Brother Bob Sunday School 10/16/11

Brother Bob Sunday School 10/16/11

It is a given that we will suffer for Christ’s sake.  We need to be happy and willing to suffer for Christ’s sake.  We have it good here; in other countries they are killing Christians.  Even those that were once friends, may belittle Christ and salvation.  Different ones will look down on us.  We love them because we are Christians and we want them to come to the knowledge of Christ.

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

We have given up the world and are willing to give up all things for Christ.  We don’t want our own righteousness; we want to put on Christ.  Our own righteousness is as filthy rags.  We want the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  God’s grace is sufficient for us.  There is no excuse to be graceless.  Jesus paid the price that we might not fall short of grace.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We want His righteousness not our own.  This lesson is for those that are saved.  This is where we live.

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge and experience.  Each one that is saved must have their own personal knowledge and experience.  Work out your own salvation …

We cannot know Jesus through another’s experience of Him.  We must know Him our self.  It is important to know Jesus because He is our perfect example.  We don’t measure our self by each other; He is our perfect example.

We know Him on our own account, it is an intelligent knowledge.  We must know him as the word of God reveals Him, we must know his offices, his works, his shame, his glory… We must know him until we comprehend what is the breadth, length, depth, and height…  until we comprehend what is the love of Christ. 

Our knowledge of Him will be a satisfying knowledge.  When we know Him we will be filled to the brim.  Our heart pants after this peace and contentment.

We need to protect our peace, it is essential that we have peace, with peace comes contentment.  The saints dwell in peace.

It is an exciting knowledge, the more that I know of my Beloved the more that I want to know.  The knowledge of Christ Jesus is so elevating that sometimes it will bear me up above all doubts and sorrows.  Sorrows and doubts will come; we must let Jesus bear us up above all of them.

Come sit at the feet of Jesus.  We do have an adversary that will come to destroy the peace we have in our soul.  We must let Jesus help us.

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Pure religion is what we want.  There is one faith, one spirit, and one God, and there is one pure religion.  It is not enough to be religious and to have some convictions. 

We must keep unspotted from the world.  The world is enmity with God.  The people of God do keep themselves separate from the world.  We’re in the world but we are not of the world.  We must love those in the world.  We need the grace of God.  If we lose it, then we are not a testimony to the world. 

Think of the price that Jesus paid:  He gave his life’s blood that we need not fall short of grace.  It is hard when people put themselves in the place of God and try to rule your life.  We don’t need to let them rule our life, but we need to have grace.

Rom 12:1  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.

Rom 12:2  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.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Everyone is member one of another.  We are members of the body and Jesus Christ is the head.  Man is not the head of the church.  Paul was begging them by the mercies of God to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. 

If we look into the word of God it shows us where we are living.  We want to be conformed to the gospel of Christ, to the truth of God’s word.  Anything less than that makes us guilty of conforming the Word of God.  In Revelations it says that all the plagues will be added…  The word of God is what we are going to face at the Judgment.  We want to face it now and not leave any of it out.

Transformed in your mind:  With the Spirit of God ruling in our lives we can know that the Word of God is alive and open in our lives.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Gal 5:15  But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

When Jesus came He fulfilled the Law.  When we get saved we have the liberty to serve God in the Spirit of God.  We cannot get too much love, by love serve one another.  Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but when we start dumping our opinion on someone else, we are wrong.  We don’t all think the same, but we need that love one for another.  It may be hard, but God’s grace will help us.  It will help us to stand in the Spirit. 

In the last year God has made it important to me to stay in the Spirit of God.  When someone doesn’t agree with us we don’t have to take it personal, have the grace to stay in the Spirit.  The Saints are the most gracious people on this earth.  Our opinions are a lot different than convictions.  God can give us different religious convictions and we don’t have to force it on anyone. 

The church has a very good standard against sin and we need to honor that and this is not what I’m talking about. 

Sister Karen: The Amish define convictions as something that you are willing to die for. 

Rom 12:9  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

As many brothern and sisters that we have, if we send them out to do a project, they will all have a different idea on how to do it.  That is fine there are many ways to do something and they are all right.  In honor prefer one another.  Let the love of God dwell in our lives. 

We are in a spiritual battle.  We are all soldiers of Christ.  We are to march in ranks, we are to move and act together.  We can only do this by letting the Love of God rule and reign in our hearts.  The only way to do this is to in honor prefer one another. 

You would think that because of human nature, we all have our own personality and ways of doing things.  When we built this church building, the saints came from Athol, Carmichael, if no one was in charge than you wouldn’t know how things would turn out.  There needs to be someone in charge.  We have a pastor anointed of the Lord, a good spiritual leader.  We need to honor him. 

The load that our pastor carries is not light.  We need to be easily pastored.  We can help make his job easier by being easily pastored.  He is not a dictator.  The congregation of the Church of God in Paradise has an anointed Church of God pastor.  If we didn’t we would be going in all directions. 

The weight of being a pastor is a heavy load, a lot of responsibility.  If we are not easily pastored then we can destroy his health. 

Bro Rick: Standing for the truth is a thankless position sometimes.  Right now I’m not very popular position with my children.  It is difficult, everyone likes to be liked.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13  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:

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Each one is to serve one another in love.