LHIM Everything

I. The joy of God is experienced when we know God as _______________________ .

II. The joy of God is experienced when we know God as _______________________ .

III. The joy of God is experienced when we know God a _______________________ .

IV. The Joyful Life

Verses used:

Psalm 73:24

1 Peter 1:13   Our hope is on the revelation of Jesus Christ rather than success, wealth, or even making a difference in the world.

1 Peter 1:14-16   Instead of blindly and uncritically following our cravings, God says we can be holy like He is!

1 Peter 1:17-19   God is the judge, and He has decided He will judge deeds. We cannot allow ourselves to become swept up in whatever morals and mores our society adopts. Rather, Scripture calls us to live as exiles, knowing that one day Christ will come and retake this fallen world. (Matthew 10:22; 1 John 3:13)

1 Peter 1:20-21   Our faith and hope are in God, not in whatever the world puts before us. The gospel message grounds us in the knowledge that God loved, God acted, and one day God will renew everything.

1 Peter 1:22   Love and truth are not enemies. Truth is powerful because it tells us what we should and should not think and do. Although our society has become post-truth, we who believe in God know that He sets the standards for what is and is not true. This frees us to truly love, even when it’s hard. (John 8:31-32; Ephesians 4:15; 2 Peter 3:9)

1 Peter 1:23-25   We are—all of us—like flowers. We’re here today and gone tomorrow. How can we trust what our society tells us when we know they’ll say something totally different in fifty years? Thankfully, God’s word is imperishable, living and abiding forever.

Hebrews 5:11   Those Christians who are dull, sluggish, lazy of hearing are spiritual infants who need milk rather than solid food.

14   The mature hear and practice and discern good and evil.

Hebrews 6:1-3   Some were still holding onto the law and not faith in God’s grace.

The resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are part of the elementary teachings of Christians; yet, most wrongly understand them due to ignorance or wrong teaching. Elementary – basic, rudimentary, fundamental, essential, underlying

6   Hebrews 10:26-31; 2 Peter 2:21; 1 John 5:16

8   Jesus often used agricultural illustrations to drive home this point – the sower and the seed, tares and the wheat, the vine and the branches, knowing a tree by its fruit.

10   Matthew 25:34-46

12   Sluggish – same Greek word in 5:11 – dull of hearing

14   Genesis 22:1-18   Offering Isaac   Hebrews 11:17-19

17   The unchangeable character of the Creator is stressed in Hebrews 1:10-12, and now the focus falls on the unchangeable character of His purpose. The unchangeable purpose of God sets Him apart from the capricious, contemporary, pagan deities and all of humanity. God means what He says.

18   The two relate either to God’s nature and His oath or the promise and the oath. Neither can change!

Strong encouragement denotes an urgent turning away from a state of discouragement and apathy.

19   The anchor is to remain fixed in the seabed, whatever the conditions. The rougher the weather, the more important is the anchor for the stability and safety.

20   Our anchor is connected to Jesus, not the seabed.

Following Jesus entails two major aspects:

John 10:24-28   People had various opinions of Jesus. Some believed and others thought he was oppressed by a demon. What do you think? Are you one of his sheep?

Luke 6:46-49   Jesus clearly defines what it means to follow him. If you call him “Lord,” you must also do what he says. Those who hear his words and do not do them are like someone who built a house without a foundation.

Luke 6:27-31   Jesus taught us to love our enemies and treat them the way we want them to treat us.

Luke 6:32-36   Those who love those who love them are no better than sinners who do the same. However, if we demonstrate love towards our enemies, then we are like God who is merciful.

Luke 6:37-42   Don’t judge others. Instead, generously give. Hypocrites always worry about other people’s flaws without considering their own problems first.

Luke 6:43-45   We want to be genuine. Our external fruit indicates our internal state. If you have real faith, you’ll have real fruit in your life.

John 13:1-11   When he washed his students’ feet, he humbled himself and performed a lowly task in their society. Jesus gave us an example to follow.

Romans 6:23   You can’t earn salvation. It is God’s free gift.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Romans 1:16   The gospel is the message we believe for salvation.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Luke 8:12   The devil works to prevent people from understanding and believing the gospel.

The gospel includes three truths:

This is the good news message we tell people.

Christ Died

1 Corinthians 15:3; Romans 5:8   Christ died for our sins.

Romans 6:1-2; Matthew 7:22-23   Although Christ died for our sins, that does not mean we should continue in sin.

Christ Rose

1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Romans 10:9   God raised Jesus from the dead, proving to all that he is Lord (Messiah).

Christ Is Coming Again

1 Corinthians 15:22-25   Christ is coming again to establish the Kingdom of God on earth—a time when He will make everything wrong with the world right.

Matthew 5:5; 6:10   Although many believe heaven is our “home” and ultimate destination, Jesus is clear that our hope is to inherit the earth and enjoy a new age when God’s will is done.

Acts 3:1-10, 16, 19

Acts 4:7-10, 12, 16-18

Luke 19:10   For the Son of man

Billy Graham story

2 Corinthians 5:17-20   We are ambassadors for Christ.

Itinerary:

Friday (July 29)

Saturday (July 30)

Sunday (July 31)

Mon-Tues (Aug 1-3)

Wednesday (Aug 3)

Thursday-Friday (Aug 4-5)

Sat-Sun (Aug 6-7)

Monday (Aug 8)

Tuesday (Aug 9)

Proverbs 25:25   Like cold water to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country.

Matthew 28:19-20   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

SPIRITUAL MARKER

1 Samuel 7:3   Forsake your idols; turn back to Yahweh.

1 Samuel 7:10   They obeyed, so Yahweh routed the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:12   Samuel set up an ebenezer, a spiritual marker, to commemorate this event.

“Ebenezer” is a Hebrew word that literally means “a stone of help”. Stones, altars, and recorded historical events can all be ebenezers that memorialize a time of divine assistance.

Abram set up an altar in Bethel, Genesis 12, to commemorate God’s promises to him. Isaac did the same in Genesis 26, as did Jacob in Genesis 28, and Moses in Exodus 17 and 24. Each altar honored Yahweh and served as a spiritual marker that He was “a stone of help”.

Joshua 4:6   When Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God had Joshua take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan and place them on the side of the river as an ebenezer for the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 34:15, 17, and 19   God’s willingness to help is well documented with each record as a reminder for us that Yahweh is our stone of help.

Contemplation of our own spiritual markers can boost our faith today. Yahweh longs to help us in our time of need and will do so as we seek His help.

1 Samuel 17:26 and 36   Yahweh strongly supported David because his heart was completely God’s.

James 5:17-18   Elijah prayed that it would not rain for 3 1/2 years, and God responded.

Yahweh helped Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, who refused to bow and escaped the burning fiery furnace. God strongly supported Daniel when he was in the lions’ den. Yahweh will strongly support you when your heart is completely His.

God Wants YOU and Is Fighting For YOU

Idols primarily refer to physical idols/statues that represent false gods. But there are also many other very dangerous idols in life that are not made by human hands.

The Battle—Spiritual Warfare

God has enabled us for the battle, but we must be prepared. We are not left helpless.

The weapons of our warfare are not physical, but spiritual, and very powerful for demolishing strongholds.

How to Win—Perseverance and God’s Power

We have to want to win; I mean REALLY want to win. The battle is not for the timid or ambivalent.

We must remember the battle CAN be won. God has promised that we are not in a losing battle. He will provide the means for resisting temptation and ultimately winning our battles.