How many of you have ever made a dumb dec.?
Important Point: One thing we ALL have in COMMON is that
we’ve all done some pretty DUMB stuff
(tongue on cold pipe - relationships - money - cars you never should have bought) - we all have stories, we all have these chapters in our lives we wish we could re-write.
So last week we looked at the greatest dec. maker of all time, Jesus and we discovered the 1st place for us to start is bible.
When making decisions, the first question to ask:
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE HAVE TO SAY?
now there’s a 2nd ? to ask - this ? you’ve probably heard b4
I believe we could ask this ? to every layer of our lives - in every opportunity, this ? would help us in our marriages,
in every rela., in the way we parent our kids, in the way we handle our money,
... our morality - this ? has the potential to send us down the path of tremendous success - and the ? is not what is the right thing to do, the moral... the permissible thing... the culturally acceptable thing to do - it is the ? my parents and yours too maybe would ask me all the time
When making decisions, the second question to ask:
WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO?
here’s 3 more layers to the ? - to make us dig a little deeper
In light of my PAST EXPERIENCES,
what is the wise thing for me to do?
In light of my PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES,
what is the wise thing for me to do?
In light of MY FUTURE HOPES and DREAMS,
what is the wise thing for me to do?
So if we put that into context, let’s say relationally, financially, morally, who I date, where I date, where I go
In light of my PAST EXPERIENCES,
PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, MY FUTURE HOPES and DREAMS, what is the wise thing for me to do?
You see God says, like here is the level He’d like me to live - it’s not a level of simply what’s legal - we need to understand that - it’s not what is culturally permissible, it’s not just, what is allowable out there - God’s ? is the same ? my parents would ask me as a child - WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO?
I do like adding the other 3 layers ^
b/c it makes us have to think - that is where what we talked about last week, when people say, Oh let your conscience be your guide” - we said sure if it’s saturated in the truth - this is how that comes into play - WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO?
People have always asked the ? what does the Bible say about this or that - b/c in searching you may not find a direct answer to that. So right away you can see the hard-drive of their mind working, thinking, “well if God is not against it, He must be for it” right?
So the temptation for us then is to ? where’s the line?
between right and wrong, moral and immoral
so the tendency becomes, how close can I get to the fire w/out being burned, w/out facing the consequences - the ? ought not to be what can i get away with, not what is right or wrong, but what so many of our parents drilled into our heads - WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO? for me to do - not everybody else out there - jump off a cliff?
It’s different than trying to find if there is a verse in scripture that is against it, or where is the line, how far can i go?
b/c what we’ll find if we really search thru scrip. we will find a direction to head in that leads us to ask then WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO?
for example - drinking/sex
So what happens is it causes us to think right, that’s why we’re doing this series, b/c I want you to have think b/c so much of life falls into that gray area
People have different responses... I’m fine, it’s all good, Im not an alcoholic, I’m not gonna get in trouble, you sound like my over-reactive parent, another is... “ I understand what you’re talking about, and I'm old enough to know what to do, the difference between right and wrong and I don’t care, I’m gonna do what I want to do. I know the conseq. and I don’t care, I’m gonna do what I want to do. another is... “ahhh, you are so narrow minded and people like you are dangerous to this country
b/c you wanna impose you ideology and agenda upon us, you’re pathetic”
In this book, the Bible it gives us the descriptions of these 3 individuals - so that’s what we’re gonna look at today.
the Naive, the Fool, and the Mocker
Kinds of People:
First: The NAÏVE
If you’re naive you don’t admit it - never met anyone who said, “you know problem is, I’m just naive” nobody ever does that, b/c by the time you figure it out you’re not anymore right?
This is kinda tough to talk about b/c if you’re younger, jr. high, high school it sounds like an insult for somebody to say you’re naive. It’s not an insult - why?
Principle of Life: EVERYONE COMES into this world naïve
The naïve person lacks experience so they think they can
FIGURE OUT life on their own!
You can only have so much experience by the time your 14 or 15 or 18 right? It’s not a putdown, it sounds like a personal slam, but it’s not
But since the naive lack experience, they think they can figure life out on their own - have you ever been there?
B/c they’ve never seen any evidence to the contrary other than mom and dad saying, “you better listen, when I was your age”
Open to Proverbs 7 - what you’ll see is there is this wise person
standing at a window looking out & they see a naive person walking down the street, & they know the direction the naive person is heading - they’re walking to the part of town where the prostitutes come out at nite
“At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.” Proverbs 7:6-7
“He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house.” Proverbs 7:8
“All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter…” Proverbs 7:22
Remember: At certain stages of our lives, we lack
EXPERIENCE therefore we lack JUDGMENT
This is why young college students get so many credit card apps - why? - b/c they are naive, an 18 or 20yr. has never woke up 1 morning buried in 15, 18, 20,000 dollars of cc debt.
they’ve never exper. that - they don’t know what it means to feel that kind of bondage and pressure and the cc companies know that - so they reward them w/ the opportunity to ruin their lives financially - why? b/c they know they’ll take advantage of b/c they’re naive.
young ones smoking - their peers are fine with it for the most part - but you never see an adult, my age saying, “WOW! that kid is sooo coool - he’s smoking!” - ahhh so naive
if you’re 14, 15, 16, you’ve never coughed up a lung, you’ve never heard your doctor say, the lung cancer is taking over
Our naiveté causes us not to LISTEN
But the solution is to ask what’s wise? and to trust in God and Word
Second: The FOOL
The fool says, I know the DIFFERENCE between right and
wrong, but frankly I just don’t CARE
Some1 may say to the fool, “do you realize if you keep up that way it could really damage you marriage... or if you keep carrying on that way in your finances that things are gonna get bad”
Yeah I thought about but I really don’t care, besides I’ll deal w/that later - look at what the bible says
“A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.” Proverbs 10:23
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Proverbs 26:11
Ever see a dog return to it’s vomit (Here I have a video for you - just kidding)
They do the same thing over and over and over again - and they know there’s conseq.
There’s no new info. to a fool, it’s always,” i know, i know, i know
then why aren’t you concerned? b/c I just don’t give a rip, I don’t care & they may not verbally say that, but their actions prove it.
and you know what the bible says is the only way a fool changes? is they hit bottom
If you try to correct a fool, they will IGNORE you
Remember: The only way a fool changes is to face the
FULL consequences of their decisions
warnings don’t work, threats don’t work - it’s only when the wheels come off - it’s only when they hit hard enough they say, “OK I’ve had it” - WHY? b/c the fool has to learn.... the hard way
can I just tell you that here at FOCUS* it’s our heart to love, accept, and forgive - regardless - that’s our heart.
“…a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20
We talked about this last week, our dec. affect those around us -
here’s scrip. showing us that - here the fool says, “Oh it only affects me, it doesn’t matter” - but it does matter. The bible tells us those close to you feel the brunt of your dec. and choices.
Many of you already know that b/c you’ve exper. it (my home)
Third: The MOCKER
The Mocker knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses to do what they want to do, but unlike the fool,
they have chosen to be CRITICAL of those choosing and doing right things!
If you try to correct a mocker, they will HATE you!
They’ll criticize you, make of fun of your stance, ridicule you
They just sorta sit in judgement of everyone else
(often we want to just blast right back don’t we?)
So when we even loving try to talk to them, they don’t want any part of it
We’ve all seen this haven’t we? All 3 of these - maybe, just maybe we have displayed some of one of these in our lives.
BIBLE
So... WHAT IS THE WISE THING TO DO?
“Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: ‘How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke... the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy
them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.’” Proverbs 1:20-33
(hands) How many of you would like to live in safety, be at ease, and w/out fear of harm?
Two Questions:
Question #1: Where are you SITTING today?
It may not be in every area of life
This series is all about a 4th place - that is the seat of wisdom
Question #2: In light of my past experiences, in light of my
present conditions and circumstances and in light of my future
hopes and dreams…Which SEAT do you want to SIT in?
I know what all of you are thinking?
Remembering God can work thru our “If only’s”
So we ask... What does the Bible have to say? and in the gray...
In light of my PAST EXPERIENCES,
PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, MY FUTURE HOPES
and DREAMS, what is the wise thing for me to do?
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Gray Matter - "What was I Thinking?"
What was I Thinking?
People do stupid things. We watch a video like that and laugh and say to ourselves or out loud, “How incredibly stupid these people are.”
I was thinking, wouldn’t this be intriguing to do if we started maybe in the back and went around to each table, person by person and we all shared the dumbest thing we’ve ever done.
I’d imagine there’d be a few stories there. Some money we wish we wouldn’t have spent, relationships we wish we wouldn’t have gotten into, deals we wish we would have never done, investments maybe? we wish we would never taken a part of, partnerships you never entered into - oh, how about dates you wish you never gone out on, how about invitations you wish you never would have received?
I think all of us can look back, in some cases for some of us it was a night, for some it was a weekend, for some it was several months - others, entire yrs. we wish we could go back and re-write chapters of our lives - choices and decisions we’d like to have a “do-over” on, right?
So here’s the premise of this series we’re kicking off
Here’s The Key Idea of This Series:
Life is ALL about DECISIONS/CHOICES
Stop and think about all the relationships, money, deals, the choices - It’s now obvious to us how stupid we were. We look at that now and say to ourselves, “How could I have been so dumb” It’s obvious to us now that some of those decisions fall into “What was I thinking” dumb dec. and now...
we run into people going down that dumb road, be it a child, friend, whoever and you’re saying, “you don’t want to go there brother”
When we are presented in life a series of choices and we chose to look at them wisely, make wise dec. we get the most out of life - those who don’t take that approach, the chances are in this world we live in, we stand to suffer some pretty sever consequences
As we start this series today and what we’re going to look at over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about how to become great dec. makers
B/c you and I both know life is all about choices and dec.
So right off the bat let’s lay down some foundation
Key Foundational Points:
• We are all the SUM TOTAL of the choices we make!
• Our decisions determine our DESTINY.
I think we can all look back at a series of choices and dumb dec.
we’ve made and say, What was I Thinking?
I know i can - (buying thunderbird in Cal.)
My idea behind this series is that I’d like all of us to make a
commitment to making great dec.
We have this privilege given to us by God to make dec. it’s God given, to reason, ponder, wager, rationalize
animals can’t do that like humans can and the reason we’re diff. b/c we as people were made in the image of God and God is a great dec. maker and He wants us all to be great dec. makers.
and... dec. making is not an event, we need to all realize that,
dec. making is a process that is followed by an event - so when we view it as an event that’s what gets us into trouble so many times and we spend days, weeks, months dog paddling in the pools of regret - so how do we make wise dec?
There is a diff. between the big dec. in life and the little ones but they also inter-connect
We all face these big, huge dec. right?
I think 2 of the biggest dec. we’ll ever make in life are: who’s your master? Who’s your mate? those are big dec
but there are also the little dec. we make daily, everyday
You see the little dec. we make daily, where you work, who you hang out with, where you spend your time, what you spend your time doing... who you spend... what u watch... listen to...those little dec when they collect lead to big issues
When I was younger I was a sports freak - i loved and played everything and in HS I was a pretty good basketball player - good enough to get invites to schools but not good enough to get any scholarships to these schools therfore it ended there.
Sometimes I’d see these BB camps for adults to go and learn the game from these superstars like Magic, MJ and so forth and you learn the intricacies of the game and work-out hard and only eat grapefruit or something... but I’d think, “Oh I’d love that - to learn from the best”
There’s something about us that wants to learn from the best
If you have a child who could sing or play and instrument wouldn’t it be cool if you could pick up the phone and have like Sting or Harry Connick Jr. or someone like that teach your child? Or if you love golf, if you get sit and learn from Tiger Woods? Hang out for a couple of days and just twik your game?
That would be really cool
So here’s what we’re going to do today, we’re going to learn from the greatest dec. maker of all time - we’re gonna learn from someone who never made a bad call, someone who never over-reacted, some1 who never said anything they regretted, some1 who never got carried away by their feelings - you know who I’m talkin about - ? - Jesus, our perfect role model.
I don’t know if you know this but as Jesus grew up He was a Carpenter, but the last 36 mo. of His life He was a traveling preacher - the bible tells us that a guy named John baptized Him into what we would call ministry, and after He was baptized the bible tells us He went off into the wilderness. He didn’t ride in an H2 or 4x4, He walked - now I’ve never been there to that area but I read about it and it’s a desert w/ this huge towering mounds it’s a tough area to live for 40 days and nites that would be tough in & of itself, but the bible tells us that jesus fasted the entire time- he went w/out food
How many of you have ever fasted for 1 day? 3 days? 1 week?
ever go 40 days?
He was emotionally, physically, spiritually drained and the Devil comes along and gives Jesus a series of choices and dec - the Devil comes up w/ these dec to throw Jesus off track, off His purpose... listen to settle... He wanted to Jesus to make a dumb, what was I thinking dec.
So let’s try to picture this scenario... Jesus hadn’t eaten in 40 days, 40 nites and the Devil says, look at those rocks, don’t you think those rocks look like big beautiful loaves of bread - there’s nothing like bread, carbs... when you’re hungry - so he says Jesus why don’t you snap your fingers and turn those rocks into a loaf of Wonder bread - look at what Jesus said,
“But Jesus told him (Satan), ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People
need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every
word of God.’” Matthew 4:4 - ok then look what Satan says next
Hey throw yourself down from this high place, you’re not gonna die, people will see this miracle and they’ll follow you, it’d be better than David Blain - so what would Jesus do w/ that kind of dec?
“Jesus responded, ‘The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the
Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7
So the Devil turned up the heat a bit, tried to sweeten the pot, which by the way is what happens to us alot when we’re put in situations of compromising dec. making
The Devil says, Jesus bow down and worship me and I’ll give you everything (which is kinda silly when you think about it, what can you give Jesus, the creator of all things? but remember the drained state Jesus is in and.... once again... He is our perfect model knowing we will face these kind of tough decisions in life)
So what did Jesus say,
“’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures
say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’”
Matthew 4:10
Now there was a common phrase used in each circumstance, did you catch that? what was it
‘For the Scriptures say,
so what is the 1st question we should ask facing any dec?
The First Question to Ask with Any and All Decisions and/or Choices in Life
What DOES THE BIBLE have to say?
Jesus went 3 for 3 - it’s the 1st ever recorded threepeat
‘For the Scriptures say,(3)
What was goin on? How did Jesus make the dec. He asked Himself a very simple ? what does the bible say?
If it’s in this book, then I got a green light and i’ll go for it, if it’s not then it’s a red light I’m not gonna go there.
In all the dec. we make, the big and the little where’s the 1st place to start? what does the bible have to say about this.
You know I have talked to a # people over the yrs. and heard their tough stories - so many of them start w/ “If only...”
If only... I had said No to that relationship ...hadn’t said that to my spouse or son or daughter ... I hadn’t put my money in that ... hadn’t been so greedy, so stubborn ... so selfish - If only (3)
Now here’s an amazing thing about God - He can work thru your “If only’s” and He can use your past as leverage to help you in the future - to make wise great dec. that’ll give you a wonderful future - Jer. 29:11
So the 1st place to start is asking and answering what does the bible have to say? This is what jesus modeled.
God wrote a book. It’s a love letter to all of us and... He put His counsel down on these pages for a # of reasons - let me share just a couple w/ you -
God’s heart in giving us His Word:
• So we can have the BEST LIFE POSSIBLE
So we can discover God has an awesome plan for our lives.
We would be amazed at how great our dec. can be, both big & little - by just spending time in this book.
• Because God wants to help us HELP OURSELVES & OTHERS
He wants us to make great dec. not only for our own benefit but to also help and influence others... influence others
b/c for us to think ‘my dec really don’t affect other people, they really don’t, you just have to do what’s right by you’ - you are sadly mistaken with that thought process - b/c our dec. do affect others - we are connected. Especially those close to you, family, children, sister, brother, nephew, niece, friends, co-workers are looking at your life and dec.
• Because God wants us to make the MOST OF OUR TIME
Think about this, time is a gift from God that we can’t go back and get some more of & the older I get the more I wonder where did all the time go? As I watch my girls grow up - all the more reason to make wise dec. Let me ask... hands
How many of you have wasted a certain amount of time in your life, whole periods, weeks, months, possibly yrs. of your life b/c of dumb dec. & choices?
So if I will look to God’s Word to make dec. I’ll see He has my best interest at heart, for the best life possible, to not only kelp me, but others - to make good use of my time for what’s really important.
But you know not everybody takes that approach, not only in dec. making but life in gen. - they don’t have a certain set of standards, just kinda fall into relativism - “if it works for me it works, it may not work for you, but hey, that’s OK - no need for any absolutes b/c my standards may be diff. than yours”
(Prof. at Univ. hands test w/ series of ?’s and answers - just circle the answer you feel is right, there’s no right or wrongs just what you want - you’d be thinking what’s he smokin? - what kind of test is this? a standardless, baseless test it’s useless)
So when we don’t use God’s Word or Him as our absolute then everything becomes relative, everything sorta slides on scale and if I make dec. that way I get messed up pretty quickly
and the reason why so many make dumb, what was I thinking dec. is b/c we look to ourselves instead of God - like
what are some of the things we have said when we go w/ ourselves, things we’ve said a time or 2
The Basis of “What was I thinking?” Dumb Decisions
• “Go with YOUR HEART”
Yeah you’ll bat a thousand doing that wont ya - right 100%?
• “Let your CONSCIENCE be your GUIDE”
but what peeks your consc. may not peek mine so it’s the sliding scale - your consc is important in dec. making when it’s saturated in the Truth - it’s gotta be tied into that
• “If it FEELS RIGHT”
Hey, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning
or some1 may say I don’t feel like loving you anymore - our feelings are fickle (Cathleen story) we cannot trust our feelings
they’re to up and down - sometimes I don’t feel like going to work... school.... reading this book... or praying
• “What you do in the PRIVACY of your OWN HOME is your own business.”
Sure I can agree w/ that to a certain extent but we need to know this - private dec. always go public - so often what’s made in private has personal ramifications - b/c people carry out their lives and live in public - so whatever dec. made in private, remember, affect and influence those around us, sometimes
directly, sometimes indirectly. - base them on the truth.
So the 1st question everybody needs to ask themselves before making a dec. is.... What does the Bible say?
How much better would life be? We wouldn’t be wallowing in self-pity or the pools of regret if we just asked... what
1 problem with this is not everything is so black and white is it?
So what do you do w/ the other 15-20% - what I’ve found and have done myself is ask the ? - how close can I get to this and still not sin? b/c if I haven’t crossed over the line then it’s what?
OK? Is it? How far can i go w/out breaking the law? How close to immorality can i get w/out being immoral? How much can i stretch, how much can i bend w/out actually breaking any?
Is it legal... moral... permissible - and when we go down that line, oh.. that line is often oh so fuzzy - how close can i get w/out disaster - we need a standard, if it’s not illegal, then it must be...
OK - how far is too far? So in these gray areas are there other ?’s we need to ask? I think there are, but you’ll have to come back next week.
People do stupid things. We watch a video like that and laugh and say to ourselves or out loud, “How incredibly stupid these people are.”
I was thinking, wouldn’t this be intriguing to do if we started maybe in the back and went around to each table, person by person and we all shared the dumbest thing we’ve ever done.
I’d imagine there’d be a few stories there. Some money we wish we wouldn’t have spent, relationships we wish we wouldn’t have gotten into, deals we wish we would have never done, investments maybe? we wish we would never taken a part of, partnerships you never entered into - oh, how about dates you wish you never gone out on, how about invitations you wish you never would have received?
I think all of us can look back, in some cases for some of us it was a night, for some it was a weekend, for some it was several months - others, entire yrs. we wish we could go back and re-write chapters of our lives - choices and decisions we’d like to have a “do-over” on, right?
So here’s the premise of this series we’re kicking off
Here’s The Key Idea of This Series:
Life is ALL about DECISIONS/CHOICES
Stop and think about all the relationships, money, deals, the choices - It’s now obvious to us how stupid we were. We look at that now and say to ourselves, “How could I have been so dumb” It’s obvious to us now that some of those decisions fall into “What was I thinking” dumb dec. and now...
we run into people going down that dumb road, be it a child, friend, whoever and you’re saying, “you don’t want to go there brother”
When we are presented in life a series of choices and we chose to look at them wisely, make wise dec. we get the most out of life - those who don’t take that approach, the chances are in this world we live in, we stand to suffer some pretty sever consequences
As we start this series today and what we’re going to look at over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about how to become great dec. makers
B/c you and I both know life is all about choices and dec.
So right off the bat let’s lay down some foundation
Key Foundational Points:
• We are all the SUM TOTAL of the choices we make!
• Our decisions determine our DESTINY.
I think we can all look back at a series of choices and dumb dec.
we’ve made and say, What was I Thinking?
I know i can - (buying thunderbird in Cal.)
My idea behind this series is that I’d like all of us to make a
commitment to making great dec.
We have this privilege given to us by God to make dec. it’s God given, to reason, ponder, wager, rationalize
animals can’t do that like humans can and the reason we’re diff. b/c we as people were made in the image of God and God is a great dec. maker and He wants us all to be great dec. makers.
and... dec. making is not an event, we need to all realize that,
dec. making is a process that is followed by an event - so when we view it as an event that’s what gets us into trouble so many times and we spend days, weeks, months dog paddling in the pools of regret - so how do we make wise dec?
There is a diff. between the big dec. in life and the little ones but they also inter-connect
We all face these big, huge dec. right?
I think 2 of the biggest dec. we’ll ever make in life are: who’s your master? Who’s your mate? those are big dec
but there are also the little dec. we make daily, everyday
You see the little dec. we make daily, where you work, who you hang out with, where you spend your time, what you spend your time doing... who you spend... what u watch... listen to...those little dec when they collect lead to big issues
When I was younger I was a sports freak - i loved and played everything and in HS I was a pretty good basketball player - good enough to get invites to schools but not good enough to get any scholarships to these schools therfore it ended there.
Sometimes I’d see these BB camps for adults to go and learn the game from these superstars like Magic, MJ and so forth and you learn the intricacies of the game and work-out hard and only eat grapefruit or something... but I’d think, “Oh I’d love that - to learn from the best”
There’s something about us that wants to learn from the best
If you have a child who could sing or play and instrument wouldn’t it be cool if you could pick up the phone and have like Sting or Harry Connick Jr. or someone like that teach your child? Or if you love golf, if you get sit and learn from Tiger Woods? Hang out for a couple of days and just twik your game?
That would be really cool
So here’s what we’re going to do today, we’re going to learn from the greatest dec. maker of all time - we’re gonna learn from someone who never made a bad call, someone who never over-reacted, some1 who never said anything they regretted, some1 who never got carried away by their feelings - you know who I’m talkin about - ? - Jesus, our perfect role model.
I don’t know if you know this but as Jesus grew up He was a Carpenter, but the last 36 mo. of His life He was a traveling preacher - the bible tells us that a guy named John baptized Him into what we would call ministry, and after He was baptized the bible tells us He went off into the wilderness. He didn’t ride in an H2 or 4x4, He walked - now I’ve never been there to that area but I read about it and it’s a desert w/ this huge towering mounds it’s a tough area to live for 40 days and nites that would be tough in & of itself, but the bible tells us that jesus fasted the entire time- he went w/out food
How many of you have ever fasted for 1 day? 3 days? 1 week?
ever go 40 days?
He was emotionally, physically, spiritually drained and the Devil comes along and gives Jesus a series of choices and dec - the Devil comes up w/ these dec to throw Jesus off track, off His purpose... listen to settle... He wanted to Jesus to make a dumb, what was I thinking dec.
So let’s try to picture this scenario... Jesus hadn’t eaten in 40 days, 40 nites and the Devil says, look at those rocks, don’t you think those rocks look like big beautiful loaves of bread - there’s nothing like bread, carbs... when you’re hungry - so he says Jesus why don’t you snap your fingers and turn those rocks into a loaf of Wonder bread - look at what Jesus said,
“But Jesus told him (Satan), ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People
need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every
word of God.’” Matthew 4:4 - ok then look what Satan says next
Hey throw yourself down from this high place, you’re not gonna die, people will see this miracle and they’ll follow you, it’d be better than David Blain - so what would Jesus do w/ that kind of dec?
“Jesus responded, ‘The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the
Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7
So the Devil turned up the heat a bit, tried to sweeten the pot, which by the way is what happens to us alot when we’re put in situations of compromising dec. making
The Devil says, Jesus bow down and worship me and I’ll give you everything (which is kinda silly when you think about it, what can you give Jesus, the creator of all things? but remember the drained state Jesus is in and.... once again... He is our perfect model knowing we will face these kind of tough decisions in life)
So what did Jesus say,
“’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures
say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’”
Matthew 4:10
Now there was a common phrase used in each circumstance, did you catch that? what was it
‘For the Scriptures say,
so what is the 1st question we should ask facing any dec?
The First Question to Ask with Any and All Decisions and/or Choices in Life
What DOES THE BIBLE have to say?
Jesus went 3 for 3 - it’s the 1st ever recorded threepeat
‘For the Scriptures say,(3)
What was goin on? How did Jesus make the dec. He asked Himself a very simple ? what does the bible say?
If it’s in this book, then I got a green light and i’ll go for it, if it’s not then it’s a red light I’m not gonna go there.
In all the dec. we make, the big and the little where’s the 1st place to start? what does the bible have to say about this.
You know I have talked to a # people over the yrs. and heard their tough stories - so many of them start w/ “If only...”
If only... I had said No to that relationship ...hadn’t said that to my spouse or son or daughter ... I hadn’t put my money in that ... hadn’t been so greedy, so stubborn ... so selfish - If only (3)
Now here’s an amazing thing about God - He can work thru your “If only’s” and He can use your past as leverage to help you in the future - to make wise great dec. that’ll give you a wonderful future - Jer. 29:11
So the 1st place to start is asking and answering what does the bible have to say? This is what jesus modeled.
God wrote a book. It’s a love letter to all of us and... He put His counsel down on these pages for a # of reasons - let me share just a couple w/ you -
God’s heart in giving us His Word:
• So we can have the BEST LIFE POSSIBLE
So we can discover God has an awesome plan for our lives.
We would be amazed at how great our dec. can be, both big & little - by just spending time in this book.
• Because God wants to help us HELP OURSELVES & OTHERS
He wants us to make great dec. not only for our own benefit but to also help and influence others... influence others
b/c for us to think ‘my dec really don’t affect other people, they really don’t, you just have to do what’s right by you’ - you are sadly mistaken with that thought process - b/c our dec. do affect others - we are connected. Especially those close to you, family, children, sister, brother, nephew, niece, friends, co-workers are looking at your life and dec.
• Because God wants us to make the MOST OF OUR TIME
Think about this, time is a gift from God that we can’t go back and get some more of & the older I get the more I wonder where did all the time go? As I watch my girls grow up - all the more reason to make wise dec. Let me ask... hands
How many of you have wasted a certain amount of time in your life, whole periods, weeks, months, possibly yrs. of your life b/c of dumb dec. & choices?
So if I will look to God’s Word to make dec. I’ll see He has my best interest at heart, for the best life possible, to not only kelp me, but others - to make good use of my time for what’s really important.
But you know not everybody takes that approach, not only in dec. making but life in gen. - they don’t have a certain set of standards, just kinda fall into relativism - “if it works for me it works, it may not work for you, but hey, that’s OK - no need for any absolutes b/c my standards may be diff. than yours”
(Prof. at Univ. hands test w/ series of ?’s and answers - just circle the answer you feel is right, there’s no right or wrongs just what you want - you’d be thinking what’s he smokin? - what kind of test is this? a standardless, baseless test it’s useless)
So when we don’t use God’s Word or Him as our absolute then everything becomes relative, everything sorta slides on scale and if I make dec. that way I get messed up pretty quickly
and the reason why so many make dumb, what was I thinking dec. is b/c we look to ourselves instead of God - like
what are some of the things we have said when we go w/ ourselves, things we’ve said a time or 2
The Basis of “What was I thinking?” Dumb Decisions
• “Go with YOUR HEART”
Yeah you’ll bat a thousand doing that wont ya - right 100%?
• “Let your CONSCIENCE be your GUIDE”
but what peeks your consc. may not peek mine so it’s the sliding scale - your consc is important in dec. making when it’s saturated in the Truth - it’s gotta be tied into that
• “If it FEELS RIGHT”
Hey, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning
or some1 may say I don’t feel like loving you anymore - our feelings are fickle (Cathleen story) we cannot trust our feelings
they’re to up and down - sometimes I don’t feel like going to work... school.... reading this book... or praying
• “What you do in the PRIVACY of your OWN HOME is your own business.”
Sure I can agree w/ that to a certain extent but we need to know this - private dec. always go public - so often what’s made in private has personal ramifications - b/c people carry out their lives and live in public - so whatever dec. made in private, remember, affect and influence those around us, sometimes
directly, sometimes indirectly. - base them on the truth.
So the 1st question everybody needs to ask themselves before making a dec. is.... What does the Bible say?
How much better would life be? We wouldn’t be wallowing in self-pity or the pools of regret if we just asked... what
1 problem with this is not everything is so black and white is it?
So what do you do w/ the other 15-20% - what I’ve found and have done myself is ask the ? - how close can I get to this and still not sin? b/c if I haven’t crossed over the line then it’s what?
OK? Is it? How far can i go w/out breaking the law? How close to immorality can i get w/out being immoral? How much can i stretch, how much can i bend w/out actually breaking any?
Is it legal... moral... permissible - and when we go down that line, oh.. that line is often oh so fuzzy - how close can i get w/out disaster - we need a standard, if it’s not illegal, then it must be...
OK - how far is too far? So in these gray areas are there other ?’s we need to ask? I think there are, but you’ll have to come back next week.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Living Above Marital Conflict
Glorifying God in Marital Conflict
In order to resolve conflict biblically, commit first to dealing with conflict in a way that brings glory to God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:9,16
Glorifying God in Marital Conflict
A. The glory of God in marriage
“...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31
1. What is God’s glory? The _display__ or_manifestation_ of the perfection and excellency of _God’s character and
attributes_.
ask: What are some character traits and attributes of God?
(kind, merciful, forgiving, accepting, loving)
2. How does God intend for marriage to display His Glory_?
God intends the husband and wife relationship to glorify Him through the lifelong, day-by-day display of sacrificial servant-like
love of Christ for the Church.
Dennis Rainey
3. How can I please and honor God in the midst of _conflict_ in my marriage?
a) The first step is to _understand why God created marriage__.
Marriage exists to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God. - John Piper
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Gen. 2:24
(this is huge to understand the ideal of oneness - in marriage we are no longer on our own - we are one.
How do the relationships that we are involved in grow?
In Sacrifice.
We turn away from our own selfish wants and desires and we sacrifice what we may want to do, or where to go, or where not to go – WHY?
It is purely done out of love. - in sac. we grow together as 1)
The second step is to _understand how humanity’s fall into sin radically altered God’s intent for marriage.
Instead of oneness, couples experience:
Shame, guilt, and fear
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." Gen. 3:7-10
Blame
The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Gen. 3:12-13
(Adam didn’t stand a chance - nude woman offering food)
A battle for control
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Gen. 3:16
(when we lose sight of the fact that we are 1 - we begin to exper. these effects: shame, guilt, fear, the blame game game, and this batlle for control)
4. The _fall of man__ has defaced the image of God
(_His glory_) in marriage. (we must remember we are 1)
The glory of God and marital conflict
1. Every spouse sins__in his marriage and falls far short of the _glory_ God intends for marriage to display
(Romans 3:23). “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. Through Jesus Christ_ and His victory on the cross__, God has given the resources_and _ability_ to live at peace with Him and each other.
(here today and you do not have a real rel. w/ J/C nows the time -maybe you haven’t fully accessed all God has to offer in Christ - maybe you’ve been trying to work this conflict on your own b/c you are a strong indiv. of strong character, but things are just not going the way you want - it’s not all rosy w/picket fences - God has the answer today)
God is saying, “I want in on your mess, let Me in on the mess”
a) Marital conflict provides _opportunity_ to glorify God by displaying_ His character and _ attributes__.
(God is telling us that stumbling blocks are actually stepping st)
b) Couples reflect__God’s glory__by being kind and tender-hearted _toward_one another, _forgiving_each other as God in Christ has forgiven them (Ephesians 4:32.)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We are mirrors
3. When marital conflict arises, a _peacemaker_in marriage will view the _conflict_ not as an accident, but as an _assignment__ to glorify God.
Summary:
Glorifying God in Marital Conflict
God created marriage to magnify His truth, worth, beauty, and greatness, and to reflect the glory of His character (including the attributes of love and forgiveness).
You can choose to respond to marital conflict in a way that will either honor or dishonor God. (Life is full of choices)
Glorifying God in marital conflict involves joyfully embracing the conflict as an assignment from God (James 1:2).
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” (are we going to face conflict in marriage? - how will you respond?)
Action Point Suggestions:
Reflect on the impact of the fall of man on marriage relationships. Discuss with your spouse how these same factors have been a part of your marriage.
When conflict occurs, I will consciously ask myself, “How can I please and honor God in the midst of this conflict in my marriage?”
Memorize Ephesians 4:32, so that in the midst of conflict, you can remember to respond in a Christ-like manner.
Exposing the Idols in Our Hearts and Marriages
Application Project #1
INDIVIDUAL SECTION (25 minutes)
Setting:Stay together as a couple, but complete this section quickly without any interaction.
Objective:To identify any idols that may be the source of conflict in your marriage.
Read James 4:1-2, Exodus 20:4-5, and Psalm 115:4-8.
James 4:1-2 teaches that the source of conflict is my pleasures and desires. And we have learned that even good desires can become bad demands and that it is a short step from bad demands to idols. We also learned that these desires originate in our hearts and produce all sorts of marital conflicts.
Although we may not realize it, every time we choose anger, isolation, bitterness, unforgiveness, or any other response to marital conflict other than love and forgiveness from our hearts, we are choosing to worship an idol that never fulfills and always traps us in marital conflict (see Psalm 115:4-8). As the Bible says, all who worship idols shall become like them: deaf, mute, and dumb, without any power to fulfill or to deliver from the traps that conflict brings.
Think about the Scriptures you just read in light of one of your typical marital conflicts. Are there any desires that become demands that tend to rule your heart in the midst of your marital conflict?
After praying, ask yourself, “How can I glorify God by changing the way I respond to my spouse when conflict arises? What controlling desires (idols) must I deal with? Write down any insights you have.
Confess to God and claim His promise of forgiveness in Jesus Christ for any controlling desires (idols) He shows you (I John 1:9). Commit to change with the help of God’s Spirit and His Word. Humbly share with your spouse and agree to hold one another accountable.
Your marriage “exists to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God”. Write down some steps you need to take in order for your marriage to serve this “magnifying” purpose (read Ephesians 5:22-33).
INTERACTION SECTION (35 minutes)
Setting: Stay together as a couple and complete this section with interaction.
Objective: To discuss the feelings, attitudes, and thoughts that each of you has on this subject.
Share with your spouse what you learned about any controlling desires that have caused conflict in your marriage.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such (a word) as is good for edification according to the need (of the moment) so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:29-32
After reading these verses, spend time discussing ways to improve your communication in order to glorify God in your marriage by handling conflict as He prescribes.
Pray and then write down at least one action point you agree to take as a couple.
In order to resolve conflict biblically, commit first to dealing with conflict in a way that brings glory to God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:9,16
Glorifying God in Marital Conflict
A. The glory of God in marriage
“...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31
1. What is God’s glory? The _display__ or_manifestation_ of the perfection and excellency of _God’s character and
attributes_.
ask: What are some character traits and attributes of God?
(kind, merciful, forgiving, accepting, loving)
2. How does God intend for marriage to display His Glory_?
God intends the husband and wife relationship to glorify Him through the lifelong, day-by-day display of sacrificial servant-like
love of Christ for the Church.
Dennis Rainey
3. How can I please and honor God in the midst of _conflict_ in my marriage?
a) The first step is to _understand why God created marriage__.
Marriage exists to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God. - John Piper
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Gen. 2:24
(this is huge to understand the ideal of oneness - in marriage we are no longer on our own - we are one.
How do the relationships that we are involved in grow?
In Sacrifice.
We turn away from our own selfish wants and desires and we sacrifice what we may want to do, or where to go, or where not to go – WHY?
It is purely done out of love. - in sac. we grow together as 1)
The second step is to _understand how humanity’s fall into sin radically altered God’s intent for marriage.
Instead of oneness, couples experience:
Shame, guilt, and fear
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." Gen. 3:7-10
Blame
The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Gen. 3:12-13
(Adam didn’t stand a chance - nude woman offering food)
A battle for control
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Gen. 3:16
(when we lose sight of the fact that we are 1 - we begin to exper. these effects: shame, guilt, fear, the blame game game, and this batlle for control)
4. The _fall of man__ has defaced the image of God
(_His glory_) in marriage. (we must remember we are 1)
The glory of God and marital conflict
1. Every spouse sins__in his marriage and falls far short of the _glory_ God intends for marriage to display
(Romans 3:23). “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. Through Jesus Christ_ and His victory on the cross__, God has given the resources_and _ability_ to live at peace with Him and each other.
(here today and you do not have a real rel. w/ J/C nows the time -maybe you haven’t fully accessed all God has to offer in Christ - maybe you’ve been trying to work this conflict on your own b/c you are a strong indiv. of strong character, but things are just not going the way you want - it’s not all rosy w/picket fences - God has the answer today)
God is saying, “I want in on your mess, let Me in on the mess”
a) Marital conflict provides _opportunity_ to glorify God by displaying_ His character and _ attributes__.
(God is telling us that stumbling blocks are actually stepping st)
b) Couples reflect__God’s glory__by being kind and tender-hearted _toward_one another, _forgiving_each other as God in Christ has forgiven them (Ephesians 4:32.)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We are mirrors
3. When marital conflict arises, a _peacemaker_in marriage will view the _conflict_ not as an accident, but as an _assignment__ to glorify God.
Summary:
Glorifying God in Marital Conflict
God created marriage to magnify His truth, worth, beauty, and greatness, and to reflect the glory of His character (including the attributes of love and forgiveness).
You can choose to respond to marital conflict in a way that will either honor or dishonor God. (Life is full of choices)
Glorifying God in marital conflict involves joyfully embracing the conflict as an assignment from God (James 1:2).
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” (are we going to face conflict in marriage? - how will you respond?)
Action Point Suggestions:
Reflect on the impact of the fall of man on marriage relationships. Discuss with your spouse how these same factors have been a part of your marriage.
When conflict occurs, I will consciously ask myself, “How can I please and honor God in the midst of this conflict in my marriage?”
Memorize Ephesians 4:32, so that in the midst of conflict, you can remember to respond in a Christ-like manner.
Exposing the Idols in Our Hearts and Marriages
Application Project #1
INDIVIDUAL SECTION (25 minutes)
Setting:Stay together as a couple, but complete this section quickly without any interaction.
Objective:To identify any idols that may be the source of conflict in your marriage.
Read James 4:1-2, Exodus 20:4-5, and Psalm 115:4-8.
James 4:1-2 teaches that the source of conflict is my pleasures and desires. And we have learned that even good desires can become bad demands and that it is a short step from bad demands to idols. We also learned that these desires originate in our hearts and produce all sorts of marital conflicts.
Although we may not realize it, every time we choose anger, isolation, bitterness, unforgiveness, or any other response to marital conflict other than love and forgiveness from our hearts, we are choosing to worship an idol that never fulfills and always traps us in marital conflict (see Psalm 115:4-8). As the Bible says, all who worship idols shall become like them: deaf, mute, and dumb, without any power to fulfill or to deliver from the traps that conflict brings.
Think about the Scriptures you just read in light of one of your typical marital conflicts. Are there any desires that become demands that tend to rule your heart in the midst of your marital conflict?
After praying, ask yourself, “How can I glorify God by changing the way I respond to my spouse when conflict arises? What controlling desires (idols) must I deal with? Write down any insights you have.
Confess to God and claim His promise of forgiveness in Jesus Christ for any controlling desires (idols) He shows you (I John 1:9). Commit to change with the help of God’s Spirit and His Word. Humbly share with your spouse and agree to hold one another accountable.
Your marriage “exists to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God”. Write down some steps you need to take in order for your marriage to serve this “magnifying” purpose (read Ephesians 5:22-33).
INTERACTION SECTION (35 minutes)
Setting: Stay together as a couple and complete this section with interaction.
Objective: To discuss the feelings, attitudes, and thoughts that each of you has on this subject.
Share with your spouse what you learned about any controlling desires that have caused conflict in your marriage.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such (a word) as is good for edification according to the need (of the moment) so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:29-32
After reading these verses, spend time discussing ways to improve your communication in order to glorify God in your marriage by handling conflict as He prescribes.
Pray and then write down at least one action point you agree to take as a couple.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
GETTING FOCUS* - "The FOCUS* Game Plan"
“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, or they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
How amazing would it be for us to be described in this way? to be described as a model church for the entire region? a church whose faith in God is known everywhere? A community who has helped lead multitudes to turn from idols to the true and living God. How great would that be?
Don’t you wish Paul would have expanded on the methodologies of the Thessalonian church? Wouldn’t it have been great if 2 Thes. were a manual that told us how to reproduce that particular model? But
Paul doesn’t tell us anything about their structure, their methods, their systems, or their programs, but he does tell us a great deal about the essence of this church.
“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
Here Paul gives us an inside look into the hearts of the Thes. believers. They were a church that was ignited and fueled by faith, love, and hope.
I believe we must become convinced that the key to an awakening lies w/in the power of these 3 spiritual essences.
So much so we @ FOCUS* have built our identity around just that:
A Community of Faith, Love, and Hope
For us to create that atmosphere w/in FOCUS* we must
construct them in each of our lives - to be people who live by FAITH, people who known by LOVE, & people who are a voice of HOPE!
How do we do that?
I.TO LIVE BY FAITH
What does it really mean to live by faith?
________ OBEDIENCE ________________
Faith begins w/ God speaking and materializes when we respond. We have primarily related to “faith” as a noun, rather than a verb. The church tends to live by “the faith” more than it lives by faith. The goal for us is to become a doctrinally sound people w/ a growing knowledge of the Bible, rather than to live in this space of “limbo” waiting for or on God.
Sure there is a time and a place to be still b4 the Lord as He speaks guidance into our lives but,
the starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of His will that we have plenty to live by w/out ever hearing another word. Some things in life, we simply do not need to pray about right?
When God has spoken and commanded His people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resisting or putting off God’s will, rather than a way of responding to it.
A church begins to live by faith when it's people move the things God has clearly said into the non-optional category.
What are some of the non-optional things
God has called us to do? (table talk)
______PRAY, READ, SERVE, WORSHIP,
FELLOWSHIP, EVANGELIZE, ETC..._____
we don’t need to pray about whether we should pray... serve...evangelize.. list goes on and on...
The church, us, you and I are called to be a living expression of faith. When a church lives by faith (walking in obedience to what God has already said), then it’s people prove that God can be trusted - others will see it in your life.
We are to be people who live by FAITH, it’s a verb!
II. To be known by LOVE
"Love others as much as you love yourself." Matthew 22:39
Love is a romantic word. More songs have been written about
love than any other subject or word in the world. Would there
even be a movie industry w/out love? There is an entire genre
called romance novels because people so desperately long for love.
Yet as much as we talk about it & claim to build our lives around it, love is actually a rare commodity. Most of what we call love falls into other categories: from like to lust, “I love your shoes” or
“I love “The Simpsons” - from passion to possession. “I love the Houston Astros” or “I'd love to own that car” - We have been so inundated w/ love imitations that we've become blind to what love is really about.
In the end How does love manifest itself?
In Sacrifice
Jesus told us the way the world would know we are His followers is if we love one another.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 13:34-35
To be known by LOVE.
We see love in sacrifice.
How do the relationships that we are involved in grow?
In Sacrifice.
We turn away from our own selfish wants and desires and we sacrifice what we may want to do, or where to go, or where not to go – WHY?
It is purely done out of love.
Notes from an anonymous journal:
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering
from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save his sister.
Now that’s Sacrifice. That’s being known by LOVE.
In John 15:13, Jesus gives us the practical expression of love. He says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Ofcourse, Jesus was speaking of his own death, explaining that his sacrifice would be the ultimate expression for the love of all humanity.
The church erupted out of an act of love. It shouldn't surprise us
that the church only moves toward God when it is fueled by love.
Listen... in a world of imitations, real love draws a crowd. It stands out. It is undeniable. It is defining.
That being the case, What is the practical expression of love? Servanthood
It is impossible to come close to God and not have love overwhelm you. And when we realize that the practical expression of love is servanthood, love begins to change everything about your relationships. In fact,
this is the one amazing things about God: He loves to serve.
In John 13 when Jesus tied a towel around his waist and began washing his disciples feet, this was not an extraordinary act for God but right in line with who He is. Jesus Christ was a servant. He was doing nothing more than expressing the serving heart of God.
“... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” Matt. 20:28
People matter to God, so... People matter to us.
I have made the mistake of passing judgment on others.
Have you?
We tend to make these armchair assessments of who God has use for and who He doesn't.
Jesus made it clear of the value each person has a # of times,
but one that stands out for me was a conversation He had on the cross.
Luke 23:32-43
32 There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be put to death. 33 When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals -- one on his right and the other on his left.....
38 At the top of the cross these words were written: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals on a cross began to shout insults at Jesus: "Aren't you the Christ? Then save yourself and us." 40 But the other criminal stopped him and said, "You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment he is. 41 We are punished justly, getting what we
deserve for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Think about this – while they were hanging on crosses one of them launched into a verbal tirade.
The other thief opened his eyes to what was really happening –
he realized in a short amount of time he was about to face eternity, and he was painfully aware of the kind of life he had lived. So he yells to the other criminal to SHUT UP! Can't you see what's goin on here –
we deserve to die but this man doesn't.
He looked to Christ and said
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." in essence he was saying, I know this sounds like a silly question, but could somebody like me, who has committed the sins I've committed, who has not exactly been a great guy, I have treated people like garbage at times, could somebody like me, still
matter to anybody?
What did Jesus say? Without hesitation, He assured this man,
“You matter far more than you can even imagine. And because of your faith and you tender spirit, you'll meet up with me a little later today in paradise, where we'll be together for eternity.
Sometimes it tough to comprehend that kind of compassion,
that kind of love. But that's exactly what God wants us to be like –
He said it is that kind of love that will show people you are my followers.
It is that kind of love that marks you as a follower of Christ.
Whenever we are known by love, God's reputation is intact.
When people see our love and sacrifice for others it shows that this is real.
It shows that "Christianity" is legit. What do people think and say when we dont show God's love towards others - when were only concerned about ourselves, when we expect everyone to just fall right in line with us -
They think were hypocritical and phoney's.
When love erupts in the hearts of God's people,
they become the servants of a lost and broken world.
And the world will see
May we be known by LOVE
III. To be a voice of HOPE
Every believer in Christ knows the meaning of Hope. Every Christ follower knows what life was like before their encounter w/ Jesus. We can look at our lives of the past and look at our lives now in Christ and see Amazing Grace, Amazing Love - and our lives now are filled w/ hope, b/c of the gospel, the message and life of Jesus Christ.
We understand that a Christless world is a hopeless world. At the same time we seem to forget that a Christ-filled world is a hope-filled world.
Somehow we’ve lost the mandate given to us by God to stand in a desperate world and offer hope.
What is the Gospel? Good News
We know that, we teach it, but we often do not communicate it as good news. When we speak the gospel of Jesus Christ, we seem to somehow get logjammed around the message of sin, damnation, and hell - no wonder so many people feel that the church has nothing but bad news to tell.
(video - "real christian of genius")
The gospel, as given to us by Jesus, is supposed to be good news. Jesus himself said, I have not come to condemn the world, but to give the world life.” John 3:17; 10:10
(world beats us up)
What would happen if people heard the message of Christ as a message of hope and not a message of judgement?
The message of Christ and the need for repentance are inseparable, but even in that, the Bible is clear in how we are to relate to people.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that it is the loving kindness of God that brings us to repentance - we are to speak the truth in LOVE - it is a message HOPE! The best indication that we are communicating the gospel effectively is that broken,
sinful, and despairing people receive it as a word of good news.
I think it’s important to remember that the people Jesus continually offended were the religious.
Sinners seem to warm up to Him quite easily.(why)
The gospel, in it’s essence, is a message of hope to a world full of despair.
A great story in the life of Jesus is in John 8, where the
religious leaders confronted Him, wanting to condemn an adulterous woman. Look at how Jesus when others tried to force Him into meanness, would not allow it. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to bring down the wrath of God on a sinful woman, it was right then. And yet from that encounter w/ this woman caught in adultery, thrown down before Him, we have some of jesus’ famous words - watch this
“Where are they?” “Who condemns you?” She stood there almost dumbfounded, astonished, maybe almost paralyzed over what just happened, it begins to settle in on her,
“no one”
Jesus revealed the heart of God when He told her He didn’t condemn her. He simply said, “Go and sin no more”
This is an important guide for each of us.
We are God’s voice of HOPE
stats - 200 mill. m,w,c lost in Amer. today
closer to home - 7 out of 10 you know lost
Those who have known nothing but condemnation and shame will find a new beginning in Jesus Christ.
God's Message:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
The natural outcome of being connected to God is being optimistic about the future. When this permeates a biblical community, optimism and enthusiasm prevail in the church. The church of Jesus Christ is always looking forward. It
always believes in the promise of tomorrow and is never overwhelmed by the difficulty or even failure of the present.
This should be one of the markers of a New Testament community - We are to be a voice of hope b/c we are a people of hope.
A follower of Jesus Christ has no excuse for pessimism.
God has called us to be a Voice of HOPE
Who do you know that needs to hear that?
who needs a shot of hope injected into their lives?
Faith, Love, and Hope are not just foundations or pillars; they are wellsprings - It is our identity our DNA
The deeper the church digs these wells, the more rich and
resilient they become.
For us to create that atmosphere w/in FOCUS* we must
construct them in each of our lives - to be people who live by FAITH, people who known by LOVE, &
people who are a voice of HOPE!
How amazing would it be for us to be described in this way? to be described as a model church for the entire region? a church whose faith in God is known everywhere? A community who has helped lead multitudes to turn from idols to the true and living God. How great would that be?
Don’t you wish Paul would have expanded on the methodologies of the Thessalonian church? Wouldn’t it have been great if 2 Thes. were a manual that told us how to reproduce that particular model? But
Paul doesn’t tell us anything about their structure, their methods, their systems, or their programs, but he does tell us a great deal about the essence of this church.
“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
Here Paul gives us an inside look into the hearts of the Thes. believers. They were a church that was ignited and fueled by faith, love, and hope.
I believe we must become convinced that the key to an awakening lies w/in the power of these 3 spiritual essences.
So much so we @ FOCUS* have built our identity around just that:
A Community of Faith, Love, and Hope
For us to create that atmosphere w/in FOCUS* we must
construct them in each of our lives - to be people who live by FAITH, people who known by LOVE, & people who are a voice of HOPE!
How do we do that?
I.TO LIVE BY FAITH
What does it really mean to live by faith?
________ OBEDIENCE ________________
Faith begins w/ God speaking and materializes when we respond. We have primarily related to “faith” as a noun, rather than a verb. The church tends to live by “the faith” more than it lives by faith. The goal for us is to become a doctrinally sound people w/ a growing knowledge of the Bible, rather than to live in this space of “limbo” waiting for or on God.
Sure there is a time and a place to be still b4 the Lord as He speaks guidance into our lives but,
the starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of His will that we have plenty to live by w/out ever hearing another word. Some things in life, we simply do not need to pray about right?
When God has spoken and commanded His people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resisting or putting off God’s will, rather than a way of responding to it.
A church begins to live by faith when it's people move the things God has clearly said into the non-optional category.
What are some of the non-optional things
God has called us to do? (table talk)
______PRAY, READ, SERVE, WORSHIP,
FELLOWSHIP, EVANGELIZE, ETC..._____
we don’t need to pray about whether we should pray... serve...evangelize.. list goes on and on...
The church, us, you and I are called to be a living expression of faith. When a church lives by faith (walking in obedience to what God has already said), then it’s people prove that God can be trusted - others will see it in your life.
We are to be people who live by FAITH, it’s a verb!
II. To be known by LOVE
"Love others as much as you love yourself." Matthew 22:39
Love is a romantic word. More songs have been written about
love than any other subject or word in the world. Would there
even be a movie industry w/out love? There is an entire genre
called romance novels because people so desperately long for love.
Yet as much as we talk about it & claim to build our lives around it, love is actually a rare commodity. Most of what we call love falls into other categories: from like to lust, “I love your shoes” or
“I love “The Simpsons” - from passion to possession. “I love the Houston Astros” or “I'd love to own that car” - We have been so inundated w/ love imitations that we've become blind to what love is really about.
In the end How does love manifest itself?
In Sacrifice
Jesus told us the way the world would know we are His followers is if we love one another.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 13:34-35
To be known by LOVE.
We see love in sacrifice.
How do the relationships that we are involved in grow?
In Sacrifice.
We turn away from our own selfish wants and desires and we sacrifice what we may want to do, or where to go, or where not to go – WHY?
It is purely done out of love.
Notes from an anonymous journal:
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering
from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save his sister.
Now that’s Sacrifice. That’s being known by LOVE.
In John 15:13, Jesus gives us the practical expression of love. He says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Ofcourse, Jesus was speaking of his own death, explaining that his sacrifice would be the ultimate expression for the love of all humanity.
The church erupted out of an act of love. It shouldn't surprise us
that the church only moves toward God when it is fueled by love.
Listen... in a world of imitations, real love draws a crowd. It stands out. It is undeniable. It is defining.
That being the case, What is the practical expression of love? Servanthood
It is impossible to come close to God and not have love overwhelm you. And when we realize that the practical expression of love is servanthood, love begins to change everything about your relationships. In fact,
this is the one amazing things about God: He loves to serve.
In John 13 when Jesus tied a towel around his waist and began washing his disciples feet, this was not an extraordinary act for God but right in line with who He is. Jesus Christ was a servant. He was doing nothing more than expressing the serving heart of God.
“... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” Matt. 20:28
People matter to God, so... People matter to us.
I have made the mistake of passing judgment on others.
Have you?
We tend to make these armchair assessments of who God has use for and who He doesn't.
Jesus made it clear of the value each person has a # of times,
but one that stands out for me was a conversation He had on the cross.
Luke 23:32-43
32 There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be put to death. 33 When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals -- one on his right and the other on his left.....
38 At the top of the cross these words were written: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals on a cross began to shout insults at Jesus: "Aren't you the Christ? Then save yourself and us." 40 But the other criminal stopped him and said, "You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment he is. 41 We are punished justly, getting what we
deserve for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Think about this – while they were hanging on crosses one of them launched into a verbal tirade.
The other thief opened his eyes to what was really happening –
he realized in a short amount of time he was about to face eternity, and he was painfully aware of the kind of life he had lived. So he yells to the other criminal to SHUT UP! Can't you see what's goin on here –
we deserve to die but this man doesn't.
He looked to Christ and said
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." in essence he was saying, I know this sounds like a silly question, but could somebody like me, who has committed the sins I've committed, who has not exactly been a great guy, I have treated people like garbage at times, could somebody like me, still
matter to anybody?
What did Jesus say? Without hesitation, He assured this man,
“You matter far more than you can even imagine. And because of your faith and you tender spirit, you'll meet up with me a little later today in paradise, where we'll be together for eternity.
Sometimes it tough to comprehend that kind of compassion,
that kind of love. But that's exactly what God wants us to be like –
He said it is that kind of love that will show people you are my followers.
It is that kind of love that marks you as a follower of Christ.
Whenever we are known by love, God's reputation is intact.
When people see our love and sacrifice for others it shows that this is real.
It shows that "Christianity" is legit. What do people think and say when we dont show God's love towards others - when were only concerned about ourselves, when we expect everyone to just fall right in line with us -
They think were hypocritical and phoney's.
When love erupts in the hearts of God's people,
they become the servants of a lost and broken world.
And the world will see
May we be known by LOVE
III. To be a voice of HOPE
Every believer in Christ knows the meaning of Hope. Every Christ follower knows what life was like before their encounter w/ Jesus. We can look at our lives of the past and look at our lives now in Christ and see Amazing Grace, Amazing Love - and our lives now are filled w/ hope, b/c of the gospel, the message and life of Jesus Christ.
We understand that a Christless world is a hopeless world. At the same time we seem to forget that a Christ-filled world is a hope-filled world.
Somehow we’ve lost the mandate given to us by God to stand in a desperate world and offer hope.
What is the Gospel? Good News
We know that, we teach it, but we often do not communicate it as good news. When we speak the gospel of Jesus Christ, we seem to somehow get logjammed around the message of sin, damnation, and hell - no wonder so many people feel that the church has nothing but bad news to tell.
(video - "real christian of genius")
The gospel, as given to us by Jesus, is supposed to be good news. Jesus himself said, I have not come to condemn the world, but to give the world life.” John 3:17; 10:10
(world beats us up)
What would happen if people heard the message of Christ as a message of hope and not a message of judgement?
The message of Christ and the need for repentance are inseparable, but even in that, the Bible is clear in how we are to relate to people.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that it is the loving kindness of God that brings us to repentance - we are to speak the truth in LOVE - it is a message HOPE! The best indication that we are communicating the gospel effectively is that broken,
sinful, and despairing people receive it as a word of good news.
I think it’s important to remember that the people Jesus continually offended were the religious.
Sinners seem to warm up to Him quite easily.(why)
The gospel, in it’s essence, is a message of hope to a world full of despair.
A great story in the life of Jesus is in John 8, where the
religious leaders confronted Him, wanting to condemn an adulterous woman. Look at how Jesus when others tried to force Him into meanness, would not allow it. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to bring down the wrath of God on a sinful woman, it was right then. And yet from that encounter w/ this woman caught in adultery, thrown down before Him, we have some of jesus’ famous words - watch this
“Where are they?” “Who condemns you?” She stood there almost dumbfounded, astonished, maybe almost paralyzed over what just happened, it begins to settle in on her,
“no one”
Jesus revealed the heart of God when He told her He didn’t condemn her. He simply said, “Go and sin no more”
This is an important guide for each of us.
We are God’s voice of HOPE
stats - 200 mill. m,w,c lost in Amer. today
closer to home - 7 out of 10 you know lost
Those who have known nothing but condemnation and shame will find a new beginning in Jesus Christ.
God's Message:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
The natural outcome of being connected to God is being optimistic about the future. When this permeates a biblical community, optimism and enthusiasm prevail in the church. The church of Jesus Christ is always looking forward. It
always believes in the promise of tomorrow and is never overwhelmed by the difficulty or even failure of the present.
This should be one of the markers of a New Testament community - We are to be a voice of hope b/c we are a people of hope.
A follower of Jesus Christ has no excuse for pessimism.
God has called us to be a Voice of HOPE
Who do you know that needs to hear that?
who needs a shot of hope injected into their lives?
Faith, Love, and Hope are not just foundations or pillars; they are wellsprings - It is our identity our DNA
The deeper the church digs these wells, the more rich and
resilient they become.
For us to create that atmosphere w/in FOCUS* we must
construct them in each of our lives - to be people who live by FAITH, people who known by LOVE, &
people who are a voice of HOPE!
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