Cornerstone Truth

This morning we will continue to root out the old “Carnal Man” way of thinking and responding to suffering and affliction with the “New Man mindset” that recognizes the LORD’s work and will is being accomplished in our lives through the testing and refining of our faith and character in what He calls “the furnace of afflictions.”

What painful afflictions have you experienced in your life that have led you to the LORD, tested your faith, and also strengthened, refined, and purified your thinking and living?  This is a very good question but another is also quite important, how did you respond to these difficulties that often times included pain and suffering?  How should the Christian respond when experiencing a furnace of affliction?

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This morning we will continue to root out the old “Carnal Man” way of thinking and responding to suffering and affliction with the “New Man mindset” that recognizes the LORD’s work and will is being accomplished in our lives through the testing and refining of our faith and character by what He calls “the furnace of afflictions.” 

What painful afflictions have you experienced in your that led you to the LORD, tested your faith, and also strengthened, refined, and purified your thinking and living?  This is a very good question but another is also quite important, how did you respond to these difficulties that often times included pain and suffering?  How should the Christian respond when experiencing a furnace of affliction?

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This morning I will share the specific paradigm we need to adopt as children of God in my lesson titled, “What to Expect from the New Paradigm Toward Suffering.”  We will be listening to the Lord Jesus and His Apostles, Peter and Paul, as they teach us what we are to expect regarding suffering as Christians.  First, they will clearly illustrate the mindset we must possess to embrace affliction, suffering, and persecution for doing the will of the LORD.  Second, they will describe and illustrate how to respond when we are persecuted or made to suffer for doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.  Brethren, to embrace this new mindset and allow the Scriptures to transform our responses toward the many trials, challenges, difficulties, and afflictions that come to us through persecutions is critical for our forward movement in leading others to Christ in perilous times.

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This morning’s sermon is titled “Rooting Out and Replacing the Old Paradigm!”  Building on last weeks lesson we will work on how we can change our old humanistic mindset towards suffering.  It is often important to look back at the process of repentance and rediscover how the LORD has created this amazing process so that we can walk away from the old man and his or her “Stink’in Think’in and Evil Do’in!” and become the glorious children of God, as we choose to walk in the newness of life through the power of Christ Jesus who is within us!  The second important point in my lesson this morning is to answer several critical questions about what this complete metamorphosis of the mind looks like in real time and why we need to invest ourselves in working with Christ to be transformed in our thinking and in our actions!

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This morning begins a long but critically important series on changing the human paradigm towards suffering and transforming it into the mind of Christ regarding the sufferings of this life.  Today’s sermon is a vital first step in defining and describing what the natural tendency is in the human response to suffering in contrast to the Christ-minded response to suffering.  The divergent nature of each is like the comparison of  light and dark, life and death, love and hate, or comfort and pain.  In the first point of the sermon we will answer the question, What is the “Human” paradigm of Suffering?   In this we will identify the human default response toward suffering and discover that it is manifested in the avoidance of self-restraint and self-discipline while indulging the mind and body in things that are pleasurable and self-gratifying.  The second point of our lesson will answer the opposing question, What is the “Christian” paradigm of suffering?  We will then endeavor to define the Christian’s mindset towards affliction and will discover the Scripture calls the Christian to embrace the responsibility of self-restraint and self-discipline to sacrificially serve God in doing His will to fulfill His purpose.

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This morning we will begin our lesson by listening to Jesus as He calls us to come to Him to receive rest and peace as we listen to Him and choose to be united with Him in His great life of service in His kingdom.  Then will examine the cause, consequences, and cure for what we have been describing as self-inflicted suffering.  We will discover that the idol of self and selfishness is the cause for this kind of suffering.  We will also look at the consequences of this kind of suffering by examining three types of self indulgent behavior.  Finally, we will allow the Scripture to prescribe the cure for this painful type of suffering which ultimately results from our rejecting God’s will for our lives as described and illustrated in God word.

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Today we will listen to the Apostle Peter and King Solomon as the share the truth of God’s word related to making sure that we do not suffer needlessly from self-inflicted suffering caused by our rejection of God’s wisdom and living a self-indulgent life.  Initially, we will listen to God’s wisdom shared by the Apostle Peter regarding not suffering as an evil doer.  Next, we will listen to the wisdom given to King Solomon warning us of both the causes and consequences of grievously painful self-inflicted suffering.  Finally, we will listen to the Apostle Peter once again as he helps us to realize our suffering must be the sufferings of Christ as we do the will of our Father in heaven, forsaking sin and embracing His life of sacrifice. 

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The wisdom of God, found in Proverbs, warns us of the consequences of complacency.  This morning we will examine how we can avoid self inflicted suffering by rejecting complacency in our lives which is often times so prevalent.  Neglecting responsibilities, “resting on our laurels,” taking a relationship for granted, or not being mindful of the painful outcomes related to laziness, apathy, or awareness of evil are all examples of the consequences of complacency.   This morning in the sermon titled, “The Complacency of Fools Leads to Suffering” we will answer the questions from the Scripture; What is complacency?  What are the inherent dangers and consequences of complacency in our lives in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms?  Finally, what can we do to eliminate complacency in every facet of our lives. 

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The power of suffering in serving the Lord provides amazing blessings to those who understand and embrace the truth that suffering pain can produce greater strength, understanding, and wisdom for those who walk by faith and not by sight.  Recently, there was a saying that has been frequently used regarding the pain and hardship that humans often experience on a daily basis.  The statement was, “Choose Your Hard!”  What is meant by this statement is this, in our daily choices in what to do and say there will be consequences for these actions.  A simple example would be related to choosing to be disciplined or undisciplined in maintaining our physical fitness at healthy levels.  In choosing to be disciplined in daily movement and exercise activities there will be the more immediate “Hard” of physical aches and pains, the time it takes to do a daily exercise program and possibly the financial cost to do such programs.  On the other hand, there is a different, more challenging, and costly kind of “Hard” if you choose to be undisciplined by not exercising daily.  This “Hard” includes atrophy of muscles, restricted movement, sluggishness, lack of motivation, and possibly costly healthcare challenges. 

The post The Suffering of Self-Denial and Self-Sacrifice appeared first on Pleasant Hill Church of Christ.

Special guest Phil Sutton for todays morning assembly.

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