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mycorinth · 4 years ago

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Clinging to the Promises of God

You remain in control In the middle of the war You guard my soul I take great comfort in knowing God’s in control, Don’t you? Hello! You’ve found the Senior Adult Sunday school class for Corinth Baptist Church in Singleton, Ms. The title of our lesson for today is:

Clinging to the

Promises of God

This will be the 2nd in a

5-session series under the general heading of; Facing Adversity.

We’ll be drawing Scripture from the 27th chapter of the Book of Acts.

You know, there are more than 7,000 promises from God to us written in His Word. One of the 1st things that came to my mind when I read that was the question: ”Why? I mean, why would God make so many promises to humanity?” The overriding answer to that would be that He wants for us to simply………….. trust Him. So, how can we know that this Bronze-Age book, the Bible, is really God’s word to us? That would be because the Bible proves itself. I don’t know of another book ever written that declares future events with unerring accuracy. Over 25% of the Bible is prophetic. Peter wrote in 2nd Peter 1:19-21; 19. So we have the

prophetic word

strongly confirmed.

You will do well to

pay attention to it,

as to a lamp shining

in a dismal place,

until the day dawns

and the morning star

rises in your hearts.

20. First of all,

you should know this:

No prophecy of Scripture

comes from one’s own

interpretation,

21. because no prophecy

ever came by the will of man;

instead, men spoke

from God as they were

moved by the Holy Spirit. God spoke through men the words of prophecy. But, can we really believe the prophesies, or the promises of God to us? Well, if many of the prophecies actually did come to pass when and where they were foretold, I’d say that was confirmation that the words of the Bible are true. To this day, we remember what happened on Palm Sunday. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that He would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and be hailed as the King of the Jews. But did you know that He did this on exactly the day that Daniel had prophesied he would? Daniel made the prediction more than 500 years before it happened. Think about it. 500 years before it happened, a man wrote down the prophecy that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. AND, he predicted the exact day it would happen. That’s just one prophecy that was fulfilled exactly as it had been predicted. Anyone can go onto the internet, search for fulfilled prophecies, and discover that there are many, many of them. Many more are yet to be fulfilled; but they will be because so many of them have already proven the fact that the Bible is completely accurate. If the prophecies are true, certainly the promises are as well. And if the promises are true, then why wouldn’t we trust God completely? In today’s lesson we’ll be learning of Paul’s shipwreck as he is being taken to Rome. Paul demonstrates his unshakable faith and trust in God through this harrowing situation.

Section 1: Acts 27:21-24; 21. Since many were going without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22. Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23. For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, 24. and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ Finally, after two years of

being under arrest in

Caesarea, Paul was, at last

on his way to Rome.

But these folks

weren't on a sleek

catamaran zipping over

the waves and making

short work of a voyage

from Caesarea Maritime

to Rome.

Instead, they were

transferring from one

large, slow moving,

grain vessel to

another painstakingly

making their way

to their

destination.

It's late autumn and

their progress was

being hindered by

unfavorable winds.

The captain of the

vessel they were on

had intended to sail

west from Cnidus,

but instead had been

forced to sail

southwest toward

Crete.

They had sailed around

the southern coast of

Crete and landed at the

port of Fair Heavens.

The Roman Centurion

that was in charge of

the prisoners had

decided that this

would not be a good

place to hold up for

the winter; and the

captain of the grain

ship they were traveling

on said he was

confident that he could

make the crossing to

Italy.

The problem was that it

was late fall.

At this time of the year,

that region of the

Mediterranean experienced

seasonal storms called

Euroclydon, (U Rock Lee Don).

Like the American Nor'easter,

these storms were fierce and

could last for many days.

Paul had been warned in his

spirit to try to dissuade

the centurion and the captain

from attempting the crossing,

but didn't prevail.

Now they found themselves

in the midst of one of these

terrible storms.

The ship was being battered

and the 276 passengers and

crew were wrestling with

the very real fear that

they might not survive.

It was at this time that

Paul stood up and told them

that they should have

listened to him.

He didn't say that as an

"I told you so" but rather

that they might now

believe the words coming

out of his mouth.

He told them to take courage

because he had been informed

by an angel that though

the ship they were on was

going to be lost, none of

them were going to die.

Because they were all

aware of Paul's warning

not to leave Fair Heavens,

what he was now saying to

them carried the

weight of credibility.

Now, last week I pointed

out that Nero had ordered

the Christians in Rome

to be killed.

In the telling of that

episode, I voiced my

opinion that Paul had

probably not had the

opportunity to stand

before Caesar.

But in verse 24 of our

lesson for today,

the angel talking to

Paul on that storm-tossed

ship, told him that he

must stand before Caesar.

I don't know it he ever

actually did, the Bible

doesn't tell me one way or

the other.

But I want to make something

perfectly clear here.

Like an onion,

the Scriptures and God's

Truth comes to all of

us in layers.

When God so chooses for

each of us to discover

something deeper in His

Word, He'll peel back

another layer for us.

Who knows?

Maybe, some day, God will

show me in His Word,

of by His Spirit,

that Paul did, in fact,

have the opportunity to

stand before Nero.

Now, back to the Scripture

of today's lesson.

The message that Paul relayed

to the others on the ship

was a reassurance that they

were all going to survive

this terrible storm.

And it's the idea that

leads us into the next section.

It's entitled....

Section 2: Encourage Others to Trust in God. Acts 27:30-38;

30. Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32. Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

33. When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For this has to do with your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35. After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and when he broke it, he began to eat. 36. They all became encouraged and took food themselves. 37. In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38. When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

So, there again,

we see that they were

indeed on a ship

capable of carrying

over 250 passengers

and its very large

cargo of grain.

These weren't the

little boats

used by the fishermen

on the Sea of Galilee.

They were large,

sturdy wooden sailing ships

capable of

handling rough seas.

Before studying for

this lesson,

I just didn't know

what to make of

verse 30.

The author of

the lesson brought

out something interesting.

Verse 30 says that

"some sailors tried to

escape from the ship by

pretending they were

taking a skiff to put

out anchors."

These sailors were

trying to abandon ship.

From what I can see here,

Paul didn't tell the soldiers

what he knew the sailors

were really doing.

Instead, he just stopped

them from doing it by

warning the soldiers.

What the author of

today's lesson pointed out

was that these sailors

most likely were not

believers nor worshippers

of the God you and I

place our faith in.

For them,

salvation from their

gods had not come and

they had chosen to flee.

It would be tempting,

he goes on, to look down

our self-righteous noses

at them.

But the truth is that

all of us are prone to

a lack of faith during

times of trial and

difficulty.

But the thing is that

our God has proven His

faithfulness over and

over again.

When the Hebrews

cried out to God

from their bondage

in Egypt,

God sent Moses.

When Peter denied

Jesus, just as He said

he would,

Jesus was gracious and

restored him.

The Scriptures are full

of examples of this truth.

In our own lives,

over and over again,

all of us can point

to times when God

has proven Himself

trustworthy.

Even though we

know God is faithful,

Christians can struggle

to act in faith

in the moment,

especially in extremely

difficult situations.

When we're facing trying

times, right along with

unbelievers,

these are opportunities

for us to encourage them

to look outside of

themselves for hope to the only One

who can give it and

back it up.

This was what Paul

was doing onboard that

doomed ship that day.

Even though he was

a prisoner,

he rose above his

position and became

a fearless leader and

a beacon of hope for

everyone on-board.

The others on the ship

could see his confidence

in God.

When the rest of them

had lost their faith,

Paul was able to point

them to his God.

Section 3: Recognize the Fulfillment of What God Has Promised. Acts 27:39-44; 39. When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 40. After casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41. But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.

42. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43. But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44. The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.

God’s angel had promised Paul that every one of the people on that ship were going to survive, even though they were going to lose the ship. Paul had told this to those on the ship. We serve a mighty God who says what He means, and means what He says. As the day broke, land was sighted, but they didn’t know where they were; they didn’t recognize it. But they did see a bay with a beach. The storm was still raging, so they decided to ram the ship onto it. But, as they tried sailing to it, they ran aground on a sandbar. They hit it hard and there was no way of getting free of it. The waves were hitting the stern, (the rear of the ship), with such force that they were actually tearing the ship apart. If they stayed on the ship, they’d all perish. The soldiers, knowing that they, themselves would be killed if the prisoners escaped, had already decided to execute them. But their commanding officer, the centurion, stopped them because he wanted to save Paul. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard and make for the beach. The rest would have to use boards and anything else that would float to get to land. Just as God had promised, everyone made it to safety. Yes, God was in control through it all. He had worked in the heart of the Centurion to preserve the lives of all of the prisoners. The Bible tells us the centurion did this to save Paul’s life. All of the prisoners’ lives were saved because of Paul. Everyone’s lives were in peril as the ship was being torn apart by the waves. But, in breaking the ship apart, God was providing the very thing those who couldn’t swim so desperately needed at that time…… planks. God gave Paul through the angel a specific promise; he would preach the gospel in Rome, and that everyone on the ship would survive the storm. Like Paul and his companions, God doesn’t give us the details of how He’s going to accomplish His promises. One promise that God makes to all of us is; ”We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” God will take all the nuances of our various stories, both the good and the bad, and work them together for our good. That phrase, ”all things,” means just that, every experience in life that we have encountered. So, if you find yourself in a storm, a really difficult time in life, recognize that it won’t last forever. If you’re enduring a season of deep pain and woundedness, realize God’s promise to work all things for good remains true. God comforts us during our seasons of affliction so that He can heal us and we can, in turn, pass that comfort on to others who are suffering, knowing that God always keeps His promises.

God requires His followers to place their trust in Him, not only for the salvation of their souls but also for the care of each of their steps. We must be unwavering in our commitment to

Call upon the Lord when we’re struggling with trusting Him. He’s worthy of our trust, and we must fight to remind ourselves of this truth. Because God’s fulfilled His greatest promise in providing salvation through Jesus, we are now free to live fulfilling the great commission without wavering, even when our work seems futile and the future unsure. We can remain faithful even when we don’t have all the details God has prepared for us in the future. His Word tells us that He has prepared good works for us to do. We can be confident in God’s protection and preservation over His people to complete His mission. Let’s pray: Help us, Lord to cling to your promises

Help us Lord to Trust you and boldly proclaim your truth Help us Lord to Encourage others to trust in you. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.

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mycorinth · 4 years ago

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Pressing Toward the Goal

Oh YES! You gotta run the race….. Fight the fight… Keep the faith and I know it’ll be alright!

Pressing Toward the Goal

This will be our 4th and final lesson under the general heading of Paul In Prison. We’ll be drawing Scripture from the 3rdChapter of the Book of Philippians.

I wonder? Have you ever paused to contemplate just exactly what the Christian life really is? I mean, how is the Christian’s outlook on life different from the worlds’? At some point in their walk with Jesus, every Christian will probably ask themselves these basic questions. Paul understood how the gospel transforms a persons’ life. In this letter to the Philippians, Paul discusses the contrast between a Christian’s worldview verses that of a person who doesn’t know Christ. We have a different mind-set toward our pasts.

We have different motivations and goals for the future as well.

Because of our relationship with the risen Jesus, we have that certain confidence that we’ll experience one day the promise of the resurrection.

Not only do we know in our very hearts that there will be a resurrection, we know that the event will be the one that Jesus raises us up to be with Him…..forever! The apostle Paul described life in Christ as running a race in which we press on toward the goal of fully knowing Jesus as we hope in the final victory of our glorified bodies. Our perseverance in the race reminds us of Jesus and His endurance of the cross, which provided forgiveness of our sins and salvation.

Paul was born into the tribe of Benjamin.

He had grown up learning the Law of Moses from Gamaliel who was one of the most renowned teachers of his day.

He was a Pharisee, considered himself a righteous man, and whole-heatedly persecuted the early church considering it to be blasphemous. That all changed for him on the road to Damascus.

Where he had once persecuted the church, after his conversion, for the rest of his life, he, himself was persecuted by those he was once comrades with. Before his conversion, his confidence was in himself and in the Law of Moses; but now he trusted in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

Now, how is such a transformation possible? The gospel!

Section 1 of our lesson today is entitled: Run the Race Without Hindrances

The Scripture is: Philippians 3:7-11;

But everything that was gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ— the righteousness from God based on faith.

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. As I said earlier, Paul described life as a Christian as someone who is running a race.

The runners need a focused outlook; therefore, they must lay aside everything that slows them down or hinders them.

So what slows down or hinders a Christian? Well, mainly sin and distractions.

In our last lesson, I identified sin as a spiritual power. But let’s look at the subject of sin a little closer, shall we?

Sin traps people, both believers and non-believers alike.

It holds sinners in a cycle of guilt and shame.

It weighs down a person who wants to obey the Lord. It saps the believers’ energy and destroys the motivation to “run the race,” or, to live with the power of endurance for the remainder of his days .

We just can’t run the race of a Christian life and hold on to the weights of sin. Then, there’s “distractions.”

The main hindrance in this passage of Scripture is that of distractions, even good things that could keep our eyes off of Jesus.

Paul recognized that all his religious background and credentials as a Jew and specifically a Pharisee ultimately were worthless when compared to the value of knowing Jesus.

Paul had a pedigree. He was proud of the facts that he had been born into the tribe of Benjamin, that he’d been circumcised on the 8th day, (just as the law prescribed), of the reputation he had among his peers, and of the wealth of knowledge and wisdom he’d attained from one of the most prominent teachers of his day. These were his riches.

And these were things that he gladly set aside in his pursuit of Christ.

As Christians today, we should always be aware of the things we’ve been blessed with and take care that none of them distract us from the prize we ultimately want to possess;

Life eternal with our Lord!

Can’t we more easily lay aside our hindrances when we understand the all-surpassing value of knowing Jesus and His righteousness?

There is nothing in our own merit or good work that can cause us to inherit eternal life.

Our only hope is the righteousness of Jesus that we’ve been given because of our faith in Christ.

Paul taught that religion, regulations, and rituals wouldn’t do any good in making us right before God.

He taught that righteousness is a gift from God by His grace through faith in Jesus.

That righteousness is not something we can earn ourselves.

This is just so important to understand.

Christians don’t work for salvation, but instead we work out our salvation to make Christ more evident in our lives.

We do this by not looking at the Christ-less world but by fixing our eyes on Christ Himself!

As Christians, we aren’t shackled by guilt and shame because we’re free from our sin in Christ.

We know we can’t earn God’s righteousness and we know we can’t lose it.

Our salvation, which is by God’s grace alone, through our faith alone shows us we’re loved unconditionally by our God….. the Creator of everything…. the Master of everything…. and the only one who has the power to give us a future that we simply cannot completely comprehend… …..yet!

Part two of our lesson today is: Run the Race, Pressing Forward Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:12-14;

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brother and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it.

But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

The Christian life is one of discipline and striving toward a goal.

It is not easy and it requires effort.

It’s like the athletic imagery Paul uses in this passage of Scripture.

We can’t coast through this race but must pursue the prize.

Yet we do so because the prize has already been won for us.

Jesus ran the perfect race all the way to the finish line to assure us that our goal would be waiting for us.

So we can forget the past, with all of its failures and heartaches, and press forward in forgiveness with confidence, knowing what we’re aiming for.

As much as Paul had already accomplished for the Kingdom of God, he never gave any indication that he thought he’d completed his race.

Just as Paul, we must understand that our Christian life starts and ends with humility and repentance.

It’s error for a Christian to consider themselves……saved.

We’re on the path to salvation.

None of us can or will ever reach the highest point of Christian maturity.

We can’t coast.

The Great Commission still stands.

We are to be witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone who God puts in our paths.

And, we’re to be sensitive to His promptings.

(That’s one I’m still working on…. and probably will be to the end of my days.)

Whether we considered our lives before coming to Christ as good or bad, dwelling on those memories can become distractions.

I can tell you from personal experience, dwelling on the memories of my life before becoming a Christian, or even on the mistakes I’ve made since then, can definitely become distractions. Memories of our past can cloud our vision of what God has in store for us based on the teaching of His Word and the leading of the Spirit.

Focusing on our past before Christ could sidetrack us with guilt, shame, and embarrassment.

And, at the same time, we could even let a wrong focus on the future, (aside from Christ), fill us with anxiety, fear, or confusion.

But when we look upward to Christ, we’re encouraged onward in hope and joy.

We’ve talked about sanctification before, but I don’t want to pass up this opportunity to point out something Scripture says about it.

As believers, we’re already sanctified.

But it’s also an ongoing process.

It affects the whole person; it transforms our hearts, our minds, and our character to reflect the image of Jesus. So Paul writes in Philippians that he runs this race to gain the prize.

But what is the prize?

Seems silly to ask the question, doesn’t it?

Yet, it’s a question whose answer we should all be in agreement on.

He said he counted everything he was and everything he had before as loss so that he might gain Christ.

He also plainly tells us that he wanted to experience the resurrection of the dead unto eternal life.

I’m with him…..what he said!

Gaining Christ is gaining His resurrection and it’s gaining every other promise too.

Now look, the power to run and persevere in this race can’t come from us, but from God.

It’s the power of God in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit that makes possible our salvation and sanctification.

It strengthens all of us for the ministry of the gospel.

It was God’s grace that started us on this race.

It’s God’s grace that sustains us as we run it.

It’s His forgiveness that allows us to forget what’s behind and press on toward the prize.

It’s the prize of resurrection and eternal life for believers that drives us forward.

So, what are some ways a Christian can run this race?

I mean, what are some tangible ways we can actually live Christian lives? Well, to start with, Jesus has forgiven us for the sins of our past.

Certainly, we can find it in our hearts to also forgive others who have done things against us.

We can be compassionate toward others; to give to or serve those around us.

We can give a helping hand to those less fortunate than us.

We can help re-supply those who’ve suffered loss to storms, fires, floods and the like.

We can serve our local church.

We can proclaim the gospel to unbelievers.

We can pray for God to show us the sin in our lives.

And, we can pray for His direction and for the strength to obey Him.

The last section of today’s lesson is entitled:

Run the Race With Victory In Mind

Philippians 3:15-21;

Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way.

And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything

to himself.

With the Christian life comes the expectation to grow into maturity.

We are to ever strive to not only ferret out hidden sins we may not even be aware of, but to continue to grow spiritually.

Just as the Hebrew peoples used the Law of Moses as a sort of checklist to ensure their obedience to the Lord, we’re to open our Bibles and learn about the Lord and about the things the various authors of the New Testament, who wrote under His divine inspiration,

teach us about how we are to live.

As Christians, we should be striving to see everything in the light of Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross.

When we’re focused on the temporary things of this world, we reveal our immaturity, and, possibly, our unbelief.

On the other hand, the maturity and health of a believer is revealed by a mind that’s focused on eternal things like the coming of our Savior and the resurrection He’ll bring.

In verse 9 Paul warns the Philippians not to stray toward false teachings that directed their focus and energies on earthly things.

Running this race means that we must have the proper mind-set.

This doesn’t mean we are to ignore or forsake life on this earth.

I knew a woman once who’s husband plainly told her that she was so heavenly minded that she was no earthly good. We’re to live in this world, but not be “of it.”

What we are to do is to take all the joys of the world God created and live in a manner worthy of our Creator. How?

You’re doing it right now in studying this lesson with me. And you’re doing it when you pray;

When you read God’s word;

When you serve others;

When you go to church; When you serve your church;

When you seek out more mature Christians and imitate them; When you set the example for the younger people in your church;

And there’s a myriad of other things that are right and good.

All living Christians are in the process of salvation.

We’re justified by our faith in Jesus.

God sanctifies us by filling us with His Holy Spirit;

And that cleansing power of His Spirit is an ongoing process where we notice that more and more as time goes by we gain the power to resist sin and the ability to obey His Word more and more.

And then, there’s “Glorification!” Glorification is the finish line for the Christian runner.

Glorification refers to the future time when a Christian reaches moral and spiritual perfection at the time of Christ’s return.

Glorification also involves the physical perfection that we will have once our bodies have been resurrected.

When we’re glorified, we will have a fuller knowledge and understanding of God and of His Word.

Living with the future resurrection in view impacts our present-day lifestyle.

Those who ignore the future coming of Christ fail to recognize their coming destruction in hell and so continue unabated in their sin.

Believers who live with their minds set on the 2nd coming have a vision of their future resurrection in Christ, which motivates their pursuit of that promise.

In Christ, the victory has been won, so we can run the race with confidence in our completion.

Enemies of the cross of Christ live an idolatrous, shameful lifestyle and live for earthly things rather than those that are eternal.

They love the things that God hates and hate the things that God loves.

They don’t know God and are in danger of losing the most precious thing a human being could ever hope for. It won’t be pretty for them come judgment day. Paul made it abundantly clear to the church in Philippi.

He let them know he, himself was still striving for the goal of perfection, but that he’d not yet arrived.

He wasn’t being conceded, boastful, or egotistical about his walk with the Lord when he encouraged them to imitate him.

But, still, he did recognize that his life was a good example of what it means to follow Christ because he aimed to imitate Christ Himself.

As Christians who are maturing in the faith, each of us ought to be able to say the same thing.

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