Recovering from Spiritual Narcissism – Part 7
A narcissist, who is also passive aggressive, will rarely ever confront someone directly because he does not want to change and take ownership of his problems; it is much easier to blame others.
A narcissist, who is also passive aggressive, will rarely ever confront someone directly because he does not want to change and take ownership of his problems; it is much easier to blame others.
In this lesson we will study the story of the rich man and Lazarus and notice: 1) The characters, 2) The circumstances, 3) The cries of the rich man, 4) The conclusions of the story. Each listener should be able to understand the story, repeat it, and explain it. I hope to to familiarize everyone with this story and teach its lessons so as not to fall into similar circumstances as the rich man.
Discontentment is a lack of faith. In 1 Timothy 6:17 Paul writes, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” God is the greatest giver and He gives richly all things to enjoy; let’s be content with Him.
In the Old Testament, God makes provision for His people to rest. The Jews did not work on the Sabbath day; they were required by God to rest. Exodus 20:8-10 states, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…. In it you shall do no work….”
Jesus died on the cross because God loved the world enough to sacrifice His own Son for the world’s salvation. Each listener should be able to explain how God’s love motivated Him to sacrifice His Son, Jesus. Jesus died on the cross because 1) God is a God of Love, 2) The World Needed True Love, 3) The Son Demonstrated that Love. I hope that the listener would understand God’s motives in sending His Son to die on the cross.
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Peter uses a metaphor that is not familiar to us. “Gird up your loins” refers to the act of pulling up one’s tunic, tying a belt around it, and preparing to walk.
Lack of patience can also cause us to use our tongues incorrectly saying things that we should not say. Sometimes a person may feel like he just must say something. He feels awkward when there is silence among others.
The only reason that I know that God created mankind was because He wanted to demonstrate His love and goodness toward all even those who would reject Him, and He must have thought that this was worth demonstrating for His own character’s sake and because some of mankind would be saved.
We should love the law of God because: 1) It Gives Us Understanding, 2) It Makes us Upright, 3) It is Uplifting. Each listener should understand what spiritual benefits come from loving the law of God as set forth in Psalm 119:97-104. I hope that each would renew their love for God’s law.
Christian unity is based upon Christian teaching. We are united as Christians and without the teaching we are not Christians. This teaching is summarized in the list of seven “ones” in Ephesians 4:4-6. Each person should understand that for us to have unity as Christians we must adhere to the same standards of Christian teaching.
The kingdom of God is composed of people not expected by men because 1) Men judge based on appearances only, 2) Men do not believe in God’s mercy and grace, 3) Men Make Cheap Sacrifices thinking that will be pleasing to God. Each listener should understand that it is God who sets the standard for who enters His kingdom, not us. I hope that we would seek to understand what God’s standard for the kingdom is so that we can conform to it being a people that doesn’t judge based on appearances, that show true mercy and grace to others, and that understand that we must make real sacrifices.
Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven of sin. Forgiveness means that 1) Every person has an opportunity to be forgiven. 2) God no longer holds our sins against us, 3) We have a standard upon which to forgive one another. Each listener should know what he needs to do to obtain forgiveness, where that puts him in a relationship to God, and to his fellow.
What will be the fate of the rest? “But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” (Ezekiel 11:21-22).
God has made extraordinary efforts to encourage humanity to repent. In this lesson, we will look at how Revelation 8-9 teach this truth through the limited judgments that God has used on the earth. The hearer should understand that the world is designed in such a way as to bring suffering humanity to repentance for their sins, and that when we don’t repent, we create great suffering in our lives. I want to teach Revelation 8-9 and show the relationship of these verses to the Old Testament prophets and their call for people to repent.