Sermon Tone Analysis

Taking Responsibility

You must take personal responsibility to have the great things of God happen.

Joseph-

Promise from God

Hatred by brothers

murder attempt

sold into slavery

bought by Potiphar

Seduced by his wife

Accused of rape

Thrown into prison

Starts at the bottom

Gets promoted

Interprets dreams.

Forgotten in prison

Called by Pharoah

Was all this Joseph's fault.

No.

But he took responsibility.

If it's going to be its up to me.

Didn't let blaming others steal his ability to respond

Did you hear that.

Responsibility is the ability to respond.

This is a human freedom that can never be taken from you.

It's not about blame, that looks to the past

It's about responsibility, that looks to the future.

We must take responsibility because life is a fight not a lazy float down the river of blessing.

10The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

This is a wonderful verse but too many times we have divorced it from the rest of the teaching of Christ such as taking up your cross and following him.

We find life in the very things that seem to cause death.

12the good fight of the faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:12

Paul likens his contest with the difficulties that oppose him in the discharge of his apostolic duties, as warfare) with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

3For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil the heavenly places.

13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Eph 6:10-13

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 1 Timothy 1:18

If it's going to be its up to me.

3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Jude 3

If you don't want to fight you want to die:

1Pe 5:8* Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In order to take responsibility, you have to have courage.

The definition of courage is: The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, change or uncertainty with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.

Courage is not fearlessness.

Fear is an emotion while courage is a choice (in the realm of action.)

Courage has some education while fearlessness doesn't.

You all realize that fear serves us and is OK to experience.

Anybody hear afraid to jump off of a cliff.

Afraid to drive with a drunk driver.

Afraid to kill themselves.

Being afraid is a perfectly appropriate emotion when confronted with fearful things.

I am not talking about being overcome by the spirit of fear.

Have you ever been around a baby that was fearless.

It would touch fire, dive into a turbulent ocean

In the classic American book Moby Dick, Chief Mate Starbuck said: "I will have no man in my boat, who is not afraid of a whale."

By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.

An utterly fearless man is far more dangerous than a coward.

The courageous man is not one who is never afraid but one who faces the fear and chooses to go on because there is something of transcendent value involved.

Your vision ought to give you courage.

One of the most courageous men in the Bible is Joshua.

Let's turn to the first chapter of Joshua.

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 "Moses my servant is dead.

Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.4

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

I will not leave you or forsake you.

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.

Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

9 Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."10

And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,

Now in the life of Joshua he exhibited courage in three areas that we must imitate.

1) Courage in New Things

1* ¦ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant:

2* "Moses my servant is dead.

Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites.

3* I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.

Moses was dead-new level of responsibility

Get ready to cross the Jordan River-new place

I will give you every place where you set your foot-new experience

Comfort zones, higher levels, traditional religious structures,

2) Courage in Past Failures

4* Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country-- to the Great Sea on the west.

5* No-one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.