Elevate Your Walk

by Ch, Capt. Matt Spurgeon

 

3 Steps to elevate your walk:

1) Rejoice in the Lord

2) Surround yourself with believers

3) Press on towards the goal

Watch Out for a Spirit of Worldliness and the Choices You Make

Matthew 6:19-24

3 Commitments and Questions from Our Lord

1. Possess REAL Treasure - “Where’s Your Heart?”

Matthew 6:19-20; Proverbs 6:6,8; 1 Timothy 6:17

A 7-Fold Test of How to Know When Something “Owns” You

a. When you need that thing as a major source of happiness or fulfillment in your life

b. When you can’t imagine living without it

c. When that possession is the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing at night

d. When you find yourself thinking about it in every spare moment

e. When you find yourself bringing it up in almost every conversation

f. When you get upset if someone touches it or comes near it

g. When you enjoy that thing more than going to church or reading your Bible

1 Peter 4:10; Matthew 6:20; 1 Timothy 6:19; Proverbs 11:4; Luke 16:22; 1 Peter 1:4; Matthew 6:21

2. Possess REAL Truth - “Where’s Your Focus?”

Matthew 6:22; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Philippians 3:13; Matthew 6:23; Judges 17:6

3. Possess Real Trust - “Where’s Your Loyalty?”

Matthew 6:24; Romans 6:16; Matthew 4:10; John 8:36

3 John

3 Men, 3 Lessons:

1. Lesson of Gaius — Christian Hospitality is no small thing in the Lord’s eyes—get involved somewhere

2. Lesson of Diotrophese — One church member’s pride can greatly harm the work of the Lord

3. Lesson of Demetrius — Leave a legacy of following the Word of God and building up the work of God

Prayer and Fasting is Giving UP To Get IN

Matthew 6:16-18

7 Weapons of the Believer

1. The Word of God

2. Prayer

3. Worship

4. The Name of Jesus

5. Our Testimony

6. Thanksgiving

7. Fasting

3 Lessons on Fasting from Our Savior

1. A Commendation

○ It was a means, not an end – Matthew 6:16

○ It was not commanded, only expected – Matthew 6:16; Psalm 35:13

There are 7 reasons for fasting:

● Lamentation

● Protection

● Humiliation

● Revelation

● Condemnation

● Selection

● Direction

Acts 10:30

2. A Caution

Matthew 6:16

5 “Ism’s” to Avoid in the Practice of Fasting

● Populism – 1 Corinthians 8:8; 1 Timothy 4:1,3

● Ritualism – 2 Thessalonians 2:15

● Asceticism

● Egotism – Zechariah 7:5

● Extremism

3. A Course

Matthew 6:17-18

12 Ways to Fast

○ Eat 1 meal a day

○ Avoid food from sun up to sun down

○ Sugars and sweets

○ The Daniel Fast

○ Liquids only

○ Give up sleep

○ Give up screens

○ Give up certain recreational activities

○ Give up pleasure reading

○ Restrict listening to all but Christian music

○ Avoid social media

○ Use smartphone or computer for necessary tasks only

Five Lessons We Can Learn from Jochebed:

1. She Married a Godly Man

Exodus 2:1, 6:20; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Hebrews 11:23; Exodus 2:2

2. She Devised a Trustful Plan

Exodus 2:3; Hebrews 11:23; Jeremiah 17:7

3. She Delegated a Crucial Task

Exodus 2:4-6

4. She Received a Wonderful Privilege

Exodus 2:7-9; Ephesians 1:3

5. She Surrendered a Personal Right

Exodus 2:10; 1 Peter 5:6; Galatians 2:20

The Book of Lamentations:

• Jeremiah is the Author

• Written after the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 587BC

• Includes deep grief over human suffering, confession of sin, cry for relief, and a glimpse of hope

Lamentations is written in poetic form:

• Long line followed by short line

• Metaphors

• Tragic reversals

• Acrostics following the Hebrew Alphabet

Why do we need a book about weeping?

• Because we are emotional people and we shouldn’t ignore deep grief

• Because we need to know how to grieve without becoming hopeless

Jeremiah’s Comfort Came From:

• God’s unchangeable traits of mercy and compassion

• God’s Word that though He punish He will not consume

• God Himself as his sufficient portion

Jeremiah saw the benefits of suffering

• It’s good to be forced to quietly wait on the Lord

• Its good to be forced to find hope in the Lord

• Its good to bear the yoke in our youth

Jeremiah learned that suffering never lasts forever, God always ends with mercy

Part 19 - The Six Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer - II

Matthew 6:9-13; John 3:5; Romans 14:17

Three Petitions Towards God and For Us

1. For God’s Glory - His PRAISE

2. For God’s Kingdom - His PROGRAM

3. For God’s Will - His PRIORITY

4. For Our Needs - His PROVISION

Matthew 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:23; Proverbs 30:8

5. For Our Forgiveness - His PARDON

Matthew 6:12

5 Words in the New Testament for Sin

a. Harmartia = Sin

b. Parabasis = Transgression

c. Anomia = Iniquity

d. Paraptoma = Offense

e. Opheilema = Debt

Micah 7:19; John 13:10

6. For Our Victory - His PROTECTION

Matthew 6:13

James 1:13

2 Peter 2:9

Humanity Needs Protection 3 Ways

a. He needs direction

Matthew 6:13; Luke 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:12

b. He needs deliverance

Matthew 6:13

c. He needs dynamite

Matthew 6:13; Genesis 18:14; 1 John 4:4; Matthew 6:13

Jeremiah 50-51

Themes of the Prophecy Against Babylon

1. The gods of Babylon will be powerless to save them (50:2, 38; 51:17-19)

2. The land of Babylon will be devastated by enemies from the north (50:3, 9; 51:11,28)

3. The fall of Babylon will signal the restoration of Israel (50:4–5, 8, 33–34; 51:5–6, 10, 45, 50)

4. Violence of Babylon will be avenged (50:10-11, 14-15, 28– 29; 51:24, 35, 49)

5. Arrogance of Babylon will be brought low (50:31–32, 51:13, 41, 53)

6. The fate of Babylon has worldwide significance (51:7-9, 48, 49)

Part 18 - The Six Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer - I

Matthew 6:9-13, 33

Three Petitions for God

1. For God’s Glory - His PRAISE

Matthew 6:9

Two Key Parts of This injunction

a. Adoration

Matthew 11:25

b. Destination

Matthew 6:9

Two Key Paths of This Injunction

1) A belief in His EXISTENCE – Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 16:8

2) A Belief in His EXCELLENCE – John 17:3

2. For God’s Kingdom - His PROGRAM

Matthew 6:10; Psalm 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Proverbs 14:34; Luke 4:43; John 18:36; Psalm 145:13, 103:19

How we pray God’s kingdom

a. Praying for salvation

b. Prayers of anticipation

Revelation 22:20

3. For God’s Will - His PRIORITY

Matthew 6:10; Psalm 40:8

2 Errors in Praying ‘Thy Will Be Done’

a. In bitterness

b. In passiveness

Luke 18

Chapters 46-48

Judgment on Mighty Egypt (46)

Judgment on Violent Philistines (47)

Judgment on Wealthy Moab (48)