Wednesday Night, March 25, 2020
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Sermon
A lot of people are sharing verses in the time of this pandemic. We have to make sure they are understood and applied appropriately.
2 Timothy 1:7 The fear talked about here is being ashamed of God or who He is.
That fear is not of God. It is referring to the fear that leads to not standing up for him.
There is also fear of harmful things. God gives that fear for protection.
Don’t be debilitated by fear. Often includes people being afraid of man, disease, etc. If it overwhelms you or distracts you from who God is, it will be a snare.
Vs. 26 – don’t seek favor from influential people. God is in control.
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Wat has the coronavirus changed for you? What is this experience teaching you?
What about those things that you HAD to do? And you cannot do those things now.
This virus response has made it so that some family finally spend time together.
School, college, vacations have been interrupted. What is really important?
Has God forced you to leave your idols? Many people only stop with they see life or death.
All of those things that you HAD to do are not being done because of a virus and isolation, restriction.
Temptation is often disguised as an opportunity. Selfishness is disguised as ambition.
We seek what is our pleasure instead of what pleases God.
Did you care about the sick and dying when they were healthy and living?
Does it take death before you think about the people and the things that you should? Does it take a virus to keep you from running around?
It reminds us that we are not in control. But we have never been in control. God is always in control.
God can slow down the WHOLE WORLD.
As you think about this situation, what is it teaching you? What are you seeing about how important God is? When this is over, will you go back to seeking what you want? Will you be changed? Have you changed?
Am I building myself up? Am I becoming stronger?
God can stop us and have us look at ourselves.
Are you a stronger believer than you have ever been before?
Are you growing? Are you knowing more about God? Are you with God even in a room alone?
A lot of people are talking about their thoughts about God and don’t really know Him.
Jeremiah 9:17(???) You cannot trust your heart.
We’ve been talking about having a clear conscience. You will feel good about yourself in God when you are good about yourself in God.
God made your feelings, thoughts and emotions to be right in God. He can let you know you are doing right.
There are people who backslide or turn away from doing right. They may not have had a good grip in the first place.
Vs. 20 When you are building up in God, you have to start on a foundation of truth. The Holy Spirit is not of a lie, not deceptive. Are you really trying to grow?
Do you have that unction? Is God leading you to grow?
If you were by yourself and people were not around, would God still be around.
Would He still be guiding you and letting you know that you were His own?
Just because we are all human does not mean that everyone has the spirit of God.
If you say you haven’t been focused, then you can say that you haven’t been in his spirit.
Vs. 28 Abide in Him. How are you doing this?
Are you honest with others about their relationship with Christ? You know that the righteous do righteousness.
Are you sincere about your relationship in Christ?
Things that you were not willing to lay down in order to do good things you now have to lay down for the virus. Have you laid your LIFE down for the work of the church? If you don’t know, then you know that you have not.
Knowing that you are doing
If you don’t have confidence in your relationship in Christ, you need build yourself up. If you are not what you need to be, you need to repent.
You can have relationship and talk with Him.
God has had us slow down and ask, what do you really have to do today?
Do you feel this way? Do you experience the spirit of God this way?
Is He strengthening you?
How deep, rich, true is your life in Christ? Is your experience true with this, that God is deep, wide?
God lets you know it is not an accident. He can give you an experience that shows you and reminds you that He is in control.
God speaks in ways that you can hear if you are willing to hear. He is the invisible who is able to make a mark.
Do you have any experiences that let you know Him?
Vs. 19
We have really compromised life and our opportunity to know God by not taking advantage of knowing Him.
For next time, think about Jude 1:21, Keep yourselves in the love of God.
What are you going to do differently? Think differently in God. How has this changed you? Will you grow in Christ?
What takeaways are you going to have? What are you going to do, specifically?
What change is it going to make?