Forward in Faith 5 - Off Track

OFF Track

At this point in your journey, you notice fewer cars on the highway

Where did everyone go? One by one they started taking their eyes off the God’s map and onto their own exits

What got you off track?

Tripped up - HINDERED

Gold – DEMAS this loved this present world –

Don’t allow the cares of this WORLD (life) to choke the WORD

glory,

FLESH – girls – SAMSON

Bible Examples – Samson, David, Martha, Eve, prodigal son, ISRAEL, EVERYBODY

Personal application – where are you? Which track are you on?

Wrong turn, Wrong choice(s) Bad Decision, - career, relationships, (ran with the wrong crowd) or calling, business or finances or ministry

LOST your way –

Avoid the exit lane of selfishness

Proverbs 14:12 (NLT)

12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

· We get off track when we try to run our own lives.

· We make poor choices, we go in the wrong direction, or we are silent when we should speak.

off ramp of quitting - deception to your direction

(grass is greener) another church

OFF track = Anything not in God’s will

· Not necessarily evil – disguised as good –

o just enough to keep you from God’s best (or at all)

· whether

· the wrong track (place) or

· the wrong time or even going

· the wrong direction!

A – The RACE track of busy-ness

· D is for drag. R is for RACE

· Type of track is this? – a big circle!

· Looks like a big highway! only better!

· It’s still paved, but much wider – the turns are banked!

· No speed limits!

· Simple rules – get through the day – drive fast, turn left

· No lines – it’s a free for all – just don’t wreck

How did you get on this track? Life got in the way

RACES go nowhere fast

· spinning your wheels

· False sense of accomplishment

· Past speed to velocity. With direction vs 10,000 steps on a treadmill.

· NASCAR – Cars race 500 miles in an oval and go nowhere

· Don’t trust your odometer. 20 years in church

· Don’t t trust your own resume

· 1 years’ experience 10 times over vs 10 year’s actual experience

· Don’t believe your own press

· What you or your friends say about you.

· What does God say? He is the standard for knowing who and where we are in life.

Be a Mary vs Martha

Luke 10:38–42 NLT

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Avoid the BUSY street and the rat RACE

Busy Street

· busy is a 4-letter word, - BUSY is the enemy’s most successful weapon because it is disguised as good.

· BUSY ness – keeps you running, wastes your time, drains your energy, spends your money

· Yes, we need to have a life, but if we fail to consult God, we can easily become over committed to non-essential activities

· busy-ness are things you allow due to poor management, stewardship, and discipline.

· Creatures of habit

The RAT race

· Sporting events, overtime, the kids, the job, the house, the bills, the weather, the stock market, committees

· Everyone has the same 24 hrs. in a day – where are your priorities?

· Where do you spend most of your time and energy?

· How much room does the Kingdom have in your schedule?

PIT-stop relationship = Hi and bye

· The racetrack driver doesn’t have time to stop for anything

· no time for Bible, prayer or church –

· I’ll try to check in at Christmas or Easter

· Therefore, the things of God are used as tools to them to the next lap

· Say a quick prayer for me, lay hands on me, prophecy over me, bless me, anoint me

Where is the church? A pit stop

Where is Jesus? Pit crew

· Jesus is no longer even in the car anymore

· There is No room in the car for Jesus – because only the driver has a seat

· Jesus is now just a means to your ends, kept in your back pocket

· just give me what I need to keep going –

o fill me with fuel and change my tires every now and then –

o give me a squirt of a sport drink and I will be on MY way

· Jesus loves you enough to give you what you want, but you miss out on His best

· He tries to talk to you the few times you pull in because you need Him, but His face turns to sadness in the rear-view mirror as you peel away to catch up with the other racers.

B – NO-Track = OFF ROAD = doing your own thing

Prefers to another way = MY way vs the HI way

The ROAD

· Type of track is this? – NONE! It’s wide-open spaces full of grassy fields, terrain with trees, hillsides, rocks, rivers and ravines as far as the eye can see!

· The world is your oyster!

· Woo-hoo! The off-road driver sings – “Don’t fence me in!”

· I’ve got to be free, I’ve got to be me

The CAR

· The off-road driver has traded in his faith mobile for an ATV, whether it is a dune buggy or a four-wheeler.

· Unlike the faith mobile, the off-road vehicle has little to no protection from the elements.

· It has a smaller fuel tank

What does The OFF road driver look like?

· Aways looking for the next great thing – conference – run from Word to Word – always want a new prophetic word but never did anything with the last 15! ☹

· The off-road driver has an independent spirit, so he, or she tears off in whatever direction they feel like, led by their emotions and unresolved issues, such as disrespect for authority and rebellion.

· The off-road driver represents those whose decisions are Unauthorized by God

· Those who are went vs sent –

· Assumed it was God wanted – no confirmation from reliable sources

· The off-road driver is the Christian who wants God to bless their plans

· To do what they want, when they want, however they want, whether it lines up with God’s plan for their lives or not.

· If left unchecked, their life’s work or burning up the track will itself burn up at the judgment seat

Like the racetrack, Off roading also gives the appearance of going forward when it really goes nowhere.

· The selfishness of their chosen journey will lead them to disregard the rights of others, causing them to trespass through other people’s private property, disturbing their lives as the off-road driver looks out for number one.

Bible example:

Barnabas took John Mark away from Paul – even though the Lord clearly spoke they were to stay together – Acts 13

Started out good

Acts 13:2 NLT

2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”

Separated

Acts 15:39 NLT

39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.

Most of the NT records Paul and Silas, Barnabas was mentioned only a few times many years later, towards the end of Pauls’ life

Where is Jesus?

If we’re driving to Dune buggy, there may or may not be a passenger seat for him.

If we’re driving a four-wheeler, then Jesus can either ride in the back or we just go it alone.

Where does the driver end up?

Off-road in this phone, for a little while.

It’s all fun and games until we end up 50 miles off-road, with no gas and no cell service to get help.

Jesus corrects the wayward from unauthorized turns

Revelation 3:2–3 NLT

2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.

It’s a long walk back.

You will have to “Mend fences” along the way.

C – Roadside “PARK” – roadside ATTRACTIONS

NO road – again

Take eyes off road, gawking at scenery, steering toward the roadside attractions.

Drive for CONVICTIONS vs CONVENIENCE

Demas rerouted based on personal convenience and left Paul as his travelling companion.

· Shortest distance

· Shortest time - get this over with

· Comfort zone – probably did not the persecution, hardships, stoning, imprisonment

· Ministers today are tempted to say what people like to hear vs what they need to hear, because it is easier, at least in the short run.

· Prefer another destination – Demas loved the world

· Flesh likes things as easy as possible.

· Path of least resistance

· avoid tolls, in this world you will have tribulations.

· Max use of highways - smooth and straight

2 Timothy 4:10 NLT

10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.

Adults

Many hours are spent on entertainment, recreation and work life.

Kids

According to Orange, a children’s ministry curriculum, The average teenager attends church once in 6 weeks. Where are they all the other times?

If we have all night to spend on video games, shouldn’t we have time for God?

Where is Jesus? Looking for you from the road – He left the 99 to look for the WAYWARD sheep who stopped listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd and got off track by following the voice of a stranger.

D – SIDE-Tracked = PARKED = “jacked up” in the Garage

NO track – again.

No track to be seen, only side streets leading to a garage

Not moving at all

The independent driver has taken him form the Pit stop, rest stop, garage, museum to the junk yard if he does not turn around.

Excuse 3 – hurt – at work, in church, at school, at home

Result - sitting – park – going nowhere

Galatians 5:7 NLT

7 You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?

The GARAGE of restoration is TEMPORARY

Don’t dry rot in a garage of excuses

Maybe you were cut off and flipped, crashed, and burned

Galatians 3:3–4 NLT

3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

Who tripped you up?

Who cut you off?

Run off the road

Museum of Memories = SAFE Place

Safe place - not exposed but never experience

· Protected from the elements but never reach the elevation God has for you

· You never get hit, never get hurt, but never get there

· Look through God’s windshield of the future, not you rear view mirror of your past

· Better to wear out than rust out - joint a can be replaced vs body rust

· Your odometer is not running but the clock is

· Looks good- keeps you shine while you run out of time.

· Represent a relic of the good old days. Glory days.

· Go to the soda shop for socializing on weekends (social media church)

· and car shows (other parked believers)

· Cruise around the local neighborhood and circle the same block of familiarity.

You were made for Mileage, not museums

We are compelled to go to the ends of the earth

Compel them to come in

“Hi” - ways and “bye”- ways – hurt by people who left you, especially in a time of great need.

Good news – turn around!

But there is good news. Even though we may need to experience the consequences of our wrong decision, God can heal, restore, forgive, and He can put us back on the path He intends for us to follow.

get back on track

Isaiah 29:24 NLT

24 Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction.