Thursday, September 3, 2009
Don't just claim to know Christ, live out the life for Him!
Patrick McGrath speaks on living a life for the Lord, and not just claiming to be a Christian. Many people can call themselves Christians, but if they aren't living out the life giving Him Glory every second in every area of their lives, then they can't call them self a believer! God is a holy God, many people don't get that!
Are you drowning in sin?
Patrick McGrath talks about how a lot of times, we get involved in sin too much, even while trying to live a life for the Lord. But, we must be willing to die to our flesh everyday. The Lord is able to deliver us from anything. Are you drowning in sin? Give your life fully to Him, and surrender it all.
The consuming fire of the Lord
A video demonstrating the fire of the Lord and a challenge to God's true believers to allow that fire to reign in their lives. God is a consuming fire! Are you allowing His fire to flow through you today?
Choose a side!
A video by Patrick McGrath challenging people to pick a side. What side are you on? Are you living a life for the world wholeheartedly, or are you living a life for God wholeheartedly? There's no in between. Choose a side.
Turn off your idol!!!
www.puregospeltruth.com - Paul Washer and David Wilkerson preach against the wickedness of much of what is found on TV, and against the compromises of many American Christians who love to watch the very things that God despises. The Psalmist said in God's Word: "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me" (Psalm 101:3). Do you set wicked things before your eyes and take pleasure in viewing them? Have you delighted in an abomination before the Lord? Are you guilty of idolatry?
Do you have a true hatefulness for all wickedness?
-Psalm 101:3-4, "I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil."
-Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,"
-So, if we watch TV or any movie, are we not setting vile things before our eyes, especially in today's society?
-As an American culture, we have heavily clung to media, Hollywood, and anything it produces. So as Christians, do we truly take this Scripture to heart, and apply it to our lives? We must get to a point where we hate every ounce of evil in our lives. The question is, will we take action to avoid it, and get it out of our lives?
-Jude 23, "...hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
-In the same verse, it also says "snatch others from the fire and save them;" But, we have to be careful not to become so much like non-Christians that no one can tell who you are or what you believe. If we are truly in Christ, the world should have no influence on us in anyway. We should not be like non-believers at all in anyway.
-Influence them for Christ, don't allow them to influence you to sin!
-That's the problem with many so-called "Christians" today, they call themselves Christians, but by their life, there's no difference between them and the world. They may have a form of godliness, but they deny it's power.
-2 Timothy 3:5, "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
-Our claims to know Jesus Christ, mean nothing!!!
-Titus 1:16, "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good."
-Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then i will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
-By the way we live our life, must resemble or portray that, not only do we know Jesus Christ, but also that He knows us.
-When we watch TV or any movie, or listen to any secular song, or see a photo that we shouldn't have seen, those things filter into our mind, and find itself in the depths of our heart, and it sits there, and corrupts our Spirit man, and our heart. There are spiritual snipers everywhere trying to attack us.
-You don't have to go looking for sin, it comes looking for you.
-Just try to think back, has there ever been an image that you saw, that you knew in your Spirit you shouldn't have seen, and immediately it's engraved in your heart and mind? And now when you think about it, that image comes up?
-That's why as true Christians, we must be completely careful and on guard what we listen to, what we look at, what we say, or what we do. We must completely get rid of or crush anything that sets itself up in our lives against the knowledge or Word of God.
-2 Corinthians 10:5, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
-Even our thoughts must be submitted to His control as we live for Him. Because, we must ask ourselves, have we truly made Jesus Christ, Lord of our lives, in every area?
-There was a true story I once heard from one of my mentors', Pastor Aaron Turner: There once was a man who went to work everyday. And as he had drove his car, there was a billboard on the side of the highway that would cause him to stumble with lust in his Christian walk. So, he finally decided to go a whole other route to get to work that was longer, just for the Lord's sake. So he wouldn't stumble any longer. He was so willing to sacrifice, to live a holy life, and get to know the Lord Jesus Christ more. He was willing to surrender it all to Him.
-Would we be willing to sacrifice, and go out of our way, just to avoid a billboard, that would cause us to stumble; which is a spiritual sniper, so that we could truly get to know the Lord Jesus Christ and obey His Word? This man was willing to sacrifice and surrender anything to avoid any type of sin. We should apply this in our lives, to every area. Even if we have to get rid of TVs, movies, computers, or anything that causes us to stumble.
-So, ask yourself this, are you willing to sacrifice and surrender anything for His sake? Because Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us.
-A powerful example I want to point to is the story of Smith Wigglesworth. This man was a true man of God, and the Lord used him in such a powerful way to reach souls for the Lord. I'd encourage you to read his biography and story. One thing about him, was he never read anything except the Bible. He made it a habit, that he didn't want to know mans' opinion, but what God had to say. This is such a powerful illustration, because if you look at his life, you can definitely see that this man of God, was truly dedicated to God, more than most people today. So, from his example, ask yourselves this, how much closer to the Lord would you be if we were to fully dedicate our lives to Christ, just like Smith Wigglesworth did?
-Imagine how much more powerful the Lord would show up in your life. The Lord is looking for the faithful in the earth that are His, as it says here in Luke 18:8, "...However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
-The Lord is in the process right now of separating the sheep from the goats. Will you be a sheep or a goat? Examine your life. Smith Wigglesworth wouldn't allow anything in his life if it wasn't of the Lord. Now if we applied that to our lives today, how much stuff, or how many things would we be surrendering over to the Lord, this very moment in our lives? Probably too much to count, i can guarantee. And that's how it is in everybody's life today.
-Smith's example provides such a vitally important lesson, and shows how truly important it is to live our lives truly for Christ.
-Now think about this, Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." So, if we go to the movie theater, and watch any movie, aren't we sitting in the seat of mockers? When we watch that television show, aren't we watching the same things as mockers or scoffers? When we listen to that worldly music, aren't we walking in the counsel of the wicked? Examine your life, and ask yourself these questions. Does the Lord truly approve of everything you do, say, and listen to? Or are you making that judgment for yourself, of what you decide you want to do, say, or listen to, rather than letting God approve of what you do?
-Psalm 36:1-4, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong."
-Don't become people as these verses describe. The more you compromise and rationalize things, the more you will become like people that these verses describe. We must give God our lives in every area, allow Him to approve of everything in our lives according to His Word, hate all wickedness, and live the true life for Christ, like Smith Wigglesworth did.
-The sad thing is, there's many people like those verses describe in America, and all over the nation, and the even sadder part, is it's in most churches. When are we going to confront it? When are we going to Say NO!! to all ungodliness and worldly passions? When are we going to get sick and tired of it, and truly make Jesus Christ Lord of our lives? When are we going to get to a point, where we completely hate all wickedness with every ounce of our soul and being? When are we actually going to live out what God's Word teaches us to do?
-Examine your hearts, an if you claim to be a Christian, your life must line up with God's Word, and we must hate all wickedness, and stay away from it. There's no fellowship between light and darkness. I challenge you to apply this teaching and biblical viewpoint to your life. Because, we must live what God's Word tells us. God Bless everyone!
-PM
-Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,"
-So, if we watch TV or any movie, are we not setting vile things before our eyes, especially in today's society?
-As an American culture, we have heavily clung to media, Hollywood, and anything it produces. So as Christians, do we truly take this Scripture to heart, and apply it to our lives? We must get to a point where we hate every ounce of evil in our lives. The question is, will we take action to avoid it, and get it out of our lives?
-Jude 23, "...hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
-In the same verse, it also says "snatch others from the fire and save them;" But, we have to be careful not to become so much like non-Christians that no one can tell who you are or what you believe. If we are truly in Christ, the world should have no influence on us in anyway. We should not be like non-believers at all in anyway.
-Influence them for Christ, don't allow them to influence you to sin!
-That's the problem with many so-called "Christians" today, they call themselves Christians, but by their life, there's no difference between them and the world. They may have a form of godliness, but they deny it's power.
-2 Timothy 3:5, "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
-Our claims to know Jesus Christ, mean nothing!!!
-Titus 1:16, "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good."
-Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then i will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
-By the way we live our life, must resemble or portray that, not only do we know Jesus Christ, but also that He knows us.
-When we watch TV or any movie, or listen to any secular song, or see a photo that we shouldn't have seen, those things filter into our mind, and find itself in the depths of our heart, and it sits there, and corrupts our Spirit man, and our heart. There are spiritual snipers everywhere trying to attack us.
-You don't have to go looking for sin, it comes looking for you.
-Just try to think back, has there ever been an image that you saw, that you knew in your Spirit you shouldn't have seen, and immediately it's engraved in your heart and mind? And now when you think about it, that image comes up?
-That's why as true Christians, we must be completely careful and on guard what we listen to, what we look at, what we say, or what we do. We must completely get rid of or crush anything that sets itself up in our lives against the knowledge or Word of God.
-2 Corinthians 10:5, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
-Even our thoughts must be submitted to His control as we live for Him. Because, we must ask ourselves, have we truly made Jesus Christ, Lord of our lives, in every area?
-There was a true story I once heard from one of my mentors', Pastor Aaron Turner: There once was a man who went to work everyday. And as he had drove his car, there was a billboard on the side of the highway that would cause him to stumble with lust in his Christian walk. So, he finally decided to go a whole other route to get to work that was longer, just for the Lord's sake. So he wouldn't stumble any longer. He was so willing to sacrifice, to live a holy life, and get to know the Lord Jesus Christ more. He was willing to surrender it all to Him.
-Would we be willing to sacrifice, and go out of our way, just to avoid a billboard, that would cause us to stumble; which is a spiritual sniper, so that we could truly get to know the Lord Jesus Christ and obey His Word? This man was willing to sacrifice and surrender anything to avoid any type of sin. We should apply this in our lives, to every area. Even if we have to get rid of TVs, movies, computers, or anything that causes us to stumble.
-So, ask yourself this, are you willing to sacrifice and surrender anything for His sake? Because Jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us.
-A powerful example I want to point to is the story of Smith Wigglesworth. This man was a true man of God, and the Lord used him in such a powerful way to reach souls for the Lord. I'd encourage you to read his biography and story. One thing about him, was he never read anything except the Bible. He made it a habit, that he didn't want to know mans' opinion, but what God had to say. This is such a powerful illustration, because if you look at his life, you can definitely see that this man of God, was truly dedicated to God, more than most people today. So, from his example, ask yourselves this, how much closer to the Lord would you be if we were to fully dedicate our lives to Christ, just like Smith Wigglesworth did?
-Imagine how much more powerful the Lord would show up in your life. The Lord is looking for the faithful in the earth that are His, as it says here in Luke 18:8, "...However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
-The Lord is in the process right now of separating the sheep from the goats. Will you be a sheep or a goat? Examine your life. Smith Wigglesworth wouldn't allow anything in his life if it wasn't of the Lord. Now if we applied that to our lives today, how much stuff, or how many things would we be surrendering over to the Lord, this very moment in our lives? Probably too much to count, i can guarantee. And that's how it is in everybody's life today.
-Smith's example provides such a vitally important lesson, and shows how truly important it is to live our lives truly for Christ.
-Now think about this, Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." So, if we go to the movie theater, and watch any movie, aren't we sitting in the seat of mockers? When we watch that television show, aren't we watching the same things as mockers or scoffers? When we listen to that worldly music, aren't we walking in the counsel of the wicked? Examine your life, and ask yourself these questions. Does the Lord truly approve of everything you do, say, and listen to? Or are you making that judgment for yourself, of what you decide you want to do, say, or listen to, rather than letting God approve of what you do?
-Psalm 36:1-4, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong."
-Don't become people as these verses describe. The more you compromise and rationalize things, the more you will become like people that these verses describe. We must give God our lives in every area, allow Him to approve of everything in our lives according to His Word, hate all wickedness, and live the true life for Christ, like Smith Wigglesworth did.
-The sad thing is, there's many people like those verses describe in America, and all over the nation, and the even sadder part, is it's in most churches. When are we going to confront it? When are we going to Say NO!! to all ungodliness and worldly passions? When are we going to get sick and tired of it, and truly make Jesus Christ Lord of our lives? When are we going to get to a point, where we completely hate all wickedness with every ounce of our soul and being? When are we actually going to live out what God's Word teaches us to do?
-Examine your hearts, an if you claim to be a Christian, your life must line up with God's Word, and we must hate all wickedness, and stay away from it. There's no fellowship between light and darkness. I challenge you to apply this teaching and biblical viewpoint to your life. Because, we must live what God's Word tells us. God Bless everyone!
-PM
Being Completely dependant and Trusting in the Lord
-One of the biggest things I have definitely learned this year that I want to speak about is having complete trust and dependency on the Lord.
-It was certainly one thing I struggled with before I came to Kings Commission (this 9 month discipleship program that i graduated from in May of 2009), because I just thought I could get anything on my own, and provide for myself at any time if I needed to. I would either look to myself to provide for my needs, and my parents. I never really did fully trust and be dependant whole heartedly on the Lord. But, boy was I wrong.
-Romans 7:18, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”
-Many people today don’t realize how truly important it is to be completely dependant on God to provide for your every need, to direct your every step, and to allow Him to speak through you at all times. Many people don’t realize how important it really is to truly die to ourselves everyday, so that the Lord can live through us, and live as an example for other people around us. We don’t realize how important it is to give up everything to live for Christ, because we aren’t willing to sacrifice everything. We may sacrifice this part of our lives, and maybe this small part. But, we aren’t willing to give our complete everything in total surrender.
-But, wait, didn’t Christ give His everything for us, when He died on the cross? So, shouldn’t we give Him our everything everyday? Yes!!! By us also giving our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we give our lives for Him as well.
-1 John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
-The prophet Elijah in the Old Testament had to have complete dependency and trust in the Lord for every single thing. He had to trust the Lord to keep him alive when people were out to kill him. He had to trust the Lord to provide water when there was a drought in the area. He had to trust the Lord to provide food while he was hiding out in the wilderness from Jezebel. He had to trust the Lord to give him strength so that he could travel 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. He had to trust the Lord to rain down fire to burn up the sacrifice on the altar on Mount Carmel, to prove the worshippers of Baal wrong, and show that the God of Israel was real. Elijah had to trust the Lord for every single thing. Elijah couldn’t have provided and done everything for himself that the Lord did for him. (1 Kings 17)
-Now in today’s society we don’t see those kinds of things happen that happened back when Elijah was here on the earth. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t put our full trust in the Lord. We can’t live a single day without the Lord doing something for us. He allows us to have every single breath that we breathe. He provides for us food and water everyday. He provides for possibly a job to keep our normal living conditions up to date. He provides shelter, and a bed for you to sleep in every night, and clothes for you to wear. He provides the gift of Salvation, so that we may be saved, and have the opportunity to make Him Lord of our life. We don’t deserve anything at all. We shouldn’t expect anything at all from the Lord, because we don’t deserve it. But, the Lord still gives us these things because He loves us. But, there are so many times when we take these things for granted, like it’s ours, and we take all the credit. But, you are dead wrong if you have that attitude. The Lord deserves every bit of credit for every single thing. Because only He is the one that gives us life. So, we must also make it a determination, to surrender to Him, and to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him. He desires for us to give Him our every breath, our every decision, our every possession(because all of it is His anyway, because He gave it to us), our every idea, our every step, and etc.
-But we think that, all of those things are ours, and that we came up with them. But, no, it is all the Lord’s. The Lord came up with it all in the beginning. He gave us those things in the beginning, for He is the creator of Heaven and Earth, and everything in it. So, we must give it back to Him, by us giving our lives to Him, so that He can live through us everyday. There’s a price we must pay, to be considered true followers of Christ.
-Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said this his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
- Many people today aren’t willing to pay that price. They take everything for granted, and think they deserve everything. They think they are free to do whatever they want, and live a Christian life whatever way they want to. But, they are wrong. And we are wrong if we think that. We must read God’s Word, and live it. We must trust and depend completely on God every breath of our life. Because we can’t even live without Christ in our life.
-Christ has to be first priority in our lives. If He isn’t, we are only setting ourselves up for failure, and we are heading down a path of destruction. Elijah never put anything in higher priority than the Lord. We must never put anything over God in our lives, because whatever is above God becomes our number one priority in our lives, and becomes an idol. That breaks the Lord’s commands, and His standard that he set for us.
-Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
-We must not put relationships over God, or sports, food, possessions, people, dreams, time, etc. He must be first in every area of our life. In our decisions, what we do, what we think, what we say, how we spend our time. Is all that approved by the Lord in your life? We must come to the realization that we need to be pre-occupied by God. If we aren’t, we aren’t living our life for the Lord, whole-heartedly. And God will not accept half-heartedness. You either live a life for the Lord, or you don’t.
-Joshua 24:15, “…then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…”
-So, when it comes down to it, when the line is drawn in the sand…by the things you do in your life, and the things you say, are you living a life for the Lord, or are you living a life for yourself? Pick a side. You can’t stand in the middle, or stand on both sides.
-Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
-Do you trust and depend on the Lord, or do you trust and depend in yourself, and the things of this world?
-PM
-It was certainly one thing I struggled with before I came to Kings Commission (this 9 month discipleship program that i graduated from in May of 2009), because I just thought I could get anything on my own, and provide for myself at any time if I needed to. I would either look to myself to provide for my needs, and my parents. I never really did fully trust and be dependant whole heartedly on the Lord. But, boy was I wrong.
-Romans 7:18, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”
-Many people today don’t realize how truly important it is to be completely dependant on God to provide for your every need, to direct your every step, and to allow Him to speak through you at all times. Many people don’t realize how important it really is to truly die to ourselves everyday, so that the Lord can live through us, and live as an example for other people around us. We don’t realize how important it is to give up everything to live for Christ, because we aren’t willing to sacrifice everything. We may sacrifice this part of our lives, and maybe this small part. But, we aren’t willing to give our complete everything in total surrender.
-But, wait, didn’t Christ give His everything for us, when He died on the cross? So, shouldn’t we give Him our everything everyday? Yes!!! By us also giving our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we give our lives for Him as well.
-1 John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
-The prophet Elijah in the Old Testament had to have complete dependency and trust in the Lord for every single thing. He had to trust the Lord to keep him alive when people were out to kill him. He had to trust the Lord to provide water when there was a drought in the area. He had to trust the Lord to provide food while he was hiding out in the wilderness from Jezebel. He had to trust the Lord to give him strength so that he could travel 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. He had to trust the Lord to rain down fire to burn up the sacrifice on the altar on Mount Carmel, to prove the worshippers of Baal wrong, and show that the God of Israel was real. Elijah had to trust the Lord for every single thing. Elijah couldn’t have provided and done everything for himself that the Lord did for him. (1 Kings 17)
-Now in today’s society we don’t see those kinds of things happen that happened back when Elijah was here on the earth. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t put our full trust in the Lord. We can’t live a single day without the Lord doing something for us. He allows us to have every single breath that we breathe. He provides for us food and water everyday. He provides for possibly a job to keep our normal living conditions up to date. He provides shelter, and a bed for you to sleep in every night, and clothes for you to wear. He provides the gift of Salvation, so that we may be saved, and have the opportunity to make Him Lord of our life. We don’t deserve anything at all. We shouldn’t expect anything at all from the Lord, because we don’t deserve it. But, the Lord still gives us these things because He loves us. But, there are so many times when we take these things for granted, like it’s ours, and we take all the credit. But, you are dead wrong if you have that attitude. The Lord deserves every bit of credit for every single thing. Because only He is the one that gives us life. So, we must also make it a determination, to surrender to Him, and to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him. He desires for us to give Him our every breath, our every decision, our every possession(because all of it is His anyway, because He gave it to us), our every idea, our every step, and etc.
-But we think that, all of those things are ours, and that we came up with them. But, no, it is all the Lord’s. The Lord came up with it all in the beginning. He gave us those things in the beginning, for He is the creator of Heaven and Earth, and everything in it. So, we must give it back to Him, by us giving our lives to Him, so that He can live through us everyday. There’s a price we must pay, to be considered true followers of Christ.
-Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said this his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
- Many people today aren’t willing to pay that price. They take everything for granted, and think they deserve everything. They think they are free to do whatever they want, and live a Christian life whatever way they want to. But, they are wrong. And we are wrong if we think that. We must read God’s Word, and live it. We must trust and depend completely on God every breath of our life. Because we can’t even live without Christ in our life.
-Christ has to be first priority in our lives. If He isn’t, we are only setting ourselves up for failure, and we are heading down a path of destruction. Elijah never put anything in higher priority than the Lord. We must never put anything over God in our lives, because whatever is above God becomes our number one priority in our lives, and becomes an idol. That breaks the Lord’s commands, and His standard that he set for us.
-Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
-We must not put relationships over God, or sports, food, possessions, people, dreams, time, etc. He must be first in every area of our life. In our decisions, what we do, what we think, what we say, how we spend our time. Is all that approved by the Lord in your life? We must come to the realization that we need to be pre-occupied by God. If we aren’t, we aren’t living our life for the Lord, whole-heartedly. And God will not accept half-heartedness. You either live a life for the Lord, or you don’t.
-Joshua 24:15, “…then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…”
-So, when it comes down to it, when the line is drawn in the sand…by the things you do in your life, and the things you say, are you living a life for the Lord, or are you living a life for yourself? Pick a side. You can’t stand in the middle, or stand on both sides.
-Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
-Do you trust and depend on the Lord, or do you trust and depend in yourself, and the things of this world?
-PM
Living God's Word and Reading it: The Difference
Living God’s Word, and Reading it: The Difference
Main Scripture: James 1:19-25.
“(Vs.19) My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (Vs.20) for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (Vs. 21) Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (Vs. 22) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Vs.23) Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror (Vs. 24) and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (Vs. 25) But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
-It is important to listen to what God’s Word says, but it is much more important to obey it, to do what it says. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible study time by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes. This is a rhetorical question: Do you put into action what you have studied?
-So how important is it to live God’s Word everyday? Very Important!! If we don’t live God’s Word, and just read it, there really is no point! We must put into action, what we read out of the Word of God. Let me show you what Scripture says about those who don’t put God’s Word into practice, and may turn away after being saved. And in this Scripture, I’ll also show you what happens to them.
-2 Peter 2:20-22: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to it vomit,” and, “A sow(pig) that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.””
-Wow! It states clearly right there in these verses, that basically if you are to ever turn back after being saved, you are worse off than you were at the beginning. So, let me ask this again, how important is it again to not only read God’s Word, but live it? Very Important! It should be so important in your life to study, know, and live God’s Word, that you should have no desire whatsoever to turn back to your old way of life.
-2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”
-Your old ways, old life-style before you were saved, or old sinful desires, should be gone completely and no part of your life, if you are to be a true follower of Christ. And some people convince themselves that some of the things they may do are ok, and not sinful. If what we do does not line up with what God’s Word says, it is sin, and should be no part of our lives if we claim to be true followers of Christ.
-John 8:31-32: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
-John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
-When you are taught certain things out of God’s Word, or if you’re reading His Word, and the Lord shows you something, you must live your life according to what His Word says. Especially if you know something you are doing is wrong, and you know the Lord is convicting you, but you keep doing it, you are cursed and only digging yourself a deeper whole, according to 2 Peter 2:20-22. It says here in John 13:17, you will be blessed if you do these things.
-2 John 9: “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
-1 John 3:6: “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”
Vs. 9-10, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
Vs. 18, “Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
-As true believers of Christ, we must live out holy, pure, and dedicated lives for Christ, with all our hearts. We must give him our best everyday. Holiness, Faithfulness, and Purity are three very important things in our Christian walk. This verse will describe to you how important Holiness is in our daily Christian walk:
-Hebrews 12:14: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
-Let’s look back, at that second part of this verse, this is very important that you get this! What’s it say? “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” So, if we aren’t living holy lives for Christ, we are never going to draw close to Him like He desires us to. And if we aren’t drawing close to God everyday and growing stronger in the Lord daily, we are drawing away from Him daily.
-1 Peter 1:15: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;”
-So, it certainly shows how vital and important it is to not just read God’s Word, just so we can feel like we are getting close to God, because we have a limited amount of time, and we want to hurry and read a quick Scripture here and there each morning. No! We must live out His Word everyday, wherever we go, whether at school, the store, to our friends or family’s house, church, of course. But, it’s more than just the church, we should be living Christian lives out side of church, living God’s Word. Reading it will get you no where with God. You must live it out everyday.
-So I ask you this as my last statement: Are you living God’s Word, or just reading it?
PM
Main Scripture: James 1:19-25.
“(Vs.19) My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (Vs.20) for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (Vs. 21) Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (Vs. 22) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Vs.23) Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror (Vs. 24) and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (Vs. 25) But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
-It is important to listen to what God’s Word says, but it is much more important to obey it, to do what it says. We can measure the effectiveness of our Bible study time by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes. This is a rhetorical question: Do you put into action what you have studied?
-So how important is it to live God’s Word everyday? Very Important!! If we don’t live God’s Word, and just read it, there really is no point! We must put into action, what we read out of the Word of God. Let me show you what Scripture says about those who don’t put God’s Word into practice, and may turn away after being saved. And in this Scripture, I’ll also show you what happens to them.
-2 Peter 2:20-22: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to it vomit,” and, “A sow(pig) that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.””
-Wow! It states clearly right there in these verses, that basically if you are to ever turn back after being saved, you are worse off than you were at the beginning. So, let me ask this again, how important is it again to not only read God’s Word, but live it? Very Important! It should be so important in your life to study, know, and live God’s Word, that you should have no desire whatsoever to turn back to your old way of life.
-2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”
-Your old ways, old life-style before you were saved, or old sinful desires, should be gone completely and no part of your life, if you are to be a true follower of Christ. And some people convince themselves that some of the things they may do are ok, and not sinful. If what we do does not line up with what God’s Word says, it is sin, and should be no part of our lives if we claim to be true followers of Christ.
-John 8:31-32: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
-John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
-When you are taught certain things out of God’s Word, or if you’re reading His Word, and the Lord shows you something, you must live your life according to what His Word says. Especially if you know something you are doing is wrong, and you know the Lord is convicting you, but you keep doing it, you are cursed and only digging yourself a deeper whole, according to 2 Peter 2:20-22. It says here in John 13:17, you will be blessed if you do these things.
-2 John 9: “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
-1 John 3:6: “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”
Vs. 9-10, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
Vs. 18, “Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
-As true believers of Christ, we must live out holy, pure, and dedicated lives for Christ, with all our hearts. We must give him our best everyday. Holiness, Faithfulness, and Purity are three very important things in our Christian walk. This verse will describe to you how important Holiness is in our daily Christian walk:
-Hebrews 12:14: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
-Let’s look back, at that second part of this verse, this is very important that you get this! What’s it say? “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” So, if we aren’t living holy lives for Christ, we are never going to draw close to Him like He desires us to. And if we aren’t drawing close to God everyday and growing stronger in the Lord daily, we are drawing away from Him daily.
-1 Peter 1:15: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;”
-So, it certainly shows how vital and important it is to not just read God’s Word, just so we can feel like we are getting close to God, because we have a limited amount of time, and we want to hurry and read a quick Scripture here and there each morning. No! We must live out His Word everyday, wherever we go, whether at school, the store, to our friends or family’s house, church, of course. But, it’s more than just the church, we should be living Christian lives out side of church, living God’s Word. Reading it will get you no where with God. You must live it out everyday.
-So I ask you this as my last statement: Are you living God’s Word, or just reading it?
PM
Dying to Ourselves
Dying to Ourselves: Sermon
Point 1: Understanding of the cause and effect/reap and sow of our relationship: obedience and disobedience
-Begin with Story from the past similar to this one. Disobeying my parents. Provide an example in my own life. Think of a time in your lives, when you may have disobeyed your parents, when they told you not to, and you did it anyway.
-How many of you in your life have disobeyed your parents when they told you not to do something, (you knew it was wrong) and you did it anyway?
-What happens when you disobey your parents? You get consequences. What does Matthew 15:4 say? “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’” So, if you disobey your parents, is that honoring them? No!
-So what happens when we disobey God? We get consequences, right? Yes!
-Romans 6:22-23, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-So, if we continue in sin, we will reap death. But if we choose to live according to God’s standards, and devote our life to him, we reap eternal life through him.
-Many people in today’s society try to convince and deceive themselves that even if they do the smallest bit of disobedience, they will get away with it. And they think it’s ok to do, so they continue to keep doing It, and it increases, and try convince themselves they’ll get away with more; to the point they are falling completely away from God and running in the wrong direction.
–Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Point 2: Rejecting our old ways!
-Brownie example, putting in 1% of dog poop. If I were to cook of batch of brownies for you, and possibly put in 99% of brownie mix, and 1% of dog poop, then give you one of those brownies, would you still eat it, after I told you what I put in it? It’s the same when getting rid of even the smallest hint of sin in our lives. Song of Songs 2:15, “the little foxes that ruin the vineyards”.
-The example: Small spark leads to a forest fire.
-Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
-Galatians 5:24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”
-Old ways: We must rid ourselves of old habits and old ways: Internet, drugs + alcohol, secular music, unhealthy relationships that we shouldn’t be in, cussing, lust, perverse thoughts, etc., or anything that is in our lives, that we put above God….They should no longer be apart of our lifestyle, or our thoughts. We should have no part in them whatsoever in any area. If we want true new life, if we really have found new life and really have Christ truly in our lives, we would sincerely reject our old ways for good and forever.
-When Lot’s wife looked back when running from Sodom and Gomorrah, she turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19). We must never turn back, or we will fall totally away from God, and our path after turning from God may lead us to death, just like it did to Lot’s wife.
-2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
-We must not become too attached to what is only temporary. A lot of Christians today don’t realize how important It is to put to death every single thing that our flesh rages against us to do. Because if we don’t completely put it to death, we convinced our selves to even hold on to a little bit of it, once we start to mess with it again, if just the smallest bit, the situation or sin will get bigger and bigger, and by the time we know it, we are completely unaware of how far from God we really are. So, we must eliminate any sin completely, 100%.
-2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
-Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”
-So, if we know God’s Word, and know what it says, we should know that It teaches us to avoid any part of this world. And if we even start to touch with sin, and we know the truth to avoid it, then we are not saying no to ungodliness.
-Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
-Hebrews 12:14-15, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
-So, if there’s anything in our lives that is causing us to sin, or is a stumbling block in our walk with God, we must stay away from it and avoid it. Because If we keep messing with it, It will cause us to fall. Without living holy lives, we will not grow closer to the Lord. We must learn to die to ourselves, even in the smallest of areas, and in all areas. We must put to death our complete flesh to live out a true, upright life for the Lord. We must live holy lives, to see the Lord, and to hear from Him.
-Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,”
This brings me to my next point.
Point 3: Caution: the point to never turn back after being saved!
-Million dollars or empty soda can=Life or death example. When you turn back after being saved, you pick death, rather than life. Say that I was to have a million dollars in the left hand, and an empty, shiny, aluminum can in the right hand. Which would you pick? Of course the million dollars. Well, let’s say the million dollars represented life, and the empty can represented death. When you turn back after you’ve been saved, it’s like you’re picking that empty aluminum can, or basically you are picking death over life.
-Jesus Christ died for our sins on that cross, so that God, the Father would forgive us, as long as we truly repent of our sins, confess them, and never do those things again, so that we can grow closer to God. (It says that in His word.). When Jesus Christ carried His cross to the place of crucifixion, he never looked back or turned back. He expects us to do the same in our Christian walk.
-2 Peter 2:20-22, “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
-Use the pudding(or any type of really good food that applies to the audience) example: eating it, throwing it back up, and convincing yourself it looks really good, and then eating it again. It’s the same when you turn back after being saved.
-When we are even considering going back to our old ways, the Lord and our Spirit man inside of us is screaming at us, “Keep Fighting! Never Stop! Don’t give up any more ground! Keep Sprinting after me, no running or jogging, but Sprint will all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! Give me your best! All the way to the end! Don’t ever quit!”
-Another example: Person sinking in quicksand and refuses to grab the only way to be saved, a rope is thrown to him, and he doesn’t take it, when he has a full opportunity to get out of it. He ignores the rope, and chooses to sink in the sand; is the same as choosing to turn away from God’s truth, after being saved.
-In our flesh is no good thing. Our flesh will be that voice in our head, that is Satan himself, telling us that “this sin is ok, it’s not that big of a deal, go ahead and do it, you’ll be fine, who cares if it breaks God’s law, you can always repent again, and again.”
-No! That voice is straight from the pit of hell! It is Satan himself! It’s our flesh raging against us! You can’t just repent again and again. Because, true repentance from sin, is turning completely away from it, and never messing with it again, and truly apologizing to the Lord, with a godly sorrow, and never doing that sin ever again. That’s true repentance. There’s no such thing as constant repentance for the same sin over and over again, constantly. We commit sin everyday, we must have true repentance of our sin everyday, but once we turn from whatever sin we’ve done that day, we must turn from it forever, never doing it again. Sin separates us from God. You can’t tell me you’re a Christian, and that you know the Lord, and continue in sin, which some of them you commit the same ones everyday. Because sin separates us from the Lord. Without Holiness, no one will see the Lord.
-Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things and beyond cure…”
-May we pray to the Lord that we will instill in us a desire to hate sin! May we die to ourselves! And allow Christ to live through us.
-Colossians 3:2-10 (Read it!)
-Vs. 9: Don’t lie to each other. Come to church, and then go home and live a whole completely sinful, different life outside of church. Sets bad example for other Christians, or new Christians, and it gives them the ok to do that stuff. When we live a whole other, sinful lives outside of church, we not only lie to each other, we lie to ourselves, and more importantly, we lie to God.
-If we are truly saved, and we see the actions that these kind of people do outside of church, we must have a desire to hate what they are doing, and not follow their example. But, we must also love them, and in a loving way, confront them about what they are doing. It even says in Jude 23, “snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy , mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
-We must not be afraid to confront our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and hold them accountable. It says in James 5:19-20, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
-If we are truly living our lives for Christ, we should have no desire in us to become like or part of the world and go back to our old ways. We should have the desire to never turn back in our own individual lives, and also have the desire to encourage others to never turn back. And to lift them up.
-If you were to go to any Pastor that is a true follower of Christ, and say to Him, that you are a devoted, sold out Christian, and he looks at your life, your actions, what you say, what you think about, and what you do, and sees that you are no different than the Lord, you are not a true Christian. If the Lord were to examine you’re life right now, would He approve of what you say, what you do, your decisions and actions, what you think? Do those things line up with what His Word says? If not, we are not living our lives for Christ!
-Pastor Brent (My KC Director) once said this in a sermon: “Our claims to know God mean nothing! We must live out what the Bible says!”
-You can stand in an empty garage, and yell “I’m a car, I’m a car!” all you want to. But does that mean you’re a car? No. You can say “I’m a Christian, I’m a Christian” all you want to, but it doesn’t mean you’re a Christian.
-Titus 1:16 says, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.”
-Do your actions and the things you do deny the Lord today? Or do they give Him Glory, and show that you are carrying out His Will for your life? Not your own will.
Conclusion:
-1 Thessalonians: 4:7-8, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
-We must desire to Love what God loves, hate what God hates. And that is to die to ourselves completely, so that the will of God and His work may be portrayed in our lives.
Dying to Self
When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely ignored yet you do not sting with the insult or oversight but your heart is happy—being counted worthy to suffer for Christ…that is dying to self.
When your good is spoken evil of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed yet you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in loving, patient silence…that is dying to self.
When you loving and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any tardiness, or any annoyance. When you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as the Savior endured…that is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any offering, any clothing, any climate, any society, any solitude, or any interruption…that is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, record your own good works, or seek recognition but truly love to be unknown…that is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or question God while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances…that is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly—finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within the heart…that is dying to self.
-So, I challenge every one of you, to examine yourselves and your hearts, and to ask the Lord to show you what areas you need to die to yourselves, so that he may be able to fully use you effectively for His Kingdom, as a True follower of Christ.
-PM
Point 1: Understanding of the cause and effect/reap and sow of our relationship: obedience and disobedience
-Begin with Story from the past similar to this one. Disobeying my parents. Provide an example in my own life. Think of a time in your lives, when you may have disobeyed your parents, when they told you not to, and you did it anyway.
-How many of you in your life have disobeyed your parents when they told you not to do something, (you knew it was wrong) and you did it anyway?
-What happens when you disobey your parents? You get consequences. What does Matthew 15:4 say? “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’” So, if you disobey your parents, is that honoring them? No!
-So what happens when we disobey God? We get consequences, right? Yes!
-Romans 6:22-23, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-So, if we continue in sin, we will reap death. But if we choose to live according to God’s standards, and devote our life to him, we reap eternal life through him.
-Many people in today’s society try to convince and deceive themselves that even if they do the smallest bit of disobedience, they will get away with it. And they think it’s ok to do, so they continue to keep doing It, and it increases, and try convince themselves they’ll get away with more; to the point they are falling completely away from God and running in the wrong direction.
–Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Point 2: Rejecting our old ways!
-Brownie example, putting in 1% of dog poop. If I were to cook of batch of brownies for you, and possibly put in 99% of brownie mix, and 1% of dog poop, then give you one of those brownies, would you still eat it, after I told you what I put in it? It’s the same when getting rid of even the smallest hint of sin in our lives. Song of Songs 2:15, “the little foxes that ruin the vineyards”.
-The example: Small spark leads to a forest fire.
-Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
-Galatians 5:24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”
-Old ways: We must rid ourselves of old habits and old ways: Internet, drugs + alcohol, secular music, unhealthy relationships that we shouldn’t be in, cussing, lust, perverse thoughts, etc., or anything that is in our lives, that we put above God….They should no longer be apart of our lifestyle, or our thoughts. We should have no part in them whatsoever in any area. If we want true new life, if we really have found new life and really have Christ truly in our lives, we would sincerely reject our old ways for good and forever.
-When Lot’s wife looked back when running from Sodom and Gomorrah, she turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19). We must never turn back, or we will fall totally away from God, and our path after turning from God may lead us to death, just like it did to Lot’s wife.
-2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
-We must not become too attached to what is only temporary. A lot of Christians today don’t realize how important It is to put to death every single thing that our flesh rages against us to do. Because if we don’t completely put it to death, we convinced our selves to even hold on to a little bit of it, once we start to mess with it again, if just the smallest bit, the situation or sin will get bigger and bigger, and by the time we know it, we are completely unaware of how far from God we really are. So, we must eliminate any sin completely, 100%.
-2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
-Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”
-So, if we know God’s Word, and know what it says, we should know that It teaches us to avoid any part of this world. And if we even start to touch with sin, and we know the truth to avoid it, then we are not saying no to ungodliness.
-Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
-Hebrews 12:14-15, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
-So, if there’s anything in our lives that is causing us to sin, or is a stumbling block in our walk with God, we must stay away from it and avoid it. Because If we keep messing with it, It will cause us to fall. Without living holy lives, we will not grow closer to the Lord. We must learn to die to ourselves, even in the smallest of areas, and in all areas. We must put to death our complete flesh to live out a true, upright life for the Lord. We must live holy lives, to see the Lord, and to hear from Him.
-Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,”
This brings me to my next point.
Point 3: Caution: the point to never turn back after being saved!
-Million dollars or empty soda can=Life or death example. When you turn back after being saved, you pick death, rather than life. Say that I was to have a million dollars in the left hand, and an empty, shiny, aluminum can in the right hand. Which would you pick? Of course the million dollars. Well, let’s say the million dollars represented life, and the empty can represented death. When you turn back after you’ve been saved, it’s like you’re picking that empty aluminum can, or basically you are picking death over life.
-Jesus Christ died for our sins on that cross, so that God, the Father would forgive us, as long as we truly repent of our sins, confess them, and never do those things again, so that we can grow closer to God. (It says that in His word.). When Jesus Christ carried His cross to the place of crucifixion, he never looked back or turned back. He expects us to do the same in our Christian walk.
-2 Peter 2:20-22, “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
-Use the pudding(or any type of really good food that applies to the audience) example: eating it, throwing it back up, and convincing yourself it looks really good, and then eating it again. It’s the same when you turn back after being saved.
-When we are even considering going back to our old ways, the Lord and our Spirit man inside of us is screaming at us, “Keep Fighting! Never Stop! Don’t give up any more ground! Keep Sprinting after me, no running or jogging, but Sprint will all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! Give me your best! All the way to the end! Don’t ever quit!”
-Another example: Person sinking in quicksand and refuses to grab the only way to be saved, a rope is thrown to him, and he doesn’t take it, when he has a full opportunity to get out of it. He ignores the rope, and chooses to sink in the sand; is the same as choosing to turn away from God’s truth, after being saved.
-In our flesh is no good thing. Our flesh will be that voice in our head, that is Satan himself, telling us that “this sin is ok, it’s not that big of a deal, go ahead and do it, you’ll be fine, who cares if it breaks God’s law, you can always repent again, and again.”
-No! That voice is straight from the pit of hell! It is Satan himself! It’s our flesh raging against us! You can’t just repent again and again. Because, true repentance from sin, is turning completely away from it, and never messing with it again, and truly apologizing to the Lord, with a godly sorrow, and never doing that sin ever again. That’s true repentance. There’s no such thing as constant repentance for the same sin over and over again, constantly. We commit sin everyday, we must have true repentance of our sin everyday, but once we turn from whatever sin we’ve done that day, we must turn from it forever, never doing it again. Sin separates us from God. You can’t tell me you’re a Christian, and that you know the Lord, and continue in sin, which some of them you commit the same ones everyday. Because sin separates us from the Lord. Without Holiness, no one will see the Lord.
-Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things and beyond cure…”
-May we pray to the Lord that we will instill in us a desire to hate sin! May we die to ourselves! And allow Christ to live through us.
-Colossians 3:2-10 (Read it!)
-Vs. 9: Don’t lie to each other. Come to church, and then go home and live a whole completely sinful, different life outside of church. Sets bad example for other Christians, or new Christians, and it gives them the ok to do that stuff. When we live a whole other, sinful lives outside of church, we not only lie to each other, we lie to ourselves, and more importantly, we lie to God.
-If we are truly saved, and we see the actions that these kind of people do outside of church, we must have a desire to hate what they are doing, and not follow their example. But, we must also love them, and in a loving way, confront them about what they are doing. It even says in Jude 23, “snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy , mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
-We must not be afraid to confront our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and hold them accountable. It says in James 5:19-20, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
-If we are truly living our lives for Christ, we should have no desire in us to become like or part of the world and go back to our old ways. We should have the desire to never turn back in our own individual lives, and also have the desire to encourage others to never turn back. And to lift them up.
-If you were to go to any Pastor that is a true follower of Christ, and say to Him, that you are a devoted, sold out Christian, and he looks at your life, your actions, what you say, what you think about, and what you do, and sees that you are no different than the Lord, you are not a true Christian. If the Lord were to examine you’re life right now, would He approve of what you say, what you do, your decisions and actions, what you think? Do those things line up with what His Word says? If not, we are not living our lives for Christ!
-Pastor Brent (My KC Director) once said this in a sermon: “Our claims to know God mean nothing! We must live out what the Bible says!”
-You can stand in an empty garage, and yell “I’m a car, I’m a car!” all you want to. But does that mean you’re a car? No. You can say “I’m a Christian, I’m a Christian” all you want to, but it doesn’t mean you’re a Christian.
-Titus 1:16 says, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.”
-Do your actions and the things you do deny the Lord today? Or do they give Him Glory, and show that you are carrying out His Will for your life? Not your own will.
Conclusion:
-1 Thessalonians: 4:7-8, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
-We must desire to Love what God loves, hate what God hates. And that is to die to ourselves completely, so that the will of God and His work may be portrayed in our lives.
Dying to Self
When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely ignored yet you do not sting with the insult or oversight but your heart is happy—being counted worthy to suffer for Christ…that is dying to self.
When your good is spoken evil of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed yet you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in loving, patient silence…that is dying to self.
When you loving and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any tardiness, or any annoyance. When you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as the Savior endured…that is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any offering, any clothing, any climate, any society, any solitude, or any interruption…that is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, record your own good works, or seek recognition but truly love to be unknown…that is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or question God while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances…that is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly—finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within the heart…that is dying to self.
-So, I challenge every one of you, to examine yourselves and your hearts, and to ask the Lord to show you what areas you need to die to yourselves, so that he may be able to fully use you effectively for His Kingdom, as a True follower of Christ.
-PM
Be Separate!
-It's easy for us to fast one day, but try not sinning for a day. It's harder for us to die to our flesh than to do most things in our life daily.
-If a man is praying more and more, he's sinning less and less. But if a man isn't praying, he is sinning and increasing in it. We must be pre-occupied by God at all times.
-The battle is won when we die to our flesh daily, and follow after the Lord. Give him your best everyday. Matthew 16:24-25 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Another example would be in Matthew 21, when Jesus cleared out the temple of everything and everyone. We must allow the Lord to come into our lives, and get rid and clear of everything that is not of Him, that is corrupt and evil, and allow Him to change us, and also so He can use us effectively. And we must truly be free of everything, before He can actually use us.
-Isaiah 52:11, "Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it, and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord."
-We must decide to Touch Not the unclean thing. We must separate ourselves from the ways of this world. 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows who are His,' and 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
-2 Corinthians 6:14-17, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore, come out from them and be separate, Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
-Run from them who bring you down spiritually or who live false lives for Christ! Because they are fakes! Run from people who are comfortable in their sin! Run! Be separate! Touch no unclean thing!
-Leonard Ravenhill, "No man is greater than his prayer life."
-If sin has dominion over you, do you have grace? No.
-When you’re under a curse, basically after you have turned back after being saved, and you’re not a true follower of Christ; once you take the first step into hell, you will hear all of creation standing to it’s feet and applauding God that he has ridded of you.
-Turn your lives fully to God. May that statement put a fear of God in you, that you may get to know Him, and never turn back.
-Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”
-Jesus Christ, the Son of God drank the wrath of God for each and every one of us. And he rose again three days later, to show the true power of God.
-The attitude of our hearts should be to please God. If there is something you do you know doesn’t please the Lord, Stop it! Run from it! And get right with the Lord.
-Without repentance, there is no salvation. You will truly die in your sins. Repentance is when you just completely quit. There was a story of a lifeguard watching over this pond. And there was a swimmer starting to drown, crying out for help, because he couldn’t swim. And as he was flailing, the lifeguard sat there. The swimmer finally got so tired of flailing, he had no strength left. The lifeguard jumped in right before the swimmer sank to the bottom. The Lord will only come and save us, once we are too tired to do anything in our own strength, and we come to complete surrender.
-We must ask the Lord to stamp eternity onto our eyes.
-When we are faced with the option to please our flesh, we need to stop, think, and choose to seek the Lord’s face, right there in that moment.
-We must have a Godly sorrow for our sins, and truly turn away from them. God’s kindness leads to repentance.
-2 Corinthians 7:10-11, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”
-Our Godly sorrow must bring us to repentance for our sins, thus meaning changed behavior. Then we will be able to be Separate from the world. There should never be a similarity between us and the world at any time.
-PM
-If a man is praying more and more, he's sinning less and less. But if a man isn't praying, he is sinning and increasing in it. We must be pre-occupied by God at all times.
-The battle is won when we die to our flesh daily, and follow after the Lord. Give him your best everyday. Matthew 16:24-25 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Another example would be in Matthew 21, when Jesus cleared out the temple of everything and everyone. We must allow the Lord to come into our lives, and get rid and clear of everything that is not of Him, that is corrupt and evil, and allow Him to change us, and also so He can use us effectively. And we must truly be free of everything, before He can actually use us.
-Isaiah 52:11, "Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it, and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord."
-We must decide to Touch Not the unclean thing. We must separate ourselves from the ways of this world. 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows who are His,' and 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
-2 Corinthians 6:14-17, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore, come out from them and be separate, Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
-Run from them who bring you down spiritually or who live false lives for Christ! Because they are fakes! Run from people who are comfortable in their sin! Run! Be separate! Touch no unclean thing!
-Leonard Ravenhill, "No man is greater than his prayer life."
-If sin has dominion over you, do you have grace? No.
-When you’re under a curse, basically after you have turned back after being saved, and you’re not a true follower of Christ; once you take the first step into hell, you will hear all of creation standing to it’s feet and applauding God that he has ridded of you.
-Turn your lives fully to God. May that statement put a fear of God in you, that you may get to know Him, and never turn back.
-Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”
-Jesus Christ, the Son of God drank the wrath of God for each and every one of us. And he rose again three days later, to show the true power of God.
-The attitude of our hearts should be to please God. If there is something you do you know doesn’t please the Lord, Stop it! Run from it! And get right with the Lord.
-Without repentance, there is no salvation. You will truly die in your sins. Repentance is when you just completely quit. There was a story of a lifeguard watching over this pond. And there was a swimmer starting to drown, crying out for help, because he couldn’t swim. And as he was flailing, the lifeguard sat there. The swimmer finally got so tired of flailing, he had no strength left. The lifeguard jumped in right before the swimmer sank to the bottom. The Lord will only come and save us, once we are too tired to do anything in our own strength, and we come to complete surrender.
-We must ask the Lord to stamp eternity onto our eyes.
-When we are faced with the option to please our flesh, we need to stop, think, and choose to seek the Lord’s face, right there in that moment.
-We must have a Godly sorrow for our sins, and truly turn away from them. God’s kindness leads to repentance.
-2 Corinthians 7:10-11, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”
-Our Godly sorrow must bring us to repentance for our sins, thus meaning changed behavior. Then we will be able to be Separate from the world. There should never be a similarity between us and the world at any time.
-PM
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