STAND ALONE: Hang On

I want to tell you a story…..

JOE / ROLLER COASTER…..

the security, wasn’t so secure.. the thing that was supposed to hold him, released…. And he had to HANG ON for dear life…. And that is how so many of us feel in life…

Heb 6:19

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

WHAT are you holding, and what is holding you…. We keep saying hang on, as if we are trying to survive for some uncertain amount of time, through some uncertain amount of trial… but again begs the question… what is anchoring you, through the storm… and what are you HANGING ON TO?

HANG ON TO THE BIBLE

Heb 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Were talking about THE WORD OF GOD, in fact this is the intro message to “THE STUDY”… where I show you how I study the bible ….. that will start next week

The word of man INFORMS YOU

The word of God TRANSFORMS YOU

Honestly I believe we are over INFORMED and UNDER TRANSFORMED

If the world is changing…. If we are in a state of uncertainty, if it seems we can just barely hang on … then the Bible must become a part of our lives! In other words… I don’t need to be INFORMED… I need to be TRANSFORMED, we have more information available to us right now then ever before… we don’t lack INFORMATION…. But man do we lack TRANSFORMATION.

Even JESUS when tempted In Matt 4… after fasting for 40 days, when his HUMAN desire had to be running crazy and Satan comes in to tempt him, … Jesus responds with SCRIPTURE

Matt 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God

Matt 4:7

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.

Matt 4:10

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

THREE times he is tempted and THREE times he quotes scripture, he didn’t look for more INFORMATION… he didn’t go research to the options…. HE USED THE WORD OF GOD!

under attack… HE HELD ON… to the SCRIPTURES

The scriptures provides:

1.) Stability and Direction

If the world is changing and it is…. I mean think back to your first cell phone, your Walkman, your removable faceplate on your car stereo….…. We need something that ISN’T changing… and something to help me understand which way to go at what point….

Psalm 119:165

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

NOTHING…. Thats a big change from ANYTHING can and will create chaos.… thats a big change from everyone is against you…

PEACE and STABILITY are by products of KNOWING and LIVING the word of God!

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

my internal compass of right and wrong doesn’t come from being informed by the word of man, but being TRANSFORMED by the word of God…

As a believer in JESUS…. As a Follower of CHRIST…. This is my absolute truth.. and that provides me STABILITY and DIRECTION… IT IS MY CALL TO HANG ON to the SCRIPTURES… you cannot get the peace of scripture when you only take parts of it…. You cannot get the strength of scripture while leaving substance on the table…

*** POSSIBLY JEFFERSON BIBLE***

Isn’t this what we do though…. Like a mix tape in our Walkman… we bring the stuff we like and leave the stuff we don’t like

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

2.)Endurance and Encouragement

Honestly the longer you HANG ON… the more exhausting and discouraging it can feel… especially if you are HANGING on to the wrong things…

Rom 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

SO WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE!

When I lack HOPE, it is a symptom that I haven’t been in the scriptures… when I lack hope, information won’t help… I need TRANSFORMATION, which comes from the WORD OF GOD

I need ENDURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT…

I don’t think we are tired… I think we are depleted… I don’t think we need a nap… I think we need an awakening… I don’t thing we lack rest…

You see one is physical… one is spiritual

Don’t expect MAN to give you what only God can offer!

We need the ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE SCRIPTURES!

3.) Teaching and Training

We have said from day one of this church, that we believe that ALL PEOPLE are HIS BEST and HE has created you to do some AMAZING THINGS! EVERYONE HAS PURPOSE>>>> WELCOME TO THE TEAM?///

Did you know that even in the crazy of this world… you still have purpose, one of the side effects of just HANGING ON is its hard to see purpose and opportunity when all I can see chaos and division… when I’m literally waiting for the world to collapse on me…. I am probably not out CHANGING THE WORLD!

2 Tim 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Thoroughly equipped for EVERY GOOD WORK! You CANNOT walk in your GOD GIVEN purpose without the WORD OF GOD…..

Because the only way for me to DO the GOOD WORK… for me to “be the light”…. Is to be on stable ground…. For me to be different…

And that comes from being Taught and trained in and through the scriptures

The other thing I realized that a life of HANGING ON does…. is traps you…. remember what you hang on to will eventually hang on to you… and we have been HANGING ON so long… we might not even realize how trapped we have become

But the scriptures provide

4.) FREEDOM

James 1:25

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

That gives FREEDOM

I don’t know what has held you captive, I don’t know what situation has just overtaken you…

But I know this… this book provides FREEDOM,

But have to DO IT…. Reading and knowing aren’t the same as DOING!

Concl:

When you read through all of Matthew 4 where Jesus was tempted, its interesting that there are only two characters, and they BOTH quote the scripture…yes Satan quotes the scripture too….

You see the power of the scripture comes by being connected to the AUTHOR! For years when I was a kid this book seemed like a religious task… something else “to do”, now its full of mentors, wisdom, counseling… training… encouragement from a God who loves me… because I am connected to the author….

SALVATION:

CHARGE: