Born for Adverisity
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Revelation 3:11
Revelation 3:11
I love what Pastor Thom said:
Opportunities are limited, but your excuses aren’t
God will keep giving you second chances
His grace is never failing
But at some point you got to stop need the second chances
And get it right
Now
Don’t let this weekend slip away and allow yourself not to get better
Are you better than you were last week?
God has to conquer you before he can work through you
-This is profound
Is what your doing pleasing to you or pleasing to God
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Being transformed is a simple equation: Less of me more of God
John says, I must decrease so that He can increase
If you were here on Sunday, I felt in my spirit that we would be shifting politically
But when things start going our way we can’t get complacent
What now?
What do we do now?
Proverbs 29 says when the righteous increase the people rejoice, but when the wicked are in power they groan
I’ve heard a lot of groaning
I’ve seen an openness to the gospel among platforms that influence millions
People that i’ve never seen nor have we ever seen in our lifetime or times before us (Praise God)
But why does it take hard times before you want to do the work to create good times?
But people show up for prayer meetings when there’s a need
Gen Z is returning to God
In a rising time of depression and sducidal despair
We are now seeing Gen Z coming back to church
Statistically speaking Young Men are leading the charge back to the church and back to traditional values (FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY
Where now woman are more likely to be less moral
Why is that?
Billy Graham wisely said, “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.”And people get serious about their faith walk when they need something
But when the righteous increase people get complacent
I don’t think we need to struggle or have opposition for the Gospel to burn inside of us for revival
I’m here to warn you:
IF hard times is what it takes for the church to wake up then hard times it will be
The great thing is that no matter what or who is in office
-Greater is He who is in me than he who is the world
-No matter what it looks like in the natural
-Thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph
-We win no matter what
INSTEAD OF WAITING AROUND FOR THINGS TO GET BAD AGAIN
WHY DON’T WE JUST DO WHAT GOD IS CALLING US TO DO NOW
What now?
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus is giving us an example for Leadership
One of our unique Characteristics at Reign Church:
We strive to build Christian leaders that set the standards for culture in any environment we are in
If you’re sitting in this room you are a leader
How many Christian Men
Welcome to leadership
Are any of you Father’s in here
Welcome to leadership
Are any of you Men of God in here
Welcome to leadership
SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
We LEAD- YOU LEAD
He calls His sheep by name and he leads them out
Leaders don’t drive from the Back
Leaders don’t wait for the sheep to test the waters
We don’t wait for others decide what is right
Mangers vs. Leaders
We have a lot of dad’s and men who are good managers and not leaders
What’s the difference:
Leaders create a vision, managers create goals
Leaders change behaviors, managers maintain
Leaders think long term, managers think about today
Leaders examine the affect they have, managers look at how things effect them
Again it’s a simple equation:
Paul says the The mission - Imitate me as Imitate Christ
Well I don’t know what to do, yeah you do imitate Christ
At least look like you’re trying to look like Christ
I’m going to Lead my family not manage them
Don’t wait for someone to take charge, we lead
The mindset
I’m Sick
The reality By Jesus stripes we were healed
We gotta be out in front this
We have to lead in every aspect
We have to eliminate every ounce of complacency and compromise that the enemy is trying to offer us
We don’t wait around to see who’s in Charge
God is and we follow his direction
The problem is for a lot of us it’s been a long time since we read his instructions
It’s been even longer that we’ve heard his voice
His word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path
His word is directional
9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
You can plan all you want but you better be able to take his direction
In order for us to receive what God has for us we have to let go of what the enemy is wanting us to hold onto
That might be shame for you last night
Might be addiction
Lust
Pride
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Kra-teo:
to have power, be powerful
to be chief, be master of, to rule
We have to do the work that God is calling us to do
WE have to be the men that God is calling us to be
WE can’t let anyone take from us the things that we’re supposed to do
The enemy wants to steal from you
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus isn’t just offering us life, He’s offering it more abundantly
He’s not just offering us a way out but a way up!
The way the enemy steals from you is he offers you something in the place of what God has for you
Your purity-He’ll give you lust
Your vision- He’ll give you instant gratification
Your attention-He’ll give you distractions
Your sanity-He’ll give you apprehension
WE most appose and resist that what the enemy is trying to give us
Because we’re men we think we must do it on our own
We’re self made
Jesus was God and he used 12 men to change the world
The only time it tells us Jesus was by himself was when he was getting away with the Father
We need each other
Iron sharpens iron
Bear another’s burdens
Fight together
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
A brother is born for fighting with you
I want to highlight 4 different Mindsets of Men:
1. Deferred Responsibly Mindset
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Keeper: shaw-mar':
to keep, guard, observe, give heed
(Qal)
to keep, have charge of
to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life
Cain is the older brother here
He should’ve setting the example
But disobedience came natural to Him
But He did not respect Cain and his offering
And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell
Cain felt disrespected here but it was because of something that he did
Sin lies at the door for you, but you should rule over it
Instead of ruling over it and focusing inwardly
He wants to crush the opposition
Men who don’t take responsibility for their own actions, will try and crush the achievement of others
We call them haters
Haters blame everyone else for their problems
If they can’t build their own
They’ll tear down others
Cain did was His Father did but it was amplified
Places the blame on other
The woman that you gave me
If you’re a christian, your past is no longer and excuse for your future
Family Members (without Father’s)
2. There’s a mindset of Offense
Why is it that Christian men so many men are so easily offended?
It seems to be more and more:
Could this be a sign of something?
The sings of Christ’s return:
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
WE have to guard our heart against offense
He’s talking to the church here
The word offended in vs 10-
The Greek word: Skan-da-lidzo
to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend
to entice to sin
to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey
This is the enemies number on ploy to get you out of Church
I saw a sign that was on the back of a little league dugout:
Uncoachable kids, become unemployable adults
Let your kids get used to someone being tough on them
It’s life, get over it
That stumbling block, that offense you gotta get over
Don’t let it trip you up
Get over it!
Proverbs 4 says guard you heart with all diligence because everything flows from what you allow in
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
Offense creates strongholds in our lives
We cannot receive when we have offense
Offense starts a seed for you to grab onto
Be teachable:
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.
What if cain in Genesis 4 would’ve been teachable
God show me what’s an acceptable
Instead he let offense turn into hatred
Here’s the Mindset of Man:
3. Born for adversity
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
You are here to lead people and your hear to help your brothers through adversity
Chances are someone in this room someone has gone through, what you are going through right now
-Any of you overcome fear in your life
-Any of you got over a drug addiction in this place
-Any of you overcame an alcohol addiction in this place
-Any of you gone through a relationship issue in the place
-Any of you battled depression
-Crippling fear
-Anxiousness
-There’s someone in here that has whooped the thing you can’t see past right now
-And theres someone in here that might need your wisdom to get through what their going through
1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all wise judgment.
KJV says intermeddleth with all wisdom
Lays bare with all wisdom
Isolating yourself exposes you to the wrong things
WE were born for Adversity
That’s why we’re men
Many of us are looking for other peoples help
Instead of being other peoples strength
When we get out of this mindset that’s it all about us
We’re hear to help each other
Jordan Shaw-
You want Him on your Team
Walking around the Hospital
Colter and Me
Lew Erving
4. Hard Target mindset:
Soft targets are
Jiu jitsu
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
We’re called to lay down our lives as men
But that doesn’t mean we go quietly
And it doesn’t mean we don’t go down fighting
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Roy Benevidez was a Master Sergeant in the Army Special Forces who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in a firefight that has been called "Six Hours in hell."
In April of 1968, an American unit was on patrol west of Loc Ninh, near the South Vietnamese-Cambodian border when they ran into a 1,000-man NVA infantry battalion.
Benevidez voluntarily boarded a helicopter to reinforce the unit, and was dropped into the fight for his life.
Benevidez ran to the pinned down unit after being dropped off. On the way, he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. He took control of the soldiers, dragged half of the wounded to a Medvec helicopter, and then ran alongside the helicopter as it moved to pick up more wounded.
As Benevidez went back to secure classified documents from the body of a dead soldier, the helicopter's pilot was mortally wounded, and the aircraft crashed.
Benevidez secured the documents, went back to the helicopter, and aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft. He guided the men to a defensive position and called in airstrikes.
When another helicopter came, he ferried the wounded, killed one NVA soldier in hand-to-hand combat, and killed two others that were charging the helicopter from behind it.
After making sure all the wounded were on board, Benevidez collapsed, but was pulled onto the helicopter. Thinking he was dead, a doctor put him in a body bag and only stopped zipping it up when Benevidez spat in his face.
Benavidez sustained seven major gunshot wounds, had shrapnel in his head, scalp, shoulder, buttocks, feet, and legs, had both his arms slashed by a bayonet, and had a collapsed lung.
In 1981, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
You were born for Battle
Don’t be a soft target and let the enemy steal what God has given you
14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Remember what you’re fighting for
