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Lessons
For Christian Ladies
This
Series Of Lessons Was Taught By
Mrs.
James Modlish
The
Great Cover-Up
Introduction:
The older you become,
the more interested you are in covering things
up...wrinkles, saddlebags, gray hair, etc. Madison Ave.
has done a stellar job in marketing products to help you "cover up" your flaws. But here's a different look at
"covering." (1 Peter 4:7-8)
I. Those with a
multitude
[1].
Lesson only of interest to those who sin. The rest of
you will have to tune out until refreshment time!
[2]. The best definition of sin is one give by
Susannah Wesley to her son John when he went away to
college: "Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the
tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of
God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things;
whatever increases the authority of your body over
your mind, that thing, to you, is sin."
[3]. With that in mind, those of you dreaming
about the dessert table can come back to reality!
[4]. Eternal consequences of sin
(a). We know
that the acceptance of the sacrificial atonement of
Jesus Christ eliminates the eternal consequences of
our sins. We are "blood-bought."
(b). The Bible does teach, however, that we reap
what we sow, and that our mortal body isn't changed
at salvation; it still sins. Therefore, it would
behoove us to investigate a way to lessen the
punishment for our sins and in the process, protect
our reward in Heaven. Those of you who are a little
foggy on that need to sign up for the Wed. evening
Bible doctrine class!
(c). I don't know about you, but I have a multitude
that needs covering. But what is "charity," and how
do I get it and practice it? You don't wake up one
morning and there it is...... (2 Pet. 1:5-7)
A. Building blocks of
charity....this is a PROCESS!
[1]. FAITH - the foundation of your entire spiritual
life. (Heb. 11:1) reminds us that "Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen."
[2]. VIRTUE - now here's a foreign
concept in today's society.
(a). Definition
- Moral goodness; a particular moral excellence. D.
Eisenhower once said, " Virtue is nothing but
voluntary obedience to the truth."
(b). Remember...the Bible is all truth.
[3].
KNOWLEDGE - notice you need faith and virtue
first before you can attain knowledge.
(a). It's
essential to attempt to learn your entire life.
(b). We provide many opportunities to learn about
your Bible...take advantage of them!
[4].
TEMPERANCE - Definition: Habitual moderation in
regard to the indulgence of natural appetites and
passions." "Bummer!" I think this is hinting at
controlling yourself!!
(a). This isn't
just in regard to food and drink...anything can
become an "indulgence." This is particularly
troublesome for those of us who are the obsessive,
compulsive types! Remember, a false balance is an
abomination the the Lord.
[5].
PATIENCE - A certain judge was constantly
annoyed by the sneering remarks of a certain "wise
cracking" and abusive attorney. Instead of cracking
down and silencing him, the judge would only smile and
chew his pencil, leaving people to wonder at his
patience. At a dinner someone asked why he didn't
crack down on that lawyer. The judge laid down his
knife and resting his chin in his hands said, "Up in
our town there lives a widow who has a dog which
whenever the moon shines, goes out and barks all night
at it." Then the judge quietly resumed eating. One of
the dinner guests asked, "But, judge, what about the
dog and the moon?" He replied, "Well, the moon just
kept right on shining!"
(a). Patience is
the ability to keep on shining in the midst of the
barking dogs.
(b). A man named Emerson once said, " A man is a
hero, not because he is braver than anyone else,
but because he is brave for ten minutes
longer."
(c). The art of being patient is not learned at
once.
[6].
GODLINESS - if you thought the other building
blocks were hard, you haven't seen anything
yet!!
(a). (Jonah 4:2)
- Jonah gives a concise and accurate description of
the attributes of God and includes gracious,
merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.
(b). Did you really think it would be that easy to
cover a multitude of sins???
[7]. BROTHERLY
KINDNESS - We can begin to see why the order of
these stepping stones is as it is listed in (2 Pet.).
This one is the final step on the way to the biggie,
charity.
(a). (1 Jn.
3:14) tells us: "We know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love brethren."
(b). Do you ever feel like you are hovering between
life and the funeral home? Loving the brethren is
HARD!
[8].
CHARITY - When you have conquered the previous
steps, and have a grip on these traits, you have
arrived at true charity.
(a). This level
will only be attained by the most mature Christian
for obvious reasons.
(b). Now we see why charity covers a multitude of
sins and not church attendance, writing big checks,
etc.
B. What is
charity?
Let's assume you have
reached the point where you are prepared to exhibit some
charity. Just what is it and how do you show
it?
[1]. (Rom.
12:15) - Rejoicing and weeping is a study in
contrasts.
(a). Be prepared
to genuinely celebrate the victories of others.
(b). Be prepared to genuinely grieve with those who
have suffered loss. A. Lincoln said that to ease
another's heartache is to forget one's own.
[2]. (1 Thess.
5:14-15) - There's a whole bevy of charitable
suggestions in these verses.
(a). Warn the
unruly.....be careful! Be mindful of what "unruly"
means. Recently, one of our teenage girls brought
an unsaved friend to church. They were sitting
square on the front row on Sunday morning,
listening politely to the sermon. The visiting girl
was chewing gum, which, the last time I checked,
not a federal crime. One of the men sitting behind
her, who, incidentally, is not a member of our
church, passed her a note which said in so many
words: "It is very unladylike to chew gum....you
remind me of a cow chewing her cud." Needless to
say, the girl was mortified and claimed she would
never come to church again. Through the efforts of
her saved friend and a few others, she was
persuaded to come back. There are a few things you
tolerate in a church setting in order to win a
soul; there are some things you don't. Be wise
enough to know the difference.
(b). Comfort the feebleminded - I'm not touching
this one! You figure it out!
(c). Support the weak - We are reminded in Acts
that we need to support those among us who are weak
and in so doing we will be blessed.
(d). Here's that pesky patience again!
(e). Render no evil - don't take it upon yourself
to "get even" or try to mete out a discipline on
someone. It never pays off.
(f). Follow good - I shouldn't have to explain this
one.
[3]. (Eph. 4:32)
- Kindness and forgiveness
(a). As within a
physical family, it is often easy to forget
kindness within a church family. No selfless act of
kindness is insignificant.
(b). The lady says, "Well, I will forgive her, but
I don't want to have anything to do with her!" To
which the pastor replies, "Is that how you want God
to forgive you?"
[4]. (Heb. 6:10)
- Ministering to the saints (that's you out there) is
a work of love, and God will not forget it.
(a). It is our
responsibility to minister to each other in
charity... you are not going to receive that from
the world.
(b). It is essential that we build a haven for
ourselves against the onslaught of what we deal
with outside our church body. This, of all places
should be a "safe house."
Conclusion:
These are just a few
of the examples of charity in action. The Bible is full
of them, but I was struck at how many of them dealt with
our relationship with each other within the church body.
It reminded me that often it is more difficult to show
love and concern for our fellow church member than for
those outside our body. And history will confirm that a
majority of problems within a church body begin with the
women... let's be different!
The most well-known verses
in the Bible regarding charity are recorded in (1 Cor.
13) where we are reminded that without charity we are
sounding brass and tinkling cymbal...just a lot of noise.
Please take the time to read this chapter carefully.
There is a good reason why your KJV uses the word charity
instead of love as in the newer translations. Charity is
much more difficult and encompassing. Peter has recorded
the remedy for covering a multitude of sins; he supplied
through the Holy Spirit the steps to achieving charity,
and finally, he issues the warning to those who lack it.
(2 Pet. 1:9) - blindness and forgetfulness.
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