This clip is from a sermon our older brother gave last Sunday on Proverbs 3:7-12. We encouraged him to post the video because we thought it was a terrific reminder about the danger and deception of sin.
You can listen to the audio of the full sermon here.
It was certainly no accident that we stumbled across this blog post from John Piper the morning our show aired on Focus on the Family. What a wonderful reminder that every good thing is a gift from God — and we can’t take any credit. Piper writes:
I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all. I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all. I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all. My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.
Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all. And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all. Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because
…it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Cor. 15:10)
…God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Heb. 13:21)
…he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thess. 1:11)
And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace. Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Cor. 1:31)
The interview covered the story of the Rebelution’s founding, ways our parents helped us do hard things growing up, recent Rebelution success stories, next steps for the movement, and much more. The three-day series will be broadcast next week, August 17th-19th— or Monday through Wednesday.
The daily broadcast is aired in more than a dozen languages on over 9,000 stations worldwide, heard by more than 220 million people a day in 164 countries. We are excited to see how God will use it to introduce teens and families to the message of the Rebelution—and inspire them to do hard things.
You can tune in next week on your local station (find it here, just plug in the nearest big city). But more importantly, we encourage you to use this unique opportunity to introduce family (whether parents, siblings, or relatives) and friends around the world to the “do hard things” message.
Invite them to listen in and talk to you about it later. It’s a great way to share what the Rebelution is all about, and hopefully get them excited!
Finally, join us in praying that God would cause the right individuals to hear the interview, and that His will would be done as this movement spreads.
We stumbled across this list on our friend Steve’s blog, and thought it was so helpful we wanted to share it with you. Read it carefully. Print it out if you can, and meditate on it frequently. May the Lord grant us the proper motivation in our fight against sin — and may we all walk in the victory that Christ purchased for us on the cross.
35 REASONS NOT TO SIN
Because a little sin leads to more sin.
Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
Because my sin saddens the godly.
Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
Because my sin may influence others to sin.
Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
Because my sin is adultery with the world.
Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
Because to sin is not to love Christ.
Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.
Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it’s own.
Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.
There are many reasons given for why someone else (i.e. not you, not me) should do something to help the needy and oppressed. However, being only five-years-old probably tops the list of effective cop-outs. But five-year-old Phoebe wasn’t looking for an excuse — and helped raise $34,000 to feed the hungry. Which makes you wonder: What if we stopped looking for excuses too?
(July 28) - Phoebe did something “really big” that raised more than $30,000 to feed poor families in San Francisco last June.
The 5-year-old girl expressed a desire to help feed the needy after seeing a man begging for food through the window of her parents’ car when they passed him by during her daily ride to preschool.
Phoebe set a goal to raise $1,000 to feed needy residents by collecting cans.
Her teacher, Kathleen Albert, told her the dollar amount was a “bit ambitious” for a 5-year-old, but the Phoebe was determined.
She was especially encouraged after talking to officials at the San Francisco Food Bank. They told her several agencies had pledged to provide $9 in food for every $1 donated to the food bank.
Albert helped Phoebe draft a letter to the school’s alumni asking for canned food donations and matching cash gifts. The response was overwhelming. Her stash piled up as donors delivered bags full of cans and checks to help her meet — and far surpass — her goal.
Phoebe’s once overambitious goal seems minuscule compared to the check for $3,736 she gave to Paul Ash, the executive director of the San Francisco Food Bank. With matching donations from the charity’s large network, Phoebe’s donation will result in $33,624 worth of food — or 17,971 meals — for the city’s hungry.
“We get many gifts of this size, but with this one it’s a real emotional boost,” says Ash. “I’m going to be speaking to a bunch of lawyers tonight, and I’m going to tell them about her. I’ll say, ‘If Phoebe, 5 years old, can raise $3,700, we as adults can do more than we’re doing.’”
“I think it is very important to teach children to give back to the community,” Albert said. “I see so many adults who walk around and have no idea of that. It doesn’t matter your wealth, you can still give back. It teaches kids that small donations can add up to big donations.”
