Living a Life Reflecting Christ's Teachings

Devotional

Day 1: Living a Life Reflecting Christ

The early church's devotion to the apostles' teachings was not merely about acquiring knowledge but about embodying a life that mirrors Christ's character. This life is marked by humility, gentleness, patience, and love, steering clear of murmuring and complaining. By adopting these virtues, believers can experience a richer, more joyful life, free from the burdens of negativity. The apostles' teachings serve as pathways to a life filled with unity, peace, and joy, as believers align themselves with God's promises. [01:23]

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a situation where you often find yourself complaining. How can you approach it with humility and love today, reflecting Christ's character?

Day 2: Spiritual Growth Through Diligence

Spiritual growth requires the same diligence and training as physical exercise. Just as athletes train to improve their performance, Christians are called to imitate those who inherit God's promises through faith and patience. This intentional pursuit helps avoid spiritual dullness and allows believers to experience the fullness of God's promises. By committing to this spiritual discipline, believers can cultivate a vibrant and dynamic faith life. [06:18]

"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." (Hebrews 6:1, ESV)

Reflection: What specific spiritual discipline can you commit to this week to grow in your faith and avoid spiritual dullness?

Day 3: Embracing God's Abundant Promises

God's promises in Christ are abundant and affirmative, offering believers peace, joy, and a more abundant life. By partaking in the divine nature, Christians can escape the world's corruption caused by sinful desires. This participation in the divine nature is not just a future hope but a present reality that transforms how believers live daily. Embracing these promises allows believers to live in the fullness of God's grace and peace. [09:05]

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to embrace God's promises more fully, and how can you begin to do so today?

Day 4: The Power of Words in Godliness

Training in godliness involves learning to discern good from evil and guarding one's speech. Words have the power to build up or destroy, and believers must ensure their speech aligns with God's will to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. This vigilance in speech is not just about avoiding sin but about embracing the fullness of life that God offers. By doing so, believers maintain the flow of His life-giving presence within them. [19:51]

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your recent conversations. How can you intentionally use your words to build others up today?

Day 5: Living a Set Apart Life

Living a life set apart from the world allows believers to experience God's promises fully. By embracing a holy, God-centered life, Christians maintain the flow of His life-giving presence and live as His children. This separation from the world's common ways is not about isolation but about living in a way that reflects God's holiness and love. The early church's devotion to these teachings serves as a model for believers today to train themselves in godliness and reap the spiritual rewards. [34:21]

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to live a life set apart for God, reflecting His holiness and love?

Sermon Summary

In Acts 2:42, we see the early church's commitment to the apostles' teachings, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This wasn't just about absorbing information; it was about learning how to live a life that reflects Christ. The apostles taught that Christians should live without murmuring or complaining, embodying humility, gentleness, patience, and love. These teachings are not mere commands but pathways to a richer, more joyful life. By putting away negative behaviors, we open ourselves to the dynamic spiritual promises of unity, peace, and joy that God offers.

The pursuit of these promises requires diligence and training, much like physical training in a gym. Hebrews 6:11-12 warns against spiritual dullness and encourages us to imitate those who inherit God's promises through faith and patience. The promises of God in Christ are affirmative and abundant, offering us peace, joy, and a life more abundant. As Peter writes, these promises allow us to partake in the divine nature, escaping the world's corruption caused by sinful desires.

Training in godliness is essential. It involves learning to discern good from evil and guarding our speech. Our words have the power to build up or destroy, and we must be vigilant in ensuring our speech aligns with God's will. This training is not just about avoiding sin but about embracing the fullness of life that God offers. By doing so, we avoid grieving the Holy Spirit and maintain the flow of His life-giving presence within us.

The call is to live a life set apart, not mingling with the world's common ways but embracing a holy, God-centered life. This separation allows us to experience God's promises fully and live as His children. The early church devoted themselves to these teachings, and we are called to do the same, training ourselves in godliness and reaping the spiritual rewards.

Key Takeaways

1. The early church's devotion to the apostles' teachings was about living a life that reflects Christ, characterized by humility, gentleness, and love. This commitment leads to a richer, more joyful life, free from the burdens of murmuring and complaining. [01:23]
2. Spiritual growth requires diligence and training, much like physical exercise. By imitating those who inherit God's promises through faith and patience, we can avoid spiritual dullness and experience the fullness of God's promises. [06:18]
3. God's promises in Christ are abundant and affirmative, offering peace, joy, and a more abundant life. By partaking in the divine nature, we can escape the world's corruption caused by sinful desires. [09:05]
4. Training in godliness involves learning to discern good from evil and guarding our speech. Our words have the power to build up or destroy, and we must ensure our speech aligns with God's will to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. [19:51]
5. Living a life set apart from the world allows us to experience God's promises fully. By embracing a holy, God-centered life, we maintain the flow of His life-giving presence and live as His children. [34:21]
** [34:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Introduction to Acts 2:42
[00:54] - Apostles' Teachings on Christian Living
[02:22] - Reasons for Apostolic Teachings
[03:22] - Unity and Spiritual Promises
[05:34] - Pursuing God's Promises
[06:49] - Affirmation of God's Promises
[08:12] - Multiplication of Grace and Peace
[09:23] - Partaking in the Divine Nature
[11:19] - Training in Godliness
[12:41] - Spiritual Gymnasium
[14:23] - Training for Godliness
[16:09] - Guarding Our Speech
[19:51] - Power of Words
[22:18] - Healing Through Speech
[34:21] - Living a Set Apart Life

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Acts 2:42
Hebrews 6:11-12
2 Peter 1:2-4

---

Observation Questions:

What were the four key practices the early church devoted themselves to according to Acts 2:42? How did these practices reflect their commitment to living a life that reflects Christ? [00:09]
In Hebrews 6:11-12, what warning does the writer give about spiritual growth, and what does he encourage believers to do instead? [06:18]
According to 2 Peter 1:2-4, what are the promises given to believers, and how do they enable us to partake in the divine nature? [09:05]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between guarding our speech and maintaining the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives? [19:51]

---

Interpretation Questions:

The sermon emphasizes the importance of living without murmuring or complaining. How does this align with the teachings of the apostles, and why is it considered essential for a joyful Christian life? [01:23]
What does the sermon suggest about the nature of God's promises in Christ, and how are they described as being both affirmative and abundant? [06:49]
How does the concept of training in godliness compare to physical training, and what are the expected outcomes of such spiritual training according to the sermon? [14:23]
The sermon mentions the idea of living a life set apart from the world. What does this mean in practical terms, and how does it relate to experiencing God's promises fully? [34:21]

---

Application Questions:

Reflect on your daily life: Are there areas where murmuring or complaining have become a habit? What steps can you take to replace these behaviors with gratitude and positive speech? [01:23]
Consider the spiritual promises mentioned in the sermon. Which promise resonates most with you, and how can you actively pursue it in your life this week? [06:49]
The sermon compares spiritual training to a gym workout. What specific spiritual discipline can you commit to practicing regularly to strengthen your faith and godliness? [14:23]
Think about your speech: Are there words or phrases you use that might grieve the Holy Spirit? How can you be more intentional about aligning your speech with God's will? [19:51]
Living a life set apart involves making conscious choices. Identify one area of your life where you can make a change to better reflect a God-centered life. What practical steps will you take to implement this change? [34:21]
The sermon encourages believers to partake in the divine nature. What does this look like in your everyday interactions, and how can you cultivate a deeper connection with God's nature? [09:05]
Reflect on a recent situation where you felt spiritually dull or disconnected. What actions can you take to reignite your spiritual passion and avoid spiritual dullness in the future? [06:18]

Sermon Clips

The early church continued steadfastly in doing what the apostles were teaching. That's how we need to understand this, and that I'm saying this to you so you can understand my heart. I believe we must continue in what the apostles taught every single one of us need to be put murmuring and complaining behind us forever. [01:27]

There is a greater life and a richer joy and a greater freedom in putting those things away from us because those things are harmful to relationships. They hinder the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace, and where the brothers dwell together in unity the psalms says behold how good and blessed it is where brothers dwell together in unity. [03:00]

The promises of God in Christ are abundant and affirmative, offering peace, joy, and a more abundant life. By partaking in the divine nature, we can escape the world's corruption caused by sinful desires. See what corrupts the world is the desires that are caused by sin, living in the flesh. [09:20]

Training for the purposes of fully partaking of the divine nature and fully putting away those lusts and the practices of the old man. Let's go back to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 5, and I'll explain to you this training process. Remember when I'm saying training, it's training in order that we can fully experience the beauty of the promises of God. [11:08]

When you have been in the spiritual gym, training your senses, people see it. They see kindness, they see patience, they see lowliness, they see compassion, they see self-control, they see a change, a transformation taking place. They see someone not living as a victim to their own desires but walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and in self-control. [13:11]

Guarding their speech, never murmuring or complaining in everything giving thanks, they see a radically different person than the people of the world normally live because they've been trained. They're learning the way of the spirit, they've trained their senses to discern good and evil. [13:40]

If you know God is listening, if you know God is recording your speech, you are extremely careful and guarded to not allow any unwholesome word to come out of your mouth, only what is good for building others up according to their need and it ministers grace to those who hear. [17:23]

The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. You can relationships are slaughtered by speech, homes are divided by speech, churches are split by speech, divorces happen by speech, by ugly unkind, harmful, deadly words. And here's the promise the tongue of the wise commands healing. [21:24]

We can live this way as believers as we learn to put to death old practices, train our senses to discern good and evil, guard our speech. If a thought is not coming from God, take it captive, because things happen and I don't think we realize what happens when we allow something that comes from our heart to come out of our mouth. [22:34]

The early church devoted themselves to this, this is what the apostles were teaching. I'm just going back to what the very beginning you know when it when a when a team or a sports team or a business or there's other continuing problems that someone's trying to work out when they start analyzing it you know what they usually figure out. [44:10]

They devoted themselves to what the apostles said you were to live like, and the apostles taught believers that they were to be blameless in character and conduct, that their speech was to be excellent, that they were to never murmur and complain remember that in Philippians chapter 2 do all things without murmuring and complaining that ye may become blameless and pure. [44:57]

You bless those that curse you, you do good to those that hate you, and you pray for those who despitefully use you, that you may become sons of your father in heaven because he's kind to the wicked and the ungrateful, and then Jesus said then you be perfect like your father in heaven is perfect. [46:04]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?

Living a Life Reflecting Christ's Teachings

Devotional

Day 1: Living a Life Reflecting Christ

Day 2: Spiritual Growth Through Diligence

Day 3: Embracing God's Abundant Promises

Day 4: The Power of Words in Godliness

Day 5: Living a Set Apart Life

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Living a Life Reflecting Christ's Teachings

Share