Living a Life of Contentment pt 2

II.              Mark 4:35-5:17   And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. ³⁶ And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. ³⁷ And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. ³⁸ And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? ³⁹ And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

1.      What type of storm is you in that seem so great?

2.      Is it s Doctors report, is it an economic situation, is it marriages problems, adultery, fornication, lying what is it that seems so great that your faith can’t handle.

3.      1Cr 10:11-13   ¹¹ Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  ¹² Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.  ¹³ There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

III.           How is it that you have no faith?

1.      A question like that tells you that they should have been prepared.

2.      You can ask anybody do they have faith in God. And the first thing they will say is they do.

3.      How can I tell if I have faith in God?  I will do what He says.

4.      Faith along is not enough. You have to add to your faith. 

5.      Third, Peter's heavy stress upon the importance of "these things" is phenomenal.

Þ  Note 2 Peter 1:12: Peter says that he is going to always preach these things despite the fact that the believer already knows them. But this is not all.

Þ  Note 2 Peter 1:13: Peter says that as long as he is living, he is going to stir up the believers by reminding them of these things. But this is not all.

Þ  Note 2 Peter 1:14-15: Peter says that these things are so important that he is going to see to it that the believers are reminded of them even after his death.

6.      2Pe 1:5 – 10

a.      Add "virtue": moral excellence and goodness of character; moral strength and moral courage. It means manliness; being an excellent person in life, a real man or a real woman in life; living life just like one should, in the most excellent way. It means always choosing the excellent way.

b.    Add "knowledge": practical intelligence, practical knowledge, practical insight. It means knowing what to do in every situation and doing it; it is practical, day to day knowledge that sees situations and knows how to handle them. It is seeing the trials and temptations of life and knowing what to do with them and doing it. Remember the charge: we must add knowledge to our faith. We must give diligent attention to the situations of life and figure out how to conquer them.

c.     Add "temperance" : to master and control the body or the flesh with all of its lusts. It means self-control, the master of desire, appetite and passion, especially sensual urges and cravings. It means to be strong and controlled and restrained. It means to stand against the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16).

       Þ  The believer is to know that self-control is of God, a fruit of    the Holy Spirit.

d.    Add "patience": endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, constancy, perseverance. The word is not passive; it is active. It is not the spirit that just sits back and puts up with the trials of life, taking whatever may come. Rather it is the spirit that stands up and faces life's trials, that actively goes about conquering and overcoming them. When trials confront a man who is truly justified, he is stirred to arise and face the trials head on. He immediately sets out to conquer and overcome them. He knows that God is allowing the trials in order to teach him more and more patience (endurance).

e.    Add godliness is living like God and being a godly person. It is living life like it should be lived. God gave man life; therefore, God knows what life should be, and above all things life should be godly just like God. The word "godliness" actually means to live in the reverence and awe of God; to be so conscious of God's presence that one lives just as God would live if He were walking upon earth. It means to live seeking to be like God; to seek to possess the very character, nature, and behavior of God. The man of God follows and runs after godliness. He seeks to gain a consciousness of God's presence—a consciousness so intense that he actually lives as God would live if He were on earth.

Note: godliness means to be Christlike. Godliness is Christlikeness: it is living upon earth just as Christ lived.

f.      Add "brotherly kindness": the very special love that exists between brothers and sisters within a loving family, brothers and sisters who truly cherish one another. It is the kind of love...

g.    Add "love": the love of the mind, of the reason, of the will. It is the agapē love of God, the love that goes so far...

· That it loves regardless of feelings—whether a person feels like loving or not.

                                        · That it loves a person even if the person does not deserve to be loved.

                                        ·  That it actually loves the person who is utterly unworthy of being loved.

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