Category: Sermons

Steps to maturity – learn God’s willPart 2 – mundane to action

Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Last week we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….

Abraham was faithful simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him and was faithful with the task of caring for the sheep 

It was in their faithfulness that God called them

Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep

Genesis 12:1-5

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. 

David

1 Samuel 16:11,12

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

What were these men doing when they received the call of God?

– being obedient to the serving of others

– being faithful with the mundane

– caring for what was in their hands today – seeing it as important and not worrying about tomorrow

– they both had complete faith and trust that they were doing exactly what they needed to be doing

– they were learning to be faithful, God saw it and then called them to change their world

In the midst of their faithfulness is when God revealed His will for them

Are you being faithful then expect God’s will to begin being revealed to you

Whatever it is that you are being faithful in, God is using it to train you for your future

Abraham was learning to travel and learn the vision for his future from Terah (Terah had initiated heading toward Canaan)

David in learning to protect the sheep was learning both how to be a leader and to slay Goliath

We might not always understand what lessons we are learning from the mundane, being faithful in the daily and little

How many of you remember the movie the Karate kid…there is a scene where Daniel has been doing all kinds of chores for Mr. Miyagi sanding the floor, waxing his cars, painting his fence, painting his house 

Daniel hadn’t realized that he was actually learning and preparing for his future in the mundaneness of his task

When we are following the Lord and our lives are in His hands he is always preparing us for what’s next

To truly learn God’s will we have to accept the time of training…as I mentioned earlier Abraham and David both embraced the time as simply trusting God

The next step to understanding God’s will…once again realizing that he has designed you for it, has been preparing your for it, and you enjoy doing it so you will naturally gravitate to it is to begin doing it?

So how do you know what the “it” is?…God will present situations for you and all you need to do is do them

Abraham and his nephew Lot had divided their people Lot went to the fertile valley of Sodom and Abraham stayed in the plain…a war took place and here is what happened

Genesis 14:10-16

As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. 12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.

Likewise David was at home watching the sheep while his brothers were off at war. Jesse, David’s father sent him with bread and cheese to take to the troops as he dropped them off…

1 Samuel 17: 22-26

David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

In both cases because they had been faithful in the little things God taught them all they needed to know to prepare them for their future, their call, His will and then as we have just read…he presented them with an opportunity to use all they had been taught.

Are you in the mundaneness being faithful with the small right now? If so, just keep being faithful, learn everything you need to learn, accept the correction, growth, wisdom, insight, humility, changes that the Lord is doing in you! At the right time, when you are prepared…

God will present an opportunity for you to use what you have learned and start to understand His will….are you in the midst of a battle, a struggle, some war going on? Chances are that means God wants you to apply all that you have learned in your time of small beginnings

Don’t be frustrated in the battle be confident, apply what you have learned so you can prove to yourself and the Lord that you have learned it well

You have heard me share in times past we need three types of people in our live Paul, Barnabas, and a Timothy – the timothy teaches us that we have learned the lesson and are now able to teach it to someone else

The time of small beginnings has prepared us to accomplish the will of God then God gives us an opportunity to “test” our understanding of what He has taughtand then there are two more steps to totally grasping the will of God which we will wrap up next week 

Steps to maturity – learn God’s will-faithfulness

Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Knowing God’s will and living God’s will blesses you, others and the world at large and as a side benefit will keep you from trouble

Sound crazy? Speaking of crazy…

Dr. Karl Menninger, a world-famous psychiatrist, was answering questions after giving a lecture on mental health when one person asked, “What would you advise someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.” This psychiatrist knows that those who serve others have less mental and psychological problems. The best way to bring on a heart attack or a mental, emotional breakdown is to think about yourself all the time.

So how do we find God’s will…its easy

We start by being faithful to what is in our hands right now

Genesis 11:31,32

One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. 32 Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

Another story you may know is about David, he was faithful daily with caring for the family sheep

It may seems mundane, it may seem unexciting but God looks for faithfulness and that is one of the keys, from Able – Paul, God found faithfulness in them before he began to use them

What are you doing daily in your place of business, home, organizations you belong to, your school, and our church are you being faithful?

There are generally three types of people in any company, corporation, organization including the church

Leaders

Followers

Complainers

We saw this two weeks ago in moving forward not backward

You can be a follower and a leader at the same time, you lead a team, a group, some part of the organization but you still have a leader over you….you can be a leader and a follower in fact every leader should be a follower in order to grow to be a better leader…you will find the best CEO’s of companies have mentors or they are always reading from other great leaders…both of these the key is, faithfulness

Complainers on the other hand are neither leaders or followers….they generally think they are leaders or through their complaining are trying to lead but to be a leader or follower you must be faithful to the company, organization, church or corporation you are working in

This is really almost an Olympic event with Americans complaining is almost what we do best, just listen to the news or any talk show for any length of time… but not so with us…we are Christ-followers and he never complained!

165 times in scripture Paul mentions his description of a Christian life is that we are “in Christ” why because when Jesus confronted Saul he said why are you persecuting me…Saul didn’t even known Jesus but he was persecuting Christians who are in Christ so when we complain against a brother or sister in Christ we are doing it to Jesus (Matthew 25 “done it unto me”)

Look at the task you are called to right now being and employee, employer, Mom, Dad, attender of this church

Are you faithful to all of the tasks no matter how unexciting they may be

Being faithful is about trusting God that he has placed you in your business, organization, or church and that he has you there for a purpose….complainers miss out on God purpose and plan for them and the organization they are part of…so God generally will test people through the mundaneness of daily task and then will bless them as they pass.

As God did with Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him

As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep 

Complainers may get promoted, may end up in accidentally in leadership positions but they are never happy they still complain because it is not the organization, company or church that is the problem it is them, their brokenness, they heartache, their guilt, shame, feelings of inadequacy that God wants to heal and set them free but as long as they are complainers and not leaders or followers they will continue to suffer outside of the blessings of God because all leadership comes from God for us to learn

When we are faithful there isn’t anything we can’t do…we know and are the Father’s heart when we are faithful, we don’t fear anything knowing that God will be faithful to us and we know his heart and his will….God puts it this way

2 Chronicles 16:9a

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal (faithful) to Him…”

Help others to be faithful not faithless

When you hear someone gossiping, complaining, or whining call them on it, gently, find out what their brokenness is, the guilt they are carrying you may find yourself being able to lead them to Christ or if they are a Christian challenging them to maturity

Paul instructed Timothy 2 Timothy 2:2

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

You see God’s very character is faithfulness and when we are faithful to Him we truly reflect Him.

It is only the faithful that God can trust his word, deeds, and anointing too.

Faithfulness is not a one time event, not a couple of time event, it is the consistent revealing of the fruit of the Spirit in your words, actions and deeds

You see faithful has at it’s root faith…if you are not faithful it is because you do not have faith

Yes the Lord works with and is always calling the unfaithful back to himself but you are not pushing on to fulfilling God’s will until God can find you faithful

You might be saying to yourself I’m not sure if I’m faithful or not

It is good to ask myself what it means to be faithful in practice. The way to a faithful life can start with very small things…

– keeping a promise

– paying a debt on time, 

– giving an honest answer to a painful question. 

Psalm 15:4b “who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;” (NIV)

It can mean… 

– watching my words 

– Do you exaggerate when telling a story? 

– Are you a revealer or a concealer of secrets?

What about my motives? Is there an underlying selfish motive in the good I do for others?

Proverbs 11:13

A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy (faithful spirit NKJ) can keep a confidence.

In order to fulfill God’s will we must understand being faithful because it is most likely at the root of why we have not followed it until now. Once again we truly reflect Him when we are faithful

God is faithful in every possible meaning of the word. He is described as…James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  

God is utterly..

– faithful to His Word, 

– Faithful to His promises 

– faithful to mankind, the chief joy of His creation.

He loves each person unconditionally with an eternal and unchanging love. He never changes there is no shifting in who he is or what He stands for…how about you?

Does everything you say and do reflect the Lord? Is the way you talk about your boss, people you work with, your family, brothers and sisters in Christ reflect His character? Does the way you treat others reflect the fruit of the Spirit?

Thinking of the world as a whole, if every person lived faithfully by his or her God-given conscience, that whisper in our hearts that tells us the difference between good and evil and prods us to choose rightly, how different the world would be! To follow our conscience is a fantastic beginning! But as Christians, God wants to lead us even further. He has promised us the Holy Spirit, the Helper who will guide us into all truth. 

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;

Can you imagine allowing the Holy Spirit to guard you tongue and actions to cause you to always walk in the truth, to set you free to know every minute of every day what the Lord wants? This is how much God loves us

This is just a start. To be honest I didn’t think I would go this deeply into the “faithfulness” part but as I prayed I felt as if the Lord was telling me, 

“So many miss out on my will because they are looking for the big things and they want the more responsibility and position and prestige but are not willing to be faithful with the small things so they miss out on my will and the joy I have for them”

Finding God’s will is first about knowing that God designed you and desires for you to do his will BUT

If we aren’t faithful with the little things even though he has a plan and purpose for us he won’t be able to trust us with the big BUT

If we are faithful with the little things we are making the first steps to doing His will

The little things can be a challenge

– keeping your word, pay debt on time, giving honest answers

– are you watching your words, do you exaggerate, what are your motive for sharing things with others

Luke 16:10,11

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

Yes, Jesus’ words are warning but I want you thinking today not about the warning but instead the possibilities…when we are faithful with the mundane things of life…God opens up his plans and purposes for us…God wants you to know His will He designed you to fulfill his will don’t allow your own flesh to get in the way and limit the amazing plan God has designed for you…be faithful and he will unfold his will to you because it is so easy and readily available 

We will talk about the ways God’s will is revealed next week but these are the steps to maturity but they are also the steps to being everything you are called to be and to fulfill your amazing journey

Life is full of distractions.

Phones, but as awesome of a tool as these are, they will remove hours from your life, if we let them

Distractions are everywhere.  Life is full of them

How about a weather report!!!!!!

The things we own, they require our time, our energy, our money, and our attention.
Every new possession adds new stress in our lives.
And yet, we continue, to pursue and accumulate, more and more and more.

Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

More stuff is not the answer.
More stuff has become the distraction,

Mark 10:17-23 (NLT) The Rich Man
17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

He had every good thing, that he could possibly work for or earn,
but he didn’t have the peace of God.

Obviously, by his reaction, his many positions we’re more important to him then his relationship with God.

His things were in charge of him, they owned him.

We have to learn, The best things in life are not things.

When we chase riches, we give away our greatest possible potential.
We trade it for the highest dollar figure we can get.

When our contribution to society is motivated by a selfish desire to accumulate riches, it has become self-focused.

And we have lost our opportunity to live the best life that God has planned for us.

Paul puts it like this;

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT)
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Money is not evil. It is simply a tool. The problem is when we begin to love the money.

We count on money to bring us peace, joy, and happiness.

That should come from our relationship with the Lord.

Here is how James looks at us when we allow ourselves to be distracted from the Lord by money;

James 5:1-3 (NLT)
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.

If we are counting on these things to supply, and ignoring God, we are in trouble.

Enough about money, Let’s talk about fears for a minute.

In the 14th chapter of Matthew, it tells us about Jesus feeding the 5000 and then sending the disciples back across the lake on the boat while he went to pray. If you know the story, wind starts to blow, storm kicks up, wave start to roll and the disciples are terrified. Now it’s 3 AM. They see something coming across the top of water. It was Jesus walking…

Matthew 14:28-30 (NLT)
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
        
Peter got distracted by the storm.

Let me give you another example of people distracted.

In the 13th chapter of the book of Numbers.
God tells Moses to send out 12 man to explore the land of Canaan, “ the land I am giving to the Israelites”.
So Moses sent them in with the instructions to check out the land.
Find out what it will take to take possession of the land the Lord is giving us.

After spending 40 days, the 12 men returned to camp and gave that report of how wonderful the land was and the fruit it produced.

Numbers 13:27 (NLT) 27
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces.
They brought out a single cluster of grapes so large it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them.

(NLT) 28
But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.

This second part of the report distracted almost everyone.

Fear distracted them from God’s blessing and cost them 40 years until they all died in the wilderness.

What has the Lord called you to that you are afraid of?    

Google says there are upward of 365 times in the Bible that tell us to fear not or do not be afraid.

The Promise of Tomorrow and The Regret of Yesterday

We spend an incredible amount of resources not living in the moment.

We waste so many days waiting for the weekend.

So many nights wanting morning.

Our desire for future comfort might be the biggest thief of life.

We should look toward the future and plan accordingly.

But, when we simply endure today, only for the sake of tomorrow,
the weekend,
the vacation,
the retirement,
the perfect guy,
the perfect girl,
we miss out on the full beauty and potential of the present.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NLT) 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Regrets,

We are going to have regrets—nobody escapes life without messing up.
But no amount of regret can ever change the past.

Call your mistakes what they are,
Confess them to the Lord and to whoever else has been hurt,
repent, and then move on.
Don’t allow regret from the past to distract you from today’s opportunity.

Psalms 103:12 (NLT)
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
You’re forgiven. Forgive yourself and move on.

Learn from your past. good or bad, learn from it, but don’t live in it!

Isaiah 43:16-18
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.    “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

1 Kings Chapter 13 gives us another account of a distracted man of God

1 Kings 13:1-24 (NLT) 1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.
6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”
8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. 9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’” 10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.
11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.
14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”
18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.
20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”
23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

We need to identify the distractions.
We have two come to grips with the the fact that the best things in this life can be our greatest distractions from the Lord.

and sometimes the hardest times in this life are when we focus our attention on the Lord.

What does the Lord compete with for your attention?

Joshua 1:7-8 (NLT) 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

What did Jesus do to remove the distractions?

Luke 5:16 (NLT)
16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Matthew 14:23 (NLT)
23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

Mark 1:35 (NLT)
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

Luke 6:12 (NLT)
12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.

Luke 9:28 (NLT)
28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.

He had a pretty good plan. Be diligent.

When we invest this time with the Lord, we will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

We are in a war for our hearts and minds .
We have to do battle for our attention.

Moving Forward – Just keep moving forward

I have pushed you on some things that can push back so I want to share with you a story from the Bible about a time when people trusted the Lord and they got some push back from it

The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures–the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo.

The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.

Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back

Exodus 14:1-9 

Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: 2 “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. 3 Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ 4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. 5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. 7 He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. 9 The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

1) Helpless Situation–causes us to feel like moving backward

They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in

• Reasons not to move forward with life stems from – Fear

– Inactivity – haven’t spent time in the word, prayer, fellowship with other believer’s

– Inexperience – we are in a place we have never been before, it seems impossible even though God lead us here

– Inability – I can’t do it, everything from your past hits at once and tells you of you inability rather than God’s ability

• Seems like a mistake following the leadership of God – look for people to blame because you feel as if you are trapped

Romans 8:31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Exodus 14: 10-14

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” 

2) Desperate Cry– something we naturally do when we feel trapped

Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked….. Pharaoh and they were sore afraid: …. and …. They cried out to the Lord

• Followed in obedience – they had done nothing wrong yet they seemed to be trapped, the trusted the Lord and the leadership

• Yet seems worst off then before verses 11-12 – we tend to look at things through the eyes of right now and our abilities and our wants and desires rather than God’s if God is leading you can bet he has a better plan

Exodus 14:13,14

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

3) Perfect Confidence– when we are in the battle of change to become everything the Lord has called us to be we have to remember that all kinds of things will fight us….that just goes to prove to us we are on the right track…our confidence, like Moses’ must be in the Lord. That is where faith kicks in

• Christ is a present help in the time of trouble 

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble

• He knows how to deliver – 

Joshua 1:9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

• He will fight for you – hold your peace…Romans 8:31 from above and 

Psalm 44:5 Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

4) The decision to Trust– Exodus 14:15-18

And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

…. go forward – there comes a point when as Nike says, we have to “Just do it” we realize God has brought us to this point and we have got to choose to trust him then we take action

• There is a part that they and I have to do – remember the disciples with feeding the 30K people Jesus said “you feed them”

• Impossibilities lets God work

• His work is always forward

• Defeat or victory lay in their hands

• Obedience gives the victory

Many stories in scripture show us how God goes before those who trust Him…it was a trust in so many ways…I mean I would have been saying God you’re going to allow Pharaoh to do what?

5) Perfect Protection– when we trust God he then does all that he has promised to do….see we do have a part in faith

Exodus 14:19,20

19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

– His presence promised for us – he will never leave us or forsake us even when we fail he does not fail

– Impossible Deliverance – it would not have been my way of doing it perhaps not your way either but the Lord had a couple million people to get through the sea

Exodus 14:21 – 27

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

• Salvation is all of God’s doing – God will always come through as we trust him

• Waves held back until all the redeemed passed over

• Jesus is the way 

Can you imagine the Israelites believing the Egyptian army would be destroyed with out weapons and by the very thing that brought them deliverance, the parted sea!

When we trust God we have to really trust him. He doesn’t always reveal his plans for us completely but when we learn to trust him, no matter how bad things may look from our perspective or point of view, God always has a great plan

• Have you experienced victory over the impossible?

You may get push back from the moving forward but God hasn’t created us to move backward, like the emu and the kangaroo we have been designed to move forward to change the world and to become all he has called us to be…you are so much more than you are right now you have been created for far more than you are and God doesn’t want you to settle to do the change he has called you to don’t be afraid of the push back, Godhas you and has greatness in your future, fulfillment in your future, destiny and purpose fulfilled in your future…you are also just getting to know and understand His love for you, grow with it

Let’s talk about joy!!

Let me at the beginning today take a quick survey. 

How many of you have ever been discouraged?

How many of you could use more joy in your life?

Okay I’m teaching the right message to the right group today.

You know it’s going to be a bad day when:

– you turn on the morning news and they’re displaying emergency routes out of the city

– you wake up in the morning and the sun rises in the west

– your boss tells you not to bother taking off your coat

– your horn gets stuck following a group of hell’s angels

– when you jump out of bed and miss the floor

– when you call your answering service and they tell you it’s none of your business

– when you step on the scale and it reads tilt

Well we all have bad days don’t we? We all get discouraged. But my subject today is JOY!!!!!

The news, the difficulties of life, the division in our nation have all stolen our joy

Now, I am not so naive to think that we will always be on the top of the world walking on the mountain, for there will be occasion that we will have to travel in the valley for a while. But neither am I so spiritually ignorant that am not aware that God has provided for us in times of those valley experiences.

– In this life we will have tribulation.

– In this life we will have trouble

– In this life we will have difficulty

– In this life we will have trials

– sickness

– hard times

– The storm will rise

– The winds will blow

– The waves will crash against your life

 – There will be discouragement

 – Things won’t go as planned

  – sorrow, weeping

  – financial difficulties

 – dark days

 – uncertain times

But the thing that God has provided for us in the hard times of this life is JOY!!!!

Psalm 30:5 – For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (NLT)

Turn to your neighbor and say: “Neighbor, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning”.

Isaiah 61:3 – To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified

Turn to your other neighbor and say: “Neighbor, He’s given us joy for mourning. And he’s given us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”

This joy that I have….The world didn’t give it to me…And the world can’t take it away

What is Joy?Mr. Webster says: “it is the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”

Joy is a strong feeling of happiness; a manifestation of happiness through an outward rejoicing or excitement.

To the people who don’t know Jesus those definitions might be true. But to the Christian (someone who should know Jesus) something different applies as it relates to our JOY.

This outward rejoicing comes from an inward satisfaction that I know Jesus Christ and I am full of His Spirit part of which is JOY

Nehemiah 8:10 – Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The nation of Israel had just read the scriptures and they were to celebrate that God was God, He was in charge and could be trusted despite their difficult life and situations

1 Pet 1:6-8  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Peter is challenging us saying…if you really believe God to be God then understand He is bigger than your trials, your struggles..these are the things that test whether you really believe He is God or not and your are His child or not….so choose to believe, not in the circumstances bt in the God who is bigger than the circumstances….choose to rejoice not in the difficulty of what you are walking through but knowing it in a little while it will be gone and you will have overcome

1 Peter 4:12,13 – Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 – But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Somebody say: I’m on a journey….it’s not always easy…but if I choose, I will always win

What brings joy? Choosing to trust God

Turn to your neighbor and say: “I’ve got:

– troubles – But I’ve got JOY!!

– problems

– sickness

– trials

– bills to pay

– difficulties

When we believe and trust in God and we are walking in the truth of God’s word… we are blessed by God. We have joy not because we have:

– a nice car

– more money

– a house

– a good job

But we rejoice because we know who has our lives in the palm of His hands and that He can be trusted more than our circumstance.

What brings joy? When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he’s done for me because I know He loves me, sees me, and believes in me – that’s when I get joy. Not from the things of the world

– In the fiery furnace – joy (Read Daniel)

– In the lion’s den – joy, joy (read Daniel)

– In the Red sea – joy, joy, joy (read Exodus)

– In front of the walls of Jericho – joy, joy, joy, joy (read Joshua)

– In front of the biggest giants – joy (1 Samuel)

– In prison in stocks and bonds after being beaten – joy, joy, joy, joy, joy (Acts)

– In troubles – joy

– In sickness – joy, joy

– In financial difficulty – joy, joy, joy

– In problems on the job – joy, joy, joy, joy

– In the darkest hour of your life – joy, joy, joy, joy, joy

Take some time to think of all the things God has done for you, remember them especially in your troubles, sickness, financial difficulties, problems on the job, with the family

He will help you to feel and know the joy as you choose to trust him, as you choose to remember all the good things he has done for you

Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NASB)

Don’t witness to someone with a frown.

Don’t invite someone to come here with a sourpuss look on your face.

But get some joy!!!

If you can’t get excited about:

the fact that you know him, you do have problems. You need to get some joy!!!! Joy is a choice…choosing to believe in God’s goodness and trust Him, choose to remember all the good things He has done for you…see you not only need the Joy for you but the world needs to see it too, people in our area, the people we work with, go to school with, see at the store every day….if we choose joy we go from:

– doubt to trust

– complaining to confidence

– trusting in man to God

– valley to mountain

– fear to faith

– defeat to victory

The joy of the Lord is our strength!!

You need to be excited:

– that you know him

– about what God has done for you

– about His love for you

– that He knows you and believes in you

– that what He has done for you in the past is easy for Him to do again

– that you as a part of this family, you are changing the world for others every day

When I think of the goodness of Lord and all he’s done for me

When I think of the goodness of Lord and how he set me free, blessed me, knows me, met me, believes in me…I can’t help but expect more and that builds an excitement of joy in me

COME ON DOWN HERE AND GET SOME JOY!!!

Moving Forward in 2019 Part 2

As we launch into a new year, many take it as an opportunity to make better decisions, eating right, more exercise, less wasted time, more time with family and friends, starting a new hobby or schooling.

Last week we talked about starting the new year off right by choosing to forgive ourselves, walk free of regrets and be as free as we should be because of Christ setting us free…This week I want you to think about who you really are…what is your identity what labels do you wear?

LIFE STORY

We struggle with our identity and that of others, the labels we and others give us

It is at the root of prejudice, intimidation, insecurity, much of our anxiety, most psychological problems, fear, anger and so much more

It is also at the root of our successes, our sense of accomplishment, compassion, our feelings of love, and passion.

A few years ago I had another class reunion when I think about high school it wasn’t a bad time for me…I had my struggles like most. When I graduated I was 5’ 4” tall and weighed about 90-100lbs. I was always small throughout school…the reunion got me thinking about labels…we had the jocks, nerds, geeks, heads, rebels, popular kids, bandy’s, class clowns….at one point or another I fit into most of these labels….I wrestled so I was a jock, I loved reading, literature, and Shakespeare so I was a nerd, I loved sci-fi so I was a geek, in junior high I would bring candy and gum in a gym bag to sell, it was considered contraband back then because you weren’t allowed either in school, in high school drove a motorcycle to school so I was a rebel. My junior and senior year I spent lots of my earnings on clothes and I was going to the under 21 clubs dancing so I became very popular. I starred in all the school plays mostly comedic roles so thus the class clown, I was in the band from 4^thto 12^thgrade….but these were labels others tried to place on me, they were just a slice of who I was not the whole picture…that’s the problem with labels

Think about it….How many here were nerds? Jocks (cheerleaders included)?, rebels?, class clown, bandy’s (majorettes included)? Popular? Heads were what we called the drug users I don’t want to know this one today

Our identity comes from many places… 

what we do….our jobs, hobbies, skill sets

who we are….Father, Mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, neighbor, friend

culture or race….Italian, Polish, German, white black, Hispanic, Asian

class…lower, middle, upper

education…skilled, unskilled, bachelor’s, masters, doctorate, apprentice, journeyman, master

sex…male, female

age….Millennials, next gen, y, x, baby boomers, baby busters

All of these labels, identities…who has the right to label something?

1) Manufacturer– labels on shirt, shoes, underwear, the phones we use…we expect the people that make stuff…labels are everywhere on our stuff…and if the label is cool people will pay more for the label than for the product…I remember 2013 when rapper Kayne West sold his hip hop plain white t-shirt, for 120 dollars, and it sold out instantly…it is a plain white t-shirt people…but it’s all about the label…(in college I had to have the polo with the little alligator on it “LaCosta”

2) Owners- if you own something, you can label it…cause you own it…if you don’t own it…you can’t label it….I mean how weird would it be if I came to your house with a label maker and started labeling things like kitchen, dog, mother, sister, even if I was right, I wouldn’t have the right, because I am not the owner…visitors don’t have the right to label things

3) Purchasers– when you were a kid, what was the first thing your parents told you to do with your… coat, you baseball glove, or soccer ball, your backpack….write your name and phone number on it…

Apart from receiving the label from the manufacturer, owner, or purchaser any label is a fake label (I bought a few of those when I thought I was getting the real “Lacoste” in college)

This labeling, when done wrong, causes racism, prejudice, sexism, and ignorance to grow rampant. It causes heartache and places limits on us when the label is “stupid”, “good for nothing”, when some is labeled useless, called racial slurs, even labels like poor, republican, democratic, conservative, liberal and so on it also causes division between people, cultures, and the church….our first priority must be allowing the Manufacturer, owner, or purchaser to label you only

The one who made something is the manufacturer. 

The owner – the person who owns that something 

The purchaser – the person who bought that something… 

Which means God is the only one who has the right to label you…God is the one who manufactured you…who created you… 

Psalm 139:13

 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

God is also the one who owns you…

Psalm 24:1

 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

God is your purchaser…

1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

God is the only one who is your Creator, God is the only who owns the earth and all of us in it, and God is the only one who loved you so much that he sent his son to die on the cross for your sins…so that by the blood of Christ He purchased you from sin and death…God is the only one who has a right…to label you…

And if we could live our lives simply rejecting all the labels that other people try to stick on us…and instead choose to let God be the one to label us…our lives would be so so so much better…and we would be able to do so so so much more in this life…because we would be free from fear of others…

I just want to look at one verse with you, that talks about this and it is found in Romans 12:2

“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

When we accept labels we are conforming to the way of this world. When Paul is speaking of conforming to this world he is saving don’t allow yourself to be shaped into a pattern of thinking, behavior, attitudes, judgment, impurity of thought the way the world looks and acts, you are different

The question is…we know we are not supposed to do that…and yet…we find ourselves doing that all time…why?…if we are honest with ourselves, we want to fit in…no one likes being an outsider, a freak…and honestly…the world has some pretty cool riches to offer….but here Paul is saying if you want to go after all the things the world has to offer…and if you really want to fit in…then you are going to conform to the pattern of this world in order to get those things…and in the process…you are going to lose yourself…and is it worth it…Jesus put it this way Matthew 16:26

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

This world is dying and conforming to it is only a temporary enjoyment

1 John 2:17

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

What good would it be to have had the most opulent room on the Titanic or the luxury office and suite in the twin towers…conforming to the worlds pattern of thinking, the labels that come with the prejudices, insecurities and impurities of thought lead to temporary comfort but ultimate disaster

Going back to the idea of high school you could decide to conform to the patterns that someone else had set before and those patterns and labels always created an us versus them scenario and idea that we were the in-crowd and others did not fit in…it was a micro version of what is happening in our world today…the church and Christians are conforming to a label based on the world rather than Christ and it causes division not unity…we can’t think the way the world thinks, we can’t label ourselves and others the way the world does.

When you are at work, shopping, with the guy/gals the language, discussions, attitudes are mostly going to be patterned after the way the world thinks and talks…you belong to Christ first you should patterned your life, language, attitudes, and discussions based on Him.

The second part of this says be “transformed by the renewing of our minds”

Be transformed…that verb transformed there is a passive command which basically means Paul is commanding us to allow and work with the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.

In order to live our identity out as Christ desires we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in us…His job is to teach, to guide, to cause us to remember all that Jesus taught

In order to be open to really knowing our true identity it is in Christ as we see here

John 1:12

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

Galatians 3:28,29 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

We have to know what Christ is like?  Let me ask you something…how much of this past week would you say you emulated Christ and how much did you respond like the world?

To change here are a few things we need to do!

1) If we apply the fruit of the Spirit to our daily lives Galatians 5:22,23

We will be transformed, our words, actions, attitudes, judgments

2) We can only do that by daily being in prayer and the word…we need refreshed and renewed every day like our teeth…if you did not brush your teeth they would soon stink, rot, and fall out. Such will be our walk with Christ and our lives if we are not in prayer and the word

3) Rip off the labels of the old identity that you had and accept only Christ Identity for you…many times things that were said and done in childhood or the way others have labels us stick for years…Christ has paid the price for us to be different to be who he says that we are but if we continue to go back to the old labels we will never be free

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

4) Stop caring about the pattern of the world…when someone says something is cool, something is popular, something is great.. who are they to say that it is or isn’t….Jesus looked at the broken, the downcast, all sorts of people and he made them right, he knew the real label they should be wearing…each one was a precious child of God, deeply loved by Him…the world’s understanding of things is temporary but God’s is eternal.

5) Wear God’s label first…too often we get caught up and make secondary labels first…you are God’s child ahead of your political affiliation, ahead of you educational or family background, ahead of your race, ahead of your culture…if we can come to the place of seeing each other as brothers and sisters in Christ first then we will go a long way to understanding our identity and the identity of everyone else in our lives

Do you have a label that has been killing you, holding you back, limiting who you are? Have you allowed others to steal your real identity by labeling you or putting you in a place that is an old label? Come and allow someone to help you rip off the old label.

God sees the real you…the whole you and he has given you a label Child of the King

Moving Forward in 2019 Part 1

As we launch into a new year, many take it as an opportunity to make better decisions, eating right, more exercise, less wasted time, more time with family and friends, starting a new hobby or schooling. Out of the 48 sermons I taught here last year, 38 of them directly tied in with “Love.” Understanding God’s love for others and us is always critical to moving forward….I know it at times can seem overwhelming to make changes but allow me to share a story with you. A woman tells the story of her daughter wanting to show her a daffodil field (this is a true story)

(Place daffodil field photo on the screen) Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead.

“I will come next Tuesday, ” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!”

My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.”

“Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears, and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her.

“I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car.”

“How far will we have to drive?”

“Just a few blocks,” Carolyn said. “I’ll drive. I’m used to this.”

After several minutes, I had to ask, “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the garage!”

“We’re going to my garage the long way,” Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.”

“Carolyn,” I said sternly, “please turn around.”

“It’s all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that said, “Daffodil Garden.”

We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns-great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

“But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn.

“It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.”

Carolyn pointed to a well kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one.”50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1978.”

There it was, The Daffodil Principle. For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun ~ one bulb at a time ~ to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of indescribable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time ~ often just one baby-step at a time ~ and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal forty years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said.

I want us to be free, so we can bring freedom to otherstoday we begin with one day, one step at a time, let’s start today!

Forgiveness– I am not focusing or forgiving others, I have taught on that many times but I want to visit forgiving ourselves.

Many of us live in a dark place, a place that many in our lives may not know about, but it controls us….what we think, what we do, how we respond to others….there are hidden things in our lives, some that no one knows about and we fear if anyone finds out they will reject us, walk away from us, treat us differently or look at us differently

It can be wrapped up in one word…

Regret

1. to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.):He no sooner spoke than he regretted it.
2. to think of with a sense of loss:to regret one’s vanished youth.

Forgive

1. to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
2. to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3. to grant pardon to (a person).
4. to cease to feel resentment against:to forgive one’s enemies.
5. to cancel an indebtedness or liability of: to forgive the interest owed on a loan.

Romans 3:23-25

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood….”  

When we recognize, our sin, our blowing it is part of the human condition, it is a result of the fall of man….we are not perfect. We are not good enough It is the very reason Jesus came to die on the cross

We can’t be good enough, none of us are perfect enough…let me say something that may seem harsh but is very true

When we don’t forgive ourselves and receive the Lord’s forgiveness for us we are saying to God Jesus death on the cross was not good enough for me

So why would we do such a thing

1. we believe we need to suffer for the consequences of our sin

– we all will feel the effects of our sin in one way or another depending on the sin…for some it is merely and internal angst for other there are external repercussions

a lie – if not found out will eat away at us inside but if found out will hurt others and we will feel the pain of their hurt

It is bred into a lot of doctrines out there that we must suffer for our sins…the problem with that is that Jesus already did all the suffering for us and paid the price so that we might understand real love 

1 Corinthians 13:3

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

When we understand real love then we understand forgiving ourselves is about truly knowing God’s love for us which allows us to walk in the freedom that forgiveness gives us

2) A struggle with forgiveness may be a struggle with self-righteous standards.

“I can’t forgive myself” is equivalent to saying, “I haven’t lived up to my own perfect standards,” or, “I haven’t lived up to other people’s expectations.”

We have created our own standard of righteousness. Perhaps we over-estimated ourselves. Or, we so worshiped the approval of others, that we lived life perpetually attempting to solicit that applause.

If this is the case we will fail every time the battle with self-forgiveness arises from failure to measure up to our own standards of performance; our own image of how good we hoped that we were. And now, we are deceived into thinking that we cannot forgive ourselves. In reality, we need to confess our sin of creating a self-righteous standard or worshipping the god of people-applause.

We need to remember the verse from earlier 

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

We all fail but we are to all rely on God’s grace which according to Paul is sufficient for us….if this battle is ours it is as if we are saying we are God and we determine our own value rather than God determining it

We can easily find ourselves never being happy always striving to please others always being afraid that if we are wrong that we are somehow less than others…we must forgive and live in forgiveness of ourselves seeing our failures

To be honest it is only by recognizing our weakness that we can become truly strong

2 Corinthians 12:9

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

When we recognize our need to forgive ourselves then Christ can be made more alive in us and we reflect him better.

3) The person who says, “I just can’t forgive myself,” may have ascended to the throne of judgment and declared himself to be his own judge.

When we sit in judgment of ourselves this way we are the harshest of judges. We lack the love for ourselves that God commands when He says…

“Love your neighbor as yourself” Leviticus 19:18 (God the Father) Matthew 22:39 (Jesus)

we are declaring as judge we can choose to give forgiveness of ourselves or hold it against ourselves the problem is because of Jesus death on the cross, God has already forgiven you so why hold it against yourself

It is selfishness and arrogance to not forgive ourselveswhen Jesus paid the price in full…

He desires freedom for you…He knows everything you have done. He saw it before you did it and still went to the cross for it.

God has the right to judge you, but as a Christian he chooses not to, but instead sent his son to the cross for each and every sin you have ever committed…He chooses love and forgiveness instead he is the judge, to a sinful world, and to us he is the one who loves you the most!

Guilt and regret is not something that we can actually do away with. We can only suppress it. But doing so is soul-suicide. 

Guilt can only be removed by something outside of ourselves. Believing and receiving God’s forgiveness for ourselves doesn’t suppress guilt it makes us free of it so we can live in freedom if we can live in freedom than we can bring freedom to others

Psalm 33:5 He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. 

This is what He has for you even in your lack of forgiveness toward yourself but you could experience it so much deeper if you would but choose to trust Him and forgive yourself!

Forgiveness is a choice…it often takes time and many times of our recognizing our own forgiveness until we feel it. With God, the moment we ask for forgiveness we receive it so choose to believe God rather than your feelingstoday as you move forward, take one step to accept the forgiveness for yourself that Christ paid for!

Today, I want you to choose to forgive yourself…it doesn’t mean you feel it right away but making the choice begins the process and the Lord who began the good work will complete it

Unforgiveness toward yourself means death to your joy, your peace, your contentment…so forgiveness to yourself means life to joy, peace and contentment….ask the Lord today do I have any bitterness because of things I have done, any resentment, any regrets…it doesn’t matter what you did or how long you have held them…God can help you forgive yourself and let it go today

You can never live up to God’s standard by your work, your righteousness, your goodness…but you can by his love, mercy and grace that you often pour out to others but don’t give yourself

How about giving it to yourself today?

Q

The Hope of Christmas

On November 21, 1943, Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote a letter to his fiancée, Maria von Wedemeyer, while Hitler imprisoned him during World War II. In the letter, he talked about a spiritual lesson he was learning from his life as a prisoner. He wrote: 

“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside is not a bad picture of Advent.”

Our freedom and our hope have come because of Christ

The theme of hope is a welcome one when we are faced with some of the things that life can throw at us. 

– When we are filled with fear, we need the hope of God’s presence, power and promises. 

– When we are faced with pain or illness, we need the hope that God is aware of what is going on in our lives. 

– When a bad and difficult situation goes on for a long time, we need the hope of knowing that God is able to overcome the evil that has besieged us in his time. 

– When it seems the world has lost its mind and has become hostile to God and everything good, then we need the hope of knowing that God is still in control and is the ultimate victor.

It is always at this time of year that we are especially faced with the world’s hostility to Christ and his coming. People are afraid to say Merry Christmas, afraid to celebrate it in the stores even though the reason the stores make so much is because of Christmas. Schools and government offices close down but the fear of mentioning Christmas is paralyzing. However, this administration, love it or hate it, does not possess the same fears about celebrating Christmas as past ones.

But our hope does not rest on the way the culture seems to be drifting — good or bad. Our hope is in something quite different. There are at least three areas from which our hope springs which I want us to look at today. 

1) We have hope because of who we are. Who are we?

We are the people of God. 

– He has created us with his own hands. 

– He has redeemed us with the blood of his own Son. 

– He has raised Christ from the grave and promised that we will follow in like manner. 

– He is preparing us a place in his kingdom.

We are the children of God. We are the redeemed. We are the heirs of a coming kingdom. This is our origin, our present reality and our inheritance. What could be better?

We should not be angry at those who will not allow a simple greeting like “Merry Christmas!” We are marching to a different Drummer in a different parade. We really don’t need to go down Main Street. 

– We should pity those who do not have this hope. 

– We should pray for them with genuine concern. 

I keep trying to figure out what people do when they do not believe in God. In what do they place their hope? The truth is they have no hope. If this material world is all there is, then there is nothing transcendent or beyond themselves on which they can place their trust and hope. And all that is left is their own ingenuity, strength and success. 

That might keep you for awhile, but what happens when all those things in which you have placed your trust and hope fail? Success and strength come to an end. There is only an empty void without God. If you have placed all of your hope in your abilities, and your abilities fail, then you are going to have to figure out who you are all over again. 

-If you believe this whole world happened by chance, then chance is all you can hope for.

 – If you believe this world is the result of a cosmic accident, then the best you can hope for is something accidental. 

– If existence does not have meaning, then the best you can hope for is a meaningless existence. 

– If there was no God in the beginning, then the best you can hope for is a godless future.

But, thank God, we have a sure and certain hope that is grounded in reality — the reality of God and life itself. 

Our lives began with God and will end with God. Jeremiah said, 

Jeremiah 1:4,5

The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

Isaiah the prophet said, Isaiah 49:1 

The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.

The apostle Paul wrote about…Galatians 1:15

“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace….” 

The point is, if that was true for them, it is also true for you. In fact, one more thing… Ephesians 1:3-6

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

God knew you before you were born — even before the world was created. He set you apart to belong to him. He called you and knew you by name. He created you to belong to him that you might know him and live with him forever. This is who you are. 

God says this about you through Peter…1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

2) We have hope because of whose we are.

The only way that we can have hope in who we are, is because of Whose we are.

God is our father and we are his children. He has…. ransomed, restored, raised us. It is all about him. 

– We have confidence because our confidence is in him. 

– We have hope because we know that God knows what is going on in our lives. 

– We have courage to face the future because he is in control of all of existence, and he will overcome all the problems that evil has brought into our lives. God will overcome this and make us victorious in the process.

Because of who God is, we know that something good is going to happen….. Something is on the horizon…. Something is growing…. Something is happening because there is…. Someone behind the scenes making it happen. We are not sure what it is going to look like, but we know it is going to be wonderful. It has already begun in us, and one day it will be completed. Paul put it this way he was

Philippians 1:6

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

It is in knowing whose we are that we are able to redirect our confidence from ourselves, our efforts and our abilities to something which is lasting. 

We are able to hope because we are able to trust God. We no longer have to be in control. We can let go and let God. 

It is important to understand that hoping is not wishing. Wishing is something that those who do not have God do. At one time that is where we were, for as the Bible says…  Ephesians 2:12

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

– To hope is to give up control and give the control to God.

– It replaces confidence in ourselves to confidence in God. 

– It is not wishing, for wishing keeps things within the bounds of our own imaginations. Hope is open-ended — an expectation that God is going to do something greater than we could have ever dreamed.

 Wishing is fantasy, hope is based in a grand reality — the person and character of a loving, ever imaginative God who always has our best in mind. Here is how the apostle Paul put it…2 Corinthians 1:20-22 

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

We have wonderful hope because we have a wonderful God who will never fail us. Paul writes to young Timothy….2 Timothy 2:13 

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

We are hopeful because of whose we are.

3) We have hope because of where we are.

Where do you live? If you thought of your physical address, or the name of your state, you have missed the point. 

-If you belong to Jesus Christ you are living in his kingdom. That’s where you are. You do not have to wait until Jesus comes again. He has already come. The kingdom of God is here. It is within us and around us. We are walking with God every day. We live with an awareness of his presence and the expectation of his working in our lives. We are not just sitting around waiting for heaven. Heaven has already begun for believers. We are already getting a taste of what it will be like. God is our Father, Jesus Christ is our brother, and our sins are forgiven. His resurrection is the promise of eternal life for us. God has shared his joy with us and placed his peace within us. Because we are living in the kingdom, we live in hope. It is because of where we are that we know where we are going. 

We live with confidence in the present and we face the future with courage because…Hebrews 6;19

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls….”

Bethany Hamilton was once ranked as the best amateur teen surfer in Hawaii. But one day in October, 2003, she lost an arm to a tiger shark while surfing. The story of a beautiful and talented teenager losing an arm to a shark made national news. However, there is another side to Bethany that kept her from being depressed and sinking into a life of self-pity — she had a relationship with Christ that transcended the tragedy she experienced. Soon after the attack, she began to raise money to restore a man’s eyesight. While she was visiting New York City, she gave her ski coat to a homeless girl. Her story which appeared in USA Today states: “As always, Hamilton remains undaunted. She has told her father that if having only one arm proved detrimental to reaching the top in competitive surfing, then she’d see about playing soccer.” 

Her pastor, Steve Thompson, said, “She’s looking forward to the future. She’s asking herself, ‘How can I show the world I still have a life, that I enjoy my life, and that my life is filled with joy?’ She has an underlying trust that God is taking care of her.” There is someone who understands who she is, whose she is and where she is. 

Her tragedy became a triumph, and it was all because Hope came to earth one Christmas day.

And so, I say with Paul Ephesians 1:18

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

All of this shows that are hope is accomplished in this familiar Christmas passageIsaiah 9:6,7

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,