BACK TO BASICS__________
INTRODUCTION
1.A disturbing trend seen too often in many churches is the
apparent apathy of many Christians
a.They may attend services , but it appears that they are only
“ going through the motions “
b.Their singing , their praying , their Bible Study , their zeal, seems
listless
c.To rephrase Thoreau : “ The mass of[ Christians ] lead lives of
quiet desperation “.
-Certainly God desires more for His children! -cf . Romans
15:13
2. I suspect the problem is one akin to an athlete or a sport team
which is “ in a slump”…
a. Such a person or team “ goes through the motions “ , but they
are not performing up to their true potential
b. The solution in sports : Work on the fundamentals!
3. The same is true with Christians ; when we nd ourselves in a
slump …
a. We need to stress the fundamentals-cf Rev 2:4-5
b. We need to get “Back to the basics !”
[ In this lesson l would like to stress some of the fundamentals or
“ basics “ that we need to get back to whenever our lives are in a
spiritual slump .ie , my rst suggestion would be to …]
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1.ENERGISE YOUR FAITH
A. DEFINING FAITH …
1.A Scriptural de nition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1
2.The NIV is helpful : “ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see .”
3.Vine describes faith as a rm conviction
4.I like to think of faith as con dent trust
B. IMPORTANCE OF FAITH …
1.Faith in God is essential to pleasing Him -Hebrews 11:6
2.Faith in Jesus is essential to nding forgiveness and eternal life
-John 8:24 John 20:30-31
3.Without faith , the only alternative is doubt accompanied with fear
-cf Matthew 14:30-31
C. ENERGISING YOUR FAITH …
1.The word of God is designed to produce faith -cf Romans 10:17
John 20:30-31
2.Through diligent reading of the Bible , we can energise our faith !
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[So when you nd yourself in a spiritual slump , pick up your Bible
and allow it to rebuild the con dent trust you once had ! It will also
help you to … ]
II. FORTIFY YOUR HOPE
A. DEFINING HOPE …
1.It is not wishful thinking , or an insecure “ l hope so”
2.Vine’s describes it as a con dent expectation
A common de nition of hope is desire plus expectation
B. IMPORTANCE OF HOPE…
1.Hope is necessary to persevere - Romans 8:25 1 Thessalonians
1:3
2.Hope is necessary for our motivation to become pure -1John
3:2-3
3.Hope is necessary to increase opportunities to evangelise-1Peter
3:15
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…Without hope, we not only lose our souls , we won’t be any good
for saving others others !
FORTIFYING YOUR HOPE …
1.The word of God was written to produce hope -Romans 15:4
a.Through its revelation of God’s dealings with man in the past, we
know God keeps His promises
b.This encourages us to expect Him to deliver on His promises for
the future
2.Peter encourages us to “ rest your hope fully upon the grace that
is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ “-1Peter
1:13
a.Where do we read of the grace that is to come when Christ is
revealed ?
b. In the Scriptures , of course !
c.Nothing forti es our hope better than those wonderful passages
that reveal the eternal destiny of the saints !
[When the athlete gets discouraged , he or she is often told to
“keep your eye on the prize !” So the Christian must do , and it is
with the aid of God’s Word that we can keep our focus where it
ought to be . Getting “ Back To The Basics “ will also include an
e ort to…]
ACTIVATE YOUR LOVE
A.DEFINING LOVE …
1.Paul gives the best de nition of love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
2.A simple de nition that is easy to remember: active goodwill
B.IMPORTANCE OF LOVE …
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1.Expressing love gives us assurance of our salvation -cf 1John
3:14 , 18-19
2.Expressing love assures us that God will answer prayers - 1John
3:22-23
3.Expressing love reassures us that we abide in God, and He in us
-1John 4:7-8 , 12,16
C.ACTIVATING YOUR LOVE …
1.Like the Thessalonians, we can be taught by God how to love -cf
1 Thessalonians 4:9
a.Jesus taught us how to love by His sacri cial life -1 John 3:16
b.God taught us how to love by giving His Son as a propitiation for
sins -1 John 4:9-11
2.Through careful mediation upon what the Bible reveals about
God’s love for us, we can activate our love for others !
IV.ENHANCE YOUR JOY
A. DEFINING JOY …
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1.The Greek word is chara, and is closely related to the word
charis
a. charis (grace ) is undeserved favour which in turn gives joy ,
pleasure , delight
chara ( joy ) , then , is the response we have to understand favour
2. I like to think of joy as the delightful response to the grace we
receive from God
B.IMPORTANCE OF JOY …
1.Joy is an essential element of what constitutes the Kingdom of
God -Romans 14:17
2.Joy lightens the burden of trials in this life -1Peter 1:6-9 Hebrews
10:32-34
3. It is often the lose of this virtue that is most evident in the lives of
many Christians!
C.ENHANCING JOY …
1.Both Jesus and His apostles gave us words whereby our joy
might be full -John 15:11 1 John 1:4
a.Once again we see the value of daily Bible study
b.Just as the Bible can…
1)Energise your faith
2)Fortify your hope
3)Activate your love
…So it can enhance your joy!
2.Jesus also stressed the importance of prayer in regards to joy
-John 16:24
a.Answered prayer certainly excites the Christian, and increases
joy!
b.So the practice of daily Bible Study , a key to getting “ Back To
The Basics !” is the habit of regular prayer
V. ENJOY YOUR PEACE
1.A.DEFINING PEACE …
Vine describes peace as harmonious relations
2.It is used to describe such harmony between …
a.Men
b.Nations
c.God and man
d.One’s own self
3.A lack of peace contributes to the “ spiritual doldrums “ that a ict
many Christians
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B.IMPORTANCE OF PEACE …
1.Another crucial element constituting the kingdom of God
-Romans 14:17-19
2.Peace with brethren contributes to receiving peace from God -2
Corinthians 13:11
3.And having peace with God has a positive e ect in our peace
with our enemies -Proverbs 16:7
C.ENJOYING YOUR PEACE …
1.Peace with God begins with justi cation found only in Christ
Romans 5:1
2.It continues to response to fervent prayer -cf Philippians 4:6-7
Just as prayer can “ enhance our joy “
3. So can prayer help us to “ enjoy our peace “ that surpasses all
understanding !
CONCLUSION
1. Faith , hope , love , joy , peace …
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a.Simple words
b.Why are they often in short supply in the lives of many
Christians ?
c.Because they neglect two fundamental tools God provides for
them
d.These tools ? The word of God and prayer !
Brethren , whenever you nd yourself in a spiritual “ slump “ , let
these two avenues of communication with God be the key to …
a.Energise your faith !
b.Fortify your hope !
c.Activate your love !
d.Enhance your joy !
e.Enjoy your peace !
4.Restoring the basic elements of the abundant life found only in
Christ is not a mystery …
a.Receive the implanted Word of God ! -James 1:21
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b.Continue earnestly in prayer ! -Colossians 4:2
It’s just that simple !
