Pastor Allan was reminding us
that at times our situation seems hopeless, but God’s vision is one of
Restoration. God doesn’t want you to
turn around and go back to your old ways.
I took notes and present his edited sermon here.
Discouragement is an enemy
and we can sink into a pity party so easily when disappointment presses us
down. We set high goals and our
expectation is up there, and when we fail we get depressed.
Perhaps you said the “Sinners
Prayer,” and life begins to get real and you are faced with daily choices. It is time to trust God to carry you through
each day; Moment by moment.
There are a lot of shaky
Saints out there, perhaps you were like me and listened to others tell you
negative words such as you are no good, you won’t amount to anything, and you
believed those words. Those were lies
from the enemy and God’s words are full of life, victory, and success. You have a new identity IN Christ.
The past weeks we have been
talking about being a follower of Jesus.
Just because you are in the crowd, doesn’t mean you are a follower. Jesus set the example how we are to live a
holy life.
Systematically address all
the issues of your day, taking time to fellowship with Jesus and build a
relationship with Him.
Jesus did not come to abolish
the law, but to fulfill it. His
teachings were from the Old Testament and the Law. He did not void the law because He loved the
law. His sacrificial death was the
fulfillment and no more was a sacrifice needed.
Easter is around the corner and it is the time we celebrate the death,
burial and Resurrection of Jesus.
God gave us the Holy Spirit
so we could walk like Jesus. The Holy
Spirit will reveal to you if there is something in your life that is blocking
sweet communion with Jesus. When He does
show you a hindrance, it is up to you to remove it from your life style.
Acts 15:1 tells of certain
men who desired to put a yoke around the new believer’s necks and demand they
follow Jewish tradition, combining law with grace. After discussion the disciples said, in verse
20 “That they
abstain from defilements of idols, and from fornication and from things
strangles, and from blood.”
This applies to us
today. Keep it simple to live holy. Stay
away from those things that bring you down including your old friends. Avoid evil; be careful of your viewing habits
on the inter-net, the TV or movies.
If you are having an affair, quit it. God’s word is clear and some stuff is a no brainer.
This is not being legalistic;
it is just using common sense. The
question is not if something is right or wrong - - but is it wrong for you?
It is easy to justify what
you enjoy doing, but don’t be foolish and harden your heart when you realize
God desires you to stop doing certain things.
Some try to see how close they can walk with
Jesus and still have one foot in the world?
Jesus desires a full commitment.
I love “Recovery Programs,”
and I have taught them, but recovery can become legalistic.
Keep life simple – Do your
best with God’s help to live a Holy life and listen to the Holy Spirit.
Pastor confided; “God told me
to give us smoking and it wasn’t easy, but He helped me through the process to
get free.”
Paul encourages us to grow up
and mature and put away childish things.
If you do fall short, learn from it and begin again.
I don’t want to preach love
and fail to love others. I walk through
our city and my heart is broken as I view so many who need Jesus.
I am thankful for our church that includes
all generations; all ages and all walks of life.
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing. As I often, truthfulism strikes again. All we can count on forever and ever!
What really stood out to me was the word "justify". It's so easy to fall into that trap and there are plenty of Christians that do it. Ugly trait to be sure. Thanks for the encouragement and reminder.
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