Journey to Life part three

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Journey to Life

Part Three

we started a journey of how to live abundantly in both tough times and good times

The journey to a life

We said the journey to life was a life of faith

 

Romans 1:17 (NLT)
17 … “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

A  righteous person or

A person who is in a right relation with God”

has life through faith

complete trust and reliance in God

a person who is connected to Jesus through faith and trust

finds He is always there

He won’t always do what you want

He will always do what is best

Trust him

Rely on Him

Have faith in Him

What helps to grow in faith?

Some things to know

1.       God is actively involved and cares about every detail of your lives

2.       God doesn’t work in straight lines

We have a problem

We think we know what the solution is

We want our straight line solution

Man I know had cerebral palsy when he was a child

Lived in a wheel chair at home with his mom

His mom got too old to look after him

Help him get out of bed in the morning etc

His mom needed to move into a home

He fought that

Meant he would need to move into a nursing home

He fought that to the nth degree

You can imagine what his prayers were

God didn’t answer his prayers the way he wanted him to

In the end he had to move into the home

No other choice

Found it to be far better than it was at home

People to visit with

Could help the nurse’s with stuff

Was far better for him

God didn’t do what he wanted God to do

God did something better

Brings me to 3

To grow in faith

3.       Accept course corrections

What do I mean?

The man I just told you about had a course correction

He wanted something from God

It was not God’s best for Him

God wanted him to change his course

Don’t fight course corrections

You will find Jesus on the other side of what you want

When you surrender to him and his way

You will find

He is there

There is a sense of peace you can’t even imagine

Before I go on let me give you a warnings

Don’t think every hardship is a course correction

We like I said last week though need to be able to stand in faith through tough times

Ephesians 6:10 (ESV)
10 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

We as Christians need to learn to stand in faith

Trusting believing God

1.       Against the schemes of the enemy

Thoughts

Temptations

lies

Not quit when the going gets tough

2.       Live disciplined lives

Learn to stand and not quit

Not give in to our own wants or desires

But what if we are standing for the wrong thing or for something at the wrong time

Again the man who wanted to live with his mom

I have also seen many people hang on to something

Not accept a course correction

Suffer for it

For years sometimes

Be mad at God

God didn’t give them what they want

look at some examples from the bible

Apostle Paul is out preaching

Everywhere he goes the door seems to be shut

Acts 16:6-10 (ESV)
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia (frig-ia) 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.

Paul didn’t try to force the issue

He accepted course corrections

Because of him going to Macedonia

The gospel spread through Europe

Is why we live in a country with a Christian heritage

Look at Paul’s attitude in another situation

the apostle Paul is in jail

facing court

might be martyred

now if you were in jail what would you want?

Pretty obvious

people are praying for his release

Look what Paul says about the issue

Philippians 1:19-24 (ESV)
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account

Paul says because you are praying and because Jesus answers prayers

I expect to be set free

Then he goes on to say however it turns out though I will win

If they set me free and I can come and talk to you I win

If they never set me free and I am martyred I win

I get to go be with God

Do you see his attitude

He expects to be set free

Wants to be set free

But if it doesn’t happen he still wins

And is satisfied and will continue to bring God glory

We see the same attitude with

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Their life is threatened because they won’t worship the king

They say they will only worship God

The king says if you won’t bow down to my image and worship it

I will throw you into a blazing furnace

Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)

16 replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Expect to be saved supernaturally by God

Believe they will

Even if they aren’t it’s okay but they still won’t worship other Gods

This my friends is faith

we get so tied up with what we want

Demand to have things turn out the way we want them

We are on dangerous ground

We need to let God have the final say

Let go of the control

When we do we find God

Oh  what peace

accept course corrections and to grow in faith

4.       Learn to be a giving person

Learning to be a giving person helps us to grow in faith

Having the attitude of giving

Giving by being willing to share the gospel

Giving by tithing

Giving by blessing others, being generous to others

Having the attitude

Mark 4:24-25 (NKJV)

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

When you find this to be true

Your faith increases

God what you say is true

Wow

God blesses people who are givers

This is a principal of scripture that is shown time and again

Let me show you another passage

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Incredible promise

again

Let me show you another passage

Malachi 3:8-15 (ESV)

8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Here God is very stern with these people

Tells them they are robbing God

They are withholding their tithes and things are not going well for them

in another case God tells people who are just spending their money on themselves

God tells them this

Haggai 1:2-11 (ESV)

6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

Then they decide to do what God has asked them

Stop just spending on themselves God says this

Haggai 2:15-19 (ESV)
19 …. But from this day on I will bless you.”

God blesses us when we give

Faith is demonstrated through giving

When we understand this

Our faith grows

Let me give you some good balanced advice

You start to make less money

Don’t stop tithing

Am not saying maintain the same level of giving

If you are making a thousand dolls a month

Your tithe is 100

But if your income goes down to 100

Don’t try to keep giving 100

Just be obedient to what God says to us

God even says test me in this

Watch him in return bless you

Because he loves you

Giving increases our faith

It says God even though I don’t have much

I trust you  because you have asked I be a giving person

Giving increases our faith by seeing how God blesses a giving person

Romans 1:17 (NLT)
17 … “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Oh what a beautiful thing

I am promising you a beautiful thing

A life of faith

Thinking people are worthwhile sharing with

Tithes etc

If times get tough the best thing to do is tithe

And have a attitude of giving

Faith is shown by giving

"Every day you either live by priorities or you live by pressures. You either decide what is important in your life or else you let other people tell you what is most important in your life." - Rick Warren

Job 42:6 (NLT)

6 I take back everything I said,

and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Job 42:10 (ESV)

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Luke 12:32-34 (ESV)

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

So how do we get there

I could sat just believe

Just have faith and I would be right

But their also is a road to go down which makes this easier

Doubts are dreary things in times of sorrow. Like wasps they sting the soul!

Who is a righteous person

Promise is not for perfect people

You have to believe God is interested and at work in the details of life.

Faith is demonstrated through giving

Thinking people are worthwhile sharing with

Tithes etc

Mark 4:21-25 (NKJV)

21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer’s;

he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Romans 15:13 Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes it is tempting to read these verses and think

Ok I can get what I want by simply believing it to be true

I want my $1000 in the TSX to be $1500 next year

And if I have enough faith that it will be it will

I am going to say it is so

Until it is

Nothing the matter with asking God to make it $1500 either by the way

I have a better way

Romans 1:17 (NLT)
17 … “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

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