Open Doors Week 2

And they just happen to be all females and we were talking about the law of empowerment. And the lines empowerment has three barriers to why people don't empower the folks that work for them. In one of the reasons they don't is a lack of self-worth. Some people don't have power other people because they don't have worth and yet you just told me. She's up in them.

So, what is it? It's going to happen between now. And when she's as old as these ladies were, that I was working with this week and it would make all four of them. When I said to them. What is the one barrier that gets in the way for you and powering other people? All four ladies. Together in unison. One in tears. Since self worth. What happened between what? I just held and you said was so incredibly important and valuable and these women who all four of them said they lack self worth. And I said to him, can we just be vulnerable for a second? I want to ask you. Is it a gender thing going to be careful about how you ask those questions these days, right? But all four of them were like absolutely. What happened between here? And there.

And what happened was a world? that Randy was describing that we are to be like in For a God who says you are an immense worth. I love you so much. I'll send Jesus to die on the cross for you.

in the voice of the world, that will say, You're an idiot. You're a loser. You'll never make it. You can't do it, right? Your body is ugly. You're a terrible person, you keep making mistakes. Do you see how even if it the age of infancy? We believe what God says intuitively. And yet when we grow up, that's not where we are.

We've been talkin about having dreams God's dreams for our life. How do we have God's green for life? God was so good to us last week and showing up in our service in just an unexpected and unplanned way. I'm so grateful that you came back today to hear more things to those of you joining us online today, digitally on our digital campus to hear what God would say about the dreams for your life. Because I think all of you would say But she has dreams that sweet. Little girl has dreams Mom and Dad have dreams for her grandma and grandpa having dreams for, or And then the world happens.

That's why I was sharing with you the last few weeks and there are dozens of reasons why you're not living out God's dream for your life. and one of the reasons that I said, is it God's dream for you is always bigger. Then your dream for you. And it takes some effort to get to God's dream, not just live with your dream. Bible says that you can do fart, that God will do far more than you can ever ask for, or imagine that God's dream for your life, is bigger than your dream for your life. So this week, I want to talk to you specifically about barriers that keep you from God's dream. Would that be helpful? Yeah, the number one barrier for your dream is your past. The number one barrier for your dream is your past. It's the biggest barrier because we tend to perpetuate our past. And your past is your past. It's over. It's done with With so many people live in their past, how many, if, you know, somebody who's living in their past, right?

You can live in your past, but you can't live in your past and have God's dream. So if you want dreams, if you want God's dream for your life. You need to stop living in your past. You need to live in the present and prepare for the future. If you want to have dreams that are God's dream for your future. For this weekend. We're going to look at Living God's dream. Despite poor decisions in your past. How many of you have made poor decisions in your past to keep your hands? Keep your hands up. Look at the people whose hands are down and give him a stink. I like really

But I run into people all the time. This is so true. I run into people all the time who will stay while I'm not really living on God's dream. Now. I'm up. I'm kind of on plan b or I'm on playing c-arm on play B5, move to plan b e.

Some people tell me, they don't think they deserve God's dream for their life because they messed up their past so badly. Some people even said to me, I don't know if I should Dream. Well, let me tell you something that I love to say. You're wrong. You're wrong. So turn to your neighbor and say he's serious. You're wrong. Regardless of your past. It does not have to impact your dream or God's dream for the future. Now, the one reason that we know God's word is true. You two always true. And always tells us the truth even when we don't like it. So here's what the Bible says in James 3:2. We all stumble in many ways.

Everybody agree with that first. Who were all the same boat, right? I looked up the word all we all stumble, the word, all means, all that's good to know. We all make mistakes. We all have problems. We all hurt other people. We hurt ourselves and we stumble in so many, many ways, but one of the obvious truths of the universe, Is it will stumble. Let me give you a couple more Bible verses just so you know, I'm not picking a random verse Ecclesiastes 7:20. Not a single person on earth is always good and never see. That includes me. And that includes you. And that includes the Pope. Everybody is no person on Earth, who always does what is right. And always does what is good and never does something wrong. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, all have sinned, all fall short of God's glorious ideal. Another way to say that verses that all of us have sinned and all of us fall, short of God's original Dream. For our life. We've all fallen short of the glory has ID. Does that mean? It's your dream is now on hold. No, it does not. We all fall short of the glory is ideal. We don't hit perfection. We don't get what God has a dream for us. But that's why Jesus came to Earth in Luke 19:10. It says the son of man came to find and restore the Lost. Don't want to talk about recovering God's original Dream for me. Would that be helpful to you today? If you're online type in? If that would be helpful for you today? See what happens is when we lost, we make poor choices.

We lose our vision. When was our dignity? We lose our identity. We can lose our confidence. We can lose our way. We can lose our peace of mind. We can lose our plans and our dreams, and our hopes, and a lot of us suffer from poor decisions in our past. It's the whole reason Jesus came to Earth that he would recover that, which is lost.

Part of what Jesus came to restore is God's original Dream in you. So he has not moved on to plan B in your life. He still on plan a, he still has an original plan for you. And why he made you regardless of what has happened in your life, regardless of what other people have done to you, regardless of what you have done to other people, regardless of what you've done to yourself or your poor decisions in your past. So the question is, how do you live dogs dream, despite past poor decisions. Well, today, I want to give you some steps because the Bible gives us a very clear pathway and how we can get back on track, how we can get back to God's original Dream. Even if you haven't been on God's green earth for 50 years. You can still get back. Back on track. It's never too late. God, did not show history in for you.

To their steps to recover in God's original Dream in your life. Even though you may not know it. Now. So three steps. I want you to write these down. Three steps. The first step, honestly, accept responsibility for my poor choices.

Cuz I don't know about you but there's so many people who blame everybody else for why their life is not going the way it's supposed to go. How many do you know somebody who suffers from Blaine? Yeah, let me show you the proper way to spell Blaine. It's felt this way, be lame. That's what you're doing. Right? If you're just blaming other people for your decisions, your mistakes, or even, the bad things that have happened to you on somebody. If you're doing that. You're just being lame. Don't blame. Take advantage of this opportunity. So today I want to show you four common causes inside of why we make these poor decision and you can see them in the story of Peter's, betrayal of Jesus. If you don't know the story of Peter's, betrayal of Jesus, the night before, he was to be crucified. They're all sitting together hanging out, 12 Buddies. Jesus is telling them and he's going to have to go to a cross and die crucifixion. It ain't perfect death. The most painful that it was done on purpose. Did that to stop people from doing things right? If you see how painful this is that you're going to get these consequences and when they go ahead and do that the consequences right to my daughter all the time. It wasn't hard enough. You make a choice and go. All that pain is so severe. I'm not going to do that again, or you're going to go prefer that even though we all make those choices.

Beers with Jesus and the rest of them. He says, hey, I'm ready to die for you. So, believe in what you were doing and I am so ready for you to bring in the kingdom of God. Did all these other idiots that are following you they may run but not Peter Rock. I can do it. I'm with you and Jesus is still. Before tomorrow morning. You're going to betray me three times. I'm really into it. We're looking at. If you're looking for later. If you look inside the store, you see four common causes for why we make poor choices. The first one is pride. Now they're all kinds of examples. I could give you a scripture for why we make poor choices, but it but this one in Peter's, betrayal of Jesus. The night before he goes to the Cross. Jesus is predicting. You're going to betray me three times before tomorrow morning.

Peter makes three really poor choices. Nerf war, very common reasons. So here we go. Mark 14, you want to read it?

Peter says everyone else may stumble in their faith. I will not

He has just set himself up with a huge Target on his back, and the enemy is coming for Peter and pride is such a common issue.

First cause in making poor choices is pride arrogance ego egotism. He's being set up by the devil. He doesn't even realize it. I'm getting ready to be arrested and tortured and go to the cross and he said, I'll die for you. Jesus. Bible says, if a man thinks he's not going to fall take him cuz he probably will. If you're so confident. You're most likely going to stumble. It's Pride Proverbs 11 verse 2. It says Pride leads to disgrace but with humility comes wisdom. Anytime, I think I'm a Hotshot. I'm dead in the water already. Anytime you think you're Invincible all that? Can't happen to me. You're dead already, given the right situation and the right circumstances, every one of us. Can stumble. And the reason is your heart is very deceitful. You lie to yourself all the time.

We all do it. Trying to cover up. Trying to justify trying to rationalize.

I want you to think about that. Have you ever made a dumb decision out of Pride? Don't put your hand up or show me. Don't share your illustration, but I'm pretty sure you can think of one. First one is pride the second common cause a number to. Yeah, this is fatigue. Poor decisions come out of fatigue when you get tired, when you get worn out when your resources are low, when you're stressed to the limit, when you're hanging in there. Just about to go under your at the end of your rope in your fatigue.

Bad time to make a significant decision. Vince Lombardi the green football coach set it this way, but Teague makes cowards of all of us. The more fatigued you are the more fearful we intend to become and the more controlling you tend to be that Jesus, just before he's arrested. He goes to his place. His favorite place to pray called The Garden of Gethsemane.

While he's there takes his 12 guys and then he says to them hate Peter, James, and John. You guys come with me or being with me for a little while. While I prank, I don't need you to pray. I just need you to be with me of presents. Sometimes you just sit with somebody, you know, there's been times when I've shown up in horrific broken circumstances and everybody else a well, Pastor here. Have a good word. No, sorry, I can't think of what I could possibly say. They could change your circumstances, but I'll stay here and hold your hand. I also hear I'll cry when you cuz this is just awful. It's just about being present. It's not about having to answer. You know, how hard that is for somebody who loves to have answers. God has just had to twist me around and change me all over on the inside. Just plan for your life. If you just ask me and I could set you straight and tell you what we need to do, right? What? But there's something about someone who just loves you, who will just sit there even when it hurts.

That's all Jesus needed. He's going to pray cuz he knows tomorrow. I'm going to die a horrific death. Do kegels. He prays. And he says to his guys. Can you just hang out for an hour while I pray? It comes back to find the three of them sleeping. Here's what he says. Couldn't you just stay awake with me for one hour? Why were they doing that? Cuz they ain't worth. It. Ain't they were exhausted. We make poor choices because of fatigue. Here's number three. Number three. Yeah, it's fear of disapproval.

This is the third reason that people make bad decisions fear of disapproval when you start worrying about what other people think. You're going to make a poor decision. What will the weather people think if I stand up for God at work? Anybody ever been in a situation where, you know, you were supposed to share something that God had laid on your heart with somebody, but it's at work and it's kind of awkward. And so you go. Maybe later, maybe, when we're outside of work, or maybe when there isn't other people around. Fear of disapproval will do that. After Jesus was arrested that night. The Bible says this about Peter in Mark, chapter 14. Peter followed him. At a distance.

Circle that at a distance in your notes. Following Jesus at a distance. Here's what I can tell you, anytime you're following Jesus at a distance. You're in trouble.

You need to get as close to God as you possibly can get as close to Cheese's as you can. And here's Peter. I'm ready to die for you. And in a very short. Of time, the very same night. He's now walking into distance. He been right by his side for three and a half years. He had been on the mountain when he had seen a lot and got seen all of it.

In one night. He's got himself distance from Jesus.

So here is perhaps the most penetrating question for today.

Are you following Jesus at a distance? Oh, yeah, I'm saved. I'm in the family of God. I'm a believer. I'm a Christian. I'm following Jesus. But in a distance.

Here's what I can tell you. If you're following Jesus at a distance. You're going to make some dumb decisions.

Don't follow Jesus from a distance. Why was Peter following from a distance? Because he was afraid that if he got too close to Jesus, they would arrest him and crucify him too. Anytime you're at a distance from Jesus. You're going to make some wrong decisions.

The next 1/4 reasons. A number four. Short-term pleasure. Short-term pleasure.

Are we even having this conversation at my house? A lot lately. Short-term pleasure. Not for the reason you might think.

Because I like ice cream.

And a banana split at night. Short-term pleasure. Bad for the diabetes. Not good for the long-term. Good for the short-term. And I can give you hints 2,000 different reasons. A short-term pleasure that we trade off for long-term health.

Those of you who can't control your spending and get deeper and deeper in debt.

You still go out and spend the money on a credit card that you don't have that. You got to borrow.

For short-term pleasure. Exchanging short-term, pleasure for long-term plans. Here's what we need to understand in life. You can either put up with the pain now. I have the pleasure later. What you can have the pleasure now and you're going to have pain later in life.

If you have discipline put up with the inconvenience, save your money, you'll have more pleasure later in life. If you spend it. Now short-term pleasure. You're going to have pain later. You can have it one way or the other. Would you get to choose? It's either short-term, pleasure or long-term. Is later on in the same. Verse Mark 14:54, Peter follow the distance. He went right into the high priest Courtyard. And there he sat with the guards warring himself by the fire.

I don't know if you know the story, but that's the enemy. Short-term pleasure being warm by the fire with the Enemy.

Oprah doing the right thing. Picking up with Jesus.

You imagine. Jesus is going to be crucified, then just spent an hour in prayer and he took a little nap. He's walking it and distance today comes in and sits by the fire and says, hey, who's doing this morning? And I got a hot dog stick. Are there some weenies around here? Who's doing the hot dogs, right? Jesus is being arrested and tortured while this is going on. And what's she doing? Sitting with the Enemy by the fire. Keeping warm poor decisions. Short-term gain over long-term. Gain will make poor decisions.

But if you just look at it, you'll see that there's Pride, there's fatigue. There's fear of disapproval and short-term pleasure, just in that one.

And then all of a sudden, Peter begins to remember what Jesus said to him. Before the rooster crows, three times tomorrow morning. You're going to deny me three times.

I don't want you to catch this, you didn't catch anything else today. Don't miss this. Luke 22:31. The Lord says to Simon Peter, Simon Simon listen demanded to have you Apostles for himself. He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separate Suite from husk. But I have prayed for you Simon. That your faith will not fail. So when you recover strengthen the other disciples, this is such an incredible verse, put a little asterisk next to that in your note because this is gold for you who wants gold.

Powerful to teach you about your failures. First. I want you to notice Jesus knows Andre failure before it happens. Hold on missions knows everything. That's going to happen. He's not surprised that you're going to fail. When you make a bad decision, this next year. He already knows. He knows the future. God knows the present the past and the future. And he says, I got you. He doesn't say, oh, I didn't see that coming at all. That's not what's going on here. before you were born, he knew every dumb decision you would ever

I personally, I find that very helpful to me. Jesus knows before, notice this next thing. Jesus prays for you before.

The things that you're going to fail it next week, next month, this next year. Next, 10 years has has already praying for you. That's what it says for the dumb mistakes. I was going to make the bad decisions that you're going to choose. He's already prayed for him. He knows it's going to happen. And he says, I've already prayed for you. I didn't notice what he says when you have recovered. So not only does he know the mistake you're going to make, he knows the outcome of the mistake and he knows you're going to recover. Jesus already knows. He knows your sins. The mistakes, the bad decision. And he's prayed for you. And, you know, she'll recover and then he says to Peter, I want you to strengthen the other disciples. So here's the four things that Jesus wants to help you with when you make mistakes. Now we're getting somewhere. This is something you can take home and apply. I've been talking about dreams for six weeks here. We're going to be studying this dodge dream for your life. And he's me past decisions that were poor. You knows about him. He prayed for you and he knows you're going to recover. The 4th piece of this. Is it wants you to help somebody else. The queen says to Peter. I know every mistake you make I pray for every mistake. You're going to make it. When you can come back and you've been restored. I want you to help other people with that. That's good news, because it means ultimately. I can't destroy my own life. If I'd given it to God, he will find a way to work that out. Now, the first step in recovering, God's original dream is to humbly and honestly accept responsibility for your poor choices. Right. So, yep, that was a dumb one, and that was a dumb one. And that wasn't even dumber one. And that was a hurtful one, and that was a pretty evil choice. And I made that one out of Pride. And I made that one out of fatigue, and I mean that one out of fear. And I mean that one out of short-term pleasure.

Next one is to humbly. Ask for God's mercy and forgiveness. This is the second step.

After you've accepted responsibility, ask for God's forgiveness.

I don't have to explain this because it just means what it says. Now, if you don't know how to pray, I would recommend that you learn to pray. Psalm 51. This is David's prayer of confession after he has just plan the murder. Of one of his guys so he could steal the guy's wife. Everybody think that probably qualifies as a two-for-one sin, right?

Committed, adultery and murder in the same sin. Here's what David said. Such a great prayer as a model, if you screwed up. God, be merciful to me. You know, how many times I write that in my notes in my devotions in the morning. God, be merciful to me. But look what he says because you are loving Anthony, was singing that song for us today about how much he loves you. Because you're always ready to be merciful. Wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. I know my wrongs and I can't forget my sin. You want me to come feed completely truthful. So teach me wisdom. Create in me. A pure heart. God and make my spirit right again. What a great prayer when you've made a dumb decision.

It's what he says, do not send me away from you or take your holy spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing Spirit. Then I will teach catch this cuz it's exactly the same with Peter Wright has been restored. Peter. I want you to help the other disciples with David. He says, after you have confessed your sin. Davis's, I will teach your ways to those who do wrong and sinners will turn back to you. The same model.

God wants you to do something with it. Not just be forgiven. Give me an interesting that David promises to do for God. The very same thing that Jesus told Peter when he was restored.

And I'll tell you why this is helpful.

Because nobody has been through your life circumstances. Help somebody else. There's nobody better. Who could better help somebody through the pain of a broken relationship? Then somebody who went through a broken relationship, who better to help somebody struggling with an addiction, then somebody who had struggled with an addiction, who can better help somebody through a fiasco of a marriage than somebody who has been through a fiasco of the marriage.

I'm telling you. God says your past is part of the plan. Even you even use the bad parts for good.

So this is the difference between Believers and non-believers. Everybody in the world has paint. Can we agree that everybody in the world has pain, right? The difference is Believers, get to use that pain to help other people. We use it for good. God redeemed. That's what I want to do in your life. This is bonus. Holy Spirit material that only you get today live at Bridges, aren't you? Glad you're here this morning. I want you to write down these three statements. If you only get this today and don't get anything else, this is so powerful. First. Number one. There is no plan B for my life. Write that down. Don't plan B. You're still on plan. A. What about know you're still on Plan 8, but what about know? You're still on planning? But what about know you're still on planning?

God has not revoked his original Dream for your life because there is no plan B. But what about? No, there's only plan a and God will use that plan and those mistakes. Number to write this down. My mistakes are part of God's plan. My mistakes are part of God's plan. This will set you free if you learn it because you can stop getting hung up on your past. I'm not worthy of a dream. I don't deserve to have a big dream. I've messed up so much.

It's just not true.

The enemy would love to say all you're going to have to move on to plan B. Tell him take a hike. God got to plan a and he will use my mistakes. Check this out in Romans. 8:28. You should Commit This to Memory and we know that God causes everything to work for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose for them. So we know that God uses just a few things. Everything good, the bad, the evil choices, the bad things other people did to me, huh? God causes it all to work together. It doesn't say it's all good, cuz not all good. He says he works it all together for good.

Choose what I want you to write down. God expects me to use these experiences to help others. This is where different starts to happen in your life.

I'm talking about my mistakes. I'm talking about my sins. I'm talking about my embarrassments talking about my failures. God expect me to use them the troubles in the trials in my life. For somebody else. Even if I didn't bring them all myself. Doesn't really care about the source of your problems. He just says, I'm going to use them all. I don't care if you cause that yourself. I don't care if it was your own stupid decision. I don't care if it was a problem caused because of evil. Somebody else did.

You know, you can always tell when you're about to make a bad decision because it's preceded by this statement. Hold my beer. Right. As soon as something you hear that phrase, you know, this is not going to end well.

All right. So, why does my sin? Not invalidate. God's dream for me? Here's the important thing. This is where the music begins to swell in the fireworks happen at the climax. Begins to come together after you've accepted responsibility for your choices. And after you humbly, ask God for his mercy and forgiveness. You gratefully accept God's grace. And forgive yourself. This is the beginning.

This is where you going to struggle to find so many people who have trouble forgiving himself except God's Amazing. Grace Ephesians. 1:7. Says it this way, Christ. Sacrificed his life's blood. To allow you to live in bondage to your own guilt. No, it's not what it says it to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. I just find myself the older. I get the more often. I say to God. You're so kind to me. I can be such an idiot sometimes and you're so kind to me.

Your sins were forgiven. When he died on the cross. Two thousand years ago, your sins were forgiven two thousand years ago, Christ, sacrifice and blood on the cross free all of our sins.

Because it is generous Grace to us. He died on the cross for every sin that you'll ever commit. And those, you haven't committed yet. So, what is the daily implication? Does anybody want to know the daily implication of this? Yeah. Romans 8:1? There's no condemnation for those who belong to Christ, Jesus? No condemnation.

I know I thought it would be a little more exciting than that man. Climax.

Today was about living God's dream, despite past poor decisions, and three steps that you need to take. Next week. I'm going to get into five reasons. It's in does not invalidate God's dream for you. I hope you enjoy this either online or you'll come back live next week for my father. Would you just take the stuff that we're learning today? And mix it in a mingle. It with your Holy Spirit in a way. It drives at home for us. But we don't leave this place. Having heard words. We have met with a Holy Spirit who transforms our lives and changes the way we think. It's not something we do. It's something you do have your great kindness for us.

Probably because of the blood that he shed. Because of the Forgiveness that is given. We walk out of here with no condemnation. I think you in Jesus name. Amen. Join us next week. Have a great week.

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