My notes from the young adult Sunday School class on 4-1-12

Ephesians 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self,created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Question: Think about who are the biggest spiritual influences in your life. What qualities speak most to you?

Answers given: stick-to-it-ness, faithfulness, consistency, sacrifice, giving, dedication to the Word, knowledge of the Word, prayer warrior

Faithfulness – is key!

BIBLICAL FAITHFULNESS =  is seen in Ephesians 4:22-24

• Put off your old self = which is corrupt/sinfulness
• Put on the new man = righteousness & true holiness

WE HAVE TO PUT OFF:

1)  PRIDE

• Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.”
• Avoid a haughty spirit
• Haughty = not being dependent on God’s help
  •  It is wrong to try to live independent of God’s help
  • To be dependent on God’s help we have to:
    • acknowledge His presence
    • purposefully bring Him in our life
    • acknowledge His presence

• does not have a teachable spirit
  • which is pride
  • they seem like they do not WANT to learn what God is trying to teach
  • being defensive when someone confronts you on unfaithfulness
  • when a spouse confronts us and we retailiate/point back at them
  • not seeking godly counsel because of “I’m fine!”
  • not wanting ANY advice, not even from spouse
    • Stop being performance based!
    • Be open to grow in the Lord!
  • False appearance of faithfulness
    • Making others think everything

2) SELFISHNESS

• Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
  • We all deal with selfishness
  • It hurts when we have to acknowledge it in our own life
  •  Its when we prefer to do what WE want instead of what God wants
  • Selfishness is self worship
  • Putting our own needs over the needs of others is selfish too
  • “doing our own thing” when there are SO many needs out there is selfish
  • Sacrifice = when one person gives to make a mark on another person
  • BE LIKE JESUS! Who put Himself on a cross for another

3) IDOLATRY

• Christians, guard yourself from idolatry!!
• Be careful what you idolize  in your life
• The BEST way to tell if something is an idol is to ask “If this person/object/dream/goal/thing was suddenly gone from my life, would I feel as if life was meaningless or not worth living?”
• God will break down your idols and take them away
• He will have NO other Gods before Him
• When God tears down our idols, it can hurt – so we had better learn to not build them up in the first place
• We have to ask WHO and WHAT do we really love and worship?
• Man tends to let the devil work in our life by making us form excuses or substitutes for what God says
  • We substitute Gods priorities
  • We substitute His promises
  • We substitute His law
  • Don’t substitute for the totality of forgiveness!!
  • Don’t substitute for the REAL thing of relationship!
  • Beware of what you make an idol

4) SPIRITUAL LAZINESS

• Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
• The life of the sluggard vs the life of the diligent
• God reminds us to be diligent
• Spiritual Laziness = not wanting to work at being faithful
  • Not doing what you need to do when you know you need to do it!
  • Not wanting to pray
  • Not wanting to read the Bible
  • Not wanting to make any attempt to grow
  • Only doing the VERY minimum of what is required and only it is it not too hard or if he is not too tired
  • Only attending church to “make their presence known” and not to minister to the Body
  • Procrastination
    • “why do today what you can do tomorrow?”
    • Root issue = laziness
    • Spiritual Discipline  says “do it and do it now!”

5) IRRESPONSIBLE

• Proverbs 25:19 “The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”
• Irresponsible people tend to have their attention taken quickly by any striking thing
• Not keeping his word
  • We NEED to be dependable people!
  • Choosing what we want to do not choosing what God wants us to do
  • Wastefulness in time
  • Makes excuses
  • Not thinking about Gods priorities so we keep from doing good works
    • We have to remember that we are ORDAINED to do good works
    • Man pleasing
      • Galations 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval or man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
      • Who are we REALLY trying to please?
      • Outside, everything has to look good
      • External conformity
        • God chastised the Pharisees for their being wrong about the outside appearance
• Keeping the peace at all costs
• There is a difference between being kind and considerate vs being a man pleaser
• Not doing what God says because we want to make other people feel comfortable

STEPS TOWARDS FAITHFULNESS

• Put on the new self
  • REPENTANCE!!
  • Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be ay grievious way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting!”
  • Pinpoint an area that God has pointed out to see what you can to to be more faithful
    • Get godly counsel about this area in your life
• Study and meditate on the scriptures
  • Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
• Praying daily
  • Psalm 12:1-2 “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.”
• There needs to be a change in order for the new life to be … new and not the old
  • Planning – how will you be faithful to Gods principals?
    • Romans 13:12-13 “ The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.”
  • Accountability
    • Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”