The Christian Life 101, Part 3

Whether you're new in your walk with God or you been following him for a very long time. There's tremendous value in taking a refresher course on Christian doctrine today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll presents up river or aspiring theologians is not based on Chuck's personal opinion but rather is founded on five different tests that Paul identifies his letter to the Ephesians as we resume the message. Chuck started last time will pick up with test number three is found in Ephesians 5, verse 17, Chuck titled his message the Christian life 101 test number three the decision-making test is verse 17. Some of them do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is starts with a negative and/or positive, do not be foolish, don't think you can live your life without concern for God. He made you he has a plan for you. He is on your side if you will. He is in your corner.

He loves you as deep as the ocean as wide as the green's mercy and love are on our behalf.

So don't be foolish, but the positive now is understand what the will of the Lord is question for this test.

Are you actively and correctly pursuing the will of your heavenly father actively and correctly pursuing the father's will understand the word means to grasp to comprehend how do I do that this and carefully listen carefully you pray with an open heart.

You go to his word because he never leads contrary to his word. You seek the counsel of people you admire in the Christian life who are objective have nothing to gain or lose in your decision. There are defined by the way, and then having done so, you wait you wait you listen to his voice as he speaks to you and messages just like this or in messages from his word. Or maybe a hymn or a song that's being sung or the Council of that individual that you may be having sought out but seek you out and then forgetting what you want, you will obey and you understand what the will of the Lord is. Please notice it is the will of the Lord not the will of powerful people do you realize you don't because you don't know is that well every time Cynthia and I have made a large and significant decision we have had good people counsel us against it and they were wrong they meant well, but our plan was not to listen to man, but to God.

It's amazing how often human wisdom is wrong and it doesn't come from miles of the evil.

It comes from well-meaning people is one of those people said to us one time and we were moving from one ministry to another.

We were trying to convince him.

The Lord was in it they said more. The Lord gets blamed for a lot of things got anything to do with my response to that I didn't do that, but I've thought of doing that, and the result was after we got to that ministry was 23 years of some of the greatest years of our lives. How wrong that woman was. She loved us she didn't want us to go so she told us what she felt was right.

She was wrong because we have sought the counsel of people who had nothing to gain or lose who were willing to tell us the hard thing and ask us the tough questions and we had to decide we want to please ourselves or do we want to please our father have we hit it every time. No course, not human. This isn't about perfectionism.

It's it's about walking as best you can in the truth sometime what you hear from others that you don't want to hear is the right thing to hear. Okay understand what the will of the Lord's. Are you actively and correctly pursuing the father's will. Okay that's three tests. Here's number four. How you doing most of you look like you're awake still with me through this exam 101, 18, 19 and 20. The control test. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even question. Are you living your life under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. One of the most significant verses in all the Bible is verse 18, Ephesians 5, the negative, which is Paul's style followed by the positive.

Now, some teach that this is a comparison, just as the drunken condition is a stimulant. So the influence of the Spirit is a stimulant and this drunken condition brings about a new direction and control. The spirit brings a new direction can stop medical journals.

I checked in medical doctors I've talked to have all affirmed that drunkenness is a depressant alcohol doesn't stimulate it depresses the spirit of God is a stimulant. This is a sermon on alcoholism. This is a sermon on spirit filling a spirit filled life. But Paul begins were some of them were familiar with drunkenness not uncommon in that day.

Just as is not uncommon in our day. Alcohol becomes a depressant. The spirit becomes in the stimulant. Alcohol is called causes loss of control.

The spirit of God causes a painting of control, alcoholism leads to serious and tragic consequences as every addict will tell you once they have begun a path of sobriety. They will tell you it is that it is a maddening maddening series of consequences will wind up ruining everything. Where is the spirit of God never dehumanizes never turns us into animals out of control makes us more human than ever under the Spirit's leading can I know if I'm filled with the spirit. By the way the filling of the spirit is directly linked with how we handle the sin of our lives, and when it comes into our lives we presented to the Lord and we claim his forgiveness. The blood of Christ forgives us of all cleanses us from all sin and we say father that was a wrong thing to do.

I bring it before you and I agree with it. I agree with you that that was not right in and forgive me. I type, I trust you to forgive me. And may I now walk into your control and you do that in an Lord when I encounter something similar. Again, give me strength ahead of time so I don't yield to the wrong, but I do what's right, I ask for your control. It's a command be filled. He never commands us to be sealed. That's passive he does it for us, never commands us to be baptized in the spirit that's that's not for us to be involved in the Lord doesn't member converted but he says be filled before will be control being under the influence of the spirit of God.

I cannot know that I great question. Verses 19 and 20, number one, you speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. I think it has reference to us.

Speaking to one another, sharing in the things the Lord is showing you expressing to others your gratitude for the things you're learning your conversation is on the level of the Lord and he is regularly communicating to you is truth and the next is your singing and making melody with your hearts.

It doesn't mean you walk around singing all day.

Don't do that is hard to be with Christians. It want you to harmonize with him is singing all day sometime you do sing and most often you're not singing your singing in your heart. I've heard some of you saying you should just sing in your hearts. That's a great one of my mentors, Ray Steadman tells a funny story that early on, he wouldn't face the fact that he couldn't say he was determined to sing in the choir so I got the choir and finally some fellow choir members and others encouraged them not to sing in the choir. He said when I left the choir. The church's thought that they had gotten the organ repaired as a result of his not singing it. It's fine if you're alone to sing at the top of your voice, your one note that's great.

Just keep doing this is about the heart.

It's being melodious and harmonious in life you around some people would assume you want to harmonize with in their life because their lives are beautiful melodies and you can fit into them and they can fit into yours and your and you're making great music we save our words or the chemistry is right and when I'm around folks like if you are abrasive in the complainer, and one that continually sees the negative side, I know you're not filled with the spirit because the last sign is giving thanks always for all things great to be around people that are up. Don't focus on the negative. Don't murmur understand that when you're filled with the spirit, your you're not negative. You are a grateful individual giving thanks for all's hesitant to get any more specific list.

My family remind me of it at lunch is how this works its way out here you're in the middle of heavy traffic. Give thanks teach me how to do that you're dealing with people that are hard to be around things go. The list is endless, filled with the Spirit, are you actively pursuing his will. Are you deliberately under his influence and control. What a difference.

Wouldn't it be great if we for one hour of our time is a body of believers were all at the same time, spirit filled, what would that be unbelievable.

Not one, not one murmur not one complaint only a giving of thanks melodious harmonious relationship I sharing in the things that Christ is teaching us a growth that is balanced and fun and easy to be with. What a wonderful way to live.

What a wonderful way to grow a church. What a wonderful way to grow old wonderful way to live.

Verse 21 is the last test the submission test. Are you deliberately and often finding ways to honor and serve others out of reverence for Christ. See how it reads and be subject to one another in the fear of crime or out of respect for Christ like Duane Martin Lloyd Jones put it in one sentence. The spirit filled life is not to be measured merely by one's private morality, or even by one's private spiritual experience, but by how one conducts himself or herself with other person.

If your Christianity is making you more of a recluse. It's not Christianity it's selfishness. If what you are calling the Christian life is pulling you more and more away from and out of respect for others.

There's something twisted in your thinking.

We are to be subject to one another out of respect for Christ.

He didn't run from people he ran toward rather than being protective, he was vulnerable.

In fact, when they came to take him under arrest. Remember were looking for Jesus of Nazareth.

I am he. Some of them fell back, thinking they were and have a fight on their hands. That's why they brought the weapons in the clubs where he's nothing to run run away from here. That was my mission and how respectful he was. Those he was around.

Even those who had been caught in sin, hating the sin. He loved the center constant need is an well in the final analysis, verse 21 is saying that honoring and serving other people is a characteristic of the Christian life 101. Who are you right now honoring and who are you serving are you a daddy you have a wife and you have a family to honor and serve you'll have no problem with her submitting if you honor and serve the family trust you will mom you have the opportunity to serve and honor your husband and your family, your single and you have a circle of friends to honor and to serve your leader. You own your company. This is your opportunity to serve and honor those in your company to celebrate with them. The success of your company or to have them with you agree that the sum of the battles are going through together. Cindy and I were just with the Gary Smalley at Mount Herman and she and I said to each other as we finished our conference. He is a marvelous model of of what he preaches. He really does honor and serve other people. You never get the feeling he's the star of the show is very disarming to be around a person like that wonderful he is subject to others. Out of respect for Christ.

Okay then agreed to paper.

Give yourself 20 points for each answer that comes up right number one your behavior are you being careful and wise in your behavior.

That's the conduct test had you check out on a scale of 10 to 2010 being worst 20 being best. Give yourself a great time test are you cultivating discipline and discernment in the way you spend your time, never the extremes I doing her the time test number three the decision-making test are your accurately and correctly pursuing the father's will control test are you living under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit, keeping short accounts with sin walking in relationship with your father in harmony with him agreeing with him about life. Number five.

Are you deliberately and often finding ways to honor and serve others for now.

Give your test of the person snow bow our heads it's close arise just for a few moments. You been patient to sit through process of 345 points to help bring you face-to-face with life as it is for you.

Some of us feel conviction in one area and Simon another you're sitting beside people who like you know what it is to struggle were all in this thing together. Nobody in this room has it wired.

Nobody qualifies as perfect. That means were all on the same level right for your sitting just make certain that you are relationship with Christ is intact.

Let's make this go there first, there's been a time in your life when you and the Lord had to talk regarding your your sin and you came to the cross or today you come there and you agree without him. There's no way you're going to make it to heaven. There's no way you can ever measure up none of your righteousness will do it.

Good works in humanistic effort will never make so you agree you need him so you take him you receive, he becomes your Savior's next great right now. Right now, if you're not sure it would now take care of it now. Okay, most of us are beyond the cross and become of the Christian life and and you've had some exposure happen in this message you've had some areas of weakness and need exposed.

You could sit there and just lick your wounds and feel terrible or hurt increase your guilt and shame. And that's that's counterproductive. That's not the answer. You can say, on the other hand, Lord. I'm I have such needs in this area are these areas, please help me in the process of living for you to know how to do this in our big family or with art.

Small children are with my partner who isn't easy to live with her in my situation when things are out of control in and in and at times impossible for me to corral your your my Lord and I know you care about these things, the fear of the future may be some of your hangup and maybe that's what needs to be dealt with here when the Lord leads, there's nothing to be afraid, doesn't mean it will be easy. It means he'll be there for you and with you. And so, Lord, I am very very grateful that you have you. You have been our faithful God and guide to bring us to yourself and to now lead us in your way. You've never told us it's easy you've never told us it's simple but you have given us guidelines that help clarify what would otherwise be confusing thank you thank you dear father for a love that's greater than our love could ever be. For an understanding that's deeper than ours could ever go for mercy. That's wider than we would ever know the one who knows is the best loves us the most. Thank you. Now thank you for your help as we as we separate from each other and as we move in all different directions all across this country involved in all different things bring us back again and again to the Christian life 101 and remind us again and again the importance of who's in control how we spend our time. The way we walk the direction we take and how we serve others for Jesus sake. I ask their parties a over the last several programs Chuck Swindoll has identified five key areas.

Tests that reveal our progress in the Christian life. You're listening to Insight for living and please stay with this because Chuck has prepared a closing comment just for listening family to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online head insight world.org. We're hoping today study in Ephesians 5 has motivated you to take your next steps in your daily journey with God. Trucks written a daily devotional designed to focus your attention on God's word every day either first thing in the morning or before you retire at night. It's called good morning Lord. Can we talk with a special emphasis on prayer. This refreshing book from Chuck includes 365 daily reflections enough for every day in the new year and it would make a thoughtful Christmas gift as well to purchase checks devotional book called good morning Lord go to Insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888. It checks November letter is already arrived at your home that you had the delight of reading his personal expression of Thanksgiving for all God is accomplished in 2020, in spite of the forces of darkness pressing into our world today. It's been a remarkable year and in many respects it's drawing us closer together as followers of Christ because in times like these, we truly need each other. So from all of us at Insight for living ministries.

Please accept our profound thanks for your support during this tumultuous year your voluntary donations have allowed us to touch lives all across North America and now all around the world through eight languages but now all of you know that I'm not predisposed to doom and gloom outlook on life God just didn't wire me.

That way, but without question never witnessed the level of cultural chaos confronting all of us today.

The forces of evil or dramatically at work working overtime to create confusion, distraction and fear.

Frankly, the escalation of these battles has ignited a greater personal passion to preach and to teach the truth. While there's still time at Insight for living were not winding down.

In fact, were ramping up were completing one of the most productive years in the history of Insight for living and were positioned to accomplish even more. In this new year that's ahead as we approach December 31. I'm calling on you to personally invest your resources in Insight for living so that people will hear the clear and calm in message that God is still very much in control. Remember, your gift today normally brings insight to you, but your hearing gift delivers insight to others. You see it your partnership that determines what we can accomplish together. So let's band together as a family to make sure the truth of God's word breaks through the noise so that people far and near, can benefit from insight from and I look forward to hearing from you today and here's how to respond to Chuck Swindoll right now give a donation today. Call us listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.org. Thank you for your generous support to join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll continues the series becoming the people of grace right here on Insight for living. The preceding message. The Christian life 101 was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide.

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