Lessons for Living (Audio)

As exciting as it is to be reminded of the wonderful promises God has made to those who follow Him, there is one truth that should temper our enthusiasm. For all of the people that we know who are currently in rebellion against Jesus and His Father, none of the promises we hold dear apply to them. As Pastor Mark is teaching, we need to remember this fact and use it to spur us to speak to our unsaved friends. Those around us who are living in despair, who wander through their lives aimlessly, are closer to the Truth than they know. Let’s be sure to share life in Christ with them.

As exciting as it is to be reminded of the wonderful promises God has made to those who follow Him, there is one truth that should temper our enthusiasm. For all of the people that we know who are currently in rebellion against Jesus and His Father, none of the promises we hold dear apply to them. As Pastor Mark is teaching, we need to remember this fact and use it to spur us to speak to our unsaved friends. Those around us who are living in despair, who wander through their lives aimlessly, are closer to the Truth than they know. Let’s be sure to share life in Christ with them.

Do you struggle to resist temptation? How well do you know the Bible? If you don’t know that the Bible promises that if you resist the devil that he will run away, how can you resist? In this case the saying, “Knowledge is power” is correct. Polls continually note that American Christians are woefully ignorant of what the Bible actually says. Pastor Mark is teaching that if we’re going to have victory over temptation that we must know what the Bible says. After that, we have to believe that it’s true and that God meant what He said about Jesus’ victory over the devil and over sin.

Do you struggle to resist temptation? How well do you know the Bible? If you don’t know that the Bible promises that if you resist the devil that he will run away, how can you resist? In this case the saying, “Knowledge is power” is correct. Polls continually note that American Christians are woefully ignorant of what the Bible actually says. Pastor Mark is teaching that if we’re going to have victory over temptation that we must know what the Bible says. After that, we have to believe that it’s true and that God meant what He said about Jesus’ victory over the devil and over sin.

These days, talk of the unseen spiritual world is generally left to the movies. Jesus, however, acknowledged the reality of things we can’t see with the physical eye but which affect our lives every day. As long as we continue to think of the devil as a dude in red flannel pajamas running around with a pitchfork we’ll never be able to successfully battle against the forces of darkness. Pastor Mark, teaching from 1 Peter, reminds us that this realm is very real. In the same way that Jesus took it seriously, we need to do the same, and become engaged in the battle for our souls.

These days, talk of the unseen spiritual world is generally left to the movies. Jesus, however, acknowledged the reality of things we can’t see with the physical eye but which affect our lives every day. As long as we continue to think of the devil as a dude in red flannel pajamas running around with a pitchfork we’ll never be able to successfully battle against the forces of darkness. Pastor Mark, teaching from 1 Peter, reminds us that this realm is very real. In the same way that Jesus took it seriously, we need to do the same, and become engaged in the battle for our souls.

In America, we are so prosperous that we get lulled into believing that we don’t need anyone else for anything. As a result, when we do need help or are just feeling weak and unsure, we don’t reach out to others. We think that we’re the only one that has problems. Pastor Mark is reminding us that everyone has problems – Jesus told us so – and that we are supposed to be here to hold each other up when hard times come. Pastor Mark will use scripture to instruct us on the proper way that followers of Christ should behave toward one another, which will require us to kill our pride.

In America, we are so prosperous that we get lulled into believing that we don’t need anyone else for anything. As a result, when we do need help or are just feeling weak and unsure, we don’t reach out to others. We think that we’re the only one that has problems. Pastor Mark is reminding us that everyone has problems – Jesus told us so – and that we are supposed to be here to hold each other up when hard times come. Pastor Mark will use scripture to instruct us on the proper way that followers of Christ should behave toward one another, which will require us to kill our pride.

We have a hard time grasping that God is infinitely greater than we are in every way. He exists outside the time line. That’s how He can know what is going to happen before it does. Nevertheless, we try to put God in terms that we can intellectually deal with. These always are inadequate to the task, causing us to misunderstand Him. Pastor Mark, in this teaching on pride and humility, reminds us that pride causes us to believe that we can completely understand all of the ins and outs of our lives and thus can run our lives better than God can. Experience, though, shows us that we are wrong.

We have a hard time grasping that God is infinitely greater than we are in every way. He exists outside the time line. That’s how He can know what is going to happen before it does. Nevertheless, we try to put God in terms that we can intellectually deal with. These always are inadequate to the task, causing us to misunderstand Him. Pastor Mark, in this teaching on pride and humility, reminds us that pride causes us to believe that we can completely understand all of the ins and outs of our lives and thus can run our lives better than God can. Experience, though, shows us that we are wrong.