9 July, 2017 Tough Decisions

1 I love you, Lord; You are my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Saviour; my God is my Rock, in whom I find protection. He is my Shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Psalm 18:1-2

I Love You, Lord

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice To worship You, O, my soul, rejoice Take joy, my King, in what You hear May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:17-18

Lord, You Have My Heart

Lord you have my heart And I will search for yours Jesus take my life and lead me on. Lord you have my heart And I will search for yours Let me be to you a sacrifice.

[men:] And I will praise you Lord [women:] I will praise you Lord [men:] And I will sing of love come down [women:] I will sing of love come down [men:] And as you show your face [women:] Show your face [together:] We'll see your glory here.

Lord you have my heart And I will search for yours Jesus take my life and lead me on. Lord you have my heart And I will search for yours Let me be to you a sacrifice.

[men:] And I will praise you Lord [women:] I will praise you Lord [men:] And I will sing of love come down [women:] I will sing of love come down [men:] And as you show your face [women:] Show your face [together:] We'll see your glory here.

Romans 11:34-36 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

To God Be The Glory 66

To God be the glory, great things He has done To God be the glory, great things He has done! So loved He the world that He gave us his Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done!

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done!

9 July, 2017 Tough Decisions

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:10-12

Create In Me A Clean Heart

Create in me a clean heart oh God And renew a right spirit within me

From Thy presence oh Lord Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me Cast me not away From Thy presence oh Lord Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation And renew a right spirit within me

Create in me a clean heart oh God And renew a right spirit within me

From Thy presence oh Lord Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me Cast me not away From Thy presence oh Lord Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation And renew a right spirit within me

But we have the mind of Christ. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16

Speak, O Lord

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You, To receive the food of Your Holy Word. Take Your truth, plant it deep in us; Shape and fashion us in Your likeness;

That the light of Christ might be seen today In our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us Lord, full obedience, Holy reverence, true humility Test our thoughts and our attitudes In the radiance of Your purity.

Your majestic love and authority. Words of power that can never fail; Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority. Words of power that can never fail; Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord and renew our minds; Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time, That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises; And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, ‘til Your church is built, And the earth is filled with Your glory.

Speak, O Lord

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You, To receive the food of Your Holy Word. Take Your truth, plant it deep in us; Shape and fashion us in Your likeness;

That the light of Christ might be seen today In our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us Lord, full obedience, Holy reverence, true humility Test our thoughts and our attitudes In the radiance of Your purity.

Your majestic love and authority. Words of power that can never fail; Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority. Words of power that can never fail; Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord and renew our minds; Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time, That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises; And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, ‘til Your church is built, And the earth is filled with Your glory.

9 July, 2017 Tough Decisions

Moral choices in a Post-truth Culture

What is “post-truth”? What does post-truth look like? How do we deal with a post-truth culture?

Meaning of “Evangelical Free” Our “foundational principles” EFCC character and “calling” Statement of Faith

8. God’s Gospel compels us to Christ-like living and witness to the world

Christ-like living? God’s expectations Our response

Christ-like living?

Without competing choices there is no moral dilemma. Unknown

Psalm 37 5Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

15 …you must worship Christ as Lord of your life… 1 Peter 3 (NLT) 15 …you must worship Christ as Lord of your life…

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 1 Peter 3 (NKJV) 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Romans 12  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice…

…present your bodies a living sacrifice…

to place a person or thing at one's disposal ……present your bodies a living sacrifice… to place a person or thing at one's disposal

……present your bodies a living sacrifice… to place a person or thing at one's disposal to present a person for another to see and question

……present your bodies a living sacrifice… to place a person or thing at one's disposal to present a person for another to see and question to present or show

a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, Romans 12  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Christ-like living? God’s expectations

Walk Wisely

1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children… Ephesians 5 1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children… 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Live wisely Redeem the time Understand the will of the Lord Be controlled by the Holy Spirit Encourage and strengthen one another Be grateful to God for all things

his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’ Ezekiel 33 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them… his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

Christ-like living? God’s expectations Our response

What Next? Be intentional in all of our ways!

the rest of the Gentiles walk What Next? no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk …put off the old nature

the gospel of God’s grace. What Next? Our Character: We will do this by putting aside the prevailing values of our time and replacing them with the radical demands of the gospel of God’s grace.

…let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes What Next? …let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes …put on the new nature

Be sensitive to His work around us. What Next? Be sensitive to His work around us. Serve Him!

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21