Sermon Tone Analysis

Journey to Life

Part Three

we started a journey of how to live abundantly in both tough times and good times

The journey to a life

We said the journey to life was a life of faith

/ /

/Romans 1:17 (NLT) \\ 17 … “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”/

A  righteous person or

A person who is in a right relation with God”

 

has life through faith

complete trust and reliance in God

 

a person who is connected to Jesus through faith and trust

finds He is always there

He won’t always do what you want

He will always do what is best

 

Trust him

Rely on Him

Have faith in Him

 

What helps to grow in faith?

Some things to know

 

1.

God is actively involved and cares about every detail of your lives

 

2.

God doesn’t work in straight lines

 

We have a problem

We think we know what the solution is

We want our straight line solution

Man I know had cerebral palsy when he was a child

Lived in a wheel chair at home with his mom

His mom got too old to look after him

Help him get out of bed in the morning etc

His mom needed to move into a home

He fought that

Meant he would need to move into a nursing home

He fought that to the nth degree

You can imagine what his prayers were

 

God didn’t answer his prayers the way he wanted him to

In the end he had to move into the home

No other choice

Found it to be far better than it was at home

People to visit with

Could help the nurse’s with stuff

Was far better for him

God didn’t do what he wanted God to do

God did something better

 

Brings me to 3

To grow in faith

 

3.

Accept course corrections

 

What do I mean?

The man I just told you about had a course correction

He wanted something from God

It was not God’s best for Him

God wanted him to change his course

 

Don’t fight course corrections

You will find Jesus on the other side of what you want

When you surrender to him and his way

You will find

He is there

There is a sense of peace you can’t even imagine

 

Before I go on let me give you a warnings

Don’t think every hardship is a course correction

We like I said last week though need to be able to stand in faith through tough times

 

/Ephesians 6:10 (ESV) \\ 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

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

We as Christians need to learn to stand in faith

Trusting believing God

1.       Against the schemes of the enemy

Thoughts

Temptations

lies

Not quit when the going gets tough

2.       Live disciplined lives

Learn to stand and not quit

Not give in to our own wants or desires

 

But what if we are standing for the wrong thing or for something at the wrong time

Again the man who wanted to live with his mom

 

I have also seen many people hang on to something

Not accept a course correction

Suffer for it

For years sometimes

Be mad at God

God didn’t give them what they want

 

look at some examples from the bible

Apostle Paul is out preaching

Everywhere he goes the door seems to be shut

 

/Acts 16:6-10 (ESV) \\ 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia (frig-ia) and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

/

 

Paul didn’t try to force the issue

He accepted course corrections

Because of him going to Macedonia

The gospel spread through Europe

Is why we live in a country with a Christian heritage

 

Look at Paul’s attitude in another situation

 

the apostle Paul is in jail

facing court

might be martyred

 

now if you were in jail what would you want?

Pretty obvious

people are praying for his release

 

Look what Paul says about the issue

 

/Philippians 1:19-24 (ESV) \\ 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.