Taking Inventory

Intro: At the beginning of this year we need to open our hearts to the Lord and allow Him to take inventory of our spiritual life and see where we need to improve for 2021.

King David a man after God's own heart gives us good example to follow. He said in; Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

I. Allow God’s Spirit to examine you ~ Let Him study you in a very careful way. Ask God to show you where you need to change! We can all improve in our lives. God’s purpose for all His people is to conform them to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Conform means to be in agreement on every point. Is your life being brought into agreement with Christ’s way of doing things? Let God examine and show you the truth. Are you fulfilling the purpose of God in your life? Do you even know your purpose? Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Our purpose in life is to constantly be changed into that new person God created us to be. We are changed in our thinking as we pray and read God’s word. We find His will for us. We were created to bring praise, honor and glory to Him while we are in this world.

II. Allow God to prove you through your actions. [Philippians 2:12-13] ¹²  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. ¹⁴  Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

1. Prove means to show the character or ability expected of one, especially through one's actions. Are you most like the Father God in your actions or the world?

2. Is your life being shaped more by others’ expectations of you than by God’s priorities?

3. Are some of the things you are doing based on guilt, or a desire for someone's approval or a need to make a good impression? Do others see Jesus in you?

4. Does God see the motive for your actions based on His will, yours, or someone else?

5. Take note each week as to the use of your time.

6. How much time is spent on the things of God such as Prayer, bible reading, mediating and studying His word?

7. Ask God if any activities you are involved in might not be on His agenda for you.

8. When your activities have a reason, God’s reason, you can be more effective for Him and receive more of His blessings, and be less affected by the opinions of those who may not understand why you do what you do. God blesses His activities!

III. Allow God to try or test your faith! Test means to try the quality of something: James 1:3-4 (NKJV) ³  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Proverbs 24:10 (NKJV) If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. A lot of people talk the talk of faith, but do not walk the walk of faith when tested. Galatians 6:4-5 (NKJV) ⁴  Let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵ For each one shall  bear his own load. We are to be examining and judging our own lives, not the life of our brother or sister. Scripture is forceful on this point: every man is to keep busy examining his own work and life, and no man is exempt. The apostle Paul is an excellent example of one who lived faithfully for Christ. Philippians 1:20-21 (NLT) ²⁰ For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. ²¹ For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. This should be the goal for our lives this year of 2021! What you and I are seeking in the end is to be who God is calling us to be.What a way to start the New Year. Not just in theory, but in every day practice.

Prayer: Father God as we bow before You may You examine each heart right now? Show us our hearts as You see us. Where do we stand in our relationship with God? What do you want us to change so we can be more like Jesus and be more productive in our Christian lives? Show us Your priorities for each of us at the beginning of this New Year!

Father God may we allow You to test our motives and purposes for what we do and why we do it. Help each of us live a better Christian example before the watching world.

May each of us rededicate our lives to You right now to live for You each day this New Year that we might experience a fuller and more abundant life in the year ahead?

Invitation: Do you even have a relationship with God? If not, confess your sins to Christ and ask Him to forgive you and invite Him into your life to take charge of you.

Joyful Christmas

 

Intro: Christmas should be a time of joy. Jesus wants our joy to be full. People tend to multiply activities during this holiday season and in their business forget the One whose birthday we are celebrating. So their joy is not full and complete. They wind up tired, exhausted and depressed when it's all over. This is not what God intends!

I. Christmas is about joyously thanking God for His gift to mankind. 2 Corinthians 9:15  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! The greatest gift ever given was God's gift to the world: the gift of His only begotten Son. No greater gift could ever be given. Since God has given us the supreme gift, we should respond in joy by giving Him our thanks. Jesus left the glories of Heaven and came to this earth to save us from the penalty and power of sin and to give us eternal life. Isaiah 53:4-6 ⁴  Surely Jesus has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. ⁶  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. The apostle John says in; John 1:12 As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. Moses brought the law to mankind but Jesus brought us His grace and the right to become the children of God.

II. A joyful Christmas is making Jesus our focus as we celebrate. Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²  saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:10-11 ¹⁰  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men traveled many miles on camels to find Jesus. They brought Him their best gifts fit for a king. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Nothing was to good for Him. They bowed and worshiped the babe who was King of kings and Lord of Lords, Savior of all mankind. We should seek Jesus this Christmas season as they did. We shouldn't let the worries of this world take our focus off of Jesus. We shouldn't let our problems take our focus off Jesus. He is the problem solver. We shouldn't let Santa, trees, lights and gifts take our focus off Jesus. When we celebrate someones birthday we don't leave them out of our celebration. We honor the one whose birthday we are celebrating. As we focus on Jesus and what He has done for us we can't help but have a joyous Christmas.

III. A joyous Christmas is giving Jesus gifts fit for a King. People sometimes get so involved in doing good things around Christmas they forget the One who is the reason for the season. Like Martha in the bible. She was so busy serving she missed the most important thing, focusing on Jesus and what He had to say. Christmas can become mechanical. It can become a ritualistic celebration with no real meaning. It can become routine, done with no thought of giving a gift to Jesus. One of the greatest gifts we can give Jesus our King is our total self, our love, devotion, attention, worship and praise. Deuteronomy 6:5  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Jesus longs for His children to have an awakened soul that thrills to the joy of His presence. He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Jesus provides the gift of fullness of joy for our lives and our gift to Him is to glorify Him and enjoy Him by living close to Him and giving our hearts in service for Him. Our gift of praise to the Christ of Christmas will continue throughout eternity.
Revelation 5:12-13 ¹² "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" ¹³  And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

Conclusion: Oh what a wonderful Savior whose birthday we will celebrate Dec. 25^th. May this be a time of joy as we respond to Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. May we thrill at the joy of Jesus' presence in our lives not only at this Christmas but for all time!

Invitation: Make sure you know Jesus before you celebrate His birth. Don't be a hypocrite! If you don't know Him as your Lord and Savior, confess your sins to Him and ask Jesus to forgive you. Invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life. This is what Christmas is all about! This is what life is all about!

Christmas Past, Present and Future

 

What If No Christ?

 

Intro: Before Christmas, I saw on one particular news program an interview with an atheist. They had paid for a big sign in New York Times square. It read “Who needs Christ in Christmas?” It had a big X through Christ’s name and it said under it, nobody! Does mankind really need Jesus? What if we didn’t have Jesus Christ? How bad do we need Christ? The New Testament would not have been written?  We would not have this New Testament or Covenant with God if Jesus was not needed. Have you ever stopped to think about this? What would we have if we didn’t have Christ?

I. Without Christ we could not be justified or made right with God. Romans 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Ro 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

II. Without Christ “There would be no Immanuel, God with us” as Isa. 7:14 & Matt. 1:23 say. If Jesus had not come there would be no mercy, grace, truth, and forgiveness as John 1:14 says. There would be no fulfillment of the wonderful promises in John 10:10b of Jesus coming to give us life and that more abundant. 

III. Without Christ there would be No comfort that we find in the New Testament for those that are rejected by the world, spiritually lost, suffering, hurting, and dying without hope and help. 

IV. Without Christ There would be no salvation from the penalty of our sins. Animal sacrifices in the O.T. could not forgive or permanently remove the guilt and penalty of sin, were only types that pointed the real thing, the forgiveness and removing of the guilt and penalty of sin found in only in the blood of Jesus Christ. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Acts 4:12 (NKJV) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

V. Without Christ There would be no Holy Spirit in our lives to lead, guide, and direct us. There would be no fruit of the Spirit in our lives. No love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

VI. Without Christ and His resurrection, There would be no hope of the resurrection or eternal life. At death, we would have to bow our heads say an eternal goodbye and weep as those without hope. The apostle Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 (NKJV) ¹²  Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
¹⁷  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
¹⁸  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. ²⁰  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
²¹  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²²  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³  But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. ²⁴  Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵  For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷  For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸  Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

VII. Without Christ There would be no book of Revelation which tells us about our future with Him, or about His coming back to rule and reign and how we will rule and reign with Him over this earth. Revelation 20:6 (NKJV)  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 

VIII. Without Christ there would be no promise of a new heaven and earth where sin and death does not dwell. Revelation 21:1 (NKJV) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah who gives life and who has the right to judge life. He is the One who knows the future and can warn man and tell man how to prepare for the devastating events of the end time. Being the true Messiah, He is bound to declare the truth to us, so we can take of the water of life freely, without cost.

Invitation: So who needs Christ? Everybody does. Let us rejoice today because Christ has come. Revelation 22:16-17 (NKJV) ¹⁶ "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." ¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Do you have Jesus Christ in your life to forgive you of your sins against God? Have you taken of the water of life freely?

If not, this invitation is for you! The Spirit says come and the church says come! Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Then invite Him into your life to take charge of you. Be baptized to show you are sincere in your faith.

Thanks to God

 

Intro: We Christians have much to be thankful for all year, not just once a year. We thank God that He is the ultimate Giver. He gave a gift too wonderful for words—the gift of his Son. God’s extraordinary gift of salvation through Jesus should motivate you and I to give thanks and be generous to others. Spend time meditating on how much God has given you. Then show your thankfulness by living for Him and serving Him.

I. Thanks to God we have been set free from the slavery of sin. Romans 6:17-18 (NLT) ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, (sin controlled you), but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you live in obedience to God’s word! ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. The unsaved people of the world act as they do because they are slaves to Satan and sin. Once we too were unsaved people controlled by sin, we had no choice. But thank God, now we are free from our slavery to sin and we are controlled by Christ.

II. Thanks to God We have been made spiritually alive with Christ. Colossians 2:11-13 (NLT) ¹¹  When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. ¹²  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. ¹³  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

When Satan had his hold on us, we were spiritually dead. No access to God. Then God made us spiritually alive and delivered us from Satan and sin through Christ. The penalty for our sin and its power over us were miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Thanks to God all our sins have been forgiven thru Christ and we are now new creatures in Him.  a. Thanks to God because Jesus canceled all charges against us. V:14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.  This record of charges was for all our trespasses against God’s law. We could not pay the debt for these offenses, we were guilty, but when we were saved by Christ, God wiped out the record of our sin for us by nailing it to the cross of Christ. Hallelujah, thank God for such a wonderful Savior who has canceled all charges of sin against us through His cross. b. Thanks to God the devil’s power is broken. (v:15) Through the cross He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Not only have all charges against us been nailed to the Cross, spiritual authorities and rulers have been rendered helpless against us because of the Cross. Jesus who now lives in us has the Supreme authority over all principalities and powers.

III. Thanks to God We have peace that comes from Christ. Colossians 3:15-17 (NLT) ¹⁵  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
¹⁶  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. ¹⁷  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Because Christ has given us His peace, we show our thankfulness by living as His representatives in everything we do as we give thanks through Him to God our Father.

IV. Thanks to God We have the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (NLT) ⁵¹  But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵²  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. ⁵⁴  Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
⁵⁶  For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
⁵⁷  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because Christ has given us the victory, we are to be strong and immovable. (v:58)  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Because of these promises—of victory over sin, death, and the devil, a future resurrection with new bodies that will be fashioned by God himself, and of living eternally in His Kingdom, We believers now have motivation and responsibilities in living for God in these perishable bodies. Our time on earth is valuable, let’s show how thankful we are by living for Jesus and serving His Kingdom.

Conclusion: We have much for which to thank our Father God for. The way we live our lives will show how thankful we really are. The more thankful we are, the more we will begin to focus on the things of God rather than our problems.

Invitation: You have a chance right now to respond to Jesus. If you need salvation or something else that only Jesus can supply, now is the time to bring your requests to Him.

To Live is Christ

 

Scripture Text

Philippians 1:20-21

Intro: One of the greatest men to ever live was the apostle Paul. He is a great example of how we as Christians should live our lives for our Savior and Lord. The Christian life is never stagnant. It is a life time of reaching toward the perfection (maturity) that Christ died to give us.

I. The Christians expectation and hope. Philippians 1:20 (NKJV) 

²⁰  according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. We are not to be ashamed but to boldly honor Christ in everything. Note the words "earnest expectation" or “eager”. It means to have a sincere and eager anticipation to honor Christ by life or death. It means to gaze into the distance with the head erect and alert just like a watchman on a tower. It is aiming one's attention at an object with concentration, eagerness, and intensity. It is turning the eyes away from everything else and focusing upon one object and one object alone. It is total concentration upon a person's desire. Paul's mind was not upon his terrible plight and circumstances; it was upon Christ—upon Christ in his body. As a prisoner he wanted to guard his mind from wondering and questioning God, from  becoming discouraged, depressed, complacent, inactive and undisciplined, denying and turning away from God or reacting wrongly toward God. If Christ is not the full focus of our mind and being we will have a tendency toward doubt, questioning everything, self-centeredness, pride, boasting, self-satisfaction, indulgence, extravagance, complacency, laziness, enslavement, bondage, which leads to ignoring God. Since his conversion, Paul had totally committed himself to magnifying Christ. And there was only one place where Christ could be magnified and seen: that was in his body. Note the reference to "by life, or by death." Paul was facing death. He did not know if he was going to die or continue living. If he was to be executed, he wanted to be as faithful as ever and to magnify Christ in death. If he was to be declared innocent and set free, he wanted to continue to magnify Christ in his body.

II. Purpose of a true believer. Philippians 1:21 (NKJV) For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
To those who don’t believe in God, life on earth is all there is, and so it is natural for them to strive for this world’s values—money, popularity, power, pleasure, and prestige. For Paul, however, living was for Christ—Paul’s life focus was to develop eternal values and to tell others about Christ, who alone could help them see life from an eternal perspective. For to me indicates Paul’s firm resolve and unshaken faith. The essence of life was Christ and having a vital spiritual union with him. Everything Paul desired or attempted was inspired by his devotion for Christ. With that attitude, dying would not be a tragedy but, instead, a realization of Paul’s hope and expectation. To live would continue Paul’s ministry of spreading the gospel; to die would be even better because Paul’s martyrdom would glorify Christ and bring him face to face with the Savior. Paul’s faithful and fearless witness even unto death would enhance the reputation of the gospel. Christ would be magnified as much in Paul’s death as he had been in Paul’s life.

Conclusion: May this be the desire of our hearts to glorify Jesus in all that we do here on earth and also to glorify Him in our deaths. May God give us the grace of a holy death.

Invitation: You can't glorify Jesus unless you know Him as your Lord and Savior. Just head knowledge alone doesn't save you. You must confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and then invite Him into your life to take charge and control of you. Then be baptized in a bible believing church as a public testimony of your faith in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Don’t Be Deceived

 

Intro: We need to pay close attention to what is being said and taught all around us, in our government and churches, in the news and social media. We need to be alert for the deception, it is here. We are and will continue to be exposed to deception about the intentions of the other religions that are coming into our nation. There is deception by some of our government leaders about their intentions for a new world order and one world religion. The news deceives us everyday trying to control what people believe. There are so many deceptions right now. God does not want us to be deceived so He warns us in His word.

I. The bible warns there will be much deception in the last days.  1 Timothy 4:1-2 ¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. Jesus and the apostles forewarned us that during the last days false teachers will abound—loving money and attention, power and prestige, distorting the truth, dividing believers, and causing many to go astray as they follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people in the church will turn away from the faith, even though they may appear to still be faithful believers. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. Paul warns us about false teachers. He never said that the false teachers misunderstood the gospel or that they simply taught in error. Rather, they were hypocrites (pretenders) and liars, with their teaching coming from Satan himself. Don't think you can't be deceived by false teaching. 

II. We are to test the spirits of prophets and teachers.                     1 John 4:1-3 (NKJV) ¹  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³  and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. The devil has put his false prophets in the church, news, and in our government to deceive many. We are to test the spirits by the truth of God's word.

III. Satan’s goal is to deceive the whole world.                                                    Satan is brilliantly clever at taking age-old lies, disguising them to look good, and gradually introducing them to even those who insist that they believe in the infallible authority of the Bible. Revelation 12:9 speaks of, "... that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world." The Lord put this and similar verses in his Word to warn us of a reality of worldly deception. Devil tries to disprove the word of God. He says it is outdated and too narrow-minded toward other religions. And even those who profess to be Christians are falling for the lies. Satan tells mankind that they can work out all their problems without God. He tells them take God out of school and all public arenas. He tells them you have a right to live as you chose. Whatever way you want to live is o.k. You have a right to believe as you choose, you have the right to choose abortion and the homosexual lifestyle. You don't have to listen to Christians and God's word.

IV. Satan’s deception about salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) ⁸  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹  not of works, lest anyone should boast. He teaches the doctrine of salvation by works instead of God’s grace. There are many ways to God. He Attempts to mix all ideas and religions together into one. To make God whatever you want Him to be and approve of all your religious ways and lifestyle. That your way to God is as good as the one mentioned in the bible. [John 14:6]

V. The solution to avoiding deception. Matthew 4:4  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " As we read the Holy word of God and meditate and memorize it we will see the lie instantly. Christians who don't read God's word are likely to fall for Satan's deceptions and lies. The bible will do you no good until you read and memorize it. People are much more likely, these days, to not refer to the Bible for their convictions and world- view, but instead to follow the opinions of leaders they look up to. In these days T.V. Ministers are likely to draw our attention and our allegiance because of smooth words. It is a dangerous thing to set up experts within the Body of Christ who are beyond criticism. In these last days we cannot afford to follow human leaders as if they were experts; no matter who they are. We are to be taught by Jesus, and him alone. We must make it a priority to read God's word everyday to keep from being deceived by the news, friends, church leaders, smooth talkers and political leaders.

Invitation: Do not be deceived about your salvation. Be sure you have confessed your sins to Jesus and asked Him to forgive you for all have fallen short of God’s glory according to Rom. 3:23. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2b Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

The Indwelling Spirit

 

Scripture Text

1 John 3:23-24

Intro: God's word says that we are partakers of the divine nature of God. This means that God Himself indwells us by His Spirit.

I. Christ's Spirit lives in us. [1 John 3:23, Romans 8:10-11]¹⁰  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹  But if the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. The indwelling Spirit provides believers with the very presence of Christ. Because the Holy Spirit lives in Christians that means that Christ lives in us and has given us His righteousness. Therefore we have a right standing before God. When we were saved, the Spirit baptized us into the body of Christ and His Spirit came to live in us to keep us. There is a mutual relationship—we believers live in Christ as He lives in us. This mutual relationship shows itself in people who keep these three essential commands in 1 John 3:23 (NKJV) ²³  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.                                             (1) They believe in Christ, Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.                 (2) They love the brothers and sisters. 1 John 4:7-11 ⁷  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.                                (3) They live morally pure upright lives. 1 John 3: 3 And everyone who has this hope in Jesus purifies himself, just as He is pure. The Spirit’s presence in us makes a definite change in the way we live. Our conduct as Believers’ verifies his presence. Christ is training us to keep our focus on His presence in us. We can only keep His commandments as we look to Christ's Spirit in us for the power we need. How many try to live the Christian life by their own power not stopping to realize without Christ they can do nothing? John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

II. We are sealed and kept by the indwelling Spirit. 1 John 3:24 (NKJV) Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. The person who keeps God's commandments dwells in God and God in Him. How do we know that God dwells in us? By keeping His commandments and by the Holy Spirit. This is made abundantly clear in this verse. READ IT! Eph. 1:13b says when we were saved “we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.” ¹⁴  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. The Holy Spirit seals and guarantees us that we belong to God.          We are also kept by His Spirit. His Spirit gives us absolute assurance of eternal life. Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. He lives within us, He talks to us, shares with us, empowers us, leads and guides us, disciplines us, convicts and convinces us of the truth. God makes a home in our hearts by His Spirit. All that is involved in Christian living, the Spirit of God does within us. He is our constant and permanent companion. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He keeps us. He is always assuring us of God's presence in our lives and giving us confidence in God and in His presence and power.  Note that we also dwell in God. This means that we take up residence in God. In him is everything we need for life. When we dwell in God, we make our home in Him. Acts 17:28 says “For in Him [God] we live and move and have our being, 'For we are also His offspring.' This means because we are God's children we are always conscious of his presence in our lives. We experience a closeness, peace and contentment with God, and we experience an awareness of His greatness, His power, wisdom and love working in our lives making us the people He wants us to be and helping us to live as we should.

Conclusion: We can only hope to live for Christ as we look to His Spirit presence within. We are not adequate in our own strength. Jesus said in John 15:5 “If we abide in Him and He abides in us we will bear much fruit for without Him we can do nothing.”

Invitation: Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God as mentioned in Romans 8:16? if not now is the time to make sure you are His child before its too late. Just confess your sins to Christ and ask Him to forgive you and then invite Him into your life to take charge of you. Then be baptized in His name!

What Can the Righteous Do?

 

Scripture Text

Psalm 11:3-7

Intro: In David's day the question was asked Psalm 11:3 “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” It is a fact that our nation’s foundations of God’s word, truth, morality, and the Christian faith are being undermined and destroyed. We look to the bible as we try to answer this question of what the righteous can do about keeping our foundations from being completely destroyed. Jesus promised us in Matthew 16:18b “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His church.”

I. We can remember who rules over all. Psalm 11:4-7 (NLT) ⁴  But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. ⁵  The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.
⁶  He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.
⁷  For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.

a. David contrast’s the problems on earth with the exalted position of the Lord in heaven. “What can the righteous do?” the fainthearted had asked (v. 3). David responded that the righteous can trust in the real Source of secure government—the Lord, whose throne is exalted in the heavens, in His holy temple, far from the dishonesty of the wicked. Because the Lord in His sovereignty rules over the earth, He sees and thoroughly investigates the activities of all mankind.

b. We are to remember God’s power and dominion over all as David did.

II. We can pray. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NLT) ¹³  At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. ¹⁴  Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

a. We pray because we have been invited to by God Himself. We pray because we can’t solve our problems and we have questions that only God can answer. We have needs that only God can meet. That’s why we need to pray and open up to God. God has a wonderful plan to bless us, no tot harm us and give us a future and a hope.

III. We can surrender ourselves to God. Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ²  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

a. God wants us to present our bodies to Him as living sacrifices—daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal, and trusting him to guide us. We are also to be a holy sacrifice completely set apart for Him and dedicated to His service. Our bodies are what we have to offer. They enfold our emotions, mind, thoughts, attitudes, our desires, and our plans. Thus, the body represents the total person; it is the instrument by which all our service is given to God. Total surrender to God is our reasonable service.

b. We are not to be conformed to the world's standards. The key is to change the “mind,” the control center of one’s attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. A mind dedicated to God’s truth will produce a life that can stand the test of time. We can resist the temptations of our culture by meditating on God’s truth, and letting the Holy Spirit guide and shape our thoughts and behaviors. As Our mind keeps on being transformed by God’s Word, prayer, and Christian fellowship, our mind is renewed, and our lifestyle is being transformed to God's will by the Spirit. As our minds are renewed by God's word, we will become more like Christ, then we will know what God wants and we will want to do it for it is good, pleasing to God, and perfect for us. Then we will be able to “prove by testing” that God’s will is— good, acceptable, and perfect for us and it will affect those around us.

Conclusion: There is much we who are righteous in Christ can do. It is time for us to wake up and begin to do these things listed above because our nation’s foundations are being destroyed. Our way of life as we know it is in the process of changing. We must fight the good fight of faith and continue steadfast in what we believe no matter what. We must get out and vote the bible this election.

Invitation: Because of these trying times, you need “Make your calling and election sure.” If you have never confessed your sins and called on Jesus to forgive you, now is the time. The return of Christ is very near, so don’t put off making sure of your salvation, time is short.

Time for Revival

INTRO: Psalm 85:6 (NKJV)  Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? What does revival mean? It means to restore to life something that is almost dead.

Revival comes when we realize we have lost our zeal for God. When we realize we have become self-satisfied in our worship and we begin to cry out for the Spirit of God to have His way in us. Revival is when God does awesome things in our lives that we have not even looked for. As He revives us it changes those around us. Why doesn’t God move this way now? Why doesn’t He Just come and straighten things out. Why does revival tarry? It's because revival is waiting on you and me. We are the ones to blame. The Lord's just waiting on you and me. Revival is waiting on me and you, and that's why revival tarries. I. REVIVAL IS DEPENDENT ON US CHRISTIANS. I believe this great revival and change in America that all us Christians are waiting for is a lot more dependent on us than we realize. With any real revival, we understanding that we are not where we should be. Whether it be in our lifestyle, our effectiveness for God or our love relationship with Jesus, we recognize that things need to change and that it needs to begin with us. We need to start with some deep soul searching. We are no longer satisfied with the status quo of our spiritual life and start seeking God from a deep-felt need within our soul. Revelation 2:1-5 (NKJV) ¹  "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: ²  I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³  and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. ⁴  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.
So often, our prayers for revival consist of us asking the Lord to change everyone else so that revival will come. And, don't get me wrong, those prayers are needed for revival to truly happen in other people who need to be changed.
But there's something that the Lord's Holy Spirit brings into the light. It's the idea that revival - this big, huge wave of change in our nation where people turn back to the Lord uncompromisingly and permanently - starts with me. Revival starts with you. It starts with us. Revival has to come to us as individuals before it can (or will) ever touch others. Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. We must arise and let the light of Jesus shine in us so bright we can lighten this dark world by our good works that bring glory to the Father. Only we Christians can help change this world as we live and witness for Jesus.

II. REVIVAL BEGINS WITH ONE. Gypsy Smith, a British evangelist in the early 1900's, was once asked how to start a revival. He answered: "Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 (NKJV) ²⁰  Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. ²¹  And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. If we entered into a personal revival first, (a "revival of one") it would change things around us. Just like it did with Israel thru Hezekiah. If each of us were to become even a little closer to the Lord and become more obedient to Him, the fires of revival would burn that much brighter. There is not a one of us that have perfected our relationship with the Father. If each of us decided to follow after the Lord with a passion to where our actions, attitudes, and appetites were changed - to where we actually follow and chase after God instead of just talking about it – we would change the atmosphere in our church and nation to the place where the Lord might release revival in our land. King David gives us an excellent example of a personal revival in: Psalms 63:1-8¹ A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. ³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. ⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. ⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. ⁶ When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. ⁷ Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. ⁸ My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. Sixteen times David used personal pronouns to describe his fervent desire for a revival in his relationship with God. Verse 8 shows us David's surrender to God and his determination to follow Him. He would chase after God and the things that pertain to Him depending on God to uphold him in his efforts.

Conclusion: Revival has to start somewhere. And the best place for it to start is with me and you! With us. Then our personal revival spills over into the lives of those around us, until “the whole world comes to the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14). So revival is waiting on you and I. How sincerely do you really desire a revival of God in your life? If you feel satisfied with your relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son then you will never have revival in your life. You must have a hunger and a thirst for God.

INVITATION: Have you ever taken time to ask Jesus to forgive your sins against God. Have you invited Him to be your Savior and Lord? If you will salvation will come to you. Will you Christian stop right where you are and ask Jesus to forgive you for your disobedience, unconcern and lack of love for Him? Then you can rejoice in the Lord your God! Then revival will come to you and those around you.