February 12 2017 Getting A Grip On Respect

GETTING A GRIP ON RESPECT

RESPECT WHO?

Parents (Ex. 20:8-9)

Spouses (Eph. 5:22, I Peter 3:1, 7)

Church Leaders (Heb.13:17)

Anyone in Authority (Rom. 13:1-7)

1 Peter 2:17 – Show proper respect to everyone.

I. WHY TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT?

1. BECAUSE God made everyone.

Ps. 8:5 – You (God) made man inferior only to yourself; you crowned him with glory and honor.

2. BECAUSE Jesus died on the cross for everyone.

1 Pet. 1:18-19 – God paid a ransom to save you. He paid for you with the precious life-blood of Christ.

3. BECAUSE it shows I personally know God.

1 John 4:8 – If a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God, for God is love.

4. BECAUSE I’ll get back what I give out.

Gal. 6:7 – A man’s harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows.

II. HOW TO SHOW RESPECT TO OTHERS.

1. Accept others unconditionally.

Romans 15:7 – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

2. Commit yourself personally.

Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Romans 12:5 – In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

3. Encourage others continually.

1 Thess. 5:11 – Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Cor. 13:7 – If you love someone you always believe in him and always expect the best of him.

4. Serve people cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:10 – Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

Romans 12:13 – Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

5. Forgive others freely.

Col. 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

6. Demonstrate God’s love.

John 13:35 – By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another.

2 Cor. 5:14 – For Christ’s love compels us.

CONCLUSION:

Eph. 3:17 -18 – I pray that Christ will be more at home in your heart, living within you as you trust Him. May your roots go deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love, and may you be able to feel and understand how long, wide, deep and high His love really is, and experience this love for yourselves.

September 25 2016 Winning Through Persistence

WINNING THROUGH PERSISTENCE

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

One of the most essential qualities for success is persistence.  Paul was a man of incredible endurance.  In this passage, Paul shares his …….

Seven Secrets For Persistence

1. Remember that God loves you.

Verse 1 – Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

1 Corinthians 15:10 – Talks about God’s grace.

Grace says:

• I don’t have to prove my worth.
• Gives energy to start over when we fail.

2. Maintain a clear conscience.

Verse 2 – Rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways, we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience.

1 Timothy 1:19 – Holding on to faith and a good conscience, some have rejected those and so have shipwrecked their faith.

Proverbs 10:9 – The man of integrity walks securely.

3. Have the right motivation.

Verse 5 – For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Verse 11 – For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake.

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.

4. I must accept my limitations.

Verse 7 – But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Exodus 23:29-30 – Drove enemy out little by little.

Hebrews 12:1 – Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

5. Love other people.

Verse 15 – All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

6. Take time to recharge.

Verse 16 – Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

List The Things That Can Renew You:

• A place to dump your worries.
• A time to play with family.
• Physical exercise.
• Bible reading and prayer.
• A strategy for daily renewal.

Psalm 119:50 – Your promise renews my life.

7. Keep your eye on the goal.

Verses 17-18 – For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

May 22 2016 Your Guilt And God's Love

YOUR GUILT AND GOD’S LOVE

Psalm 32:3-5 – When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

1 John 4:18 – Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.

What To Do About It:

1. Trust God to forgive you.

Romans 3:23-24 – All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, yet now God declares us not guilty.  If we trust in Jesus Christ, Who in kindness freely takes away our sins.

2. Learn to forgive yourself.

Proverbs 4:25 – Look straight ahead with honest confidence, don’t hang your head in shame.

3. Rely on God’s grace.

Psalm 119:96 – Nothing is perfect except (God’s) Word.

Psalm 103:13-14 – As a Father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor Him. He knows what we are made of, He remembers that we are but dust.

Romans 8:31 – There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

4. Stop the negative self talk.

Proverbs 4:23 – Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Job 9:20 – (Job) Everything I say seems to condemn me.

Philippians.4:8 – Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right, think about all you can thank God for and be glad about.

5. Remember you can’t please everybody.

Proverbs 29:25 – It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you.

6. Commit yourself to doing God’s Will.

Matthew 11:29-30 – (Jesus) Come to Me, all you who are tired from carrying your heavy loads, and I will give you res.  The yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.

March 27 2016 The Foundation For No Fear Living

THE FOUNDATION FOR NO-FEAR LIVING

Matthew 28:5 – Don’t be afraid.
Matthew 28:10 – Do not be afraid.

Ephesians 3:12 – In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear.  We can do this through faith in Christ.

How To Establish Your Foundation

Accept God’s Love For Me.

1 John 4:18 – Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.

Romans 8:39 – Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Luke 12:7 – God even knows how many hairs you have on your head.  Don’t be afraid. You are worth much.

Believe Christ Died And Rose For Me.

Hebrews 2:14-15 – By embracing death, Jesus destroyed the devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life scared to death by death.

Hebrews 2:15 – Only in that way could He deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.

Romans 10:13 – Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.

Commit My Fears And My Life To Christ.

1 Peter 3:14-15 – Don’t be afraid of anyone and don’t worry.  But have reverence for Christ in your heart and honor Him as Lord.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Romans 8:15 – This resurrection life you’ve received is not a timid, brave tending life.  Instead, it’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, ‘What’s next, Papa?’

Isaiah 54:7 – With deep love I will take you back.

April 13 2014 God's Love From The Cross

God's Love From The Cross

John 13:1 – Having love His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Four Ways God Wants To Love You From The Cross

1. God wants to supply my need.

Philippians 4:19 – God will supply all that you need from His glorious resources in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 1:3 – As you know Him better, God will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly good life.

John 14:14 – If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.

2. God wants to forgive your faults.

Isaiah 43:25 – I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am.

Romans 3:23-24 – All have sinned, yet God declares us not guilty of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

3. God wants to relieve your stress.

1 Corinthians 14:23 – God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

John 14:27 – The peace I give you isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives, so don’t be troubled or afraid.

4. God wants to heal my hurt.

Psalm 147:3 – God heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A New Life has begun!

Psalm 33:21 – No wonder we are happy in the Lord. We trust in His Holy Name.

Romans 5:8 – God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.