Sermon Tone Analysis

The Greatness of God #5

 

Follow up to Week 3 Preview of Week 4

 

 

*Discussion Time*

Tell a small group around you …

1) Which illustration of Sovereignty was most helpful to you (p67) Ocean liner or Chess Master?

Why?

<The ocean liner is heading to it’s destination and nothing within it can cause it to deviate based on their decisions unless they have control of the vessel, since we do not … >

<The chess master, based on knowledge and experience knows where the choices his opponent makes will take them and can act according to that knowledge before the piece if moved to be prepared for the preferred outcome>

2) If God is Sovereign and in control?

Am I just a puppet?

p66-67

<Dt 29:29 /“the hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever”/

3) How can a loving God allow suffering?

<a) some things are the result of choices b) some things are the result of a fallen world c) some things are part of greater good like the pain of surgery that brings healing … imagine what that is like for a child who cannot comprehend the greater good.

Not a pampering love but a perfecting live.

It is often a permissive love in the midst of being a purposeful love.

It is a patient love and a providential love that is in charge and we will not always understand the whys>

4) what are 3 principles to exhibit in light of his sovereignty pp72-73?

<a) I will be obedient when told b) I will be righteous in temptation c) I will be submissive in testing

 

*First week’s* Memory verse –

*Psalm 48:1* – “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the City of our God, his holy Mountain”

 

*Second week’s* Memory Verse –

*Isaiah 6:3* – “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.”

*Last week’s* Memory Verse –

*Deuteronomy 10:17* – “The Lord your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of lords the great, the mighty, and the awesome God”

 

*This week’s* Memory Verse –

*Romans 8:28* – /“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”/

* *

*This coming week’s* Memory Verse –

*Isaiah 55:11* – /“So will my word be which goes forth from my mouth;  It will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”/

Do you know today that the Lord sends his word to you?

Do you know that when you read his word he sends it into your heart, mind, soul, and spirit

Do you know that when I preach or lead you in a Bible Study that the Lord SENDS his word to you

Do you know that when you sit under a God surrendered teacher of the word of God, that God is sending his word to you?

He is and it will accomplish when he sent it.

For the one who surrenders it accomplishes perfection

For the one who rejects it, God knew that they would and it becomes a conviction up on them but both ways it accomplishes what he sent it to accomplish

 

There are those that tell us to speak the Word of God or the Word of Faith and we can have whatever we want or desire because … and they will quote this verse … “my word does not come back void, or empty”

But the problem is we tend to want to be selective about these verses.

We tend to want to make these verses about US

If I speak God’s Word it will produce what I WANT

But that is NOT what these verses proclaim.

It says that his word will return to HIM.  Rain that falls have a byproduct for the land and the people it falls on, but where does it return, to the Heavens in a Cycle.

The rain falls, it evaporates, rebuilds and falls again.

\\ god says my word will not return to ME empty.

It says it will accomplish HIS desires.

It will succeed in the things HE sent it to do

 

My parents used to have a garden.

I used to have to plant the seeds.

I liked the corn we grew, I liked the potatoes and the green beans.

I like the cucumbers but only when they were bread and butter pickles.

I did not like the okra.

I did not like the squash.

But you know what.

When my Dad told me to plant those okra seeds, it didn’t matter that I was doing the planting.

It didn’t matter how much I prayed for those seeds to become ice cream cones and snickers bars, okra and squash was going to come UP!

Because that’s the seeds my Dad gave me and that was the nature of the seeds and that was what was going to come up.

Greater than my Dad was the God who made those seeds and he knew exactly which seed was going to produce a plant and how much it would produce and how much the seeds of that one would produce to the end of the lifecycle of that plant.

He even knew that when we visited that house 20 years later and talked to the boys who lived there and found out they were still digging up potatoes in the abandoned garden 20 years later because God knows the byproduct of his work and it always does what he says it will do

It is NOT about us

It is about our GREAT GOD

 

So the question should be Great God, What is the Purpose of the Your Word that is going forth?

Then we can Experience God’s Best

*Mountain Top in Isaiah this week*

*READ Isaiah 55:1-13*

 

There are four things that James MacDonald will point out to you this week in this passage and I’ve used those four to guide our outline today

 

That is

Satisfaction that is Permanent

Forgiveness that is Immeasurable

Abundance that is Otherworldly … and

God-Confidence based on deep rooted Truth

 

Don’t worry we will get each one …

 

*1.

Satisfaction that is Permanent 1-3*

 

You ever drink a soda to find that you are still thirsty even though your stomach is sloshing around?

You ever eat certain foods and find that ½ hour later you are still hungry because of the preservatives in them?

The satisfaction of the world system is like that

Get ahead, want to go further ahead

Have your best game, want to have a better game

Get a raise want a bigger raise

Get a new car, want a nicer car

Alexander the Great is said to have conquered the known world and then he sat down and cried because there was no more conquering to be had

Satisfaction, doesn’t sound like it to me.

Not so with God.

He has what will fill the longing in our hearts

 

  A.

Come --

    1.

He calls us to come because he knows we are still empty and he knows he can fill our longing

    2.IN John 7:37 – on the LAST DAY of a week long feast, Jesus stands up to people who have been gorging themselves on food and drink just lying around eating and drinking … Jesus stands and says “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink 38 whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him”

Jesus is saying, I can give you the permanent solution to what you are still missing

    3.

Who is he calling to?

      a.

thirsty

      b.

bankrupt

      c.

hungry

      d.

dissatisfied – you are buying what isn’t bread, you are working for what doesn’t satisfy …

    4.

But Jesus says I will fill you with the RICHEST FARE …

 

  B.

And it is FREEEEEEE!