Classroom: Faith, Hope, Change 03-13-07
03-13-07 Larry
Faith, Hope, Change
Walk according to the spirit, not the flesh. When the Bible talks about the flesh, it’s not talking about your body. It’s not saying to deny the desires of your body – eating breakfast and sleeping. What we’re talking about here is selfishness. Selfish desires. These can be bodily desires like sexual desires, eating or sleeping too much, but it doesn’t mean that these desires themselves are bad; it just means that these things are perverted – they’re out of place. So when it says walk of the spirit not of the flesh, it’s talking about the selfish desires that are out of place.
So there are conditions here; it says there is no condemnation if we walk according to the spirit. That means we have to embrace the ways of the spirit and choose to put the selfish ways of the flesh away. So always check those desires when you feel these things of guilt or desire. Check here first – have I been giving into ungodly desires?
Now, there is true moral guilt in the world. When you sin, you are truly guilty. This is not made up; it’s not imaginary – this is true. It’s reality. The good news is that God deals with this true moral guilt. He has dealt with this true moral guilt. He doesn’t pretend it’s not there, He admits that you are really guilty, but He has a solution for it. He has a way to deal with it that is good for you and is good for Him. Don’t ever try to say that you’re not guilty. Yes! We’re guilty! God is saying admit you’re guilty! Because if you don’t admit it then you’re denying it. God convicts you before He comforts you. He comes and says, “you are really guilty, here.” But the conviction is specific – and why is it specific? Because he wants you to know it can be solved. It’s specific so that you can have hope. So you can live in hope. Hope of overcoming your problems, hope of having joy in your life, hope of eternal life. Some people live in hopelessness that some things are never going to change. This is not God. I mean, the whole gospel is that you can change! That’s what’s good about the good news! Not that things are always going to be the same, But that God has made a way for you to change. When God convicts us, He convicts us to act, and acting is what we are called to. The conviction is specific, the action is specific, and our actions are our response to God that we repent.
Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, His only born Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead; I believe in the Holy Spirit; I believe in the holy universal church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Without the principle of self-denial we are either led to indulgence in the grosses vices without the least shame, or, if there is any appearance of virtue in us, it is spoiled by an evil passion for glory. Show me a single person who does not believe in the Lord’s law of self-denial who can willingly practice a life of virtue!
~John Calvin
[At this point Larry gives an example of Helen Keller, and talks about that for a while.]
Unless you pick up your cross daily, and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 9:23
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Slavish fear, family fear
Exodus 20:20
Faith, Hope, Change
Walk according to the spirit, not the flesh. When the Bible talks about the flesh, it’s not talking about your body. It’s not saying to deny the desires of your body – eating breakfast and sleeping. What we’re talking about here is selfishness. Selfish desires. These can be bodily desires like sexual desires, eating or sleeping too much, but it doesn’t mean that these desires themselves are bad; it just means that these things are perverted – they’re out of place. So when it says walk of the spirit not of the flesh, it’s talking about the selfish desires that are out of place.
So there are conditions here; it says there is no condemnation if we walk according to the spirit. That means we have to embrace the ways of the spirit and choose to put the selfish ways of the flesh away. So always check those desires when you feel these things of guilt or desire. Check here first – have I been giving into ungodly desires?
Now, there is true moral guilt in the world. When you sin, you are truly guilty. This is not made up; it’s not imaginary – this is true. It’s reality. The good news is that God deals with this true moral guilt. He has dealt with this true moral guilt. He doesn’t pretend it’s not there, He admits that you are really guilty, but He has a solution for it. He has a way to deal with it that is good for you and is good for Him. Don’t ever try to say that you’re not guilty. Yes! We’re guilty! God is saying admit you’re guilty! Because if you don’t admit it then you’re denying it. God convicts you before He comforts you. He comes and says, “you are really guilty, here.” But the conviction is specific – and why is it specific? Because he wants you to know it can be solved. It’s specific so that you can have hope. So you can live in hope. Hope of overcoming your problems, hope of having joy in your life, hope of eternal life. Some people live in hopelessness that some things are never going to change. This is not God. I mean, the whole gospel is that you can change! That’s what’s good about the good news! Not that things are always going to be the same, But that God has made a way for you to change. When God convicts us, He convicts us to act, and acting is what we are called to. The conviction is specific, the action is specific, and our actions are our response to God that we repent.
Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, His only born Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead; I believe in the Holy Spirit; I believe in the holy universal church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Without the principle of self-denial we are either led to indulgence in the grosses vices without the least shame, or, if there is any appearance of virtue in us, it is spoiled by an evil passion for glory. Show me a single person who does not believe in the Lord’s law of self-denial who can willingly practice a life of virtue!
~John Calvin
[At this point Larry gives an example of Helen Keller, and talks about that for a while.]
Unless you pick up your cross daily, and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Luke 9:23
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Slavish fear, family fear
Exodus 20:20
posted by CarbonChris at 1:23 AM
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