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Our Most Important Interests

Our Most Important Interests. What we talk about. How we use our time and money. What we read. Reasons we choose our friends. What captivates your heart? Career, Hobby, Family, Church What do we look forward to in our free time?

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Our Most Important Interests

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  1. Our Most Important Interests • What we talk about. • How we use our time and money. • What we read. • Reasons we choose our friends. • What captivates your heart? • Career, Hobby, Family, Church • What do we look forward to in our free time? • Inexhaustible supply of enthusiasm and interest for things we enjoy. • Whatever our answer: That is where we will find “Virtue” (Turn to Page 7)

  2. arete... can refer to excellence of achievement, to mastery in a specific field, on the one side, or to endowment with higher power on the other, or often to both together. ... The subject of achievementmay be lands, animals, objects, parts of the body, but mostly it is man....” (Kittel, V. 1 p 457)

  3. “arete,…word of very wide signification in Grk. writ.; any excellence of a person (in body or mind) or of a thing, an eminent endowment, property or quality. Used of the human mind and in an ethical sense it denotes 1. a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; virtue, moral goodness...” (Thayer, p. 73; 703).

  4. ‘Virtue’ • The efforts people put forth for • excellence of achievement • mastery in a specific field • A Trip to the County Fair – Blue Ribbons given for the things people have virtue! • Many “how to” magazines identify virtue. • Where does our Virtue lie?

  5. ‘Virtue’ • In parable of hidden treasure/pearl of great price(Mt. 13:44-46), • Jesus described the dynamics of ‘Virtue’ • Made perfect sense to sacrifice everything. • They had greater worth • God’s kingdom so precious worth every sacrifice. • It our one hope(Eph. 4:4)worthy of every sacrifice(Rom. 8:18; 12:1-2). • Once we believe this virtue follows naturally

  6. ‘Virtue’ • Preparation for the Olympics. • Sport becomes a passion, sacrifices / pain required to master it become a pleasure. • Find coach to point out weakness. • Day after day; practice and develop skills. • virtue-excellence of achievement... mastery in a specific field...’ • They do it for a perishable crown! • We do it too! 1Cor 9:24-27

  7. ‘Virtue’ • Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 1 Cor 9:24-26

  8. VIRTUE • How do we make spiritual things our highest priority? • ‘Virtue’ isn’t forced it is real! • We have degrees of ability, intensity, enthusiasm, time or money • ‘Virtue’ is our first fruits

  9. Adding Virtue to Faith… • Student: “straight A” Christian • Athlete “gold medal” Christian • Soldier “hero” Christian • Fair “blue ribbon” Christian • Hobby “Best we can be” Christian Whatever is important to us; Christianity is above it

  10. VIRTUE • We have degrees of ability, intensity, enthusiasm, time or money, • ‘Virtue’ is our first fruits, whatever our best efforts: Given for God first! • Paul led the way in virtue. • First, Paul removed all other priorities from his heart and mind.

  11. ‘Virtue’ • But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Phil. 3:7-8

  12. ‘Virtue’ • After leaving them behind, he never looked back with longing. • True virtue never sees sacrifices as mistakes. • Never looks back with longing” • “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” • “Remember Lot’s wife”(Lk. 9:62 17:32)! • Paul sold all that he had to buy that field. • He wanted “excellence of achievement” in service to God and “mastery” in his quest for maturity.

  13. ‘Virtue’ • Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3:12-14

  14. This is exactly what Paul did • First step in adding virtue: Realize all other pursuits are secondary. • I count all things to be loss Phil 3:7-8 • Day after day after day continue to add more virtue / make more sacrifices • Forgetting what lies behind; stretching to what lies ahead.  3:12-14

  15. ‘Virtue’ • “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. Phil. 3:15-17

  16. Virtue creates firm commitment, desire for excellence, and energy, & enthusiasm. • A great cloud of witnesses: Heb 11:1-12:2 • since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, • Day by day virtue leads to denial and sacrifice. • In time it leads to: ‘excellence of achievement, mastery in a specific field... endowment with higher power.’ • Job 1:8 I have no one like him in all the earth

  17. Intensity of Virtue • The ten and five talent men. (Mt. 25:14-30) • The five wise virgins (Mt. 25:1-13) • The good Samaritan. (Lk. 10:30-37) • David before Goliath • Each was given the opportunity. • Those who saw the opportunity with virtue(wanting to master and achieve excellence) excelled • while those who had no virtue felt no need to buy up the opportunity and failed.

  18. Without virtue we are held back may never reach the goal. • cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choke the word – he becomes unfruitful Mt 13:22 • choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life brings no fruit to maturity.  Lk 8:14 • Cares of world, deceitfulness of riches, and lusts of other things enter in, choke the word, and become unfruitful. Mk 4:19

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