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We encourage you to jot down what you hear God speaking to you about today as you listen to the teaching. Plan on diving deeper into the message by downloading the study guide on Sunday night so you can compare your notes with the guide as a path for deeper spiritual commitment. Once posted, the teaching video and study guide can be found under the Media tab.
The Good Life … Week 1
Christianity has a little bit of a marketing problem.
“All nations will hate you because you are my followers.” - Matthew 10
“In this world you will have trouble.” - John 16
“You must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” - Matthew 16
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. —John 10:10 (NLT)
God does offer a way to experience a good life.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
James was all about putting muscles and actions behind your faith.
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. —James 1:22-25 (NLT)
You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen. —Isaiah 42:20 (NLT)
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. —James 2:14-17 (NLT)
Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. —James 2:20-26 (NLT)
Your actions cannot save you, but your actions are what prove your faith is legitimate.
A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. —Matthew 7:17-20 (NLT)
Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. —Isaiah 58:5-8 (NLT)
It is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without serving other people.
BIG IDEA: Spiritual formation doesn’t just happen in quiet time—it happens in action.
You become a Christian when you decide what to do with your heart. You become a Disciple when you decide what to do with your hands.
Did you make a decision to follow Christ for the very first time, or are you recommitting your life to Christ? Congratulations - we are celebrating with you! Cypress wants to walk alongside you as you take this new step in your faith journey. What’s the next right step for you? Click HERE and let us know you made a decision today!