Jul. 27, 2016

This is a message from Dr. Anthony George's Wednesday night Bible study. My notes are only meant to be a guide to assist in your Bible study. Enjoy! :)

• Believers are to be distinct from unbelievers.
  • Stop living like Gentiles (v. 17)
    • Work towards a change.
    • It takes a split second to become a believer; justification is instantaneous, but living like a believer is a lifelong process.
    • Change is gradual.
  • This passage suggests it is possible to be saved but not act like it. 
  • Gentiles walk in the futility in their minds: they spend their days doing useless and fruitless things. 
  • Gentiles are darkened in their understanding without Christ. (Vs 18) there is a fog that blocks their understanding. 
    • 1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV
    • We were all once Gentiles.
  • Gentiles are excluded from a life with God.
    • Isaiah 59:2 NKJV
    • Only believers are children of God.
    • Ignorance within
    • 1 Timothy 1:13 NKJV
    • Psalm 95: "Today ..."
  • Every human is born with a conscience. Romans 2:14-15 NLT
    • God has written in the hearts of humans the knowledge of right and wrong. It's in our making.
    • Yet an unsaved person can go so far in the wrong that they become callous to it. 
  • Impurity with greediness: someone willing to violate God's law for personal gain. Indulging in sin with disregard for the divine instructions.
    • There ought be a difference between believers and non believers. 
    • Physical pleasure was created by God; therefore we must follow His rules on it.
    • Intimacy is not something humans are to explore and use as they please. 
    • Sensuality without restraint is eating away at the sanctity of marriage.
    • Believers must turn back to what the Bible says on these things.
    • If our standards on marriage are fluid and can change based on social standards and expectations, how far are we as a society willing to go? 
    • If human beings can reserve the rights to redefine marriage, who's to say when the redefinition will stop? 
    • No matter what society is telling us, we must follow what God has said about these things. 
    • Third word countries have the issue of orphans. Here we have the issue of orphanages and foster homes.
    • Fatherlesness creates confused children, violent children.
    • Do not focus on who to blame or the feeling of victimization. Focus on what is right and wrong, as determined by God.
    • "Our constitution was made only for a moral ... " John Adams.
• The believers' focus is Christ.
  • The Christian life is the Christ life.
  • Christ is our focus, and it is our standard.
  • There are people who believe they are saved, but God knows they are lost. Matthew 7:21 NASB
    • This is a tragedy.
  • There are people who pretend to be saved, but they know they are lost. 2 Timothy 3:6 NLT
  • There are people who are truly saved, but they act as though they are not.
    • It only takes one weak moment of our lives for this to happen; it could be any of us.
    • We need to always examine our lives to make sure that we are different.
    • The multitudes and masses will not all be saved, but we must continue evangelizing and sharing His love. Matthew 7:13-14 NASB
    • Accountability is something we all need. In a church where accountability is lacking, carnality is overlooked, cultural concerns overshadow holiness (holiness means more than culture--who's offended and who's not), pretenders blend in, and there is pushback because there is no confrontation. Matthew 7:20 NASB
• There are three disciplines believers must practice:
  1. Lay aside the old nature (because you still have one)
     • All Christians still have the old sinful nature, until we get to heaven.
     • This means a daily decision to lay aside the flesh and to live for Christ.
  2. Renew your mind (because it belongs to Christ)
     • Our minds have been dipped in the blood of Christ. If my soul has been redeemed, that means our whole body has been.
     • No matter how close our Christian circles are, our minds still wander to sinful desires. Thus we all need a mental refresh.
     • A great way to renew yourself is to be around other refreshed people. Renewed people renew others.
     • Good worship music!
     • What is it that will help you keep a fresh renewed mind?
  3. Feed your new nature.
     • What are the greatest contributions can I make for my new self.
     • Old nature is like a big old oak tree. Your new nature is like a sapling growing in the shadow of this big oak tree. The old tree doesn't t need nurturing. The sapling needs to be fed and watered on the Word to build up so that it can one day overshadow the old nature.