THE OUTLINE OF YOUR LIFE!



1.

            Have you ever noticed how brilliant God is? For example, when the Pastor speaks concerning the Word of God and YOU know that “so-and so” sure does need to be listening, because that “Word” is certainly for him!! ISN’T IT AMAZING how God ‘reveals’ information about others to us through the spoken Word; but we seldom identify that same Word as belonging to ourselves?! Maybe that’s because instead of listening to the Spirit of God, we’re busy making judgment-calls against others! And don’t tell me you’ve never ‘thought’ that way; because if you believe that, then you believe you’re perfect. And if we were perfect, we obviously wouldn’t need the Blood Covenant brought to us through Jesus’ sacrifice!


            Tonight we’re going to talk about the “truth” that God is Sovereign, and that He has the ‘right’ to make certain claims to our lives with which we aren’t always comfortable.


            The office of “LORDSHIP” belongs to the great Creator, God. It is impossible for anyone or anything to replace God as first. Therefore, you and I do NOT have the virtual ‘right’ to make judgment calls based on what we “think” are facts, as opposed to “TRUTH”.


            Here’s a “truth” that you need to keep in front of you at all times: GOD WILL NOT ADJUST HIS STANDARD TO OUR MIND-SET; WE MUST ADJUST OUR THINKING TO HIS STANDARD!

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6 THINGS TO CONSIDER:


1. RESPONSIBILITY:

            Your ‘place’. Each person in this ministry has a place. We’re not an ordinary church. We are, rather, a “ministry” designed to go into all the world. Our job is to carry (persuade; put into effect; execute) the Word and Love of God to places far and near. I’m not just talking about the foreign-side of missions. Our ministry is all-inclusive: some go far away; some stay with the stuff. And on those times that we’re NOT out in the ‘field’, we come together for worship, fellowship and learning. These are the times we can actually grow in the Lord. We can let our guard down and be ‘real’!

            Sometimes the Lord requires hard things of us. When you’re in a testing place, be sure to CONTINUALLY walk in the FULLNESS of all His requirements. BE CAREFUL TO HEAR AND KNOW GOD’S VOICE!!


2.


Listen: every voice that whispers in your ear is NOT God! Gen 3:1 (NLT) NOW THE

SERPENT WAS THE SHREWDEST (world-wise, crafty, unscrupulous, sneaky, dishonest, etc.,) OF ALL THE CREATURES THE LORD GOD HAD MADE. "REALLY?" HE ASKED THE WOMAN. "DID GOD REALLY SAY YOU MUST NOT EAT ANY OF THE FRUIT IN THE GARDEN?"

            And, you see, mankind is prone to ‘hear’ the voice of the enemy. That’s why the armor of God is necessary at all times! 2 Cor 11:3 (NLT) But I FEAR THAT SOMEHOW YOU WILL BE LED AWAY FROM YOUR PURE AND SIMPLE DEVOTION TO CHRIST, JUST AS EVE WAS DECEIVED BY THE SERPENT. In this Scripture, Paul was defending himself to other Christians because through “stinking-thinking” the people he was addressing had become rebellious by listening to Ungodly rhetoric! Empty talk is a tool of the enemy that will destroy relationships in the Body of Christ!


2. HOPE:

            God’s promises NEVER fail! He has NOT changed His mind. If He said it’s going to happen – WAIT FOR IT! How are the things God has promised you going to go into effect?

Zec 4:6 (NKJV) .........'NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,' SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.


WHAT IS OUR PART IN THINGS?:

Zec 7:9-10 (NKJV) "THUS SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS: 'EXECUTE TRUE JUSTICE, SHOW MERCY AND COMPASSION EVERYONE TO HIS BROTHER. 10 DO NOT OPPRESS THE WIDOW OR THE FATHERLESS, THE ALIEN OR THE POOR. LET NONE OF YOU PLAN EVIL IN HIS HEART AGAINST HIS BROTHER.' Sometimes that means keep your mouth shut! Sometimes it means go the extra mile and be kind when it would be easier to be nasty! And ALL the time, it means you are required by Almighty God to stop blaming people for things they’ve done wrong!..............which brings me to #3......


3. FORGIVENESS:

              Practice it! It takes an act of your will!

Mat 6:15 (NKJV) "BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES.

Listen to me: Un-forgiveness is a cancerous tumor! It sneaks into your spirit and controls the way you think, the decisions you make. And, believe me, you can SEE it in people’s faces! Un-forgiveness ‘colors’ very determination you make and will, ultimately, determine your final destination!

Now, the Bible tells us that it’s the Lord, Himself, Who forms the spirit of man within him (Zechariah 12:1). But it’s because He also has given us the “right” to make decisions that allows the devil to speak; and if you LISTEN to that wrong voice, you WILL live with the results of it!


4. EMPATHY:

            (The projection of a situation that causes you to be infused with another’s feelings)

Empathy means you jump in the water and help the drowning person!


3.


If you’ve been a Christian more than 30 seconds, you already know you’re NOT always going to

       “agree” with your brothers and sisters. But this is what the Scriptures say regarding this:

2 Pet 1:3-4 (NLT) AS WE KNOW JESUS BETTER, HIS DIVINE POWER GIVES US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIVING A GODLY LIFE. HE HAS CALLED US TO RECEIVE HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS! 4 AND BY THAT SAME MIGHTY POWER, HE HAS GIVEN US ALL OF HIS RICH AND WONDERFUL PROMISES. HE HAS PROMISED THAT YOU WILL ESCAPE THE DECADENCE ALL AROUND YOU CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES AND THAT YOU WILL SHARE IN HIS DIVINE NATURE.




5. HONOR:

            Give Respect!!

Rom 13:7-10 (NKJV) RENDER THEREFORE TO ALL THEIR DUE: TAXES TO WHOM TAXES ARE DUE, CUSTOMS TO WHOM CUSTOMS, FEAR TO WHOM FEAR, HONOR TO WHOM HONOR. 8 OWE NO ONE ANYTHING EXCEPT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FOR HE WHO LOVES ANOTHER HAS FULFILLED THE LAW. 9 FOR THE COMMANDMENTS, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER," "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL," "YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," "YOU SHALL NOT COVET," AND IF THERE IS ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT, ARE ALL SUMMED UP IN THIS SAYING, NAMELY, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 10 LOVE DOES NO HARM TO A NEIGHBOR; THEREFORE LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.


Somehow - in the midst of all the spiritual growth we acclaim and applaud; in the middle of past and present circumstances - we’ve come to the ungodly conclusion that we are OWED due respect!! When that attitude prevails, PRIDE and JEALOUSY sneak into your head. And if you don’t CHOOSE to walk humbly before God and His people – and it IS a choice!, you WILL fall on your “religious behind”!


6. COMMITMENT:

            In spite of everything that goes on, I’m in this thing for the long haul!”


Zec 13:6 (NLT) AND IF SOMEONE ASKS, 'THEN WHAT ARE THOSE SCARS ON YOUR CHEST?' HE WILL SAY, 'I WAS WOUNDED AT THE HOME OF FRIENDS!'

This means a whole bunch of the stuff you go through while serving the Lord won’t necessarily be easy! And some of it will come through those we call ‘brother’ & ‘sister’. And if a brother or sister in the Lord DOES yank your chain, you are bound by the Word of God to forgive AND MOVE ON in love!


Zec 13:9 (NLT) I WILL BRING THAT GROUP THROUGH THE FIRE AND MAKE THEM PURE, JUST AS GOLD AND SILVER ARE REFINED AND PURIFIED BY


4.


FIRE. THEY WILL CALL ON MY NAME, AND I WILL ANSWER THEM. I WILL




SAY, 'THESE ARE MY PEOPLE,' AND THEY WILL SAY, 'THE LORD IS OUR GOD.'"

Notice the Word does not say you WON’T experience trouble and/or pain! It says GOD WILL TAKE US THROUGH IT!!!!

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BOTTOM LINE:

James 1:12 (NLT) GOD BLESSES THE PEOPLE WHO PATIENTLY ENDURE TESTING. AFTERWARD THEY WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE THAT GOD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.


This is our promise. This is our goal. This is the outline of your life.