Why?
Notes
Transcript
Why? #1
Why? #1
Miss Sondra wasn’t being disrespectful - but Miss Sondra was a very opinionated lady… She’s up in heaven laughing at this story...
What was the problem?
She didn’t understand “Why”
As soon as she understood “Why”, it wasn’t a problem at all - and Miss Sondra never caused us any problems all the years I knew her - just a sweet loving lady… who was a great soulwinner...
Christianity is about relationship not rules and regulations
Rules
are there rules - Ex 20 - 10 commandments
are there regulations - yes
10 commandments -
Torah - list 613 laws...
Illust:
Someone figured out that we have 35 million laws in our world to enforce the 10 commandments...
God’s pretty smart -
He know how to rule not only the individual human, but all humanity...
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4933 Ten Commandments Too Personal
4933 Ten Commandments Too Personal
The editor of a small weekly newspaper in a town in the West was hard put to it one week for copy to fill his columns. So he had his compositor set up the Ten Commandments, and ran them without making any editorial comment. Three days after the paper was published he received a letter saying:
“Please cancel my subscription. You’re getting too personal.”
—Pastor’s Manual
b. Relationship -
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
There is a great connection of relationship in the plan of God
God is our Father - Luke 11
Jesus - the Son of God - Jn3.16
Holy Spirit - indwells, comforts, seals us until the day of redemption
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Church - Body of Christ
Marriage - the human institution that represents the Love that Christ has for the church
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Believers - Brothers & sisters in Christ
Household of faith
2. It is not wrong to ask why?
Now there are different motives and when the question is asked with:
the wrong motive
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
In the wrong time or way???
I cannot tell you how many times I got in trouble… my mom’s response would be… “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it...”
After becoming a parent - I understood that statement a whole lot more!
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
ready to give an answer…
answer to what?
to the questions...
questions about the faith… the hope that is in you...
Blessed Hope
The Lord Jesus...
Salvation
Sanctification
holiness
Service -
the world doesn’t get it...
not all believers get it...
3. Seeking Holiness is not extra biblical
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Love
See
Refrain
Eschew evil
Do good
Seek peace
Ensue it… Pursue it...
Where are the boundaries???
Where does “do good” “seek peace” “ensue it” -
where do these stop?
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Where does sanctification end?
Is their a goal to attain?
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
what does this look like?
becoming more like Christ...
Not weird -
But we should endeavor to live a life that is not like this world...
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
where is the line?
That really doesn’t matter...
What matters, is that you know why you believe what you believe AND that you can articulate it...
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
If we are “following” that which is good, we will be getting farther away from evil...
Why????