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Series: On the Move: Overcoming the Obstacles of Growth
Title: The Stress of Success
Text:
ATTN
Pic - Man throwing a discus
Before the days of national training for the Olympics, a Sottish man aspired to become a champion discus thrower.
Not having access to a real discus, he made his own from the description he read in a book.
Instead of using wood, however, he made the discus out of solid metal that weighed three or four times as much as those being used by those he would be challenging in the Olympics.
For a whole year he labored, training himself to throw.
But he worked hard and, by the time of his first competition, he could throw his discus the record distance, maybe farther.
He was ready.
He traveled down to England for his first competition.
When he arrived, he was handed the official wooden discus, which he promptly threw like a tea saucer.
He set a new record, a distance so far beyond those of his competitors that no one could touch him.
For many years he remained the uncontested champion.
How did he do it?
He trained under a great burden.
I’m sure the work and the schedule this athlete trained with was grueling, especially given the fact that he was throwing an unbelievably heavy discus, but his hard work paid off.
And that just leads me to this truth:
The stress you hate creates the success you love.
BACKGROUND
Title slide
So, we’ve been in this series titled: On the Move: Overcoming the obstacles to Growth.
We talked about the power we receive to take the initiative and make disciples, when we focus our lives on the Word, prayer, worship, and community.
We saw how our apathy for God’s work is cured when we are filled with the Spirit and how praying correctly will bring a great boldness to tell others about God’s word.
We talked about how confronting sin and clarifying values can keep the church on track and how even the temptation of distraction can be avoided when we embrace the strategic plan we’ve been given in the Scripture.
Last week we discussed how we must make sure to keep the gospel clear and this week we turn our attention to an inevitable reality that arises when you are involved in this kind of intentional disciple making.
That reality is stress.
There are some very common stresses that enter into our lives when we go all in to reach this world for Christ.
The Apostle Paul was no stranger to these stresses.
In fact, part of our text today reads like this:
Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Now, you’ll have to admit that, had this happened to you, you’d have been stressed.
So would I! And yet, I believe you see the truth I just stated in this passage: The stress you hate creates the success you love.
Now, you’ll have to admit that, had this happened to you, you’d have been stressed.
So would I! And yet, I believe you see the truth I just stated in this passage: The stress you hate creates the success you love.
NEED
You see, I know that there are some of you right now who are confused about what God is doing in your life.
You thought you knew what God wanted in your life, but now nothing is working out.
You thought you knew the career he had for you or the place He wanted you, but nothing is working out.
You’ve prayed and prayed, but it seems that, when you ask Him if you’re supposed to go here or there or do this or that, the only answer you’re getting is no.
Listen because I believe these verses can lift the fog of indecision.
Others of you are under attack.
You’ve tried to live right and be a witness, but it seems like all you’ve reaped has been satanic or even personal attack.
We used to joke at this church about there being a curse on those who took courses we offered on how to share your faith.
It seemed that whenever someone really decided to make a difference, the attacks began and everything started to go wrong.
Maybe that’s you.
You decided to really plug into your Christian walk or intentionally serve God and your world fell apart.
Listen!
You can find the courage to keep going.
Others of you are discouraged.
The grind of living under the pressure of ministry makes you want to quit.
Listen!
You don’t have to stay in your prison of despair.
These stresses can be relieved!
They can be overcome.
TRANS
Yes, while it is true that there are some stresses you must overcome to serve the Lord, the good news is you can overcome them.
First, you can overcome the stress of
You can overcome the stress of uncertainty.
D1
UNCERTAINTY.
EXP
There is a truth that quickly becomes apparent when you really begin to serve the Lord and minister to others.
It is this: Making disciples is a ministry that is filled with uncertainty.
Sometimes you can’t tell what God is doing in the heart of that person you are trying to reach.
Sometimes you aren’t sure exactly what God would have you to do to reach them.
Sometimes you are not sure exactly whom God would have you try to reach or where God would have you go to reach them.
Sometimes you just don’t know what God is up to.
That was true for Paul and Silas.
They head out on their second missionary journey and watch what happens.
Look at chapter 16 verse 6:
Did you catch it?
Paul and Silas wanted to turn east into Asia (show map) but the Bible says that the Spirit “forbids” them.
In other words, God said “No!” So they sought to go north into Bithynia which would be what we know today as northern Turkey, but, again, the Spirit would not permit them.
God said “No!” again.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be told “No,” especially when I’m trying to serve the Lord and give sacrificially to Him.
To be told “no” in that situation can be very discouraging.
Pic - map 1
Did you catch it?
Paul and Silas wanted to turn east into Asia (show map) but the Bible says that the Spirit “forbids” them.
In other words, God said “No!” So they sought to go north into Bithynia which would be what we know today as northern Turkey, but, again, the Spirit would not permit them.
God said “No!” again.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be told “No,” especially when I’m trying to serve the Lord and give sacrificially to Him.
To be told “no” in that situation can be very discouraging.
ILL
Pic - Blue Ridge Parkway
It was sometime during the summer of 1993.
I had been a Pharmaceutical rep for 3.5 years, but I knew that God was calling me to ministry.
So I told the Lord that I would obey if He opened a door.
I received a phone call almost immediately from a church over in Greenville, NC.
I remember that I was so conflicted that I took a day off and drove up on the Blue Ridge Parkway just to pray.
I spent the morning in prayer and surrendered to the Lord to obey, no matter what.
I came back and called the church back and told them I would be willing to come.
Then, God said “No.”
The church ended up hiring someone else.
I was a little confused.
I knew God had spoken to me, but now He was saying no.
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