Temptation

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 

I was in a discussion today that was basically can you sin so many times that God will quit forgiving you.  I think that is an easy question, God's grace is amazing and God is patient with us.  However, the other end of that question comes can you truly be repentant and never change?  If the power of the Holy Spirit lives within us can we really keep sinning?  I believe there should be victory in our lives.  We should learn to overcome some sin in our lives and then God will reveal new things for us to work on to overcome. 

Paul gives us a key verse to help us learn some ways to overcome sin in our lives and to fight against the temptations we face. 

1. Remember you are not alone!  You are not the only one to experience what you are experiencing.  The trick of the devil is to tell you your are the only one who faces this so you are okay to give in to sin.  

2. Remember God is faithful and God wants to help you overcome the temptations in your life.  He is not fighting against you, He is fighting for you!  He wants us to overcome the temptation and not fall to it.  
3. God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can stand.  There is no temptation that is so powerful that you must give into and fail.  There is really no excuse on our part and we like to make excuses for our sin.  We always have reasons why we had to make that decision to go against God and His plan for our lives.  

4. God will provide a way out!  Not that we have to be smart enough or strong enough to overcome temptation.  We can't just will ourselves to overcome temptation.  We must look for God to provide a way out and He will provide.  

Too many people have settled with sin being the normal in their lives and temptation being to powerful for them to overcome when the reality of the Good News is that there is power to overcome temptation. 

Run to Win

I am a big fan of team sports!  I love the idea of a group working together to accomplish a task.  A group depending on each other and bringing out the best in each other.  However, being a fan of the team is partly because I was not very good at individual sports.  I have a second place tennis trophy, but the reality is that there were only two people in the tournament and I got beat badly.  Not sure I even won a single game, but I know I lost in straight sets.  I had some bone issues as a kid and wore correction shoes and even though I wasn't slow, I definitely wasn't fast.  I ran track but mainly did jumping events and goofed off most of the time.  

But even though individual sports are not my favorite, I respect those who can put themselves out there and compete on their own.  No team mates to blame.  Not even really a coach to blame.  It is completely up to you to do your best.  

In the Bible there are great team illustration to the faith.  We are the body of Christ!  We are called to unity!  We are called to love each other and be there for each other.  However there are also some individual sports illustrations.

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  1 Corinthians 9:24

When it comes to faith we need to run after faith with everything we have in order to win!  To not settle with just getting by and doing okay in or faith.  Not just holding on to finish the race, but actually do all that we can to win the race of faith.  

Paul says if people will punish their bodies in order to win a silly race and get a metal and some recognition in this world, just imagine what our motivation should be to win the prize of eternal life with Christ.  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  (1 Corinthians 9:25) 

Good News!!!

How convinced are you that the message of Jesus is the Good News that can transform the hearts of people and change the world? It really does start with our own heart and our own mindset on how much we believe that Jesus is the Good News.  Have you really allowed God to change your heart or have you always really been a decent person and Jesus is just a part of that life.  For the Apostle Paul, he knew that his encounter with Jesus was completely life altering. He was consumed with hate and Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and completely changed him from the inside out.  Because of that transformation Paul wanted everyone to have the same encounter with Jesus that he had so they could also be transformed.  In chapter 9 of his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is sharing his passion for reaching the lost and broken people of the world with the Good News!  He says many things in this chapter but I just want to point out two simple phrases:

1.  We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:12b) 
What are you willing to put up with to win with Christ?  Do you have this type of attitude or are you always wondering what it in it for me?  How can we be an obstacle to the Good News?  If we can be an obstacle, the good news is we can also be a barrier breaker for people so they can receive the Good News.  We can be an avenue for God's Spirit to reach the hearts of the lost and broken of the world.


2. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22b)  We won't be the one person that God uses to reach everyone, but we can do our best to be available to be used by God to reach as many as possible.  How do you try and find common ground with people?  Are Christians more likely to find common ground or alienate people with our opinions and our truth?  How do we do everything we can do to save some?  

The Good News - Gospel - of Jesus is good!  We need to share with others how God has changed us with the message of Jesus.  If we don't have a transformation encounter with Jesus - start praying for one so the Good News can also transform your life.   

Giving Thanks Verses Complaining

1 Chronicles 23 - King David is getting ready to give the kingdom to his son Solomon and so he is putting some thing in order.  He realizes the tribe of Levi will no longer need to move the tabernacle from place to place as the new temple will soon be built.  So he assigns roles for the different families of the descendants of Levi and Moses.  

Here is the breakdown - 38,000 total men of age in the tribe of Levi.  24,000 will supervise the work a the Temple, 6,000 will serve as officials and judges, 4,000 will work as gatekeepers, and 4,000 will praise the Lord with musical instruments.  Talk about about a band and choir!  

Verse 30 - and each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing songs of thanks and praise to him.

Starting our day and ending our day with a song of praise and thanks to God is a simple way to help all the middle of our day stay in focus with the mission of God in our lives! 

We all have a natural inclination to complain.  When I am around certain people I find it easy to complain about certain things.  I believe we all need some time to vent our feelings and emotions about difficult people and situations; but I also believe there is a line when we cross over from venting to just complaining.  

The power to overcome complaining and bitterness is in our ability to praise and thank God for all the good we have in our lives and all that God is doing. 

Knowledge Puffs Up

The goal of discipleship in the church has seemed to focus on knowledge.  If we can just teach a believer in Jesus all the right concepts, Bible verses, and our churches distinct system of beliefs - then that person will be a true disciple.  

Just like the thinking - if I know better I will do better.  This seems correct, but the reality is that knowledge is not enough to motivate us to change our behavior.  

There must be something beside knowledge that allows us to be true disciples!

Paul says that when dealing with the reality of an issue in the early church - eating or not eating food sacrificed to idols - Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Knowledge puffs us up!  It is not bad to gain knowledge, but to remember that when we gain knowledge without love we end up thinking too highly of ourselves.  What we need to learn most is how to love God and love other people.  Were you drawn to God because He loves you and offers you grace?  Were you drawn to God because you know a lot about God?  

What Motivates Gossip?

Luke 6:45 What you say flows from your heart.

What in our hearts causes us to gossip?

Jealousy? Insecurity? Hurt? Pride?

Gossip

When we think about trusting in the truth of Jesus- I was thinking about the reality that one way people are not truthful is in the way we talk about others - GOSSIP.  I am not sure in my lifetime that I have had anyone call themselves a person who struggles with gossip.

Paul defines gossiping as meddling in other people's business and talking about things we shouldn't. (1 Timothy 5:13)

I think we need to ask ourselves the question before we speak is this sharing of the truth beneficial or gossip?

Spirit & Truth

For God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.  John 4:24

Truth is important to worship.  Spiritually connecting with God and bringing an offering to God must be based in an understanding of the truth. So our worship cannot just be about physical offerings of time, song, money, or service; it must include our hearts. Heartless worship does not honor our God.  Spiritual worship is also based on truth.  So it is not enough to get emotionally connected to God from our hearts; what we give to God must be connected to our truth in Jesus.  We need to learn to deeply worship our amazing God in spirit and truth!

Truth

Kevin Myers - pastor at 12 Stone Church says - to say there is no absolute truth is an oxymoron.
Basically people say there is absolutely no absolute truth.

Jesus said he was the truth (John 14:6).

What Controls You?

As followers of Christ we are no longer bound to the "Law of Moses" to obtain our assurance of a relationship with God.  This transition from a system of rules to a relationship with God caused the early church and us today some real interesting issues.  If I am not bound by the law can I break the Ten Commandments and still be a Christian?  What does it mean to sin if I don't have a set of rules to follow or to break?  

Paul reassures the church in Corinth that there is still a moral standard to live by as we follow Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  I added the emphasis on "do wrong" because it is our continued actions that display whether or not our hearts have been changed. 

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  (1 Corinthians 6:11)  If we have hearts that are cleansed and we are God's holy people we will not continue to "do wrong."  

 It is not about rule following, but about recognizing if God has changed my heart - my actions will change.  Don't know if something in your life is a sin? Paul says for the gray areas - ask yourself if it helps you keep your relationship with God strong or does it control or enslave you?  I must not become slave to anything.  (1 Corinthians 6:12) 

God's Way

Psalms 119:33-38
Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.

How do these verse teach us stay connected to God?

Who do we Judge?

1 Corinthians 5:12  It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.

Paul is trying to clarify with the church about some earlier advise to judge people for their sinful behavior.  Paul is wanting all to know we are silly to judge sinful people for acting sinful.  Why wouldn't sinful people act sinfully?  I think this says a lot about the churches response to our culture.

Paul does believe the church must be willing to judge the church.  We seem to be pretty shy about pointing out the sins of other Christians.  Maybe because we are aware of our own sin. Maybe we hear the words of Jesus, those of you who are without sin; throw the first stone.  Why are we afraid to hold each other accountable?

Defined by Grace

You are more than the choices that you've made
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes
You are more than the problems you create
You have been remade  (Tenth Avenue North)

Sometimes we allow our past to define our future and we forget that God's mercies are new everyday.  We sometimes get so beaten down from our sins that we fail to believe there could be any other possible future.  We need to be reminded of Jesus words to the woman caught in adultery - Where are your accusers? Is no one left to condemn you? No she says. Than neither do I condemn you . Go and sin no more. (John 8:10-11)

We can receive graces from Jesus and he will not condemn us if we turn away from our sins and live in relationship with God!  Jesus does not define us by our past!  You are more!