Following Jesus Son of God …

http://bible.com/59/ISA35.8.ESV And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
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A hypocrite is …
A person who is pretending to be someone or something he or she is not. She wears a mask as she attempts to elevate other people’s perception of her. In his mind he contrives an image of a person he pretends to be thinking to impress those around him.

But God turns the tables on us.
He paints a picture of his saints (holy ones/hagiois) that is beyond our imagination. In fact almost unbelievable. We continue to see in our study in Ephesians the lofty view that God clearly gives of his people, the Church, in Holy Scripture.

This week …
The Apostle Paul continues to instruct us to pursue this high calling, not by pretending to be someone we are not but by living up to who we are in Christ.

And he tells us how …
To learn who we are and what it takes to be who we are. No pretense or puffing ourselves up. Just faith enough to believe God and the amazing things he has done for us and in us through Christ’s finished work on the cross. And a willingness to change.

Message Title: Living Up to Who We Are in Jesus Christ / Living as the New People God Created Us to Be!

Message Text: Ephesians 4:17-32

HERE ARE THE HANDOUTS FOR THIS WEEK:

• PDF Living as New People Created by God Ephesians 4-17-32 HANDOUT ONE 091513
• PDF Living as New People Created by God Ephesians 4-17-32 HANDOUT TWO 091513

http://bible.com/59/ISA8.11.ESV For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
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http://bible.com/59/TIT3.3.ESV For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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Another handout from Sunday September 8, 2013 that I didn’t get posted.

Text is Ephesians 4:11-16.

• Spiritual maturity is HANDOUT 090813

http://bible.com/59/PRO14.21.ESV Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
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September already.

Here are the handouts for Ephesians 4:11-16.

• PDF Speaking the truth in love, growing up in Christ HANDOUT ONE 090813
• PDF Speaking the truth in love, growing up in Christ 090813 HANDOUT TWO

I wrestled with this text over the last couple of weeks. So many questions to answer. I pray that by going through the winepress I will present to you on Sunday “the very wine of strengthening.” See Oswald Chambers below.

• Oswald Chambers
  If you cannot express yourself on any subject, struggle until you can. If you do not, someone will be the poorer all the days of his life. Struggle to re-express some truth of God to yourself, and God will use that expression to someone else. Go through the winepress of God where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle to get expression experimentally, then there will come a time when that expression will become the very wine of strengthening to someone else; but if you say lazily — “I am not going to struggle to express this thing for myself, I will borrow what I say,” the expression will not only be of no use to you, but of no use to anyone. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to someone else. Always make it a practice to stir your own mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make it yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.
•  From “My Utmost for His Highest”  December 15 reading
• For more Oswald Chambers click here to link to online “My Utmost for His Highest“

Love,
Dave

Question: “What is Soteriology?”

Answer: Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation. Soteriology discusses how Christ’s death secures the salvation of those who believe. It helps us to understand the doctrines of redemption, justification, sanctification, propitiation, and the substitutionary atonement. Some common questions in studying Soteriology are:

Once saved always saved?
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching fear some believers live with is that we can do something to lose our salvation. But the Bible speaks clearly about the eternality of our salvation and how we are preserved by the One who bought us with His blood.

Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?
Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?

Is baptism required for salvation?
What is baptismal regeneration? Baptismal regeneration is the belief that a person must be baptized in order to be saved. While baptism is an important step of obedience for a Christian, the Bible is clear that baptism is not a requirement for salvation.

What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?
Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19). Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine, faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be a born again Christian?
The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” It is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes—a spiritual transformation.

Other than Christology, Soteriology is the area where Christianity is the most different from the cults and other world religions. Understanding Biblical Soteriology will help us to know why salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. No other religion bases salvation on faith alone. Soteriology helps us to see why. A clear understanding of our salvation will provide a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) because we come to know that He who can never fail is the means by which we were saved and the means by which we remain secure in our salvation. If we were responsible to save ourselves and keep ourselves saved, we would fail. Thank God that is not the case!

• Titus 3:5-8 is a tremendous summary of Soteriology, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Recommended Resource: So Great Salvation by Charles Ryrie.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Soteriology.html

http://bible.com/59/PRO12.18.ESV There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
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http://bible.com/59/2TI2.24.ESV And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
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