What Hinders Me? - Invitation Version

I. Friends and Family

I. Friends and Family

A. Fear of What Others Might Think?

1. Often Times People Are Afraid to Obey the Gospel For Fear of What Others May Think of Them.

2. We Should Learn That What Others Think Does Not Matter In Terms of How We Live ()

B. Afraid of Not “Fitting In”

1. Closely Related to Our Last Point, Sometimes People Fear They Will No Longer “Fit In” With the Crowd.

2. The Christian Life Is Not About Fitting In, But About Being Different (; )

C. Refuse to Accept They Have Friends And Family Members Who Are Lost

1. It is Often Stated When Studying With Religious Friends, “Well If I Accept That, That Means *Insert Some Family Member* is Lost and They Were/Are a Good Person.”

2. Whether You Accept the Truth or Not, They Are Lost.

3. There is But One Way to Heaven (), And Even If You Choose Not to Follow “The Way,” It is Still the Only Way.

D. Doesn’t Want to Divide the Family

1. Some People Are Afraid of How Their Family Will Respond When They Hear This Person Has Obeyed the Gospel.

2. Some Families Have Even Been Divided Over Someone Obeying the Gospel.

3. Jesus Came to Not to Bring Peace But A Sword ().

4. We Must Leave Family For the Sake of Christ ()

5. Even Hate Them ()

II. Not Wanting to Put Away Sin

A. Some Are Hindered From Obeying the Gospel Because They Do Not Want to Give Up Sin.

B. They Are In Love With The World (; )

C. The World Is Passing Away But Those Who Do the Will of the Lord Abide Forever ()

D. The End of These Sins is Death ().

III. Misconceptions

A. Fear of Failure

1. Some Fear They Will Obey the Gospel And Fail.

2. They Fear They Cannot Live A “Perfect Life” or “Christian Life.”

3. There Is None Righteous For We All Sin ()

4. God Has Made A Provision For When We Fail (; )

B. Lack of Knowledge

1. There Are Many Who Do Not Obey the Gospel Because They Do Not “Know Everything.”

2. These People Must Overcome This Obstacle Because They Never Will Know Everything.

3. The Christian Life is a Life of Constant Growth ().

4. Moreover, There Were Many In the Scripture Who Obeyed After Hearing One Sermon (, , ).

5. All You Need to Know is That Jesus Died For You and What You Must Do to Be Saved.

a) Hear ()

b) Believe ()

c) Repent ()

d) Confess ()

e) Be Baptized ()

IV. Not Sure If They Are Accountable

A. Some People Are Not Sure If they Are Yet Accountable to God.

B. They Do Not Understand When They Are Accountable.

C. First We Need to Realize The Common False Concepts On Accountability:

1. There is No Accountability, Babies Are Sinners From Birth ()

2. Age 20 (Based On )

3. Age 12 (Based On )

4. Age 30 (Based On )

5. A Child Should Live the Life Before Baptism to Show They Can Do It.

6. A Child Has to Know Everything in N.T. On Subject.

D. If None of These Are The Age of Accountability, Then When Is It?

E. There Is No Set Age of Accountability.

1. Everyone Matures At Their Own Pace.

2. Some Know Scriptures From Childhood and Learn Quicker (), While Others Do Not.

F. But There Is An Age of Accountability ()

G. It Is When We Are Old Enough to Understand the Plan of Salvation ().

V. Afraid of the Cost

A. Some People Are Afraid of What Serving God Will Cost Them.

B. Not Only Must They Give Up Sin And Possibly Even Family, But They Must Even Deny Self ().

C. There Is a Great Cost In Serving God and We Most Certainly Should Count The Cost ().

D. But We Must Also Count the Cost of Not Serving God.

1. We Give Up Eternity In Heaven ()

2. And Instead Spend Eternity In Hell ()