THINGS WHICH ARE NOT EASY, BUT NECESSARY

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. Christianity is a daily challenge.
      1. It is not easy, due to the many demanding things of this
         world, to live the Christian life.
      2. It is not easy, due to the weaknesses of the flesh, to be   
         what we really ought to be.
      3. It is easy to drift away from genuine, sincere dedication to
         the Lord. 
   B. In this lesson we list some things that aren't easy, but       
      necessary.
      1. It is not easy, but necessary:

I. TO ACCEPT THE BLAME FOR OUR MISTAKES.
   A. It is human nature to reject any blame.
      1. Eve blamed the serpent.  Adam blamed Eve.
   B. Let us be strong enough to accept the blame for our mistakes.
      1. King David said, "I have sinned."  2 Sam. 12:13
      2. Paul confessed his wrong.  1 Tim. 1:10-13
   C. Some people simply cannot say, "I'm sorry; I made a mistake;
      please forgive me."
      1. They justify their wrongs in their own mind, and they will
         devote endless hours, if necessary, to justify their wrong
         doing.
      2. Pride gets in the way.  Obadiah 1:3 
   D. There is an old saying, "Confession is good for the soul."
      1. Confession brings emotional relief, and spiritual happiness
         returns.
      2. A burden is lifted when we say, "I did wrong; I repent."
      3. It is good to know that we have done all that we can do
         regarding making amends.  1 Cor. 7:10-11
      4. Being pleasing to God is what's important.  Prov. 28:13

II. TO ACCEPT ADVICE.
   A. Everyone wants to give advice, but very few want to accept it.
      1. Some advice, of course, is not worth following.
      2. Rehoboam is a Bible example of a man who accepted poor
         advice.  1 Kings 12:6-8
         a. It contributed to the division of Israel.
   B. All of us, at one time or another, need good advice.
      1. A wise person will always listen.  Fools despise advice. 
         Prov. 12:15; 9:8-9; Eccl. 7:5
   C. Often people ask for advice only to seek approval on what they
      have already decided.
      1. In other words, their mind is already made up, and they are
         looking for sanction of what they have already decided.
   D. Those who give advice need to remember that advice is only
      advice.
      1. It is always up to the individual as to whether he will     
         accept advice.
      2. One should never have his feelings hurt because another did
         not take his advice.

III. TO START OVER.
   A. Job is an example of one who lost everything.
      1. His end, however, was better than his original status.  Job.
         42:12
   B. Many set backs will come during one's life span.
      1. A loss of a job.  The righteous will never go hungry.  Psalm
         37:25
      2. A death of a close one.  God will provide comfort.
   C. All those who make a new beginning for the Lord need to be
      commended.
      1. Paul gave up everything for Christ.  Phil. 3:7-8
         a. The word for "dung" or "rubbish" in used only in Phil.
            3:8 and means "any refuse, as the excrement of animals,
            offscourings, rubbish; of things worthless and
            detestable."
      2. Certainly nothing on this earth compares to the values in
         Christ.
      3. Any type of new beginning in the Lord's service is good.
         "Today is the first day of the rest of our lives."

IV. TO BE UNSELFISH.
   A. Man, basically, is geared to look out for number one: himself.
      1. This is a major problem in our society.
      2. It is a major cause of troubles in our families.
   B. We often ask, "Why don't more people obey the Lord?"
      1. The basic root cause is that they want to please themselves
         rather than the Lord.
   C. All those who are seeking to please themselves will receive
      eternal punishment.  Rom. 2:8-9
      1. "Self-seeking" - "A desire to put oneself forward, a        
         factious, partisan spirit. This word is found before NT     
         times only in Aristotle where it denotes a self-seeking     
         pursuit of a political office by unfair means." (Arndt &    
         Gingrich).
         a. Thus, in Aristotle's time, politicking meant "self-
            seeking."
         b. Even today, politics is full of that sort of thing. "I   
            would make a good President, Senator, Governor, because  
            I..."
      2. Paul exhorts us to not put self forward or to be selfish.   
         Phil. 2:3-4 
      3. James shows that when we have selfishness in our hearts, we
         are earthly, sensual, and devilish.  James 3:14-15

V. TO FOLLOW SOUND REASONING RATHER THAN EMOTIONS.
   A. We should not let emotions direct us.  Prov. 16.25; Acts 26:9
   B. Those who trust in feelings rather than the Bible would do well
      to consider the story of a Dutchman who lost his little boy in
      Cincinnati.
   C. He said, "I hunted all day for my boy, and about night I found 
      him sitting in the mud by the canal. He was muddy all over.    
      When I found my boy, he cried and I cried. I hugged my boy and 
      he hugged me; I kissed my boy and he kissed me. I took my boy
      over to the canal and washed his face, and HE WAS NOT MY
      BOY!"
      1. People are often blinded by emotions and can't see things as
         they really are.
      2. Sincere people who are desperately seeking the right way
         may find a way they feel is right. They embrace it, and it
         embraces them. They are overjoyed and happy in their new
         discovery.
      3. However, if they somehow managed to bring their emotions
         under control, and carefully examined God's word, they
         would realize that their feelings have deceived them.
   D. We must try to use good wisdom in all things.
      1. Action which is on the spur of the moment, without
         forethought, and motivated by emotions, will often lead to
         sin. 

VI. TO PROFIT FROM OUR MISTAKES.
   A. If we don't profit from our mistakes, we are destined to repeat
      them.
      1. Many continue to make the same mistakes over and over.
   B. The important key to be pleasing to the Lord is to recognize   
      our mistakes and profit from them.
      1. When we recognize our weaknesses, we can grow stronger
         and stronger.  

VII. TO FORGIVE AND FORGET.
   A. Forgiveness is not an optional matter.  Luke 17:3-4
   B. God's forgiveness in based on our forgiveness of others.  Matt.
      6:14-15
      1. This leaves no choice if we want to be forgiven.
      2. Jesus said that we must do it "from the heart."  Matt. 18:35

VIII. TO BE KIND AND CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS.
   A. Kindness is commanded.  Eph. 4:32
   B. It is easy to be kind to those who are kind to us.
      1. The challenge, however, is to be kind to the unkind.
      2. It is a virtue of Christ-likeness.  Phil. 2:5-8
      3. Jesus commanded us to be kind to the unthankful.  Luke
         6:35
   C. Everyone likes to be treated kindly.  Remember the golden rule.
      Matt. 7:12
      1. Kindness is often a forgotten virtue in our families.
      2. We can easily fall into the habit of being harsh with other
         family members.
      3. Let us be kind to every one.  Prov. 31:26

IX. TO PERSEVERE IN GOOD WORKS.
   A. We must persevere in our efforts to do good.
   B. A good person out of the good treasure of his heart will       
      continue to bring forth good things.
      1. There is a story regarding a country school who's principal
         thought it would be good to take up donations for destitute
         children at Christmas time. There was not much interest
         among the students. However, there was one boy who
         struggled to save a few pennies for the project. He had     
         saved fifteen cents and planned to turn it in at the school 
         on the Friday before the Christmas vacation. However, a     
         furious blizzard blasted the area that Friday and the school
         buses were not able to run. Consequently, the boy waded a   
         great distance through deep snow to give his fifteen cents  
         to the school principal. The principal found it difficult to
         control his emotions as he accepted the gift, for the       
         youngster was one of the destitute children listed to       
         receive a donation from the proceeds.
      2. Let us always be ready to do good works as was this young
         boy.  We should never be discouraged.  We must never give
         up.

Concl.
   A. Christianity involves some things that are not easy, but they  
      are necessary.
   B. We have listed nine such things: Chart: It is not easy, but
      necessary:
      1. To accept the blame for our sins.
      2. To accept advice.
      3. To start over, or begin anew.
      4. To be unselfish.
      5. To follow sound reasoning rather than emotions.
      6. To profit from our mistakes.
      7. To forgive and forget.
      8. To be kind and considerate.
      9. To persevere in good works.
   C. These things bring happiness when practiced, and they are part 
      of the good way which leads to eternal life.