Character

Choose Character

• Pray
• Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering

1. Definitions – character

1. The sum of our traits that we are known by.

2. Reputation – How you are known
3. Faithfulness
4. Character is the total of what makes us up, or the “whole”. Integrity is the parts and pieces that make up the “whole” – We are going to talk about both. Many times the two are used interchangeably, but keep in mind the differences.

1. The milk of the Word vs. the meat of the Word

1. The milk is what Jesus or the Kingdom of God will do for you. – (Heb 5:12)

a) salvation

b) hope and comfort in troubled times

c) healing – physical, emotional

(all are benefits of Jesus’ work at The Cross or Atonement)

2. The meat of the Word is what you do for The Kingdom

1. Hebrews 5:12 (NIV)
   In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

a) baby food

2) James 2 : 8 (Mess) I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove

Show your faith – God expects it, from ourselves, show to family and friends benefit

1. an example - practical Christianity / meat of The Word
2. God does the supernatural – all miracles of past, present, and future – Jesus, conquering Love, re-establishing His Kingdom and making us part of it.
3. He expects us to do the natural (because of our faith – IN HIM) to show His Love to others – Shows Him to others (family, those around us) – perhaps we are the only God that person will see!

3) Character of God

a) Isaiah 11:5

5 Righteousness will be his belt
 and faithfulness the sash around his waist

note: faithfulness one of the deffs. Of character

2. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

c) Deuteronomy 7:9

9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands

The Word says to “Be like Him” – 1 John 3:2

Kids want to be like their father – they naturally emulate their parents

We are made in His image, since He is of character and it is a trait that we all can and should develop, He expects us to be of character for our own good as well as everyone we come in contact with.

4) Characteristics Traits Of The Saints

a) Bible says anyone who is saved is a saint. – We ARE people of character

2. There are many character traits we can identify
   • Blameless
   • Bold
   • Faithful
   • Just
   • Godly
   • Humble
   • Attentive to Christ’s voice - John 10:3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
   • Prudent - Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
           And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
   • If we are saved The traits are in us – Romans 12:3 – up to us to develop them by exercising and using.

God's Word: The Power Unto Salvation

• Pray
• Text - Rom 1:16 : For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,^[a] for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

• John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.& 1:14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth - (Who Word is) 

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. & Romans 10:9-10 ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation - (promises salvation)

• The Word – Jesus – God gave us Words to live by
• They are only words if Jesus not God (to us) – lower case
• If Jesus IS God to us, they are upper case – The power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

- As soon as He is God to me and you, then His Words are what they are meant to be – Life

• Duet. 30:19 , Josh 1:8, 14:6, John 14:21 - When you and I choose to do what God tells us to do (esteem His Word), He can be Way to Salvation – we can have good success.

Duet. 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;, Josh 1:8, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. John 14:21 - He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

His Kingdom can (and will, with or without you and me) be re-established – where? (in your heart) – He wants you and I to be integral parts of His Kingdom!

When and only when we choose to be a part of His Kingdom, can we rely on the Word being THE POWER TO SALVATION!

God On Earth (The Light Of The World)

• Pray
• Text –  John 1 1-14

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^[a] it.

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.^[b]

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

13children born not of natural descent,^[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.  

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Takes more faith not to believe than to believe when you consider:

1. Word of God written 66 books written by 40 people (2 Timothy 3:16
   All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness) – The Bible agrees with itself – from cover to cover
   • In this day and age with fax and email I doubt if we could get 20 of our friends to totally agree on any one point let alone hundreds.
2. The odds of the prophesy in The Bible that have been fulfilled the are about 17,000,000 to 1.

The odds of unfulfilled prophesy in The Bible coming true are exponentially higher.

3. History has proven – Hittite Empire - (mentioned only in Bible) A Hittite city has been uncovered by archeologist.
4. Countless ruins and archeological discoveries confirm places and events mentioned in Bible

Jhn 1:8,9; Jhn 8:12; Jhn 9:5; Jhn 12:35,46; Psa 84:11; Isa 35:4,5; Isa 42:6,7,16; Psa 49:6; Psa 60:1-3; Mal 4:2; Mat 4:16; Luk 1:78,79; Luk 2:32; Act 26:23; Eph 5:14; 1Jo 1:5-7; Rev 22:16

Ministry Of The Holy Spirit

• Pray
• PD

Text verse – Heb. 11:6

 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

• From this verse we see an important premise established: As long as we go to the Word in faith, believe He is who He says He Is, and seek Him (study in truth) we will please God. He then tells us He will reward us. He then rewards us with his presence (Jesus said: ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find).

Before Christ started His Ministry, John The Baptist’s calling was to make straight the way of the Lord. – John 1:22-23, Is 40:3

Now it is The Holy Spirit’s ministry to bear witness of Him 1 John 5:7-8, John 15:26 and to give believers power and ability to witness to others thus spreading the church. Acts 1:8

Leads us into all righteousness – John16:13 – The Holy Spirit’s main ministry is to get ALL people saved.

Preach the Good News (Mark16: 15)– Christ crucified is The Good News (man reconciled back to God [Isa. 61]) 1 Cor. 1:23 (Christ crucified), Mark 16 14:18,

Gal 2:20 (I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.), Rom.1:16  (For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.)

1. God’s intentions toward us
   1. Why did God establish the earth and create man? (Class discussion)
   2. Relationship
   3. Fatherhood / mentor

Holy Spirit of OT

• Part of Godhead – God The Father, God The Son, God The Holy Spirit - Gen 1:1, 1:26 – Job 3:4
• God created man and gave him His Spirit – Gen2:7, 1 Cor. 6:19
• Spirit of God – Came to kings and prophets (wasn’t there all the time – only when God wanted to act specifically.)

Holy Spirit of NT

• The seed of God (re-establishing lost Kingdom) could NOT come through sinful man.
• Scripture records account of god coming to earth by way of the Holy Spirit -

• John prob. only person who has actually (through spiritual eyes) seen the Godhead
  (God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit)

• Luke 3:22 – Holt Spirit “like a dove” doesn’t mean He is one. He is a distinct person.

• Every one has heard phrases like

“strong as an ox”

“ran like the wind” – that doesn’t mean they are an ox or the wind

Jesus is telling disciples of His crucifixion, tells them He is sending Holy Spirit –

John 14:14 –18

They are distraught Jesus says He has much to tell them but they can’t bear it all at once

-Then in chapter 16: 7– 8 He makes an amazing statement – He says: believe me.

• Remember: they had been with Him for 3 years
• He hadn’t lied to them yet
• Everything He said was going to happen, happened
• they had seen many miracles
• They knew who He was – He (Jesus) was God

Jesus says Believe Me … I’m not kidding …you’ll do greater things than what you have seen me do because of the Holy Spirit that I promise to send once I leave you.

We know from Word That The Holy Spirit -

• Has mind Rom 8:27
• a will and emotions -1 Cor 12:11
• He speaks - Heb3:7
• Give believers power to be witnesses, in fact He told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until He (The Holy Spirit) came – Acts 1:4 – 1:8
• Give us prophesy - 2 Peter 1:21, 1 Cor. 12
• Inspired men & gave us the words God would call scripture – 1 Tim. 3:16
• Helps us to do the Word – 1 peter 3:22
• Gives people power to act in God’s sovereign purposes – 1 Cor. 12
• Guides us in prayer – Rom 8:28
• Gives us wisdom & tells us what to say when we need it – lk12:2

- You can see that this list is endless (infinite) like God. It is clear from the Bible God is Three persons that make One God. How God is dealing with mankind or His Universal Church is a matter of which One is manifest on earth at the time.

- Any character trait of one part of Godhead is true of all – Matt 12:25

The present day Jews as well as in ancient time Jews (non-believing) can’t get into relationship with God – they reject or rejected Jesus (don’t present day Jews notice no Spirit Of God? And thus something wrong?)

I am saying that if we are going to draw near to God and thus let Him draw near to us (James 4:8) we as Christian have got to not only recognize but rely on The Holy Spirit’s ministry to us and for us. Jesus said He and The Holy Spirit only speak what God The Father speaks – John 5:30, John 16:13.

The only way to Draw Nigh to God is in Spirit and Truth!

• Pray
• PD

Text verse – Heb. 11:6

 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

• From this verse we see an important premise established: As long as we go to the Word in faith, believe He is who He says He Is, and seek Him (study in truth) we will please God. He then tells us He will reward us. He then rewards us with his presence (Jesus said: ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find).

Before Christ started His Ministry, John The Baptist’s calling was to make straight the way of the Lord. – John 1:22-23, Is 40:3

Now it is The Holy Spirit’s ministry to bear witness of Him 1 John 5:7-8, John 15:26 and to give believers power and ability to witness to others thus spreading the church. Acts 1:8

Leads us into all righteousness – John16:13 – The Holy Spirit’s main ministry is to get ALL people saved.

Preach the Good News (Mark16: 15)– Christ crucified is The Good News (man reconciled back to God [Isa. 61]) 1 Cor. 1:23 (Christ crucified), Mark 16 14:18,

Gal 2:20 (I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.), Rom.1:16  (For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.)

1. God’s intentions toward us
   1. Why did God establish the earth and create man? (Class discussion)
   2. Relationship
   3. Fatherhood / mentor

Holy Spirit of OT

• Part of Godhead – God The Father, God The Son, God The Holy Spirit - Gen 1:1, 1:26 – Job 3:4
• God created man and gave him His Spirit – Gen2:7, 1 Cor. 6:19
• Spirit of God – Came to kings and prophets (wasn’t there all the time – only when God wanted to act specifically.)

Holy Spirit of NT

• The seed of God (re-establishing lost Kingdom) could NOT come through sinful man.
• Scripture records account of god coming to earth by way of the Holy Spirit -

• John prob. only person who has actually (through spiritual eyes) seen the Godhead
  (God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit)

• Luke 3:22 – Holt Spirit “like a dove” doesn’t mean He is one. He is a distinct person.

• Every one has heard phrases like

“strong as an ox”

“ran like the wind” – that doesn’t mean they are an ox or the wind

Jesus is telling disciples of His crucifixion, tells them He is sending Holy Spirit –

John 14:14 –18

They are distraught Jesus says He has much to tell them but they can’t bear it all at once

-Then in chapter 16: 7– 8 He makes an amazing statement – He says: believe me.

• Remember: they had been with Him for 3 years
• He hadn’t lied to them yet
• Everything He said was going to happen, happened
• they had seen many miracles
• They knew who He was – He (Jesus) was God

Jesus says Believe Me … I’m not kidding …you’ll do greater things than what you have seen me do because of the Holy Spirit that I promise to send once I leave you.

We know from Word That The Holy Spirit -

• Has mind Rom 8:27
• a will and emotions -1 Cor 12:11
• He speaks - Heb3:7
• Give believers power to be witnesses, in fact He told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until He (The Holy Spirit) came – Acts 1:4 – 1:8
• Give us prophesy - 2 Peter 1:21, 1 Cor. 12
• Inspired men & gave us the words God would call scripture – 1 Tim. 3:16
• Helps us to do the Word – 1 peter 3:22
• Gives people power to act in God’s sovereign purposes – 1 Cor. 12
• Guides us in prayer – Rom 8:28
• Gives us wisdom & tells us what to say when we need it – lk12:2

- You can see that this list is endless (infinite) like God. It is clear from the Bible God is Three persons that make One God. How God is dealing with mankind or His Universal Church is a matter of which One is manifest on earth at the time.

- Any character trait of one part of Godhead is true of all – Matt 12:25

The present day Jews as well as in ancient time Jews (non-believing) can’t get into relationship with God – they reject or rejected Jesus (don’t present day Jews notice no Spirit Of God? And thus something wrong?)

I am saying that if we are going to draw near to God and thus let Him draw near to us (James 4:8) we as Christian have got to not only recognize but rely on The Holy Spirit’s ministry to us and for us. Jesus said He and The Holy Spirit only speak what God The Father speaks – John 5:30, John 16:13.

The only way to Draw Nigh to God is in Spirit and Tr

Our purpose / His Purpose For Us

• Praise - cd

• Prayer

. . . —Luke 18:31, 34 and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.’ . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34

1. God called Jesus to (in human terms) absolute disaster – triumph in His eyes.

a) disciple saw events unfold and take place, didn’t understand at time.

b) Jesus (God) called Paul to same

3. God’s purpose is never same as man’s purpose

3. God’s purpose is to be a Father to all of His Creation (us)

Give us benefit of His Wisdom –

1 Cor. 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

2. God’s call comes to our lives as well

1. don’t confuse call with end purpose

2. purpose is never understood (at time – Jacob)

3. call requires obedience

4. obedience requires faith - God has given all “measure of faith” – Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

5. All faith given equally – “more highly” / like God saying “you’re no better”

6. faith requires relationship with Him – renew you mind / Rom 12:1&2

3. no one hears, or recognizes unless that person has a prior relationship with Him

1. Oswald Chamber put it this way –“ The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him.”

1. We MUST know Him as our Lord and savior
2. We must have know Him I – have relationship renew your mind – Rom 12:1-2
3. our purpose and God’s purpose must be one in same
4. we must let God be God – Word says to “lean not to our own understanding”
5. Prov. 1-4 particularly address

6. Let God and His Word guide every phase of our lives

God’s Word is very practical (every chapter, James in particular) and should be the determining standard for every question we have or compare every answer the world gives us.

When we know and rely on Him for Wisdom and we let him truly be our dad, only then will His Word be the standard that we compare everything to with confidence. Look at spiritual Father the same way we look at our earthly father

God the Father intended to be the template for fatherly behavior on earth (the way He treats His kids to be way we treat ours)

Wise As Serpents

Text -

Matt 10:16

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Read Matt :11–17

Reference today – Bible, Sparking Gems From The Greek

Jesus getting ready to send disciples out to witness – preach the Gospel –start the church as we know it. Think of that … a vital part of God re-establishing His Kingdom.

• No punctuation early Greek. I have to believe Jesus Knew this would be written down for you and me to take instruction from. So what He said is translated verily, verily.

• He was telling them and us to LISTEN UP! - WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY IS IMPORTANT.
• Whenever we see verily, verily or in some versions, truly, truly listen carefully to what He is going to say, it’s important!
• Jesus gave at least 6 instructions and some consequences for the

disciples and the people for listening or not listening to them.

• Get to vs 16 and tells them to be “wise as serpents”

In this verse, Jesus instructs His disciples (and us) to be “wise as serpents.” The word “wise” is the Greek word pronimos, which means prudent, careful, cunning, discerning, thoughtful, intelligent,

or sensible. This word perfectly depicts the behavior and actions of snakes. They are very careful, discerning, intelligent, and prudent in how they act. The Greek word for “serpent” is the word ophis, which is the normal Greek word that refers to a snake.

It is a fact that Jesus told us that we need to be “wise as serpents”! The Greek literally means we

need to be as prudent, discerning, intelligent, thoughtful, and careful as snakes! There is obviously something Jesus wanted us to learn from the behavior of snakes, so I took the time to think about this subject. Finally, I understood exactly why Jesus used this example and how it applies to all of us regarding

our families, businesses, ministries, or any opportunity God places before us in life.

• Snakes blend in with their surrounding

• They are in any particular place for one reason, that reason is survival.

First, when serpents move into a new territory, they don’t announce their presence. Instead, they lay low, stay quiet, and blend into the environment. In fact, you can walk right past a snake and not even realize it! Snakes have the ability to be nearly invisible. They are designed to be camouflaged. This camouflage serves as a protective covering. The vilest aggressor can walk right past, but the serpent is not noticed because it has blended so well into the landscape. That camouflage gives the serpent latitude to move about freely as it finds its way around new territory. As snakes evaluate a new situation, they see what kind of opportunities are in the area. They identify places of shelter. They find “hiding places” to protect themselves from attack. They observe to see where they can find the easiest prey. When all these facts are assimilated, the serpent is ready to act. But this “settling-in” period is a key time for a serpent.

And Jesus said there is wisdom in a serpent’s behavior from which we need to learn! When God calls you or me to do something new — to move to new territory or to seize a divine opportunity — it is wisdom for us to move carefully and slowly into that new phase of our lives.

A common mistake is to act too fast. Acting hastily before all the facts are gathered and assimilated can lead us to bad decisions based on incomplete, or even worse - false information. In fact, one serious mistake can cause us to lose an opportunity altogether. I can testify to you about this firsthand.

It is better to lay low, stay quiet, and blend into the environment for a while, learning from the sights and the facts we observe.

We need to apply this to every phase of our lives – we have to be sensitive to The Spirit so we can gather facts and information : Most serious mistakes are avoidable when moving to a new situation or environment. I strongly advise you to take your time and be sure of the actions you take before you ever act.

I would suggest that you first:

• Learn the landscape of your new environment.

• Locate places of spiritual shelter for you and your family.
• See what kind of attacks could potentially come against you.
• Take time to really understand the opportunities around you.
• Take advantage of your preparation time before you announce great and glorious

plans, making sure that you are completely informed of all the facts.

Once we have gathered all the facts and know who and what the dangers are we must act and seize the moment!

• Don’t let fear or conventional “wisdom” rule (lean not your own understanding - Proverbs)
• Be sensitive to The Holy Spirit’s leading
• New ventures God springs on us are always scary – remember: you must rely on Him “where God guides, He provides”. (Pastor Dan)
• But, how do I know it’s God? –

1. listen – spend as much time listening in quiet time as talking when praying. Do you like someone who talks all the time? Do we learn more by listening or talking?
2. get to know Him – thru His Word / Renew your mind (Rom 12:1&2, Josh 1:8)

3. When we act. we must act in faith – “without faith it is impossible to please Him” Heb 11:6

4. diligently seek Him

What if I miss it?

• Everyone misses God from time to time

• Rom 8:28

• don’t miss God on purpose, because you think He is going to bail out of your recklessness, but know that by doing something, it is easier to change course and make adjustments than miss an opportunity altogether because of being afraid to act. (example of stationary car harder to turn steering wheel than one moving). Take this in context.

• Diligently seek Him

Diligently seeking Him is always the answer, whether we are in good circumstances or bad.