Archive for the Weaknesses Category

Spurgeon Morning and Evening – March 27th a.m.

Posted in Regeneration, Weaknesses on March 29, 2009 by Harry
  • Regeneration, Power of the Holy Spirit

THEN ALL THE DISCIPLES LEFT HIM AND FLED. – MATTHEW 26:56
He never deserted them, but they in cowardly fear of their lives fled from Him at the very outset of His sufferings. This is but one instructive instance of the frailty of all believers if left to themselves; they are but sheep at best, and they flee when the wolf appears. They had all been warned of the danger and had promised to die rather than leave their Master; and yet they were seized with sudden panic and took to their heels. It may be that I, at the opening of this day, have braced myself to bear a trial for the Lord’s sake, and I imagine myself able for the challenge; but let me be careful in case with the same evil heart of unbelief I should depart from my Lord as the apostles did. It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform. It would have been to their eternal honor to have stood manfully at Jesus’ side; they fled from honor. May I be kept from imitating them! Where else could they have been so safe as near their Master, who could presently call for twelve legions of angels? They fled from their true safety. 0 God, let me not play the fool also. Divine grace can make the coward brave. The smoking flax can flame forth like fire on the altar when the Lord wills it. These very apostles who were timid as hares grew to be bold as lions after the Spirit had descended upon them, and even so the Holy Spirit can make my wretched spirit brave to confess my Lord and witness for His truth. What anguish must have filled the Savior as He saw His friends so faithless! This was one bitter ingredient in His cup; but that cup is drained dry; let me not put another drop in it. If I forsake my Lord, I shall crucify Him afresh and put Him to an open shame. Keep me, 0 blessed Spirit, from such a shameful end.

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LTW: "Your Spiritual Instruction Manual — Part 1" * not archived

Posted in Bible, Communion, Weaknesses on January 10, 2008 by Harry

7 “deadly sins” or traps of bible reading:

  • 1. Proof texting
    • Do not take the text out of its context
    • 2 Cor 12:9 as an example
    • Problem had nothing to do with moral weakness, it was referring to a physical weakness; people reading it out of context may think we do not have to deal with moral weakness in our lives
  • 2. Must understand the figure of speech
    • Cannot be literalist in some things
    • “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.” Hebrew way of expressing the urgency of this principle
    • This is my body and this is my blood, therefore the priest must have the power to transform the bread into the body and the wine into the blood of Jesus: This is a symbol of the body that will be torn on the cross for you
  • 3. Understand the historical and cultural setting of the bible
    • Just because Elijah was called by God to confront Ahab and send fire from the sky, does not mean we are to challenge wicked authority and ask fire from heaven
    • That was a specific call, for a specific man, for a specific time in history to carry out God’s will
  • 4. Use a good translation of the bible
    (He unfortunately does not give examples of good translations)
  • 5. Do not read into the bible, what you want to read into the bible
  • 6. Do not ever think you are too brilliant of reading the word of God, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit
  • 7. He only discussed 1-6 in this sermon

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LTW: "The Detours to Discontent" not archived

Posted in Discontentment, Giving, Peace, Pride, Weaknesses on December 12, 2007 by Harry
  • Before beginning the discussion it should be noted that absolute peace cannot be had in this life
  • 4 detours of contentment in our Christian life
    • 1. Unwillingness to confront our weaknesses
    • 2. Unawareness of the lie of a legalism
    • 3. Underestimation of the pitfall of pride
    • 4. Unfaithfulness in self-giving

  • We all have weaknesses
    • We have to apply the grace of God to our weaknesses
    • If the grace of God is not sufficient for our weaknesses, then we are focusing on our weaknesses too much, or we are ignoring them altogether
    • Either place is someplace we should not be
    • The grace of God is sufficient for our weaknesses and until we apply God’s grace to our weaknesses then we will not have joy
  • Legalism is the elevation to any man-made rule to the level of God or to the commandment of God
    • We are only saved by the grace of God
    • There is no saved by God + “something else” ; there is no “+” anything
  • Underestimation of the pitfall of pride
    • Pride is very, very,very deceitful
    • Pride hinders our prayers
  • Lack of generosity
    • Has nothing to do with what you have and what you give, it comes down to making a sacrifice
    • Ultimate contentment is not possible in this life, nonetheless we are given temporary peace and joy by God in this life

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TFL: "Good News, Bad News, Part A" **

Posted in Providence - God's, Trials and Suffering, Trust, Weaknesses, Will - God's, Will - Our with tags on November 29, 2007 by Harry

When you suffer unjustly:

  • Do not be suprised.
    • Do not be mistaken that all will be well if we give our lives to Jesus
    • Romans 8:28 (New International Version):
    • “28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.”

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TFL: "When Trials Come, Part 1, B" *****

Posted in * Favorites, Providence - God's, Trials and Suffering, Trust, Weaknesses, Will - God's, Will - Our with tags on November 28, 2007 by Harry
  • Knowledge over feelings
  • What is this knowledge?
    • God’s Providence
    • We know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose
    • Romans 8:28 (New International Version):
      “28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.”
  • We cannot accept trials for their own sake as a source of joy
  • Trials are painful, but may become the occasions of joy if we respond from the right perspective
  • Unless we think correctly we cannot respond properly
  • Paul in Romans – transform your minds
    • Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
    • “2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
  • Society teaches us to think that when we do not have trials then we have joy and so if we spend all our time removing trials, then we will have joy
    • James says the opposite
  • Now this is difficult, but God would not ask it if it were not attainable
    • Gold will provide for us and is willing to do so
  • Trials are inevitable, they are not unusual
  • Jesus said “in the world we will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.
    • John 16:33
    • 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[d] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Why are there trials, a few reasons are offered:

  • Faith rationalization
    • We are unfit for heaven and by Jesus’s death on the cross he has made heaven available to us
    • So that we may trust unreservedly in Him
  • Trials are the means by which our faith is tested
    • Is our faith genuine?
    • It is easy to be faithful when everything is going “rosey-posey”
    • It is when the wheels come off then we discover if our faith is genuine
    • Is our faith growing?
  • Perseverance
    • By the means of the testing we develop staying power
    • God knows how much we can take
    • We are forced to learn in practice what we know in principle
    • Look into the eyes of a person with soft eyes, ie a caring grandmother or a sensitive youth and you can guarantee they did not come to that point without persevering trials
    • Perseverance when it finishes, renders as its product: maturity, completion, and lacking nothing
    • We do not get the crown without perseverance
    • We become mature, like Jesus through this process
  • Trials are part of God’s program to make us more like Christ.
  • Puritan writer:
    • “The winds of tribulation blow away the chaff of error, hypocrisy, and doubt, leaving the element of Christian character.”
  • More progress is made through disappointment and tears than laughter
  • Spurgeon:
    • “Look at the weather beaten sailor and he would not have gotten toughness if he stayed on the shore.”
    • “You may go to school, but you cannot learn endurance there.”
  • If we believe all this then it will dramatically affect how we respond to trials
    • Trials hurt and may panic us, but we consider them pure joy because endurance and sacred toughness come down that road and not down the road of easiness.
  • If we lack wisdom, ie if none of this makes sense, then ask God and He will get us sorted out -> PRAY
    • It is a supernatural response that James prescribes and without God’s intervention, ie the Spirit’s power, we will never even come close to realizing it.

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LTW: “True Power, Part 2″ ***** not archived

Posted in * Favorites, Evil, Weaknesses with tags , on November 20, 2007 by Harry
  • To receive the power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, we must have the following mindset:
  • Admit your Achilles’s heel
  • Avoid your enemy’s ambush
    • Devil will say: “By faith you are saved, but be realistic, you have to use the mind God gave you. You can’t run your life by faith – be practical.”
    • Seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to avoid unpleasantness in life
    • Bible teaches continuance pouring of the Holy Spirit to overcome life’s unpleasantness, ie we will face adversity even though we are believers
  • Beating yourself up
    • Feeling of inadequacy when things don’t go your way is not a time to beat yourself up, it is a time to beat your knees on the ground.
    • Whenever you focus on your inadequacy, other than confessing it and moving on, you are putting yourself before God
      • you are taking the spotlight off God and putting it on your inadequacy
  • 2 Cor 12:9
    • “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
    • Stop talking about our strengths and start talking about our weaknesses because it is not our strength but God’s strength in us
    • When we are weak, we are strong, because Christ’s strength is perfected in our weakness
  • Why does God then give us natural strengths?
    • the natural gift needs God’s power, ie plant analogy: gift is the plant, but needs water (God).
    • Only God’s power can help us overcome sin
    • The Devil will reinforce our own independence to overcome sin

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