July 10 2016 Living With Eternity In Mind

Living with Eternity In Mind

The Apostle’s Creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, He descended into hell; On the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; "And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; from where He shall come to judge the living and the dead. "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”"

1 John 5:11. (NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Psalm 136 (NIV) “His love endures forever.”

Jude 1:21, (NLT) “Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ and His mercy is going to give you.”

THREE WAYS TO LIVE WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE.

1. Recognize that everyone is created for eternity.

Genesis 1:26 (NIV) Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness

Ecclesiastes 3:11. (NLT) “God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” He planted eternity into human hearts. But even so, people cannot see the scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

2. Participate in the Sacraments.

Sacrament = an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace.

Memory Verse: John 3:16. (NLT) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 10:28 (NLT) “I give them eternal life and they will never perish.” No one can snatch them away from me.

3. Invest my life in eternal pursuits.

• Invest my time in something that is going to last forever.
• Invest your treasure in a way that will last forever.
• Invest your testimony in a way that is going to last forever.

1 John 1:2 (NLT) This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

February 22 2015 How Can I Display Christianity Under Pressure

How Can I Display Christianity Under Pressure

1 Peter 1:13-16

I. The setting of our scripture

Verse 16 – Be Holy, because I am Holy.

Therefore:

II. Four helps to Holy living

1. You need a well ordered mind.

Verse 13 – Prepare you mind for action.

Exodus 12:11 – And thus shall you eat, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, your staff on your hand, and ye shall eat it in haste.  It is the Lord’s Passover.

Three Hebrew children:

2. Have a well disciplined life.

Verse 13 – Be self-controlled.

Two things this means:

1. Be alert to potential dangers.
2. Be aware of who you are.

3. Have a well defined goal.

Verse 13 – Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Definition of “set”.

I John 3:2 – When He appears we shall be like Him.

1 John 3:3 – Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.

4. Have a well established conversion.

Verse 14 – As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

Obedience is the process of walking in the Light.

Verse 16 – Be Holy because I am Holy.

Five factors that motivate us to Holiness:

1. The character of God.

2. He’s called us.

3. It’s God’s command.

4. The consistency of God.

5. It’s the choice of God.

Romans 12:1 – In view of God’s mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God.

August 25 2013 Beyond GPS: U-Turns Allowed

Beyond GPS: U-Turns Allowed

Seven Truths About God’s Will:

1. God's will NEVER CONTRADICTS God's word.

2. God expects me to obey His word BEFORE He shows me His specific will.

3. It's God's will that I live a PURE, disciplined life-style.

4. It's God's will that I maintain an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

5. It is God's will that I be a LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

6. It is God's will that I BRING OTHERS to Jesus Christ.

7. It is God's will that I COMMIT MYSELF to God and other believers.

The EIGHTH Truth About God’s Will:

God Allows U TURNS

Definition of God’s Will:

God’s will is the direction I would choose if I could see things from God’s perspective.

HOW TO GET BACK IN GOD’S WILL:

-ADMIT THAT I AM OUT OF GOD’S WILL

Psalm 139:23“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about.”

Symptoms that “may” show that I’m out of God’s Will:

Frustration 
Fatigue
Feelings of emptiness 
Failure
Feeling distant from God 
Lack of Fulfillment
Anxiety 
Not enough time for God
Quick-tempered 
Avoidance of spiritual habits

-ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS

1 John 1:9“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

-ASK GOD FOR REVISED DIRECTIONS

James 1:5“If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”

Memory Verse: “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”
– Psalm 32:8

-Act quickly ON THE STEPS THAT GOD GIVES

Philippians 3:13-14“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”

2 Timothy 4:7“ I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

August 25 2013 Trusting God When You Need Guidance

TRUSTING GOD WHEN YOU NEED GUIDANCE

I.  Five Unreliable Sources Of Guidance

1.  Don’t rely on culture.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Exodus 23:2 - Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.

2.  Don’t rely on circumstances.

Jonah 1:1-3 -The Word of the Lord came to Jonah…go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.  But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

Acts 27

3.  Don’t always rely on counsel.

Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the wicked or stands in the way of sinner or sits in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord.

4.  Don’t rely on the counterfeit.

II Cor. 11:14 - For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
I John 4:1 - Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

5.  Don’t always rely on conscience.

Prov. 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path.

II.  The Completely Reliable Source
·  God’s will is found in God’s Word.
·   God’s will never contradicts God’s Word.
·   God expects me to obey His Word before He shows me His specific will.

This Is God’s Will For Me

1.  That I have eternal life.

John 6:40 - My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.

2.  That I be filled with the Spirit.

Eph. 5:17-18 - Understand what the Lord’s will is:  Do not get drunk with wine, instead be filled with the Spirit.

3.  That I live a pure, disciplined life.

I Thes. 4:3-4 - It is God’s will that you should be holy, that you should avoid sexual immorality, and learn to control your own body in a way that is holy.

4.  That I maintain an attitude of gratitude.

I Thes. 5:16-18 - Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.

5.  That I be a law abiding citizen.

I Peter 2:13-16 - Submit your selves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men, for it is God’s will that by doing good, you silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

6.  That I bring others to Christ.

II Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that everyone comes to repentance.

7.  That I commit myself to God and others.

II Cor. 8:5 - They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to us in keeping with God’s will.