About Self-Worth

1 Corinthians 4:1-4

1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.

2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

1 Timothy 4:12

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Colossians 3:10-11

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

About Repenting of Wrong

Romans 2:4

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Proverbs 10:17

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Ways of Backsliders

Yield to sin

Romans 6:14  

14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

16  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.

18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sow to the flesh to the end

Hebrews 3:6  

But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Hebrews 3:12-14  

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

Sow to the flesh

Hebrews 6:7-8 

7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.

8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Facts about God

He has a name

Genesis 1:1  

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Exodus 3:13-15 

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

Exodus 6:3  

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.

Exodus 34:14  

Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Psalms 68:4  

Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds— his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him.

Isaiah 57:15  

For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

God Came Near

We are eyewitnesses of his majesty.”  2 Peter 1:16, RSV

God came near.  To be seen.

And ... those who saw him were never the same.  “We saw his glory” exclaimed one follower.  “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty,” whispered a martyr…

Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing more than seeing Jesus.  Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating him whom we see. - Max Lucado

John preached about the Doctrines

First Advent

Matthew 3:11

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Second Advent

Matthew 3:12

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Luke 3:17

His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Judgment on Sin

Matthew 3:10

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Salvation

Luke 3:6

And all mankind will see God's salvation.’”

John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Love to others

Luke 3:11

John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”

Honesty in business

Luke 3:13

“Don't collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

The Great Commission to Preach and Confirm the Gospel

Acts 10:42

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

Matthew 28:19-20

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Mark 16:15-20

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Luke 24:49-53

49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.

52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Acts 1:4-8

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Righteousness

Psalms 65:5 

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,

Psalms 67:4  

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.

Psalms 69:27  

Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.

Psalms 71:2  

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.

Psalms 71:15  

My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.

Psalm 71:16  

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

Psalms 71:19  

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?

Psalms 71:24  

My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

Psalms 72:1  

Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

Psalms 72:2  

He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

Ask for More

 “Lord, teach me what you want me to do, and I will live by your truth.”  Psalm 86:11

When kindness comes through grudgingly, we’ll remember God’s kindness to us and ask Him to make us more kind. When patience is scarce, we’ll thank Him for His and ask Him to make us more patient. When it’s hard to forgive, we won’t list all the times we’ve been given grief. Rather, we’ll list all the times we’ve been given grace and pray to become more forgiving. - Max Lucado

Sprinklings of Scripture

 Of ashes into the air

Exodus 9:8-10

8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh.

9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land.”

10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.

Blood on altars

Exodus 29:16

Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides.

Exodus 29:20

Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides.

Blood on Priests

Exodus 29:21

And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.

Blood on Book

Exodus 24:6

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.

Blood on People

Exodus 24:8

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Cleansing is done by

God

Psalms 51:1-13

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

Titus 2:11-13

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Christ

Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Revelation 1:5

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,