Encouraging Words from the Word of God. Message 7

Encouraging Words from the Word of God.

Message 7

The Escape Plan

Me:

Those tough conversations

I hate conflict

i. I hate trouble

ii. I am not a combative kind of person

iii. I like to mind my own business

iv. I want things to run smooth

v. My natural instinct is to escape

vi. TO QUIT

vii. Sometimes you just have to face the issue head on.

We:

The Gethsemane Experience

a. I love this story

i. It was a life changing moment for me in Israel

ii. But there is a powerful lesson in this story

iii. Before I tell the story let’s lay down a foundation of what makes this story so powerful

Every life has its Gethsemane experiences.

i. We want to escape the crisis we are facing

ii. There are those hours when the forces of evil seem to swoop down upon us.

iii. We that sick feeling in our gut

iv. All our plans fall apart.

v. The burdens become almost unbearable.

vi. We wonder what can happen next.

How can we cope?

i. Listen to what Jesus did

ii. He did not escape the plan God the Father had for Him

iii. Instead, Jesus chose to fulfill what God had chosen for Him

iv. That is so important in this story

As Christians we live on a much higher plane

i. It is the natural thing to do

ii. To escape - to quit

iii. But that doesn’t make right

We live by faith, not by sight.

God:

Garden of Gethsemane

a. Tell the story

i. Jesus prays

ii. Disciples sleep

A powerful passage

i. Listen to this verse

ii. Matthew 26:53 (NLT) — 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?

Matthew 26:53 NLT

Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?

iii. Matthew 26:54 (NLT) — 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

Matthew 26:54 NLT

But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

iv. Peter’s action was zeal without knowledge.

You:

Life is a series of appointments

a. God has a plan

i. That plan for you is vitally important.

ii. If you are yielded to Christ, your life is not a series of accidents; it is a series of appointments.

iii. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) — 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

b. The lesson Jesus is teaching

Not escape, but fulfillment

ii. He could have summoned the armies of heaven to deliver Him!

iii. Instead, He surrendered that God’s purposes might be fulfilled.

iv. And He knew when He surrendered that it would mean shame, suffering, and death.

v. What was the result?

Resurrection and glory!

Some of you are looking for the exit door

i. There is a reward in the struggle

ii. Will there be suffering? Probably

iii. Suffering is only the process

Suffering leads to glory

Shame leads to honor

Weakness leads to power

We:

5. I don’t have a clue

I have no idea what you are facing

i. I do know this

ii. You will be tempted to escape.

iii. We’ve all done it

We cry God help me!

i. We’ve prayed and asked God to send His angels to deliver us.

ii. If escape is your approach to life, then you are going to miss out on all the blessings God has for you.