Rare Breed: Understanding
Notes
Transcript
Rare Breed: Understanding
INTRODUCTION
ILL- most expensive dog breed
Lowchen, or lion dog- $4,000-$8,000
Baby tigers are cheaper- $1000-$3000.
ILL- Amazing what we will pay for luxury items.
The state of economy before COVID-19
-Bigger homes and nicer cars
-More debt.- at a time things were the best ever. Time to reduce debt.
-School debt- out of control.
Americans live like there are no consequences to their actions.
Practical Atheist= those who live like there is no God- plan without God
God has a plan for you- He cares about you and your plans.
James 4:13-17
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Pray
3 Truths to Understand About Life
Life is Unpredictable (13-14a)
Life is Unpredictable (13-14a)
James 4:13-14
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
ILL- Bernard Madoff
Largest Ponzi scheme in history.
he was chairman of the NASDAQ
Respected financier and billionaire.
He was convicted of operating the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Investors lost over $64 billion.
Predicting the future
Hard work and good plans does not guarantee success.
You are not the one in control.
Stop living like there is no God.
“to make money” (13b)
How can you predict 20 years from now when you do not know about tomorrow?
ILL- 15 day weather forecast.
The problem with the long range plan is the goal= to make money.
Matthew 6:31-34
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Are you going to trust God or your ability to plan that which you cannot control.
Life is Short (14b)
Life is Short (14b)
James 4:14
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Vapor- Steam from boiling water.
What is your 80 years on this earth compared to the history of man?
What about in light of eternity?
Eternity ILL- bird landing on a rock 100 times the size of earth once every 10,000 years. amount of time to wear out the rock= one day.
Life is God's (15-17)
Life is God's (15-17)
James 4:15-17
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
“if the Lord wills”
This involves trust.
Don’t presume that God’s will for you is to retire rich and have an easy retirement with great health.
God’s will must be our desire.
Lord’s prayer: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Pray for His will- he wants us to understand His will.
Ephesians 1:9
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
1 John 5:14
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
John 14:13-14
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 15:16
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 16:23-24
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
vs 16-
Boast= I did it myself
Tower of Babel- we can get to God on our own.
This is God’s world and I am God’s.
I must live at his disposal.
Every decision should be about him, not me.
Living outside God’s will is testing God. And you will lose.
We must obey God (17)
We must surrender to God and live in His will for our life.
Sins of Omission = the sin of failing to do what God asks us to do.
Too busy for God= too busy.
CONCLUSION
Whose life are you living? Yours or God’s?
Whose desires do you surrender to?
When you choose between self and God, who wins?
Immediate satisfaction or a life of peace?