Words of Encouragement — Ajay Chakravarthy & Alan Thomas — January 8, 2023
http://rlcf.church River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The sermon draws parallels between the current times and the days of Noah, emphasizing the pervasive wickedness in the world. The central message is the necessity of remaining unspotted by the world, much like Noah, by relying on the Holy Spirit to fill the innermost being. This filling empowers believers to persevere day by day, resisting the desires of the flesh and fulfilling God's promises to finish the Christian race.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Noah found grace and walked with God in a wicked worldJust as in the days of Noah when wickedness was rampant and God's Spirit strove with man, Noah was a righteous and blameless man who walked closely with God.Genesis 6:3
Keeping oneself unstained by the worldNoah remained unspotted and untainted by the perversion around him, much like James defines pure religion as keeping oneself unstained by the world while living out the Christian life day by day.
The striving between the flesh and the SpiritThe flesh sets its desires against the Spirit, but God has given His Holy Spirit to fill our innermost being so we do not have to give in to the deeds of the flesh.
Christ did not please HimselfChrist set the ultimate example by not pleasing Himself, and through the encouragement and perseverance found in the scriptures, God grants believers the same mindset to finish their race with joy.
God's thoughts are higher than our thoughtsReflecting on a four-year-old daughter's simple plans compared to adult responsibilities highlights how God's ways and thoughts are vastly higher than our own.
Precious and innumerable thoughts toward usAs life's stressors and temptations pile up, the Psalms remind us that God's thoughts toward us are precious, good, and outnumber the sand on the shore.Psalm 139:17
Comprehending the vast love of Christ through the SpiritPaul prays that believers would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit in the inner man, enabling them to comprehend the immense breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love.Ephesians 3:14–19
