LHIM Everything

“The strongest defense is a good offense.” LOVE is offensive, not defensive.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because He first loved us.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Examples of women who had fearless love

1 Samuel 25:1–39

2 Kings 4:8–37

Ruth 1:16–17

John 5:17

“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” God is at work in the world around us.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and He will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

“For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

We all function differently in the Body of Christ. Your walk may not look like everyone else’s, but your walk is vitally important. Let love propel you into the service and the future that God has ordained for you.

If God be for you, who can be against you?? Love Makes Us Fearless

The Question: “Does God accept me as I am?”

The Answer: “Yes, he does!”

God acted first. There was nothing we did that moved him to respond. All of us, like everyone else, can be recipients of God’s love by his grace alone. If we don’t come to God as we are, we are denying the truth of why God acted through his Son Jesus to save us in the first place.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Fix yourself,” and then come follow me. He invites his disciples to follow him as they are so that they can find peace and rest.

We need to be cleansed of our sins: both those done in the past and in the present. God promises to forgive us if we confess our sin. Hiding our sin only brings shame and further separation from God.

We can get washed by the blood of Jesus only if we come to God as we are and confess our sins openly and honestly.

Christ changes everything: you are no longer the same. You can come as you are, but you can’t leave as you were. You are “new”; let the old things be left behind.

What are you living for? What are you pursuing? Many would answer these questions with, “I just want to be happy.” But how can you become happy? Traditional pursuits of happiness via acquisition and detachment have given way to achieving happiness through therapy. Even if we are the most self-aware generation, happiness still seems to elude us, slipping right between our fingers like sand.

Rather than putting themselves first, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth to put God and others first. This was especially important when it came to eating certain meats that had been offered in pagan sacrifices. (See also 1 Corinthians 8:6-13). In the end, whatever we do, we  should do all to the glory of God.

Leah offers a stark example of living for oneself, regardless of how that might affect others. Marginalized and badly treated, she set out to win her husband’s affection. In the competition with her sister, she fought relentlessly and ended up with the victory. Even so, winning and finding lasting happiness do not always go together.

David demonstrates a God-centered approach to handling difficult situations. Hunted and hiding, David still recognized that the one who fulfilled his purpose was God, the one deserving glory, the one to whom he offered praise—even amid hardship.

We too can act so that in everything, God may be glorified.

Our society is fixated on power. We ask, “Who has the power? Who is oppressed? How can we fix it?” But what does the Bible say about power? How does God use power?

The scene is a familiar one. Ahab the king wanted a piece of land owned by Naboth. However, Naboth didn’t want to sell. The queen found a solution that required the exercise of lethal power via deception and subterfuge. The incident aptly illustrates the typical power governments exercise to get what they want. Still, God gets the last word.

The Romans claimed to have absolute power over their subjects, especially low-status peasants and revolutionaries. Pontius Pilate, however, appears out maneuvered by his “subjects” who insist on Jesus’ execution. For his part, Jesus does not play power politics. He does not connive or conspire. He knows where the real power lies, and he freely submits to it.

The world’s wisdom and power are folly and weakness to God. What he accomplished through Christ is true wisdom and true power, but only to those who are called and who believe. What’s more, salvation is not exclusively available to the powerful and influential. In fact, those people are less likely to submit to God’s upside-down salvation program.

Matthew 27:32 Simon of Cyrene carried his cross.

John 2:4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

John 5:25-28 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live…Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,

John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

John 12:1 This was 6 days before his death; Jesus was the Passover lamb that year.

John 12:8 After all that Judas participated in with Jesus, he was stealing and critical.

Mark 14:3-10; Matthew 26:3-16 The disciples were indignant about the woman and Jesus allowing her to anoint him.

To receive criticism from the disciples while knowing his hour had come must have been painful.

John 12:9-13 Quote from Psalm 118:26

John 12:14 Quoted from Zech 9:9

Luke 19:41-44 Jesus felt his emotions without sinning.

John 12:14 -23 Jesus ignored the Greeks because he was readying for the hour of his death. The words and actions of others did not influence what Jesus thought and did. His Father influenced him.

John 12:38 Quoted from Isaiah 53

John 13:1-5 Jesus loved and served till the end. He was not moved off His

John 11:1-6

John 11:7-10

John 11:11-15

John 11:16-26

John 11:27-37

John 11:38-42

John 11:43-44

Mark 2:23-28 The Pharisees criticized Jesus for allowing his disciples to pluck heads of grain.

Matthew 12:9-14 They goaded him about healing on the Sabbath when he saw the man with the withered hand.

Mark 7:1-15 They criticized Jesus’ disciples for eating with unwashed hands, ignoring the tradition of the elders.

Luke 5:33-39 They criticized Jesus because his disciples did not fast like the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees.

Over and over when criticized by his opponents, Jesus engaged with them. He did not slink back in fear, nor did he lose his temper. If Jesus is our example, we should seek to conduct ourselves in like manner when we face similar situations.

John 15:18-20 Some will hate, and some will listen. Jesus said that we should expect the same kind of mixed results.

1 John 3:13

We all face the pressure that comes from the expectations that others place upon us in our lives. But perhaps one of the greatest negative pressures comes from the world wanting us to conform to its ideals and expectations.

There is a tug-o-war going on, and we need to overcome it like Jesus did.

Luke 20:19-26

Two realms of jurisdiction are pitted against each other—Caesar and God. How does Jesus understand his relationship to both?

In response to what Jesus says, we must ask, “What do we owe God? What belongs to God? What does God expect from us?”

Isaiah 1:11-20 (cf. Psalms 40:6-8; 50:8; 51:16; Hosea 6:6)

Jeremiah 7:21-26

Romans 12:1-2

James 1:27

Jesus’ Suffering

Hebrews 2:14 Jesus was a human being with flesh and blood just like we are.

16 Jesus gives help to the descendants of Abraham who are believers.

17 Jesus can relate to the problems we have because he was like us. He is merciful and faithful. The purpose of propitiation is the restoration of a previously broken relationship between God and man occasioned by man’s sin.

18 His suffering includes more than his crucifixion and the three temptations.

Hebrews 4:14 Three reasons for holding on: 1) he is a great high priest; 2) he is in heaven; and 3) Jesus is the Son of God

15 Sympathizes with our weaknesses

5:8 Jesus learned obedience from the things he suffered. He is our teacher!

Luke 4:14-16 Nazareth is where he was brought up.

25 Elijah – 1 Kings 17:8 ff; James 5:17

26 Elisha – 2 Kings 5:1-14

30 Rejection, disrespect, and hatred are very strong temptations that Jesus knows and can help us with when we experience them.

Mark 6:1-6

John 7:1-10 His brothers did not believe in him. What feelings must have arisen to tempt him? He suffered well and understands how we feel.

John 14:23 Jesus lives in us.