Pastor/Teacher - Jim Rickard Pastor/Teacher - Jim Rickard Tuesday, November 10, 2009Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Grace Fellowship ChurchGrace Fellowship Church

www.GraceDoctrine.orgwww.GraceDoctrine.org

DoxologyDoxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;Praise Him, all creatures here below;Praise Him, all creatures here below;Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.—Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.—Amen.Amen.

Memory VerseMemory Verse Deut 6:4, Deut 6:4,

“Hear, O Israel! “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, The LORD is our God,

the LORD is one!”the LORD is one!”Mark 12:29 Mark 12:29

John 14:27bJohn 14:27b

How do you measure How do you measure yourself?yourself?

Our Lord is comparing the Our Lord is comparing the everlasting peace, everlasting peace,

happiness and prosperity happiness and prosperity that He gives to us versus that He gives to us versus the fleeting and temporal the fleeting and temporal provisions or status the provisions or status the

world gives.world gives.

KOSMOSKOSMOS ““worldworld” or “world order” ” or “world order” = Satan’s Cosmic System.= Satan’s Cosmic System.

DIDOMAIDIDOMAI What the world repeatedly What the world repeatedly

gives or provides.gives or provides.

False standards! False standards!

PrinciplesPrinciples::

1) “T1) “The world” is an he world” is an organized system for organized system for

recognizing merit, ability, recognizing merit, ability, success, wealth, benefit, etc.,success, wealth, benefit, etc.,

… … as well as creating as well as creating standards by which you standards by which you

must live or you measure must live or you measure yourself by.yourself by.

2) It includes various false 2) It includes various false systems or means of systems or means of obtaining peace and obtaining peace and

security, to the exclusion security, to the exclusion of God. of God.

3) The KOSMOS has a way of 3) The KOSMOS has a way of providing things that are providing things that are

attractive and wonderful to the attractive and wonderful to the flesh, because they are things flesh, because they are things that people either want, desire that people either want, desire

or are attracted to.or are attracted to.1 John 2:15-171 John 2:15-17

Virginia Woolf stated, Virginia Woolf stated, “The beauty of the world “The beauty of the world

has two edges, one of has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, laughter, one of anguish,

cutting the heart asunder.”cutting the heart asunder.”

4) It has a system of giving 4) It has a system of giving greatness, success, wealth, greatness, success, wealth, various types of prosperity various types of prosperity

and recognition, peace, and recognition, peace, happiness, security, etc., all happiness, security, etc., all

of which feed our Sin of which feed our Sin Nature’s lustful desires.Nature’s lustful desires.

5) We desire the things of 5) We desire the things of the world from our Sin the world from our Sin Nature, whether we are Nature, whether we are

operating in arrogance or operating in arrogance or self pity.self pity.

a) In arrogance we desire a) In arrogance we desire for greatness, success and for greatness, success and approbation, wanting to be approbation, wanting to be

kings over our own kings over our own fiefdom.fiefdom.

b) In self pity we desire to b) In self pity we desire to have what others have and have what others have and

feel sorry for ourselves feel sorry for ourselves because we don’t have. because we don’t have.

6) The world dangles these 6) The world dangles these false promises in front of false promises in front of us, tempting to provide us, tempting to provide

greatness or security if you greatness or security if you obtain them.obtain them.

7) The world creates the 7) The world creates the illusion that you must have illusion that you must have

these things and they these things and they become standards by become standards by

which you measure your which you measure your value or worth, or peace value or worth, or peace

and security. and security.

8) It assigns perceived 8) It assigns perceived value, something you want value, something you want

today, that it can give to today, that it can give to you.you.

(Ex. Socialism and (Ex. Socialism and Communism)Communism)

9) Once these standards are 9) Once these standards are established, each person established, each person begins to measure their begins to measure their

value and worth, value and worth, prosperity, security, prosperity, security,

happiness, or the happiness, or the attainment of them.attainment of them.

10) If you measure 10) If you measure yourself from the yourself from the

KOSMOS, you are KOSMOS, you are utilizing the devil’s utilizing the devil’s

standards and not God’s. standards and not God’s.

11) In contrast, what 11) In contrast, what comes from God is true comes from God is true value and worth having. value and worth having.

Phil 3:16, Phil 3:16, “Let us keep living by that “Let us keep living by that same standard to which we same standard to which we

have attained.”have attained.”

2 Tim 1:13-14, 2 Tim 1:13-14, ““Retain the standard of sound Retain the standard of sound

words which you have heard from words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are me, in the faith and love which are

in Christ Jesus. Guard, through in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,

the treasure which has been the treasure which has been entrusted to entrusted to youyou.”.”

Grace Fellowship ChurchGrace Fellowship ChurchTuesday, November 10, 2009

Tape # 09-079

How Do You Measure Yourself?

Upper Room Discourse, Part 311

John 14:27b

James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2009