"PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER"
Start Here - Doing Hard Things Right Where You are • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Proposition - As we think through the principles that we see in chapter 10 of our book study we will focus on two things; 1) the battle of discouragement, and 2) the discussion about discouragement.
Interrogative question - In what ways is discouragement affecting your life?
1. The Battle of Discouragement -
1. The Battle of Discouragement -
Discouragement can arise from a variety of reasons; account of uncertainty, caution or rebellion. Scripture provides examples of individuals who hesitate in the face of divine commands or promises, and indicates its dangers.
Examples of people who hesitated -
Lot -
16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.
Lot’s wife -
17 When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”
26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
32 “Remember Lot’s wife.
Moses -
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”
12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?”
Peter in obeying the Lord -
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky. 17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 “But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”
12 “The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house.
Other examples -
Israel as they approach the promised land -
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” 32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
1 Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.
21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.”
Examples of people who did not hesitate -
Caleb -
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”
Simon and Andrew -
18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Paul -
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
Believers should act without hesitation when Scripture speaks -
Believers should not hesitate to speak -
1 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.
Christ commands immediate obedience -
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
God does not hesitate -
To bring judgment -
25 “For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God.’ ”
14 “I, the Lord, have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not pity and I will not be sorry; according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you,” declares the Lord God.’ ”
14 “Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
The delay in Christ’s coming is not due to hesitation -
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2. The Discussion about Discouragement -
2. The Discussion about Discouragement -
Putting It All Together: Two Stories That Will Answer All Your Questions (or at Least Give You Some Great Ideas) Ana Zimmerman raised more than six thousand dollars to help end the injustice of abortion. John Moore wrote, produced, and directed his own film, going on to win the grand prize at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. In this chapter, Ana and John provide a step-by-step look at their projects and how God used those hard things for His glory.
What part of Ana’s story do you identify with the most? Why?
What part of John’s story do you identify with the most? Why?
Ana points out that it’s not enough to have high expectations—we need to have high expectations for the right reasons. What does this mean?
John tells us he was able to accept criticism because he knew that his first film was not his main goal: “If our goal was growth, we could love criticism”. How have you found that statement to be true in your own life?
John reminds us that “it’s easy to confuse ‘do hard things’ with the idea of ‘do big things.’ A push-up isn’t a big thing. Winning a championship is. But doing pushups when you don’t feel like it is what it takes to win in a championship fight”. Would you say you’re doing push-ups right now, or are you in the middle of a championship fight? Why? When have you confused doing hard things with doing big things?
What are some practical ideas you got out of Ana’s and John’s stories?
Harris, Alex; Harris, Brett. Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are (pp. 153-154). PRH Christian Publishing. Kindle Edition.
SO WHAT?
In what ways is discouragement affecting your life?
