God's Great Growth Plan
Notes
Transcript
Handout
A house is only as good as its foundation.
Jesus gave us an illustration about the wise and foolish builder. Wise Rock… Foolish Sand.
Wisdom comes with Rock Solid faith in Jesus. That firm foundation makes for a life long, time tested, storm tested house.
God has a growth plan for all of us and HE uses wilderness, trials, and struggle to solidify our faith but each person has an important part to play as each of us journey through life in God’s wonderful plan.
Life is full of moments of uncertainty… disaster… sickness… accidents… loss.
If only we had a GPS into the future.
If only we could ask Siri, or Google, or Wayz to let us know how to get to our destination. But… sometimes those apps can fail.
GPS video
In Germany somebody had a wagon full of smartphones and pulled it throughout the streets of Berlin giving Google maps some wrong information.
Fortunately our faith journey is not navigated by Google.
God’s Word promises rest when we rest in HIM. Our journey may be difficult but our promised destination is beyond beautiful.
But, we have to fight against unbelief and doubt and know that what God has promised in HIS Word will come to past. Blessing is certain for those who are faithful to the end. We may not be able to see the future but fortunately God does.
God promises that He won’t leave us. He won’t put us through anything that HE cannot handle and walking in faith, trusting in the Lord, will produce great blessing at the end.
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
PRAY
Check your heart, your motives, your level of complacency. Always check your gauges to see if you are keeping your eyes on Jesus on the journey. If we are going to be a part of God’s Great Growth plan, we must...
First, build on the right foundation, encourage others in the faith, and Remain faithful through the test.
Don’t Stop Believing
Don’t Stop Believing
We have to check ourself first because we can only give what we possess ourselves.
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
“Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving.” Only you can check your motives and your faith.
Hide God’s Word in you heart so that sin may not come in.
Submit to the Lord’s rule and reign. Cast out fear and doubt. Welcome the conviction of the Holy Spirit and allow God to purify your heart.
When we are quiet before the Lord, we don’t react to the voices of chaos we respond to God’s still small voice.
Invite the presence of the Lord to search our hearts, welcome the Holy Spirit’s conviction, and respond with true honest repentance.
Constantly go to the Lord, rely on HIS voice to keep you on track. Only in HIS presence can you truly know that God is still present in your situation.
Our confidence isn’t in politics, government, the supply chain.
Our confidence isn’t the news of the day, whether good or bad.
Our confidence in the Lord. We see that as we grow through conflict and pressure, God is at work developing our faith. Even when we make bad decisions in the process, God’s grace increases.
Don’t give up on God, even if you failed, because God will never give up on you.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Don’t give up… STAND FIRM… Trust God’s Word, step out in bold faith. Our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Our foundation is all that matters.
3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
Life can be a struggle and it’s tempting to give up. The choices that we make today will determine our future but also the future of those we influence.
God wants to use us but HIS plan is moving forward either way. Do you want to be a part of God’s plan today, then don’t stop believing. Keep the Faith!
Encourage others in the faith
Encourage others in the faith
I remember being in the Army we were trained to check your buddy. Because that was ingrained in us, we had each other’s back and even though we were all so different in so many ways, we became very close as a unit. We learned to work together and appreciate one another.
As the Body of Christ, we have to do the same, we must be honest with one another, love one another, we must encourage one another.
Faith is contagious. We in a temporary world fighting for eternity.
In vs 13, The writer continues…
13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Don’t wait until tomorrow. We must be honest TODAY… be teachable… be a good listener… be an encourager… love one another… serve one another… be a life long learner. God created us to be in relationship with one another. That’s God’s purpose in Christ-Centered community.
Warn each other… the consequence of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:7–11 (NLT)
7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, 8 don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.
9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. 10 So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ ”
Unbelief is not a new thing. Learn from our past, learn from those who stopped trusting God in the wilderness… even though God showed them HIS great might and power, HIS hand of protection, provision and deliverance. They witnessed all the wonderful miracles but they gave up because they were in the wilderness.
When we give up on our faith there is eternal consequences.
When we give up on our faith, there is generational consequences.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
As the body of Christ and we are created not only to meet together but to think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Jesus is returning for a church that is ready so make sure we all finish strong. Don’t be sidelined because of unbelief.
Encouraging one another, be ready in season and out, we may not be able to help financially but we can always encourage to keep the faith.
Sometimes life makes us feel dull and the perfect thing to sharpen us is a word of encouragement, a listening ear, sometime we need a helping hand. All of us go through seasons of struggle… in our marriages… in our family… in times of sickness… in the loss of a loved one. That’s why we need fellow believers to challenge us to grow in the Lord. Through love, honesty, accountability and who will pray the prayer of faith for us.
Remain faithful through the test
Remain faithful through the test
Even though we may be out of school we still have lots of test. If we are around people, life is full of test.
14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Faithful to the end… Firmly trusting God… and passing that legacy of faith to our kids, our grandkids… neighbors, and co-workers.
Our faith doesn’t depend on how we feel a certain day… our emotions will change… our physical conditions will change, but God’s Word will never change.
“Be Faithful to the end,” Whether people agree or appreciate your hard work. God will notice it and God will always honor your faithfulness.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Trusting God firmly may not be popular or celebrated. Don’t live for the applause or the approval of man. Stand firm on God’s Word because in due season, God will honor you.
Our stability isn’t in politics, or our forever changing culture,
Our stability is built on the Rock of Jesus Christ so stand firm until the End. Nobody knows when Jesus is coming back but he promised that HE is.
If we knew that Jesus will be coming back tomorrow morning at 8am, how would we act differently today?
Turn off the noise… Rekindle those spiritual habits… read your Bible… praying every day… Serving and loving people… pray with one another… stay connected through our midweek life groups.
Actively look for opportunities to encourage, love and serve one another.
TAKE AWAY:
Life will be difficult, but God promises blessing and victory when we put our faith in HIM. We are walking this journey together and we need one another to be an encouragement, to give help, and to pray for one another.
We are running this race together. We all have the same goal and reward. God’s great growth plan is when we live out this faith legacy together.
TAKE AWAY
Don’t stop Believing
Encourage others in the faith
Remain faithful through the test.