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• Topic 4: Work Ethic, continued:
  • Nehemiah 6:15-16- God will bless work that we do with Him and for Him.
    • Some of the work that Christians need to busy themselves with today:
      • Teaching others (Acts 8:1-4
      • Keeping God’s commandments (Colossians 3:5-10
• Topic 5: Optimism
  • Ezra 3:8-13 - Although many of the Israelites were discouraged that the new temple was not as majestic as the original temple, they had much to be optimistic about.

• Report of work in Rammstein, Germany
  • Location
  • Spiritual condition in Germany
  • Challenges of the work
  • People of the church
• Does God just want you to be happy?
  • II Timothy 3:12
• Blaming God?
  • For my temptations
    • How can God create me and then tell me I can’t indulge in my desires?
    • That is a misunderstanding of God’s purpose in putting us here.
    • We must be careful about making up our own standards for behavior.
    • James 1:12-15 - God does not tempt us.
  • Making choices
  • It is Satan who tempts us
• Obtaining true happiness
  • Loving God (Matthew 22:36-40
  • Resisting sin (I John 2:15-17
  • Being obedient (I John 5:2-3
    • God wants us to have true, lasting happiness by obeying HIm.

• What do I seek?
  • John 6:26
• Will I get discouraged?
  • John 6:41
  • Jesus was trying to get them to understand that He was there to feed their souls. Many were offended at what He had to say, got discouraged, and fell away.
  • There will always be grumblers. We can be like the apostles who stuck with Jesus even though they didn’t understand everything at first?
  • We must prepare ourselves to stand against those who discourage us.
• Am I a student of God’s word?
  • John 6:45
  • John 12:47-50 - Jesus’ word is the criteria by which we will be judged.
  • John 7:45-46 - Jesus’ teaching was unique.
  • John 8:30-32 - If we follow Jesus’ words, we are His disciples.
  • Romans 1:16 - We will not be saved apart from God’s word.
  • John 8:24 - The plan of salvation.

• I Peter 3:7 - Live with your wife as if she is weaker. Honor her as Christ honored the church when He gave Himself for her.
• I Peter 3:8 - We are to all live in a kind and harmonious way with each other.