Living Water Baptist Church Living Water Baptist Church

Proverbs 15:1-4

According to Proverbs 15:1-4, there is a contrast between what comes out of the mouth of the wise person and what comes out of the moth of the fool. The contrast is seen in 3 areas of a person's speech.

I. The Tone of Your Words

    -HOW you Speak

      A. The Wise "a soft answer"

      B. The Fool "grievous"

II. The Content of Your Words

    -WHAT you Speak

    A. The Wise "Knowledge"

    B. The Fool "foolishness"

III. The Intent of Your Words

    -WHY you Speak

    A. The Wise "Wholesome"

    B. The Fool "Perverseness"

1 Timothy 2:1-4 gives us two reasons as to why prayer, and particularly, prayer for the lost, should be a top priority matter for us as a church and as individuals.

I. Pray because of God's command (1-2).

A. The first question is how?

1. It doesn't just happen.

2. It involves variety.

B. The second question is for whom?

1. We're to pray for all men.

2. We're to pray for authority figures.

C. The third question is for what?

1. We desire the opportunity to live quiet lives.

2. We desire the opportunity to live godly lives.

II. Pray because of God's character (3-4).

A. Remember who He is: God our Savior (3).

1. Prayer is the right thing to do.

2. Prayer pleases God.

Remember what He desires: to save people (4).

1. Do God's desires affect the way I pray?

2. Do God's desires affect the way I live? Implication: The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

In Malachi 1, we are exposed to two pieces of evidence that indicate when we are giving

God the leftovers in our lives.

Two pieces of evidence that we give God the leftovers in our lives…

1. The first evidence is when we cheapen the love of God (1-5)

2. The Second evidence is when we cheapen the worship of God (6-14)

How do we do this?

A. It happens when we dishonor God’s name (6)

B. It happens when we defile God’s altar (7-14)

i. By our actions

ii. By our attitudes

Conclusion: What is God’s response to our leftovers?

1. He is not pleased (10)

2. His ultimatum is clear: Be authentic or be cursed (14)

Philippians 2:1-11

Main Idea: In Philippians 2:1-11 we find out what happens when the gospel shapes the way we view Christmas.

I. Consider what Christmas meant for Jesus (6-11).

A. He denied Himself (6).

1. He is the essence of God.

2. He is equal with God.

B. He demoted Himself (7).

1. He took the essence of a servant.

2. He became a man.

C. He deprived Himself (8).

1. He exhibited ultimate obedience.

2. He died on a cross.

D. He was exalted by God (9-11).

1. The ultimate purpose of the incarnation isn’t our gain.

2. The ultimate purpose of the incarnation is God’s glory.

II. Consider what Christmas should mean for us (1-4).

A. Because God became a man, we have resources (1).

B. Because God became a man, we have responsibilities (2-4).

1. We are to think right about each other (2).

2. We are to do right towards each other (3-4).

3. We are to resemble Christ with each other (5).

Application: A couple of questions…

1. Do I really believe the Christmas story?

2. Am I really living like it?

Lamentations 2

This verse emphasizes the importance of looking at suffering from God’s perspective. To do so, this lamentation teaches us to engage in three vertical activities when suffering hits.

I. We need to see the Lord in our suffering (1-12).

A. Jeremiah shared that the Lord brought about this destruction (1-8).

1. He destroyed Zion’s splendor (1).

2. He destroyed Zion’s kingdom (2).

3. He destroyed Zion’s power (3).

4. He destroyed Zion’s beauty (4).

5. He destroyed Zion’s palaces (5).

6. He destroyed His temple (6).

7. He destroyed His altar (7).

8. He destroyed Zion’s wall (8).

B. Jeremiah shared the results of this destruction (9-10).

1. He took away their king (9a).

2. He took away their Law (9b).

3. He took away their joy (10).

C. Jeremiah shared how it affected him (11-12).

1. He grieved (11).

2. He grieved most for the children (12).

II. We need to help others see the Lord in their suffering (13-19).

A. Jeremiah verbalized what his people were feeling (13).

B. Jeremiah verbalized what went wrong (14).

1. They had preachers who told them what they wanted to hear.

2. What they needed were preachers who would expose their sin.

C. Jeremiah verbalized what their enemies were saying (15-16).

D. Jeremiah verbalized what the Lord had just done (17).

E. Jeremiah verbalized what his people needed to do (18-19).

1. You need to repent.

2. You need to pour out your heart to the Lord.

3. You need to pray for your children. III. We need to talk to the Lord about what we see (20-22).

A. Jeremiah asked for the Lord’s attention.

B. Jeremiah affirmed that the Lord’s anger got their attention.