What is Your Trajectory?

WHAT IS YOUR TRAJECTORY?

INTRODUCTION:

I ALMOST TITLED THIS SERMON “WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITUAL TRAJECTORY?” BUT IS DECIDED TO STICK WITH JUST “WHAT IS YOUR TRAJECTORY?” BECAUSE IT MORE APTLY DESCRIBES REALITY.

WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO SEPARATE A SPIRITUAL TRAJECTORY FROM JUST TRAJECTORY.

EITHER YOUR LIFE TRAJECTORY HAS YOU ON A SPIRITUAL PATH, OR IT DOES NOT.

TRAJECTORY COMES FROM THE LATIN TRAJECTORIA, WHICH MEANS "THROW ACROSS."

AND THE WORD IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE PATH THAT AN OBJECT TAKE AS IT TRAVELS THROUGH SPACE.

LET ME ILLUSTRATE.

USE A WASTEBASKET AND A BALL UP PIECE OF PAPER.

THROW THE PAPER IN THE WASTEBASKET.

ALL THE POINTS ALONG THE ARC TO THE BASKET (OR TO THE FLOOR) ARE PART OF THE TRAJECTORY OF THE PAPER.

NOW, I CAN CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF THE OBJECT, IF I INTERFERE WITH THE ORIGINAL TRAJECTORY.

AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LIVES OF MANY PEOPLE.

SOMETIMES A CHANGE OF TRAJECTORY IS NOT A GOOD THING, SUCH AS WHEN PEOPLE ACT UPON TEMPTATIONS, AND ARE LED AWAY BY THE ENEMY.

BUT SOMETIMES A CHANGE OF TRAJECTORY IS A GOOD THING.

- SOMETIMES GOD INTERVENES AND CHAGNES THE TRAJECTORY OF A PERSONS’ LIFE.

OUR TEXT FOR THIS MORNING CONTAINS THE ACCOUNT OF GOD CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS.

- 1 PAUL CAME ALSO TO DERBE AND TO LYSTRA. A DISCIPLE WAS THERE, NAMED TIMOTHY, THE SON OF A JEWISH WOMAN WHO WAS A BELIEVER, BUT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK. 2 HE WAS WELL SPOKEN OF BY THE BROTHERS AT LYSTRA AND ICONIUM. 3 PAUL WANTED TIMOTHY TO ACCOMPANY HIM, AND HE TOOK HIM AND CIRCUMCISED HIM BECAUSE OF THE JEWS WHO WERE IN THOSE PLACES, FOR THEY ALL KNEW THAT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK. 4 AS THEY WENT ON THEIR WAY THROUGH THE CITIES, THEY DELIVERED TO THEM FOR OBSERVANCE THE DECISIONS THAT HAD BEEN REACHED BY THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS WHO WERE IN JERUSALEM. 5 SO THE CHURCHES WERE STRENGTHENED IN THE FAITH, AND THEY INCREASED IN NUMBERS DAILY. 6 AND THEY WENT THROUGH THE REGION OF PHRYGIA AND GALATIA, HAVING BEEN FORBIDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPEAK THE WORD IN ASIA. 7 AND WHEN THEY HAD COME UP TO MYSIA, THEY ATTEMPTED TO GO INTO BITHYNIA, BUT THE SPIRIT OF JESUS DID NOT ALLOW THEM. 8 SO, PASSING BY MYSIA, THEY WENT DOWN TO TROAS. 9 AND A VISION APPEARED TO PAUL IN THE NIGHT: A MAN OF MACEDONIA WAS STANDING THERE, URGING HIM AND SAYING, “COME OVER TO MACEDONIA AND HELP US.” 10 AND WHEN PAUL HAD SEEN THE VISION, IMMEDIATELY WE SOUGHT TO GO ON INTO MACEDONIA, CONCLUDING THAT GOD HAD CALLED US TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THEM.

1. SOMETIMES GOD WILL CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE WHEN THINGS ARE GOING REALLY WELL.

a. – 4 AS THEY WENT ON THEIR WAY THROUGH THE CITIES, THEY DELIVERED TO THEM FOR OBSERVANCE THE DECISIONS THAT HAD BEEN REACHED BY THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS WHO WERE IN JERUSALEM. 5 SO THE CHURCHES WERE STRENGTHENED IN THE FAITH, AND THEY INCREASED IN NUMBERS DAILY.

b. PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS WERE PREACHING THE WORD IN THE CHURCHES AND INISTRUCTING THEM OF THE DECISIONS THAT HAD BEEN MADE IN THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL.

i. THEY WERE OBEDIENTLY FOLLOWING WHAT THE LORD HAD CALLED THEM TO DO.

ii. VERSE 5 SAYS THAT THE CHURCHES WERE BEING STRENGTHENED BY THE WORK THEY WERE DOING.

c. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT LOGICALLY, GOD INTERVENES IN A PERSONS’ LIFE IN TWO MAJOR WAYS.

i. THE FIRST IS TO BRING CHANGE TO THAT PERSON.

1. AS IN WHEN A PERSON REALIZES HIS OR HER NEED TO BE SAVED, AND SUBMITS TO THE LORD.

ii. THE SECOND IS TO BRING CHANGE TO OTHERS.

1. AS IN WHEN A PERSON IS CALLED TO A SPECIFIC WORK, FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS WHO EITHER NEED TO KNOW CHRIST OR NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED IN THEIR FAITH.

d. IN THIS CASE, THE TRAJECTORY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS WAS ABOUT TO BE INTERFERED WITH FOR THE SECOND REASON.

2. WHEN TRAJECTORY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE, YOU MAY BEGIN TO NOTICE THAT THINGS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

a. - 6 AND THEY WENT THROUGH THE REGION OF PHRYGIA AND GALATIA, HAVING BEEN FORBIDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPEAK THE WORD IN ASIA. 7 AND WHEN THEY HAD COME UP TO MYSIA, THEY ATTEMPTED TO GO INTO BITHYNIA, BUT THE SPIRIT OF JESUS DID NOT ALLOW THEM. 8 SO, PASSING BY MYSIA, THEY WENT DOWN TO TROAS.

i. FIRST, THEY WERE FORBIDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO PREACH IN ASIA.

ii. THEN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS (SAME HOLY SPIRIT) DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO GO INTO BITHYNIA.

iii. SO THEY FAITHFULLY CONTINUED ON TO TROAS.

b. LUKE RECORDS THE EVENTS OF HIS JOURNEY WITH PAUL AND THE REST OF HIS FRIENDS HERE, AND HE WRITES ABOUT TWO SPECIFIC PLACES THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GO.

i. ASIA, AND THEN BITHYNIA.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD NOT ALLOW THIS GROUP OF MISSIONARIES TO ENTER THESE TWO AREAS.

2. BUT WHY?

a. WHY WOULD GOD DISAPPROVE OF THEM TAKING THE GOSPEL ANYWHERE?

c. WELL, THAT THE LAST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE HERE…

3. GOD’S INTERFERENCE AND TRAJECTORY CHANGE IS ALWAYS FOR HIS GLORY AND HIS PURPOSE.

a. – 9 AND A VISION APPEARED TO PAUL IN THE NIGHT: A MAN OF MACEDONIA WAS STANDING THERE, URGING HIM AND SAYING, “COME OVER TO MACEDONIA AND HELP US.” 10 AND WHEN PAUL HAD SEEN THE VISION, IMMEDIATELY WE SOUGHT TO GO ON INTO MACEDONIA, CONCLUDING THAT GOD HAD CALLED US TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THEM.

i. PAUL SAW A VISION OF A MAN ASKING FOR HELP.

ii. AND PAUL IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD WHY HE HAD EXPERIENCED ALL THE OBSTACLES GOD HAD PUT IN HIS WAY.

b. NOTICE I SAID GOD’S INTERFERENCE AND TRAJECTORY CHAGNE, NOT YOURS…

i. GOD WAS CHANGING THEIR DIRECTION.

ii. AND THEY KNEW IT WOULD BE FOR HIS GLORY.

1. GOD WAS NOT GOING TO PROHIBIT THE GOSPEL FROM EVER GOING TO ASIA.

a. WE CAN LOOK AT THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH IN CHINA AND SEE THAT THE GOSPEL ABSOLUTELY MADE TO ASIA.

iii. BUT GOD HAD ANOTHER PATH – ANOTHER TRAJECTORY FOR THESE MEN…AND FOR THE GOSPEL.

c. PAUL’S JOURNEY INTO MACEDONIA TOOK THE GOSPEL TO THE EUROPEANS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

i. THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THAT STATEMENT.

ii. THINK OF ALL THE GREAT EUROPEAN CHURCHMEN WHO HAVE DONE SO MUCH FOR THE GOSPEL.

1. PEOPLE LIKE MARTIN LUTHER.

2. AND CHARLES WESLEY.

3. PEOPLE LIKE GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

4. AND CHARLES SPURGEON.

iii. THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF PAUL HAD BEEN DISOBEDIENT TO GOD’S TRAJECTORY INTERFERENCE.

d. AND THINK WHAT MAY HAPPEN IS YOU ARE DISOBEDIENT TO GOD’S TRAJECTORY INTERFERENCE IN YOUR OWN LIFE.

CONCLUSION:

WHAT IF GOD WANTS TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE…RIGHT NOW…TODAY…

THE QUESTION YOU NEED TO ANSWER IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL BE OBEDIENT TO THE CHANGE OF TRAJECTORY GOD WANTS TO BRING TO YOU.

HERE ARE SOME STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ON GOD’S DESIRED TRAJECTORY.

1. LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF GOD.

a. TAKE TIME TO BE QUIET BEFORE GOD, AND LISTEN TO HIM.

2. IF YOU ARE DISOBEYING THE LORD, REPENT.

a. REPENTANCE IS A WORD WE DON’T USE NEAR ENOUGH IN THE CHURCH.

b. IT’S A WORD THAT MEANS TO TURN ABOUT, TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

i. REPENTANCE INCLUDES SORROW, BUT IT IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST BEING SORRY FOR YOUR SIN.

3. THEN LOOK FOR GOD’S DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE.

a. MAYBE TODAY, YOU KNOW HE IS TELLING HE HAS GIVEN YOU AN INSTRUCTION.

4. AND WHEN HE SPEAKS, OBEY.

a. GOD DOES NOT GIVE COMMANDS BECAUSE HE IS ON A POWER TRIP, HE GIVES COMMANDS TO PROTECT YOU AND HELP YOU LIVE IN A WAY THAT MODELS FAITHFULNESS FOR OTHERS.