COG Sermons
Ron Dart 1995 Sermons
| 9501 The Adoration of God |
| 9540 Moses to Jesus Is church government hierarchical? Dart show how the Bible, in no uncertain terms, teaches against such a structure. Issues addressed are Exodus 18 (Jethro hierarchy); Acts 3, Acts 6 (selection of deacons); Ephesians 4 (offices); Numbers 11 (70 elders); 1 Corinthians 12 (gifts of God); the position of Moses; God working primarily through one man; the distribution of power; the Gentiles practicing authority over; preaching to those outside the group, and Jesus' two major statements on church government. |
| 9550 What Does God Require? Why evangelism? Is it to validate "our" church? Is it via argumentation? No, Dart suggests evangelism by example. If the environment is right, people will come. God sets the example for us to follow in Deuteronomy 10:12. Set our example in order. Love for the stranger may be the best form of evangelism. Look out for the church member, then extend that to the stranger. |
| 9599 The Last Sabbath What will the world be like as we approach the last Sabbaths before Christ returns? An understanding of history is critical if we are to understand prophecy. In that light, Ron Dart takes a look at Isaiah and its applicability to today and what we can expect in our future. God rejects religious rituals if one doesn't live the life. God will cut short the demise of the U.S. as He did Israel, else the only option is Sodom & Gomorrah. Parallels today in illegitimate children, wealth leading to arrogance. Women wearing makeup is discussed. Concludes with the personal lesson we must learn. |
| 95F1 Knowing the Will of God This is virtually the same as the sermon further below, "Four Principles of God's Will". They are probably the same sermon given at two different feast sites. |
| 95F2 An End to Tabernacles? Controversial sermon where Dart's suggestion that the Feast of Tabernacles does not represent the millennium was taken out of context. He clarified the comments in a later sermon. |
| 95F6 A Fresh Look at Tabernacles Why do we observe the Feast of Tabernacles? Is it just in commemoration of Israel and their exodus? What is the symbolism – past, present, and future? Temporary dwellings – searching for the city to come. When will we be home? A very powerful sermon about what God is doing and our role in it. |
| 95FPG Four Principles of God's Will Dart gives 4 principles in following God, and teaches that all other decision are ours, as God-educated, common-sense people. God made promises to Abram & Sarai – how do we respond to God’s promises? Uncertainty will always be with us – what God wants from us is character development leading to good decision-making. God is not petty, but merciful and loving. |
| 95-01-21 To Kill a Church In the context of the Tkachian apostasy in the WCG, Dart asks “Can a church die?” He takes care to distinguish between a church and the church. He shows how all 7 churches in Revelation no longer exist and asks “What if I’m in one of those churches? What about me?” Also discussed: the apostasy of 2nd Thessalonians, can an apostle apostacize? How would you know? Who decides? How did Jesus ensure the survival of His church? Certainly not by providing an infallible ministry. Every king of Israel and Judah was destined to fail because it is the nature of man’s government. If there are problems in a church, a commonly-heard phrase is “God will work it out.” Dart counters, “What if God has already worked it out, and you weren’t paying attention?” |
| 95-02-25 Sanctuary In the time of Jeremiah, Judah felt the temple would provide sanctuary, regardless of their behavior. They also believed the priests could be trusted, as they were God-ordained. Yet, captivity came upon them. When we don’t take action ourselves, and instead wait for God to work it out, the results can be very tough. Dart draws a parallel between Israel and the church; the temple and the church. “This is God’s, He won’t let it go astray” was a very costly assumption. The destruction coming upon us could be as severe as Judah’s was. “Salvation depends not on where you are or who you hang out with; it depends on your personal response to God….”. This is true whether the leadership is right or wrong. A sanctuary can also be a trap, unless, of course, that sanctuary is Christ. Although no mention was made of it, this sermon was given during the time of the doctrinal upheaval in the Worldwide Church of God, and is very relevant to it. |
| 95-04-21 The Holy Days for Man The Feast of Tabernacles was commanded of the Jews, right? It is Old Covenant, right? Therefore it is not incumbent on the Christian, right? "Wrong," says Ron Dart, who explains how God's law makes no distinction between peoples; there is one law for all; there is no partiality with God. Dart gives Old Testament and New Testament scriptures supporting not only holy day observance for all mankind, but Sabbath observance as well; neither is for Israel alone. There are indications the holy days existed before Israel. It is through the observance of these days that we get a better understanding of what God is doing. How the Days of Unleavened Bread apply to the Christian. This message was given on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. |
| 95-05-06 Man Is The Point In the beginning, God created… Why? Why creation? Why man? Dart goes over the Genesis creation account and explains why. What is in the future? What is God doing? Why? Why did Jesus Christ come? Why did He come 4000 years after man was created? What is the role of angels? Where does the law come into play? Dart answers these great mysteries from the Bible. |
| 95-08-05 Above & Beyond Dart extols the virtues of the law of God, but notes that the law is not an end to itself, it is only a teacher. The law-keeping, unprofitable servant must go above and beyond commandment-keeping. How? Jesus’ sacrifice brings us up to the bare minimum, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to go above and beyond. Next, then, is to present your body (your whole self) to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and ask each day if this day has been acceptable to God. Dart teaches how to get the fervent zeal necessary, and lists many little things that can get us started. We must be pro-active by thinking, planning, and doing these things, rather than just reacting to circumstances. |
| 1995 For the Love of God Why keep the law? For God? For me? Love is far more than a feeling. How the law of God relates to love for God. Is the law an end in and of itself? Or is it the means to an end? How does one love God? What is worship? In the process of doing the law, I come to know God and thereby to love Him. You gain more love for a person by doing something for them than by them doing something for you. We learn to love over time by doing things for people. |
| 1995 Receive Jesus Christ. Dart gives excellent commentary as he goes through the early chapters of Luke and John, discussing John the Baptist and showing how they all point to who Jesus was. Jesus came to His own and they rejected Him. Would His own reject Him today? What if He came from outside their group or corrected some of their doctrines? Do we realize just who Jesus is? Would you be humble enough to receive Him that you might be a son of God? |
| 1995 The Way Back Did God not know that Adam & Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit? Was He really unaware of what was going on in Sodom? It is possible to not be in the presence of God and then return to His presence. When your sins separate you from God, how do you find your way back? After this intro, Dart enters into an outstanding segment on repentance, Jesus Christ, and the way back to God. |
