Prepping for Trouble - Prov 22:3
March 26, 2023
what emotions does that stir up in you… fear, worry, excitement…
Luke 12:4… “don’t fear those who can kill the body… and do nothing more…”
Luke 21:26… “people will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth…”
Rom 8… “not receive spirit of slavery to fall back into fear… creation groaning…”
1Thess 4:16-17… “Lord will descend from heaven… we’ll always be with Him…”
2Tim 1:7… “for God has not given us a spirit of fear…”
Titus 2:13… “waiting for our blessed hope… the coming of our Lord Jesus…”
1John 4:18… “there is no fear in love… perfect love drives out fear…”
Rev 22:20… “I am coming soon… amen… come, Lord Jesus…”
world is getting crazier… darker… more dangerous… are you ready…
Prov 22:3… “a prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions… the simple person goes blindly on and suffers the consequences…”
what’s most successful, effective action that can help you prep for trouble… pray…
Rom 10:14-17… “how can they believe in Him without hearing… not everyone welcomes Good News… faith comes by hearing… hearing messages about Jesus…”
aorist indicative active… effective, successful action; fact, no doubt; subject doing action…
trouble is going to come… but it doesn’t have to overcome you…
Matt 7:24-27… “everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock… rain fell, rivers rose, winds blew… pounded that house, yet it didn’t collapse because its foundation was on the rock… everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand… rain fell, rivers rose, winds blew… and it collapsed with a great crash…”
John 16:33… “in Me, you may have peace… in this world, you will have trouble… but take heart… I have overcome the world…”
NT encourages us to do a variety of things to fight against this trouble…
Rom 11:22-23… “continue to trust in God’s goodness… don’t remain in unbelief…”
Col 1:23… “continue in the faith… do not move from the hope of the gospel…”
2Tim 3:14… “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed…”
2John 1:9… “continue in the teaching of Christ…”
basically, we’re encouraged to continue in grace…
Acts 13:42-52… “urging them to continue in the grace of God…”
present infinitive active… activity that is ongoing, continuous, habitual; subject performs…
*charis… kindness of God which keeps, strengthens, increases faith, love, and knowledge…*
Focus on Jesus, not Rules
continuing in grace is focusing more on what Jesus did than rules and regulations of religion… pray, give, fast, witness… often call it duty, it’s actually legalism…
Gal 3:3… “foolish… begun by Spirit… now trying to finish by human effort…”
Col 2:20-23… “died with Christ… why do you submit to world’s regulations…”
Remember our First Love
continuing in grace is not losing sight of our first love… God’s love for us, not our love for Him… Paul knew we might forget that… so he prayed we wouldn’t…
Eph 3:14-21… “I pray… you would be able to comprehend God’s love for you…”
1John 4:7-19… “love is from God… this is love, not that we loved God, but He loved us… His love is made complete in us… we love because He first loved us…”
Rev 2:4… “I have this against you… you have left your first love…”
Gospel is Simple
continuing in grace means keeping it simple… religion is full of confusion and big buts… I know God loves me, but… grace is clear because it keeps focus on Jesus…
Rom 11:6… “if by grace, not by works… otherwise grace ceases to be grace…”
1Cor 15:1-11… “make gospel clear… Christ died… buried… raised on 3rd day…”
2Cor 11:3… “have been deceived… mind corrupted from simplicity in Christ…”
You are Qualified
continuing in grace helps you know that in Christ you are qualified and worthy… to receive all the blessings God has for you… gets rid of doubts, fear, worry, gsc…
Col 1:12… “giving thanks… He has qualified us to share in the inheritance…”
Col 2:18 AMP… “don’t let anyone disqualify you of the prize [freedom in Christ]…”
Heb 10:22… “thru blood of Jesus… draw near with true heart in full assurance…”
Freedom
continuing in grace means living a life of freedom… God will never remove grace from us… fall from it by taking on burden of man-made religious expectations…
Gal 5:1-4… “Christ set us free… don’t fall into yoke of slavery… try to be justified by law… cut off from Christ (deprive of power and influence)… fallen from grace…”
Col 2:8… “be careful no one takes you captive by human tradition… rather than Christ…”
Immaturity
continuing in grace brings growth and maturity… produce fruit thru God’s power…
Mark 4:27… “seed sprouts and grow… although he doesn’t know how…”
Luke 8:14… “heard word… worry, riches, pleasure choke it… never grow to maturity…”
1Cor 3:7… “I planted… Apollos watered… only God gives the growth…”
Eph 4:14… “no longer be immature children… deceived by every new teaching…”
Stop Questioning
continuing in grace leads us to stop questioning and start believing… helps stop wasting time on meaningless speculations which don’t help our faith…
1Tim 1:3-11… “don’t pay attention to myths and empty speculation… goal of my teaching is love… some have departed from this… turned to fruitless discussions…”
1Tim 6:3-6… “if anyone does not agree with teaching of Jesus… he understands nothing… has unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words…”’
Receive Blessings
continuing in grace is the key to receiving all of God’s blessings… all come by grace… to continue in grace is to continue in Jesus… trusting that He who started the work in you will carry it to completion… life of praise and thanks… pray…
John 10:10… “come so you may have life (in this world)… life more abundantly…”
1Cor 15:10-11… “I worked harder… yet not I… but grace of God in me…”
2Cor 3:18… “gazing at glory of the Lord… changed into same image… by HS…”
2Cor 9:8… “make all grace abound… always have everything you need…”
Phil 1:6… “sure of this… He who started good work… will carry it to completion…”
Heb 12:2… “keeping our eyes on Jesus… author and finisher of our faith…”