The Smallness You Feel

Keith Walters

Wide Open Spaces • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Wide Open Spaces

(NKJV) 14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;

15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

From Where You Are-

If he had of stayed in the land of UR he would not have been in the position to look east,west, north & south.

You have to take step one before you get step 2.

Illustration- Coming To Australia

Yarrawonga - Didn't Know It Existed

Uganda-Gweri- Didn’t know It Existed

Greg & Caz- Coming to Yarrawonga

The Quest- Go There Then.........

In the Zone- Begins with Obedience Obedience means His will not Yours

Connected To Ignite Life Vision

We Need To Be Here-

I need to be here, You need to be here

(The Message) 1–2 5 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Entering and Walking but unsure of Where your going

3–5 There’s more to come: ...............we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

(NKJV) 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Illustration- The details come with each step

He tells me what I need to know when I need to know

Living Life With God or Living Life With God On The Other side

Cash Up Front

Entering Through Faith

Believing For Things You Have Not Seen

Are Not Yet In Existance

3–5 There’s more to come: ...............we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Its Your Choice

The Smallness You Feel

Paul To The Corinthians

Infighting

Sexual Sin

Disorder

Love

Paul Preaches Wide Open Spaces To Corinth

(The Message) 11–13 Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

Great Affection- I Want The Very Best For You

Obstacle - Feeling Small

Bad Leadership-

-Fences People In

-Makes You Feel Small

-Preaches Mediocrity

Smallness From Within

Children Of Israel-

(NASB95) 33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Promised Land- Wide Open Spaces

Bad Leadership-

-Fences People In

-Makes You Feel Small

-Preaches Mediocrity

Smallness Comes From Within

Not From the Outside

Wide Open Spaces- The Land Of Opportunity

The Giants- Obstacles To Living A Life In The Wide Open Spaces

Blaming The Giants- The Environment

Age- To Old To Young

Education-

Intelligence-

Parents-

No Dad-

Husband, Wife-

Financial Situation-

Church-

Pastor-

Victim-

Injustice-

Self Pity-

The Problem Is In You

Taking Responsibility

If You Feel Small The Problem Is With You

Illustration- Nick Vujicic

Open Up

“Open up your lives......”

Open Up Your life to Jesus

Open up Your Heart

Open up Your Thinking To His Thinking

Open Up To What his Word Says About You

Next week- Open up To His Power

Wide Open Spaces are where our hopes become our reality.

True significance comes from living the life we were made to live

How Do We Get There???

Intentional- I don't want to stay or remain where I am.

People who want to lose weight, break bad habits, bring positive change to their life must make a clear decision and be intentional to bring the change they want.

Believe- They must really believe in the change or new thing. “I Believe” this is the best thing for me.

Entering Through Faith

-----Entering Through Faith-----

Are Not Yet In Existence

Faith Is The Doorway

By Faith Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Noah, Moses..........

By Faith Abraham

All The Big Hitters By Faith.... God spoke to them and they believed Him.

They Believed God. He spoke to them and they believed

Faith-Pistis- Persuasion,Conviction, Believe about what is true--------A person of Conviction is somebody who will fight for and be prepared to lay their life down for what they believe.

A person of Conviction is somebody who will fight for and be prepared to lay their life down for what they believe.

20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Paul’s Comments On Abraham-Romans 4:20–21 (NIV) 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

NKJV Fully Convinced- NASB Fully Assured-

“I believe that God has destined me to live a life of wide open spaces. This is what I have been made for.”

“I am fully persuaded that their is much more for me. I have not arrived at my destination but God has much more for my life”

“I want the wide open spaces god has for me”

Trust- You Only Follow Somebody You trust. The more you trust somebody the more likely you are to believe them. You don’t believe somebody you don’t trust.

Unbelief- Shuts the door to Gods Wide Open Spaces

Unbelief is not believing what God says about your future. Unbelief is “Did God Really Say”

Faith Comes By Hearing-Church/Christians Vision must come from God (NKJV) 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith Comes By Hearing

(NKJV) 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Make Sure Its God

Is It In The Word?

Casting Down- Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Counsel- (NKJV) 14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Man Made can only ever be man made -

Temporary v Eternal Impact

Natural v Supernatural

Man resourced v God Resourced

Action Must Follow Faith

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

(NKJV) 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

You see real faith in someone by their actions. What you do is the truth about what you really believe. Faith without action or works is dead.

(NKJV) 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Steps Of Faith

17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

Go & Get It

Jesus said Go into all the world........

He didn't say sit on your bum and Ill bring it all to you.

(NKJV) 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Walk not Run

(NKJV) 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.

(NASB95)9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

9 The mind of man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.

Steps Not Running

If you get it wrong the faster your travelling the further away you get to your destination. You make a step in the direction you think Hes leading you.

You make a step in the direction you think Hes leading you.

(The Message) And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces

As I look for your truth and your wisdom;

Then I’ll tell the world what I find,

speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.

Christianity Leads To Wide Open Spaces

Confinement- Trapped by Boundaries

Sin Leads To Confinement

Narrowness and Imprisonment

(NIV) 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

(NKJV) 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Options & Possibilities-

Your Future Should be Full Of Options & Possibilities

Un-Forgiveness- Puts you in Jail

Fear

Many People Are Confined By Fear

Money-

I Don’t Have Enough

Giving

(NASB95) 38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

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Faith and Entering

;1 By entering through faith........

Faith Leads To Wide Open Spaces

Faith Comes From Hearing Gods Word

Gods Word Is His Plan

Obedience leads to more choices not less

Doors- control access

Security---They can let in somebody or be used to shut somebody else out.

Opening Doors To The Right People

Jesus could smash your door down.

God Always Respects Our Free Choice

The God of creation knocks at our door

Thieves Break In

Friends Knock

God Does Above/More Than you Think

(NKJV) 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

(NKJV) 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

To get to the wide open spaces/”look from where you are”you need to have been obedient and be where he has told you to be.

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