Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Urges…and how to overcome them!”*

*Promise:         My will is better than your way!*

*Love Link video clip.

*The video we just watched created a series of questions in my mind.

All of the questions relate to God’s will.

Here’s the first question…*Is it God’s will that children in Haiti and Honduras should live in poverty?*

While you think about for a moment let me offer this illustration.

Forest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates.

I think “*God’s will is like an umbrella*.”

This covering over me is God’s universal or revealed will.

What do I mean be revealed?

It’s what is revealed to us through the word of God.

There are no doubts.

Now again I like the umbrella illustration, but I think the message is better if you put your umbrella down like this and then just step into God’s will.

You see, I want to be IN the will of God.

Do you?  It’s a choice.

*Look at these verses.*

Paul said to Timothy.

*1 Tim.

2:4*:  /who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth./

*2 Peter 3:9*:  /The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance/.

Paul writes.

*1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 */Be joyful always; [17] pray continually; [18] give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.*

*/

*1 Thessalonians 4:3:*  /It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.. / I’m married and if I step out of God’s will in regards to sex I bring great heartache to Tricia, to my children, to me and to God.

According to God sex is between a man and a woman together forever.

Now I wish the Bible gave us answers on every specific problem we encounter or decision we have to make.

It doesn’t.

Dad, what do you call a BEE that can’t make a decision?

A maybe!

Maybe you should go this way, maybe that way!  Why?

Because /“God’s will is not a formula to be figured out but a life to be lived.”/

And we’re all different.

Knofel Staton uses parents as a great example.

Would not every parent desire the same for every child?

Each parent wants their children to be holy, happy, healthy, and wise?

Kids, typically, are not dressed in the same style of clothes.

Why?

Because they have different personalities.

Teens choose different sports – go to different colleges.

One child might grow up and get married.

When another child wants nothing to do with marriage, but both decisions can honor God.    

*Let’s get back to the original question.

Is it God’s will that children should live in poverty?

*No, but children are often the recipients of bad choices made by either parents or leaders.

*Was it God’s will that Major Nidal Hasan*[i]* murder 13 people at Ft. Hood on November 5?*  No, but free will stinks sometimes.

Hasan made a willful choice to murder.

And God allowed it.

*Was it God’s will that Noah, Mrs. Noah and six other family members be the only human survivors of a world wide flood and all other humans would drown?*

Yes.

(Genesis 6:5) *Was it God’s will that Judas Iscariot become an apostle?

*Yes.*

Was it God’s will that Judas would betray Jesus and hang himself?

*NO!  *Is it God’s will that the Cleveland Browns be perennial losers?

*I don’t think he cares.

But he does care if you bow down to any sport as a false god.

German national soccer team goalie Robert Enke apparently committed suicide by stepping in front of a train.[ii]

*Is it God’s will that you marry?*  NO.

*Was it God’s will that you marry your spouse?*

No, but God does want married couples to experience oneness and that’s not possible without fearing God and following Jesus.

*Is it God’s will that no follower of Jesus should ever suffer.

NO!*  Peter gives us the ultimate example.

*Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 4*.

If you need a Bible today raise your hand.

You’ll find 1 Peter 4 on page 841.

Once you locate 1 Peter 4 make this observation.

Verse 1 starts with a “therefore”   What do you do when you come to a “therefore.”

You go to the preceding verses.

Those verses could be a few - a chapter or several chapters.

Chapter 3: 8 through 22 all relate to this therefore.

*Find verse 9*.  (Guy gave me the finger!)

Now drop down to verse 17.  *(Read 3:17&18)*  *Now – in light of this truth let’s read verse 1 in chapter 4*. 

*There’s Peter’s ultimate example*.

Jesus suffered before the cross and on the cross.

What do you say?  Let’s take a few moments and remember what Jesus did on the cross for each of us.

Ushers would you now prepare for communion!

Don’t forget what the bread and the cup represent.

Suffering for Jesus.

Salvation for us!  *(Prayer)*

            It’s difficult for me to think that God’s will would include Jesus’ suffering and death!

God’s will should only include nice, pleasant things.

But this world is often the opposite of nice and pleasant.

The people in Peter’s day are being persecuted.

Physical persecuted because they chose to trust the one who rumors said – /“died and came back to life.”/

They are not arming themselves to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays.

They are arming themselves with this attitude – Jesus died for claiming to be the Son of God and we might die too because we believe he is the Son of God.  *But suffering does have its benefits!*

*Find verse 2!*  Here’s now a fourth promise from God to Peter and from Peter to us.

If you want to overcome urges, desires, lusts, longings for the forbidden – that war against your soul - claim this promise!

*My will is better than your way!  Hands down.

Every time.

No matter what!*  Let me bring my umbrella back.

It’s better to be in here with God, than to be out here without God.

It’s better to be in the will of God and suffer temporarily, than to ignore God and suffer both now and later.

*            I blame John Chilcote and Joe Edwards for this.

Here are few awkward family photos.

How would you like your daughter to bring him home one night?

Do you know who this is?  *This is Brian Welch.

Better known as Brian Head Welch the former lead guitarist for the band Korn!  Brian joined Korn in 1993 and they opened for bands like Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson.

Brian said that playing on the road always included lots of drinking, crack and other pills.

But the drug of his choice was speed.