THE BELIEVERS' FUTURE

ROMANS 8:18-30(CEV)

"I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.

The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them."

YOUR MIND--WHO'S IN CONTROL?

ROMANS 8:1-17(CEV)

"If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin.

He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.

My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children.

God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him."

ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN OR A CRETIAN?

TITUS 1:5-16(CEV)

"I left you[Titus] in Crete to do what had been left undone and to appoint leaders for the churches in each town.

As I told you, they must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. Their children must be followers of the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild and disobedient. Church officials are in charge of God's work, and so they must also have a good reputation. They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business. Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things. They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled. They must stick to the true message they were taught, so that their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.

There are many who don't respect authority, and they fool others by talking nonsense. This is especially true of some Jewish followers. But you must make them be quiet. They are after money, and they upset whole families by teaching what they should not. It is like one of their own prophets once said, 'The people of Crete always tell lies. They are greedy and lazy like wild animals.'

That surely is a true saying. And you should be hard on such people, so you can help them grow stronger in their faith. Don't pay any attention to any of those senseless Jewish stories and human commands. These are made up by people who won't obey the truth.

Everything is pure for someone whose heart is pure. But nothing is pure for an unbeliever with a dirty mind. That person's mind and conscience are destroyed. Such people claim to know God, but their actions prove that they really don't. They are disgusting. They won't obey God, and they are too worthless to do anything good."

GOD'S FORGIVENESS

PSALM 51:1-17 (CEV)

THE SOURCE

"You are kind, God! Please have pity on me. You are always merciful! Please wipe away my sins. Wash me clean from all of my sin and guilt.

THE NEED

I know about my sins, and I cannot forget my terrible guilt. You are really the one I have sinned against; I have disobeyed you and have done wrong. So it is right and fair for you to correct and punish me. I have sinned and done wrong since the day I was born.

THE PROCESS

But you want complete honesty, so teach me true wisdom. Wash me with hyssop until I am clean and whiter than snow. Let me be happy and joyful! You crushed my bones, now let them celebrate. Turn your eyes from my sin and cover my guilt. Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again. Don't chase me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey!

THE RESULT

I will teach sinners your Law, and they will return to you. Keep me from any deadly sin. Only you can save me! Then I will shout and sing about your power to save. Help me to speak, and I will praise you, Lord.

THE BENEFIT

Offerings and sacrifices are not what you want. The way to please you is to feel sorrow deep in our hearts. This is the kind of sacrifice you won't refuse."

BENEFITS OF WISDOM

PROVERBS 2:1-15(CEV)

"My child, you must follow and treasure my teachings and my instructions. Keep in tune with wisdom and think what it means to have common sense.

Beg as loud as you can for good common sense. Search for wisdom as you would search for silver or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to respect and to know the LORD God.
All wisdom comes from the LORD, and so do common sense and understanding. God gives helpful advice to everyone who obeys him and protects all of those who live as they should. God sees that justice is done, and He watches over everyone who is faithful to him.

With wisdom you will learn what is right and honest and fair.

Wisdom will control your mind, and you will be pleased with knowledge.

Sound judgment and good sense will watch over you.

Wisdom will protect you from evil schemes and from those liars who turned from doing good to live in the darkness. Most of all they enjoy being mean and deceitful. They are dishonest themselves, and all they do is crooked."

MICAH'S LAMENT FOR OUR DAY

MICAH 7:1-7(CEV)

"I feel so empty inside--like someone starving for grapes or figs, after the vines and trees have all been picked clean.

No one is loyal to God; no one does right. Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else. People cooperate to commit crime. Judges and leaders demand bribes, and rulers cheat in court. The most honest of them is worse than a thorn patch.

Your doom has come! Lookouts sound the warning, and everyone panics. Don't trust anyone, not even your best friend, and be careful what you say to the one you love. Sons refuse to respect their own fathers, daughters rebel against their own mothers, and daughters-in-law despise their mothers-in-law. Your family is now your enemy.

But I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer."

WHAT GOD DESIRES

MICAH 6:6-8(CEV)

"What offering should I bring when I bow down to worship the LORD God Most High?

Should I try to please Him by sacrificing calves a year old? Will thousands of sheep or rivers of olive oil make God satisfied with me?
Should I sacrifice to the LORD my first-born child as payment for my terrible sins?

The LORD God has told us what is right and what He demands: 'See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."'

GOD'S RESPONSE TO UNACCEPTABLE WORSHIP

ISAIAH 1:10-17(CEV)

"You are no better than the leaders and people of Sodom and Gomorrah!
So listen to the LORD God: 'Your Sacrifices mean nothing to me. I am sick of your offerings of rams and choice cattle; I don't like the blood of bulls or lambs or goats. Who asked you to bring all this when you come to worship me? Stay out of my temple! Your sacrifices are worthless, and incense is disgusting. I can't stand the evil you do on your New Moon Festivals or on your Sabbaths and other times of worship. I hate your New Moon Festivals and all others as well. They are a heavy burden I am tired of carrying. No matter how much you pray, I won't listen. You are too violent. Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds.

Stop doing wrong and learn to live right. See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need."'

HOW LOW CAN MAN GO?

ROMANS 1:18-32 (CEV)

"From heaven God shows how angry He is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth. They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them.

God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. They claim to be wise, but they are fools. They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.

So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.

God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.

Since these people refused even to think about God, He let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things. They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip, say cruel things about others, and hate God. They are proud, conceited, and boastful, always thinking up new ways to do evil.

These people don't respect their parents. They are stupid, unreliable, and don't have any love or pity for others.They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and they even encourage others to do them."

POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE--THE POWER TO DO RIGHT

DANIEL 3:8-18(CEV)

"For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: 'O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.

There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.'

Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?'

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'"

THE DANGER OF PEER ADVICE

I KINGS 12:1-16(CEV)

"Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.

Jeroboam son of Nebat heard what was happening, and he stayed in Egypt, where he had gone to hide from Solomon. But the people from the northern tribes of Israel sent for him. Then together they went to Rehoboam and said, 'Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard. But if you make our work easier, we will serve you and do whatever you ask.'

'Give me three days to think about it,' Rehoboam replied, 'then come back for my answer.' So the people left.

Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, 'What should I tell these people?'
They answered, 'If you want them to serve and obey you, then you should do what they ask today. Tell them you will make their work easier.'
But Rehoboam refused their advice and went to the younger men who had grown up with him and were now his officials. He asked, 'What do you think I should say to these people who asked me to make their work easier?'

His younger advisors said: 'Here's what we think you should say to them: "Compared to me, my father was weak. He made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!"'

Three days later, Jeroboam and the others came back. Rehoboam ignored the advice of the older advisors. He spoke bluntly and told them exactly what his own advisors had suggested: 'My father made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!'

When the people realized that Rehoboam would not listen to them, they shouted: 'We don't have to be loyal to David's family. We can do what we want. Come on, people of Israel, let's go home! Rehoboam can rule his own people."

DON'T TWO-TIME ON GOD!

JAMES 4:4-10 (NASB)

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'?

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.'

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."