Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Preface

This morning we are continuing on with our new series in partnership with Yarmouth Wesleyan called follow the Leader - Part 2.

Let me make a distinction again here this morning.

You might be wondering why it’s called Part 2.

Let’s just say that the process and point of us coming to faith in Jesus and making a decision to be baptized is part 1.

This season of our lives is usually very exciting and we sense all the new things God is doing in our lives.

Part 2 is where we learn to walk in obedience to Jesus.

Part 2 is where we learn to walk in obedience to Jesus.

In this series we are going to look at a number of different stories found in Scripture of people who walked in obedience to Jesus despite some of the circumstances they faced.

Hook

I want to begin this morning by going back to the story of how God called me here.

I know I have told this story here a few times but I think it really drives home what I feel like the Lord wants to communicate today.

It was Winter 2016 and my wife and I were at the point where we felt like the Lord was leading us into ministry.

We met with the DS who actually will be coming this week to meet with the board.

He’s coming this week to meet with the board to evaluate how things are going.

As you may or may not be aware my initial call was a 2 year call and how it works in the Wesleyan Church, which I think is super healthy, is the DS comes in approaching that two year term just to assess how things are going and provide some feedback.

He’s meeting with the board this week and myself to help with that process.

But 2 years ago let just say Woods Harbour Wesleyan was not on my mind at all.

We had met with Peter and we told him we wanted to go to a city.

I remember sitting there at Montana’s and Peter asked the question “so let me be totally clear; you want to go to urban context and not a rural church context”.

We both looked at each other and said yup as God sat back and laughed his heart out.

I can just see him now sitting in that room with us - BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

As some of you know, a week or two later, we had a big ice storm in New Brunswick that knocked out power and cancelled churches on one particular Sunday.

Marty and Melissa Swim from the Agape Cafe happened to be up in Sussex and asked us to go out for breakfast at Smitty’s.

We were out to breakfast and they told us that we should move to the Barrington area and do ministry.

And I said the words that God would later make me eat - “Well, if Pastor Rod decides to move on I will take that church in a heart beat.”

I remember looking back and thinking to myself two things.

I don’t felt like I meant it

Why in the world would I say a thing like that

I went home that afternoon and spent some horizontal fellowship with Jesus in the form of a boss old nap and woke up with a phone call from Melissa Swim saying, “You’re not going to believe this but Pastor Rod resigned.”

Immediately God’s Spirit began to deal with me and speak to me about being called to step out in faith and move to Woods Harbour.

And God also immediately started giving me a vision for not just Woods Harbour but our region.

God gave me this vision back in February 2016

“To increase the witness of Jesus in Woods Harbour, Barrington and Pubnico by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.”

And so God gave me the faith and confidence to know I was called to this church and to these communities and God also gave me a vision and a mandate.

The Spirit of God deposited those things in my spirit and its something that beats in my bones every single day.

Introduce Subject

Hebrews 11:620

I had my ideas of what I thought I wanted to do but God had other plans.

God called me out and gave me the faith and confidence to walk in obedience to his call.

Introduce Subject

This morning I want to talk about the role faith has in walking in obedience.

The bible teaches us in

You see God gave me the confidence that I was called here.

And let me tell you here this morning after being here for 1 year and half there is no doubt in my mind God called me to come here to this specific church, for this specific season to do a very specific work.

Isn’t it amazing how God can give us that kind of confidence.

Well, faith is the confidence of what we hope for.

It’s this inward knowing that the Lord gives us so we can step out with confidence.

It’s also the assurance of what we hope for.

It’s the sense that we get that we are confident that what God said is actually going to happen.

Illustration

When I was called here I was confident that God called me and I was also assured that the vision that God gave me was going to happen.

And by faith in what God spoke to me I earnestly work towards that vision that God put in my spirit.

Do you see how faith works?

Faith gives you the gumption and the confidence so that you can pour your passion, energy and time into something you know matters for eternity.

Faith gives you the confidence to walk in obedience even when it is difficult, when there is resistance and when the way is not clear.

Faith will give you the ability to perserve in the face of conflict because deep in the depth of your being you have this unwavering confidence knowing; this is just what has to be done.

Do you think we need faith?

Fallen Condition Focus

I think many of us lack faith and confidence.

We lack God’s vision for our life.

When I worked in admissions and even now as I counsel people I think we can have confidence in our decision making.

While the path ahead often is not clear as to how everything works itself out I am confident that God will give us the measure of confidence we need to push forward.

The Bible says in

So if we need wisdom to know what to do God promises he will give it.

We don’t have to be tossed to and fro without any confidence in life.

This gets real practical in our lives.

We tend to question a lot and not have confidence.

But when we ask God for wisdom and he provides it we can be confident in our decision making and even deeper in what we do for a living.

In this book I am reading called Gaining by Losing it highlights something so key that I want you to hear this morning.

Often times we think people in ministry have the “Higher calling” and those of us who do “regular work” have the lesser job or the job that is not as spiritual as the other.

Reason to Hear

I want to burst that bubble this morning.

Listen, whether you cut hair, are lobstering, work in a tank shop or you are retired and serving Jesus your job is just as spiritual and just as important in the kingdom of God as mine.

When we can start to look at our job as something God has called us to I think it becomes a game changer because we start to have the confidence that God has called us by faith and we can put the faith in confidence into what we do for a living.

Now with that, we always need to be open to God calling us out of everything like the Rich Young Ruler.

But I think we lack faith in what we do and we don’t look at what we do for a living as something God has actually called us to.

Does that make sense?

So no wonder we don’t have faith or confidence and are unable to walk in obedience.

Many of us don’t believe the thing we spend most of our time doing is something God has called you to.

Let me be clear - there is a reason God prepared some of you to be fishermen and all the different things that are represented here.

What you do is so important to the kingdom and you need to put your faith in that?

Can I get an Amen?

The other area that I want to point out this morning is that I think some of us lack clear direction and vision both individually and corporately.

Individually maybe you’re someone who wants to be used of God but you don’t know how to serve.

Maybe you come to church and you have a desire to serve but don’t know how or what you could do.

Two real practical things.

Ask God for Wisdom

Talk to me - I’d love to pray for wisdom with you and process how God may want to use you

The Bible says in

Not just in the church but in businesses and organization I think often times there is a lack of corporate vision of Why that organization exists.

For the church often times I think the reason a church gets stuck is because there sometimes can be a lack of vision of what God has called a particular church to do.

The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer.

Leonard Ravenhill Why Revival Tarries

While I can tell you the vision for our church and where God is taking us it is so much more powerful when God speaks to you individually in a personal way and gives you the confidence with me to pursue the dreams God has for us.

While I can tell you the vision for our church and where Godis taking us it is so much more powerful when God speaks to you individually in a personal way and gives you the confidence with me to pursue the dreams God has for us.

If we want the faith and confidence to pursue the vision God has for us with passion we have to seek him in prayer.

If you want to walk out your individual calling with boldness and confidence and passion you need to ask God for a passion for a vision.

Reason to Hear

My hope this morning is that you would