Sunday, June 1, 2014

Reflctions from my message today at NRN - Do good....

Today I continued in the teaching series from the Book of Galatians.  We have now arrived at the last chapter of this book. The notes below are from my message today.  Heads up: Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and I will bring a special message about the meaning of Pentecost - followed by a message for Father's Day on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the greatest gift I could give to all dads.  


Here are the message notes from today:

In his letter to the Galatians churches, Paul tells them that they cannot reach God by following the old Law. But at the end of his letter, in chapter 6, Paul tells them to “obey the law of Christ.” It seems like Paul is contradicting himself here, simply giving a different set of rules to follow. But that is not the case! Rather, Paul is drawing the Galatians past the hopeless requirements of the old Law, to the freeing truth of what it means to follow Christ.


Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

 
If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.
For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the word of God should help their teachers by paying them. Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.
                                                                                                         Galatians 6:1-10 (NLT)
How to Obey the Law of Christ
1. Do GOOD
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows.          Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)
2. Keep doing  GOOD
So don’t get tired of doing what is good.      Galatians 6:9a (NLT)
Here is a regular rhythm of life for us to live the new normal:  BLESS
B – LESS What if we blessed one another? 
L – ISTEN - There is a reason God gave us 2 ears and one mouth.
E – AT
S – TUDY  We are Disciples
S – ERVE
 
3. Don’t QUIT
Don’t get discouraged and give up….         Galatians 6:9b (NLT)
… for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.                                                                                           Galatians 6:9c (NLT)
Learn to deal with discouragement. 
John Calvin said that the reason it is so hard for us to keep doing good is that the world is such a discouraging place. Sometimes we wonder if we are making any real progress  or difference at all. But the truth is that God is in control of everything.
How to assure that you will not quit:   
Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.                                Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)
This is becoming missional – intentional – in living our life for the Gospel! 
Here is a practical example of the message I preached today: The clip I used today...
 

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