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Pressures Christians Face 2 Corinthians 1:8; 4:8 Presented by Chris Reeves * Rocky Point church of Christ Gospel Meeting * September 11, 2007

Pressures Faced By Christians! “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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2)

Pressures Faced As A Christian To Be Dishonest with Others

Warnings: “You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:35-36) “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38)

To Be Dishonest with Others Christians Must Be Honest “Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12) Honorable means, “beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life, and hence praiseworthy; morally good, noble” (Thayer)

Christians Must Be Honest “Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble- aiming to be above reproach- in the sight of every one” (Romans 12:17; Amp. NT) “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3)

Pressures Faced As A Christian To Compromise The Truth To Be Dishonest with Others

To Compromise The Truth  Just your interpretation  We’re all going to heaven, just going by a different way  Doesn’t really matter, just as long as you are sincere  Not a salvation issue  Do many things for which we have no authority

To Compromise The Truth “That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits (Isaiah 30:9-10) “They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You shall have peace”’; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you” (Jeremiah 23:17)

To Compromise The Truth Must Stand For The Truth “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2) “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13)

Pressures Faced As A Christian To Be Dishonest with Others To Compromise The Truth Be Inconsistent In Life

 Influence of the world  Co-workers pressure us to do sinful things  Family and friends can lead us astray

Be Inconsistent In Life Some Who Were Inconsistent “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matthew 23:3) “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written” (Romans 2:21-24)

Be Inconsistent In Life Results Of Such Inconsistencies  Called hypocrites (Matthew 23:13,14,15,23,25,27,29)  Name of God is blasphemed (Romans 2:24)  God will vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16) “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:16)

Be Inconsistent In Life We Must Be Consistent! Paul As A Model “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20) “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)

Pressures Faced As A Christian To Be Dishonest with Others To Compromise The Truth Be Inconsistent In Life To Be Pleasers Of Men

 Many efforts today are to please men  Our efforts should be put forth to please God

To Be Pleasers Of Men Pleasing Man Should Not Be Our Aim “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10) “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)

To Be Pleasers Of Men Pleasing God Should Be Our Aim “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9) “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God” (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Be Pleasers Of Men Results Of Seeking To Please Man  We cannot please God  I would not be a bondservant of Christ (Galatians 1:10)  Then I can not be saved

Pressures Faced As A Christian To Be Dishonest with Others To Compromise The Truth Be Inconsistent In Life To Be Pleasers Of Men To Be Nominal In Service

 Easy to become lax  Drifting and apathy is a real danger

To Be Nominal In Service Warning About Becoming Nominal “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1) “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16)

To Be Nominal In Service We Are To Be Devoted “Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22) “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)

Pressures Christians Face To Be Dishonest with Others To Compromise Truth To Be Inconsistent in Life To Be Pleasers of Men To Be Nominal In Service