Acts 20:22-24 And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
John Wesley preached over 44,000 times in his life, but he had 52 sermons, which he considered his “standards”, preached many times in many places. Each day this week we will look at the text of some of his sermons and read some of the major points he made in the sermon. On each day, do the following: Find and read the Scripture passage. Read each point, one at a time. Think about whether you agree or disagree (remember, Mr. Wesley had other Scripture to back his points—do you?) and ask “how can this be applied to my life?”
Monday: Acts 26—“The Almost Christian” 1. Almost Christians hold to an outward form of godliness, but not its power. 2. Altogether Christians have a love for God. 3. Altogether Christians have a love for all people. 4. Good people avoid sin from the love of God; Wicked people avoid sin from the fear of punishment. 5. The kind of faith that fails to produce repentance, love, and good works is not genuine living faith.
Tuesday: Ezekiel 33:4; Acts 4:31—“Scriptural Christianity” 1. The Holy Spirit imparts to us “the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.” 2. Those that do not have the holy fruit of the Spirit, which was in Christ, do not belong to Christ. 3. God’s love is poured into the believer’s heart through the Holy Spirit that is given to them. 4. Growth is the will of God concerning the Church. 5. The redeemed (Christians) are …incapable of deception or dishonest cunning.
Wednesday: Romans 4:5—“Justification By Faith” 1. The question of how we can be justified before God, the Lord and Judge of all, is one of supreme importance for every one of us. 2. The foundation of all our hope is a right relationship with God. 3. As long as this relationship (with God) is lacking, we cannot have true peace or real joy. 4. When we become a Christian, God covers and blots out all past sins of thought, word, and deed. 5. The death of Christ is available for the entire world and he has made a full and sufficient sacrifice for you.
Thursday: Mark 1:15—“The Way to the Kingdom” 1. True religion is not an outward thing that consists of forms and ceremonies—even those of the most commendable sort. 2. The entire essence of real religion is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 3. Religion resides in the heart, not merely in right opinions. 4. Pride robs God of the glory that he cannot give to another. 5. Believe the gospel (the good news that Jesus Christ died to save guilty, helpless sinners) and the kingdom of God is yours.
Friday: Romans 8:16—“The Witness of the Spirit, Discourse 1” 1. Many have mistaken the impressions of their own imagination for the witness of the Holy Spirit. 2. We can know with certainty that we belong to God. 3. We may use the intellect that God has given us, which Christianity was designed not to extinguish, but to perfect. 4. God gave us a conscience to help us become holy in heart and life. 5. It is the Holy Spirit who produces every good thing within us, enlightens us to his own work, and clearly witnesses to us what he has done.
These statements from John Wesley’s sermons come from Kenneth Cain Kinghorn’s book “John Wesley on Christian Beliefs: The Standard Sermons in Modern English, Volume 1.”