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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=120 BGCOLOR="#9999FF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04a76ba3.gif"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="42b6e480.gif" border=0 width="110" height="72" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Statements Of Faith"><U> Statements Of Faith</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directions"><U>Directions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Louis Radio"><U>St. Louis Radio</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fridaynight Meetings"><U>Fridaynight Meetings</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Partners"><U>Partners</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=105 BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04b76bc1egdyqn.gif"> <div> <I><B><U>Riches In Christ</U></B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B><A HREF="default.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Riches In Christ"><U><B> home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id236.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MP3 Free Audio"><U><B>MP3 Free Audio</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" About This Ministry "><U><B> About This Ministry </B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ministers Pastors"><U><B>Ministers & Pastors</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Order Tapes"><U><B>Order Tapes</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Study Outlines "><U><B>Study Outlines </B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Symbol" ><B>   ·   </B></FONT><B>Current Radio Lesson</B></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=375 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" >Current Radio Lesson</FONT> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Times New Roman" > <a href="HTMLobj-2183/tcc770.pdf"><u>Respond Don't React</u> </a>  </FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ></FONT><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ></FONT> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ></FONT><U>Click Title above to download this lesson in a PDF file.</U> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT></div> <div>   </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="832" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 4065 WIDTH="820"><bR> <bR> <div> RESPOND, DON'T REACT</div> <bR> <div> A.     Introduction:  Life in this world is difficult for all of us.  In this series of lessons we are going to discuss      how to respond to the hardships of life in a way that will result in glory to God and good for you.</div> <div>      1.     When hardships come our way, people -- including Christians -- have a tendency to react rather than                respond to the trouble.</div> <div>           a.     To react means to act in opposition to a force or influence, to move or trend in a reverse direction.                 When you react to something, that "thing" is in control, that "thing" is determining how you act.</div> <div>           b.     To respond means to make an answer, to say something in return.  When you respond, you answer                     the situation with words and actions based on knowledge of God's word.</div> <div>      2.     The storms of life destroy many people -- including Christians.  In Matt 7:24-27 Jesus spoke of two                     houses, both of which encountered a horrific storm.  One house survived.  The other did not.  The                     difference between the houses was their foundation.  One was built on a rock, the other on sand.</div> <div>           a.     Jesus likened hearing and doing His words (the word of God) to building a house on a rock.  v24--                    Puts them into practice (Phillips). Whoso hears and acts accordingly (Rieu).</div> <div>           b.     Jesus certainly meant obeying God's specific commands such as don't lie, don't steal, don't                          fornicate, don't get drunk, don't cheat, don't mistreat others, etc.  But it means more than that.  It                     means that what God says dictates how you think, talk, and act in your situation.</div> <div>      3.     When hard times come, people want a "word" from God, meaning a prophecy that tells them how to                stop their problem right now.  But, it doesn't work that way.   </div> <div>           a.     Most of the time, your answer is not "a word from God", but "the word of God", the written word                     of God -- The Bible.  The written word of God is your guidance as you live your life. </div> <div>                1.     Ps 119:105--Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me, and keep me from                               stumbling. (Living Bible)</div> <div>                2.     Prov 6:22--When you go, [the Word of your parent's God] it shall lead you; when you sleep, it                     shall keep you, and when you waken, it shall talk with you. (Amp)</div> <div>           b.     Jesus likened one who can stand through and survive a storm to one who has built a house on a                     solid foundation.  Building a house involves a process that brings many elements together.  You                     won't have strength to stand the storms without systematic study of the written word of God.</div> <div>                1.     Prov 24:3--Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house [a life, a home, a family] built, and                          by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation]. (Amp)</div> <div>                2.     Wisdom comes from the word of God. Prov 2:6; Prov 3:19 (Heb 11:3; Gen 1)</div> <div>                3.     Ps 119:169--Let your word endow me with perception. (Jerusalem); Ps 119:24--Your decrees                          are my delight and your statutes are my counselors. (Jerusalem)</div> <div>      4.     Prov 24:10 says that if you faint (become discouraged and disheartened) in the day of trouble your                     strength is small.  If you fall to pieces in a crisis (Message Bible), fail under pressure (New Living),                 you have too little strength (Beck), your strength is not very great (New Living).</div> <div>           a.     I John 2:14 says strength comes through knowledge of God's word.  You are strong because God's                word abides in you, is treasured in your heart (Norlie); you have a hold on God's truth (Phillips).</div> <div>                1.     Ps 119:92--If Your law had not been my source of happiness, I should long ago have been                          engulfed by my miseries (Harrison).</div> <div>                2.     Ps 119:143--I will never forget your principles, for through them You have kept me alive.                          (Harrison); I will never lay aside your laws, for you have used them to restore my joy and                               health. (Taylor).  The "word" the psalmist refers to is the first five books of the Bible.</div> <div>           b.     God's word is the armor that enables us to stand our ground in the day of trouble.  Ps 91:4--His                     faithful promises are your armor. (Living Bible)     </div> <div>                1.     Eph 6:13--For this cause take up the complete armor of God in order that you may receive                          power to withstand (Rotherham) and be found still on your feet when the task is over (Knox).</div> <div>                2.     Ps 119:165--Those who love your laws have great peace of heart and mind and do not                               stumble. (Living Bible)</div> <div>      4.     In this lesson we want to lay a foundation for our discussion as we begin to consider from the word of                God how we can respond rather than react to life's challenges in a way that will insure maximum glory                to God and maximum good to as many people as possible.</div> <bR> <div> B.     Let's begin by discussing some critical mistakes people make when troubles come their way.</div> <div>      1.     In the hard times people make the mistake of trying to figure out what God is doing by looking at their                circumstances.  You cannot look at circumstances to figure out what God is doing.</div> <div>           a.     Acts 28:1-6; Ex 13:17,18; Josh 9:3-15--In each of these cases, looking at circumstances to try to                     figure out what was going on produced erroneous conclusions.</div> <div>           b.     God has told us to walk by faith and not by sight (II Cor 5:7).  If He were to lead you or speak to                     you through circumstances that you can see, God would be contradicting His own word.</div> <div>                1.     The only 100% reliable source of information we have about God, from God, is His written                          word.  Just because circumstances don't always tell you what is going on doesn't mean you                          can't know exactly what is going on.  God's word tells you what is going on!</div> <div>                2.     You may not know the specifics, but, as we study the Bible, we can see some general                               principles by which God works in every circumstance.  If you know those principles, you can                          respond to your situation rather than react.</div> <div>      2.     In the challenges of life, people often can't tell the difference between what God is doing and what the                devil is doing.  It is in the written word of God that we find out what God is doing and how He works,                as well as what the devil is doing and how he works.</div> <div>           a.     We can boil it down to a four-word statement:  God good, devil bad.  If there is something in your                     life and it is bad, you can be certain, based on the written word of God, it did not come from God.</div> <div>           b.     Difficult circumstances are not the work of God.  They are part of life in a sin-cursed earth, an                     earth that has been adversely affected by sin, beginning with Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden.</div> <div>                1.     Rom 5:12--When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race.  His sin spread death                               throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die. (Living Bible) </div> <div>                2.     Adam's sin brought the curse or consequence of death into the world. Gen 3:17,18; Matt 6:19</div> <div>                3.     Satan became the god of this world (II Cor 4:4; Luke 4:6) and he goes about as a roaring lion                          seeking to kill steal, and destroy (I Pet 5:8; John 10:10). </div> <div>           c.      God does not send or cause the hardships of life.  He uses them and causes them to serve His                          purposes -- maximum glory to Himself and maximum good to as many people as possible.</div> <div>                1.     People have free will.  Part of that freedom includes the consequences of choices we all make.                2.     Because of God's foreknowledge He knows what people are going to do before they do it, and                     He is able to work their choices into His plan and bring genuine good out of genuine evil.                          Rom 8:28; Eph 1:11</div> <div>      3.     When difficulty comes our way, people tend to ask, "Why?  Why is this happening?".  Although "why"           is an understandable question, it is not the best question to ask.</div> <div>           a.     The Bible is not a book of "why" so much as it is a book of "what to do now".  Knowing "why"                     doesn't necessarily solve the problem.  You still need to know "what to do".</div> <div>           b.       In John 9:1-4, the disciples wanted to know "why" this man was born blind.  In Jesus' answer, in                     the Greek, the verb directs attention away from "why" to "what to do" -- heal the man. (Carson)</div> <div>           c.     Often at the root of the question "why" is an accusation against God that He has been unfair to us                     by allowing this difficulty in the first place.  Such thinking undermines your confidence in God                     and work against your ability to respond rather than react in the time of trouble.</div> <bR> <div> C.     Life in a sin-cursed earth is hard and you must know how to respond to the difficulties it presents.</div> <div>      1.     This is how God's word says to respond to the trials of life:  James 1:2--Consider it pure joy, my                     brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. (NIV)</div> <div>           a.     Consider means to account or think of in a certain way.  Joy comes from a verb that means to be                     cheerful (or calmly happy), to rejoice.  Fall has the idea of fall into something that is all around.</div> <div>                Temptation means trials.     </div> <div>           b.     In other words, when we encounter one of the many trials that are all around us, we are to look at it                or think of it in a certain way.  We are to consider it an occasion to rejoice.</div> <div>                1.     This is not an emotional reaction to the situation (II Cor 6:10).  To rejoice means to respond                          with praise.  You can feel joyful, but you can also be joyful.  </div> <div>                2.     Praise is the appropriate response to the situation.  It is always appropriate to praise the Lord.</div> <div>           c.     To praise means to list the virtues and the accomplishments of someone or something.  To praise                     God means to acknowledge (take notice of--Webster's Dictionary) God by listing His virtues and                     His accomplishments.</div> <div>      2.     James 1:3 goes on to say:  Respond with praise because you know some things.  There are many things                you need to know in order to respond to life with praise to God.  (We'll get to as many as we can in                this series).</div> <div>           a.     Since to praise means to list the virtues and accomplishments of someone or something, the first                     thing we need to know about God in order to respond to troubles with praise is what He is like and                how He works.  </div> <div>           b.     Praise to God is a response based on knowledge of His person (His character) and His works.                           1.     Ps 107:21,22--Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to                          the children of men.  Let them make thank offerings and declare his works with shouts of joy.                          (NAB).</div> <div>                2.     Heb 13:15--Through Jesus, then, let us continually offer up to God the sacrifice of praise, that                          is, the tribute of lips which acknowledge his name. (NEB)   God's names are revelation of His                     character and His works --Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Nissi, etc. </div> <div>      3.     We are told to respond to life's challenges with praise because praise stops the enemy and opens the                way to God's salvation in the situation.  </div> <div>           a.     In Ps 8:2 David said there is a strength that can still the enemy and stop the avenger.  In Matt                          21:14-16 Jesus tells us that strength is praise to God.  </div> <div>                1.     The children were praising God for His works expressed through Jesus when He healed the                          lame and the blind.  Hosanna means "Oh save Lord".  It was an exclamation of adoration. </div> <div>                2.     At the Feast of Tabernacles the priests chanted Psalms 113-118.  At intervals, the people                               would respond with Ps 118:25.  Tabernacles celebrated God dwelling with His people.</div> <div>                3.     The children who praised Jesus that day were acknowledging that God was with them.</div> <div>           b.     God is present with us when trouble strikes.  Praise acknowledges His presence and opens the door                to His power.  Ps 50:23--He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so                     that I may show him the salvation of God. (NIV)</div> <div>      4.     Christians have difficulty praising God in the face of hardships because they lack knowledge or have                misinformation about what God is like and how He works.  We all know Nehemiah 8:10--The joy of                the Lord is your strength.  Are you familiar with the context of that verse?</div> <div>           a.     Israel had returned to their land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon.  The walls of Jerusalem had                     been rebuilt and the people, under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, were re-establishing the                     traditions given to them by God in the Law of Moses.</div> <div>           b.     All the people gathered and stood from early morning until noon as Ezra read the Law of Moses to                them.  As he read, the Levites went among the people to explain what was being read. v5-8</div> <div>                1.     The people began to cry.  This is the first time many of them have heart the word of God.</div> <div>                2.     Ezra told them not to cry, but to rejoice. v10--It is a time to celebrate with a hearty meal, and                          to send presents to those in need, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.  You must not be                          dejected and sad!! (Living Bible)</div> <div>           c.     The context of their rejoicing is knowing and understanding the word of God because it has been                     explained to them.  That is where their strength (and ours) comes from.</div> <div>      </div> <div> D.     Conclusion:  Let's briefly consider an example of praising or acknowledging God in the face of a trial --      when David      fought Goliath.  In I Sam 17 the Philistines came against Israel and David triumphed by the           power of God.</div> <div>      1.     Where did David get the idea that he could kill a giant?  He got it from the word of God.</div> <div>           a.     David had the example of people who failed to defeat their enemies and possess God's promised                     land -- that first generation that came out of Egypt. Num 13,14</div> <div>                1.     David could read their story and see they thought God was their problem (Num 14:3).  They                          focused only on what they could see without taking God's word into consideration (Num                               13:28-33).  They did not call God's past help to memory (Deut 1:30).</div> <div>                2.     Only Joshua and Caleb acknowledged God and only they went into the Promised Land. </div> <div>                     Num 13:30; Num 14:6-9</div> <div>           b.     David had God's promise of provision and protection in numerous passages:  Lev 26:1-13 and Ps                     91:14-16.  David saw, not just God's works, but His character, expressed toward His people in                     passages such as Deut 1:31; 2:7; Deut 7:6-9; Deut 32:10-14; etc.    </div> <div>      2.     When David faced the giant Goliath, David acknowledged God -- he professed the virtues and                     accomplishments of God. v34-37; 45-47</div> <div>           a.     Notice, there is no hint of "Why is this happening?" or "What is the Lord trying to show me?" in                     David's response.  He saw the situation clearly:  God good devil bad.  This was an uncircumcised                     idol worshipper coming against the armies of the living God. v26</div> <div>           b.     He acknowledged God as his salvation and his deliverer.  He recalled God's past help as well as                     His present protection.</div> <div>           c.     When Saul and Goliath tried to point out how, according to sight, David was ill-equipped to win                     the battle, David looked past what he could see to God His salvation present with him. v33,38,42</div> <div>           d.     David knew Gen 50:20 -- that God can take genuine evil and bring genuine good  out of it.  The                     sword that Goliath carried on to the field that day to kill David, in the hand of God, became the                     instrument of David's deliverance.</div> <div>      3.     Praise stops the enemy and prepares the way for God to show His salvation.  If we can learn to respond                to the challenges and hardships of life by acknowledging God, we can overcome even in the most                     difficult trials -- instead of reacting based on what we see and feel.</div> <div>           a.     You cannot respond with praise unless you accurate knowledge from the Bible of what God is like                     and how He works.  In the upcoming lessons we are going to take time to find out.</div> <div>           b.     Then, we can truly praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of                     men.  We can acknowledge the invisible God and His invisible help and expect to see tangible                     results.</div> <div>           </div> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <div>             </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id40_m.htm" TITLE="Current Radio Lesson"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <div>  <script language="javascript" src="http://www.dataplain.com/cgi/js_counter.cgi?kannady"></script>  </div> <bR> </div></td> </tr></table></body>