Annual Business Meeting – 2019

Annual Business Meeting – 2019

February 27, 2019

by Rick Welborne

Who we are can be defined by what we do!

--Think about that in light of this month which is quickly coming to an end. Three Sundays have been dedicated to strong emphasis on Missions and our responsibility to send missionaries. Faith Promises.

--Your pastor started us out by giving glory to God for what we were able to accomplish thru Him in 2018. We again were able to increase the number of missionaries we support by another ten. PTL!

--Ann Marie and Steve McCarthy challenged us through their ministries in dangerous and difficult places. I personally believe if you sit through those services and not give to Missions, something in you has died.

Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
¹⁴  How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
¹⁵  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 

--I get it that not all of us are called to go to the mission field overseas somewhere. What I don’t get is how some in the church can actually believe they have no responsibility to get involved.

--These verses in Romans tells us they must be sent to preach the gospel. Our job is to send. If that was not enough, Jesus said Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone. The Great Commission.

--I want you to do me a huge favor if you decide you have no responsibility in helping fulfill the Great Commission through a faith promise. Email me or write me and explain why. Please sign your name.

rickwelborne@hotmail.com

--Maybe you think, Pastor, I am not comfortable trying to explain to you why I do not want to support Missions through Faith Promises. It may be hard to explain. I am sure it will be.

--Imagine how hard it will be to explain it to me but compare that to trying to explain it to Jesus when we stand before Him on the great Day of Judgment. I wonder if that is why He will have to wipe tears from our eyes. 

--The very next week after our Mission’s Emphasis we started our Holy Spirit Conference with Tim Enloe. If you missed this time in God’s presence and the great teaching from Tim, you missed it. 

--I actually think there are more people here tonight than there were the last two nights of our conference…not sure exactly what that says about us or our priority. 

Who we are can be defined by what we do! In my mind, we are a Holy Spirit filled Mission’s Church!

--Isn’t that what Jesus wanted back then and isn’t that what He wants for us now? You, also can be defined by what you do. I can’t make you embrace what God has sent me here to accomplish.

--I can challenge you, and that is what I will do, as long as I am pastor here…welcome Holy Spirit, walk in Holy Spirit, and touch our world through missions. 

--I am not trying to set myself up to be anything but hear me…any church I have ever attended whether as a staff member or just a lay minister, I always thought the pastor’s vision was my vision. It was mine.

--The man of God He put in my life was for me to hear his heart he received from God and then, follow what he directed us to do. Cam I tell you God always blessed me for honoring the man of God. 

--If you had a pastor who fleeced the flock, that would be one thing. You have a pastor who has heard from God about Holy Spirit and the Great Commission. This verse should define us:

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

--Holy Spirit and the Great Commission...that is who we are or who we should be. 

Who we are can be defined by what we do! In my mind, we are a Holy Spirit filled Mission’s Church!

--100% participation of Covenant members for sure…Faith Promises are available tonight. This is what 100% looks like biblically…it looks like Holy Spirit and the Great Commission.

Acts 2:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
²  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
³  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
⁴  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
⁵  And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 

The Fruit of the Spirit – 7

The Fruit of the Spirit – 7

Subject: Learning to Walk in the Fruit of the Spirit

by Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

7. The Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness.

Faithfulness - fidelity, allegiance, loyalty. constancy · devotion · trueness · true-heartedness · dedication · commitment · allegiance · dependability · reliability · trustworthiness · steadfastness · closeness · fairness · justness · truthfulness · authenticity · reliability · dependability.

--Wow! What an amazing word and what an amazing fruit of Holy Spirit. All on this list are to be desired but faithfulness is one that is most important to me personally. Think of family and friends…read again.

--As you read through the list of the Fruit of the Spirit…who do you see? You see Jesus! That is why it is so imperative for us to have this fruit in our lives…so others will see Jesus!

--I think all of us want to be surrounded by people who exhibit all of these qualities (fruit) but please keep this in mind…you must lead with the seed.

--We know the Word of God says we reap what we sow…if you want fruit, start planting the right seed…start giving away what you want to come back to you.

Faithfulness - here used for fidelity—punctuality in performing promises, conscientious carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust, in restoring it to its proper owner, in transacting the business confided to us, neither betraying the secret of our friend, nor disappointing the confidence of our employer. Adam Clarke's Commentary.

Faithful - means loyal, full of faith or trust; firmly and resolutely staying with a person, group, cause, belief, or idea, without waver, despite the circumstances. 'Faithful' is said to be much more often used about dogs than people. SpiritHome.com

--Faithfulness sets us apart from other people. Faithfulness separates: the successful from the failures, the finisher from the quitter, the responsible from the irresponsible, the mature from the immature, the righteous from the sinful.

--You have grown up and are living in a society that is unfaithful. The tabloids are filled with stories of unfaithfulness; Hollywood marriages, divorces and love affairs are glamorized and sensationalized for all to see.

--It seems that it is just part of the system that our politicians all have shady pasts when it comes to faithfulness. Before we get to judgmental, the church has had its share also.

--We can even find the society’s acceptance of unfaithfulness at the card shop. Visit a Hallmark store, “when you care enough to send the best,” and you can find cards that fit the unfaithful style of our day. 

--One card in the love and sweetheart section reads, "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today." I suppose you could even put that on an anniversary card! That’s about as deep a commitment as some are willing to make.

--I’m glad God promises us more than just today!

Psalm 100:5 (NIV)
⁵  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

--When it comes to faithfulness one thing you can know for sure; GOD is faithful. God will never turn His back on you; God won’t abandon you. God will never take advantage of you or mistreat you. God will be faithful!

--So what is faithfulness? Let me ask you what does faithfulness mean? What word would you use to describe faithfulness? Authenticity. Truthful. Real. Accurate.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines faithfulness as “adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person cause or idea.” 

--Faithfulness is a stick-to-itiveness that won’t be broken; faithfulness is the “superglue” of the heart that holds fast and won’t let go. Faithfulness means following through with your commitments regardless of what it costs.

Throughout this series on the fruit of the Spirit, I have described each as an expression of love. Love is the blossom; without love it is impossible for the fruit to develop. The fruit of the Spirit begins and ends with love.

Joy is love rejoicing. Patience is love enduring. Peace is love trusting - resting. Kindness is love serving. Goodness is love extending. Faithfulness is love proving. Gentleness is love touching. Self-control is love restraining.

--Faithfulness is love proving. Faithfulness is love that hangs on to the end; it’s love that won’t quit. Faithfulness is not just a one-time display; faithfulness proves itself over and over again. 

--Faithfulness is a lifestyle of consistent dependability; it’s the superglue of the heart that won’t let go. What does faithfulness look like?

A. Faithfulness is Jesus. 

--If you want to see faithfulness lived out in the day to day life of someone look at Jesus. If you are going to live a faithful life, then live your life just like Jesus.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (NLT2)
¹⁷  Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
¹⁸  Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

--Jesus lived His life with unwavering commitment and faithfulness. He didn’t quit or throw in the towel when things got hard; His love for us was steadfast and true. 

--Jesus remained true to His commitment regardless of the cost—Jesus loved us to death, and beyond! 

--Not only did Jesus go to the cross to lay down His life for our sins, He was resurrected to life so that we might be able to live with Him. The faithfulness of Jesus continues. He will never be unfaithful to us.

2 Timothy 2:10-15 (NLT2)
¹⁰  So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
¹¹  This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.
¹²  If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.
¹³  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
¹⁴  Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.
¹⁵  Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 

--Jesus is faithful and true. Jesus shows us how to live faithfully – to adhere with firm devotion to God and to have an unbreakable commitment for one another.

B. Faithfulness in you and me.

--But what will faithfulness look like in you and me? Above all else be faithful, but what does that mean? How will you recognize faithfulness when you see it? How will you know when you are living a life of faithfulness?

Four characteristics of faithfulness:

1. The faithful hold onto Truth.

--You need to have an unshakeable tenacity that will not let go of truth. Opinions may change; values may differ, but truth remains the same. What is true for you is true for me, and what is true for me is true for you.

--Our society wants us to believe truth is relative, that there is no absolute truth. Do you notice the contradiction in such a belief? How can you claim absolutes don’t exist with an absolute statement?

Revelation 2:24-29 (NLT2)
²⁴  “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
²⁵  except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
²⁶  To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
²⁷  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
²⁸  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
²⁹  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. 

--Values are relative; values will differ from person to person or culture to culture. Truth is absolute; truth is the same for all of us, so hold on to truth.

--At one time Americans valued the wisdom of older people; we respected those who had gone before us. 

--However today we are more likely to look up to the young. At one time we valued discipline and respect; children were expected to act in a certain way. 

--In many oriental cultures children are still expected to behave in certain ways, and disobedience has definite consequences. Yet for us discipline and respect is no longer held as an important value. 

--Instead of teaching discipline and respect we diagnose children with ADD and medicate them with Ritalin.

Values change, not always for the better. Truth remains the same. If you are going to be faithful, then hold on to truth.

--What are some basic truths we should all hold onto? Let me quickly share with you five basic truths I will never let go of. These are truths you should take with you throughout your life.

A. The Bible is the authoritative guide for how to live.

B. Jesus Christ is the only hope for salvation.

C. People are more important than things.

D. God owns everything and loans it to us for a short time.

E. What happens in me is more important than what happens to me. Holy Spirit!

2. The faithful persevere through difficulty.

--Essentially you can make four basic responses to difficulty in your life. Only two are the right kind of responses. You can give up and be crushed. You can whine and complain. You can pray victoriously. 

--You can endure and refuse to give up.

Luke 18:1 (NIV)
¹  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

3. The faithful keep their commitments. 

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)
²¹  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

4. Faithfulness makes a fresh start.

Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV)
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. 

2019 - The Great Commission

2019 - The Great Commission

Subject – Let’s Make It Personal

by Rick Welborne

Isaiah 64:1‑12 (NKJV) 

1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence‑‑ 

2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil‑‑ To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! 

3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence. 

4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. 

5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned‑‑ In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. 

6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 

7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 

8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 

9 Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look‑‑we all are Your people! 

10 Your holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 

11 Our holy and beautiful temple, Where our fathers praised You, Is burned up with fire; And all our pleasant things are laid waste. 

12 Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O LORD? Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely? 

1. To fulfill the Great Commission you must come to a place of personal crisis. 

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) 

6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. 

Crisis - a crucial stage at which future events are determined.

–By what you decide to do with this mission’s convention...by that, I mean it can determine your future, our missionaries’ future, and those they will reach.

–Life Church members and faithful attenders, you may find yourself at a crucial stage- a change and the future is what is at stake...I am speaking of personal crisis and responsibility.

–You may have been distracted, possibly negligent, desperate - a new day - a new future.  God sent me tonight to tell you, your future is not what it used to be. It can be awesome!

–Do you suppose it was a time of personal crisis in my life the first time God dealt with me about pastoring a great mission’s church, how about when I first became pastor of Life Church, and the first thing God wanted me to plan was a mission’s convention?

–Did these decisions set my course...did it set the course of Life Church...when I realized I was responsible to do something about the lost everywhere...it moved me to action.

–Two examples - Judas (Crisis) - Accomplished nothing - Peter - Crisis - led thousands...

2. To fulfill the Great Commission you must come to a place of personal contact. 

Isaiah 64:7 (NKJV) 

7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 

–In the midst of your crisis you must purpose in our hearts to wait on God...to call on Him…to take hold of Him

–Many of you have been waiting on God - you know He has a plan...don’t let go!

–You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness -Missions - right thing to do...it is the obedient thing to do.

5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways.

–You cannot stir yourself and take hold of God and not be consumed with a passion for the lost...not possible because you will have His heart.

–If we are not supporting missions - He is not on our minds - we are not experiencing His heart - disobedient.

–We need to be set free from our apathy & negligence of the Great Commission...Pastor, He has not laid Missions on my heart...does He have to when it is in His Word?

3. To fulfill the Great Commission you must come to a place of powerful confrontation.

Isaiah 64:1, 8 (NKJV) 

1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence‑‑ 

8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 

–Life Church, it is God rending the heavens and coming down for us...for you! It is surrendering into the Potter’s hand in your crisis and while you wait on Him.

–It is a road to Damascus experience - a wrestling with an angel - a Brownsville.

It is an undeniable experience with the living God confirmed by a changed life.

–You cannot have a powerful confrontation with God and not love missions...not care for the lost here and on foreign soil.

–An obedient church and obedient individuals to the Great Commission - blessed- powerful confrontations ...they set themselves up for encounters with God for themselves and for those in their lives.

4. To fulfill the Great Commission you must come to a place of persistent commitment. 

Isaiah 64:7 (NKJV) 

7 And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;. 

–It is Him increasing in our lives and us decreasing.  Persistent faithfulness. Commitment. It is persistently calling on His Name (lost) and stirring ourselves to reach out.

2 Timothy 1:6‑12 (NKJV) 

6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 

9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 

10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 

11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 

12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 

–It is passionate discipline born out of a powerful confrontation with Him...please catch the vision of the great commission...the Godly vision:

Godly vision - the power to see beyond our limitations.  

\

Helen Keller - What’s worse than being blind?  Having eye sight but no vision.

Vision:  1.the ability to see. 2. The faith to believe. 3. The courage to do. 4. The hope to endure.   

–Life Church, can you see it? Do you have faith to believe it? Do you have the courage to do it? Do you have a willingness to endure what God commands?

Isaiah 64:4 (NKJV) 

4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. 

–I don’t know about you but I want God working or acting on my behalf...He will.

–Why be obedient?  Why have hope?  Why be persistently committed to Him? Jesus confronted our sinfulness and lost-ness and defeated it...Wow!  My freedom is worth me giving it all!

Romans 5:5‑10 (NIV) 

5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 

7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 

10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 

–We give faithfully because of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. We love Him because He first loved us.

–We obey Him because He was obedient to die for us on the cross...Phil.2

5. To fulfill the Great Commission you must come to a place of passionate communion.

–Passionate communion makes us cry with Isaiah:

Isaiah 64:1 (NIV) 

1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! 

–Passionate communion will make us tremble in Your presence (1-3), it will help us recognize the awesome things you have done (3), it will help us know that you act on behalf of those who wait on you!

–When we have passionate communion You gladly help us (5) and when we need to be remolded or re-made...You are the Potter and we are the clay...we become moldable. (8)

–When we have passionate communion You help us see what is important: Paul saw it:

Philippians 3:8‑11 (MSG) 

8 Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ 

9 and be embraced by Him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness. 

10 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. 

11 If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it. 

–I know it is not the American way of explaining our relationship with God especially when it comes to the Great Commission:

1. Paul said, “My love for Christ and His love for me is worth me eliminating things in my life that aren’t good.”  You fill in that blank.

2. Paul said, “My love for Christ and His love for me is worth me changing my priorities.”  Maybe 2019 is when you make Missions a priority and not just a token.

3. Paul said, “Nothing is more important than knowing Christ and partnering with Him in reaching the world.”

4. Paul said, “Nothing is more important than making sure others experience the same resurrection power that I have experienced!”

Mission’s Convention – 2019

Mission’s Convention – 2019

Faith Promise Challenge

by Rick Welborne

Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
¹⁴  How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
¹⁵  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 

First, do you believe Jesus has told us to go into the whole world and to preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations?

Second, do you believe the message or the heart of your pastor when he tells you that God sent him here to build a great missions church? Did God really speak that to me? Can you trust the man of God He has sent to you?

Third, would there be power in unity if we all came on board with this vision and this dream?

The Fruit of the Spirit – 6

The Fruit of the Spirit – 6

Subject: Learning to Walk in the Fruit of the Spirit

by Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

--We have already looked at the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and kindness…tonight we will be looking at goodness. 

6. The Fruit of the Spirit - Goodness

Goodness – the state or quality of being good. Moral excellence, virtue. Kindness, generosity. Excellence of quality. The best part of anything. Essence or strength.

Biblical goodness - in man, goodness is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.

--From this Biblical definition of goodness I see three things I want us to look at. A Deliberate Preference of Right, A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil, and The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

A. A Deliberate Preference of Right. 

--It sounds like God expects us to make a willful choice to do what is right and what is virtuous in His sight…really what is in His Word. Paul says it like this. Look at the different translations.

Ephesians 5:7 (NKJV)
⁷  Therefore do not be partakers with them. 

Ephesians 5:7 (NCV)
⁷  So have nothing to do with them.

Ephesians 5:7 (NIV)
⁷  Therefore do not be partners with them. 

Ephesians 5:7 (NLT2)
⁷  Don’t participate in the things these people do.

--If we will walk in righteousness and if we will have the fruit of the Spirit ‘goodness’ we will have to be deliberate in all of our ways and all of our choices. 

--As far as people who are choosing to do evil and to live contrary to God’s will and Word, we must not partake with them, we must have nothing to do with them, we must not be partners with them, we must not participate with them. 

--Probably the thing that has been most difficult to understand as a pastor is seeing people who know better, partake, fellowship with, become partners with, participate with people walking in darkness. 

--If that is not enough, they try to convince me that God is okay with what they are doing because now is their time to be happy and to enjoy life. 

--Please show me in the Bible where God gives any of us a pass to live anyway we want to and have the audacity to think or believe God is okay with that. Come out from among them and be separate says the Lord! Remember:

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT2)
¹⁹  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
²¹  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

--Maybe we should pause and ask this very important question…why or what would be our motivation to make a deliberate choice or to have a deliberate preference to do what is right?

Ephesians 5:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  Therefore do not be partakers with them.
⁸  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…

--As a believer, do I really have to ask why I need to be deliberate about living for God and doing what is right. Paul says here…You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord!

--Well, Pastor Rick, I did not go down a rebellious road, I didn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs…I didn’t mess around and I was raised in church all my life. Congratulations! I am truly happy for you.

--Please understand that all of us are still in darkness until Jesus comes into our lives whether raised in church or out in the world raising hell!

 Psalm 18:28 (NIV)
²⁸  You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 

--So because I was once darkness and because God has turned my darkness into light, I should make a deliberate choice or have a preference to do what is right.

--God deserves all the glory and deserves for me to want to or prefer to follow Him instead of the things of this world. One brought me liberty and freedom while the other held me in chains of darkness. 

Psalm 37:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
²  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
³  Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
⁵  Commit 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.
⁷  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;  

B. A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil

Ephesians 5:11-14 (NLT2)
¹¹  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
¹²  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
¹³  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,
¹⁴  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

--I looked up the word ‘Resistance’ and I think it is applicable to what we are saying tonight:

Resistance - the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. Synonyms: opposition to · hostility to · aversion to · refusal to accept. The ability not to be affected by something, especially adversely.

--Verse 11 says take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. In other words, we refuse to accept them or comply with them. We oppose them…we refuse to accept them.

--I am so afraid that the Church has bought into this idea of tolerance and hate speech. We are not to confront anyone with their evil ways, and if we do, it is hate speech. Ridiculous! The Bible says to expose them.

--Resistance to evil is not just doing the evil but also talking about evil and sin with great affection…¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

--We have all heard people talk about their past with such longing that they sound like Israel when God brought them out of Egypt…they complained so much that God killed some with fire. They continued.

Numbers 11:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat?
⁵  We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
⁶  but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!"

--Careful, Christians, when you say that Jesus, the Bread of Life is not enough to satisfy the desires of your heart and you start looking back at the world desiring to go back. 

--It takes tenacity and fortitude to resist the evil of our day. We and our children, our grandchildren are being attacked from so many directions. Our advancement is technology has made us vulnerable. 

 James 4:4-10 (NLT2)
⁴  You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 

⁵  What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?
⁶  But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
⁷  So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
⁸  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 

⁹  Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 

¹⁰  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. 

--Many seem not to understand this principle of God but nevertheless it is true…God will help us through whatever we are facing but we have to work with Him…we have to do our part. He will if you will! Absolute!

--It takes us humbling ourselves, it takes us resisting the devil, it takes us drawing near to God, it takes us having clean hands, it takes us having pure hearts, it takes us being broken and repenting…this is our part!

--God’s part…to give favor to the humble, to come close to you, and to lift you up! See how we work with God at resisting evil and drawing near to Him. As we do, He comes running!

C. The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

--The choosing and following of that which is good leads us to a place where we need to just Stop It! Video

--If you have been noticing we have referred back to the Apostle Paul in Eph. 5 again and again. Paul is showing us in these verses how to have the fruit of the Spirit…goodness!

--Goodness as a fruit of the Spirit is A Deliberate Preference of Right, A Persistent Resistance of all Moral Evil, and The Choosing and Following of that which is Good. 

Ephesians 5:14-20 (NLT2)
¹⁴  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
¹⁵  So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
¹⁶  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
¹⁷  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
¹⁸  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
¹⁹  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
²⁰  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--Paul is saying ‘Wake up!’ What a great message for the church! Christ will give you light that will lead you to goodness. Be careful how you live…don’t live like fools…the fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

--Give thought to the will of God for you. Don’t be intoxicated by this world but be filled with Holy Spirit! Be a worshiper, Give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Find goodness!

--Choose to be filled with Holy Spirit and to walk in the fruit of the Spirit – goodness!