Regaining Confidence in our Confident Confidant

Series Set-up:

• All out in this season (2013)
• We’re missing the mark
• Sin = Missing the mark
• Our lives are so strategic to God...God’s call to us is so poignant... Life’s greatest fulfilled is in answering that call...regardless of the cost!
• “No one should be more joyous than the saints/people of God” {I want this back}

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5.7)

Favorite childhood responses: “No!” & “I don’t know...”

⤳ Parents: We wanted children to think thru actions and answers so that a better way could be chosen.

John Maxwell ~ Paul saw life as a race to be run; a battle to be won; a trust to be kept. 

⤳ I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.  (John 10. 10)

• God has major, abundant plans for your life; better than you’ve ever dreamed

⤳ Life is precious! A life with purpose is sweet; Life with purpose and a Just God to fulfill that purpose is irresistible

1

We often miss the Promised Land (a place promised, provided and prepared by God for our fellowship and collaboration) for a Land of Promises (...give me that God and I promise...I’ll be satisfied...i’ll be good...I’ll be prayerful...I’ll be thankful...I’ll be effective)

Sermon Set-up

Book of Hebrews:

• Christianity spread throughout Mediterranean world
• Written around early 60s to Roman Christians
• Roman had about 1 million people (40K-60K were Jewish)
• Suspicion and persecuted had broken out against Christians & Jews
• By the time Hebrews was written (unknown author), the spiritual climate had waned terribly. Some were leaving the Christian faith
• This book is written as a pastoral response to struggling people to encourage both obedience and endurance.
• Hebrews lays out what God has spoken about and through His Son
• Jesus was an example of enduring faith during his suffering and is our Heavenly support as Lord of Universe.
• Our perseverance in the faith will be only as strong as our understanding of Who Jesus is and what he has accomplished for our benefit.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Message Series: Hit The Reset Button: Getting Back on Track 

Message Title: Regaining Confidence in our Confident Confidant

Message Bible Verses: Hebrews 10.22-25; 35-39

Message Goal: Stir followers of Jesus to great works of faith,  compassion & service.

Let’s draw near. Let’s hold fast. Let’s Consider others & stirs them up! 

✢Week One: What Got You Off Track?

Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..."

⤳(Loss of Vision) Not just Lack of Vision ...everyone has vision...Inappropriate vision:

• Looking Back: "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62

• Israel’s exodus’s twists/ “We should’s stayed in Egypt!/Pillars

• Looking At What Others Have: (Never satisfied & always comparing) 

• 1 Kings 8 Israel wants a king like the other nations

➥Comparing always breeds dissatisfaction.  Always!

➥Lack of appreciation

• Looking At Circumstances: 2 King 6.16

• Not Keeping our eyes on Jesus (Peter on the water Matt 14)
• Looking to Jesus as an example of the faith (Heb 12.2)

➥What you look at or look for...determines what you will see.

➥Samson looked a backstabbing opportunist and saw a wife?

⤳ Loss of Passion = Passive (non-reactive) ➙ Passé

Synonyms: acquiescent, nonresistant, resigned, tolerant, tolerating, unresistant, yielding

Part A. Becoming Casual about God

• The Lord instructs us to have disciplines because it is not natural to worship due the self-absorptive nature of humans.

• I don’t not miss my strict legalistic past, however, what I gleaned what that God was not to be taken for granted.

Part B) Becoming Casual About People

• Only parable about a person being in hell depicted a wealthy person who was unconcerned about someone who God was concerned about. 

⤳ Loss of Accountability = Loss of shareholders/Investors

• Find a fruitful person...examine their circle of influence
• If fruitful person has bad circle...they’re slumming and what you think is fruit or success is only a mere shadow of who they can be.

• Find an unfruitful person...examine their circle of influence
• If an unfruitful person has a really good circle...then they are trampling valuables in the mud and living a very sad life that life-givings can’t lift them.

⤳ Loss of Self-control = Lack of moral judgment and license to kill vision

• A person who won’t maintain self-control cannot properly be led by the Spirit

• Sloppy living becomes en-vogue and grace becomes “Whiteout” rather than “Auto Spell-Check”

• We become dull to God, Who, is the Only One Who assures the success of His great plan for our lives.

Challenge/Next Step:

• Get your mojo back by learning to fix your eyes on Jesus. Scripture study, fellowship, and service are 3 of the best ways to get a clear picture of Who Jesus really is. Make a commitment to all 3 in this season. Start with a commitment to one of these this week and keep building.