Where would you like to be in 5 years? It sounds like a dumb interview question, but it’s relevant in internet marketing (IM) as well as making money online. If your 5 year goal is to make $100 a month, set your sites higher.

The future you see is the future you get. – Robert Allen

What does your future look like in your mind?

Take a break from what you’re doing and consider these questions.

• If you were given $1 million per year for the rest of your life, what would you do?
• If you had everything in life paid for, what would you do?
• If you lived in a monastery and didn’t have access to the internet, what would you spend your time doing?
• What is one thing you could never live without?

For me, those types of questions really make you reflect on what is important. Is money important, sure. Is it the most important thing? Definitely not.

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Smith

What is the goal of you making an income online? Is it to buy a Hummer to impress people you don’t know? Is it to move into a neighborhood so people want to come to your house? If you think about it long term, are those things that are important to you?

“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.” – Oscar Wilde

When you lie on your death bed looking back at your life, will you wish you had spent more time making money? Will you check your bank statements and be happy that your life’s total sum is a dollar figure?

When my life is through, I want to look at my children and grand children and see them smiling. I want my wife to know that I loved her with all of my heart. I want God to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. To me, the chief end of man is to glorify God in everything I do.

What do you want to see when you look back on your life? Are you current actions taking you there?

I was just tagged by Eve and thought I would respond about how I define success and how I approach that goal.

I realize that my view of success isn’t the same as most of you reading this, but maybe it will put it into perspective a little better once you read my post.

For me, success isn’t about money, cars, fame, etc. For me, success comes when I am 60 years old and look back on my life and see the joy that I had, and that I passed on to my children. To see them growing and knowing the full diety of Christ and recognizing his authority in their life as a good thing. That is how I define success.

In order for me to achieve that goal I look at a few different things.

1. Money

As you know, money make the world go ’round. Without it, I have to keep working 40/hrs a week. So in terms of money, my goal is 1 million dollars. With $1 mil. I can “retire” and spend more time at home with my family doing what I love to do instead of what I am required to do.

2. Focus

I tend to really get focused on one thing and when that happens everything else falls by the wayside. I am trying to stay focused on what is really important to me, my relationship with Jesus Christ and my family, even while I am doing everything I can to earn money online.

3. Motivation

I have never been easily motivated. All during school my teachers said, “He doesn’t apply himself,” which is unfortunately very true. In that light I have been trying to stay as motivated as possible without getting over extended. Taking on too many projects is on of my downfalls because as I take on a new project, my motivation to complete the previous projects drops to nothin’.

4. Perspective

For me, keeping the above three items in perspective is what makes me successful, and in turn defines success for me. Putting God first, my family second, and everything else third. That is true success.

What you’ll find with true success is that it brings true joy and happiness. If your “success” makes you want more and more, then you haven’t yet found real and lasting success.

I’ll be tagging Andrew to follow up with his views of success and how he defines and achieves success.

After seeing GoDaddy’s ads on the Super Bowl, I’ve had enough…Sexually offensive advertising and a blatant disregard for morality will force me to move to another registrar…now I have to pick a different one.

I emailed their customer service and they gave me president@godaddy.com for the president’s office. I emailed there as well.

I just wanted to let you know how much I disapprove of the advertising I’ve seen on TV recently, especially during the Super Bowl…Advertising like this is definitely a big enough reason for me to switch to one of your competitiors.

I know with only 50 domains it won’t hurt you financially, but I can’t justify supporting sexually offensive advertising with my money.

Brandon Hopkins

ROAD RULES FOR THE REAL WORLD
How to make great decisions
Brandon Hopkins
1-13-02
—————————————————————————–

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

One last thought: Everyone has CHOICES, but not everyone chooses to allow God to guide their CHOICES. The choice to do so, will influence all your future CHOICES.

Whether you score perfect on the SAT or you only get points for spelling your name right, you must make daily decisions, and the…

QUALITY of your life will be determined by the wisdom or foolishness of those DECESIONS.

“…a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind…They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.�? James 1:7-8

You’re all at the age right now that the decisions you make, are going to affect the rest of your life.

I’m reminded of a girl we’ll call “Tina�?. Tina was going through life just like most of you are right now. She was on fire for God, and leading a small group.

Then she had an opportunity in her life where she met a young man. She knew this guy’s reputation as well as everyone else did. He was never faithful to the girls he dated, but he was very convincing and sweet-talking. He started paying more and more attention to her every day, and Tina liked it.

Before she knew it, she was dating him, and spending a lot of alone time with him every day. When asked about her reasons for dating him she said “I’m going to witness to him, and bring him to Christ.�?

Don’t get me wrong; this is very noble, and also completely UNscriptural.

Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15:33

Tina’s boyfriend was bad company, and he ended up corrupting her good morals.

She brought him to church a few times, then she slowly stopped coming, stepping down from her small group, then not coming at all.

Tina graduated, and then decided to move in to her boyfriend’s apartment.

After they started living together, they started having sex, and then Tina got pregnant.

At this point, Tina had made a lot of bad decisions, and it only gets worse.

Tina had one more major decision to make, keep the baby, or abort it.

Well, I saw Tina driving the other night, and I hadn’t seen her in years, no baby in the back seat, and her same boyfriend next to her. Tina made a decision to abort her child, and stay with her boyfriend, and continue to live in sin.

This didn’t all happen at once, Tina gradually made decision to get to the place she is at today. She knew the truth, and she turned her back to it.

Fortunately for us, God does not do that. He does not turn his back on us. As soon as Tina is ready to repent, God will be their waiting to take her back.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

In the Real World indecision makes you…
• STRESSFUL – worried
• FEARFUL – What if I make the wrong decision?
• VULNERABLE
• DECEITFUL

“The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make.�? Colossians 3:15

Follow God, and he’ll guide you to peace

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything.

If you are different at school than you are here, you need to decide what you stand for.

Do you stand for cussing? Secular music? Alcohol? Drugs?

What do you stand for?

It’s too late to decide you don’t stand for alcohol, when your already at a party.

ADMIT YOUR NEED for help, wisdom, and guidance.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.�? Proverbs 14:12

You may think you know what’s right, but you may be on that path leading to death.

How do you know your not? Ask your CHRISTIAN friends what they think about what you’re doing. Ask your parents. Ask Greg, ask me, and ask someone grounded in the Bible what he or she thinks about what you stand for.

“Get all the advice you can, and be wise the rest of your life.�? Proverbs 28:26

If you don’t ask for advice because you think you know already, you’re prideful.

Pride will destroy relationships, and then your life.

Pride is described by Webster as: Conceited, Cockiness, having a Big Head, Overconfidence.

The opposite of pride is Humility.

If you walk in here, sit in your chair, then start talking or not paying attention, looking around, thinking about other things, trying to impress other people, you are being prideful.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.�? Proverbs 11:2

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

BELIEVE GOD WANTS to help you in your decision-making.

God wants to help make EVERY decision.

READ JAMES 1:5-6

God wants to help you make EVERY decision. If you don’t believe that, you misunderstand God’s character.

Don’t place your limited thinking on the unlimited God.

I don’t know if anyone here watched a show that was on TV a couple weeks ago, but it was called Domino Day 2001, did anyone see it?

If you didn’t, what they would do is set up anywhere from 1,000 dominos, to 50,000 dominos, then knock them all down. These people were serious about setting up dominos; they made pictures, and had rulers that calculated how far apart the domino must be, down the millimeter.

If there were one domino out of place, that creator would know where is goes, because each one was marked. The same goes for God, he knows where you have a hole in your life, and he knows exactly what is supposed to be filling that empty space.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

CHECK OUT GOD’S standard for living

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.�? Psalm 119:105

“Your Word�? could be substituted for “The Bible�?. The Bible guides you, and lights the way.

This next part is the absolute favorite part of the lesson for me.

I named it the Decision Test.

With these 5 points, you can make every decision in your life, and make it a good decision.

1. The ideal test: is this decision in harmony with God’s word?
2. The integrity test: would I want everyone to know about this decision?
3. The improvement test: will it make me a better person?
4. The independence test: could it become addicting?
5. The influence test: will it harm anyone else?

DECIDE AT LOGICAL times and move on with living life to its fullest.

Making decisions on what you feel is irrational and dangerous.

Almost all suicide occurs when people are having a bad day, or something tragic happens to them. Only 15% of suicide comes when people are being treated. That means 85% of suicide comes at times that people aren’t fully expecting it.

My grandmother always told me, never make a decision at night. The reason for this is, more people are more emotional at night. You don’t think through it, and your tired, and more likely to make a decision based on emotion rather than thought.

“It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.�? Proverbs 20:25

The Bible here is talking about guilt, “later to consider his vows�? meaning after you’ve made a bad decision, you’ll know it.

Whether this decision is to put yourself in a sexual situation, committing suicide, or just going to a party, you will regret it later.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

Make good decisions now, and have a good future later.

Religion finally Back in Schools – 10-26-99

How to benefit from the Bible.
Brandon Hopkins
April 7, 2002

- Prayer

- Juan Carlos was a famous pirate. He was notorious for his thievery, and it was rumored that he had a very large amount of plunder buried. One day he was in Mexico and a man came up to him, pushed him to the ground and said “Juan Carlos tell me where all your money is buried or I will shoot you right here�? Juan Carlos didn’t speak a word of English, so he found a young boy to act as interpreter. The boy relayed the message to Juan Carlos, and fearing for his life Juan Carlos said “tell him that I don’t want to die. All my money is located 30 paces north of the city water tower under a large rock�?. So the boy turned to the man and said, “Juan Carlos says he is an honorable man and will never tell you where the money is. He says to kill him now.�?

That’s actually just a good joke…that has nothing to do with the sermon…but this one does.

- A preacher and a soap manufacturer were walking down the street one-day. As they walked they notice how wrongly people were treating each other. The streets were filled with corruption. The soap manufacturer looked at the preacher and said, ” Preacher, that bible you preach must not be any good, it’s not helping anyone. Look at all the filth and corruption “. The preacher didn’t say anything, he just kept walking. After awhile they came up on some children that were dirty and nasty. It looks as though they hadn’t taken a bath in weeks. The preacher looked at the soap Manufacturer and said, ” That soap you make must not be any good. Look how filthy and dirty these children are “. The soap manufacturer replied, ” Soap doesn’t work unless you use it and apply it “. That’s ” right ” said the preacher. ” It’s the same way with the Bible. The bible want work unless people use it and apply it to their lives “.

So you see from the story that without application, there is no benefit. Without the application of the soap, you don’t get the benefit of cleanliness that the soap brings.

The same principal applies to the Bible, and that’s what we’re talking about today.

I’m here to tell you this morning that it doesn’t matter how many Bible verses you can quote, how many Bibles you own, or how long you’ve been going to church. None of that matters, unless you do what the Bible says…and apply it to your life.

None of it matters until you apply it to your life.

Read James 1:19-27 for background and content, focus on v. 25.

James 1:25 says “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.�?

The word intently does not mean to “glance�?, and then look away. The Greek word for “intently�? is “parakypsas�?. “Parakypsas�? literally means, “to stoop down�?.

So you ask, “How does this apply?�? well, what would be a good reason for stooping down? One might stoop down to see something more clearly, get a better understanding of something, or just to get closer to it. Is that ironic, that this is the word used for studying the Bible?

The “perfect law�? talked about here is God’s perfect law…which is the Bible. Perfect means no lacking, or having everything.

In the next part of the verse we are told that the man who looks intently into the Bible…how often? Once? No, continuously.

Read James 1:25 with emphasis on “continues to do this�?.

The word “continue�? does not mean once or twice or even 1,000 times. The word “continue�? is indefinite. It does not have a time limit. It essentially means until God returns or you die, whichever comes first.

Read James 1:25 with emphasis on “not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it�?.

Now hear me out right here.

If you were in the mountains, and saw a hole and your friend who was with you said, “if you put your hand in that hole, a deadly snake will bite you, and you’ll be dead in 2 minutes�?. Would you put your hand in the hole? Of course not.

You took what you heard, didn’t forget it, did it, and saved your life.

That’s what this part of the verse is talking about.

“Not forgetting what he as heard�?.
“Not forgetting�? “Not forgetting�? “Not forgetting�? “Not forgetting�?

Read the verse again…“Not forgetting�?

Moving on, the next part of the verse talks about the application.

What did I say at the beginning of this lesson? “Without application, there is not benefit.�?

You could know every snake hole, on every mountain, but if you don’t take that knowledge and apply it, you’re going to be putting your hand in a lot of snake holes.

But, if you are wise, and don’t forget what you have learned, there is just one more thing. Now that you know what to do, you must do it to gain the benefit.

Towards the end of James 1:25 it says “not forgetting what he has learned, but doing it�?.

This is by far the most difficult part. Anyone can read the Bible and go to church, but not everyone can take what the Bible says, and live their lives according to it.

Don’t think that this may be a part of the Bible that you can skip over, or act like you didn’t hear. It’s so important; God said it more than once!

Read up a couple verses, and in James 1:22 it says, “do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS.�?

It doesn’t get any plainer than that right there…DO WHAT IT SAYS. DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!

If you only listen and hear, but do not do what it says, your not going to be any use, and you surely will not be blessed.

We’ll talk about being blessed in a few minutes.

So as you can tell, it’s easy to see how much content there is in just this one verse, but what happens when you do all the things we talked about?

Well, if you “look intently�? into God’s word – the Bible, and “continue�? to do this, and you don’t “forget�? all that you learned and heard…here is how the title of the lesson fits in…if you do all those things…read the last part of the verse…

“He will be blessed in what he does�?.

It’s that simple. If you do those things, you will be blessed.

Now its time to talk about your benefit from the Bible, and God.

What exactly does being “blessed,�? mean? Is it that great? Am I sure I want it? Should I go out of my way to make sure I get it?

The verse we’ve been studying, James 1:25, tells you how to become blessed, but lets find out what blessed means.

A good definition of “blessed�? is “Happy or Wonderful; praiseworthy; bringing pleasure or divine favor�?.

That surely sounds good to me. “Happy and wonderful�? and “Bringing pleasure�? sound great, and it definitely sound like something that I want in my life, and I’m sure you would agree with that.

But what is the practical, real life, down to earth meaning of “blessed�??

First lets recap what we’ve learned so far:
If you want happiness and pleasure in your life, you want blessings, and to get blessings you need to…

1. Look Intently into the perfect law…the Bible.
2. Continue to do it indefinitely.
3. Don’t forget what you’ve learned and heard.
4. Put it all into your life…Application

Then it’s all smooth sailing from here.

Lets finish with the real life, practical, down to earth meaning of blessing.

What kind of blessings might you receive?

There are many different kinds of blessings.
1. Wealth (Proverbs 10:22)
2. Children (Luke 1:39-56)
3. Protection (Malachi 3:11)
4. Delightful land (Malachi 3:12)
5. Compassion (Isaiah 30:18)
6. Justice (Isaiah 30:18)
7. Deliverance (Psalm 41:1)
8. Mercy (Psalm 32:2)
9. Prosperity (Psalm 1:3)

These are just the start of the blessings, and God will definitely pour them out when you fulfill the pre-requisites.

(King David’s blessings)

When you fulfill the pre-requisites, start looking for blessings in your everyday life, and don’t be like the man who was on his roof, and he started sliding down the roof. As he was half way down, he started praying for God to save him, right when he started praying; his pant leg got stuck on a nail, and was saved. After that the man said “never mind God, I got it, thanks anyways.�?

- Prayer

April 7, 2002
How to Benefit from the Bible.

James 1:25 “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.�?

How can I be blessed?
The word “intently�? translates into the Greek as ___ _______ ______.
The “perfect law�? is the _________.
The word “continue�? does not have a _____ ________.
The phrase “not forgetting�? means _____ _______.
The most difficult part is ______ ___.
If you accomplish those things, you will be ________.

What exactly is a “Blessing�??
The definition of blessing includes ________, _____________, ___________, and _________ _________.
Wealth (Proverbs 10:22)
Children (Luke 1:39-56)
Protection (Malachi 3:11)
Delightful land (Malachi 3:12)
Compassion (Isaiah 30:18)
Justice (Isaiah 30:18)
Deliverance (Psalm 41:1)
Mercy (Psalm 32:2)
Prosperity (Psalm 1:3)

Notes:

God’s Perfect, Unknown, Plan

Turn with me to the Book of Philemon. Philemon is right before Hebrews.

This 1 chapter book, Philemon, was written by Paul in the early A.D. time period, maybe as early as A.D. 60. Paul was in prison in Rome while he wrote this letter to Philemon.

One of Philemon’s servants, or slaves, named Onesimus had apparently stolen from him and then run away, which was punishable by death under Roman law at the time.

He ran all the way to Rome, where he just happened buy God’s perfect plan, to meet a man named Paul. We all know that part of Paul’s ministry was to the lost people in his time.

Onesimus was a servant of Philemon, a thief who was now in debt to Philemon, a criminal, but more importantly, a new convert when he got to Rome.

Onesimus the slave of Philemon is converted to Christianity by Paul while one the run in Rome.

Onesimus now sees clearly his sin and is willing to go back to Philemon and face the charges against him.

Paul writes this letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus in the hope that Philemon will have mercy on him, but not just mercy, Paul has a bigger idea in mind.

Let’s begin reading in verse 1.

Philemon 1:1-3 – Paul starts his letter in a very traditional way. He says who he is, and then who he is writing to.

Apphia is most likely Philemon’s wife and business partner, and member of the local church. Archippus is most likely a leader in the church that meets in Philemon’s home.

In Philemon 1:4 Paul begins his letter, by building rapport with Philemon. Paul remembers back when he was with Philemon and the times that they shared together.

Paul has heard reports about what Philemon is doing, and is happy that he is continuing in the faith.

Maybe Philemon is wondering who told Paul all of these good things, and he thinks about the people his church has sent to help Paul in his work.

Then Paul says something in verse 6 that really stands out.

Paul prays that Philemon will be active in sharing his faith “so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.�?

Wow, what is Paul saying here? Read Philemon 1:6 again.

This verse is really shocking to me because if we turn it around it says that if we are not sharing our faith, we will not have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

This leads us to our first point.

1. Share your faith and you will understand the good of God.

Verse 6 gives us insight into an area we know very little about. What happens to us when we witness? What happens in your mind and your heart when you go out and tell someone about Jesus Christ?

We know what happens to the other person, they have an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ’s free gift of eternal life, but what happens to the person sharing the love of Christ?

For me, I am always overjoyed when I do what I know God is calling me to do. God is calling each one of us to share our faith.

When we do, not only does another person have a chance to accept Christ and go to heaven, but we also gain a little understand into the good things that God has specifically set apart for those who share the faith they have in Christ.

Dale Losch asked the question this morning, “Who would share Christ with someone if you earned $1,000 every time you did it?�?

It’s a funny question and made me smile thinking about God paying us to do his will, but think about it…

Would you share your faith more often? Would you quit your job and do it full time? I would venture to guess that 99% of people would quit their jobs immediately and start sharing Christ with everyone they could get to listen.

What a sad time we live in that instead of being motivated because God sent His Son to die for us, we have to be motivated by money…what do we get in return is more important than what someone else gets out of what we share.

Verse 7-9 Paul probably led Philemon to Christ at one time in the past. Paul plays his trump card and tells Philemon that he could “order�? or “command�? him to do what is right, he doesn’t want to.

Paul holds enough power that if he were to tell Philemon something, Philemon would do it…but Paul doesn’t want it to be like that. Paul wants Philemon to make the decision.

Verse 10 is where Philemon finds out what this is all about.

However, first imagine this. Philemon is sitting at home when someone comes and knocks at his door. It is Onesimus. I bet the first thing he wanted to do was call the police and have his arrested.

Immediately Onesimus pleads with him to let him speak for one second. Onesimus explains that one his travel he met a man named Paul and Paul sent him back home with a letter for none other than Philemon.

Philemon takes this letter and begins reading just like we did, then he comes to verse 10.

Paul tells Philemon that Onesimus is now a Christian!

Verse 11 says that Onesimus was once “useless�? which is funny since Onesimus means “useful�?.

Paul says that this kid who was named “useful�? was actually “useless�?, but now, the kid named “useful�? is living up to his name, and is now “useful�?.

In verse 12-13 Paul tells Philemon how important Onesimus is to him, which leads us to our second point.

2. Words matter

You can think a person is great at something, and you can think a person does a good job, but they don’t know what you are thinking.

Ephesians 4:29 tells us to build each other up according to their needs. Most people need words of encouragement.

When we realize that our words matter, and that our thoughts don’t help others, we can truly make a difference in someone’s life.

Onesimus now knows that Paul wanted him to stay in Rome because he was such a great help to Paul. In fact, he was such a great help, he could pick up where Philemon left off.

Paul then lays a big guilt trip on Philemon in verse 14. Paul tells Philemon that he wanted to keep Onesimus, but didn’t want to step on Philemon’s toes so he sent him back. However, Paul tells him he sent him back so that if Philemon wanted to send him back, it would be spontaneous and not forced.

Paul didn’t want to dictate what Philemon did, but he sure wasn’t shy when he told him what he wanted him to do.

In verse 15-16 Paul now is fighting for Onesimus’ freedom from slavery. He tells Philemon that Onesimus is very dear to him as a brother.

And in verse 17 Paul wants Onesimus to be welcomed just as Paul would be welcomed.

Imagine again that Philemon and Onesimus are still standing in the doorway while Philemon is reading this letter.

Philemon is still mad at Onesimus, but is holding back his anger. Now he is not only an employer who has to set a good example, but also a more mature Christian who has to set a good example.

These next few moments will be remembered by Onesimus forever.

Verse 18-19 Paul is willing to pay whatever debt that Onesimus owes. Paul knows that Philemon wouldn’t hold Paul to a debt since Paul is in jail for the cause of Christ, but he wants to let Philemon know that Onesimus did something wrong while not saved, but now he is saved and should be forgiven.

That leads us to our third point.

3. Forgive since you have been forgiven

It is pretty obvious how we have been forgiven. Christ died on the cross once, and for everyone so that we would not have to spend eternity in hell.

The least we can do is to forgive someone who sins against us.

Philemon knows this as well.

At the end of verse 19 is where Paul is really starting to lay it on thick. He reminds Philemon that he led him to Christ…just incase he forgot some time during the letter.

Verse 21 is very profound as well. Paul says “Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.�?

Paul is asking Philemon to not send Onesimus to his death, but to welcome his as a brother. What more could Paul be asking when he says “knowing that you will do even more than I ask�??

I think that Paul was suggesting that Philemon should set Onesimus free. Let the burden of slavery no longer be upon Onesimus. Onesimus is a new man with a new lease on life…let him out of his slavery.

Verse 22 – I’ll be coming soon, get a room ready for me!

Paul wants Philemon to know how serious about this he is. In fact, when he gets out of prison, he will be coming to see how everything is doing with the Colossians.

1. Share your faith and you will understand the good of God. (Philemon 1:6)

2. Words matter. (Philemon 1:12-13)

3. Forgive since you have been forgiven. (Philemon 1:18-19)

As we close, think about these things.

Are you sharing your faith?

Are you giving other people words of encouragement? Building others up?

Are you quick to forgive?

ROAD RULES FOR THE REAL WORLD
Getting guidance for your decisions

Has anyone ever received a love letter? You know, the kind that says “Love you forever�? or “Friends forever�? or “If you ever need anything, call me.�?

These letters that I received, and some of you received also, were full of broken promises, promises of everlasting love and friendship and all kinds of stuff that isn’t true today.

Well, there is another love letter that was written to each one of you, it’s called the Bible. It’s full of promises from the creator of the universe. Promises that will never change, or ever get broken.

I’m going to tell you about this “Love Letter�? today. My goal is for you not to just put this letter in a shoebox, or under your bed, or in a drawer somewhere.

God’s love letter is not only completely true, but it also stands the test of time. The letters that I received in 8th grade weren’t true, and they didn’t stand the test of time.

There are 3 ways to make decisions as I see it:

1. Internal – What you want to do
2. External – What others want you to do
3. Eternal – What GOD wants you to do

The myth that you are being taught by society and at school is that:
IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE

I heard one teacher who said “There are no absolute truths.�? So the student in the class raised his hand and said “Are you absolutely sure?�?

You see, its an illogical statement

In your notes it has a truth
BELIEFS DETERMINE YOUR BEHAVIOR AND YOUR BEHAVIOR DETERMINES WHAT YOU BECOME

In the “REAL WORLD�? you are taught there is no truth
• “I do what I want to do.�?
• “I don’t believe GOD established any values.�?
• “I don’t need GOD’s values.�?

The result of “I do what I want to do.�? Creates a sense that “I am my own god.�?

“I don’t believe GOD established any values.�? I don’t believe god laid down any rules for decision-making. Resulting in belief that GOD is unnecessary.

“I don’t need GOD’s values.�? Results in anything goes.

GOD’S STANDARD: BECOME A DISCIPLE…LEARN TO GROW ON YOUR OWN

Read John 8:31

1. Make a commitment to live God’s WAY
Imagine playing Scrabble with a friend and he puts a word that he made up. If he can go to the dictionary and find that word, if doesn’t matter any longer what you think, he gets the points. But if that word isn’t in there, it doesn’t matter what he thinks he gets no points.

See where I’m going with this?

While living your life, and your friend gives you advice on a decision, and you look it up in the Bible, and find that his advice is wrong, it doesn’t matter anymore what advice he gave, you checked it our yourself and found the truth.

The Bible is like the Cliff’s notes for living.

“Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time.�? Proverbs 2:9

God doesn’t want you to live your life in turmoil because of bad decisions, he said in Proverbs 2:9 “You will know how to find the right course of action every time.�?

2. Learn God’s TEACHINGS

You may say Brandon, I’m totally sold out, I’ve been a Christian for 10 years, and haven’t missed one church service in the last 4 years.

I could say to you, “Do you believe this book (Bible) from cover to cover?�? and you would say, “Yeah man I believe it.�? Then my question to you would be, “do you know what’s in it?�? “Have you read it?�?

Its one thing for you to come and Randy, Greg, or myself to teach you for 30 minutes a week, its another thing for you to teach yourself during the week.

If I made a commitment to become a professional boxer, I need to learn what it takes to be a boxer.

If you make a commitment to live by God’s way, you need to learn what it takes to live by God’s way.

This Bible isn’t just a history book, it’s a living love letter, and the greatest one you’ll ever read.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true (Circle the word “true�?) and to make us realize what is wrong (Circle the word “wrong�?) in our live. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right(Circle the word “right�?). It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.�? 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Now look what you just circled. What is TRUE, WRONG, and RIGHT.

Some of the most desperate people in the world are those who are in jail. And they are the ones who are raising their hands saying “Can I have a Bible?�?

If you know a little about history, when Nixon was going down for the Watergate scandal his right hand man was named Chuck Colson, and before Nixon resigned, Colson went to jail. And there in jail, at the bottom of the barrel, as bad as it gets, someone shared the worlds greatest love letter with him.

What is TRUE, What is WRONG, and What is RIGHT.

And there in jail, Chuck Colson gave his life to Christ and made a commitment to live by God’s Standards.

After that day, he never went back to politics you know what he did? He went into ministry. He developed the largest prison ministry ever. His prison ministry is in every single jail in the nation. People are desperate; they want to know what is TRUE, what is WRONG, and what is RIGHT.

READ “GOD’S WORD�? Bullet points.

I encourage you to look those verses up when you have some time.

3. Keep you commitment to God’s way when its not PRACTICAL or EASY.

Don’t think its ok to cheat on just one test, or compromise to make your life easier at the time.

The truth is that the Bible was true when it was written, and it is true to this very day.

If I take a rock, a simple and plain rock, around the world in a hot air balloon, then deep sea diving, then I throw it on the ground, then kick it all the way to New York, the truth is, its still a rock.

The rock is a rock no matter where you take it.

Just because a situation changes, don’t drop your commitment to God.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him…�?And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.�? John 8:31-32

4. Be REFRESHED by God’s Love Letter daily…for the rest of your life.

“You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk…�? 1 Peter 2:2

My biggest dog just recently had a small puppy that now looks like a guinea pig, and whenever this little pig cries, Annie the dog, gets up from whatever she is doing and runs in there, licks its butt, and gives it milk.

This little pig’s cry is easy for her to hear, and she hears it ever time.

This is how God is to us, when he hears us cry out, he immediately is there to help us, and guide us.

I want to challenge you right now, if you’re ready to grow, if your ready to base your life on God’s Standard.

Some of you have tried to read this (Bible). Maybe you started at the beginning, and got bored, or maybe you just picked it up in the middle and didn’t understand it, my challenge is this.

Ask someone for help, if your ready to take the next step in your relationship with Christ, this is the most important second step you can take is to read the Bible, and understand what you read.

I’m not going to have you raise your hands in front of everyone and say “I’m willing to read my Bible and apply it�? because that’s too easy. My challenge is this, just do it.

Go home today, and before the sun rises tomorrow morning, read your bible.

When you read, don’t try to read as much as you can before falling asleep, read slowly, read it twice, read it as many times as it takes until you understand it.

If you read it a few times and still don’t understand it, get out a piece of paper, and write down what you don’t understand, and on Wednesday, or next Sunday, or even during the week, ask someone whom you respect spiritually, “what does this mean?�?

And if you can do that, if you’re willing to do that, God is going to bless you, you will see changes in your life, and your friends will too.

If you don’t have a Bible, let Greg or I know, if you don’t know where to read, as Greg, your small group leader, or myself and we’ll put you where you should start.

There will be no excuses allowed when you get to heaven, so don’t make them here either. You say you don’t have time to read the bible? Do you go to the bathroom every day? Enough said.

Look at the verse at the bottom of your paper.

“Those who love your Word have great peace and do not stumble.�? Psalm 119:165

If you open you Bible to somewhere right near the middle you’ll find a book called Proverbs that coincidently has 31 chapters. Since tomorrow is the 21st, you could start in chapter 21, or you could just start in chapter 1 and go from there. Proverbs is all about gaining wisdom, living right, being successful, wise relationships, and so on.

You can blow this off if you want, and be like the King of Granada.

When his kingdom was captured, he was put in solitary confinement for 33 years, with just one book…the Bible.

With this one book to read, he read it over 200 times. The book became his constant companion. Then after 33 years of being alone with just the bible, he died. When they came to clean out his cell, they found some notes he had written, these were some of them.

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and the shortest is Psalm 117.

Psalm 117 is the middle chapter of the Bible.

The longest verse is Esther 8:9, and the shortest is John 11:35(KJV)

Fifty one parables Jesus spoke are within the New Testament.

Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books of the bible that don’t mention the word “God�?

The Bible contains 773,692 words.

From all of his writings, we know that he never wrote about a relationship with Jesus Christ, but he became an expert of Bible Trivia.

One last thought: God wants you to live life to its FULLEST. He knows how to make that happen. Choose TRUTH and win big or choose THE LIE and lose big.

Do you want to be a winner or loser?

Get Real or Get Out!

Intro – Story/Joke

What is a real Christian – “One who follows Christ�? – First used in Antioch (Acts 11:26)

Not a churchgoer, not a pastor, not a missionary, “One who follows Christ�?

Talked about before – What do people at work, Friends, Family see when they look at you? Someone like them, or someone who is following Christ?

Do you words match your actions?

Do you only say you’re a Christian, or is it apparent through your actions?

World doesn’t need more people to claim Christ is in them, it needs more people who allow Christ to live through them.

1 John 4:4 …the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Greater is He…Rather than, greater is He that I claim to be in me…

Read Revelation 3:14-20

We are going to talk about someone who is lukewarm, what does that mean?

Let me relate it to having a Fever. There are over 300 illnesses that you could get, and have a Fever as a symptom.

On the other hand, you don’t just get a fever. You either have an infection, or some problem that causes the fever as a symptom.

The same is true with being lukewarm. If you are lukewarm, there are underlying factors.

Maybe you have no desire to know God more personally.
Maybe you have no desire to read the Bible.

There are a million different reasons why you could be lukewarm, but the point is that you need to find out why.

People may know you go to church, and you say you’re a Christian, but are you truly “following Christ�??

If you are not truly “following Christ�?, tonight is your chance to get it right, no more pretending.

If you are not truly “following Christ�?, and you don’t want to follow Christ, I urge your to get real, or get out.

Lukewarm water does not quench thirst. Someone who claims Christ’s power in their life, but does not live it, will not quench a persons desire to know God.

You can’t be 2 faced. You may be able to fool people at church, they see you once a week, but you won’t be able to fool your family, and co-workers.

Then when I try to witness to them, they say they already know about Christians, and they think of you, and everything bad you’ve done…and who doesn’t really care to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and follow him as Lord.

Read Rev 3:15-16

4 Chairs

We’re going to look at 4 types of people.

• In the first chair here is someone who does not want to know God and does not know God.

• In the second chair is someone who does not want to know God but knows God in spite of himself. He really doesn’t want any real part of it but religiosity has always been a family thing that he just does out of habit – he goes to church because it is the thing to do. There could be a myriad of reasons – but he is not here for Christ.

• In this third chair here is a man who wants Christianity but he really does not have it. He believes the stuff he hears in church and he likes it — in his mind — but he has never let it into his heart. He is always a hearer of the word but never a doing. The best way to describe him would be in direct contrast to be a living sacrifice. He still conforms to the pattern of the world, and he likes it that way.

• Then in this fourth chair you have the man who wants it and indeed has it. He will testify and tell others about the love of God. He has been crucified with Christ and it shows – there is lasting fruit.

The middle two chairs are what the Bible is referring to a lukewarm.

• This guy over here is the first chair is cold – but he’s honest about it.

• This guy over here in the fourth chair is hot and he’s honest about it.

• These two guys over here in these two middle chairs are lukewarm and they are liars about it.

The guy in the 4th chair, who is Hot, is trying to bring the guy who is Cold over to his side, and it appears that the two in the middle are already on his side, when in reality, they are just as lost as the guy who is cold.

One of the characteristic symptoms of someone who is Cold is a kind of chronic indifference towards the things of God—a lack of interest in prayer, Scripture, fellowship.

They enjoy church when it is convenient, and they are excited about 12 o’clock because they can “get on with their day�?.

Dismiss chair people.

Let’s read on in Revelation 3 starting in verse 19.

“Those whom I love�? God still loves those who are lukewarm, but he desires they repent from the middle chairs.

V20 I stand at the door and knock. IF anyone…

It has to be a personal choice between you and God.

Tonight at the end of the service, if you find yourself sitting in one of the first three chairs, you will have a chance to get out of those chairs, and get into the 4th chair.

Forgiveness with a Twist

Our text today is in Ephesians 4 and we are talking about something you’ve all heard a million times. Forgive others.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (Read).

I was sitting there thinking, “I’ve heard about forgiveness a million times�? and begun to tune him out when God focused me.

You see, up until that day, to me forgiveness was defined as “stopping my resentment or anger towards someone who offended me.�? Would you agree that is a pretty good definition?

Webster has a very similar definition. But I learned something that is deeper that Webster ever thought about going. If you take what I’ve learned and apply it to your life, I will guarantee that your life will be changed permanently.

After hearing that out loud, I think I may have a career in late night infomercial sales…

Ok, back to the importance of this. If you will forget everything you know about forgiveness, and learn the Biblical version of forgiveness, God will change your life forever.

Let’s read Ephesians 4:31-32 again. Through these two short verses, you can learn the same thing that I learned, and be changed forever.

In verse 31 Paul talks about various different things in verse 31 that either are sin, or they lead to sin.

In the beginning of verse 31, Paul does not say “Get rid of most of your…�? Paul says, “Get rid of all…�? All obviously means everything.

So in our lives Paul tell us to get rid of these things we are going to look at. They are no good in our lives.

As we go through these words that Paul uses, look at the progression from bad to worse

The first thing Paul tells us to remove is bitterness. Bitterness literally means a bitter taste, something acrid or poison. Think of eating a piece of rotten fruit, or spoiled milk. That is nasty, as is bitterness.

Bitterness is an awful trait to carry around with you. Have you ever met a bitter person? Everyone is always out to get them, they always get the short end of the stick, and they always have something to complain about.

These are bitter people, and you may have bitterness in your life. Get rid of it.

Bitterness leads to resentment. Have you ever been in a situation that was just a bad situation. Maybe the situation left you feeling a little bitter. Maybe you even felt resentment.

One time I got my oil changed, and that oil change came with a free car wash. My wife and I were sitting in the car going through the car wash. The guy that pre-washes the car with the brush was washing the windshield when he hit the windshield with the wooden part of the broom and cracked it.

It was just a small crack, but it had already started to spread. When we got out of the car wash I went inside and talked to the owner of the car wash. I explained the situation to him.

He told me, “My guys wouldn’t do that.�? So I told him I watched his guy do it with my own eyes.

To make a long story short, this owner refused to make any reconciliation about the matter. I was definitely bitter after that, and resented him for a long time.

That leads us to our next point.

The next thing Paul tells us to get rid of is rage. The Greek word for Rage is “thoo-mos�? from which we get the word “Thermal�? meaning heat. “Thoo-mos�? means “passion�? or an “intense feeling�?.

Bitterness (the offense) leads to Rage (resentment building inside you). The heat you feel when someone breaks your window and denies it. That is rage.

Think of it like a volcano. Volcano’s first have to exist, that is the bitterness that begins at the first offense. Then volcanos have to begin building under the surface. That is the rage.

Rage can be controlled, this isn’t yet the outbreak, but rage when not controlled leads to…in verse 31…Anger.

Anger is when things start to get bad. Anger is the outpouring of the rage that was building under the surface.

Anger is the liquid hot magma that is now pouring out of the volcano.

Anger is the time where this progression gets dangerous. Imagine that magma pouring out of the volcano. This magma destroys everything in its path. Magma is so hot that you can’t even stand by it or your will get burned.

This is a great example of anger. Let’s not be self-incriminating, but have you ever been around ANOTHER person who was angry? No matter what you do, that person is going to snap at you or yell?

Anger is dangerous at this point because this is where the magma comes out. Anger takes one of two courses right here. Anger turned toward someone else, as in homicide, and anger turned inside such as with suicide.

In Ephesians 4:26 Paul quotes Psalm 4:4 which says, “In your anger do not sin�?.

What do we learn from this? Paul tells us to “get rid of all…anger�? but also “in your anger do not sin�? it seems like a contradiction.

I believe that Paul is saying that anger is not inherently sinful. It is however, a very tight rope. To me, it is the same with drinking alcohol.

The Bible does not specifically condemn drinking alcohol (if you are the legal age) but it does tell us not to cause another brother to stumble. And for me, I look at which is more important. Let’s read 1 Corinthians 8:9-13.

Is it more important that the law says I can drink alcohol and the Bible doesn’t forbid it? Or is it more important that I set a good example to someone who might be watching me, even when I don’t see them?

That is why I have never drank alcohol, not even a taste. I don’t ever want someone to fall into sin because of something they saw in me, or saw me do.

That is also why we should avoid becoming angry. There is a direct correlation here. The definition of anger is “feeling or showing anger, wrathful�?. The definition of wrath is “strong vengeful anger�?. This is not something as followers of Christ that we should have in our lives.

That is what I believe Paul is trying to tell us. Paul says, “Get rid of all…anger�? and also says, “In your anger do not sin�?. Paul says to remove it from your life, but if it creeps back in, deal with it, don’t sin as a result of it being in your life.

That is the anger…or the magma.

The next step is slander and brawling. We will combine the two. Depending on what version of the Bible you read, you may not have brawling listed.

Slander and brawling is a dangerous time. This is the anger in action. This is the volcano that makes the news headlines which say, “Volcano destroys village!�?

This is the blasphemous attacks at the character level. This isn’t child’s play. This is flat out character defamation. These words and action are damaging and destroying.

But on the good side, these are just words.

Let’s move on to the end. “Get rid of all…malice.�? Do you know what malice means? This one is serious. Webster says malice is:
1 : desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another
2 : intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse

This isn’t a laughing matter, when this progression leads to malice. Malice is the actual acts that we have been talking about, this is the physical attack on someone, suicide, homicide, or violence of some sort.

Why have we spent so much time on this one verse? Everyone, at one time or another will find themselves in the progression.

Whether you realize it at the anger stage when you are mad, at the slander stage when you are so mad you are yelling at someone, or at the malice stage when it is too late the physical damage has been done, everyone will find themselves in this progression of anger.

There is an answer and it lies in the very next verse, Ephesians 4:32.

“forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.�? How did Christ forgive us? He died on the cross for us. But Christ didn’t just die on the cross for us, he died on the cross for us before we even knew him.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.�? That is amazing. While we were still sinners Christ died for us.

So how do we do that, Eph 4:32 tells us to forgive as God forgave right?

Let me tell you a story about a man who had a young daughter. His daughter was 12 and went with a neighbor family on vacation to Lake Tahoe.

She went with this family as the baby sitter during the evenings when the parents wanted to spend time together alone. During the middle of their week long vacation one of the kids she was babysitting grabbed her new Bible her dad had just bought her and ripped the cover off of the front and the back.

This was the first nice Bible her parents had bought her, and she treasured it, and was obviously upset when the parents arrived home.

She explained that the baby had ripped the Bible and how upset she was because it was the first nice Bible she had received from her parents.

The mother of these kids yelled at her telling her that if she would have been doing her job and not reading the Bible that it would not have happened.

This 12 year old girl was upset and called her parents at 10 pm that night and told them the whole story. Her dad had to preach the next morning so he sent a friend on the 5 hour drive to pick up his daughter.

When she arrived at home he told her everything was going to be ok and that they would talk about it in the morning. When he got home that next morning, his daughter was still sitting on her bed, she hadn’t gone to sleep all night.

The father asked his daughter if she would like to forgive these people for what they did, and do something nice for them. The daughter agreed and they decided to bake a cherry pie together.

That day after the neighbors got home from Tahoe, this father and daughter took this pie to their neighbor’s house. The mother answered the door. The 12 year old daughter handed the lady the pie in a glass container.

The neighbor took the dish and slammed in down onto the cement shattering the dish and sending cherry pie everywhere. She then proceeded to slam the door in their face.

As the father and daughter walked back across the street to their home, they stopped and sat on the curb and the father asked his daughter “If the same situation happened again, would you do the same thing? Would you still show forgiveness when you have a justified right to be mad?�?

The daughter answered “Yes�?. That is forgiveness like Christ forgave. The father in this story was our speaker at the men’s retreat Ron Blanc, and his daughter is now in her 40’s.

How does forgiveness like this work? How did God through Christ forgive us?

God forgave us before we ever sinned. He knew that we would sin when we were alive, and he forgave us before we were even born.

Here is the life changing principle. If you are going to be able to forgive like the bible calls us to do “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,�? we have to live a lifestyle of forgiveness.

That means that no matter what happens we are more prepared to forgive someone than we are to get mad.

You’ve already forgiven someone before they’ve even offended you. Christ forgave us before we had sinned, and in order to forgive like Christ we have to be forgive others before they offend us.

Before the pie hits the floor, you need to know how you are going to react, and the bible tells us that our reaction should be one of forgiveness.

Salvation invitation – you have received forgiveness whether you accept it or not. The price has been paid whether you accept it or not.

You were forgiven before you were born.