Dover Assembly of God
11.10.2019 | Biblical Life Lessons - Integrity
Locations & Times
Dover Assembly of God
4790 Carlisle Rd, Dover, PA 17315, USA
Sunday 10:30 AM
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November 10, 2019
Welcome to Dover Assembly!
We are so glad you have chosen to attend Dover Assembly this morning. It is not by accident that you are here. We believe that God has allowed you to be here so that you might receive all that He has for you. We pray you are blessed as you allow the Lord to work in your life.
THIS WEEK
Sunday
9:00 am ~ Coffee & Donuts
9:30 am ~ Sunday School
10:30 am ~ Worship Service
10:30 am ~ R.O.C.K. Children’s Ministries
1:00 pm ~ Spanish Service
Monday
6:30 pm ~ Women’s Bible Study
Wednesday
6:30 pm ~ Family Night
Friday-Saturday
Women’s Retreat
Saturday
6:30 pm ~ Saturday Night Spanish Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
New Life For Girls
The New Life women will be ministering in our morning service on Sunday, Nov 24. This is an excellent opportunity to bring someone with you to hear about the power and grace of God. We are also providing a light luncheon following the service. We would encourage as many as possible to join us to fellowship with these ladies. If you can help us with the luncheon by helping to set up, provide food or drinks, please sign up in the lower foyer.
BODY NEWS
New Mom's Ministry
We are in the planning stages of offering a ministry to new moms. Our goal is to have new moms (and their babies) in our area join together here for a time of encouragement, coffee, fellowship and just a time to spend talking with other moms. It would include a story time for the children, a short time of play, possibly a short video. We want this to be open to the community. If you are able to help us get this off the ground, please see Pastor Jeff.
Christmas Dinners
As Christmas approaches, various ministries will be having their respective dinners. Please see the dates below and sign up for the dinners you plan to attend.
~ Dec 12 ~ Men’s Ministry will be going to Buffalo Wild Wings @ 6:30 pm
~ Dec 13 ~ Women’s Ministry will be going to Dee D’Agostino’s home @ 6:00 pm
Kid's Christmas Play
The R.O.C.K. kids will be doing a short skit for Christmas on Sunday, Dec 15. All parents should have received a letter about this by now. If you have not received it, please see Anna. Also, please make sure your children are here every Sunday as they will be practicing during Children’s Church following their lesson.
Kids Christmas Skit dress rehearsal: Sat., Dec. 14, 9:00 am to noon, pizza lunch provided.
Special Thanks!
Just a heartfelt thank you for all the cards and blessings I received on my birthday last week. It truly is an honor to minister to such a great church family! -Pastor Jeff
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Nov 15-16 ~ Women’s Conference @ Hershey Lodge
Nov 24 ~ New Life For Girls / Luncheon
Nov 27 ~ Thanksgiving Eve Service-No Departments
Nov 28 ~ Thanksgiving
Dec 6 ~ Deacon Board Christmas Dinner
Dec 12 ~ Men’s Ministry Christmas Dinner
Dec 13 ~ Women’s Christmas Dinner
Dec 14 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Dress Rehearsal-Lunch provided
Dec 15 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Skit
Dec 18 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Christmas Party
Dec 24 ~ Christmas Eve Service
Dec 25 ~ Christmas-NO FAMILY NIGHT
Dec 31 ~ New Year’s Eve
Jan 1 ~ New Year’s Day-NO SERVICE
Welcome to Dover Assembly!
We are so glad you have chosen to attend Dover Assembly this morning. It is not by accident that you are here. We believe that God has allowed you to be here so that you might receive all that He has for you. We pray you are blessed as you allow the Lord to work in your life.
THIS WEEK
Sunday
9:00 am ~ Coffee & Donuts
9:30 am ~ Sunday School
10:30 am ~ Worship Service
10:30 am ~ R.O.C.K. Children’s Ministries
1:00 pm ~ Spanish Service
Monday
6:30 pm ~ Women’s Bible Study
Wednesday
6:30 pm ~ Family Night
Friday-Saturday
Women’s Retreat
Saturday
6:30 pm ~ Saturday Night Spanish Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
New Life For Girls
The New Life women will be ministering in our morning service on Sunday, Nov 24. This is an excellent opportunity to bring someone with you to hear about the power and grace of God. We are also providing a light luncheon following the service. We would encourage as many as possible to join us to fellowship with these ladies. If you can help us with the luncheon by helping to set up, provide food or drinks, please sign up in the lower foyer.
BODY NEWS
New Mom's Ministry
We are in the planning stages of offering a ministry to new moms. Our goal is to have new moms (and their babies) in our area join together here for a time of encouragement, coffee, fellowship and just a time to spend talking with other moms. It would include a story time for the children, a short time of play, possibly a short video. We want this to be open to the community. If you are able to help us get this off the ground, please see Pastor Jeff.
Christmas Dinners
As Christmas approaches, various ministries will be having their respective dinners. Please see the dates below and sign up for the dinners you plan to attend.
~ Dec 12 ~ Men’s Ministry will be going to Buffalo Wild Wings @ 6:30 pm
~ Dec 13 ~ Women’s Ministry will be going to Dee D’Agostino’s home @ 6:00 pm
Kid's Christmas Play
The R.O.C.K. kids will be doing a short skit for Christmas on Sunday, Dec 15. All parents should have received a letter about this by now. If you have not received it, please see Anna. Also, please make sure your children are here every Sunday as they will be practicing during Children’s Church following their lesson.
Kids Christmas Skit dress rehearsal: Sat., Dec. 14, 9:00 am to noon, pizza lunch provided.
Special Thanks!
Just a heartfelt thank you for all the cards and blessings I received on my birthday last week. It truly is an honor to minister to such a great church family! -Pastor Jeff
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Nov 15-16 ~ Women’s Conference @ Hershey Lodge
Nov 24 ~ New Life For Girls / Luncheon
Nov 27 ~ Thanksgiving Eve Service-No Departments
Nov 28 ~ Thanksgiving
Dec 6 ~ Deacon Board Christmas Dinner
Dec 12 ~ Men’s Ministry Christmas Dinner
Dec 13 ~ Women’s Christmas Dinner
Dec 14 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Dress Rehearsal-Lunch provided
Dec 15 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Skit
Dec 18 ~ R.O.C.K. Kids Christmas Party
Dec 24 ~ Christmas Eve Service
Dec 25 ~ Christmas-NO FAMILY NIGHT
Dec 31 ~ New Year’s Eve
Jan 1 ~ New Year’s Day-NO SERVICE
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Week 9 - November 10, 2019 - Pastor Jeff Bender
We are continuing our study into “What Does God Say About?
Most Christians really want to know God’s viewpoint on various issues. Most Christians want to do the right thing.
The difficulty is in either not knowing, or misunderstanding what the Bible says about different issues.
Most Christians really want to know God’s viewpoint on various issues. Most Christians want to do the right thing.
The difficulty is in either not knowing, or misunderstanding what the Bible says about different issues.
All of our questions about how to live are spelled out in His word.
The past few weeks have been about things we struggle with on the inside.
Today I want to focus on our outward person.
What does God say about integrity?
The common definition we use is: Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.
Wikipedia says this: Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.
The Bible’s definition: In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works.”
In today’s society, integrity is really lacking. Especially if you are in the public eye, we are seeing the results of people who operated without integrity.
And for Christians, it is imperative that we live lives of integrity. We have to be different than those around us. We have to operate in a way that draws people to Jesus.
I’m sure we all realize that Jesus operated with complete integrity.
When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism, what happened? The enemy came to him to tempt him to throw away his integrity.
The past few weeks have been about things we struggle with on the inside.
Today I want to focus on our outward person.
What does God say about integrity?
The common definition we use is: Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.
Wikipedia says this: Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.
The Bible’s definition: In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works.”
In today’s society, integrity is really lacking. Especially if you are in the public eye, we are seeing the results of people who operated without integrity.
And for Christians, it is imperative that we live lives of integrity. We have to be different than those around us. We have to operate in a way that draws people to Jesus.
I’m sure we all realize that Jesus operated with complete integrity.
When Jesus was in the wilderness following his baptism, what happened? The enemy came to him to tempt him to throw away his integrity.
Jesus was at his weakest moment up to this point.
Think about not eating for drinking for 40 days.
We skip lunch and we can barely make it to dinner.
So this was Jesus’ position.
And don’t think that he was God so it was easy. Remember everything he did was as a human being. He did not call upon his divinity. It was strictly as a man.
So the enemy tempts him to quit.
What was he trying to do? He was trying to get Jesus to use his divine nature, which would have ruined his mission.
He no longer would have been the sinless man to die for us. He would have given that up.
Think about not eating for drinking for 40 days.
We skip lunch and we can barely make it to dinner.
So this was Jesus’ position.
And don’t think that he was God so it was easy. Remember everything he did was as a human being. He did not call upon his divinity. It was strictly as a man.
So the enemy tempts him to quit.
What was he trying to do? He was trying to get Jesus to use his divine nature, which would have ruined his mission.
He no longer would have been the sinless man to die for us. He would have given that up.
The devil tempted him 2 more times, but Jesus was able to overcome the temptation and hold onto his integrity, which is that is the ability to do the right thing when the temptation is to do the wrong thing.
So how do we build up our integrity? How do we do the right thing when it is easier and more expedient to do the wrong thing?
Integrity today implies moral incorruptibility.
That means we are not open to compromise our lives and walk in order to escape hardships and difficulty, or even because we think we deserve it.
So how do we build up our integrity? How do we do the right thing when it is easier and more expedient to do the wrong thing?
Integrity today implies moral incorruptibility.
That means we are not open to compromise our lives and walk in order to escape hardships and difficulty, or even because we think we deserve it.
Jesus surely could have felt, “It’s been 40 days, I have fasted enough, I deserve to eat”.
So if we are to be like Jesus (and spoiler alert-we are supposed to be like Jesus) how does God expect us to live?
So if we are to be like Jesus (and spoiler alert-we are supposed to be like Jesus) how does God expect us to live?
What are some of the challenges God knows we will face to challenge our integrity?
1) TEMPTATION TO GO ALONG TO GET ALONG
There will be times when we are faced with a decision to follow the crowd because it is easier and less confrontational. Besides, we are to be friends with sinners to try to share Christ with them, right?
I don’t want to start a fight. I don’t want to appear like a freak to my friends, so I’ll just agree to go along with them to fit in.
1) TEMPTATION TO GO ALONG TO GET ALONG
There will be times when we are faced with a decision to follow the crowd because it is easier and less confrontational. Besides, we are to be friends with sinners to try to share Christ with them, right?
I don’t want to start a fight. I don’t want to appear like a freak to my friends, so I’ll just agree to go along with them to fit in.
How often do we engage in things that we would never do in church or with other Christians, but we do it with other people because we are afraid of what they might say?
You are shredding your integrity when you play two different roles. If you are a different person outside of here than you are in here, your integrity is lacking.
Integrity means you are the same person regardless of who you are with or what you are doing.
I know people who tell me that they can’t be Christ-like at work because that just doesn’t work on the job.
That tells me that you don’t have much integrity. And it also tells those around you that you really don’t believe what you say you believe.
If you believed it, you would do it all the time, not just when it is easy.
The reason that Christ tells us not to be like everyone else, is because what we have they need to see lived in front of them.
You are shredding your integrity when you play two different roles. If you are a different person outside of here than you are in here, your integrity is lacking.
Integrity means you are the same person regardless of who you are with or what you are doing.
I know people who tell me that they can’t be Christ-like at work because that just doesn’t work on the job.
That tells me that you don’t have much integrity. And it also tells those around you that you really don’t believe what you say you believe.
If you believed it, you would do it all the time, not just when it is easy.
The reason that Christ tells us not to be like everyone else, is because what we have they need to see lived in front of them.
If we act like everyone else, just to get along with them, what happens when hardships come their way, or situations arise that make them think about God?
It won’t be you they turn to, because you are just like them and have nothing different.
But if you remain friends with people but are able to keep your integrity while with them, then you will be the one they turn to because they see something in you they need.
It won’t be you they turn to, because you are just like them and have nothing different.
But if you remain friends with people but are able to keep your integrity while with them, then you will be the one they turn to because they see something in you they need.
So we have the go along to get along mentality.
2) EVERYONE (AND SOME CHRISTIANS) ARE DOING IT
This is an argument that every kid tells their parents to justify their participation in said activity.
And what is our response to that? If every kid jumped off a bridge. . .
2) EVERYONE (AND SOME CHRISTIANS) ARE DOING IT
This is an argument that every kid tells their parents to justify their participation in said activity.
And what is our response to that? If every kid jumped off a bridge. . .
It doesn’t matter if everyone in the world is doing it, is this activity glorifying God?
When your life contradicts what you say you believe, your integrity is questionable.
Because you are not living by what you say you believe.
When your life contradicts what you say you believe, your integrity is questionable.
Because you are not living by what you say you believe.
If we say we believe the Bible, but fail to do what it says, we are kidding ourselves.
In fact James tells us . . .
In fact James tells us . . .
What that’s telling us, If you aren’t living right-with integrity 24/7 (not perfection), you’re in trouble . . .
So we’ve seen 2 of the biggest excuses, go along to get along and everyone’s doing it.
3) BUT OBEYING GOD WILL COST ME
If I act with integrity, it will hurt my career, it will cost me friends, it might get me in trouble. It might even cause trouble in my family.
Yep, it probably will.
In Acts, when the apostles were confronted and told to stop preaching, what happened? Did they follow the law? Did they obey their authorities?
3) BUT OBEYING GOD WILL COST ME
If I act with integrity, it will hurt my career, it will cost me friends, it might get me in trouble. It might even cause trouble in my family.
Yep, it probably will.
In Acts, when the apostles were confronted and told to stop preaching, what happened? Did they follow the law? Did they obey their authorities?
If your spouse, or your boss or your friends or your kids are telling you to do something you know is wrong, your integrity requires you to not do it.
Having integrity is difficult because the world is sorely lacking in it.
When you stand for having integrity, people will think you are foolish.
And sometimes you will suffer for doing the right thing.
Having integrity is difficult because the world is sorely lacking in it.
When you stand for having integrity, people will think you are foolish.
And sometimes you will suffer for doing the right thing.
Having integrity is doing the right thing in spite of the consequences. And God will honor that choice.
So if you appear to be justifying your lack of integrity by these 3 things (which is not the whole list)
You are tempted to go along just to get along, you think that since everyone else is doing it, it’s ok, or that it is just too hard to have a life that shows integrity. This next verse is for you . . .
You are tempted to go along just to get along, you think that since everyone else is doing it, it’s ok, or that it is just too hard to have a life that shows integrity. This next verse is for you . . .
If it appears that you are able to toss your integrity aside very easily and without any Holy Spirit conviction or conscience bothering you, you might be failing the test.
Do we want God to hear our prayers? Then this tells us if we do right, he listens.
Ultimately, God will honor a life that is lived with integrity. Regardless of what happen to us or around us, you will never regret living a life that Jesus will one day, say: Well done thou good and faithful servant.
Ultimately, God will honor a life that is lived with integrity. Regardless of what happen to us or around us, you will never regret living a life that Jesus will one day, say: Well done thou good and faithful servant.
Thank you for joining us!
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