October 5 2014 Accepting Our Duty

Accepting Our Duty 

Ephesians 5:15

Three Foes Of Personal Duty

1. The “rights” mentality: “I demand my rights.”

2. The ‘victim’ mentality: “It’s not my fault.”

3. The ‘entitlement’ mentality: “I deserve it.”

Ephesians 5:15 – Live life with a sense of responsibility, not as those who don’t know the meaning of life, but as those who do.

Why Accept Our Duty

  • BECAUSE God is watching MY LIFE.

Hebrews 4:13 – Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is open before Him and to Him, we must explain the way we have lived.

Romans 14:12 – Each of us will have to give a personal account to God.

  • BECAUSE others are effected BY MY LIFE.

1 Corinthians 10:24 – People should be concerned about others and not just about themselves.

  • BECAUSE God rewards it.

Dueteronomy 28:2 – You will experience all of God’s Blessings if you obey the Lord.

How To Accept My Duty

  • By saving my money.

Proverbs 21:20 – The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 – The fool thinks only about having a good time now.

  • By controlling my reactions.

Proverbs 29:11 – A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.

Matthew 12:36 – People will be responsible for every careless word they’ve said.

Romans 12:21 – Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.

  • By guarding our minds.

Proverbs 15:14 – A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.

  • By admitting my mistakes and sins.

Proverbs 28:13 – A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.

Hosea 4:4 – Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!

Romans 3:23-24 – All of us have fallen short, yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ if we trust in Jesus Christ, who freely takes away our sins.

November 4 2012 The Choice Of Purity

THE CHOICE OF PURITY

Matthew 5:8 - Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Pure in Heart:

Matthew 6:1 - Be careful not to parade your good deeds before others to attract their notice, or you will lose all reward for your Father in heaven.

How to Develop a Pure Heart (Matthew 6)

1. Remember God sees everything.
Vs. 4, 6, 18 - Your Father sees what is done in secret.

Hebrews 4:13 - Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

2. Review my motives.
Proverbs 24:21 - God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch over you. He knows, and He will reward you according to what you do!

• Giving (vs. 2-4)
• Praying (vs. 5-15)
• Fasting (vs. 16-18)

1 Thessalonians 2:4 - We do not aim to please others, but to please God who knows us through and through.

3. Realign your priorities.
Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before Me.

Three Tests

• Look at my activities.
Matthew 6:19 - Don’t pile up treasures on earth, but keep your treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

• Look at my anxieties.
Matthew 6:25 - Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life.

• Look at my ambitions.
Matthew 6:31-33 - Don’t worry about (these things), this is what pagans are always looking for, your heavenly Father knows you need them. Instead, set your heart first on His Kingdom, and His goodness and all those things will come to you as a matter of course.

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.