2 Timothy 3:10-17
Big Idea: The necessity of Scripture in the pursuit of Godliness
Godly-conforming to the laws and will of God
In contrast to the false teachers…you Timothy. The progress of a believer in contrast to the unbeliever, they go from bad to worse but we should be going from bad to better. We will only do that if we realize the necessity of Scripture.
Three ways this passage teaches us how to progress into Godliness and they all revolve around the Scriptures
1. Follow those who are Godly Vrs 10-12 (Mentors Message)
-My teaching – The Word
-My conduct – Gospel centered living
-My aim - the concept is precise, Paul knew what he was to do…preach the Gospel
-My faith - trusting the Lord no matter what happens
-My patience – serving the Lord no matter what the result. We talk to people and they are not interested. He talked to people and they beat him
-My love - Love the Lord and love others
-My steadfastness – firm in purpose
-My persecution & suffering – dealing with the bad, many times we only want to follow the path of least resistance rather then dealing with disappointment. Thomas Edison “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
Vrs 12 If we pursue a Godly life we will encounter obstacles
V12 this is not just for a certain group of select Christians…this is for “ALL” who follow after the Lord…at some time or another there will be difficulty
(Vrs 13) Evil people & imposters bad to worse…deceived and deceive others.
2. Learn from those who are Godly Vrs 14-15a (Mentors message Eunice and Lois) Build on the foundation you received from Godly people.
How do you know they are Godly? First clue is… they use their Bible
Spurgeon “show me a man whose Bible is falling apart from use and I will show you a man who is not”
There is a difference between “us” and “them” and it will be marked by reliance on the Scriptures.
These are casual relationships that you may have in life that you can call upon or ask for advice in certain situations. The Bible says “there is wisdom in many counselors”
Listen Timothy these false teachers did not listen to Godly mentors and they did not listen to their Momma and Grand Momma’s and they don’t listen to the Word of the Lord, that is why they are so messed up….not you…
3. Practice the correct use and view of the Scriptures
Vrs 15b-17
• “wise for salvation” 15b Salvation GOSPEL direct contrast to false teaching which leads to damnation.
All Scripture (means Old and New Testament) The law is a tutor to bring us to Christ
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. —Jerome, A.D. 340-420
• “Breathed out by God” Vrs 16 God put His breath in the first man Adam God put His breath in the Word, that is why nothing holds a candle to the Word…God blows it out.
• “Profitable”- It is useful because it is from God. If we forget the nature of the Bible it will erode our faith.
We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.— R.C. Sproul
Average American watches 34 hours a week of tv
You can hear from God as much as you want
The main profit in it is that it is the God of the universe talking to us
Bryan Chapell “Youth Group game”
• Teaching- Exchange of information and gaining knowledge. Doctrine-teaching the ignorant, truths which cannot not otherwise know.
But it is not just Cliff Claven, not just knowledge
• Reproof – conviction – what is amiss
Convicting the erring of their error
(when I was 18 reading the Bible and felt a deep conviction of the sin I living in)
• Correction –setting one right
• Training- How to or how has it worked for you
The Result = Godliness
V17 supports the doctrine of “sufficiency of Scripture” which basically states that Scripture provides what is needed to be Godly.
Complete “Competent” the Word of God Completes us to conform to the law and will of God
An unknown writer said, "This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Entrusted Series: "Dealing With Discouragements"
What to do when you feel discouraged about the spiritual climate around you?
2 Timothy 3:1-9
• It brings discouragement when people have…
Misplaced love (love for idols)
-lovers of self (think of self first)
-lovers of money (greedy)
-lovers of pleasure rather then lovers of God (sin give pleasure)
An unrealistic view of self
-proud & swollen with conceit
-arrogant (glorifying self & thinking I call the shots)
-without self control (I can handle this)
-ungrateful (don’t give praise to Jesus)
-unholy (unlike Jesus)
-unappeasable (nothing makes us happy but we think it will)
Disregard for others
-slanderous (talking about and back stabbing)
-heartless (lack of concern for others)
-brutal
-abusive (mentally, emotionally spiritually & physically)
-disobedient to their parents (that can be discouraging)
-not loving good (rejoicing in sin)
-treacherous & reckless (being in a relationship with this person just takes its toll, volatile)
Confused spiritual beliefs
-appearance of godliness but denying the power (religious)
-lead people that are struggling away from the truth (the are dangerous to the weak)
Vrs 6 there is a danger… “capture” did you know that one of the Mormon’s openers if you say you are a Christian is? “That is true but we have more of that truth” Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
-learning new things but never truth based (is knowledge power?) People like Depock Chopra
-oppose the Godly. In every chapter of this book Paul names at least 2 names Chap 1 Hermongenes & Phygelus Chapter 2 Hymenasus & Philetus Chapter 4 Demas & Alexander. All these people were leading others away from the truth. Every generation will have people who will rise up as teachers that will stray others from the faith. I believe it is paving the way for the Anti-Christ
Vrs 8 Jannes and Jambres looked like they had something going good but they really were against the truth Ex 7 an example of how people will try to mimic Godliness but in their own power they will be unsuccessful, they were trying to things on their own. Staff, blood, frogs Ex 8:19 gnats…”the finger of God”
• To deal with these discouragements…understand this.
1. It is going to happen because we are in the “Last days” Vrs 1 (prepare ourselves, choose to do and say things that have some degree of Gospel importance) Jesus said they hated Him first.
2. Avoid those people if possible Vrs 5 (the concept I want to instill in all of us here is this, don’t let it get you down, if you need to change your situation, maybe that is what God is pressing on you to do, some people think that just because they are sticking it out in a situation it must be God’s will)
Vrs 5b “Avoid such people” How can I avoid them??? They go to church here, they live in my house. Jesus ran off and avoided they crowds at times
3. People will oppose you Vrs 8 (sometimes you try to avoid but they seek you out and oppose you, like when you are kid and people make fun of you…I am just minding my own business but they seem to find me) The religious leaders opposed Jesus
4. They will not get far Vrs 9 (Jesus is the winning team, the beauty of His justice is that He puts an end to those who do not trust Him) Jesus knew what the end result was
5. They will be made known Vrs 9 (Jesus takes care of all situations eventually, exposes) The word “folly” here is also used in Luke 6:11 and it carries the idea of being so enraged that you cannot clearly think about what is going on. The account in Luke 6:11 when Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath started the authorities in the plot to kill Jesus. And interestingly enough we find in 1 Cor 2:8-9 their foolishness brought forth God’s ultimate plan.
Can we “understand this” on our own? No
When you are discouraged think about the beautiful truth of Jesus and what He did and look for solace in Him. In the face of huge discouragement from the very people He mad rebelling against Him He was willing to die for them and us.
We can only deal with our discouragements through Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:1-9
• It brings discouragement when people have…
Misplaced love (love for idols)
-lovers of self (think of self first)
-lovers of money (greedy)
-lovers of pleasure rather then lovers of God (sin give pleasure)
An unrealistic view of self
-proud & swollen with conceit
-arrogant (glorifying self & thinking I call the shots)
-without self control (I can handle this)
-ungrateful (don’t give praise to Jesus)
-unholy (unlike Jesus)
-unappeasable (nothing makes us happy but we think it will)
Disregard for others
-slanderous (talking about and back stabbing)
-heartless (lack of concern for others)
-brutal
-abusive (mentally, emotionally spiritually & physically)
-disobedient to their parents (that can be discouraging)
-not loving good (rejoicing in sin)
-treacherous & reckless (being in a relationship with this person just takes its toll, volatile)
Confused spiritual beliefs
-appearance of godliness but denying the power (religious)
-lead people that are struggling away from the truth (the are dangerous to the weak)
Vrs 6 there is a danger… “capture” did you know that one of the Mormon’s openers if you say you are a Christian is? “That is true but we have more of that truth” Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
-learning new things but never truth based (is knowledge power?) People like Depock Chopra
-oppose the Godly. In every chapter of this book Paul names at least 2 names Chap 1 Hermongenes & Phygelus Chapter 2 Hymenasus & Philetus Chapter 4 Demas & Alexander. All these people were leading others away from the truth. Every generation will have people who will rise up as teachers that will stray others from the faith. I believe it is paving the way for the Anti-Christ
Vrs 8 Jannes and Jambres looked like they had something going good but they really were against the truth Ex 7 an example of how people will try to mimic Godliness but in their own power they will be unsuccessful, they were trying to things on their own. Staff, blood, frogs Ex 8:19 gnats…”the finger of God”
• To deal with these discouragements…understand this.
1. It is going to happen because we are in the “Last days” Vrs 1 (prepare ourselves, choose to do and say things that have some degree of Gospel importance) Jesus said they hated Him first.
2. Avoid those people if possible Vrs 5 (the concept I want to instill in all of us here is this, don’t let it get you down, if you need to change your situation, maybe that is what God is pressing on you to do, some people think that just because they are sticking it out in a situation it must be God’s will)
Vrs 5b “Avoid such people” How can I avoid them??? They go to church here, they live in my house. Jesus ran off and avoided they crowds at times
3. People will oppose you Vrs 8 (sometimes you try to avoid but they seek you out and oppose you, like when you are kid and people make fun of you…I am just minding my own business but they seem to find me) The religious leaders opposed Jesus
4. They will not get far Vrs 9 (Jesus is the winning team, the beauty of His justice is that He puts an end to those who do not trust Him) Jesus knew what the end result was
5. They will be made known Vrs 9 (Jesus takes care of all situations eventually, exposes) The word “folly” here is also used in Luke 6:11 and it carries the idea of being so enraged that you cannot clearly think about what is going on. The account in Luke 6:11 when Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath started the authorities in the plot to kill Jesus. And interestingly enough we find in 1 Cor 2:8-9 their foolishness brought forth God’s ultimate plan.
Can we “understand this” on our own? No
When you are discouraged think about the beautiful truth of Jesus and what He did and look for solace in Him. In the face of huge discouragement from the very people He mad rebelling against Him He was willing to die for them and us.
We can only deal with our discouragements through Jesus.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Entrusted Series "Whose Am I" Discipleship Part 6
2 Timothy 2:14-26
In this life we all grapple with “who we are” or “who we want to be”. The society and our culture dictate what is acceptable. We all have things that attribute to who we are and many times we define who we are by
-This that we do…
the way we dress, what music we listen too, our choice in hobbies, what profession or career we are in, what college we chose, what we drive, where we work, where we live how many children we have or don’t have.
0r by
-Things that happened to us…
Divorce of parents, personal divorce, death of someone close, victim of abuse, or simply as we find in the warning here of how we have been lied to.
Those things all build into “who we are” and the things we do and the things we say are a response of that environment
What Paul is communicating to Timothy here and what he wants Timothy to communicate to the people is… the things we do and the words we say do not come from “who we are” but “whose we are”.
Who you belong to impacts your life.
You may be saying “I belong to myself so I am all good” I would say what Thomas Brooks the Puritan would say. “You have taken Satan’s bait” and guess what you may not know it but if you do not belong to the Lord you belong to Satan.
Paul in this passage goes on to describe how people who belong to Satan will often act and how people who belong to the Lord should act and actually in this case react.
So the reminder or the lesson we learn here is…what you do and what you say and what you do not do and say you are going to show others
“who” you belong to…Jesus
Vrs 14-19 Remind…of who you belong too and how we should act because of that. GOSEPL = belonging to the Lord
• Don’t (like those who do not belong to the Lord)
-Quarrel about words (ruins the hearer) (Radio preachers defining themselves by what they are against) Vrs 14
-Babble (talk to hear yourself talk) Vrs 16-18 “I am just thinking out loud” (Lead people away) “No inner monologue”
“spread the gangrene” it is like a disease dis-ease. The two men were just causing bad doctrine and theology to spread.
• Do (those who do belong to the Lord)
-Handle the Word rightly Vrs 15 (learn, study, pray)
-Realize you can’t pull one over on the Lord Vrs 19 “He Knows”
-Depart from sin Vrs 19b (Jesus said to the women “Go and sin no more) if you want to be a vessel that is used for righteousness you must flee wickedness
• When we act like the one we belong to we are actually used by our owner
Vrs 20-21 if we are obedient to Him we will be useful to Him. A huge motivation of your Christian life should be “I want to be useful to Jesus”
Back to the Do’s and Don’ts Vrs 22-25a
• Do
-Flee youthful passions Vrs 22 (Act mature) Paul said when I was a child I acted like a child
-Pursue Virtues Vrs 22 (faith, love, peace and pure heart)
-Kind to all Vrs 24 Jesus said pray for those who persecute you.
-Able to teach (formal and informal) Vrs 24 (We all informally teach)
-Patient when wronged Vrs 24 (How do I deal with people when the wrong me) Think of Jesus going to the cross
-Correct with gentleness Vrs 25a
• Don’t
-Get involved in controversies Vrs 23 (Our cause is the Gospel)
-Look for a fight Vrs 24 (attitude…I would knock his head off)
Vrs 25b-26
Notice…It is not just doing right for our own personal benefit as much as it is for the Lord and to win others
…This is what we become useful for…
The Goal is to win those who are lost…notice it is not to prove we are right, to make society better, to promote our personal agenda it is so others come to faith in Christ.
The goal should never be “I told them” or “I got my way” the goal should be bring glory to Jesus and one major way we do that is winning others to Him.
So when we do things as believers we have to ask “How is the promoting Jesus and Gospel centered living among the people.
Vrs 26 sums up why we should be gentle and not quarrelsome with opponents…because they are held captive by Satan. They have not come to their senses and if we deal ruthlessly or bitterly with them we are not being an example of Jesus
Understand this we are in battle…Satan and his demons are owning people and we are trying to focus and follow Christ to such a degree that others can know the steep price that Jesus paid to buy them back. 2 Cor 4:4
So it is not “who you are” it is “whose you are”
In this life we all grapple with “who we are” or “who we want to be”. The society and our culture dictate what is acceptable. We all have things that attribute to who we are and many times we define who we are by
-This that we do…
the way we dress, what music we listen too, our choice in hobbies, what profession or career we are in, what college we chose, what we drive, where we work, where we live how many children we have or don’t have.
0r by
-Things that happened to us…
Divorce of parents, personal divorce, death of someone close, victim of abuse, or simply as we find in the warning here of how we have been lied to.
Those things all build into “who we are” and the things we do and the things we say are a response of that environment
What Paul is communicating to Timothy here and what he wants Timothy to communicate to the people is… the things we do and the words we say do not come from “who we are” but “whose we are”.
Who you belong to impacts your life.
You may be saying “I belong to myself so I am all good” I would say what Thomas Brooks the Puritan would say. “You have taken Satan’s bait” and guess what you may not know it but if you do not belong to the Lord you belong to Satan.
Paul in this passage goes on to describe how people who belong to Satan will often act and how people who belong to the Lord should act and actually in this case react.
So the reminder or the lesson we learn here is…what you do and what you say and what you do not do and say you are going to show others
“who” you belong to…Jesus
Vrs 14-19 Remind…of who you belong too and how we should act because of that. GOSEPL = belonging to the Lord
• Don’t (like those who do not belong to the Lord)
-Quarrel about words (ruins the hearer) (Radio preachers defining themselves by what they are against) Vrs 14
-Babble (talk to hear yourself talk) Vrs 16-18 “I am just thinking out loud” (Lead people away) “No inner monologue”
“spread the gangrene” it is like a disease dis-ease. The two men were just causing bad doctrine and theology to spread.
• Do (those who do belong to the Lord)
-Handle the Word rightly Vrs 15 (learn, study, pray)
-Realize you can’t pull one over on the Lord Vrs 19 “He Knows”
-Depart from sin Vrs 19b (Jesus said to the women “Go and sin no more) if you want to be a vessel that is used for righteousness you must flee wickedness
• When we act like the one we belong to we are actually used by our owner
Vrs 20-21 if we are obedient to Him we will be useful to Him. A huge motivation of your Christian life should be “I want to be useful to Jesus”
Back to the Do’s and Don’ts Vrs 22-25a
• Do
-Flee youthful passions Vrs 22 (Act mature) Paul said when I was a child I acted like a child
-Pursue Virtues Vrs 22 (faith, love, peace and pure heart)
-Kind to all Vrs 24 Jesus said pray for those who persecute you.
-Able to teach (formal and informal) Vrs 24 (We all informally teach)
-Patient when wronged Vrs 24 (How do I deal with people when the wrong me) Think of Jesus going to the cross
-Correct with gentleness Vrs 25a
• Don’t
-Get involved in controversies Vrs 23 (Our cause is the Gospel)
-Look for a fight Vrs 24 (attitude…I would knock his head off)
Vrs 25b-26
Notice…It is not just doing right for our own personal benefit as much as it is for the Lord and to win others
…This is what we become useful for…
The Goal is to win those who are lost…notice it is not to prove we are right, to make society better, to promote our personal agenda it is so others come to faith in Christ.
The goal should never be “I told them” or “I got my way” the goal should be bring glory to Jesus and one major way we do that is winning others to Him.
So when we do things as believers we have to ask “How is the promoting Jesus and Gospel centered living among the people.
Vrs 26 sums up why we should be gentle and not quarrelsome with opponents…because they are held captive by Satan. They have not come to their senses and if we deal ruthlessly or bitterly with them we are not being an example of Jesus
Understand this we are in battle…Satan and his demons are owning people and we are trying to focus and follow Christ to such a degree that others can know the steep price that Jesus paid to buy them back. 2 Cor 4:4
So it is not “who you are” it is “whose you are”
Monday, February 7, 2011
Entrusted "A Disciple Lifts Jesus Up" Discipleship Part 5
2 Timothy 8-13
On the heals of “THINK”
Vrs 8 I don’t think that Timothy has forgotten about Jesus. But the challenge here is this…
Remember that what we do is for the glory of Jesus (to lift Him up)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism states..
“A persons chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”
GOSPEL 1 Cor 6:20
-Resurrection from the dead
-Seed of David = shows His humanity and that He came from the line in which the OT states the Messiah would come from
-Preached
As John Calvin says in his commentary on this verse “Let no one corrupt or falsify the Gospel”
Vrs. 9 When things get tough, human circumstances do not confine the Word of God. Gamaliel in Acts 5:33-42
God’s Word does the work
In Stavropol Russia in 1930 Stalin ordered a confiscation of Bibles.
After the fall of Communism a group called CoMission was trying to get Bibles into Russia when they found out about a warehouse filled with Bibles from the days of Stalin. So they hired some workers and one was a atheistic college student, who just took the job for the cash. While they were loading the Bibles he wandered off and they found him in the corner weeping over a Bible that had found with his grandmothers name in it and she always prayed for his salvation. (Philip Ryken, Entrusted with the Gospel)
The Word will not be bound.
Vrs 10 We keep our focus on our call. We preach and live the Gospel and pray for those who do not believe and we do not sit back and say “If someone is going to be saved they are going to be saved, I can just go about my business”
Paul is saying remember all these things that a good disciple does…and they do these things so others will be become Christians and the Christians that you are serving will also be reminded of what Jesus did for us.
This is why I get so discouraged when Christians spend so much time bickering and complaining among themselves. They get so involved in what they think should be done or what they think is right or wrong that they get off focus.
I will share something with you and I will be careful on how I do so…I have noticed anytime we see a growth primarily in new people coming out, problems seem to arise from the people that are already here. I know why that is…Satan wants us to focus on ourselves rather then those who are lost and dying in their sins.
When we get caught up we are…
Thwarting the work
-Don’t let it be you who is being used by Satan to thwart the purposes of the Gospel which lead to salvation for many.
Gamaliel “opposing God”
-If you see it happening call it out.
-Restore gently because the person is deceived
If you are doing Gospel work and people are a problem and giving you a pain…don’t let it get you down. Expect it and remember Paul and other suffered greatly for it.
The temptation we have is quit. But don’t give up because your work is for Jesus and the chief purpose is to bring glory to Jesus.
If you are doing Gospel work and things seem to be going well…don’t let it go to your head.
The temptation is to say “I am doing a great job”
What we have to remember it is for the glory of Jesus and without Him doing the work we would be nothing. You will be amazed by His glory
OAC illustration kids sharing testimonies.
Arron-you must feel pretty good?
Me-“I am pretty amazed at what God has done”
But all through that particular trip God impressed upon my heart it was Him who does the work and my responsibility is to tell people the truth about Jesus because that it brings glory to Him.
I am a truth dispenser, the dispenser does a job but no one really marvels over it.
Ill Kids with a gumball machine
What do kids normally do when the dispenser does not work?
Its all for the glory of Jesus and if it is not it will eventually be made known and it will eventually not go well
Ill “Carry this stone for me” “Who are you carrying it for?” (elizabeth Elliot quoted from a Tim Keller Sermon)
Remember the chief purpose “glorify Jesus and enjoy Him” you will not enjoy Jesus if you have competing glory.
How do we glorify Jesus? These verses are probably a hymn that was sung in the early church.
Vrs 11
• Die to self - reward=live for Him and with Him
Switchfoot lyrics say “we were meant to live for so much more”
• Vrs 12 Persevere – Reward is responsibility in His kingdom
When times get tough still endure. Millennial Reign, faithful with little given much, Back to garden Work was a blessing.
• Give Him what is rightfully His
Deny=withhold something from
(your service, attention and resources) (That person loves Jesus so much that they don’t deny Him what is dearest to them)
He will deny us the rewards for not enduring. Lets take Peter for example he denied Christ and he reaped sorrow and remorse,
Each situation we are in has great potential for eternal rewards and also rewards in this life. We are denied those rewards (or get less) when we deny Him
• Vrs 13 Remain faithful – This verses teaches that Jesus’ faithfulness is not based on or a response to ours but to truly glorify Jesus we should be faithful to Him. (expound on this point) Comfort in tragic or tough situations
Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego “even if he does not”
This is a reminder that Christ’s faithfulness to us does not depend on us but it depends on Himself.
“He cannot deny Himself”
Jesus does not withhold from us, we respond to that by bringing Him glory.
On the heals of “THINK”
Vrs 8 I don’t think that Timothy has forgotten about Jesus. But the challenge here is this…
Remember that what we do is for the glory of Jesus (to lift Him up)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism states..
“A persons chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”
GOSPEL 1 Cor 6:20
-Resurrection from the dead
-Seed of David = shows His humanity and that He came from the line in which the OT states the Messiah would come from
-Preached
As John Calvin says in his commentary on this verse “Let no one corrupt or falsify the Gospel”
Vrs. 9 When things get tough, human circumstances do not confine the Word of God. Gamaliel in Acts 5:33-42
God’s Word does the work
In Stavropol Russia in 1930 Stalin ordered a confiscation of Bibles.
After the fall of Communism a group called CoMission was trying to get Bibles into Russia when they found out about a warehouse filled with Bibles from the days of Stalin. So they hired some workers and one was a atheistic college student, who just took the job for the cash. While they were loading the Bibles he wandered off and they found him in the corner weeping over a Bible that had found with his grandmothers name in it and she always prayed for his salvation. (Philip Ryken, Entrusted with the Gospel)
The Word will not be bound.
Vrs 10 We keep our focus on our call. We preach and live the Gospel and pray for those who do not believe and we do not sit back and say “If someone is going to be saved they are going to be saved, I can just go about my business”
Paul is saying remember all these things that a good disciple does…and they do these things so others will be become Christians and the Christians that you are serving will also be reminded of what Jesus did for us.
This is why I get so discouraged when Christians spend so much time bickering and complaining among themselves. They get so involved in what they think should be done or what they think is right or wrong that they get off focus.
I will share something with you and I will be careful on how I do so…I have noticed anytime we see a growth primarily in new people coming out, problems seem to arise from the people that are already here. I know why that is…Satan wants us to focus on ourselves rather then those who are lost and dying in their sins.
When we get caught up we are…
Thwarting the work
-Don’t let it be you who is being used by Satan to thwart the purposes of the Gospel which lead to salvation for many.
Gamaliel “opposing God”
-If you see it happening call it out.
-Restore gently because the person is deceived
If you are doing Gospel work and people are a problem and giving you a pain…don’t let it get you down. Expect it and remember Paul and other suffered greatly for it.
The temptation we have is quit. But don’t give up because your work is for Jesus and the chief purpose is to bring glory to Jesus.
If you are doing Gospel work and things seem to be going well…don’t let it go to your head.
The temptation is to say “I am doing a great job”
What we have to remember it is for the glory of Jesus and without Him doing the work we would be nothing. You will be amazed by His glory
OAC illustration kids sharing testimonies.
Arron-you must feel pretty good?
Me-“I am pretty amazed at what God has done”
But all through that particular trip God impressed upon my heart it was Him who does the work and my responsibility is to tell people the truth about Jesus because that it brings glory to Him.
I am a truth dispenser, the dispenser does a job but no one really marvels over it.
Ill Kids with a gumball machine
What do kids normally do when the dispenser does not work?
Its all for the glory of Jesus and if it is not it will eventually be made known and it will eventually not go well
Ill “Carry this stone for me” “Who are you carrying it for?” (elizabeth Elliot quoted from a Tim Keller Sermon)
Remember the chief purpose “glorify Jesus and enjoy Him” you will not enjoy Jesus if you have competing glory.
How do we glorify Jesus? These verses are probably a hymn that was sung in the early church.
Vrs 11
• Die to self - reward=live for Him and with Him
Switchfoot lyrics say “we were meant to live for so much more”
• Vrs 12 Persevere – Reward is responsibility in His kingdom
When times get tough still endure. Millennial Reign, faithful with little given much, Back to garden Work was a blessing.
• Give Him what is rightfully His
Deny=withhold something from
(your service, attention and resources) (That person loves Jesus so much that they don’t deny Him what is dearest to them)
He will deny us the rewards for not enduring. Lets take Peter for example he denied Christ and he reaped sorrow and remorse,
Each situation we are in has great potential for eternal rewards and also rewards in this life. We are denied those rewards (or get less) when we deny Him
• Vrs 13 Remain faithful – This verses teaches that Jesus’ faithfulness is not based on or a response to ours but to truly glorify Jesus we should be faithful to Him. (expound on this point) Comfort in tragic or tough situations
Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego “even if he does not”
This is a reminder that Christ’s faithfulness to us does not depend on us but it depends on Himself.
“He cannot deny Himself”
Jesus does not withhold from us, we respond to that by bringing Him glory.
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