A Countdown of the Top Five 'Killers of the Christian Faith'
5. LEGALISM
The Four Spiritual Laws - God's Debt Relief Program
http://wordsfromhisword.blogspot.com/2010/06/four-spiritual-laws-salvation-gods-way.html
Head knowledge about God DOES NOT make you saved. Get this too. Following Christian rules or following Christian values DOES NOT save you either. Rather it is a relationship with Christ that saves you from your sin debt. Quit counting heaven points. Quit trying to keep a tally of your sins vs. your good deeds. It's an insult to Christ's death on the cross.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
• RITUALS – Like legalism, sacraments will not save you. The Pharisees and Sadducees prayed in the streets, fasted for days upon days, and made sacrifices of precious stones and spices. But they missed the point – God’s love for them and the value of His goodness and mercy towards them. They missed the point because they believed their actions could save them. Remember there’s nothing you can do to save yourself.
4. BAGGAGE
Baggage Claim
http://wordsfromhisword.blogspot.com/2010/01/dealing-with-shame-regret-and-guilt.html
You can’t move forward in the Christian walk while looking back at your past sins, along with carrying around shame and regrets. Remember that through Christ’s afflictions, you were set free from the penalty of spiritual death – penal substitutionary atonement.
• 1 Peter 1:13-16 - Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, 'Be ye holy; for I am holy.’
3. UNGODLY RELATIONSHIPS/FRIENDSHIPS
A Dose of Quality Control
http://wordsfromhisword.blogspot.com/2010/05/dose-of-quality-control.html
• Be careful where you get your friends from! The things you do with your friends – would you be ashamed for your parents to know what goes on when they aren’t watching?
• Pastor Steve Gaines at Bellevue said this in regards to relationships – “Trying to find a boyfriend or girlfriend at a nightclub is like saying, ‘I’m hungry,’ and then looking for your lunch in the trash.”
• Remember to be IN THE WORLD but not OF THE WORLD.
2. SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS
Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet
http://wordsfromhisword.blogspot.com/2010/07/jesus-washes-disciples-feet-john-131-17.html
• We lose faith when God doesn’t deliver when we want Him to. We are creatures of instant gratification. We want something and we want it now, forgetting that the timing of the Lord your God is perfect.
• Isaiah 55:8 - My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
• We fail to realize His many blessings and our radical dependence on Him. Every breath you take comes from the God of the Universe.
• We use God too often as a crisis hotline – we call on Him only when we’re trouble but forget to praise Him for everything. Literally. EVERYTHING.
1. EXCUSES/LAZINESS
The Asking Price - The Cost of Following Jesus
A lesson from Chosen Generation on 8/23/10
http://wordsfromhisword.blogspot.com/2010/08/asking-price-cost-of-following-jesus.html
• We call on the name of God, yet blaspheme Him with our very actions.
• God demands our greatest affection! Above possessions, above relationships, above school, above careers.
• God has given us His incorruptible Word – the Bible –where ABSOLUTE MORAL TRUTH exists. It offers OBJECTIVE TRUTH – which applies to EVERYONE!
• God doesn’t say – “Follow me and worship me whenever you think the time is appropriate or whenever you feel like it.” He calls us to be living testimonies of His love and mercy at all times.
I promise you. God will push you out of your comfort zone - SANCTIFICATION
In Ezekial, God's people are described as being worse than harlots for their ignorance of His goodness and mercy towards them. God's people abused His blessings and used them for sin. And despite their wickedness, God gave His children the gift of Christ, who died on the cross to save them from their sins. Discuss the "depth" of God's love.
• Social obligation/Protocol
o Racism
o Social status
Christ died for EVERYONE. Every soul.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Asking Price – The Cost of Following Jesus (Matthew 8:18-22)
Matthew 8:18-22
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
A. It Will Cost You Your Worldly Expectations (v.18-20)
a. Your Pride
i. Scribes were heralded leaders of the Jews that were highly educated in the Law of Moses and taught the law to the people.
ii. Humbling for a scribe to give up his position of prominence to pursue the callings of the ministry.
b. Your Possessions/Time
i. Throughout their traveling ministry, Jesus and His disciples were practically homeless, depending on the hospitality of others for survival.
ii. Remember that all of “your” possessions are actually blessings from God. Be willing to allow God to use the possessions in your life that belong to Him already. An act of surrender.
iii. Do we believe that God will provide for our needs even when we are called to give up worldly possessions?
B. Following Christ Assumes Precedence Over Social Protocols/Obligations (v.21-22)
a. One of the supreme commandments of Jewish custom was to honor parents, second only to honoring God.
b. Yes, Jesus teaches His followers to honor their parents, but he demands an even greater affection for Himself. Therefore He calls us to place Him at the “center of attention” – the top priority in our lives.
c. John 13:1-17 describes Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
i. Focus in on verses 6-8.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
ii. Similarly, for the teacher to wash the disciples’ feet was not socially correct. Jesus shows us He is above all social obligation. Scripture supersedes tradition!
d. How does this concept apply to college life?
i. School
ii. Activities
iii. Convenience
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
A. It Will Cost You Your Worldly Expectations (v.18-20)
a. Your Pride
i. Scribes were heralded leaders of the Jews that were highly educated in the Law of Moses and taught the law to the people.
ii. Humbling for a scribe to give up his position of prominence to pursue the callings of the ministry.
b. Your Possessions/Time
i. Throughout their traveling ministry, Jesus and His disciples were practically homeless, depending on the hospitality of others for survival.
ii. Remember that all of “your” possessions are actually blessings from God. Be willing to allow God to use the possessions in your life that belong to Him already. An act of surrender.
iii. Do we believe that God will provide for our needs even when we are called to give up worldly possessions?
B. Following Christ Assumes Precedence Over Social Protocols/Obligations (v.21-22)
a. One of the supreme commandments of Jewish custom was to honor parents, second only to honoring God.
b. Yes, Jesus teaches His followers to honor their parents, but he demands an even greater affection for Himself. Therefore He calls us to place Him at the “center of attention” – the top priority in our lives.
c. John 13:1-17 describes Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
i. Focus in on verses 6-8.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
ii. Similarly, for the teacher to wash the disciples’ feet was not socially correct. Jesus shows us He is above all social obligation. Scripture supersedes tradition!
d. How does this concept apply to college life?
i. School
ii. Activities
iii. Convenience
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