August 9

Sunday School – Subject: Hearing and Doing – James 1:19-27 – Teacher: Derrick Negley

How do we become a hearer and a doer?

YouTube helps me become a doer because it gives me instructions for installing or fixing something.

The Bible gives us instructions for life – especially the Christian life.

Being a doer of God’s Word takes a lot of effort.

Beware of being a passive listener.

We must focus, pay attention and beware of our attitude.

Verse 19 challenges us to “listen” and be “slow to respond.”

It is great to have passion, but beware of your passion.

Make sure your passion lines up with Scripture.

Beware of taking small portions of scripture to fit your passion.

Ask God to help you to set your will to forgive.

Don’t blame others for your problems or situations – you are in charge of you.

Be an active listener.

Be an active Christian – not a passive Christian.

If I am unwilling to follow God’s Word it may be time to evaluate my Christian life.

When you look in a mirror do you see someone who has a clean appearance before the Lord?

Sermon – Glendon Zook – Victory in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1-39

Remember when you first turned your life over to Christ and the victory you had in Jesus?

But, then the victory faded and you found yourself defeated.

How bad do you want victory?

Spiritual victory come when you surrender to God.

Most other victories happen when your opponent surrenders.

Opposition

Know your opponent.

The drama of D-Day in Normandy pales in comparison to the fight we are in for our souls.

Satan is trying to even his score with his enemy Jesus.

Our Flesh. We deal with sin because we are still in the flesh – an opponent to the believer.

Death and the wages of sin is also our opponent.

The Battleground

Calvary. It is important for us to understand Calvary if we are going to have victory.

The Mind. Do not believe the accusers lies. Doing good will never save you – it is God’s grace that saves you.

You must be in God’s Word to win.

The Victory

The verses in this chapter are the real deal.

For spiritual victory you must first realize that there is no condemnation in Christ.

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Freedom

² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you^] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

 Life

¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Adoption

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Hope

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Holy Spirit’s Help

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  

Confidence

 ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

Victory Gives Purpose

³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

No Separation

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Three Keys to Victory

Remember. Remember our salvation – the battle that was won on Calvary

Surrender. You will never have a victorious life until you surrender everything to Christ. Don’t expect victory if you are passive about your Christian life.

Conquer. You will win when you know that God is always with you.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57 English Standard Version