(Truth) – The Way of God

Intro: In Isaiah 65:16 God is called the God of truth. Truth is the opposite of false and means honest, valid, exact, correct, and accurate. Because God is by nature truth, everything He says, promises, and does is true.

I. Truth is the way of God. Truth is part of God’s armor. We are to keep truth around us at all times like a belt. (Eph. 6:14) By God’s truth we defeat the Devil. It sets us free!

 a. God’s word is always perfectly true. (142) Psalms 119:142 (NKJV)  Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. There is never a mixture of error or untruth.

 b. There is joy in God’s word. Psalms 119:143 (NKJV)  Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.

 It brings joy to our hearts, it refreshes us. God’s word restores your soul and brings joy to you. 

 c. Understanding God’s word brings life.  Psalms 119:144 (NKJV)
¹⁴⁴ The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live. The word of God fills our lives with power.

     God’s word pleases us and gives us wise advice. It shows us the path of blessing.

II. God’s word sanctifies us. John 17:17 – 19 (NLT)
¹⁷ Make them holy (sanctify them) by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world; I am sending them into the world.
¹⁹ And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

 a. God’s word sets us apart and separates us from the world to be pure and holy, fully consecrated to God and His way of truth. When His word becomes the priority in our lives we will be set free.  John 8:31-32 (NLT) ³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.

      ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 b. As we read, meditate, and study God’s word the Holy Spirit takes the word and sets us apart for God’s use day by day as we grow in our sanctification until the great and glorious day of our eternal sanctification. 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT) ² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

III. We must choose God’s truth.  Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) ¹³ "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 a. The way of sin and error is broad and leads to destruction. Majority of people choose this way. They are led by their own decisions and the advice of others. This is the way of deception and error which leads to death and hell.  Remember Adam and Eve! (Gen. 2&3)

 b. The way of truth is narrow and difficult, not because God’s truth is difficult to understand or because it’s hard to become a Christian, but because there is only one way and few choose to walk that narrow way. But Salvation comes only one narrow way, thru Jesus!

      John 14:6 (NKJV)  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

    

Invitation: The truth is you must be born again as Jesus said in John 3:3 or you will never see the kingdom of God or experience eternal life. You are born again when you confess your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you and save your soul for Heaven. After salvation we are to live our lives based on the truth of God’s word so we can fully experience all God wants us to.

God’s Way - (Faith)

Scripture Text Heb. 11:1

Intro: God tells in His word about the ways by which He works. One of those ways by which God works is the way of faith. Faith in God’s eyes is the way of righteousness, “the just shall live by faith.”  (Hebrews 10:38) The bible gives us God’s definition of faith.

I. God’s definition of faith.  (Hebrews 11:1)

Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

a. The dictionary says that Faith is “confidence or trust in a person or thing.” But biblical faith is more than that. The word "substance” means the foundation, assurance, title-deed, and guarantee of things hoped for. The word "evidence" means proof or confirmation of the things hoped for that is not seen with physical eyes.

b. The person who holds the title-deed to property actually possesses the property. It is his already. Certainly from God's perspective, we already possess His promises; He has already seated us in heavenly places, and we already possess eternal life. It is not that we are going to possess it; we already possess it. We are convinced that we have what God says even if we don’t see it in the physical realm. Faith in God’s word supersedes all worry, doubt, and fear.

II. We are made righteous by faith.  Romans 4:1-3 (NLT) ¹ Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? ² If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. ³ For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

 a. No amount of good works will make anyone righteous in God’s eyes. If works could make us right we would have something to boast about before God. We are made right with God when we by faith believe His word just as Abraham believed God and then God counted him as righteous. When we believe God’s word concerning His Son Jesus and we ask Him to forgive our sins we are made right with God and we have peace with God.

III. Abraham our example of faith. Romans 4:15-25 (NLT) ¹⁵ For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) ¹⁶ So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. ¹⁷ That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. ¹⁸ Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” ¹⁹ And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. ²¹ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. ²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
²⁴ for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

 a. Even the good works of Abraham trying to keep God’s commandments were nothing in God’s sight because none can perfectly keep them.  What made Abraham righteous in God’s eyes was when he believed what God had told him. Abraham’s faith in God expressed his obedience even though he couldn’t yet see it with his eyes. His faith and trust in God’s word was credited as righteousness and he was considered worthy by God.

b. Abraham was often confronted with situations that seemed cruel. He was promised a son when from a human standpoint his body was considered “as good as dead.”

     Yet he did not waver or weaken through unbelief regarding the promise of God. (vs:19-20)

 IV. We are to live by faith.  Hebrews 10:38 (NLT) ³⁸ And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” Since we are saved by faith, we also live by faith and not by what we see with physical eyes.

a. Faith is the only thing that will please God. Living by faith will affect every part of our lives, from our families, to our workplaces, and to our involvement in church, to our prayers being answered and to our relationship with God. The secret of closeness to the Lord is with those who have put their total trust in Him. Only those who live by faith in God’s promises enjoy a close growing relationship with Him that others do not have because “without faith it’s impossible to please God.” (Heb. 11:6)

Conclusion: Abraham’s faith speaks for all who want to know God’s way of faith. Abraham lived by a simple truth: if you trust in what God says at all times regardless of the situation you are the one whom God will teach His ways and all things will be possible to you. Mark 9:23 (NKJV)  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."      

      Invitation: Without faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you can never see the kingdom of God or enter therein. If you have never confessed your sins to Jesus and asked Him to forgive and save you, now is the day of salvation for you if you exercise faith in Him alone for your salvation. If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, are you living a life of growing faith in God? That’s His way! It’s the only way that is acceptable to God.

The Ways of God

Scripture Text: Isa. 55:6-11

Intro: By His nature, God is eternal and supreme. He is the Sovereign Almighty God. He is perfect in all His ways. We are flesh and blood, created by God and placed in the context of time by Him. His ways are different than our ways. If we value the opinions and approval of society more than God’s ways we are doomed to fail this coming year. Victory and success come when we look to God’s word and seek His ways in our lives.

I. God makes Himself available. 

Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV) Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

 a. People might say God is always available but scripture says He is not. In the old and new testament there are times people sought God but He said it was too late. Jeremiah 11:14   "So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble. Luke 19:43-44 (NKJV) 

⁴³ For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
⁴⁴ and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." We are not to presume upon God, His ways are not according to our thinking. God says there are some things that need to be in place if God is to hear us and respond the way He wants to. We must be seeking God with all our heart and soul while we still can!

 II. God’s way is for us to rid ourselves of all He opposes.  Isaiah 55:7 (NKJV) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

 We know from experience that wickedness and evil bring destruction. We must abandon not only our wicked ways but our unrighteous thoughts. God will never bless or condone sin.

Psalms 66:18 (NKJV) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

III. God’s way is mercy and grace. (V:7b) Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

 a. When we forsake sin and evil and turn to the Lord He will have mercy and He will abundantly pardon us. Forsake means we quit the sin and evil we are committing.

b. Why will God pardon our sins?  Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) ⁸ "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. ⁹ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. God's way is different from man's way. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours.  Pardon is God's way. It is not man-made. No man could ever have devised it. Repenting and turning away from confessed sin in our lives brings God’s mercy. God in His mercy is willing to forgive us and remove the penalty that we deserve. God’s grace gives us what we do not deserve and that is exemption from His judgment. God in His wise ways can justly forgive us because His perfect and righteous Son Jesus Christ paid for our sins by shedding His precious blood on the old rugged Cross. Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

IV. God’s way is in and through His word. Isaiah 55:10-11  ¹⁰ "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, ¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

 a. Every expression of the ways of God in the bible seems to go directly against the ways of man. You remember Peter in his human way of thinking was ready to prevent the sacrifice of Jesus because a wise teacher and good friend might be lost in death. (Matt. 16:22-23)

     The cross was God’s way. Peter’s ways were not God’s ways. Jesus died sacrificially so that He would rise to live again and provide eternal life for all believers for centuries to come.

    Since man’s ways are not God’s ways we must daily read God’s word and seek His ways for every  decision we will have to make in this life. When we do God has promised in these verses that His word will produce fruit in our lives. By reading and obeying His word we will accomplish His will for our lives and we will discover that His ways are truly greater than ours.

Invitation: God says to be forgiven by Him you must confess and repent of your sins against Him and ask Jesus to forgive you and save you from Hell. God says there is no other way to be forgiven but through His Son Jesus Christ. John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If you have been forgiven by God’s grace His way for you now is: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (Ephesians 5:1)

Top Priority for the New Year - 2016

            

Scripture Text

Matthew 6:33

      Intro: In this one verse of scripture Jesus tells us what the key to a successful year and life is. But what is Jesus talking about when He tells disciples of His to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness? When we do what Jesus commands in this verse we will have all our needs met.

I. Seek first God’s kingdom. (Matt. 6:33a)

 a. Seek first means it must have the priority over all else in our lives.

  Seek means to go in search or quest of. Seeking God’s kingdom starts with a new birth. Jesus said” you must be born again.” (John 3:3) John 3:16 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus tells us how to be born again. After we enter the kingdom through the salvation that Christ gives us we are to seek to live our lives in submission to God’s will for each of us.

II. What is God’s kingdom?

  a. It is basically where God as King rules over all that belongs to Him. It’s where He has supreme authority over those in His kingdom. We are His servants, Christ purchased us.

b. The kingdom of God Romans 14:17 (NKJV) is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:18 (NKJV)  For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

  In God’s kingdom there is always perfect righteousness; a place where God’s will is always done. In God’s kingdom there is Peace, the kind that Jesus gives. (John 14:7) In God’s kingdom there is His perfect peace and we to allow His peace to rule in our hearts. (Col. 3:15) In God’s kingdom there is Joy. Christian joy is no mere gaiety that knows no gloom, but is the result of the triumph of faith over adverse and trying circumstances, which, instead of hindering, actually enhance it. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! God’s kingdom within believers brings assurance, confidence, and security in the love and care of God. It means to know that God will take care of us no matter the problem or circumstance. It means to be absolutely assured of victory through Christ. to know that God will allow nothing to overcome or defeat us.

III. Where is God’s kingdom at this time? Luke 17:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
²¹ nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

a. Until Jesus returns and sets up God’s kingdom here on earth, His kingdom is now in the hearts and lives of His people that have been born again and have been purchased by the blood of Christ. We Christians are to allow God’s will to be done in all that we think, say, and do here on this earth. We do not question His authority over us nor do we argue with Him. We are to pray for His kingdom to come and his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matt. 6:10)

IV. We are to seek God’s righteousness. (Matt. 6:33b)

 a. Righteousness means to be in a right relationship to God.  God’s righteousness comes from faith in Jesus Christ as (2 Cor. 5:21). Because Jesus has made us the righteousness of God The believer is to work out the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom. Seeking the kingdom of God involves a continued hungering and thirsting after righteousness. (Matt.5:6)

      Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

 We must also positively seek holiness in righteous living as a part of our daily lives. The continual seeking for God’s righteousness through His word is similar to that of the seeking face of God. A true believer is never falsely content with what he has in Christ, but is continually seeking to know Him better so he can be empowered to live for Him.

  So, as we: “Keep seeking the kingdom of God by meditating on His word” and speaking it over our lives. God’s word changes us and shapes our lives into His perfect will for us. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material things we need, for where God guides, He provides.

     This is God’s “social security” program. The believer’s responsibility is to live for the          Lord as He commands in His word, trusting God for the future with unshakable confidence    that He will provide. We are called to live one day at a time: tomorrow can worry about its own things. We simply trust God our Father to do exactly what He said He would do each day of our lives that remain on this earth.

    Conclusion: Because God the Father has already declared followers of Jesus Christ fully righteous - fully holy - in Christ ... God expects us to live in daily righteous obedience to His word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  If we "miss the mark", there is forgiveness and restoration, though God's discipline may be experienced in the process.  Yet God still expects His children to ever diligently keep striving to walk in righteous obedience to Him, no matter how many times they "miss the mark." As we heed His words He made a promise that He would meet all of needs and we would never be without as long as we seek His way of life and His rule in our hearts.

Invitation: You can never be completely successful in this life or the one to come unless you have entered God’s kingdom by being born again through faith in the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross as payment for your sins against a Holy God. This coming year may you seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness all year long and you will be successful!