Legacy
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Happy Fathers Day!
Happy Fathers Day!
Backbone of Faith
Backbone of Faith
Introduction:
Kids Dismissed
Ushers come on down
This Monday come out and celebrate with the guys at Ray’s house tmmrw at 7 oclock
dont forget we are in the first month of our Hot Summer Fitness Challenge HSFC
if you take your dog on a walk or you decided to use that gym membership either way go ahead and send Cyndi a message on facebook or a text so you can have a chance to win 100 bucks!
Also Wed, 29th @7pm we will be meeting at flight deck and im excited about this wed its going to be a little different so come on out and join us!
Well today is a special day! Where we get to dive into a day of celebration of Fathers.
So last week we started on a series CalleD Legacy!
And we talked about not just how we each leave a legacy and we will each leave a legacy no matter how hard you try not to.
you see
some try to choice not to leave a legacy…what do i mean?
Some think i dont do anything im lazy i go unseen by people, and the legacy they leave is the fact that they were lazy
Others will be hard workers. these people work hard at everything that they do and people will remember them as hard workers...
but we arent talking about earthly legacy’s
were talking about supernatural legacy.
Were talking about a legacy that goes past one generation or two,
were talking a legacy that demolishes generational curses.
Or surpasses earthly weathly.
were talking about a legacy that expands mans time and is inherited as part of the kingdom of God.
So we broke down and we defined Legacy , and we as God’s people took our definiton and narrowed it down to Godly Legacy.
Once you are gone from this earth the legacy is the way you choose to live. So once you are gone its already set in stone. so our definition to legacy is adaptive to our current state of life. and we defined it as this.
Godly Legacy: Becoming who God wants you to be. Doing what God wants you to do. Hearing “well done, good and faithful servant.”
In the shadows, behind the scenes God sees the work you put in, or the resolve you brought to a situation when no one else did and we want our Father in heaven to meet us at the gates and say Emanuel Well done....thanks for that.
the question is how do we get to a place where we know we are LIVING a godly legacy?
But how do we get there?
So were going to open up our scriptures to 2 peter.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,
11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
we all want Jesus to meet us at the gate but are we the person we need to be to receive this type of welcome.
In 1980 a young lady entered the Boston Marathon. She started the race looking great. And as the runners approached the finish line, she was leading the pack by a country mile, breaking all kinds of records. The crowd applauded as she crossed the finish line and was crowned champion.
It was suspicious however that a woman who had never won a marathon before could win the Boston Marathon especially by a country mile. Lo and behold, when they examined the situation, the girl started the race but then left the run and got on the subway, rode the subway for sixteen miles got off the subway got back onto the route and crossed the finish line first! When her cheating was discovered, she was of course disqualified from the race.
Some of us have started living the Christian life but have jumped on the subway and we want to cross the finish line with God saying, Well dont My good and faithful servant. But when he opens the books and checks the record, he’s going to know that you left the field. he’s going to see that you did’nt keep on until the end that you didnt remain an alien and a stranger and he’s going to say you lose the medal because you didnt faithfully follow the rules.
So the question was how do we get there? How to we get to a place we know we are becoming who God wants us to be?
1). You’ve Been Called!
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Well Paul is staying in
2 peter 1 3-4, 10
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,
So the HS whom dwells in you has already given you everything you need to succeed in the gifts that God has presented to you.
So we can do what God wants us to do
and God gives us the gift of being able to do so.
So God calls us and then gifts us so we can do the calling. This has everything to do with Godly legacy.
For us to live a life representing a godly legacy we have to be kingdom builders.
Listen God isn’t going to call you without giving you the power to take care of the business he has laid out in front of you.
God gave us the power with the Call.
well what is the call?
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Speak up for those
Stand in the gap and break spiritual chains
Preach the Gospel
Be united with Christ and Value others above yourselfs.
Aka Be a Servant Leader As Christ Jesus was.
Yet we dont do these things!!!
Now the issue is we have a generation of Christians who receive the HS and Receive the Gifts but they live only to satisfy in the gifts and dont answer the Call.
What that does is never allows us to grow spiritually mature.
This is why we have people that have been christians for 25 years and are still seeking year two of spiritual maturity.
The church has no depth because of it.
I understand that Gifts are beautify nice things, When we receive gifts they come in at a whopping price of free, and the usability and appreciation of those gifts is unimaginable.
but we dont live for our gifts, we live for the calling. And the gift helps us get to where God wants us to be.
You know what a gift doesnt do it doesnt create opportunities for someone to trust you.
But Character…Character qualities attracts Loyalty.
this is where we are going today.
2 peter 1 8
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Qualities. Character.
Listen if you are a christian and arent standing up for your faith its worst for you to have not known God’s righeousness in the first place.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
If we dont stand When God ask us to stand, or run from the tempations when Holy Spirit says run .
If we are slumping around with no spiritual backbone then we dont express character we are extending cowardness....
Idk if thats even a word. But in our scripture it says the coward is with the unbelieving....the vile murders...
3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
The one who is afraid in the midst of a God anointed moment is a man not worthy of battle.
Men and women in this church are you ready to go to battle. Are you equipped with the character thats needed to seize the calling?
you know why we follow God he is the standard of character, God is Loyal and trustworthy so much so he sent his son on the cross to die for our sins. That we may have all of the opportunities to come to the father.
His Character is set in stone.
So what is character. That which is unchanging.
Character: Unchanging qualities that make up who you are.
So the question is how often do you change?
Who are you?
Are you the same person all the time are you consistent?
Fathers do you Consistently parent your child? Or are you checking out at times?
Mothers are you Consistently administering Grace are you always hard expecting your child to be loving.
Fathers are you constantly playing with your kids, or do you have to much on your plate?
Mothers are you always telling your kids you love them.
Fathers and mothers both are you opening up your hearts to get to know your kids? Or have you determined your just the belt and timeout dictator in the lives?
or worst....are you your children’s best friend…and when it comes down to discipline they dont care or listen?
Its the consistency they need. You teach them this consistency.
who are you?
Building Character doesn’t happen like a Christmas present. Its not something that comes wrapped under the tree for you to unwrap in 3 seconds and store in your closet, Character is the long game of who God is allowing you to Become.
Becoming who God wants you to be is difficult.
Look to your neighbor and say its difficult.
2).Take the Steps
2).Take the Steps
Peter lays out steps in
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith- Knowing God exsit and knowing he gave you salvation....Around this faith we build our character. Around knowing we dont deserve it.
When I went to Midlands tech i applied for finicial aid....they have a set of qualifications on which they determine if they will supply or not. I got approved and recieved free school essentially....
Same way with Christ he Says come believe in me and you shall be saved.
So around our faith and our growth with Christ we determine our values.
Building Character begins with defining values.
If you value your marriage vow, you will never commit adultery.
So if you commit adultry then you dont value your marriage vows. And you lose respect.
and you lose the trust of your spouse and your children.
See your values will protect you
not just values but Character is a dedication to a set of standards without wavering
What are the standards you’ve set for you life?
your standard produce your character.
I do not tell lies, thats a standard,
I do not steal. This includes everything.
These qualities are essential. Without them, we can’t really say that we belong to Jesus. But they’re gradual. Peter mentions that they can be ours and increasing. We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to stay close to Jesus, and then to make every effort to add these virtues to our lives.
Divine Nature
If a person has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, then God has deposited within them a divine nature. Divine nature is the nature of God deposited inside of the believer in seed form. Inside of the seed lies spiritual potential. Its all in the seed.
When a seed of corn is planted, in that seed is all the potential of a stalk with a bunch of ears. Watermelon seed is planted because inside is the promise of something so much bigger. An acorn has all the makings for a huge oak tree. Planted seeds grow, with the help of a little water and sunshine, into so much more than originally visible. However they must go through a process of growth in order to fully mature into their possibilities.
Tony Evans
He doesnt change He is consistant.
Thats the difference between me and Him. He is forever the same.
SO when he offers peace is a sure thing
When he offers His word ITs truth.
No matter my character my diligence its Him.
So let’s revisit the question we started with. How do we get from here to there? How do we get from our current state — whatever that is — to become the people that God wants us to be?
There are two answers:
God gives us everything we need — so we don’t have to rely on ourselves.
We can take small steps to grow — so we don’t need to feel overwhelmed.
I want to challenge you today. Evaluate your life.
What type of legacy will you leave for your children? For you grand kids?
Mothers who will you be to your son?
Fathers who will you be to your daughter?
What will you leave behind. Will it be the porshe, will it be the collections of Ar15’s. Can it be the family house thats been passed down generation to generation?
Do i change for every individual in my life? Am i fake in front of my kids? Do i act brave with this crowd im comfortable with but lack in this area?
OR can we decide to leave our thumb print in the Kingdom of God. Simply Because we choose to ask ourselves day.
Am i becoming who he wants me to be?
Am i Doing what he wants me to do?
Will i hear Well done.
Godly Legacy.
Encountering God
Pursing him Intimately
Living through the Suffering.
Knowing My Calling
Taking the Steps.
Prayer for Boldness
Heavenly and everlasting Father, You are my mighty Father, and enemies tremble before You. Because You are with me, no one can stand against me. As You have received me into Your kingdom, there is no reason to fear what people can do to me. Over 300 times in Your Word, You command us to choose fearlessness. You say the righteous are as bold as a lion. Give me that boldness, Lord God. Let me be a strong warrior for You and in my life. Push me through my fear to the other side, to the Promised Land with my name on it. Propel me into the face of my fear, and right through it, to Your destiny for my life. I will not cower against the evil one’s spirit of fear, but run it over and claim victory! In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen.
God we come before you our Heavenly and everlasting Father, You are Mighty Father, and enemies tremble before you, Because you are with me, No one can stand against me. Since We can be found in you there is no reason to fear what people can do to me. You command us to choose fearlessness. You speak through the scriptures that the righteous are as bold as a lion. Give us that boldness, Lord. Let us be strong warriors for you and in our life’s. Push us through our fear and over to the other side so we may be boldly proclaiming your name. We will not cower against the enemies spirit but we shall trample over it and claim victory in Jesus mighty name We pray Amen!