*IP* How to Continue in the Christian Life
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Wouldn’t you like to be:
Stedfast (firmly fixed, constant, not fickle)
Unmoveable
Always abounding (great plenty or prevailing)
I’m tired of seeing:
Shallow Christianity and expecting God to be overwhelmed by our service
Quitters
God has given us as born-again believers a mandate to continue...
Continue:
Learning about God Himself
Fighting sin
Seeking and doing His perfect will
Growing closer to God
Building our Marriages
Raising our children in the admonition of the Lord
Telling others about Jesus Christ
Being faithful to God and His house
Studying and learning our Bibles
Resisting the devil
But how?
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
What are some encouragements to continue my Christian walk?
1. Remember The Witnesses
1. Remember The Witnesses
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
When you feel like quitting, when you get discouraged, when you feel the flame start to dwindle and the energy start to wane, look to the witnesses before us!
*Chapter 11*
If you aren’t sure you could ever please God:
a. Abel offered a sacrifice pleasing to God
and he didn’t have a long line of people before him or a Bible to guide him...
b. Enoch had a testimony that he walked with God
If you don’t think it’s possible to live in victory to sin in this wicked world...
c. Noah moved with fear and built an ark
and that’s in spite of living in a wicked world around him whose “thoughts were only evil continually”...
If you aren’t sure if you could have enough faith to follow God’s will:
d. Abraham obeyed God and went to a place he’s never seen
If you think you’re too old for God to do something miraculous through you:
e. Sara had the strength to conceive a child in her old age
a laughable possibility made true...
if you think God asks too much of you:
f. Abraham had the faith to offer up his only son as a sacrifice
believing that God would take care of him...
If you think the decisions you have to make as a parent are hard today:
g. Moses’ parents obeyed God over a tyrannical ruler
fearing God over man...
If you’re not sure if it’s possible to say “no” to the world and sin:
h. Moses chose obedience to God over the pleasures of sin
If you are having trouble trusting in God’s directing of your life:
i. The Israelites, through faith, watched God part the sea and crush the city walls of Jericho
If you think God could never use someone like you:
j. God even used a harlot in Rahab to accomplish something for Him in the hiding of two spies
If your lineage doesn’t seem like the ideal choice for God to use:
k. Gideon tore down his father’s alter to Baal, lead an army of 300 against 35,000 Midianites and WON with only torches, jars and trumpets
If you think your battle is too difficult and you’re not sure God could bring victory:
l. Barak faced Sisera’s superior forces and won against 900 iron chariots
If you’ve been rejected by family and friends and think that God will likely reject you as well:
m. How about Jephthah, a son of a harlot, who was also a mighty man of valour, but kicked out of his house, yet he was sought to lead them in battle against the Ammonites
n. Or David, who slew a lion and bear, defeated the great Goliath, became king of Israel and went on to write a large portion of the book of Psalms
o. Samuel, who served God from a child, went on to anoint kings of Israel and lead Israel spiritually
p. The prophets, who stood in the faces of kings and nations to proclaim their sin… worked miracles by God, stood against idolatry, suffered persecution, threats and even death to herald the message that God sent them for
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
If you’re not sure it’s possible, God gave us an entire book of the Bible with example after example of people who faced the odds, withstood the opposition and still made faith-based decisions that were pleasing to the Lord and didn’t quit...
Remember the Witnesses
2. Apply The Work
2. Apply The Work
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
“Lay aside”…
“weights”: anything that hinders us...
You’re being hindered and all you have to do is lay aside the weights that are weighing you down…
A weight is not necessarily something that is ungodly, but something that does not assist you in your walk with God
One preacher illustrated it this way: “It’s perfectly legal to run a race in army boots.” He said it wasn’t wise and would guarantee failure, but you can legally do it. Many of the things that prevent spiritual growth and development are legal, they just don’t lead to success.
3. Be Patient
3. Be Patient
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
“Patience”
MW Definition:
Patient: Having the quality of enduring evils without murmuring or fretfulness; sustaining afflictions of body or mind with fortitude, calmness or christian submission to the divine will; as a patient person, or a person of patient temper. It is followed by of before the evil endured; as patient of labor or pain; patient of heat or cold.
The Lord knew and instructed us into the fact that our Christian lives would require patience…
If things aren’t as you hoped, just wait…
Patience is required…
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
4. Keep Your Eyes in Focus
4. Keep Your Eyes in Focus
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
“Looking unto Jesus”
“Consider Him (Jesus)”
Jesus endured the cross, contradiction of sinners and rejection, yet he endured and finished the work that God sent Him to do...
Look to Jesus…
Don’t take your eyes off Jesus...
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus” - song
Author: Helen Lemmel
Moved to states when she was 12
1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
2. Thro' death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion--
For more than conqu’rors we are!
3. His Word shall not fail you--He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He’s the who, what, when, where, why and how of our faith...
He started it… He will end it… He will guide between it...
Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus...
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
From whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord,
Which made heaven and earth.
How do we keep going?
Remember the witnesses
Do the work… help yourself out… lay aside the weights that aren’t helping you
Be patient
Keep your eyes on Jesus
