This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
Titus 3:8
**Live Compassionately
Matthew 22:38-40
**Live Consistently
**Live Confidently
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ
2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.
James 4:2-3
Dear Christian, when we pray, let us consider the Apostle’s admonitions……………..
1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning.2 My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest.3 Yet You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.4 In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You rescued them. 5 To You they cried out and they fled to safety; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a person, A disgrace of mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me deride me; They sneer, they shake their heads, saying, 8 “Turn him over to the LORD; let Him save him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
Psalm 22:1-8
In Psalm 22, we see…………..
**Jesus forsaken (1-2)
**Jesus’ humiliation (6-7)
**Jesus’ suffering (14-16)
**Jesus’ degradation (17)
**Jesus’ humanity (18)
Jesus knows and understands our heartaches and sorrows. Our Savior is well aware of all that His people face here in this life. He knows because He has been here. Christ understands!
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
James 4:1-2
Conflict is inevitable in life. Sometimes fights cannot be avoided. Human beings need to learn to deal with conflict as it doesn’t go away for long.
James here identifies certain desires that lead to conflict in the home and in the church. He teaches that the desire for pleasure, lust, character assassination, and covetousness are some of the factors that lead to constant infighting and stress. God’s people ought to examine themselves regularly to make sure these foibles are not at work in their lives. If they are, Christians should repent and turn from these foolish argument starters.
Conflict will happen under the best of circumstances. Let us resolve not to add to it by living in ungodly attitudes and mindsets.
1 Bless the LORD, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.2 Bless the LORD, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;3 Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favor and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the Lord, Child of God. Do not forget His blessings and benefits to you. The Lord is good, holy, and worthy of our praise.
The Lord does many acts on our behalf………
**He Forgives
**He Heals
**He Redeems
**He Blesses
**He Satisfies
**He Renews
Bless the LORD, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Today, let’s talk about the three Ls of Christian growth. We find these principles scattered throughout the Bible. Let’s look at them for a few moments.
What is the first L? It is listen. To grow in Christ one must learn to listen. We must listen to God’s Word, listen for the promptings of the Spirit, and listen as God speaks through others. We love to talk, but, we would do much better if would learned to listen.
Psalm 34:1 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
The second L is learn. Spiritual maturity requires us to learn more about Christ through the Scriptures. We are to be learning everyday of our lives. The growth we experience may arrive slowly. However, it will be steady if we are continually learning through the Bible, through the Church, and through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The final L is love. To grow in Christ we must grow in love. There more we understand what Christ has done and who He is, the more we increase in love for Him. Jesus loved us more than we can ever understand (Romans 5:8-11). Therefore, we should be continually flourishing in love day by day.
Matthew 22:37-40 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.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Let us all make commitments this week to grow in the three Ls. May we master the art of listening. Let us seek to gain a greater grasp of the Word of God. And may the end result be a thriving love for God and for others.
So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let’s flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go quickly, or he will hurry and overtake us, and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
2 Samuel 15:14
David, the powerful warrior and king, was betrayed by son and was forced to flee for his life. His life was spiraling out of control. David’s fall was speedy and sudden.
What do we do when our lives are falling apart? After all, it happens. Let me suggest four steps we can take to start our own personal comeback.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:17-18
The wisdom of God is great and wonderful. James tells us about the glory of the Lord’s wisdom at the end of James 3. Several words are used to describe the precepts of Christ.
**Pure
**Peaceful
**Self-Controlled
**Merciful
**Impartial
**Honest
Those who exhibit the wisdom of God will bear the fruit of righteousness which results from these attributes listed in v. 17. A peaceful life will be the ultimate outcome of a Christian who seeks to live for Christ and obey the wisdom of Scripture.
Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Colossians 4:12
How do we fulfill God’s will in our lives? There are many ways to follow Christ. Allow me to mention four ways today.
**Listen to God through His Word and His Church.
**Obey God and glorify Him in your life.
**Value the truths of God’s Word and the life He has given us.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
James 3:14-16
In this passage, James teaches the Church about the failure of worldly wisdom. Jealousy and selfish ambition causes people to have an improper view of themselves and “lie against the truth.” Human beings can be deceived so easily and it’s important for God’s people to be on guard against this scheme of the evil one.
Worldly wisdom does not come from the Lord. James describes this wisdom as “earthly,” “natural,” and even “demonic” in nature. What sounds good and right to the worldly person is often diametrically opposed to Christ’s will and His Word. This earthly philosophy leads to chaos and further sinfulness when followed.
God’s people have the wisdom that comes from above. God’s Word provides us with the truth. The Holy Spirit leads us to righteousness and true goodness. And the Lord’s Church holds us accountable to the truth as we meet regularly for worship.
Let us be thankful and give praise for the wisdom of Christ. Without it, we would be tossed to and fro by godless teaching and wisdom.
mrtonyfrench 