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.

April 10 2016 The Cure For Your "I" Problem

THE CURE FOR YOUR "I" PROBLEM

James 4:6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Good pride = Self-respect, dignity, satisfaction with a job well done. Joy in seeing others succeed. (Gal. 6:4, 2 Cor.7:4)

Bad pride = Conceit, egotism, selfishness. Attitude of superiority, (Prov. 16:5, 18, 29-33)

I. HOW PRIDE CAUSES PROBLEMS

1. IT PREVENTS ME FROM GROWING.

Proverbs 26:12"There is more hope for a fool than for a man who is wise in his own eyes, "

Proverbs 10:17 (LB)"Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.

2. IT POISONS MY RELATIONSHIPS

Proverbs 13: 10"Pride only breeds quarrels."

Matthew 7:5"Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will be able to see and take the speck out of your brother's eye. "

3. IT PRODUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY

Proverbs 29:25 (GN)"It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you

Proverbs 20:27 (GN) The Lord gave us a mind and conscience. We cannot hide from ourselves."

Matthew 5:5 (GN)"Happy are the humble! "

II HOW TO BE HUMBLE AND HAPPY

1. ADMIT MY WEAKNESSES HONESTLY

Proverbs 28: 1 3 (LB)"A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance. "

2. EVALUATE MY STRENGTHS REALISTICALLY

Romans 12:3 (Ph)"Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities. - - "

Galatians 6:4"Each man should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else."

3. ENJOY MY SUCCESSES GRATEFULLY

1 Corinthians 4:7 (LB)"What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you, have is from God, why act as though you have accomplished something on your own?"

4. SERVE OTHERS UNSELFISHLY.

Philippians 2:3-5"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves... Look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ."

5. HUMBLE MYSELF VOLUNTARILY

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift -you up.

April 10 2015 Your Failures And God's Grace

YOUR FAILURES AND GOD’S GRACE

Psalm 80:19 – Restore us O Lord God of Hose, cause your face to shine and we shall be saved.

Four Causes Of Drifting Away.

1. Over-Confidence.

1 Corinthians 10:12 – Let him who standeth take heed lest he fall.

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

2. Laziness.

Mark 14:37 – Could you not keep watch for one hour.

Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

3. Fear of disapproval.

Mark 15:54 - Peter followed Him at a distance.

Proverbs 29:25 – Fearing people is a dangerous trap.

Mark 8:28 – (Jesus) If anyone is ashamed of Me and My Words, I will be ashamed of him before the Holy angels and My Father in heaven.

4. Convenience.

Verse 54 – There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

Steps To God’s Restoration

Jeremiah 15:19 – If you will return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me.

Isaiah 1:18 – No matter how deep the stains of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.

1. Confession of my movement away.

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

2. Cooperation with God’s presence.

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.

Psalm 37:34 – Wait for the Lord and keep His way.  He will exalt you to possess the land.

3. Consecrate your whole life to God.

Romans 12: 1-2 – I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.

4. Continue to serve God.

John 21:15 – Feed my sheep.

2 Corinthians 5:18 – God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Jeremiah 15:19 – If you return to Me, I will restore you.

April 19 2015 When You Feel Like You're Stuck

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE STUCK

Psalm 145:14 – God gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

Mark 10:46 – Sitting beside the road.

Mark 10:52 – Following Jesus on the road.

HOW DO I GET UNSTUCK

SEIZE the moment when it comes.

Mark 10:46 – As Jesus and His disciples left town, a great crowd was following.  A blind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by.  When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Luke 9:62 – Jesus said, “No procrastination.  No backward looks.  You can’t put God’s Kingdom off till tomorrow.  Seize the day.”

TAME your fears.

Mark 10:48 – Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet.  But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

John 6:37 – I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me.

Proverbs 29:25 – The rear of human opinion disables you, trusting in God protects you from that.

ANNOUNCE your faith.

Mark 10:51 – Jesus asked him “What do you want me to do for you?”  The blind man answered, “Teacher, I want to see.”

Galatians 3:27 – Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start.  It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe, Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.

RECEIVE God’s grace.

Mark 10:52a – Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.”  And immediately he gained his sight.

Ephesians 2:8 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

TAKE the next step.

Mark 10 52b – He regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.

James 2:14 – If people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing.

1 Corinthians 1:30 – Everything that we have, right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start, comes from God by way of Jesus Christ

January 11, 2015 Becoming God's Usable Person

BECOMING GOD’S USABLE PERSON

Genesis 6:1-22

Hebrews 11:7 – By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family.  By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

2 Chronicles 16:9 – For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

Four Characteristics Of Noah

1. Noah was available.

Genesis 6:5, 7, 9 – The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, so the Lord said, I will wipe mankind from the face of the earth.  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

2. Noah dared to be different.

Verse 9 – Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God.

Proverbs 29:25 – Fear of man will prove to be a snare.

Verse 9 – He walked with God.

3. Noah followed God completely.

Verse 22 – Noah did everything, just as God commanded.

Genesis 7:5 – And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

4. Noah never gave up.

Genesis 6:3 – Then the Lord said, My Spirit will not contend with man forever.

Three Things That Tempt Us To Quit:

• Problems
• Pressures
• People