Sister Teri Sunday School 5/24/15

Sister Teri Sunday School 5/24/15

God works our perfecting through difficulties.  God desires for all things to work for everyone’s good.  It comes down to the question, “Will they let it?” 

If they continue resisting God then they will not get the good out of it.  We can pray for our unsaved loved ones, neighbors, and the world that God will turn their hearts to Him.

God works to His glory.  It is His power, His might, His purpose being displayed.  The wholeness of Him displayed is His glory.  He desires to work this through us.

Isa 43:7  Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

He has created us for His purpose and glory: for Him to be displayed through us.  As this He has given us His spirit.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Without His Spirit we cannot display the Glory of God as He would have us to do.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we can witness to God’s glory everywhere: at home, with our neighbor, with the saints, with Babylonians, and with those openly opposing the truth.  God can give us power to display His power wherever we are at.

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Without being in the presence of God we cannot be under His authority or for His glory, to come to His presence and get the direction, strength, and help to work that which He would desire in us.

Sinners are blind and cannot see the truth that God has all around them.  God wants us to be a light to shine all around in that darkness.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

He gave us this light not only for our benefit but for the benefit of all that are still in darkness. 

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We are still in the body of flesh.  We still have our quirks.  A lot of that doesn’t change.  The excellency of the power must be of God and not of us.  Everything we have we could lose if we stop walking in the light, if we don’t take hold of the Word that we hear.  It is more than just to have it sitting somewhere, a bible sitting on the shelf.  We need to take hold of it.  If we don’t we could lose what we already have.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

We are not distressed because of the grace of God in our life.  Without that we would be in despair because of the things that are going on around us in the world.

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

In order to show forth the body of Jesus we must be dead.  As we die to ourselves and yield fully to him, realizing that in our own strength we can do nothing; He empowers us.  It is only through His strength, we can live holy.

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

It was by faith that David threw his stone at the one unprotected place and brought Goliath down.

Gideon brought 300 men through the strength of the Lord to defeat an unnumbered host.  They didn’t have weapons but a lamp and a trumpet.  At the given time they broke the vessel containing the lamp and blew their trumpet.  They were victorious with nothing but the power of God.

Jesus suffered in the flesh, He was lonely at times, criticized, maligned, and suffered unjustly.  We will suffer at times.  We want to handle it as Jesus did.  He had to get alone in prayer with God even though He knew Him personally. 

God can use those dark and stressful; times for good, to teach us how to trust Him and to help unbelievers.

2Co 12:6  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

There was a lot that God did through Paul.  He said, “I am not going to glory in myself in this.  I am not going to let anyone else glory in me.” 

He had something that was really a hindrance to him.  He wanted deliverance from it.  God said, “I am going to leave that there because I want you to always look to me for the grace and the help to overcome and to go through. 

Accusations can be like this.  We would love to be delivered, get the victory, and never have to suffer again.  God allows the enemy to do that because then we seek God, get before him and seek His grace to face the enemy. 

When the enemy came to Jesus, as He fought against the enemy that is how we are to fight.  We lift up the Word of God.  The enemy has to leave.  The Word of God is our defense.  It is a part of the power of God. 

When we recognize our infirmities that is our opportunity to display the power of God and we can take glory and pleasure in that.

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1Pe 4:11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

In all that we do, in every gift that God gives us, use it for His glory and realize that it is from God.  Do everything with the realization that every gift is from God.

1Pe 3:9  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

1Pe 3:10  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

1Pe 3:11  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

1Pe 3:13  And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

1Pe 3:14  But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

When persecutions come we are not going to render evil for evil but handle it as God would have us to.  Handle it as Jesus did.  He didn’t rail against His accusers; He didn’t call the angels down.  He went through it as God would have Him to.

We want to lift up the truth in the right way.  We want to refrain our tongue from evil, that our lips speak no guile, that we eschew evil, and do good.

The one that asks in meekness and fear can receive an answer.  We also need to answer in meekness and fear.  We don’t need to respond to people that are wanting to beat us up. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We are carrying a message of great love.  They need to see that they are bound and on the wrong way.  They need to see the right way.  That is the message that we are carrying.

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We were all in darkness and condemned by our darkness and our actions.  We needed to hear that we were in darkness and could be delivered.

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Those that love evil, hate the light.  They would rather us leave them alone and dwell in darkness.  Because they hate the light it causes an emotional response to come up in them.  They think it is coming from us but it is coming up in them.  It is their hate.  Our silence will not keep them from it.  They will hate us even then.

We have to let God work.  If He wants us to say something we shouldn’t back off.  But it will be God that works.  We don’t want to respond on attack.  The most powerful response is love.  By showing compassion on them when they go through difficulty the Spirit of God can cause them to realize our love.

God help us to love them as He loves them.  He doesn’t want any to be lost.  He wants to save them from destruction.

Our nation was established to pursue happiness.  The pleasures of sin bring grief and destruction.  There is no happiness there.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

We are to live for God’s glory:  God’s presence, power, and purpose revealed in us and through us.