Dead with Christ

Col 2:20a, 3:12 “Therefore if ye be dead with Christ ..., holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,”-

Being dead with Christ gives life a whole new meaning. The deeds in our life are no longer measured by keeping certain laws of what we eat, or the relics we cherish as sacred. The life that we now live in Christ is demonstrated by our actions toward one another and to those who don’t know Him. It is the fleshly tendency of man to be critical and hard. When others interfere with what we want or get in the way of our desires we become impatient and intolerable with them. Paul says that if you have taken up the cross of Jesus and have been crucified with Christ you no longer act that way. Action in speech and attitude reveal what is in the heart. As believers in Christ, we are to show kindness in situation that normally would irritate us. Instead of being critical and oppressive, we are to show mercy and long suffering. Let us pray that God will help us to have the heart of Christ and live in such a way that God would be pleased.

Waiting on God

James 5:8 “Be ye also patient; make firm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”--

 Probably one of the most difficult virtues to obtain. Waiting, doing nothing, when you have so much to do and places to be is not something that come natural for most of us. The idea of having patience (waiting for an event to take place or for something to be completed) is address in God’s Word because it is so much of what happens in our lives day to day. I often have to take a deep breathe and remind myself that God has everything under His control and on His time clock. Many still wonder when the Lord will return, but all we need to worry about is to be ready when He comes. Occupy ourselves doing the work of the Lord, waiting patiently for His coming. 

Christian Progress

2 Peter 1:1-11

Review: The key to spiritual victory is by listening and submitting ourselves one to another. Being established in the Lord does not happen with two trips to the altar. It is a growing and maturing process. Those who are spiritual have a responsibility to nurture those young in the faith. New believers need to be willing to submit to God and His leadership. We all must be ready and watching for Satan is out to seek and destroy, but we have a mighty God who has given us the Holy Spirit to help us through every battle and come out victorious!

Precious Faith
• Obtaining- the abiding Christ
• Through the righteousness of God, not man
Precious Grace and Peace
• A peace that the world can not give
• Knowing God- Not about God, but intimate knowledge
• Come to the Father, through Christ
Precious Life
• Through His power and Grace we are made alive
• He has given all thing to us to make it through
• By knowing Him we can be Godly in Christ
Precious Promises
• The promise are exceeding and great
• These promise give us access to God and His nature
• Give us the power to escape the traps of the enemy
Progress made in Christ
• Giving all diligence- giving attention to, stay on top of it.
• Add to your faith- purity- heart
• Knowledge- Mind- the Word of God
• Temperance- Emotions- self control
• Patience- waiting- the ability to control your impulses-temp
• Godliness- Christ centered- O to be like thee- reflection of God
• Kindness- Hard to be kind when your not satisfied with life. Thoughtfulness- thinking of others first and their well-being. How can we show kindness to one another. Don’t allow your emotion to take control- frustration
• If we have not Love we have not Christ. Now abideth…..

Patience and Prayer

James 5:5-18

Review: Professing to be a Christian goes beyond calling oneself “A Christian”. Living a Christian life is to walk close to God, fleeing anything that would keep you from pleasing God. The Christian maintains his walk with God by realizing that within themselves they are nothing, but with Christ they can be all that God wants them to be. Let us surrender daily ours lives to Him, reframing from all wrong, and do what is right and pleasing to God.
Establishing Patients
• Patients- the art of “waiting on God”
• The husbandman analogy
• Establish- prepare your hearts- even till his 2nd coming

Embedded Hurts
• Hold no embittered feelings
• Forgive as Christ forgave you- You also will be accountable
Example to the Believers
• The prophet suffered affliction and waited on God
• The story of Job- We see how God rewarded job’s life
Endurance to the End
• Hardships are not meaningless
• God’s has a purpose
Evaluate your communication
• The use of oaths and swearing not to be taken lightly
• Yea and Nay, -As Christian, the words we speak should be binding and truthful and have no need for swearing
Encouraging Prayer
• Pray when the going gets tough
• Ask the saint of God to help you pray
• Physical and spiritual infirmities- Help nurse each back to health
Effectual Prayer
• Getting results from your prayers
• Red, hot, passionate prayers- Intense, focus, laborious
Earnest Prayer
• Serious praying
• Important prayers
• Diligently praying
• Preserver in prayer
• Don’t give up prayers.
• Elias- A man who patiently/earnestly prayed to God