There is a Greater You in You

Promise of Hope

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Do you believe that? … Prosper you and not to harm… hope and a future

I believe these words are true, because the word of God says so and God cannot lie. We know that God loves you and me and wants the best for us.

The Struggle

Some days I look in the mirror not at my reflection that stares back at me but the person that I truly am. There are days I like what I see. A man who is striving to be like Jesus, who loves God and desires to please him with every ounce of my being.

There are other days, more than I care to admit, that the image of my true self is not at all a reflection of Christ in me. It frightens me and repulse me that I can be so far from God, for that is what hell is life without God.

Jeanette and I were watching a movie “Knightfall” a story of a Templar knight in France who is struggling with the good he knows he should do and the reality that he is living the opposite of that life. At one point in the movie there is a memorable line that fits with what I am talking about this morning. This applies equally to men and women. “Every man has two sides. The man he wants to be and the man he really is.”

The struggle for us is becoming the person we want to be. That is why Jeremiah 29:11 so important...

Adversary

If we believe that God’s word is true, that he wants to prosper us, give us a hope and a future, why do we struggle so, between what we want to be and the person we are?

Look at the story of Job… God called him a blameless and upright man turning from evil… Satan is a part of this story, as well... adversity and disaster struck Job...

Satan is very real, just as he looked for ways to make Job turn away from God, Satan takes every opportunity to lead you and I away from God as well.

1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful”

Imperative sentence - seen as a command

Titus 2:2 defines sober-minded as “… dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

We live out each day surrounded by doomed people who are not even aware of the judgment for their sin they will eternally face. They are already in the jaws of the lion. But if you and I are watchful we can avoid their fate. 1 Peter 5 goes on to say “Resist [Satan and be], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” ESV

In God’s Right Hand

So, what if we try as we might, to be the person who is sober-minded and watchful, and we fall short lapsing back into the kind of person who is susceptible, to the powlings of the devil.

Here the Good News from Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Praise be to God! … do you get it…

God will instruct you, and teach you in the way you should go; ... Psalm 32:8 says . Years ago I was a camp director… we had horses… some were easier to control than others some you had to have a firm hand on the reins while others could be guide by the slightest pressure ... The palmist goes on to say in verse 9, “Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, ...”

In the 16th chapter of John, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about his departure to heaven and assures them that he will send them a helper. This helper is the Holy Spirit… dwells in the heart of the believer… who guides us through this journey of life… if we listen and heed his guidance.

Be Strong

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

You see, there is a Greater You in You. You on your own will always struggle and fail, but the You that is in the the “righteous Right Hand of God” will be triumphant.

When you choose to trust God, who provides you with a way to withstand the temptations the Satan. You can come to realize the truth of Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace, and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” We have that hope in Jesus ...

I did not read to you the verses that follow Jeremiah 29:11. The graciousness of God, is poured out and overflowing, in verses 12-14. “… you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord...”