The Great Commission
Part 7 – Growing in the Lord
HOW-TO: Understand Freedom in Christ
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
October 26th – Deacon Kurt Ulman
November 2nd – Walker Spriggs
November 9th – Grace Steadman
November 16th – Lori Ulman
November 23rd – Lynnette Higgins
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Your Mouth
† Growing in the Lord : HOW-TO Be Christ Centered
INTRODUCTION
Isaiah 52:2 – 12
2 Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed."
4 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
5 "And now what do I have here?" declares the LORD.
"For my people have been taken away for nothing,
and those who rule them mock, " declares the LORD. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
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.
12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
I. FREEDOM IN CHRIST
o Revelation 22:16 – 17
16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
o John 8:32, 36
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
o II Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
o Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
o Romans 8:18 – 21
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
II. NO CONDEMNATION FOR CHILDREN OF GOD
o Romans 8:1-2
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
III. FREE…BUT SERVE!
o Galatians 5:13
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
o James 1:25
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.
o 1 Peter 2:16
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
o 1 Corinthians 9:19
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
IV. SINNING AND LIVING IN SIN
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Growing in the Lord "How-To: Be Christ centered"
The Great Commission
Part 6 – Growing in the Lord
HOW-TO: Be Christ Centered
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
November 2nd – Deacon Kurt Ulman
November 9th – Grace Steadman
November 16th – Lori Ulman
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Your Mouth
† Growing in the Lord : HOW-TO Be Christ Centered
INTRODUCTION
I. SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD
† 1 Chronicles 16:8-12
8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
12 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
† Psalm 63:1-2, 5-7
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
II. PRAISE THE LORD CONTINUALLY
† Ephesians 5:19-20
19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
† Psalm 34:1-4
1 I will praise the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
† Psalm 61:8
8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
† Hebrews 13:15-17
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
III. CHOOSE TO TRUST AND DO
† Colossians 3:16-17
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
† John 15:14-17
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
† Romans 13:14
14 … clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
† Psalm 71:1, 5, 8
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
† Psalm 62:8
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
† Isaiah 26:4
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
† Luke 9:23-25
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Acts 17:24-31
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
Part 6 – Growing in the Lord
HOW-TO: Be Christ Centered
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
November 2nd – Deacon Kurt Ulman
November 9th – Grace Steadman
November 16th – Lori Ulman
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Your Mouth
† Growing in the Lord : HOW-TO Be Christ Centered
INTRODUCTION
I. SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD
† 1 Chronicles 16:8-12
8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
12 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
† Psalm 63:1-2, 5-7
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
II. PRAISE THE LORD CONTINUALLY
† Ephesians 5:19-20
19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
† Psalm 34:1-4
1 I will praise the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
† Psalm 61:8
8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
† Hebrews 13:15-17
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
III. CHOOSE TO TRUST AND DO
† Colossians 3:16-17
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
† John 15:14-17
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
† Romans 13:14
14 … clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
† Psalm 71:1, 5, 8
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
† Psalm 62:8
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
† Isaiah 26:4
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
† Luke 9:23-25
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Acts 17:24-31
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Growing in the Lord "Overcoming Your Mouth"
The Great Commission
Part 5 – Growing in the Lord
OVERCOMING: Your Mouth
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
October 12th – Lori Ulman
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
November 2nd – Deacon Kurt Ulman
November 9th – Grace Steadman
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Your Mouth
INTRODUCTION
I. Life and Death are in the Tongue
o Proverbs 18:21 – Life and Death are in the Tongue
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Everything that is, came to be from the Word which was spoken.
We, created in God’s image, and having the Holy Spirit in us, have the power to speak things as if they were.
If we speak doubt, fear, negativity, we are essentially speaking death into our lives.
If we speak the Word of God, and things which are pure, good and holy, we are speaking life into our lives.
o Proverbs 13:2-3 – Life and Destruction in your words
2 From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.
3 He who guards his lips guards his life,
but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
o Luke 6:45 - What you speak is from your heart
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
o James 3:3-6, 9-11- Blessings and Curses from the same mouth??
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring?
Can pure and tainted water fill the same cup?
II. Do not Speak Evil
o Ephesians 4:29, 31-32 – No Corrupt Speech Only Edifying
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Our reality is not a perception, but a result of our tongues speaking things into existence.
The seeds in which you sew will bring forth fruit of it’s kind. Just as it were in Genesis, so it is now.
And you will reap whatever fruit that comes from the seed in which you sew.
Are you surrounded in chaos, negativity and death?
Or are you surrounded with hope that never dies, strength to carry on and a will from your Father in heaven that causes you to succeed no matter what the circumstances?
My wife used to be negative, she called it “being realistic”.
But that negativity was really the fruit from the seed called “lack of faith”.
When God grew her faith, she stepped out of that reality, and into the reality that the Holy Spirit gives her no matter what the circumstance, and now she walks in faith and in the Spirit.
o 1 Timothy 6:20-21 - Avoid Profanity & Vain Babbling
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
o Proverbs 15:4 – Deceit crushes the spirit
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
o Matthew 12:36 – You are accountable for every idle word
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Life and Death in your words…
What are you speaking in your life?
Motivational speakers all over the world in the past 20+ years have been making a living off teaching simple principles found in the Holy Scriptures.
Positive thinking is simply what the scriptures say when it says to think on things which are holy, pure and righteous.
Speaking positively in your life is what the scriptures have told man to do from day one.
When we sew the seeds of discourse, negativity, hate, anger, sin, anything that is vain or ungodly, we are planting a garden surrounding our feet.
We should be planting seeds of understanding, compassion and love for all, saved and unsaved.
When our garden grows, are we going to be surrounded by lovely fruit of life, or the thorns thistles and poisonous berries of our sin?
We should only speak that which will build and edify others in what they need.
You see, it’s not about us, but others.
We need to stop living selfishly, and start living a selfless life as our Savior did.
III. Speak Good
o Proverbs 16:23-24 – Pleasant words are good for you
23 A wise man's heart guides his mouth,
and his lips promote instruction.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
o 1 Chronicles 16:9 – Speak of God’s Wonders
8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
o 1 Peter 1:15 – Be Holy in conversations
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
o Psalm 50:23 – Watch conversation and God will reveal Salvation
CONCLUSION
James 1:26-27 – If a man seems right, but does not control his tongue…
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Part 5 – Growing in the Lord
OVERCOMING: Your Mouth
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
October 12th – Lori Ulman
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
November 2nd – Deacon Kurt Ulman
November 9th – Grace Steadman
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Your Mouth
INTRODUCTION
I. Life and Death are in the Tongue
o Proverbs 18:21 – Life and Death are in the Tongue
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Everything that is, came to be from the Word which was spoken.
We, created in God’s image, and having the Holy Spirit in us, have the power to speak things as if they were.
If we speak doubt, fear, negativity, we are essentially speaking death into our lives.
If we speak the Word of God, and things which are pure, good and holy, we are speaking life into our lives.
o Proverbs 13:2-3 – Life and Destruction in your words
2 From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.
3 He who guards his lips guards his life,
but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
o Luke 6:45 - What you speak is from your heart
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
o James 3:3-6, 9-11- Blessings and Curses from the same mouth??
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring?
Can pure and tainted water fill the same cup?
II. Do not Speak Evil
o Ephesians 4:29, 31-32 – No Corrupt Speech Only Edifying
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Our reality is not a perception, but a result of our tongues speaking things into existence.
The seeds in which you sew will bring forth fruit of it’s kind. Just as it were in Genesis, so it is now.
And you will reap whatever fruit that comes from the seed in which you sew.
Are you surrounded in chaos, negativity and death?
Or are you surrounded with hope that never dies, strength to carry on and a will from your Father in heaven that causes you to succeed no matter what the circumstances?
My wife used to be negative, she called it “being realistic”.
But that negativity was really the fruit from the seed called “lack of faith”.
When God grew her faith, she stepped out of that reality, and into the reality that the Holy Spirit gives her no matter what the circumstance, and now she walks in faith and in the Spirit.
o 1 Timothy 6:20-21 - Avoid Profanity & Vain Babbling
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
o Proverbs 15:4 – Deceit crushes the spirit
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
o Matthew 12:36 – You are accountable for every idle word
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Life and Death in your words…
What are you speaking in your life?
Motivational speakers all over the world in the past 20+ years have been making a living off teaching simple principles found in the Holy Scriptures.
Positive thinking is simply what the scriptures say when it says to think on things which are holy, pure and righteous.
Speaking positively in your life is what the scriptures have told man to do from day one.
When we sew the seeds of discourse, negativity, hate, anger, sin, anything that is vain or ungodly, we are planting a garden surrounding our feet.
We should be planting seeds of understanding, compassion and love for all, saved and unsaved.
When our garden grows, are we going to be surrounded by lovely fruit of life, or the thorns thistles and poisonous berries of our sin?
We should only speak that which will build and edify others in what they need.
You see, it’s not about us, but others.
We need to stop living selfishly, and start living a selfless life as our Savior did.
III. Speak Good
o Proverbs 16:23-24 – Pleasant words are good for you
23 A wise man's heart guides his mouth,
and his lips promote instruction.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
o 1 Chronicles 16:9 – Speak of God’s Wonders
8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
o 1 Peter 1:15 – Be Holy in conversations
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
o Psalm 50:23 – Watch conversation and God will reveal Salvation
CONCLUSION
James 1:26-27 – If a man seems right, but does not control his tongue…
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Growing in the Lord "Overcoming Pride"
The Great Commission
Part 4 – Growing in the Lord
OVERCOMING: Pride
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
September 28th – Deacon Kurt Ulman
October 5th – Grace Steadman
October 12th – Lori Ulman
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
WHERE WE
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
INTRODUCTION
TIME magazine October 2008 Issue, “Real Victims in a war of words”
“Because of soaring inflation and food shortages, a loaf of bread in
Revelation 6:5-6
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages…
I. Pride Always Comes Before the Destruction
a. Proverbs 16:18-19 – Pride before the destruction
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
b. Proverbs 28:25-27 – The Prideful are fools
25 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
26 He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.
c. Jeremiah 13:15-16 – Pride leads to captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the LORD has spoken.
16 Give glory to the LORD your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to thick darkness
and change it to deep gloom.
Because of Pride our land is darkened.
If we want our country to be healed…we need to listen to what the scripture says.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1st we are to humble ourselves.
Pray and seek the Lord.
Repent.
THEN He will forgive our sin and heal our land.
God will continue to allow darkness to fall upon our country as long as we continue to be arrogant and prideful, as long as we go on without praying and seeking the Lord, as long as we do not repent…
Job 38 God is in control!
II. Humility Always Comes Before Closeness with God
a. James 4:6-7, 10 – God resists the proud
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."[b]
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
b. Psalm 138:4-6 – Prideful are far from God
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.
c. Proverbs
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it an unscalable wall.
12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
All those who have their trust in the stock market instead of the Lord…
All those who think because they are rich, they are safe…
Their wealth is their security, which is not security at all.
There were many rich people in the south at the end of the civil war.
All of their riches became filthy rags when the confederate money was declared worthless.
We need to realize that the only strong tower, the only security is in the Name of the Lord and no where else.
Before a man’s downfall his heart is full of pride.
For those who wish Honor from the Lord, we need to do as the scripture says, and humble ourselves.
Pride comes before the fall.
Humility comes before honor.
III. Therefore Be Like Christ
a. Proverbs 27:1-2 – Do not boast
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.
b. Matthew 3:1-3 – Bragging about your works
Giving to the Needy
1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Prayer
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
c. Luke 18:11-14 – The Pharisee prayed and was not justified by God
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
d. II Corinthians
17 But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
We can talk all day about how great we are…
But unless it is God commending us, it is nothing but prideful boasting.
e. Matthew
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
CLOSING
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