Sunday Morning, November 17, 2013
scriptures:
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NOTES
This is a time to remember that Jesus died for our sins. How can sin be redeemed? God decided to die to satisfy His standard of justice.
We have to remember the love He has for us, especially by dying.
Romans 8:18
A lot of what we talk about sometimes is simple, basic.
For example, if people are not living for Christ, they may not like you. Don’t marvel.
Commitment has children: faithfulness, joy, consistent, and contentment.
Committed people are trying to be the best in a “horrible” situation instead of trying to make the best of a situation.
Do you say you are thankful or grateful with no joy or contentment?
If people can forecast your sinful nature or response to a difficult situation, then you have to ask whether God is in you. You can’t say I’m just going to be sensitive and that’s why I’ll overreact.
Committed people have thicker skin.
Your personality is tied to your spirituality.
Spirituality controls how you respond to temptation, stress, illness.
God gives us the strength to handle all things.
Take a simplistic view. Don’t make things complex to try to excuse sin.
Do you try to measure Christianity by fun?
Do you think sacrifice is about trying to have fun? You can have joy in suffering, but it is not about looking for what is fun.
Jesus died, apostles were killed, believers were beaten.
Only doing what you think is fun is for kids. You have to be spiritually mature. You cannot change God’s standards to appeal to people.
A lot of people try to cater people by looking for fun activities for church. We have to be basic and look at what people in the bible did and endured.
You can have joy in the circumstance.
Acts 5:40-41
The apostles had been preaching Christ and were abused for it. They counted it joy that they were able to represent Him and suffer for Him.
You can’t expect a cat to moo. They were for real, so true commitment came out.
One definition of fun is a trick and a game.
Look at these people. Do you come through a situation the same way they did?
Are you even comparing suffering with suffering or are you just dealing with inconvenience and being discontent.
Hebrews 10:22-35
Evil conscience – do you have something in you that is not really trying to be right?
You can’t have fluctuating commitment. Hold onto it fast. God is steady.
Consistent people will provoke others to be constant in Christ.
Forsake – people give it up because it is not in their spirit to come together, to be committed to the gospel.
Knowin that people are drawing away should make you more steady and hold on tighter.
vs 26
People drop away usually because they are doing something that is ungodly or suspect.
Don’t believe when people say that a person is saved who once was committed but is now willfully sinning. This tells us that person only has judgment to look forward to.
If you still want to keep on sinning after you know that Jesus died for you, how bad do you think that the punishment will be?
It will be bad for those rejecting Jesus. He will judge His people and bring about punishment.
vs 32-35
Developing thick skin. Remember your initial commitment and how you were willing to stand for Christ. You suffered and supported others who did. You endured it joyfully because you were looking for the greatness that we will experience in heaven.
Is my thinking consistent with this?
Metanoia – repentant, changed mindset. You don’t get upset, happy over the same things.
Stay confident in the same God that kept you when you joyfully endured suffering.
A lot of people try to make sin little and no big deal.
Sexual sin has a serious negative effect on your body and soul. You have to understand this when people are trying to protect you so vigorously.
1 Corinthians 6:13-19
God is always there with you. When you join sexually there is a union. When you do this outside of marriage, you are also sinning against your own body.
It messes up your mindset.
Don’t you know that Jesus died to pay for your body and soul, and you are taking it and making it nasty in fornication.
You cannot play those games with people. If you are wanting people want you sexually, you are wanting to lead them to sin and death. We have to be careful, not sloppy, about protecting this.
Consider what Christ has done to cleanse and purify our bodies.