the materialistic man

SS Lesson        May 20th, 2012

 

 

THE MATERIALISTIC MAN

 

 

Focus Verse: Proverbs 28:22

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

 

Focus Thought:

In the persuit of materialistic success, many have unsuccessfully tried to serve two masters.  Eternal success is measured by laying up true treasures in Heaven.

 

Proverbs 13:7-8

 ⁷There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

   ⁸The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.

Proverbs 23:4-5

⁴Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

   ⁵Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

 

 

Final Thought:

 

We are all materialistic.  The catch is what we are materialistic about.  If we are seeking after the materials the world has to offer, we are seeking after only one thing death eternal death.  The world has many things for us that we need and plenty more that we truly do not need.  If we seek first the things of the world we have already missed the point of why God is God and why He died and rose again on the cross for us.  But if we seek first the things of God and His righteousness all these things that we sought in the world and wasted countless time on getting and keeping them, if we would have just went to God first all things would have been added on to us according to His will.

 

“Godliness with contentment is great Gain.”

 

Justin.

 

 

the lustful and the seductive

SS Lesson                            May 13th, 2012

THE LUSTFUL AND THE SEDUCTIVE

Focus Verse:

Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

 

Focus Thought:

Following the wrong example in life will lead to spiritual destruction, The way of the good individual is the correct example to follow.

 

Proverbs 2:10-22

¹⁰When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

¹¹Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

¹²To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

¹³Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

¹⁵Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

¹⁶To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

¹⁷Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

¹⁸For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

¹⁹None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

²⁰That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

²²But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

 

Final Thought:

 

We are all humans and we still have desires of the flesh that all are not sinful if done accorrding to Gods’ direction in His Word.  In order to overcome lust and seductiveness that is sin and not of holy matrimony, we must follow the perfect example that all men have.  Jesus Christ is our perfect example.  He came to earth robed in flesh and went through and had every temptation that all man will and have had and yet He did not give into anyone of those temptations.

God died on the cross and rose again so that we would be free from sin and able to make our own choices.  He also gave us His Word (Bible) that was written by men that were moved by His Holy Spirit to write the things they did.  His Word contains the direction, understanding, forgiveness, wisdom, and salvation that all men needs to be saved from sin and its bounty which is death.

We can all make it if we surrender to God.

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

you are my disciples

July 17th, 2011

YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES

Focus Verse: John 13:35

By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 

Focus Thought:

The Lord calls us to discipleship.  A Christian disciple is one who lives a life of Christian discipline.

 

Matthew 28:19

¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Luke 14:26-33

 ²⁶If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

²⁷And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

²⁹Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

³⁰Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

³¹Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

³²Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

³³So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

John 15:8

⁸Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 

Final Thought:

What does it mean to be an disciple of God?

If we choose to follow God we must giveup all that we have in this world and of this world.  We must let go of our life in this world.  Luke 18:18-25,    ¹⁸And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

¹⁹And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

²⁰Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

²¹And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

²²Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

²³And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

²⁴And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

We cannot think as this man did, for God also said,:Those who find their lives shall lose it and those who lose their lives for my sake shall find it.”

It is simple:

Follow/desire world= None of His/Death

Follow/desire God and His Will= Eternal life with Him

If you need prayer let me know and I will say a prayer for you.

We all are in a continuos battle each and everyday of our lives and we all need strength from God and we get that strength by prayer and fasting.

 

I want and need to be an disciple of God.

Do You?

 

Justin.

 

honesty and integrity

SS Lesson     June 12th, 2011

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

Focus Verse: I Thessalonians 4:12

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

 

Focus Thought:

We need to have honesty and integrity in mind, actions, and walk.

 

II Corinthians 13:7

⁷Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.

Philippians 4:8

⁸Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I Thessalonians 4:12

¹²That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

 

on earth as it is in heaven

SS Lesson   June 5th, 2011

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Focus Verse: Matthew 6:10

Thy Kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

 

Focus Thought:

Prayer is our privilege and our obligation.  Jesus’ model of prayer teaches us the form and not the words of prayer.

 

Matthew 6:9-13

⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

 

Final Thought:

Use this model of prayer that Jesus taught us not only as a prayer to pray or as “THE ONLY” prayer.  Jesus gave us this model of prayer to teach us how to pray to give us a guideline while we pray and what we should pray for.  Do not let religions lead you to believe that this model prayer should be the only prayer you should pray verbatim.

When we pray we pray for others by name,, we pray for His will in our situations, we pray for healing, we pray for strength etc….

God is not looking for a religious prayer He is looking for a true personal prayer.

 

living in the last days

SS LESSON     May 29th, 2011

 

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS

 

Focus Verse: Matthew 25:13

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day or the hour wherein the son of man cometh.

I Thessalonians 5:1-6

¹But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

   ²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

   ³For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

   ⁴But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

   ⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

   ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

II Thessalonians 2:1-9

 ¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

   ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

   ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

   ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

   ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

   ⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

   ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

   ⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

   ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

 

Final Thought:

We are in the last days.   And we have been in the last days since Jesus died on the cross and rose again.  We do not know the day or the hour.  Jesus said there will be those who come in my name and no not the truth and that we who know the truth should flee from them.  The Lord also said we should not be afraid but continue to live our lives until He comes, which means we do not need to hide we do not need to sell our houses and move to the country because we believe we are going to be safer, no The Lord said we do not be afraid but to continue to live for Him until His coming.

The fact is if we have the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance and are baptized in Jesus Name  for the remission of sins and keep His commandments.  We have nothing to worry about the coming of Jesus, but only to rejoice.

 

 

livinng in hope

SS LESSON   May  22nd, 2011

 

LIVING IN HOPE

 

Focus Verse: Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Focus Thought:

The hope of the church is the return of Jesus Christ to receive His bride.

I Corinthians 15:51-57

 ⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

   ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

   ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

   ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

   ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

   ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

   ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   ⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

 ¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

   ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

   ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

   ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

   ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

   ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Final thought:

If we put our hope in Christ Jesus our Lord,  our Hope will not bring us destruction and death but everlasting life.

Then and only then can we live in the only true hope.

living as a giver

SS LESSON   May 15th, 2011

 

LIVING AS A GIVER

 

Focus Verse: II Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give;  not grudgingly, or of necessity:  for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Focus Thought:

A Christian is a conduit through which the blessings of God flow to a needy world.

Acts 20:35

 ³⁵I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

II Corinthians 8:1-5

¹Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

   ²How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

   ³For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

   ⁴Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

   ⁵And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

 

II Corinthians 9:6-11

 ⁶But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

   ⁷Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

   ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

   ⁹(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

   ¹⁰Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

   ¹¹Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Final Thought:

 

Giving is a word that does not only relate to the giving of money but also the giving of other things.

The giving of time is essential.

The giving of food.

The giving of clothing,

The giving of Shelter.

The giving of your abundance.

But the most important giving is the giving of the Love that Jesus has given to us, because if we give that love it will include all of the givings that were previously mentioned.  So if we give of His love first we will not have to worry about being balanced in all our giving in different areas because God will have the order of giving already established for us if and only if we let God first.

continue to be a blessing to all and all will be a blessing to you.

We reap What We Sow.

living epistles

SS Lesson   May 8th, 2011                  Mother’s Day 2011

 

LIVING EPISTLES

 

Focus verse: II Corinthians 3:2

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

Focus Thought:

A Christian’s life is an open book read by this world.

II Corinthians 3:2-6

²Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

   ³Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

   ⁴And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

   ⁵Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

   ⁶Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

II Corinthians 5:17-21

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

   ¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

   ¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

   ²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

   ²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Final Thought:

An Epistle is a form of a letter.  We are living Epistles because what we do everyday is being read and/or written down by someone.

We as Christians must always be aware of what we do and say and wear outside of church and church people.  What we do as self proclaimed Christians in TRUTH is a the biggest role we will ever play that is why we must continue to live the way the Bible says.   Now why we are living for God in our works are we doing the same in our thoughts that we think and words that we say or write.

Your appearance is crucial as a way to be identified by what you believe today.  And so are your thoughts which eventually turn into words, this I know well!  Though you may look the part do you speak it as well.  When people identify us as Christians by our appearance, and then hear profanity, doubt, and lies out of our mouths they will no longer identify you as anything different from the false religions of this world, and will not see anything new living in you but will only see the ever present and consistent death that this world has to offer.

if you are a living Epistle of God’s truth and love then others will read and receive the gift that God has for all people.

When we live as

living in truth

SS LESSON    May 1st, 2011

 

LIVING IN TRUTH

 

Focus verse:Colossians 2:6

As ye therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.

Focus Thought:

Truth and Direction in life are in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:1-3, 7-19

 ¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

   ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

   ³And this will we do, if God permit.

 ⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

   ⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

   ⁹But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

   ¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

   ¹¹And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

   ¹²That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

   ¹³For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

   ¹⁴Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

   ¹⁵And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

   ¹⁶For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

   ¹⁷Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

   ¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

   ¹⁹Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Final thought:

The TRUTH, it is sharper than any two edged sword.   The truth today is something that is stretched, made up, lied about, watered down, put aside, and forgotten about.   The absolute truth today is the most sought after but most difficult thing to get.  When it comes to hearing the truth today you also have to read the fine print that goes along with it and even then you don’t always get the exact truth.  That is what you get in the world today, you never know when you are getting the truth or a lie.

But I have good news!  When you follow God and His Holy Word (Bible) you know exactly what you get.  You get THE ONLY TRUTH you need to trust in, you get true LOVE, you get true CHANGE, you get true FORGIVNESS, and most importantly you get THE ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD who will give you all these things and more if you only love Him as He loves you.

Living in Truth is living For God.

Justin.