88882253 blessed-life-joyce-meyer

Teaching Notes by Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer Ministries
P.O. Box 655 • Fenton, MO 63026
636-349-0303 • 1-800-727-9673
www.joycemeyer.org
TN199
Key Decisions That Create Genuine Joy

Copyright © 2008 Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored electronically, sold, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written
consent of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.

April 17-19, 2008
Dallas, Texas
LIVING A BLESSED LIFE
The Way To Live
Foundation Scripture: John 14:6
Part One
I. Jesus Is The Way. (Not Just To Heaven, But He Came To Show Us The
Way To Live.)
A. John 14:6
B. There is “a way” to live and “a way” not to live.
C. Jesus’ ways were radically different – REVOLUTIONARY.
1. Christianity called “The Way.”
D. Revolution (defined) – A sudden radical or complete change, major
change.
1. Acts 9:2 – The Way of life determined by faith in
Jesus Christ
Christianity is walked out in a lifestyle.
2. Acts 19:23
II. A Way That Seems Right
A. We should be wise enough to examine the fruit of our lifestyle choices
(life habits).
LIVING A BLESSED LIFE 1

B. Proverbs 14:12 – The way that seems right to man ends in death.
The mind of the flesh is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit.
C. Isaiah 55:8-9 – God’s ways and thoughts above ours.
1. Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the Lord . . .
2. My ways that were not working and needed to be
committed to Him:
a. Mental habits:
1) Worry
2) Anxiety
3) Reasoning
b. Emotional habits:
1) Selfishness
2) Getting angry when I did
not get my way
3) Getting upset when things
did not go my way.
c. Works of the flesh (trying to get what I wanted,
my way, in my timing).
d. Trying to change people
e. Being negative
f. Self-pity
g. Blame
h. Living in the past

D. Proverbs 23:19 – . . .direct your mind in the way [of the Lord].
1. Romans 12:2 – Renew your mind.
2. Study – study – study.
3. Decide to live by God’s Word (His ways) and you
will eventually love the results.
III. The Broad Way Versus The Narrow Way
A. Matthew 7:13-14
1. Broad way is easy on your flesh – hard on your spirit.
2. Narrow way is hard on your flesh – easy on your spirit.
B. Broad way seems right because it feels good and is easier initially.
1. The end of it is death.
C. Hebrews 12:11 – No discipline seems joyous but painful, but it yields
peaceable fruit.
1. Are you an investor or a gambler?
2. Can’t live by emotion – must live “on purpose.”
D. Matthew 10:39 – Give up the lower life to find the higher life.
Part Two – Ways That Feel Bad And Seem Ridiculous But Turn Out Good;
Revolutionary Ways – The Law Said “An Eye For An Eye.”
I. Forgiving And Blessing Your Enemies
A. Matthew 5:43-48 – Love your enemies.
B. Luke 6:28, 30-35

C. Do it God’s way and He will vindicate you. (See Matthew 5:21-24.)
1. David’s willingness to let God vindicate him made him
a king.
a. It feels wrong, but works out good.
b. Saul spent twenty years trying to kill David.
D. Do it God’s way and He will reward you.
1. Proverbs 25:21-22
2. Isaiah 61:7-9 – You and your offspring will be rewarded.
3. Hebrews 11:6 – God rewards those who diligently seek
Him.
E. Do it your way and it ends in every kind of misery you can imagine.
1. I went to church and lived “my way.”
a. Broke most of the Ten Commandments
b. God wasn’t first.
c. I didn’t honor my parents.
d. I took office supplies.
e. I told “little lies.”
f. I coveted all the time.
g. I hated (that is murder as far as our heart
is concerned).
h. I had many idols I bowed to (being
accepted by the right people at church,
etc.)

II. Receive Mercy And Forgiveness Rather Than Making Sacrifices.
A. Hebrews 10:20 – A new and living way
1. Hebrews 10:18 – No more sacrificing
2. Old covenant system was a burden – new covenant is
a joy.
See sacrifices required (it was hard for them to let go because they were proud
of their rule keeping).
B. I John 1:9 – He forgives us continually if we repent.
1. It feels wrong not to sacrifice and try to pay, but it
produces joy.
C. Hebrews 4:15-16 – He understands and forgives.
1. We can receive help in spite of our weaknesses.
D. What kind of sacrifices do we offer?
1. Our joy – we feel sad, bad, condemned and guilty. We say
bad things about ourselves.
2. Good works to pay for our sin.
3. It works with people but not with God.
4. We feel we are not worthy to ask God for help.
In general, we feel ashamed of ourselves.
III. Giving Away What You Want
A. Galatians 6:7 – Whatever a man sows, that and that only, is what he
will reap.

B. Matthew 7:1-2 – Judgment and criticism
1. Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful for they shall
obtain mercy.
C. Matthew 7:12 – Whatever you desire that men do to and for you
– do to and for them.
1. This is an amazing open door to get what we would like
to have.
D. Luke 6:38 – Give and [gifts] will be given unto you. . .
E. You can have anything God says you can have by giving it away – first.
Think about:
1. Friendliness, smiles and compliments
2. Withholding criticism or faultfinding comments (not saying
something as an act of love is also a seed sown).
3. Encouragement
4. Respect and honor
5. Mercy and forgiveness
6. Help and service
7. Finances – money and gifts
8. Happiness (give happiness and you will be happy).
9. Prayer
F. Matthew: Chapter 5 – Sermon on the Mount
1. Jesus introduced ways that were revolutionary.
a. Poor in spirit – humility instead of pride

b. Mourn – being sorry for sins instead
of sacrificing
c. Meek – waiting on God rather than taking
matters into your own hands
d. Hunger for righteousness – finding
satisfaction in doing right
e. Merciful – being merciful (rather than an
“eye for an eye” principle)
f. Peacemakers and maintainers of peace
– taking the initiative to make peace
g. Persecuted for righteousness – joyfully
being persecuted for adopting these
unusual ways!!
There is no persecution on the broad path.
G. The inward way
1. The inward life is more important than the outer life.
a. Is your inner life more important than your
outer life?
b. Jesus wanted people to realize that the heart
(pure heart, pure motive and doing things
for right reasons) was more important than
outward works done to impress others.
H. Exodus 33:13 – Show me your ways.

PERSONAL NOTES
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The Truth Makes You Free
I. What Is Truth?
A. John 18:37-38
1. John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the Truth.”
2. Ephesians 4:21 – All Truth is in Jesus (embodied and
personified in Him).
B. Truth (defined) – Fact, real things, constant, faithful (always the
same), trusted, reliable, confidence, belief.
Jesus and His ways are a constant, an absolute.
1. Example: If the temperature is 100 degrees, it will be hot
when I go outside. If it is freezing cold, then something is
wrong. The weatherman is lying, the thermometer is lying
or something is wrong with me!
2. If a thing is true, it is reliable, accurate, right, and
it works.
C. Unless we know the truth, we will accept counterfeits.
1. In Canada, there is so much counterfeit money that the
banks offer classes to teach people how to recognize
genuine currency from counterfeit.
II. How Does The World View Truth Today?
A. The Bible references Truth 251 times! Worldview says there is no
absolute truth – we moved from tolerating different views to saying
all views are equally true, or that truth is relevant.

1. Relativism is the idea that all truth is relative to the culture
or individual.
Examples:
a. Marriage was right at one time, but our culture
has changed!
b. Clothing styles?
c. There may be a few things in the Bible that are
relative to the culture of that day, but the Ten
Commandments are relative to every culture in
every era of time.
d. The things Jesus said are relative to everyone
– all the time.
Examples of culturally relevant statements:
a. Eating meat offered to idols, wearing of jewelry
for women
b. Women not allowed to cut their hair, teach men,
or speak in public. They were uneducated.
2. We are taught that intolerance is to be feared and intolerant
people are to be rejected. There is no error or wrong. Rather
than correcting error, we are taught to avoid making a claim
to truth.
B. Public education
1. Secularists say since there are so many religions that Christian
teachings and morals should be removed from our schools.
They are not trying to gain a hearing for other religions, but
they seek to remove Christianity.
2. What if the school principal said, “Since some students like
football, some basketball, some baseball, some hockey and
some running, I am not going to allow sports at all”?

3. Romans 2:8 – Those who disobey Truth will have wrath and
indignation on Judgment Day!
C. We may be tolerant of different views; recognizing people have a right to
their opinion, but it is absurd to claim they are all true.
1. Truth can only be one thing.
2. It must be what works and produces good fruit.
D. The idea of tolerance and no absolute truth is not working.
See statistics of world conditions today.
III. Heart And Brain Disconnect
A. A theology teacher (not a scientist) at a Christian college drew a heart
and a brain, telling students the heart is for religion and the brain is for
science.
1. Sadly, out of 200 Christian students, only one challenged
him. The rest saw nothing wrong with restricting religion
to the domain of the heart, saying it should not affect how
you think or behave.
B. Matthew 22:37 – Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul and
mind.
1. We serve God with our all.
Psalm 25:1; Colossians 3:22-24 and Romans 11:36
C. Public and private split referred to by a sociologist
1. These two are sharply divided and are, in fact, two different
worlds.
2. What we do privately is our own business and has nothing
to do with our public life.

D. Jesus called it being lukewarm. (See Revelation 3:14-17.)
E. Luke 12:2-3 – Whatever goes on behind closed doors will show itself
publicly.
F. I was frustrated and unfulfilled until I stopped dividing sacred from
secular and realized God was interested in, and requiring, my entire life
and being. (See Psalm 25:1 and Romans 12:1.)
G. The devil applauds a religion that doesn’t affect how we think, talk or
behave; and one we keep private.
IV. The Truth Brings Freedom.
A. John 8:31-32 – Continue in God’s Word. Know Truth, and it makes you
free!
What has been the main cause of my personal victory?
1. Freedom is what all people seek.
2. However, freedom from any moral code of ethics brings
bondage and slavery to all forms of depraved behavior.
3. I Timothy 5:6 – A person’s flesh does as it pleases, but his
spirit is filled with death.
B. John 16:7-8, 13 – The Holy Spirit shows the result of sin and guides us
into all Truth.
C. Applying the Truth to your own life gives you freedom.
1. We will use selfishness as an example.
(See I Timothy 5:6, Mark 8:34 and Galatians 5:19-20.)
2. I was selfish and miserable. I fought to get my way so I
could be happy, but “my way” was not “God’s way;” and
therefore, would never work.

3. When I did not get my way, I behaved badly and felt sorry
for myself.
I attended the devil’s pity party, which included weeping
and hugging the toilet.
Toilet and mirror example
D. As I faced truth and obeyed God, I was set free.
1. I had to stop blaming.
2. I had to stop making excuses.
3. I did not care that Dave worked all week.
4. “What about me?”
5. I had to take responsibility for my current behavior.
6. Examine your behavior in light of the Word and take
responsibility – face Truth.
7. It was all painful.
E. Blaming and excuses are our way of running away from hard things.
1. Eve blamed the devil.
2. Adam blamed Eve and God.
3. The Israelites blamed God and Moses.
4. Hagar blamed Sarai, Sarai blamed Abram and Abram
blamed Sarai.
F. Acts 20:35 (NIV) – God’s Word says, . . .It is more blessed to give than
to receive.
I wanted to get – not give.

1. When I applied it to my life, it proved to be true.
G. James 4:1-3 says that we are miserable and frustrated because we try to
get what we want instead of asking God and trusting Him.
1. When I gave up control and started praying, everything out
of control got better in my life.
V. Good And Evil
A. Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. . .
1. Gambling is considered a way to bring revenue into
a community.
2. Aborting an unborn child is considered a right and
a freedom.
3. Sin is now a disease or an alternate lifestyle.
B. The worldview of today is sad indeed.
1. As believers in Christ, we are in the world but must not
be of it.
2. Don’t believe something merely because it is convenient
or comfortable!
a. Believers must know what they believe
and stand firm.
b. James 1:22 – Beware of deception that
comes through “reasoning.”
C. Ten Truths that will always be relevant in every age, culture and life:
1. You shall have no other gods before Me (money, job,
appearance, education, people, etc).

2. You shall make to yourself no graven image and
worship it.
3. You shall not use or repeat the Lord’s Name in vain
(lightly or frivolously).
4. Earnestly remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother that it may go well with
you and that you have long life.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness (lie or exaggerate).
10. You shall not covet (want what your neighbor has: his wife,
house, car, servant, or anything that is your neighbor’s).
D. If kids prayed in school and looked at the Ten Commandments
everyday, things would change.

Statistics On World Conditions
A. Any Person Or Nation That Keeps God First Is Successful And Has An
Abundance Of Creativity.
1. Ages Of Different Nations
a. USA – 231 years old
(Measuring from the Declaration of Independence)
b. England – About 1100 years old
c. China – About 5000 years old
d. Russia – About 1100 years old
e. Rome, Italy – About 3000 years old
2. Encyclopedia Britannica’s List of Great Inventions
Encyclopedia Britannica’s Almanac 2003
a. According to Encyclopedia Britannica’s List of Great Inventions,
out of over 320 great inventions dating back as far as the wheel in
3500 BC – the U.S., in its short 231 years, is responsible for 165
of the 320 historical inventions around the world.
b. The U.S. is historically known for putting God first. Although it is
a fraction as old as other nations, it is responsible for over half of
the world’s great inventions.
c. In contrast, China according to scientists has been around for
5000 years, has not put God first and is only credited with nine of
the world’s great inventions. Mahayana Buddhism remains the
largest organized religion in China since its introduction in the
first century.
d. Great U.S. Inventions – Airplane, Air Conditioning, ATM
Machines, Paper Bags, Bar Codes, Bifocal Lenses, Sliced Bread,
Hand-held Calculator, Video and Photo Cameras, Cans and Can
Openers, Cereal Flakes, Chewing Gum, Computers, Crayons,
Credit Cards, Smoke Detectors, Disposable Diapers, E-mail,

Electric Guitar, the Internet, Jeans, Jell-o, Light Bulbs, Microwave
Oven, Morse Code, Car Radios, Refrigerator, Roller Coaster,
Scotch Tape, Skateboards, Sunscreen, Traffic Lights, Zippers, etc.
e. England had the second most inventions with 38 – a far cry from
the U.S.
3. How Do I Know The Bible Is True?
a. The Bible is still the world’s best-selling book, selling
around 5 to 6 billion copies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
b. A portion of or the entire Bible has been translated into 2287
languages and dialects. According to UBS World Report,
March 2002.
c. How long has the Bible been around?
http://www.gnmagazine.org
1) Old Testament - 25 or 35 centuries.
d. Proof of the Bible’s accuracy
1) “…the New Testament documents have more manuscripts,
earlier manuscripts, and more abundantly supported
manuscripts than the best ten pieces of classical literature
combined….”
(Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough
Faith To Be An Atheist, 2004, pp. 225-228.)
2) Historian Ian Wilson says about The Dead Sea Scrolls
found in 1947 that “Although…a thousand years older
than the texts previously available in Hebrew, they show
just how faithful the texts of our present Bibles are to those
from two thousand years ago and how little they have
changed over the centuries. Two Isaiah scrolls, for instance,
contain the Isaiah text almost exactly as it is in our present-
day Bibles....”
(Historian Ian Wilson)

3) One of the biggest elements of proof for the Bible’s
accuracy and truth are the Old Testament prophecies
concerning Jesus. Jesus fulfilled all 48 of those Old
Testament prophecies.
Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus of Science at
Westmont College, did a mathematical study to show the
probability of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of the 48 prophecies.
He conservatively estimated that the chance of one man
fulfilling just eight of the 48 prophecies was 1 in 10 to the
17th
Power (a figure with 17 zeros).
To illustrate how large this number is, Stoner gave
this illustration - Suppose that we take 10 to the 17th
power
in silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They’ll
cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these
silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over
the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as
far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and
say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of
getting the right one? Just the same chance that the
prophets would’ve had of writing these eight prophecies
and having them all come true in any one man, from their
day to the present time… (Idem, 106-107).
e. Another Amazing Bible Prophecy - Before Israel even became
a nation, Moses predicted that Israel would become a great nation,
would rebel against God, and would be scattered over the
ENTIRE earth, and be brought back into the land before the
second coming of their Messiah (Deuteronomy 28). In 1948, 3000
years later, it happened!
http://www.ovrlnd.com/Bible/bestsellingbook.html
B. Statistics On Worldviews And Truth Versus Relativism
1. Signs of moral decline since prayer and the Ten Commandments
were taken out of schools: we began to misinterpret the “Separation
of Church and State” and Secular Humanism began to move into our
government and schools.
2. In 1962, the Court examined a simple twenty-two word prayer, first used
to negate prayer in schools:

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon
Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our
teachers, and our country.”
How different would things in our schools be if we were still saying this
prayer every day?
3. Specialty Research Associates, under the direction of David Barton, has
released a report entitled America: To Pray or Not to Pray which uses
over 100 pages of graphs and statistical analysis to prove that crime,
venereal disease, premarital sex, illiteracy, suicide, drug use, public
corruption, and other social ills began a dramatic increase after prayer
was taken out of school. Below are the statistics they came up with.
a. Young People
1) For fifteen years before 1963 pregnancies in girls ages
fifteen through nineteen years had been no more than
fifteen per thousand. After 1963 pregnancies increased
187% in the next fifteen years.
2) For younger girls, ages ten to fourteen years, pregnancies
since 1963 are up 553%.
3) Before 1963 sexually transmitted diseases among students
were 400 per 100,000. Since 1963, they were up 226% in
the next twelve years.
b. The Family
1) Before 1963 divorce rates had been declining for fifteen
years. After 1963 divorces increased 300% each year for
the next fifteen years.
2) Since 1963 unmarried people living together is up 353%
3) Since 1963 single parent families are up 140%.
4) Since 1963 single parent families with children are up
160%.

c. Education
1) The educational standard of measure has been the SAT
scores. SAT scores had been steady for many years before
1963. From 1963 they rapidly declined for eighteen
consecutive years, even though the same test has been used
since 1941.
2) In 1974-75 the rate of decline of the SAT scores decreased,
even though they continued to decline. That was when
there was an explosion of private religious schools. There
were only 1000 Christian schools in 1965. Between 1974 to
1984 they increased to 32,000.
That could have an impact if the private schools had
higher SAT scores. In checking with the SAT Board it
was found that indeed the SAT scores for private
schools were nearly 100 points higher than public
schools.
In fact the scores were at the point where the public
schools had been before their decline started in 1963
when prayer and Bible reading/ instruction were
removed from the schools.
The scores in the public schools were still declining.
3) Of the nation’s top academic scholars, three times as many
come from private religious schools, which operate on one-
third the funds as do the public schools.
d. The Nation
1) Since 1963 violent crime has increased 544%.
2) Illegal drugs have become an enormous and uncontrollable
problem.
3) The nation has been deprived of an estimated 30 million
citizens through legal abortions just since 1973.

C. Recent Statistics On The Internet And Kids
Taken from the Christian Law Association
1. 12% of the total Internet is pornography (about 420 million web pages).
2. Average age of first-time Internet exposure to pornography – 11 Years
Old.
3. 9-16 year olds who have viewed on-line pornography – 90%.

PERSONAL NOTES
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The Life You Have
Always Wanted
I. Two Kinds Of Life We Will Talk About
A. Number One – Breathing, walking around, going to work, getting
married, having kids, paying bills, going to church, saving for retirement,
taking vacations, going to weddings and funerals. Fearing death, but
desperately hoping you’ll go to heaven, etc.
B. Number Two – Life as God has it
1. Zoë life – Life as God has it; that which the Father has in
Himself and gave to the Incarnate Son, Jesus, Who
manifested it to the world. Man was separated from this
Life through the fall (sin); and of this Life, men become
partakers through faith in Jesus.
Life is found 733 times in the Amplified Bible – only twenty-five are Zoë life.
C. The higher life and lower life
1. Matthew 10:37-39
2. Two keys that open the door to the higher life
PROP: Get two huge keys made of plastic or Styrofoam.
D. What is the low life like? (Complicated)
1. Selfishness, frustration, sin, every kind of pain
(emotional is worse), turmoil, greed, guilt, addictions,
broken relationships, shame, lack, anger, jealousy,
fear, etc.

One can be a Christian and still live the lower life!
(This is the saddest thing I know of!)
E. What is the higher life like? (Simplicity)
1. Peace, joy, righteousness, favor, grace, God’s presence,
love, giving, helping, hope, faith, patience, goodness,
forgiveness, healthy relationships, abundance, healing, etc.
II. Key Number One
A. Matthew 10:37 – Put God first.
1. Matthew 22:37-38 – The most important commandment
B. Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before Me!
1. The first of the Ten Commandments
2. The first four commandments deal with our relationship
with God.
3. They are:
a. Have no other gods before Me.
b. You shall not make an idol to worship.
Some worship work, a career, fame, wealth
or a sport.
c. You shall not take the Lord’s name
in vain.
d. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
C. In order for any person or nation to be great, they must have God’s
presence.

1. Israel was only great when she sought after and
obeyed God.
2. In 200 years, America became the greatest, most
prosperous and most creative nation on earth,
because her foundation was God and His Word.
D. Deuteronomy: Chapter 8 – If you love Me and keep Me first, you will
experience a life worth living.
1. But if you forget Me, you will go back into bondage!
2. Romans 11:36
E. I John 5:21 – Keep yourselves from idols.
F. I believe this requires regular examination.
G. God will test us.
1. Matthew 19:16-29 – The rich young ruler who loved
money more than God
Notice “the Life” is capitalized.
2. God required Abraham to sacrifice Isaac!
3. Esther had to lay aside all her plans and do something
to save her nation.
4. Moses had to face Pharaoh.
5. The reward is greater than the sacrifice
III. Key Number Two – Zoë Life
A. Matthew 22:37-39 – Love others.
B. Exodus 20:12-17 – The last six commandments:

1. Honor your mother and father that it may go well with
you and you’ll live long.
2. Do not kill.
3. Do not commit adultery.
4. Do not steal.
5. Do not lie.
6. Do not covet anything that is your neighbor’s
You are “people” so how you treat yourself is also important.
IV. Lack Of Love Is What Is Wrong With Our Society, The World, And Is
The Root Cause Of Unhappiness. SELFISHNESS Is Our Problem!
A. I John 3:9 – Divine Sperm
1. We are pregnant with God’s nature.
2. Love (defined) – Giving, helping, encouraging, righteousness,
justice, faithfulness, wisdom, peace, joy.
B. It is time to give birth.
V. The Church Is In Labor.
A. Is the baby trying to come and you are holding back?
1. Unhappy
2. Grumbling
3. Complaining
4. Miserable

5. Uncomfortable
6. Pain
B. I John 3:14 – Passed out of death into Life by the fact we love.
C. I John 3:14-19 – Truth
Are you getting nothing out of going to church because
you are so full there is no room to put anything else?
VI. Progressively
A. The word “progressively,” which means as day follows day or an
ongoing process, is found seventeen times in the Amplified Bible.
1. Most of them refer to knowing God – His ways and
character.
2. Some refer to knowing the Truth.
3. One refers to progressively understanding that as He laid
down His life for us, so we must lay our lives down for others.
VII. Selfishness
A. The root of all sin and every problem is selfishness.
1. Perhaps Jesus came to save us from ourselves!
B. James 3:16 – Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is every
disorder and every kind of evil.
1. The more self-absorbed the world becomes, the worse
our conditions become.
C. Our culture promotes and teaches selfishness.

1. Jesus said, “Forget yourself and lay down your life for
others.”
D. Mark 8:34 – To follow Me, you must forget yourself – lose sight
of yourself and all your interests.
What must we do to follow Him?
1. Be progressively less selfish as day follows day.
2. John 12:21 – We want to see Jesus.
3. John 12:24 – Die to self.
4. Philippians 2:16 – Holding out to all men the Word
of Life

Selfishness
The only thing necessary to change heaven into hell – if God were to allow it – is
selfishness.
Selfishness is mankind’s fundamental defect. Selfish means: self-centered, self-serving,
self-important.
At the root of every problem is selfishness.
James 3:16 (TEV)
16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of
evil.
Every selfish person is potentially your enemy.
Giving is the opposite of acting selfishly. Divine love is the opposite of selfishness.
No other “religion” teaches to put others first, to love your enemies. Christianity is
the only one that teaches you can be totally changed and become a person with a
new nature.
We are products of a corrupt culture that teaches selfishness. All sin is selfish. No
one ever sins for someone else – we do it for selfish reasons.
We must die to selfishness – or self-destruct. However, we are unable to do it by
ourselves. We must allow Jesus Christ to change us inwardly.
You can’t change the fruit without changing the root. That is why you must be
born again! Only by receiving Jesus Christ, and letting Him change you, can you
be a truly unselfish person.
Pride
Pride is self-importance and self-focus – which leads to selfishness which is selfish
thinking and selfish acting – which is the opposite of Jesus’ command of agape love
(John 13:34).

Pride and selfishness always go together. A truly humble person cannot be selfish at
the same time.
Pride is the root of selfishness – and thus the root of all evil. Pride is hidden but
manifests as selfish acts. Selfishness is the cause of all evil. All evil proceeds from
selfish actions. Selfishness is the only manifest problem, but pride feeds it. Dealing
with the root cause of the problem is the only lasting solution.
Pride produces selfishness. All selfishness is pride.
Doing things yourself, on your own, is a part of selfishness. Prayer is the opposite of
doing things yourself. We must desire God’s will, done in God’s time, and done
God’s way.
Selfish Ambition
Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJ)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand,
just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God.
Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests
of others.
It takes faith to put others first. It takes faith to receive, but it takes even more
faith to forsake – because it does not seem to be in our self-interest. (Hebrews
11:27)

Deny Yourself
Luke 9:23-25 (NKJ)
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My
sake will save it.
25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed
or lost”?
The Bible instructs us to deny ourself – not condemn ourself. Our choices must be
based on doing God’s will – not just in pleasing ourselves. God is not against pleasure
– He invented it! But it should be your slave – not your master.
Colossians 3:3 (NKJ)
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJ)
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all,
then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but
for Him who died for them and rose again.
Put Others First
1 John 3:11-18 (NKJ)
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one
another,
12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he
murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He
who does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his
heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Romans 12:10 (NKJ)
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving
preference to one another;
1 Corinthians 9:19 (NKJ)
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more;
1 Corinthians 10:24, 33 (NKJ)
24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit
of many, that they may be saved.
Philippians 2:3-8 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests
of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming
in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became
obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Romans 15:1-3 (NKJ)
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to
please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of
those who reproached You fell on Me.”

Selfishness Is Opposite Love
John 15:12-13 (NKJ)
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Galatians 5:14 (NKJ)
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJ)
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is
not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
*Permission to reprint given by Dean Wall, www.believers.org/believe/bel221.htm
Believers Church, www.believers.org, © 2008

PERSONAL NOTES
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Jesus Is The Door To
Everything You Need
I. The Door To Forgiveness Of Sins And Salvation (I Must Be Forgiven
– I Can’t Carry The Burden Of Guilt).
A. John 10:1, 9 – Jesus is the door. If we try to enter any other way, we are
thieves.
B. Acts 10:38-43 – Believe and receive forgiveness!
C. Romans 11:36
D. Luke 24:46-47 – Preach repentance, which is the condition required to
receive forgiveness.
1. Repentance (defined/Greek) – To perceive afterwards and
change your mind and ways, to turn from sin and to God.
Matthew 4:17 – Are you really sorry? Are you disgusted
with sin? Are you ready to turn away from sin?
2. Repentance must come before forgiveness and salvation.
Acts 24:16 – Tender conscience
3. Is it possible we are preaching too much forgiveness, mercy
and salvation, and not enough repentance??
E. I John 1:8-10 – Admit your sins, confess them and receive forgiveness
– be cleansed.
F. Acts 4:12 – …there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must
be saved.

II. The Door To Justification And Righteousness (Right Standing With
God)
A. Justified (defined) – Made as if we had never sinned.
(See Romans 4:24-25.)
B. Romans 5:1-2a – Through Him – through faith in Him!!
C. Romans 3:20 and Galatians 2:16 – Justification could be obtained by
perfectly keeping the Law.
1. And many have tried, only to be frustrated and
disappointed
Law keepers will be disappointed.
D. Romans 3:20 – The Law was given to make us conscious of sin and to
cause repentance, faith and holy character.
1. No person can be justified by works (good works).
2. If they try, they are a thief and a robber, as John
put it.
E. Philippians 3:3-9 – We see two kinds of righteousness.
1. Earned
2. Given by grace and received by faith!
3. You can have yourself and your own works or you can
have Jesus – which do you want?
4. Galatians 3:10-11 – See how miserable the person is who
tries to earn justification and righteousness.
F. Are you trying to offer sacrifices that will never be acceptable?
1. Hebrews 10:10-12 – One sacrifice that is good forever

2. Are you trying to sacrifice your joy and enjoyment of life
– are you offering your suffering in place of Jesus?
3. Do you live without God’s help because you feel unworthy
to ask for it?
The sacrificial system
4. Is there anything you can offer?
a. Romans 12:1 – Offer yourself as a living
sacrifice.
Stop offering sacrifices that are not
acceptable (dead ones; dead works)
and offer yourself.
b. Hebrews 13:15 – “The sacrifice of praise”
– notice it is offered through Him.
III. The Door To Being Complete
A. Ephesians 1:23 – He makes everything complete.
Not yet doing everything I ought – but I am complete in Him.
1. We no longer have to feel there is always something
missing – something we should be that we are not.
2. You are complete in Him even if you’re single,
widowed or have no children.
B. I Thessalonians 5:22-24 – In Him you will be found complete (body,
soul and spirit).
C. We no longer need to compare ourselves with other people or compete
with them.
1. We don’t need to do what they do to be complete – I’m OK
and I’m on my way.

2. We don’t need to look the way they look, pray how they pray
or know what they know – we are complete (made what we
ought to be) in Him.
I am OK – I’m complete in Him
IV. The Door To Love and Acceptance
A. Ephesians 1:3-7 – He picked us out to be His.
B. Galatians 4:4-7 – Adopted and made an heir through Christ
C. Adopt/adopted (defined) – To take by choice, to take voluntarily as
one’s own child.
D. Heir (defined) – One who is entitled to receive.
1. When Dave legally adopted David, he had to sign
legal documents stating that David would receive
an equal inheritance to any natural born children!
E. Inheritance (defined) – To come into possession of or receive,
especially as a right through the death of the one leaving the
legacy.
1. Colossians 1:11-12 – In Him we obtained an inheritance!
Romans 8:31
F. Romans 8:39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God found
“in Christ.”
V. The Door To Everything We Need
A. Acts 17:28 – For in Him we live and move and have our being. . .
B. Philippians 4:13 – We find our strength in Him.
C. II Corinthians 13:4 – We are weak in Him.

D. Our prayers are answered in His name – it alone gives us access to God
the Father.
1. No one comes to the Father but by Me.
2. We pray to the Father, through the Spirit, in the name
of the Son!
E. Colossians 1:17 – All things are held together in Him.
F. Romans 11:36 – For from Him, through Him and to Him are all things
– they all began in Him, they live through Him and they end in Him.
1. Salvation:
a. He is our:
1) Peace.
2) Righteousness.
3) Healer.
4) Deliverer.
5) Father.
6) Friend.
7) Restorer.
8) Rest.
9) Light.
10) Life.
11) Rock.
12) High Tower.
13) Mighty Fortress.
14) Help in time of need.

PERSONAL NOTES
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