Courageously Facing Your Future by

Courageously Facing Your Future by Pastor Jay Williams

Big Question: What is going to happen to you?

I. Four Things That Will Determine What Will Happen to You

Who you listen to (They listened to the serpent)

What you chose to do (They willfully ate the fruit)

How honest you are when you fail (They were silent until confronted)

The options your choices leave for you (the garden was no longer safe, )

Note: Your Choices ()

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3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Note: The Impact of Your Choices ()

• 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

II. Four Things That Will Determine What Will Happen To Your Children ()

The choices they make (Will they choose to learn from your mistakes?)

The way they respond to instructions (They all knew how to sacrifice)

The way they respond to correction (Cain struggled with guidelines)

The way they manage their disappointments (Cain slew Able because he was angry)

Note: The Independent Choices of Their Children () Cain Chose To Do Things His Way

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4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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.”

Cain’s Blamed Abel For His Personal Failure • 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?”

Question: What is impacting your future? III. Four Things That You Can Do To

Improve What Will Happen to You

Don’t be impressed with the fruit on the forbidden trees

Don’t let people without authority talk you into compromising (Why was she listening

to a snake)

Don’t forget you will face your choices again (God came in the cool of the day, )

Don’t get hung up on your past garden, build a new one (Adam and Eve moved on)

Conclusion:

IV. Mistakes People Make When Talking About What Will Happen to Them

They think God alone determines what will happen to them

They think they alone determines what will happen to them

They think friends alone determines what will happen to them

They think education alone determines what will happen to them

They think romance alone determines what will happen to them

Next Time: Courageously Facing What to Do About What Happened to You Big Question: What happened to you and what should you do about it? Read Ahead: