Acceptance - 10

Text: Romans 12:9-21

Today we will close our study on Acceptance. I don’t know what God has for us in the future but will be in prayer as we put together a new study to follow this one. If you would join me in prayer to that regard I would be grateful.

For today, though, we’re going to get a final grasp on a concept that ties all this acceptance together. We’ve looked at when others don’t accept us, or when we don’t accept others. We’ve studied the beautiful love of God in His acceptance of us. We’ve looked at surrendering our desires and accepting God’s plan for our lives. But I believe the bottom line that would boost the effectiveness of all of these is accepting Him. Accepting God for Who He says He is, accepting what He wants to accomplish in our lives, and how He wants us to be used in His awe-inspiring plan. Accepting His character as Holy, complete, and our ultimate standard.

While there is no way we could really go in depth into this entire subject in a single post, or even in our entire lifetime, we’ll dig into it enough that we can apply the principles to our lives today, and build a foundation for the way we think and act.

DO: Begin in prayer. Ask God to clear your mind of anything that might be a distraction today, and that might persuade anything other than His precious Words to speak to your mind and heart right now.

In our text today we see some of the commands God gives us. I want you to look just past the command and into the character of the Holy God behind it.

Read Romans 12:9-21.

By looking at even just this small list, and realizing that God would never hold us to a standard that He Himself does not uphold… realizing that these give us a small picture of who God is and what He is like, does that sound like someone you would love to emulate? Love to follow? Even love to just be around? Of course it does.

DO: Write out a list of those commands, starting at verse 9 and going all the way through to verse 21. This may take a few minutes, but I’ll wait.

Did you pretty much write out the whole passage? I did.

It’s a tall order that’s for sure. And I bet, if you’re anything like me, some will come easier and some will be harder. But know that God has got them all down pat. In fact, He’s the basis for this kind of behavior. This kind of behavior would not even cross our minds on our own. Our sinful nature is wired opposite of His, and so we not only don’t exhibit this behavior naturally, we naturally reject it. We reject it because it’s in opposition to our nature. Following me?

But as a child of God, everything changes. We accept Him, because He accepted us just as we were. No cleaning up needed. No façade, no polish… not even makeup. Just us.

1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.” KJV

Love here is from the word agapaō, meaning to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.

Q: Which part of the meaning of agapaō touches you most deeply?

And that’s it. That’s the only thing we can claim- is His love. Ours is merely a response. And that’s all He asks. The rest – the list of instructions, and everything right would come as part of that response. Part of accepting His unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” NASB

Indescribable here is from the Greek word anekdiēgētos, and it’s the only time we find it in the Bible. Its meanings are

Anekdiēgētos: unspeakable, indescribable

or the negative form of ekdiēgeomai: to narrate in full or wholly; to relate, tell, declare

In other words, there’s no way to fully relate it. No way to completely tell how great and awesome His gift is.

How then, do we even begin to accept it?

Doesn’t God just blow you away?

And that’s what faith is. Accepting without fully seeing. Without fully knowing. One day, sisters, we will know, see and understand Him. One day, but not this side of Heaven. But aren’t we grateful? Here’s why this makes me grateful. Because to fully know and understand Him it would be easier to put myself in a position I do not belong. I belong in the finite. I belong where I don’t understand. This keeps me humble.

Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” NASB

John 13:7 “Jesus said to him, you do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later on.” AMP

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” NASB

Job 9:10 “Who does great things, unfathomable, and wondrous works without number.” NASB

So, accepting Him isn’t some lofty, unreachable aspiration. It is a humble one. To humbly just accept. Ungrasp your stubborn fist, and open your hand to accept.

Acceptance – 3

Text: Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 34:13-15, Romans 14:19

Last session we talked about acceptance as in “not judging”, or, the absence of a negative behavior. Today, Id like for us to look at constructively and consciously “accepting” others. In other words, positive action.

We’re still in Romans today, but we’ll be a page or two farther back. Please read Romans 12:9-10.

If you read it in the King James Version, you would have encountered the word dissimulation, which means hypocrisy.

In other words, don’t just pretend to love your neighbor… actually do it! Put the others’ needs and desires ahead of your own (vs 10).

Psalm 34:14 “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” NLT

Actively seek peace in your relationships.  Sometimes it may take some doing, but when we seek the Lord, and put others first, this will come a whole lot easier. See in the next verse how following Christ’s example teaches us how to be sensitive of others?

Q: In Psalm 34:15 & 17, how does the Lord respond when we cry out?

Q: In Psalm 34:15, is God sensitive to the needs of others who are below Him?

Read 1 Timothy 1:5.

Q: In 1 Timothy 1:5, what type of heart are we to love with?

How can we achieve love from a pure heart toward people we would really rather steer clear of?

Christ.

The only ever answer to that is Christ. Remember what He says in Matthew 19:26:

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” NKJV

He will give you the strength and opportunity to love up on those people. He wants us to accept, and in doing so, to love others. Jump back a few verses to Matthew 19:19.

Q: How much are we to love others?

As much as we love ourselves.

If you’re like most, that’s an awful lot.

And it can be really hard to love some people sometimes. Isn’t it interesting that it is sometimes harder to accept people who hurt us, even though Christ – who was hurt by them even more badly – readily accepts, even before they ask? (Romans 5:8)

Baby steps. Prayer and baby steps out of the norm.

So what are some steps to take in the process?

We’ve already looked at some in the past few sessions. One of the baby steps toward actively reaching out and accepting others is forgiving them. Whether or not they ask. That is a big way to reach out.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." NASB

And then, back in Romans 14 again – read verse 19:

Romans 14:19 “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” NLT

I see two steps here, do you?

Q: What are the two steps?

Seek peace.

Edify one another.

Seek peace! Or, in the KJV, “follow after the things which make for peace.”

Build them up! Edify one another.

Note: this is not the same word as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ‘edify’ which means to build. This edify means foundation; confirmation.

DO: Think and pray about what ‘seeking peace’ might look like for you. Write down some possibilities.

DO: Right below that, make a list of ways to edify them.

You may find, as I did, that the first list led to the other, and they sortof morphed in the middle.

Let’s take a moment to look through some other verses on the matter.

Ephesians 4:12-13, 29 “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ… Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.’” NLT

2 Corinthians 12:19b “…We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification.” NKJV

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” NASB

Romans 15:2 “Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.” NASB

If you haven’t already, please read the remainder of our text from Romans: Romans 12:9-21.

This is what your list should be looking like – your list on how to edify. Did you have to add to yours a little? I did. From Romans 12, especially.

Let all things be done for edifying.

Pray.

Bless them.

Rejoice with them.

Be humble.

Don’t seek revenge.

Seek peace (there it is again!)

Feed.

Give drink.

Be overcome with good.

And lastly, because it sums it up so well, look at Ephesians 4:29, 4:12-13.

Speak good. Speak grace.

Edify until there is true unity and harmony among you.

Until you measure up to Christ.

Set Free 10 - Stuck in the Mundane

When you first started a relationship with God, it was probably all you thought about, off and on throughout the day. Or, if you’ve been raised in a Christian environment, maybe it wasn’t all that new? I know we all have ups and downs, highs and lows; times of spiritual power and understanding, and times where we feel so very very human.

That’s okay.

It has taken me a long time to become okay with this. It’s just not okay to be okay with staying in a low spot.

Are you following me? It’s okay to have a spiritual low, or a rough patch, it’s just not okay to be content to stay put there. Crave the more. Crave the uphill.

Sometimes these lows can come from other events in our lives, such as illness, fatigue, a death, or some other thing that has got you physically or emotionally drained.

The good news? That being drained, that extreme low makes room for Jesus. So if you’re in a slump, exalt in the fact that you’ve got more more room for Jesus to fill you up.

More of Him. More grace.

And who doesn’t want that?

We have a few passages to look at, but the first I’d like you to read is 2 Kings 4:1-7

While many of us don’t have to go and borrow emptiness from our friends, this beautiful story shows just how ready and willing God is to just fill us up! The more emptiness the better. And did you notice the same thing I did? Look again at verse 7. There was some left over. God didn’t just look at her current need, and just exactly meet that, He reached down and in not so many words said, “Daughter, let Me be your source. Let Me be your Provider.” And so He will do with each of us. Physically, emotionally, and, yes, Spiritually.

A verse you can probably tell by now is one of my favorites, one I  cling to, especially during these dry spells, is Psalm 103:14.

Psalm 103:14 “for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” NIV

And from that dust, that dirt, we are made into clay vessels. Vessels to hold more of Him.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” NLT

He knows we are fragile. He knows, too, that this fragility brings Him more glory.

Our next passage is Psalm 62. Please take the time to read it now.

Look at verse 3.

Q: How does the enemy view us? (You might need to look at NLT or NIV for this one.)

The enemy views us as crumbled anyway. And he will not hesitate to kick us when we’re down. Already broken pieces are easier to break, don’t you agree? And even though the enemy is persistent, he is going to pick the easiest way to get us down. He’s going to try to get us at our most crumbled state and attack then.

Take heart, and now look at verses 5-8. I love these so much.

Psalm 62:5-8 “Let all that I am wait quietly before God,    for my hope is in him.He alone is my rock and my salvation,    my fortress where I will not be shaken.My victory and honor come from God alone.    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.O my people, trust in him at all times.    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge.” NLT emphasis mine

Q: What does verse 8 say we should do with our heart?

The core of us, our center, the lifeblood of all that is us, He asks us to pour out. Pour it out to Him!

Q: What happens when something is poured out?

Please give your insight on this question in the comments section. I’d love to hear your word-pictures!

Some things I came up with were that the container became empty. The worth of that which it once held was lost. The container became vulnerable.

Q: What happens when something is filled?

Again, please share your insight on this question in the comments section!

Some of my ideas were that the container’s identity might change based on what it holds. It is more stable. It is useful.

So let’s be emptied, then. These thoughts and reminders make it actually sound desirable, instead of something to be plagued with. The mundane, empty, dry spell may not actually be that bad. It’s just part of the process.

As long as we don’t stay empty. As long as we let Him fill us.

Let Him be the power in you. 2 Cor 4:7 bears repeating, yes?

I like this from the Message translation:

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 “If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!” MSG

Be encouraged in your emptiness. God hasn’t left your side.

Be encouraged if you don’t know what to do next. God knows what to do.

Be encouraged if you’re thrown down. You are not broken.

Be encouraged if you’re going through the worst. You’re getting in on the best.

Let’s close with verses from Psalm 62.

Psalm 62:11-12a “God has spoken plainly,    and I have heard it many times:Power, O God, belongs to you;unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.” NLT

Set Free 8 - If You've Been Hurt

Have you been hurt? I have.

Is there someone in your life who has left some major scars?

Physically or emotionally.

I’m sure most of us can think of someone. Some hurts may go deeper than others but they all hurt. And many times, even when we thought we’d healed, then something comes along and scrapes at the old wound, revealing that it was deeper than we ever thought, and is indeed still there.

Let me start out by saying this. It may never go away.

The person who hurt you may be in your life permanently, and they may never change their behavior.

For this session we will be dealing with emotional injury, rather than physical injury. Please, if you are in a situation where you are being physically harmed, find a safe  place to go.

No, for this session we will be dealing with the type of emotional injury and hurt that sticks around like a bad penny.

What happens when we leave hurts undealt with is one (or more) of a few options.

1)      We start to get bitter

2)      We start to believe it, believe the lies that hurt us.

First let’s find some focus. We were not the only ones to ever hurt because of another.

Isaiah 53:6 “But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.”

Jesus took the blow for us – and in that felt the effects of every bit of anger, hate and rejection that any of us have ever felt. And worse.

Our passages today are 1 Peter 5:7 and Matthew 11:28-30

Since they are short, I’ll go ahead and include them here.

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” NKJV emphasis mine

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” NKJV emphasis mine

Can you see it? See the exchange?
Cast your cares; your hurts, your wounds, your insecurities, your injuries, still bleeding or not, on Him! Give them to him to deal with.

I know, it’s easier said than done. It is. But if you daily, or even moment by moment, consciously hand them over, instead of keeping a grasp on them, you will eventually find healing. You will not feel a need to hold them any longer. They will become less a part of you and more a part of your testimony, and story of God’s great grace. They will be yet one more thing that Jesus wanted to take off your hands so much that He came to die for you. Do you see it? If you keep a grasp on them, then grace is void. If we don’t accept His help- accept Him and all of Him, then why accept even part?

Do you hear what I’m saying? You don’t need it. You need only Him.

Colossians 2:10 “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” NKJV emphasis mine

And look at our second passage, in Matthew.

He says to come to Him. Broken, beautiful you. Come.

See verse 29.

Learn from Him. He says learn from Him, because He has been there.

Let go of what you’ve been holding close to your heart- the worries and cares and hurts, and take what He’s got. He knows it’s hard, but we don’t need those to define us.

Yes, they may be a part of how we got to be the stronger person we are today, but they are a part of your past. They do now have to be a part of your now.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” NKJV

One of my family’s favorite names for God is the one He used for Himself in Exodus 15:26, Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer.

We see it used multiple times in the Bible.

Psalm 23:3a “He restores my soul…” NKJV

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].” AMP

Jehovah Raphe; The self-existent One, and healer of our personal distress, defects and hurts. source

It is a part of His nature- so much so that He uses that for His name! Just as much as you who are moms or sisters or friends, when you say “I’m Lisa’s friend,” or “I’m Emma’s mom” it’s a part of you- it’s not only something you do on occasion (like, “I babysit her sometimes.”), it’s a part of your nature. You do things without question because that identity is a part of you- like caring for your child, calling to check in on your friend. Because you want to – out of love. In the same way, Him being our healer isn’t just part of His Heavenly job-description, it’s a part of who He is.

When we let Him heal us, even if He needs to re-bandage our wounds every single day, or multiple times per day, He loves doing it. He delights to heal you. Please let Him.

Part of the meaning of this name Jehovah Rapha gives the picture of Him sewing together, or mending a tear. Picture your loving Abba holding you in His hand, mending you, stitch by careful stitch.

He meets the emotional needs of His people. When we hurt, He feels it. And heals it if we let Him.

So, no, the one who has hurt you may never change their ways, and you may continue to get hurt. Just see that you are handling yourself correctly in the situation, and reflecting Jesus.

1 John 2:6 “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” NLT

Ephesians 4:1-2 “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” NLT

Q: If there is someone in your life who has hurt you, do you feel the sting every time you think of them?

Q: Have you prayed about whether this is harbored bitterness on your part?

Q: Do you act like Christ would act in the situation? If not, pray that He would give you the love and forgiveness to offer that person- because you may not have it on your own. You may rely on His strength to forgive them.

DO: Pray for healing. In yourself- not necessarily for healing of the relationship (which is okay to pray for too), but for healing within, from the Holy Spirit. Healing on your side, so that you are blameless and holy before God, not harboring any bitterness toward that person, and so that you yourself are not hindered in your ministry and testimony of God’s work because of an injury.

He will heal you! It is His desire for you to be whole.

Luke 4:18 “…He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…” NKJV

And from our memory verses this segment,

Excerpts from Isaiah 61:1-3
“…He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…To comfort all who mourn,…To give them beauty for ashes,The oil of joy for mourning,The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…”NKJV emphasis mine
 

He doesn’t want you to remain hurt. He wants you to be healed. But look Who provides the healing: He does. Nobody else. He alone can heal you. Accept His healing and let go of your hurts. He’s all you need anyway.

Set Free 7 - Defeating Defeat

Defeat.

Middle English deffeten, from Anglo-French defait, past participle of defaire, desfaire to destroy, from Medieval Latin disfacere, from Latin dis- + facere to do

source

The word itself means destroy.

And that’s just what it does.

It destroys us from the inside out, and it doesn’t just make us discouraged. It destroys joy, destroys love, destroys hope, destroys faith. It destroys rest and peace.

It destroys grace.

We were called to victory.

Anything less is not what God wants for us.

Please read Joshua 1:5-9.

We are going to cover several passages today, so have your Bible-fingers ready.

In our text, God is talking to Joshua, who just had a huge responsibility passed off to him. A frightening, tiring, and mentally and emotionally taxing responsibility.

Does that resound with you at all?

It does with me, time and time again.

Not only do we have to do this thing called life, but we’ve got the whole spiritual warfare thing to fight now too? Time for a coffee break, right?

Q: What is an area (or areas, plural) in your life that has got you overwhelmed?

It is overwhelming. And God does ask a lot of us sometimes. But please take heart. He’s here alongside you.

Joshua 1:5 “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.” NLT emphasis mine

And, Sister, He doesn’t want you to live defeated. He wants you to live in victory. That’s the whole reason He came. That’s the reason He left His Spirit to live inside of us.

Satan would love nothing more than for us to feel like we’ve lost the battle. Become battle-weary and allow our emotions and fatigue to take over our reasoning; our focus.

He wants us weary. He wants us dragging. And the longer he can get us to drag in the dirt, the more that’s all we’ll see, that’s what we’ll believe, and it will have us so covered in dirt that our light won’t shine.

He wants to steal our light. Steal our joy. Steal our faith.

John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” NKJV

Did you see it? Destroy. Defeat. Satan’s goal.

But do you also see the solution?

Jesus.

Just like we read in Joshua 1:5. We have already won because of Him.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” NKJV

(despair: to be utterly at loss, be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to renounce all hope; source)

God is there.

Romans 8:31b “…What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” NKJV

Our cause is His cause.

The heart of God in Joshua and countless other places through His Word shows that His desire for you is victory through Him.

Isaiah 54:17 “But in that coming day    no weapon turned against you will succeed.You will silence every voice    raised up to accuse you.These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;    their vindication will come from me.    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Do you see a resounding theme?

Q: In Isaiah 54:17 this victory is the heritage of whom?

Q: In Ephesians 6:10 we are told to be strong how?

Q: In Philippians 4:13 we are told that we can do all things, but how?

Look at 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” NKJV 

So it is already ours. If we are living with a defeated heart, where is our focus?

Not where it should be. Not on Christ.

DO: Pray for God to reveal the areas you’ve been feeling defeated. In your journal, please describe them, and your thoughts as you encounter these situations from day to day. Pinpoint the time when your gaze shifts from God to self-sufficiency – I’ll bet that’s when you start battling feelings of defeat. Pray – visit with God about these issues and ask for His help keeping your focus on Him.

Grip His hand. Don’t let go.

Please read the last verses of our base text again;  Joshua 1:7-9.

Q: What tool did God give Joshua for success that he was to use day and night?

See also Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:11.

Though the command in Joshua 1:8 was spoken to Joshua, we would do well to obey it also. The war is the same one we’re fighting; the tools, reconnaissance and strategy are still the same.

God’s Words are the tools we need with us. And because we need it handy always, we NEED to memorize. This is not optional. We need to memorize to become a strong warrior. And so much of the battle is in our head, so wouldn’t it be prudent to put the weapons there too?

It may be a little daunting to realize that we are actually commanded not to feel dismay, however, when you look at the nuts and bolts of it, it looks like this:

Eyes off Christ = dismay.

Eyes on Christ = no dismay.

Not so daunting now, is it?

Take heart.

Take peace.

Don’t be defeated – because we are not defeated. Christ has the victory in hand already. Take His hand and accept victory. And keep looking to Him.

John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” NLT

We see the importance of memorizing God's Word. Start today! Get free printable index card of our memory passage here 

Set Free 6 - Battling Perfection part 3

Today’s the day we bring it home. Perfectionism stops here.

Our text today is Galatians 5-6. (Specifically 5:1-8, 13, 15-18, 25-26; 6:1-3, 7-8, 14-18)

Read as much as you can and we’ll begin.

Galatians 5:1-2 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you.” NLT

Now replace “circumcision” with something on your list. (If you’re just joining us, read about the list here)

Look closely again at Galatians 5:2 and 5:6. Do you see the contrast?

It’s either one or the other. You can’t have such a focus on being perfect all the time- if we rely on one good thing (i.e. church going, good deeds, serving in poor countries, etc) to give us good brownie points with God, then Christ is no benefit to us. According to verse 3, if we are counting on good things to give us good standing with God, then we would have to uphold every. part. of. it. Every single rule. And let’s face it. We will fail.

On our own.

So would we rather try (and inevitably fail?) or would we rather choose to humbly accept (and know that it’s fail-proof)? Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

We are called to the latter. Called to freedom.

I don’t believe in destiny, but this is the closest thing to it in my opinion – God’s will.

Galatians 5:13 “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” NLT

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” NASB

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” NKJV

So how do we pull it all in to the reality that is the every-day of this flawed world?

We will be tempted. Tempted to try to carry it on our own. Do perfection by ourselves. It will likely even be second nature to many of us – especially people pleasers, checklist people, and those with OCD tendencies.

Just remember (as God does, thank Heaven! Psalm 103:14) that we are human and we will fail. Others around us will fail.

Enter grace.

Enter Holy Spirit – for any holy living – actual holy-living comes from the overflow; comes from the Holy Spirit in us. Choose to surrender to His desires.

Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” NLT

Your natural human tendencies will likely be opposite that of the Spirit. Actually, there is no ‘likely’ about it. They will be. God says so. (5:17)

See our flesh-tendencies in verses 19-21 and contrast them to the Spirit-tendencies in 22-23.

 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.” NLT

Indeed, we are new. Because it’s not us anymore.

If we keep our focus on our actions being prodded by Christ, keep in mind that it is the Spirit doing it. Picture yourself the latex glove, and God and His Spirit the careful surgeon. The glove doesn’t get the credit or the blame, does it?

Galatians 5:26 “Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” NLT

Galatians 6:3 “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” NASB

Keep a careful watch this week on our actions. If it is better this week to push pause on a particular ministry until you can determine your motive, I think God would honor that decision. He hates pride (Prov 6:16-17), and so if you need to take a step back to determine whether your service to Him is done out of pride or not, please do. Because you’re not fooling God. Galatians 6:7-8

Q: Do you think that self-imposed standards are always a matter of pride?

Q: Why or why not? Explain. (Use the space in your journal and share in the comments here.)

In my opinion I don’t think they always are. Sometimes we can set up rules to protect ourselves or others, just because we know our own flaws and tendencies and sometimes it is easier to draw the line at a safe distance from the actual breaking point.

Just bear in mind this picture. We are branded by faith. What we do because of that (or in spite of that) does not define us. It may show others Christ’s work in us, to God be the glory, but it does not make us who we are. Christ’s brand alone does.

We are His, and we are covered by His grace.

Let’s act like it; let’s allow that grace for ourselves and let’s allow that grace for others.

Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” NLT

John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” NASB

Galatians 6:17 “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.” NASB

A Bride Ready

Text: Matthew 25:1-46

Give me oil in my lamp

Keep it burning

Oh, Lord don’t let the fire go out

Give me oil in my lamp

Keep me praising

You are what I am about

Keep me praising Hosanna

Keep me singing

Help me praise in a way that You love

Keep me praising Hosanna:

“O Lord save me,”

And find me faithful when You come

-NR 6-30-13

Read our text Matthew 25, especially taking a look at verses 1-13; then we will take a look at a little background for this story. It is likely familiar to most of you and I’d like you to dig a little deeper with me.

There were 3 stages to a Jewish wedding in that day: engagement, betrothal, and marriage. The engagement stage was a formal agreement between the fathers of the guy and the girl. Betrothal was a ceremony where mutual promises were made.

Source

These two stages have already passed in our parable in this passage from Matthew. We are ready for the third called marriage. This took place approximately a year later, (source) when the bridegroom came at an unexpected time for his bride.

She would wait with her bridal party until they received the signal to go – that the bridegroom is coming.

The procession would then begin – with 10 lamps, each carried by one of the bridesmaids.

In our parable, although all appeared ready, only half were truly ready. The girls who were not ready had no oil when it was time to go, and their lamps could not be lit, which would keep them from joining the procession and the wedding party. They wanted to borrow from the ones who were prepared.

But sisters, it doesn’t work that way, does it? Not here.

David Guzlik draws out the parallel to depict the oil in the lamps as a representation of the Holy Spirit (received at the moment of salvation: Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:9).

We can’t depend on someone else’s preparedness for our own salvation.

The girls who did not have oil in their lamps were caught unprepared – and while they slept, their lamps went out, because they did not bring enough oil with them. These same girls thought they could go get some oil just before the wedding, once they heard the signal to go, but by the time they returned, it was too late and they were not admitted into the wedding celebration.

Ladies, we don’t know when our Groom is coming. Let’s be ready.

The groom said to them “I don’t know you.” (See also Matthew 7:21-23)

I like the way Spurgeon put it:

"The foolish virgins had professed to be the bridegroom's friends, yet they were proved to be not even his acquaintances." (Spurgeon)"When that door is once shut, it will never be opened. There are some who dote and dream about an opening of that door, after death, for those who have died impenitent; but there is nothing in the Scriptures to warrant such an expectation. Any 'larger hope' than that revealed in the Word of God is a delusion and a snare." (Spurgeon)

You get one chance at your second chance. Brides, understand this. Any chance at all is a second chance. We were born sinners. Every last one of us.

Psalm 51:5 “For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” NLT

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” ESV

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.” NLT

He forgives and offers a second chance, but now is the time!

2 Corinthians 6:2b “…Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” NLT

Don’t be one of the foolish bridesmaids who waited until it was too late.

What are you waiting for anyway? A life with our Groom may not always be easy, but you will always be accepted, you will always be loved, and sister, you will always be forgiven. What better life is there?

Please take the time to look at these verses.

Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” NLT

Acts 16:31a “…Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…” NLT

John 11:26 “And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ESV

John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” NLT

Are you already a child of God? Are you reading this, already a saved soul, holding the glorious promise of new life in Heaven? I’m so glad! Me too – and I can’t wait to meet you there. Glory! Won’t that be glory to meet all the sisters from across the world in faith on that wondrous day? I can’t express to you how that gives me excited chills. I love you so much.

So for a bride already prepared, what is the call to action here?

I see one- more clearly laid out in the rest of Matthew 25, especially verses 14-30.

You get one life, what are you going to do with it? How do you want your Groom to find you upon His arrival?

Good. Faithful. Responsible. (Mt 25:14-30)

Active. Compassionate. Hospitable. Attentive. (Mt 25:31-46)

Christlike.

Isn’t this the point? Living it out? What would be the benefit of saving people who never changed? Since our purpose on earth is to bring God glory, then why would He want to save and preserve those who do not?

In Matthew 25:41-43 all I see is self-centeredness. And isn’t that what we are saved from?

I want to close with these verses from 2 Peter.

2 Peter 3:9-11 “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live…” NLT

You ought to live holy and godly {Christlike.} lives.

You do not know when your Groom returns (2 Peter 3:10).

Give me oil in my lamp and let me always be ready, burning, warming, lighting my world.

Let me be ready for my Groom’s return.

Celebrate

Brides, let’s celebrate today. It is the day the Lord has made, amen?

Our text today comes from three parallel passages. Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, Luke 5:33-37

When this many of the gospel writers include an account of something, you know it is huge. For all of the three years of every-days with Jesus, this conversation stood out enough to be remembered and written down.

How much do you remember? Are you making practice of purposefully remembering Him? His word? I know for most of us, our 24 hours seem so full already – and they are; we each fill up our 24 hours with something. But do those somethings have eternal value? I speak to myself too.

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

Joshua 1:8 “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” NLT emphasis mine

Colossians 3:16a “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives…” NLT emphasis mine

In our passages, Jesus had just called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew – a tax collector. Tax collectors were known for padding their pockets. They were deceitful and hated. And Jesus called him straight from this life to start a new life with Him.

Don’t you just love that? I love that Jesus didn’t scour the world looking for people who were “better” or well liked, or less nasty than the rest. He picked the scum so that He could heal, cleanse and renew. That is what Jesus does best.

For order’s sake, we will look at one of the three passages – and even though they are nearly identical, I like Luke’s account.

So we pick up in Luke 5:33

I love this passage, because it is when Jesus introduces Himself as our Groom.

Read 33-34

Do you see it?

Be all here. I am here. Celebrate that.

Fasting often included an attitude of mourning – that word is even used interchangeably, if you’ll glance over at the Matthew account (9:15)

Now, this may be one of those times when the words were spoken to those people in that specific setting (He was physically with them, so that fits and makes good sense), but I believe it was included (3 times!) because we can apply it to our own lives.

We have Christ with us, because we have Christ in us. (Romans 8:9-10)

Is that not worthy of celebration? If that’s not, I don’t know what is.

In those days, the wedding celebration lasted 2 weeks. This was probably the only time in their lives when they would go that long without working. Life was hard for them, and this was a time of celebration. ‘Drop everything and celebrate now’ was the general attitude around a wedding. Christ is calling His disciples here to celebrate His presence. source

Sisters, life is hard. It is.

But.

This is a great time to insert ‘but’.

But we have Christ. Amen?

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” NLT

We are new in Christ. Life is new with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Here’s where we tie it all together. Celebrate your new life in Christ. He hasn’t come to patch up and smoothe over your old life. Throw it away. Just accept the new life.

Read the rest of our passage. (If you’re in Luke with me, that’d be Luke 5:36-39)

God doesn’t fit like a band-aid over our old lives. He wants to offer complete renewal.

New habits. New delights. New favorites. New friends? New drinks. New movies. New music. New clothing. New words. New attitude. New forgiveness.

New.

All things are become new.

Do not mourn the loss of those old things; what are they, really anyway?

So I challenge you with me:

1) Pray about remnants you’re still wearing from your old life before you knew Him. Pray for Him to reveal them, and remove them.
2) Start a new habit – memorize. Remember the opening of our session today? Memorize His Word, for with God’s word in your heart, your heart, mind, and spirit are made new. New.

Ephesians 4:22-24 “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” NLT

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT

And let’s start with those verses, sound good?

3) Celebrate. You do have Christ in you if you are a Christian. Spend some time celebrating that, and watch your outlook renew.