Condemnation

Romans 5:12-21,8:1-4,6:1,4:1,1:2-3,6:23
Genesis 2:15-17,15:7-12,15:17-18
Deuteronomy 6:4-5,28:15-19

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Did Not the Christ Have to Suffer?

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Luke 24:13-27,17:24-25
Mark 8:31
John 3:14-15
Zachariah 12:10-11
Isaiah 53:3-6
1 John 3:16
Romans 5:8-10,8:29
Hebrews 9:11-15

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

But Who Do You Say That I Am?

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Mark 8:27-29
Colossians 1:15,1:19-22
Luke 10:38-42

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA