Jeremy Utley - Regarding The Things God Considers Praise Worthy

Jeremy UtleyMarch 7, 201714mWatch on YouTube

Speaker: Jeremy Utley Title: Regarding The Things God Considers Praise Worthy Date: 03-05-2017 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The central message is that Christians are called to become an exact reflection of Jesus Christ, a process involving personal purity and corporate church life. This transformation requires more than just abstract hope; it demands actively praying and desiring to be like Christ. Practically, this means proactively guarding one's focus by choosing to dwell upon things that reflect righteousness and integrity, rather than being absorbed by worthless things.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

Jesus calls us to follow himThroughout the gospels, Jesus repeatedly calls his disciples not just to walk after him physically, but to live as he is living.

God is working to make us like JesusRomans 8:28-29 explains that God works all things together for the purpose of conforming us to the image of His Son.Romans 8:28–29

Transformation into the image of ChristSecond Corinthians 3:18 shows that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image by the Spirit.

Overcoming our lack of desire and faithIf the entire Godhead agrees on our transformation and we are not changing, the problem lies in our own belief and our lack of desire to be like Christ.

Praying to be made like JesusWe must actively pray for God to shape our desires and make us like Jesus Christ, aligning our hearts with His intent.

Jesus loved righteousness and hated lawlessnessHebrews 1:9 states that Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows because he loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.Hebrews 1:9

Setting no worthless thing before our eyesPsalm 101 teaches us to guard our eyes, set no worthless thing before us, and reject the work of those who fall away.Psalm 101:2–3

Proactively seeking those who walk in the blameless wayInstead of merely avoiding bad content, we must proactively seek out and let ourselves be ministered to by those who walk in the blameless way.

Looking at the author, not just the contentRather than just checking content for objectionable elements like curse words, we must examine the character and life of the author who created it.

Dwelling on things worthy of praisePhilippians 4:8 commands us to dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.Philippians 4:8

What does God find praiseworthy?God's definition of praiseworthy is not based on worldly acclaim or awards, but on whether something is made with the motivation to bring Him glory and honor.

Establishing a wall of separation in our homesJust as there is a wall of separation between Babylon and Jerusalem, we must maintain a wall of separation in our homes and media consumption to foster a love for righteousness.

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Jeremy Utley - Regarding The Things God Considers Praise Worthy

Jeremy Utley · March 7, 2017 · 14m

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