Let God Flip Your Sign
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A few weeks ago our staff got this idea that a good way to start the Christmas season would be to take a a couple weeks and focus on the goodness of God.So today is really all about learning to thank God for who He is and what He has done.And I hope that has come across in some way today as we start this wonderful time of year called Christmas.Let me leave you with a little something to think about.In 2
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
This passage teaches us one great truth about all of us who have decided to follow Christ.That is that we are a letter or epistle for people to read about what Christ does in our life.These signs that were written is what is important for people to see.It’s Romans 8:28 God causes all things to work for good.As Christians we face the same problems that everybody else faces.Following Jesus will not make side A go away.You will still have _____________ happen.You know what, I think the people in the world need to see that.But what they also need to see is that we don’t get stuck on side A but as we follow Christ there will always be a side B if we act right.That is what I want you to take home with you today.How do we make sure we see the side B to our problemsBecause sadly some never seem to quite get there.Today’s take home is: How do we flip the sign?Read
Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This little passage at the end of the letter that Paul wrote to this church in Thessalonica is quite powerful.The reason is it shows us what God’s will is for us when we face anything on side A Rejoice always Pray without ceasing Give thanks in all circumstances.Let me tell you what they mean.Rejoice always.This is the starting place. It doesn’t mean that you become fake and just pretend that side A doesn’t exist.I am thrilled to ____________What is taught here is that we need to rejoice and not complain.Complaining never helps or changes anything.All it does is reinforces the trouble.Rejoicing is taking your focus off of this and putting elsewhere.That elsewhere is on to God and His plans. Here is what I do.We all face these. For me they just remind me that this world is messed up and always will be. IT’S NOT MY HOMESickness will not go away, financial trouble will not disappear, relationships will never be perfect, depression isn’t gone.Complaining will not take it away, it actually reinforces it.What I do is just remind myself that this world is not our home and that God’s promise is not to just fix this place and make it better.But that my destiny is a New Heaven and a New Earth.I can rejoice in that. I’m really happy about this.That starts the flip.Then pray without ceasing.That does not mean as we focused on the last two weeks that we just keep praying for side A to go away.Because that probably isn’t going to happen.What this is teaching is just keep talking to God.Be anxious for nothing but pray.Get into the presence of God and keep going back.The presence of God is not a mystical place it is just stopping, taking a deep breath and talk to God about what you are going through.Tell Him how you feel about side A, how this is affecting you, ask Him for help and even ask Him to change it.Then that peace of God just comes.As soon as you lose that peace go back and talk some more.That’s praying without ceasing.That peace will come back and the sign flips more.Then finally we do what today is all about.Give thanks in all circumstances.Now notice and this is the great big lesson:It doesn’t say give thanks for all circumstances.Do you all see that? AND it doesn’t say give thanks when the circumstances change.Do you all see that?Many want to wait to give thanks.We give thanks “in” all circumstances.The giving thanks isn’t for what you think God will do.You give thanks that we have a God who is in control, we have a God who loves us and best of all we have a God who will walk with us through whatever circumstance we are in and “HE” will flip the sign to where “He” will work all things for good.That is wonderful and what the world needs to see.This message of eliminating the troubles is just plain silly.The reason is because that message is all about us. What our life needs to always point to is what a great God we have and He is truly truly great.The world is turned off of God because of the some of the foolish things that are taught in the church.The message that God works all things for good is what the world needs to see.The world needs to see that God can flip the sign and turn all this (side A) into good.We should start this now.Let’s start the Christmas season by learning to:Rejoice alwaysPray without ceasingAnd “in all” circumstances give thanks.Let the world see and hear how God flipped your sign from side A to Side B.