1. HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?

2. Do you remember the old commercial? Someone would ask 3 or 4 different people this question: The answer always came back: How do you spell relief? A D ILORS How Does A Christian Spell Relief? AROLI S We can use these letters as an acrostic and find relief. D

3. RRighteous Living Righteous- Acting in a just, upright manner; doing what is right; right living Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Psalms 119:1-11 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed To keep statutes! Then I would not be ashamed when I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man

4. cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. I Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Righteousness is part of the armor of God. Ephesians 6:14 Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Righteous living will bring relief to a life that has been lived in the turmoil of sin. I Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure.

5. OObedience Last week we talked about Samuel and he told Saul that the kingdom had been ripped away from him because of his disobedience. I Samuel 15:22 Then Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. Today, God expects our obedience. Acts 5:29 "We must obey God rather than men.”

6. Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Obedience to God will bring relief in this life and the life to come. Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

7. LLove There should be no doubt of God’s love for us. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), What about our love for God and Christ? Mark 12:30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.

8. John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We are to love others also. I John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. We should live a life of love. Ephesians 5:1 Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. God’s love bring relief to us. Our love will bring relief to others & bless us in giving it

9. AAcceptance Not Christ accepting us.We need to accept Christ Matthew 11:28-39 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.'' Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. John 12:48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. Accepting Christ will bring us relief in this life. And at the judgment.

10. IIn Christ Outside of Christ there is no relief. Relief is found only in Christ. Read Romans 8What kind of relief? Life and peace verse 6 Saving hope verse 24 No condemnation verse1 Free from the law of sin and death, verse2 Children of God, verses 14 & 16 The Holy Spirit bearing witness with ours verse 16 Heirs of God—joint-heirs with Christ, verse 17 Future glory Verse 18

11. The Spirit helping with our weakness, verse 26 All things working for good verse 28 If God is for us who can be against us verse 31? No separation from the love of God or Christ verses 35-39 The forgiveness of sins, Ephesians 1:6 Eternal life Hebrews 5:8-9 All spiritual blessings, Ephesians 1:3 Remember the relief only comes for those in Christ Jesus.

12. D Dead To Sin Not dead in sin. Romans 6:1-12 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

13. knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. There can be no relief with sin in your life.

14. SService The pack of Rolaids is no good just sitting there. You must put it to work Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. I Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. John 9:4 "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

15. HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?

16. Given by David Hamlin on December 20, 2009 pm Hollister, Missouri church of Christ www.hollisterchurchofchrist.orgwww.hollisterchurchofchrist.org