Discouragement

                             We finished our series on love last time and it is time to move on, although we never really move on from loving God and each other. I had a bit of a struggle with what I should speak on today and as usual thought it best to preach on what was happening in my life. I teach as I am being taught. If I am being honest with you I have felt very discouraged and defeated lately. It would seem as though there are a lot of areas in my life and in the life of those that I love that have been disappointing, challenging and downright depressing lately. I have watched people that I love make decisions that I know will harm them and they are doing it willingly when they know better. I have struggled in my own faith in God in financial and personal areas of my life. I have humored moments of apathy that I just would like to stop trying so hard and give up because it all seems in vain. Discouragement is universal. No one is immune. If there is anyone here that has never been discouraged than please feel free to correct me. Everyone has been discouraged at one time or another. And just because you were once does not mean that you are immune to it ever happening again. It is like a disease that wears you down and weakens you. It is highly contagious and can be spread by mere casual contact. There are many causes for discouragement and there are many levels of discouragement. Let me encourage you before we move on that there is also a treatment for discouragement.

          First of all, I would like us to look at examples in the bible of people who were discouraged or who at least had a right to be discouraged. This helped me to keep the proper perspective of my issues.

          Of course the obvious one with the right to be discouraged would be Job.

          Job 1:3  He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east

.

          Job 3:11  "Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?

     Job 3:20  "Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,

Job 3:21  who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

Job 3:22  who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave?

Job 3:23  Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Job 3:24  For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.

Job 3:25  For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.

Job 3:26  I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes."

 

          Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers and imprisoned for something he did not do. He had a right to be discouraged.       

 

          David is another good example of someone who had a right to be discouraged as he fled for his life …

 

Psa 142:1  A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.

Psa 142:2  I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.

Psa 142:3  When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

Psa 142:4  Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

Psa 142:5  I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

Psa 142:6  Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!

Psa 142:7  Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

 

          Paul is another example as we look at his life…

                   I am sure that there were times that Paul became discouraged. His letters to the Corinthians certainly, by his language, sound that he was discouraged with the Corinthians. He even points out that they know better. He spent a large amount of time in prisons. He had a right to be discouraged.

 

                   There are many more examples, but I just wanted to give you a few so we could keep ourselves in a proper perspective. Our lives, just by the fact we are all here in this room today, are not as bad as those we just read about.

          I would like to take just a minute and look at was caused discouragement in our lives and the lives of the people we just looked at. It would be fair to say that loss of all your wealth would be cause for discouragement, loss of loved ones, ridicule from others, pain and suffering, unjust treatment, false accusations, the threat of losing one’s life, loved ones disregarding the council of God. These are just a few from the texts we read earlier. There is no lack of reasons to be discouraged in this world. But here is where I am going to throw in a little twist. Being discouraged can be a good thing. It causes us to call out to God as our only cure. Many people are born again because they have come to a point in their life so low that they have lost all hope and are ready to give up. It is also good for believers to be reminded that God is in control. My discouragement has caused me to have a closer relationship with God because I have to rely on Him more. Discouragement comes from my perspective of what “things” are supposed to look like verses what God’s perspective of “things” is. That is why when we feel discouraged it is so imperative that we seek and trust Him even more diligently. The very thing that has you discouraged is part of His plan for your life.

 

2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

2Co 1:4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2Co 1:5  For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

2Co 1:6  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

2Co 4:16  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2Co 4:17  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

2Co 4:18  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 

          The sad part and the tragedy in this is so many of us think, by our actions, that we know better than God, or don’t trust God enough to allow Him to use us in those times. We have a tendency, as I spoke of earlier, to “zone out” and give up. But we need God the most in those times and yet we shut Him out of our lives and wallow in self-pity because we have a right to be discouraged. The other tendency is that we look elsewhere for our answers. We self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, even prescription drugs so that we don’t have to deal with the situation. How one handles discouragement is a pivotal point in our life and relationship with God. I want to read you this story I found on the internet. I thought it was neat and made my point very well.    

 

The Rock
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind. "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it."
This gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough."
And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have
not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself."
"Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend will now move the rock."

 

          As I close, I wanted to share with you a little more of my situation. I mentioned earlier that there are a lot of areas in my life and in the life of those that I love that have been disappointing, challenging and downright depressing lately. I have watched people that I love make decisions that I know will harm them and they are doing it willingly when they know better. I have struggled in my own faith in God in financial and personal areas of my life. The truth is that God is in control of all of those things. And I was deceived into believing that I was in some kind of control of all that. The truth that God revealed to me… My kids, granddaughter and wife are all healthy and alive and under God’s care; we all have food in our stomachs, roofs over our heads, and are better off financially than I ever have been in my life. All by God’s grace and love. Even if we didn’t have all that, God is still in control. I have a board in my office that says… You can’t control today’s outcome but you can control your effort. The outcome is for God to decide.

Last thing… I Promise…

                   A good friend gave me this advice this week. By the way when you are discouraged don’t become a recluse. You need fellowship!! He said…

 God is in charge. When we don't know what else to do, it is time to just set your face like flint and follow Jesus. So many things that happen in our circles are not even about us, but about those around us but we get caught up in the drama because we love them or need them - so just do your job - steer the ship and this time of storm will pass soon and we will get some more smooth sailing and be glad we came on the cruise.

 

But Doesn't God Want Me To Be Happy?

                       I have heard similar questions to this and have even pondered a certain version of this in my own life. Although mine was pointed in a slightly different direction, when I was a very young Christian or maybe not even a Christian yet, my question was more like…”Why doesn’t God want me to be happy?” Frankly those were about the only times that I really thought about God at all. It was a challenging time in my life, mostly due to my own cause. My children seemed out of control and unmanageable, my wife would hardly ever agree with any of my decisions, we were spiraling into a pit of debt financially and I was a basket case and just wanted to give up. The truth in all that was that my kids just needed a godly father, my wife needed a godly husband that she could agree with, I needed to stop blowing my money on foolish spending and I needed to spend more time working on my relationship with Christ. But that is not my point for today. My point that I am trying to make is that I was causing this big chaos in my life in all these areas and then blaming God for not making me happy.

          There are literally hundreds of references in the Bible about joy and I have talked about some of them before in the past. But this question of does God want me to be happy is important. Why, because if I believe that God wants me to be happy and I am not happy then somehow God has failed, or God is not real, or maybe God is punishing me or God doesn’t love me. I could go on and on of how one simple question improperly answered can have a devastating effect on your perception of who God is and what God’s purpose is.

          If I went around the room and asked each one of you what would make you happy, most every one of you would answer the question differently. Maybe someone would say if God would take away the pain in my leg, someone might say they would be happy if their kids came to visit, someone might be happy if the nurse treated them better or if the meals were better. Tony would probably be happy if the Bucs won their game today, or if they won the super bowl that would make Tony really happy. Well, if God wants Tony to be happy then the Bucs should win the super bowl. But what if my favorite team was the opposing team and it would make me happy if they won? If God wants me to be happy then my team should win the super bowl. Does it become a battle between Tony and I of who is more spiritual or who has more faith or more favor from God. Of course not.

 

          But there are so many verses that talk about joy there must be something to a Christian being joyful. I have seen verses on refrigerators reminding people to be joyful. Verses like…

 

Psa 16:11  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

This is repeated by Peter in Acts…

 

Act 2:25  For David says concerning him, "'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

Act 2:26  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.

Act 2:27  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.

Act 2:28  You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

 

          As I look in my own life and in the lives of the people that I have been blessed to minister to, I find that a large part of our problems are because we are deceived. We don’t know the truth and we believe lies. Many of us are deceived into believing that true joy is my football team winning the super bowl. You can be happy about your football team winning the super bowl but if you get depressed and walk around for the next two weeks with your head hung low acting like Eeyore then you are headed for destruction. There are people who commit suicide because a team lost a game. I am not just picking on sports. Some people give up because of their jobs or because they owe too much money or their kids have done something bad. Those people were deceived by the lie that their joy comes from those circumstances. We have become deceived to think that happiness and joy are the same thing. It is possible to have both but joy is not based on worldly circumstances it is based on my position in Christ. Any other way is a self-centered gospel.

          Look at that verse in Psalm 16 again. In His presence is where the joy is.

Let’s back up and look at a little more of that Psalm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psa 16:5  The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

Psa 16:6  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psa 16:7  I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

Psa 16:8  I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psa 16:9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

Psa 16:10  For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Psa 16:11  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

          David was not dwelling on his circumstances; He was dwelling on the Lord. In verse 8 it says he has set the Lord before him and that is why his heart is glad. All of the scriptures that I found regarding joy were all contingent on our position in the Lord.

 

 1Ch 16:27  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.

 

 

                      I want to take a few more minutes with David…

 

Psa 43:1  Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!

Psa 43:2  For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Psa 43:3  Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

Psa 43:4  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

Psa 43:5  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

 

                   David is being chased and people are wanting to kill him and yes it is difficult and it is okay to say Lord, I don’t understand why this is happening. But don’t go into mourning pray that you would be enlightened by the truth. Which is, as it says in verse 4, God is my exceeding joy. Regardless of my circumstances God is my joy and he is constant. Therefore my joy does not change even though my circumstances do. Joy is not contingent on your feelings. You can be sad and joyful at the same time.

          Consider that joy is one of the fruits of the spirit and let’s look at the others.

 

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal 5:23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

          The fruits of the spirit are gifts from God to sanctify us. How and why does joy make it into this list if it is something that depends on my circumstances? If you are in Christ then the Holy Spirit dwells in you and gives you these gifts or abilities. You now have a choice of believing that or not. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love the unlovable, have joy in bad circumstances, to have peace in times of turmoil, patience in times of trouble, kindness to those who are mean, goodness to those who are bad, faithfulness to the unfaithful, gentleness to the rough, and self-control in times of testing.

          All of this is only if you are in Christ.

 

Joh 15:1  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Joh 15:3  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Joh 15:6  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Joh 15:7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Joh 15:8  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Joh 15:9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

Joh 15:10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

Joh 15:11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

 

     The truth of the question…

          “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?

     Is yes he does. God does want you to be happy, content and satisfied in Christ. In who you are in Christ and in your promised inheritance.

 

As we are sanctified we mature and what makes us happy will begin to change. The things that made me happy ten years ago don’t necessarily make me happy today. I needed to reform my way of thinking, start believing the truth and now I can have joy in harder circumstances. Have I made it to a point where nothing will ever affect my joy? No. But I am much closer and the roller coaster is much safer and a lot less scary.

If we change what makes us happy to line up with the word of God then we can have joy and happiness and isn’t that what we would all want, if we are being truthful.

 

 

 

Bible Truth: God Knows Me

Scripture: Psalm 139:1 “Lord, You know everything about me.”

 Target Age Group: Ages 2 – 4

 Learning Context: Any small group setting like Sunday School or Church Toddler class.

 Target Time Frame: 30 minutes

 Printer Friendly Bible Lesson:  Print this lesson plan

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Application: God knows me and sees everything I say and do or think… Good or Bad

 

Materials: Pictures of a circle, a car and a tree (pictures of animals would be fun too), Bible for reference

 

Bible Lesson Opening:

 

Pick a song to sing before you start. It could be one familiar to most kids, (i.e. Jesus Loves Me, If You’re Happy and You Know It, …), or for the older ones it could be one you made up.

 

Say: There was a man in the Bible named King David who God used to teach us how we can love and know God. But, before David became a king, he spent a lot of time in the fields by his home taking care of his father’s sheep. While he took care of the sheep he would play his harp and make up songs. In the Bible, David’s songs are called Psalms. (Show the children how to find Psalms in the middle of the Bible.)

 

Just like we sang, David sang songs to God while he was all alone in the fields. David sang songs thanking God for who God is. David sang songs telling God how much he loved God. David sang songs to ask God to help him when he needed it. One of the songs David wrote is called Psalm 139 and it teaches us that God knows us.

 

I want to teach you special words for today… “God knows me” Let’s say that together. (Make up motions or learn the sign language to do along with it.)

 

Our verse for today is from Psalm 139:1. (Show the children how to find chapter 139 and verse 1.) It says “Lord, You know everything about me.” Can we all say that together?

 

Let’s find out how much He does know about us!

 

Part One: (from Ps. 139:1, 2a, 3, 16b, 16c)

 

Everyone stand up where you are. Now sit back down again.

 - God saw you do that!

 

Now stand back up again and reach and try to touch the ceiling. Now reach and try to touch the floor. Now sit back down.

 - God saw you do that too!

 

Raise your hand if you slept last night?

 - God watched you fall asleep and kept watching all night long!

 

Think in your head about yesterday. Did you make someone happy? How about sad? Did you go somewhere in the car? Did you get in trouble for something you did that was wrong?

 - God watched you do those things!

 

Psalm 139 says that God knows when we sit down and stand up. He sees us when we go places and when we rest at home. God knows everything you do. God sees you when you are doing good things and He sees you when you are doing the things you know you shouldn’t do. He can see you all the time. God knew you were going to be here today before you even before you were born!

 

God sees you!! Everyone say God sees me.

 

Part Two: (from Ps. 139:2b, 4)

 

Alright now I want everyone to think of something in your head. Don’t say it or shout it out or tell your neighbor, just think of it inside your head about your favorite animal. Everyone have it? Okay, turn to your friend and tell them what your favorite animal is.

 

I don’t know what animal you thought of, but God heard what you thought in your head even before you said it out loud! Psalm 139 says God knows our thoughts and what we are going to say even before we say it. God knows the good things you think and say; and He knows the bad things you think and say. He can even hear you when you pray silently in your head.

 

God hears you!! Everyone say God hears me.

 

Part Three: (from Ps. 139:13-16a)

 

We know God knows us because he sees us and hears us. But did you know God knows us because he made us?

 

What shape is this?

 (Point to the circle and have children answer.)

 Who wants to try to be a circle?

 (Choose 1 to 3 children to come up to the front and try to be a circle. Then send them to sit down again.)

 Good job! Let’s all clap to show them how well they tried! As hard as they tried though could they ever really be a circle? Of course not!

 

Repeat activity with the pictures of the car and the tree.

 

Did God make us circles, cars, or trees? Psalm 139 says that God decided what you look like before you were born. Look at your neighbor. Do you look like them? No, of course not. You look like you! God knew what color your eyes and hair would be. He made your nose the perfect shape for you. He chose your hands and feet especially for you. He thinks you are darling and precious.

 

God made you!! Everyone say God made me.

 

Comprehension:

 

We know God knows us because He sees us, He hears us, and He made us.

 Today’s verse is “Lord, you know everything about me.” Can we say that together?

 He sees everything we do, all the time. He hears everything we think and everything we say out loud. He made us look the way we do. God knows me and God knows you too!

 

What is our special words for today? (God knows me.)

 Who wrote songs to God while he took care of the sheep? (David)

 When can God see us? (All the time.)

 Can God only hear us when we talk out loud? (No.)

 Does God only hear the good things we do and think and say? Or does he know the bad things too? (He knows it all.)

 Who made you exactly the way he wanted you to be? (God.)

 

Let’s say our verse for today together, Psalm 139:1- “Lord, you know everything about me.”

 

If Time Allows…

 

Have a song ready to teach the children. It could be a song you make up beforehand to a familiar tune.

 for example… This is sung to the tune of “This Old Man”

 God knows me.

 God knows me.

 God sees, he hears, he made me too.

 He knows everything that I will do.

 Thank you God for loving me too.

 

Discuss again how David made up songs to sing to God and that we can do the same

 

Conclude…

 

Recite Psalm 139:1- “Lord, you know everything about me.”

 

Repeat the special words for the day, “God Knows Me”

 

Pray thanking God for knowing us, seeing us, hearing us, and creating us.

 

Need More Ideas? Browse our growing selection of preschool Bible lessons or print off a Bible coloring page to use with your class.

 

 

1 Peter 1:22-25

                        Last week we covered verses 18 – 21 of 1 Peter 1 and this week we move on to finish out the chapter with verses 22 through 25. Last week we covered redemption and what we were redeemed from, what we were redeemed with, who we were redeemed by, and what we were redeemed for. We will see that this section of scripture builds on the premise and assumption that you have been redeemed as I spoke last week. This is more than head knowledge of the bible; it is heart knowledge with Christ. Many people claim to be Christians, especially here in the United States but as John states in John 17:17…Many hear the truth, but are never purified by it, because they will not submit to it nor obey it. I pray that today we will hear the truth, submit to and obey it so that we may be purified by it.

 

1Pe 1:22  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1Pe 1:23  since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

1Pe 1:24  for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

1Pe 1:25  but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

 

        Being redeemed and having purified our souls would be the equivalent of what we would call being born again. Of course we have perverted that phrase as much as we have the word love as I discussed for nearly a year when I covered 1 Corinthians 13. I remember seeing a survey once that over 50 percent of Americans say that they are born again Christians. But I assure you that it is not even close to 50 percent of America that have purified their souls by their obedience to the truth and have a sincere brotherly love and love one another earnestly with a pure heart. This would be a very different America if it was. What many mean by being born again is that they had at some point in their life had a religious or emotional experience that resulted in a fresh start in life. I witnessed this at several churches and events that I have been to where there is a cattle drive of people going forward at the end of the service. A majority of the people are simply reacting to an emotional feeling and never get the to obedience part. Many, when they leave the church service go right back to living the same way as before. They want the insurance of being born again but aren’t willing to submit to the obedience part of it. That is what Peter is saying here. Since you are redeemed, purified, born again you should be living in obedience. Not to be confused with if you are obedient you will be redeemed, purified and born again. You are not able to live in obedience without being purified. Don’t try to put the cart before the horse.

Joh 3:36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

 

        Ed has been quoting this on Sunday nights that we are called to believe on the one who was sent. (Jesus Christ). But to believe is to obey.

        It is more than a head knowledge that God exist. It is about believing so much in God that you are willing to be obedient to what God says. Specifically love. That is why I spent over a year of studying 1 Corinthians 13. Love is the most important thing for us to do. Love God and love each other; the two greatest commandments.

        I want to take a minute and discuss belief and obedience. If Cindy and I have a map of the Georgia Mountains and a compass then we can safely go for a hike and plot our hike and not get lost. Because we believe the map we can hike for days and not be concerned with where we are. We know and believe that the map is true and correct. If we get lost we simply go back to the map and compass and figure out where we are. But if we leave for our hike and say we believe the map we have is correct but when we get lost don’t look at the map to help find our way out do we really believe it?

        Isn’t that like most professing Christians today? They say that they believe in God, say that they are born again but refuse to look at the map (the bible) for direction. And many of those that finally agree to look at the map out of exhaustion still won’t do what it says because it is “too hard” to follow all those rules.

        Jesus says…

        Mat 7:21  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

 

        In verse 21 it says people will call him Lord but it is the one who does, the one who is obedient is the one who is redeemed, born again, and have purified souls.

        We are called to obedience and that obedience would be to love because you have been loved. God has shown you His love by sending His son to give us a living hope, an inheritance that is imperishable and incorruptible. We have spent several weeks talking about how wonderful this gift is that God has given us. Now we are called, because of that, to be obedient to Him and love on another with a pure heart.

        John Piper writes…

                How then does our own obedience—“the obedience of faith”—relate to justification? The answer is: Our obedience is not the ground or the basis of our justification. Nor is it any part of the instrument or means by which we are united to Christ who alone is the ground and the basis of our justification. Faith alone unites us to Christ and Christ alone is the ground of our justification. Our obedience is the fruit of that faith. The faith that justifies is the kind of faith that, by the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:13-note), changes us. If your faith in Christ leaves you unchanged, you don’t have saving faith. Obedience—not perfection, but a new direction of thought and affections and behavior—is the fruit that shows that the faith is alive. James put it this way, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”  (James 2:17-note). Faith alone justifies, but the faith that justifies is never alone. It is always accompanied by “newness of life”.

 

        Take some time to evaluate yourselves. Are you acting in obedience to the faith you say you have. Or are you lost in the woods and trying to use a road map instead of a topographical hiking map? Many times when things are tough, when we feel lost we don’t go to the right map. We try to rely on our own senses which usually cause people to hike in circles. Why, because we believe in ourselves more than we believe in the real map. We have made ourselves our own gods. Or we will look to our friends or other books for our answers. If your faith in God and His word is real then we should be obedient to it first. Then ask other people’s opinions, read other books etc. to see if they line up with the word. If they do then we can take that advice and grow.

        We are called to show our obedience by loving one another. If you recall our past study on love there was a reoccurring theme that will help you today to show your obedience by loving. Love is self-sacrificing. If you put others needs above your own in all that you do you can be assured that you are living the obedience that, as a born again, redeemed, person of God you are called to be. God bless you in that as you go about your week.