Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Resolutions Worth Keeping Resolutions are good for us because thoughtful change is good for us, and resolutions require that The great hope of the Christian is to be changed and be like Jesus Christ Christians are commanded to resist the pressure of the world and to be transformed by a renewed mind

Worldly vs. Godly 1 John 2:15-16 The boastful pride of life is easier to recognize because it is the opposite of humility Lust means “strong desire,” and ungodly desires of the flesh and of the eyes can be harder to recognize

Worldly vs. Godly 1 John 2:15-16 Worldly desires do not come from God the Father, Worldly desires are temporal, not eternal

Worldly Desires Originating in Satan Genesis 3 The devil tempted Eve to take and eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil by lying Eve succumbed to the enticements and fell to the temptation and sinned - Genesis 3:6

Worldly Desires Originating in Satan Matthew 4 The devil tempted Jesus to provide His own food and satisfy His hunger. Jesus waited for God to provide – Deut. 8:3

Worldly Desires Originating in Satan Matthew 4 The devil tempted Jesus to prove His deity and gain the acclaim of men by a showcase miracle. Jesus would not put God to the test - Deuteronomy 6:16

Worldly Desires Originating in Satan Matthew 4 The devil tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the world. Jesus would worship only God - Deut. 10:20

Worldly Desires Originating in the World Romans 12:2 Exodus 23:2 - there is a lot of pressure to follow the crowd. Sometimes to avoid persecution (John 15:19). Sometimes to gain the acclaim of men (John 5:44)

Worldly Desires Originating in Selfishness James 1:13-15 We can fall to the temptation to sin without the help of either the devil or the world

The Origin of Godly Desires Jesus submitted His own will to that of the Father - John 5:19 John 5:30 John 6:38 John 8:28 John 12:49-50

The Origin of Godly Desires We must submit our will to God’s will, and that begins with trusting Him Prov. 3:5-8 We must seek the Lord and learn His ways - Psalm 25:5; Psalm 143:10

The Origin of Godly Desires We learn to follow God’s desires by learning His word - Psalm 119:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:15 We must walk in the Spirit and not the flesh - Galatians 5:16-26

Temporal and Eternal Desires Temporal is not referring to the physical earth vs heaven - 2 Peter 3; 1 John 3:17-18 Ephesians 4:28; Proverbs 13:22

Temporal and Eternal Desires Temporal vs Eternal is about motivation - 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17, 23-24; 1 Timothy 4:1-5 We are to recognize the physical things we have on this earth come from God who is to be thanked

Temporal and Eternal Desires You can have godly desires of the flesh, eyes and pride - or they can be sinful lusts

Legalism & Licentiousness Enticements of the devil, the world and our own selfishness can be strong. God is faithful to provide a way of escape from temptation that we may be able to endure it - 1 Cor. 10:13 Humans have a broad ability to twist truth into error and make efforts to be godly into worldliness

Legalism, Licentiousness In legalism, the principles of Scripture are reduced into specific applications which becomes the standard In license principles of Scripture are expanded so that practically everything is included as acceptable. The licentious ignore some principles of scripture in favor of others - 1 Cor. 10:12; Rom. 16:19; Ps 101:3

Discernment To discern is to detect, recognize and identify things as separate and distinct The vast majority of society has no interest in godly discernment to avoid as much guilt as possible

Discernment Many professing Christians live in the same manner as non-Christians - they reject godly discernment There is a lack of discernment even among many church going Christians – who are enamored by the world

Questions to Consider Does Philippians 4:8 actually guide your entertainment choices as positive characteristics you seek? Do you actively seek the counsel of the godly & shun the counsel of the ungodly as in Psalm 1? Is your Biblical understanding of God & desire to serve Him increased by what you read, see, and hear?

Questions to Consider The danger is not so much in being exposed to evil it self, but in exposure without being discerning. We are to be discerning like the Bereans of Acts 17 about everything we read, watch or hear

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are Not a Biblical Christian I will humbly seek to know the truth of God (Isaiah 55:6). I will make diligent effort to understand the claims of Jesus Christ concerning Himself & His promises towards those that become His followers and those that reject Him (John 3:1-21).

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are Not a Biblical Christian I will follow the truth where it leads me.

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you Unsure about your Beliefs I will humbly examine myself to determine what I actually do believe at the present time (2 Cor. 13:5) If I determine I am not a Christian, I will follow the resolutions already mentioned

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you Unsure about your Beliefs If I am a Christian I will follow the resolutions which follow next

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I resolve to do my best to love the Lord God with all my heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) I will strive to learn the commands of the Lord and obey them (John 14:21)

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I will strive to develop the mind of Christ within me (2 Corinthians 2:16) and bring my every thought to be captive to Him (2 Corinthians 10:15).

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I resolve to love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:39) I will learn & put into practice the many “one another” commands (love, build up, be of same mind, accept, admonish, care for, serve, forbear, be kind, be subject to, comfort, regard as more important, not lie to, encourage, stimulate to love and good deeds, etc.).

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I will pray for my enemies (Matthew 5:43-48

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I resolve to live in godliness instead of worldliness (Titus 2:11-14) I will resist being conformed to this world by living for Christ as a living sacrifice who is being transformed by a renewed mind (Romans 12:1-2)

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I will put aside worldly vices of the old self and flesh while putting on the godly attributes of the new self including living by the Spirit and exhibiting His fruit (Col. 3; Eph. 4; Gal. 5).

Resolutions Worth Keeping If you are a Biblical Christian I will set my mind on things above instead of the things of this earth (Colossians 3:2)

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ