It's time to Choose
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Intro and Engage
Intro and Engage
In a Series called Ignite - Fan the flame the gift that God has given you.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
We started - Who before Do, Spiritual Contributors before Consumers, The why before the what
We then dived into the why…the purpose…and we discussed how to get your passion back, or your EN THEOS. We spoke on that you have been MARKED - you have a PURPOSE and maybe you have lost that passion, we discussed that Passion not something you work up | Comes from God | En THEOS. Not about what you do, but WHO you do it for and all the males got a cleaning lesson from me.
We talked about Drifting into APATHY. Away from God, because we are trying to get filled from the things of this world - instead of the things of eternity.
You might of walked away saying “I am going to get my passion back” “En Theos, in God yes!”… then…you may have gone back to work, slipped back into the routine, faced some challenges, and you wonder why, even after hearing about EN THEOS, you have not got your passion back.
You look around and say “Why do some people feel more fulfilled than me” | Same Battles | Same God...What is the difference between the people that are really fulfilled, and those that are not?
What does fulfilled mean? Meaningful Ministries | Great Relationships | Passionate about their Purpose | Great support network | Great finances. What’s the difference?
What it’s not… IT’s not Intelect, talent, appearance - Smart people that are miserable | Talented people that are broke | Attractive people that are lonely.
Last week we spoke about IGNITING your passion within you - What are you igniting? The difference between those that feel fulfilled in CHrist and those that don’t - Choices. It’s the choices you make, and why you make them.
Title: It’s time to CHOOSE the things of God
My Hope: Every decision you make, you will have confidence that it’s going to move you toward a more Christ Like Character - Toward faithfulness in Him, toward Security, toward…fulfilment, that will Glority God.
**Prayer**
We are going to go through 3 stories in the Bible, look at their choices, and then discover the reason for those choices | How that effects us today |
So what choices do we have to make?
We choose obedience over Apathy. We don’t drift.
Why, because it’s about trust. Remember David | Slipped away, took his eyes off Calling, onto Comfort | Why? Because he wasn’t obedient. Do you have a Good God with Good plans? Paul writes it like this.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Do we believe it? God has good plans
Flat Pack Story - IF we just followed the instructions - Maybe, you have missed some instructions, maybe you need to be put back together, it requires being taken apart.
I want to go to an old testament story.
Nehemiah | A cup Bearer | Just serving |His heart breaks for the jereluslim | To rebuild the wall | Sanballat and Tobiah | Telling him to Come down | They wanted to kill him | Distract him - Doesn’t this happen? Spiritual Attention when doing a Good work?
And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
Don’t let distractions move you away from purpose - Don’t let it lead you into apathy and drift - stay firm - If the enemy can’t destroy you, he will distract you
“You can’t do that” - Hey, I am doing a good work, can’t come down “you really think” - Hey , doing a good work, can’t come down
When I decided to be a pastor | Doesn’t pay well | Think about your kids | A PASTOR?! What? | Hey…I am doing a good work, placed, called, here, available, 10 people, 20, 400, 5,000 - Want to go to a conference and jsut say , yeah, 10,000 people | I would rather 30 people loving each other and on fire for God than 10,000 white washed tombs enjoying a service
We choose Obedience over apathy, To God, not to Man | We live for the PURPOSE of GOD and not the approval of people.
Our first choice - We choose Obedience, over Apathy? Why? Because we deeply want to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives - Wow, how releiving?!
Hey, you’re doing a good work - Here it all the time “obey God’ but have you decided to? like, really? search your heart.
What’s the second choice? Let’s look at a character called Moses | Written in Hebrews;
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
the second choice we have to make “We Choose to SHOW UP”
Where ever we are | What ever we are doin | We choose to do it with Passion knowing you’ve been placed with Purpose | We choose to be open to what ever God has chosen us to do | Moses Fled Egypt, it’s interesting he was doing what david was doing when chosen | Working | Tending to sheep | Walked past a burning push | He said what?
When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
HERE I AM - Are you available? Do you choose the things of God, over the things of this word?
We choose to Show up | we don’t withdraw, we lean in | Show up, to church, Show up, to community, show up, to your purpose, show up, to connect group, show up, show up, show up |
What did Jesus do? He showed Up | Garden of Gethsemene | Pleading to the Father |
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Please, Lord | But he stayed obedient | He stayed Faithful | What happened? he rose again why?
Here’s the thing, you will attract spiritual attention - it’s a given - but here is the kicker, there is purpose in your pain and your purpose will push you through, your pain. you need to choose - to show up.
our second choice, is we choose to show up not shy away.
Third choice - and I want to go to the New Testament.
Peter was preaching the NAME of Jesus early in Acts | Captured | Thrown in Prison | Had to face the jewish authorities | They stood firm, further threats they let them go… And what did they pray for?
In a city, full of enemies, knowing that they would face hard times, tough times, some pain ,what did they pray for?
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
Boldness - They where obedient to God’s Calling, they showed up and they prayed to have the strength to continue the work - They then went to Jail, was released by an angel, arrested again and bought before the council
saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
We choose to Obey and Please God, rather than fall to the things of this world.
We choose Calling over comfort. and we choose - Purpose over Popularity.
It’s hard to please everyone in the world, but we choose to please God above man.
They wanted them to stop preaching in THAT NAME - What Name? 2,000 years later and it’s still THAT NAME - Why? Why is everyone so offended with the name of JESUS - We are in natural rebellion against God | Sinful Nature | in the dark | We need to bring God to people |
Application
Application
So,
Through these stories what do you notice?
All these people today we have discussed chose Christ over the things of this world - They where protected from the things of this world to bring people FROM this world to Christ and to eternity.
We are the Church, and we exist for the world.
Their decisions were rooted, in the the principles of God.
They didn’t make a choice from temp feelings or emotions.
They made a choice out of their principles, and behind every one of God’s Principles is God’s promises.
Nehemiah Chose to build the wall - He chose obedience over apathy, before he had to. l - As a result when the distraction came, it wasn’t a distraciton, he knew his response = Obedience, im doing a good work | Not swayed, firm | rooted|
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Moses chose to follow God - He said “here I am” - He chose to Show Up - this wasn’t temprorary, the choice was made so it didn’t matter how he felt - when it got tough, the red sea, etc, he chose to follow God | He chose to fix his eyes on the reward.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
John and Peter Chose to go into the world and preach the Gospel - They chose to Please God ABOVE Man, they chose purpose over Popularity - When confronted with enemies, didn’t pray for them to flea, but for boldness, to complete their purpose.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Here is the kicker;
They had already CHOSEN before the CHOICE had to be made | Couldn’t be swayed by Feelings or emotions | Circumstances | The enemy couldn’t distract them | They couldn’t stop, because in their heart they had already made the choice
They chose obedience over apathy -
They chose to show up and not shy away -
They chose purpose over popularity
Inspo Action + Conclusion
Inspo Action + Conclusion
What does your life look like if your choices have already been made - If you were so rooted in the things of God.
Look at everyone who has been swayed or denied Christ - There principles rooted in this world | Rich young Ruler - Money | Pharisees - Religion-their IDEA of God| King Saul - His Ego |
We get swayed - Our life is the sum total of our choices - Last week - EN THEOS - Be Passionate where ever you are, to do that, you need to decide - Will you obey? Or just when it suits? Will you show up? or jsut when it suits, Will you look to please God, above man? or just when it suits?
This year, let’s get our EN THEOS BACK!!! Let’s make a choice right now. To obey, to show up, to please God above man.
Who will you be? It’s your turn to make a choice?
I want to speak to those that know Christ - If you want to Obey this year, if you want to show up, if you want to please God, then after this song, come forward, come forward for prayer, get some prayer, I will pray for the whole congregation - but if you need more prayer you come up - you recieve it, you watch how this iwll change your life.
For those of you who don’t - There’s is only one choice - Jesus made a choice - to come down for you. **Altar Call**
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