1 Chronicles 29:13-15 "Now therefore, our God, We thank You and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope. (1 Chronicles 29:13-15 NKJV)

Are We Changing?

Are We Changing? NO! Not the source of our teachings Ps. 19:7-9; Is. 55:8-9; Job 38:36; Gen. 1 Day 1 Light Day 2 Sky and sea Day 3 Land Day 4 Sun, moon Day 5 Life in sky, sea Day 6 Life on land I. No A. Not the source of our thinking 1. Why would we when what we have is perfect, sure, right, pure, enduring, true, righteous Ps. 19:7-9; Js. 4:12 2. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God, a superior thinker? Is. 55:8-9 OR Job 40:6-14 3. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God, who created our ability to think? Gen. 1:27 instantly able to speak, understand, name the animals, feel lonely, recognize loneliness was solved, continue to learn. 4. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God who has proven His wisdom in human history? a. creation Gen. 1:1, 27 b. types and shadows Animal sacrifice: Many religious groups have, and do, continue this practice but no religious group has a reason for it like is seen in God’s use of it (Heb. 10:1) c. prophecies Zech 6:12-13 what Jew, of their own wisdom, would have predicted, and preserved it in writing, that “the BRANCH” would be priest and king? Other prophecies said the BRANCH would come from Jesse (Judah) while a priest had to come from Levi. 5. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ is superior to what the Jews had Heb. 8:5-7 B. Not the source of our practice 1. What we have is the commandment of the Lord 1 Cor. 14:37 2. What we have tells us the original practices of the original Christians Acts 2:38, 42; 11:26 (1 Pet. 4:11) why weren’t they called Catholics, Methodists, or Baptists? 3. What we have tells us that the original Christians were the church (of Christ, of God) Acts 8:1; Rom. 16:16; 1 Thess. 2:14 simple ways God identified His people—can we have better ideas? 4. What we have tells us how they worshiped, how they found leaders, how they obtained and used money, how they treated each other, and how God viewed what they did. What needs to be changed? C. People have, and are, changing in every one of these ways: following feeling, false info

Are We Changing? NO! Not the source of our teachings Ps. 19:7-9; Is. 55:8-9; Job 38:36; Gen. 1; Heb. 10:1; Zech. 6:12-13; Heb. 8:6-7 Not the source of our practices 1 Cor. 14:37 (Acts 2:38; 11:26; 8:1; Rom. 16:16; 1 Thess. 2:14) - How they were saved - How they worshiped - How they identified leaders - How they obtained and used money - How they viewed marriage, work, others I. No A. Not the source of our thinking 1. Why would we when what we have is perfect, sure, right, pure, enduring, true, righteous Ps. 19:7-9; Js. 4:12 2. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God, a superior thinker? Is. 55:8-9 OR Job 40:6-14 3. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God, who created our ability to think? Gen. 1:27 instantly able to speak, understand, name the animals, feel lonely, recognize loneliness was solved, continue to learn. 4. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ from God who has proven His wisdom in human history? a. creation Gen. 1:1, 27 b. types and shadows Animal sacrifice: Many religious groups have, and do, continue this practice but no religious group has a reason for it like is seen in God’s use of it (Heb. 10:1) c. prophecies Zech 6:12-13 what Jew, of their own wisdom, would have predicted, and preserved it in writing, that “the BRANCH” would be priest and king? Other prophecies said the BRANCH would come from Jesse (Judah) while a priest had to come from Levi. 5. ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ is superior to what the Jews had Heb. 8:5-7 B. Not the source of our practice 1. What we have is the commandment of the Lord 1 Cor. 14:37 2. What we have tells us the original practices of the original Christians Acts 2:38, 42; 11:26 (1 Pet. 4:11) why weren’t they called Catholics, Methodists, or Baptists? 3. What we have tells us that the original Christians were the church (of Christ, of God) Acts 8:1; Rom. 16:16; 1 Thess. 2:14 simple ways God identified His people—can we have better ideas? 4. What we have tells us how they worshiped, how they found leaders, how they obtained and used money, how they treated each other, and how God viewed what they did. What needs to be changed? C. People have, and are, changing in every one of these ways: following feeling, false info

Are We Changing? Yes! Growing stronger Acts 16:5 1. Thinking Rom. 12:2 2. Practice Js. 2:14-20

Are We Changing? Yes! Growing stronger OR Growing weaker 1. thinking 1 Tim. 6:20 2. practice Col. 2:22-23 II. Yes A. Growing stronger by changing to fit God’s word Acts 16:5 B. Growing weaker by changing from fitting God’s word 1. thinking Col. 2:8 (1 Tim. 6:20); 3:2 a. philosophy = “fond [friend] of wise things” Serious about having good ideas, clear thinking b. vain philosophy, false knowledge = reject the Bible, quote one verse and ignore other related verses, twist the part of the Bible I do use, claim “everyone sins, so don’t worry about mine” 2. practice Col. 2:22-23 a. the doctrines and commandments of men will either be more strict or loose than God’s d & c are and there’s always an explanation. b. loose- “God didn’t say not too...” vs doing what He said; “It makes me happy” vs love of God 1Jn.5:3. c. strict- “The tradition/creed of my church says...” (pray to Mary); unnecessary/invented conclusion (inf baptism in Acts 16 “household”) C. Who “we” are is changing---consider why+ some aren’t here 1. Age and health, death, work, refused to lead family, refused to leave worldly influence, rejected all faith, returned to former habits, beliefs, practices. 2. What does this tell us we need to do before “we” change again for one of these reasons? 1 Thess. 5:14 a. Do we warn the unruly The longer they persist, the harder it is to persuade them to return or to even have an opportunity to speak with them. Avoid our society’s thinking “Live and let live.” God said “warn.” b. Do we comfort (encourage) the fainthearted Whether their burden is failing health or other hardships in life, they need to learn from or be reminded by you God’s plan for their type of burden, especially if you’ve carried that burden before (2 Cor. 1:3-4). If they are not comforted, they will become unruly. c. Do we uphold (support) the weak i. We can be weak in many ways, and Paul doesn’t specify an certain type (knowledge of what they ought to do, courage to do what they know, endurance to continue, etc). ii. Our job is to identify the weakness and seek to provide strength so they do not become unruly. d. Are we patient with all every individual is different i. we have all started the race with differing degrees of knowledge and strength (Paul v most in Corinth) ii. there is some variety in the opportunities and abilities we have, which affects growth and strength iii. We must invest the time necessary to identify spiritual needs and the best way to meet them with wisdom, patience, and urgency. 3. What does the present say about the future of this congregation? a. the effects of time on age and health cannot be changed but indicates there is knowledge and wisdom—you who are older will in part determine whether the next generation learns what you have learned before you are gone. The book of Judges shows how important that is. b. will the families among us have the leadership God expects? That will shape our future, determining whether we will have more or fewer workers (= more work for the few), more or fewer young people with their zeal, and more or less influence in the community. c. will individuals among us grow in, become stagnant in, or abandon their faith? d. Most likely, we will have all of the above, good and bad. e. All you can control about us is your part-- i. if others imitated you, what would happen to our classes, assemblies, men’s meetings, SBS, gospel meetings, zeal, weak, strong? ii. we are changing—what kind of change are you contributing to?

Are We Changing? Yes! Growing stronger OR Growing weaker Who “we” are Why are some no longer with us? How must we respond to us? 1 Thess. 5:14 What does this say about our future?

Are We Changing? Turn to Christ Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:10 Return to Christ Acts 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9 Abide in Christ 2 Jn. 9