Sermon Central
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Foundations Of A Strong Spiritual Life
Contributed by Dr. Stanley Vasu on Aug 21, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is a fascinating study about the foundations of a stong spiritual life namely 1.LOVE 2.FAITH 3.WISDOM 4.GRACE 5.HOLINESS 6.WILL OF GOD 7.HOLY SPIRIT
FOUNDATIONS OF A STRONG SPIRITUAL LIFE
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OUTLINE
1.LOVE
2.FAITH
3.WISDOM
4.GRACE
5.HOLINESS
6.WILL OF GOD
7.HOLY SPIRIT
THE MESSAGE
FOUNDATIONS OF A STRONG SPIRITUAL LIFE
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1.LOVE
Love is a very important foundation of a strong spiritual life. The greatest commandment for us to follow is to love God with all our heart and to love others as we love ourselves. Our hearts must be filled with divine love for God and people. If we lack this love all our spiritual activities will be in vain. This love will produce godly qualities in our life such as patience , kindness , humility etc. We must understand the fullness of God’s love for us . This will fill us with great inner strength especially when we deal with unloving people. The Apostle Paul was deeply rooted in the love of Christ and he was certain that nothing could separate him from the love of Christ.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 22 : 35-40
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Romans 13 : 8-10
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I Corinthians 13 : 1-13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
2.FAITH
Faith is a very important foundation of a strong spiritual life. We can accomplish great things through our faith in God. We can get answers to our prayers when we pray in faith. We live by faith and we would lose great blessings if we lose our faith. We cannot please God without faith. We must strong in faith even before we see the manifestation of the promises of God because we walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the shield which protects us from the fiery attacks of the devil. We must be strong in faith to overcome the attacks of the enemy and inherit the promises of God in our life .
