Christmas is God Making War Against Sin. Luke 1:26-38

When Tawanda was pregnant, we would find that people would come up and ask all sorts of questions. People don’t feel one bit nervous or awkward about coming up and grabbing hold of a pregnant lady’s stomach and rubbing all over her stomach and saying all kinds of things to you. But the weirdest conversation that I ever had when we were expecting a child was a middle-aged man who walked up to us and said, “I understand that y’all are expecting a baby.” And I said “That’s right. Yeah, we’re expecting a baby, and he’ll be born in June.” And the man said, “Well when was he conceived?” I said, “I beg your pardon?” He said, “When was he conceived?” I said, “What do you mean?” He said,” “Well, what was the date on which he was conceived?” And I said, “I have absolutely no idea.” And he said, “Well, good. Because people who can tell you the exact day that their child was conceived just don’t have much of a life.” Turned around and walked off. I just kind of stood there and watched him go.

There’s a reason why that’s an awkward question. It’s the same reason that it’s awkward, for those of you who are parents, as you start reading the Christmas story to your children and they say to you, “Well, what’s a virgin?” Because we all know that the fact that we are born means that we are conceived. The fact that we are conceived means that we are the product of the union of two people. There is a path that goes back from us to two people who came together, and both of those people are the product of two people who came together, and those people are the product of two people who joined together in a bond. We are dependent upon this entire trail and path of couples throughout all of history. Even those of you who grew up without your father in the picture, there was a father. Even those of you who grew up without your mother in the house, there was a mother. We all are the result of that, except in this one case.

The Scripture says that in the tiny little village in the Middle East, a place called Nazareth, that there was a young woman who was a virgin. She had never been with a man. In this little village, this woman that the Scripture tells us, is named Mary was engaged to man named Joseph, but she had not yet married him. That something startling and amazing happened to her, as Luke tells us here, suddenly she received a visitation from an angelic being who comes and tells her something extraordinary. He says, ‘You are going to give birth to a child’ Declaration of war. When the angel shows up in Nazareth, this is not the first time that this has been told. As a matter of fact, what happened with Mary, as she is listening to this angelic visitor, was prophesied a long time before in a Garden somewhere in an unknown location, in which there was another woman standing there with her husband after they had eaten of a fruit and rebelled against the God who created them. A word came not to them but to another angel, a rebel angel, a snake, the Scripture tells us, a dragon, Satan.

When the word comes to this devil from God, God says, “the day is coming when the offspring of the woman will strike at his heel but he will crush your head.” It was an odd way for God to speak about this coming deliverer. He doesn’t say a son of the man. He doesn’t say the offspring of humanity. He says the offspring of the woman, the seed of the woman will bite you. What you and I need to understand this morning is that the virgin birth is not simply a sweet Christmas story. The virgin birth is not a comforting idea. The virgin birth is scary, because if we understand what is going on here, we will see that in this little Nazarene virgin girl, God is declaring war. Luke tells us that an angel appears to Mary in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel is sent from God to this city of Galilee, and he speaks to a woman named Mary, who was a virgin. The angel says to Mary, ” You’re going to give birth to a king. You’re going to give birth to a deliverer. You’re going to give birth to one who is going redeem the universe from the curse that has come over it.”

Mary’s question is entirely reasonable. Mary asks, “How is this to be since I have never known a man?” Mary is no idiot. Sometimes people will look at these passages of Scripture and they will say, “ Well, I don’t believe in the virgin birth, because we are contemporary, modern, scientific people and we know that virgins don’t conceive and give birth to children.” Here is a bit of news for you. Nobody ever has believed in virgin births. That’s the reason why Mary is stunned. That’s the reason why when she tells Joseph I’m pregnant, Joseph’s response is not, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. His response is “I’m getting rid of you, because you’ve cheated on me.” Everybody knows how babies are conceived and how babies come to be born. People didn't suddenly discover that in 2023. They knew it back here in this Nazarene village in Galilee, which is why it is so extraordinary and Mary says, “How in the world is this going to happen” The angel says, “The Holy Spirit is going to overshadow you.” The wages of sin Notice what God is doing when he delivers us our Lord Jesus without a man, without a human biological father. He is shattering human pride and human self- dependence.

When God said to Eve back in the Garden of Eden, “Your offspring will crush the serpent’s” it’s only a few verses later when the Scripture says,” And Adam knew Eve and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Eve said,“ Now we have a man with the help of the Lord.” But he died. You move through all of those genealogies of Scripture and you move through all of the bloodlines of every single one of your families, and there’s a common theme—RIP. Every single person in your bloodline was a rebel against God. Every single person in my bloodline was a rebel against God. Every single one of the people in all of the bloodlines in all of human history have paid the wages of their sin, death. “When you see me in that box what you can know is that I earned it, because I’m a sinner, and the wages of sin is death. The only hope that I have is the blood of Jesus Christ shed for me and that Jesus was raised from the dead for me because sin equals death.”

Throughout all of the centuries of human history every single generation people couple up together and give birth to children, and then those children couple up together and give birth to children, and so it goes. But in all of those thousands of years there is never a single one who could ever stand up and defeat the snake who had taken control of the universe. And why? Because every single one of them could be accused. In every single one of them the serpent is able to look into their eyes and say, “No, you are like me. You share with me this sinful rebellion against God and you will share with me death and destruction and condemnation and curse.”You’re not him. You’re not him. If God had left the human race alone we could never have reproduced ourselves out of the curse that we are in. We could have never brought forward for ourselves a deliverer. Instead, there has to be a new start. He says,”The Holy Spirit will overshadow you.” Just as the Spirit hovers over the waters in the creation of the world, he says, “The Spirit will overshadow you, and you will give birth to a child who will be holy. He will be the Son of God.”

This is a new start for the entire human race. God is judging our own pride and dependence. We cannot do it on our own. That’s the reason why Luke, in this passage, says that what God is doing here in history is the same thing that he must do in each of our lives, if we are ever to be made right with God. We are born not according to the will of the flesh, not according to the will of a man, but according to the power and the mercy of God. A virgin birth is miraculous, yes, but a virgin birth is just as miraculous as someone who comes to me and says, “ I’ve decided to stop following in my own way and to start following after the Lord Jesus Christ, and I want to be obedient to him in baptism and into living out the life as a man of God.” That’s miraculous, too, because you cannot get there on your own. You must get there only through the power and the mercy of God. He says to Mary , you will give birth, but it will not be with any man.

Jesus’s presence is a judgment Notice what he also says. He gives a word of scary judgment here when he says in Luke 1:32, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” We read that passage and say, “ Oh, ain’t that sweet. The little angel is there saying he’s going to be great.” No, no, no. That’s scary talk. He is going to be great, meaning he is going to be powerful. He is going to be able to rule, and he will be the Son of the Most High. He is saying to her exactly what the prophet Isaiah had seen centuries beforehand. She will give birth to this child, and he will be Emmanuel, God with us. You can put that on a Christmas card all you want to. But God with us is not a sweet and comforting notion to sinners. When Eve and Adam rebelled against God and ate of that fruit, when the presence of God came into the Garden, what do they do? They don’t want God with them. They want to hide from the presence of God. That’s the judgment. They see the light, but they’d rather have the darkness, because their deeds are evil. You and I are just like that as well. We do not want God in our presence, left to ourselves. Instead, we want to be free. We want to be left alone. We want to carry on and to live our lives without the intervention of God.

God is not simply leaving you the way that you are. God is coming to you in history. He will be with you in history. He is taking on flesh. There in the midst of you in history your God is with you and identifying with you in Jesus. He takes on every stage of what it means to be human. The Son of the Most High is an embryo. The Son of the Most High is an infant with muscles too weak to be controlled. The Son of the Most High must be potty trained. The Son of the Most High must learn how to walk as he walks across the floor toward his parents. The Son of the Most High goes through every stage of human existence, so that he can save us from ourselves. And God with us, the meaning of Jesus being the Son of the Most High in your midst, what the angel is saying to you is that you can hide if you want to back there in the bushes, but the fact that God has come in the virgin born Jesus of Nazareth means that you will face him. You may not face him now, because you can come up with all kinds of ideas about God to tide yourself over. But you ultimately will come face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ, and his very presence is a judgment against all of us. Jesus stands to say I’m human, just like you. His very presence is a judgment.

Christ’s birth is an act of war Notice also it’s not only a judgment. We also see here mercy. The angel appears in the city of Galilee to a woman. What had happened thousands of years before in that Garden isn’t the end of the story. Notice what happened when the first woman was approached by that old rebel angel the snake. She’s very calm. The Scripture says that the snake is subtle, the snake is crafty, and he simply comes to her and asks her a question. Eve is not scared. Of course not, because Satan doesn’t want to scare you. Satan wants you comfortable. Satan wants you tranquil, because Satan is feeding you like a cow on the way toward the destruction pit, and he doesn’t want anything to give you the least little bit of indication as to what is going on. This angel comes from God and says to this woman, '“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared.”; He speaks with her honestly. He doesn’t hide anything from her. Unlike all of those previous generations that are cursed, he comes to her and says, “ You are blessed. You have found favor in the sight of God.” Unlike Eve, who wants to be wise by reaching out and grabbing that fruit and eating it on her own, this new woman, Mary, instead seeks wisdom the way that God has said to seek wisdom, by seeking the face of the Lord. She asks, “How shall these things be?”

Instead of Eve who says, “We won’t surely die,” this woman in submission to her God says, “Let it be according to your word.” Let it be. She surrenders to this, and she becomes here the vehicle through which God sends us his very presence, his very Son. The One who is both God and is also our brother is a human being. He says, “You will give birth, and the child will be called the Son of the Most High God.” That is scary. When Mary finds out she’s pregnant the satanic powers go into overdrive. They try to kill him. They try to tempt him. They try to drag him down. They try to destroy him. Ultimately he is led by his friends and countrymen toward an execution stake where he will suffer the entire curse of death and agony, but even in that, especially in that, he is turning back the snake’s power, because he removes the guilt, he removes the condemnation. There are some of you who believe that the way to deal with what you really know is true about yourself… is to hide it and to try to fix it.

There are things going on in your life that you don’t want to be going on, and you try to hide those things until you can get those things managed and worked out. That will never bring you peace. .. That will only bring you death. The way that God works is to expose those things, because God is saying to you exactly what God said in the virgin birth to the entire human race—you cannot fix this. You trying to fix this will, only give you more and more of an illusion of your own power, and it will take you to the grave. Be found, instead, in Christ. Surrender. Give up and find the freedom that comes in this infant who will grow up to be crucified and raised from the dead.

There are some of you who need to be driven to the point of dependence. You need to be brought by the Spirit to the place that Mary was brought. “Let it be to me according to your word.” There are others of you in this room who are believers. You’re trusting in the Lord Jesus, but you don’t see in the illusion of all of our Christmas lights and tinsel and glitter on people’s front yards the fact that Christmas is violent. Christmas is war. Christmas means that all of the enemies of God, including those of us who were once enemies of God, have been put down by the power of a new man, who has no biological father but who knows how to say Abba. Perhaps what all of us need this holiday season is to be reminded of that dependence, to be reminded of the warfare going on all around us, to cry out with gratitude to a God who fought our enemy for us in a surprising and unexpected and upside down kind of way. And say, all I want for Christmas is a crushed snake skull.That’s the gospel.

Luke 1:26-35

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,  27  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  28  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  30  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  31  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  33  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34  “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

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What’s the Purpose of a Christian Life?

Luke is the start of a new discussion as Jesus makes his way into Jerusalem to fulfill his ultimate sacrificial mission. It begins with the Scribes and Pharisees grumbling because Jesus always allowedsinners to listen to him and eat with him.

This would be similar to having a pastor who spent most of his time trying to reach the lost while neglecting those in the congregation who are just sitting around trying to be Holy. Often the people who are just in church to be served are the ones who complain when they don’t get enough of the pastor’s attention because he is focused on leading the church to seek the lost and making disciples as commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission. Should a pastor serve his congregation? Absolutely, but he should not spend the bulk of his time serving people who have no intention of doing the work of the Lord, but are just in church to receive and criticize. That is the setting of Luke 15 and he speaks three parables to make one point, so I think it’s an important point. The point is that the work of a Christian, and why Jesus came, was to spend the majority of their energy seeking the lost and bringing them to repentance, because there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over the ninety nine others who are righteous and have not strayed away from God’s commands, whoever that is.

That is what our parable of the prodigal son is about today as well. Many of you have probably heard many sermons on this parable usually focused on the father and the prodigal, so I am going to try to present it from a slightly different perspective today, focusing on the older son who stayed at home with his father. To set us up for application of this famous parable, I want us to look at the characters like this. The prodigal son represents unbelievers or perhaps those who have fallen away from the faith (I believe these are one in the same in that the one who falls away was probably never really a true converted Christian). The dad obviously represents God/Jesus, and the oldest son represents the religious establishment of the day or in our case, long time believers in the church. So as we go through the story I think most of us should focus on the oldest son and take the application of this parable from him.

Jesus in this chapter is using this third parable to illustrate the point that God is more concerned with one person who is lost and destined for Hell, than the whole congregation of saved believers. Stop there for a minute. Does that bother you, or offend you? Does it bother you that God is more concerned with the lost than with you faithful believer? Or do you have that same attitude yourself? That we have what we need from God, and now we must focus on others getting it. So the father agrees to divide his wealth between the two sons, both brothers receive from the Father. Now you might not know that in this division it was customary for the oldest son (the one who stays home here) to receive two thirds of the estate, a double portion, and the younger son’s share would be one third. This can be found in Deut. 21. So right off the bat the older son who later complains, has already received twice as much as the one who he is jealous of later. And he wouldn’t have gotten it when the father died as was tradition, when dad already gives it to the younger son, he would have gotten his share at the same time. Basically two thirds of the estate was already his now. His dad would not have legally owned any of it anymore but remains the authority.

The youngest son leaves and goes wild with his inheritance, and to the Jews, losing the family’s property to Gentiles would be grounds for excommunication. He loses it all and can’t even get any pig slop to eat. He comes to his senses, notice nobody else has to point anything out to him, and look at his response when he comes to his father (this is real II. repentance) v. 18-19, 21… Notice he acknowledges that his sin is against both heaven first and then his father. All sin is against God. He didn’t even get a chance to say what he had planned to say from verse 19, when he was going to ask to be taken on as a servant. That is the attitude of repentance, I acknowledge what I did, I am mortified by it, but it also has to go beyond that, because anyone can feel sorry about doing something wrong. He realizes what he has done and what the consequences should be, but the key part of the attitude was his willingness to give up his rights as a son and become a servant. But the Father immediately forgives and says to the servants, not here’s another one to help you, but servants, we are going to treat this man as a king. Both the robe and the ring are symbols of authority, and the father is immediately affirming that this man is a son and an heir.

This is an insult to the older brother. Where was he when all this commotion was going on, out in the fields working? The older brother comes in and he was angry. As the hearts of the Father and younger brother soften. The older brother’s heart is hardening. Did he have a right to be angry? The older brother is like the religious leaders of the time that Jesus always rebuked. They hated the fact that Jesus hung out with the sinners, it didn’t seem fair because they were the good ones. It also represents religious people today who give years of servitude and rigid obedience to God without any celebration. Obedience out of duty rather than loving relationship with Jesus, works without love. I think any of us would probably be a little peeved if this happened to us. And it might take a while to get perspective on it. And this parable is left open-ended, we don’t know how the brother responded after this, and Jesus is pointing out to the religious leaders of the time that they also still have a chance to repent and respond to Jesus’ offer.

We must be reminded of Jesus words in Luke 17:3 “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying I repent, you must forgive him.” Notice while the father is affirming the younger brother’s status as a son, the older brother won’t even acknowledge that he is his brother. He says “this son of yours”. Then the father says to the older son, “Look dear son...”. The father is always willing to humble himself and even embarrass himself to show love. He begged the older son to come into the celebration, he is not excluding this son, and now he is again referring to him with great affection, he’s able to love both of them.

And he says everything I have is yours, what are you deprived of? Your brother was dead and has come back to life, that is worth celebrating. The brother’s response begs the question for the modern church. Have we become more focused on God rewarding us for our ongoing devotion, and wanting to sit in his blessings, than to celebrate about our salvation and then seek to find the lost and bring them to the father?

Do we celebrate when the converted drug addict comes into our church, the divorced single mother gets saved. Or do we at least in the back of our minds treat them with a little distrust or even contempt. Is our church more important than lost souls? “I’ve been devoted to this church and tithed for years and now this sinner comes in and gets special attention”. Well, who’s going to get more attention in the emergency room at the hospital, the person with the head cold, or the one having a heart attack? The older brother already had and has everything the lost son is receiving, other than perhaps the celebration. But nobody celebrates everyday, this is a special occasion. He’s sitting there with his arms crossed feeling entitled to something that he has already been given, his father’s love and a double portion of everything his father has, but he’s mad because he thinks his brother doesn’t deserve it. That person doesn’t deserve to be in our church. The rest of us were never that bad. Note there the attitude of entitlement, some of us complain that the younger generation seems to have this attitude of entitlement without having to work for anything. But do we in the church maybe have a little of that attitude as well, not being too concerned about the lost being found, but more about getting my own needs met in church.

This is a very prevalent and toxic attitude in the church today. Dad says, son, if you are going to whine and wait for me to throw you a party, and buckle to all your selfish desires, you can just sit there and sulk, but you need to see that everything I have has always been accessible to you anytime you wanted. In fact it’s yours. But your brother was lost and gone, this party isn’t so much for him as it is for me because I am so grateful he came back and I forgive him. That’s how you should feel too, not that you’re more entitled than him, you’ve always had what I’m giving him, so stop waiting for me to give it to you and get up and start using what I have already given you. And rejoice when others get it from me too, there’s enough to go around. Doesn’t that say so much about our human greed and attitudes? Everything is supposed to be fair, and we should get more because we behave better, have been more loyal, work harder, or have always lived a moral life. We have devoted more time and money to the church so we should have more say and more privileges. But that’s not how God’s economy works, that’s the world’s way. And we have become proficient in trying to do God’s work like the world does it and that is why we see a failure in the American church.

If it was fair, we would all be going to hell. In the same way, isn’t it great that others can receive what we have through the Father, while we enjoy and use it to actually help others get it, rather than wanting to hoard it for ourselves? Do we think that God has limited resources so that we need to withhold them from people who we think shouldn’t deserve it? Do not judge, leave the judgment to the Father. God is saying to us, “Are you going to stand outside the party with your arms crossed waiting for me to give you something you think you are entitled to, or are you going to come in and join the party? You can always go get a goat or a cow, you know where we keep them. Have you ever asked God for joy? The Bible says rejoice in the Lord always and in John 16 Jesus gives us the reason we already should have joy, it’s because of what he did for us already on the cross, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Christian, if you don’t have joy, it’s because you choose to focus on something other than Jesus. The joy is already there if you focus on Jesus and what He has done, and what your future holds. Does a mother focus on the pain once the baby is born? No. God is not going to zap you with joy from above. What about peace? He said my peace I leave with you, it’s already here. In me you will have peace, not in the world, in me, because I have overcome the world so you don’t have to worry about it. Publishers clearing house is not going to come to your door and deliver any peace or joy.

Do you remember I died for you and put the Holy Spirit inside you? If you want joy or peace, use what I have already given you and focus on that, rather than what you think you don’t have. What about wisdom? I remember not long ago asking God for wisdom and He said to me, I’ve already given you wisdom, it’s in a book you have about 10 different translations of. Why don’t you get your nose in it? Here’s a great example I heard from another preacher. Do your kids ever tell you they’re bored and you get very frustrated? You want to say, I have provided you every possible thing you could want to keep you busy and having fun, toys, electronics, videos, a giant doll collection. We have everything you could want and if you’re bored, that says nothing about what I have provided as a parent, you ought to be able to find something to do. I remember when I was little telling my mom I was hungry, she says there’s an apple on the counter and some peanuts in the cupboard. All the sudden I wasn’t hungry, because I wanted a cookie.

Maybe you’re lonely, God says why don’t you find someone lonelier than you, and spend some time with them encouraging them, and see if you’re loneliness doesn’t go away. Often what we feel we lack is what we need to give to show ourselves that we already have it. This parable shows us a couple things. First of all as it says in 2 Peter 1:3, “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life”, and that should be our ultimate goal. We already have everything the Father gives, the question is whether we use it or not and are grateful for it; rather than wanting more. Secondly, it’s about where our Christian priorities should be. Should we be focused on ourselves and our privileges as Christians, or should we be more concerned about the lost getting found, the dead becoming alive, sacrificing for the Kingdom? Are our priorities the same as the Father’s? If not, is he really living in us, John asks? Have we spent years doing our religious duties but never really having a changed heart? Are we always asking God for something but never really giving Him what He wants? We say God take this fear away from me, he says, I’m not going to take the fear away, I am going to be with you when you do what you are afraid of for my sake, and afterward you will never fear that again. You are going to have greater faith in me then.

So if we’re going to ask, let’s ask that he would show us what he has already given us, and for the power and wisdom and courage to use and enjoy what he has already supplied us with. He is not our servant, we like the younger son should desire to be His. Do you see what I mean? It’s all a matter of perspective. How do you see God, do you really know Him and what he has done already, and the resources that he has put in you through the Holy Spirit? Are you looking at what you don’t think you have, rather than what you know God has already given you? Are you jealous of what others have and can do, rather than realizing what you are capable of if you do what God has gifted you with? Absolutely this is a story of God’s amazing grace, and the joy of seeing people come back to him. But we also need to learn about the older brother, and make sure that’s not us, because we don’t know what became of him, just as we don’t know what will become of us if our hearts have not been changed. Assurance comes not only through knowing God’s forgiveness but also in experiencing the change that having the Holy Spirit in us brings about. An attitude of entitlement and selfishness should be getting torn down if you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, and it’s never too late to repent as long as you are breathing. God cares more about attitude change, heart change, than immediate behavior change.

So, if since you became a Christian you have never sinned, go ahead and judge the newly saved person who keeps slipping into their sin. Throw all the rocks you want. Or maybe you could come beside that person, celebrate their new life in Christ and help them overcome their sin. The bible says we are being formed into the image of Christ, so if we are Christians, should we be more like the older son or the father?

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

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“Facing the Giants in Your Life”

Have you thought about the fact that Giants Are Real! Giants are not some figments of your imagination.  Giants are not something that you dream up. Giants are problems, pressures, pains, and persecutions we will have to face from time to time in our lives. Giants often cause major difficulties in our life and bring with it the possibility of life-threatening situations. *More than likely, there is someone in this building that is facing a giant right now in their life.

You may be wondering what a giant really is. A giant is anything that distracts us from our focus on God; anything that deters us from our service for God; and anything that drains us of our driving passion for God. Giants represent anything which is opposed to God! Now you may be wondering, what are some of the Giants that people face:
(1)- There is the Giant of Resentment
(2)- There is the Giant of Fear
(3)- There is the Giant of Loneliness
(4)- There is the Giant of Guilt and Shame
(5)- There is the Giant of Worry
(6)- There is the Giant of Discouragement
(7)- There is the Giant of Jealousy
(8)- There is the Giant of Depression
(9)- There is the Giant of Hopelessness
(10)- There is the Giant of Bitterness
(11)- There is the Giant of Pride
(12)- There is the Giant of Selfishness
(13)- There is the Giant of Doubt
*We can say that these things and many other things like these oppose God! You see, these things that I mentioned in and of themselves can distract us; deter us; and drain us of being everything God intends for us to be. So it goes without saying - Giants that are before us must be faced, challenged, and must be defeated.

Here in our text, we find the familiar story of David and Goliath. As 1 Samuel 17 opens, we read about a war raging in a wide valley called Elah. The Philistines were ready to battle Israel. The Philistines sent out a man named Goliath. (Many times, in order to save the lives of many soldiers, each side would send out one man to do battle.) The Philistines chose to send out their Champion, Goliath; Israel chose to run and hide. Into the picture appears a little shepherd boy; his name was David. David was just delivering supplies from home to his 3 older brothers. When he arrived at the camp, he heard the voice of Goliath across the valley taunting Israel and their God. David became angered at Goliath's ridicule and the cowardly reaction from the soldiers of Israel. David couldn't understand why they were so afraid. I can imagine what David must have thought when he saw Goliath. But David did not seem concerned about this giant; he was very disappointed because of the fear that Israel showed toward him. David asked Saul and his soldiers:  17:29- Is there not a cause Now we know the rest of the story how God used David to defeat Goliath. What I would like to do for the next few moments is see (1)- How David Confronted the Enemy; (2)- How David Challenged the Enemy; and (3)-

How David’s enemy was defeated!

I want you to recognize in this story that there is far more at stake than just a little man defeating a big man. You must recognize that this is a picture of great struggles that are taking place in the lives of God's people right now. God's people need to understand that you and I need to a)- Confront Our Enemies; b)- Challenge Our enemies; and then c)- Overcome our giants!

(1)- We Have to Courageously Face Our Giants
I believe as David heard the voice of Goliath and saw him standing in the valley of Elah, he said to himself; "that’s one big guy.” I want us to take a moment and notice what David saw as he looked and confronted Goliath. His Appearance: Look at 17:4-And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. Goliath was a gigantic man. He was tall. His appearance was beyond comprehension. 

His Armor: Goliath was decked out in brass armor. Notice 17:5-7- And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. [6]- And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. [7]- And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. Some scholars say that his brass armor weighed between 120 and 215 pounds. His spear had a head of iron weighing about 25 pounds. Goliath even had a servant standing in front of him holding up his shield. Why do you think Goliath wore all this brass that day? Picture the sun shining on that brass causing the Israelites to be blinded. This was psychological warfare. Goliath wore it to play on the minds of Israel. He wanted to intimidate them before any fighting began. Goliath wanted to appear stronger and unbeatable. (He accomplished this task because Israel was afraid of him.)

His Allegiance: According to 17:43 Goliath cursed David in the name of his gods. When David saw Goliath and heard what he was saying, he asked the question found in; 17:26b-"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?" David used the phrase uncircumcised Philistine to expose the fact that Goliath did not belong to the Covenant people of Israel.  Circumcision  to the people of God was one of the constant reminders of the fact that God had made a Covenant with them. It meant that they belonged to God. Goliath, being called an uncircumcised Philistine meant that he opposed all that God stood for. Goliath's God's were known as Dagan and Baal-zebub. Dagan means "fish.'' More than likely, Dagan was a fish god with the head and hands of a man and the body of a fish.  Baal-zebub means lord of the flies. These flies were known as dung beetles. This giant worshipped a ghastly beast that crawled around on waste. As we read these verses, we can envision in our minds that Goliath was an impressive man. He seemed unstoppable. He presented himself as someone
who would not go down.

What kind of enemy are you facing? What seems to be stopping you dead in your tracks? Does your giant seem unstoppable? Do you feel that there is no way that you can defeat something that you are facing at this moment? Listen carefully. Before David could fight Goliath, he had to realize and recognize who and what he was facing. David had to confront his giant, his mind, and in his heart before he ever tried to attack him.
`b)- The Demands Of Goliath
Goliath was a representative of the Philistines. He called out for someone, anyone from the army of Israel to fight him. Goliath was aggressive. He was persistent. Every day, twice a day, for 40 days, Goliath stood in territory that belonged to Israel and demanded that someone fight him. 17:16 Every day, twice a day, for 40 days, all Israel could hear was this voice echoing through the valley. The size of Goliath; the sound of Goliath; the strength of Goliath was frightening. The people of God were actually in the bondage of fear because of the giant that stood against them and their God. Goliath wanted God's people to surrender so they could serve his people. Someone said: Goliath shouts out his garbage and Saul and his people swallow the threats (They were afraid.)

Goliath was called a Champion' He was a Superman, a mighty man, a powerful person. (Again, this reminds us of the power of our enemy Satan.) 1 Peter 5:8 - Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:12- for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Goliath was arrogant, defiant and rebellious against the things of God. He roared like a lion as he spoke in the valley of Elah. Satan is making more noise today than perhaps ever before; and many of the people who claim to be children of God are covering up and running away.

Now, I don't want you to overlook an interesting truth that is right here before us. Goliath was standing and shouting at God's people. Israel was God's chosen people. In fact, when David appeared on the scene, Goliath was going to face the future king of Israel. David, we are told back in 1 Samuel 16 had been chosen by God and had been anointed to be the future king of Israel. This means that after David had been [anointed] king, God had appointed him to face and fight Goliath.

I want you to understand something. It makes no difference who you think you are or how good of a Christian you may be or you want to be - - there are going to be times in your life when God will appoint you and allow you to face a giant and you will not be able to move on in your Christian life until you confront that giant. David knew that in order to regain the territory that belonged to Israel, Goliath had to be confronted. He knew that Goliath was a force to be reckoned with. David knew that Goliath would not go away. David had heard his voice; David knew that Goliath was a dangerous threat. But David also knew that somehow, someway, and at some point, Goliath would have to be removed.

Let me ask you something. What is Satan using as a giant to stop you from becoming the Christian you ought to be?
(1)- Do you have [resentment] in your heart toward someone that did you wrong or something that has happened in the past?
(2)- Are you running from something that God has called you to do?
(3)- Is your family facing marital or financial difficulties?
(4)- Are you having trouble with guilt or shame that you feel because of something you did in the past?
(5)- Has something taken place in the past that so disappointed you that you just can't seem to get over it?
(6)- Are you finding it difficult to have a consistent and committed Christian life?
(7)- Is your pride keeping you from giving your life over completely to God!

What you are going to have to do is FACE YOUR GIANT and realize that you cannot go on in your Christian life until that giant is dealt with. I want to encourage you to write down your giant or giants that you need to confront. As you write them down, you will begin to see them in a different light. You will not only realize that you must get past them; you will also recognize the fact that they can be defeated and removed by the help of the Lord.

1)- We Must Courageously Face Our Giants
(2)- We Must Confidently Fight Our Giants
O.S. Hawkins wrote: "A problem is the platform upon which God desires to show how wonderful He can provide. Our Lord never performed a Miracle that did not begin at the platform of a problem. Jesus fed 5,000 people; Why? Because they were hungry. He healed a man who had not walked in 38 years; Why? Because he was lame. He gave sight to the blind; Why? Because they could not see. If we are ever to learn how to defeat our giant, we must first learn to properly evaluate the situation.

Listen carefully: Defeat is a possibility for the believer; but it is not a necessity! Proverbs 29:25- "The fear of man will prove to be a snare: but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." You don't have to be defeated by your giant. Have you thought about the fact that your giant may not be your real problem? Your real problem may be your evaluation of your giant. The giant that you are facing may just be God's means of getting you to ask Him for the blessing He has been waiting to give you all along. Your giant should not be a problem; it should be an opportunity for God to perform a Miracle in your life.

There are many Christians who are so discouraged about what is taking place in their life. Listen carefully: At the base of your discouragement is a lie from Satan. What so many Christians who are discouraged have done is that they have dropped their "shield of faith" and have failed to truly trust the Lord. Let me teach you 2 ways that you can Challenge your giant that you are facing.
a)- Remember The Facts Of Past Victories
Let's begin reading in 17:32-37- "And David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. [33]- And Saul said to David, thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. [34]- And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: [35]- And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. [36]- Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. [37]- David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee."

Here is what took place. David went before King Saul to explain to him that Goliath had to be defeated. Saul and the army of Israel were men that were "giant dominated".  But David came before King Saul as a person that was God Dominated! While King Saul couldn't understand why David wanted to go out and face Goliath, David couldn't get over the fact of what God had done for him in the past. King Saul kept talking about how big Goliath was compared to them. David began to talk about how small Goliath was compared to his God. King Saul began to repeat his excuses. David began to remember his experiences. David kept a spiritual file in his mind and heart of the things God had done for him.

I can hear David, after listening to King Saul and his excuses, tell him; "King Saul, your right. I am just a teenager. I am just a little shepherd boy. But I would like to share something with you. There was a day when a bear attacked my sheep and took one of them. God gave me strength to go over to that bear, take my little sheep out of his mouth and I killed him. Soon after that, a lion attacked my sheep; but God gave me strength to look at that lion straight in the eyes; I pulled his beard, and I killed him. KING SAUL: THE SAME GOD THAT GAVE ME STRENGTH TO OVERCOME THE BEAR AND LION WILL GIVE ME STRENGTH TO KILL THIS UNCIRCUMCISED PHILISTINE. LET ME AT HIM!"

David knew that he could confront, and challenge Goliath based on the fact of what God had done for him in the past. I want you to learn a lesson God taught me. While David was faithfully tending his sheep, all alone, facing and defeating the bear and the lion - God was preparing him to face Goliath! There are 2 things that you need to understand about what God is doing in your life.
(1)- The little battles in your life are getting us ready for the big battles we are going to face!
(2)- Private Victories are preparing us for public victories.

David could challenge Goliath because he knew that since God took care of him in the past, God could and would take care of him in the present. I believe that it would do you some good to go back to your spiritual filing cabinet and pull up some files of what God did for you in your past.  Look under the "H" file. Think about the hurt that you felt; then think about the healing that God brought to your family. Physical healing; emotional healing. Look under the "F" file. Think about the failure you were, then think about the forgiveness that God gave you time and time again. Look under the "C" file. Think about how God saved your child and spared your child when people were saying that there was no hope for them. Look under the "D" file. Think about the deep depression that you were in. You don't know how you got there; but you know that it had to be God that brought you out. Look under the "D" file. Think about how discouraged you were; you wanted to quit. But God gave you Supernatural Courage to keep going. Look under the "N file. Think about the time you were about to have a complete nervous breakdown, but God gave you peace that passes all understanding. Look under the "R" file. Think about the time you were restless you couldn't sleep. But God gave you Peace to settle you. " I will keep you in perfect peace when your mind is focused on Me and you trust in Me." Look under the "P" file. Think about all the problems that needed to be solved. If you look close enough you see the letters S.G. [Sufficient Grace] ... M.G. [More Grace]. Look under the "T" file. Think about the tests and trials that you have gone through. You begin to remember the Scriptures that brought you through them. You should never forget what God has done for you in the past. As you look back over the circumstances and situations you have been through, you will discover that God was just preparing you to face the giants that are ahead of you.

Remember this: IF GOD GAVE YOU STRENGTH AND VICTORY IN THE PAST, HE WILL GIVE YOU STRENGTH AND VICTORY IN YOUR PRESENT SITUATION. 

a)- RECALL THE FACTS OF PAST VICTORIES!
b)- Renew Your Faith For Present Victories
David's confidence was not in his own ability; he was no match for Goliath. David's confidence was not in his armor; David refused to wear man's clothing. He was not going to dress like Goliath and look like Goliath and act like Goliath so he could go out and try to defeat Goliath. David understood that it was not by his might, nor by his power; it was by God's Spirit. Think about something. If armor that King Saul wanted David to wear to war so that he would be protected from Goliath, why didn't King Saul put on the armor and go out and fight Goliath himself? Saul knew that no earthly armor would protect a man from Goliath.

David's Confidence Rested In The God That Brought Him Through The Past! (This is where the battle was won!) David knew that his God Was Bigger Than Goliath! David had set his mind and heart to Confront Goliath and Challenge Goliath. David had no doubt in his mind and no fear in his heart!

If you are facing a giant in your life, the only thing you can do is to put your faith in the God who can do all things. Don't look at your giant from an earthly point of view; look at it from Heaven's point of view. God is bigger than any giant that you will ever face.
(1)- We Must Face Our Giants!
(2)- We Must Fight Our Giants!
(3)- We Must Finish Our Giants
Now, before David conquered Goliath, he had to overcome some obstacles that were before him.
(1)- David Had to Overcome the Obstacle of Cowardice. The whole army of Israel was cowards.
(2)- David Had to Overcome the Obstacle of Criticism. David's brothers criticized him for coming to their camp.
(3)- David Had to Overcome the Obstacle of Concern. King Saul didn't think that David had a chance. Think about this: David could not fight Goliath on the mountain, he had to go down into a valley in order to face and fight him.17:3
(4)- Now David Has to Overcome the Obstacle of a Champion! David was about to face the greatest challenge of his life. David was not afraid, nor did he hesitate about going out to meet Goliath. We are told that 17:48- "David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine."

a)- David Experience God's Strength:

In 17:41-44 we see that Goliath didn't think much of David. In fact, from an earthly standpoint, David looked outclassed and outmanned. But from a Heavenly standpoint, Goliath was no match for David's God! David Faced Goliath in The Name of the Lord! Notice 17:45- "Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: BUT I COME IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOST, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." I don't have to remind you that there is Power in the Name of the Lord. When you face your giant take time to whisper the Name of Jesus. It will give you comfort, calmness and Courage.

Solomon said in Proverbs 18:10- "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous run into it and is safe."
In 17:46,47 David knew that the battle was in the Hands of the Lord. As David ran at Goliath, he knew that Goliath had to fall. He reached into his bag; he pulled out a smooth stone; he put that stone in his sling, and he threw it at Goliath. The stone sunk right in the forehead of Goliath and he fell immediately to the ground. That was the last thing that entered into the mind of Goliath. 17:51,52 tells us that David stood over Goliath; then he took the sword of Goliath, and cut off his head.

b)- David Enjoyed God's Supply:
In 17:52,53 we see that David and the army of Israel enjoyed the fruits of their victory. When the battle was over and Goliath and the Philistines were defeated, Saul began to enquire about David 17:55:56. David's victory over Goliath made King Saul's heart wonder… "What made David so different?" As you face your giants and fight your giants and finish your giants, people will begin to ask, "What makes you so different?" It makes no difference what you are facing; it makes no difference what your giant may be. You can defeat any giant that comes your way. "Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world." When David defeated Goliath, others were blessed. Others are watching how you face your giants. When you allow God to give you victory over your giant, others will be encouraged and blessed.
Giants: Problem or Possibility? God Is Greater Than Your Giants!

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

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The link to this past Sundays sermon is below

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Made For More

Have you ever had someone lean into you and say, “you are better than that?” Maybe at work - you took a shortcut and told yourself, you can do better. Maybe in college, a paper you did - you are better. Maybe in sports - you can do better than you did today. Maybe in marriage - you are better than this. Don't do that. Maybe in Church - you are better than that. Don't fall for that stuff.

What are they saying... You are made for more!!! Ephesians chapter 2-3 challenges us that we are Made for More. We tend to believe we are made to....Make Money, Raise a family, Be successful, Get married and be a great spouse. But I think all that is a by-product of what we are made for. We are Made for more!!! So the next few minutes we want to look into how we are Made for more.

Today Ephesians 2:1-10
In Greek, this is all just 2 sentences. 1-7 is one sentence and 8-10 is the second sentence. All to say.... God Made us for MORE. Paul has taken us from how we are KNOWN by JESUS to how we are MADE for MORE through JESUS.

Eph 2:1-10 [NIV]  As for you, We know what God did "Placed all things under his feet (vs 1:22)you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (Not a Physical death but spiritual death) Like a family member who was kicked out of their house, not because they were not loved but because their SIN did not allow them to be there. A family member kicked the kid out and the kid slept in a ditch at the end of their driveway.... Not because he was not loved, but because his rebellion removed him from the love that he was given. He rejected their love through his rebellion... Sin displays a rejection of the Love that you have been given. So.... as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, Paul goes on to say we all have lived there 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Doing what we want to do instead of following God's ways for our life. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. We deserved what we were getting because we were made to live opposite of the way we are (were) living. God designed us for MORE, yet SIN and Rebellion get the best of us. We don't turn from Sin, we turn into SIN - temptation We don't run from SIN, we tend to RUN to it -Gossip Sin consumes us.... because we were born into it.

The result of not repenting of SIN... This "WRATH" is God's holy anger against SIN that results in Judgement AND THE SAD NEWS IS WE ALL ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS judgement. Wrongdoing has consequences. Sin has consequences. When you break a "law" you have to pay the price.

Speed = get a ticket
Late to school = tardy
Steal at work = get fired
Don't do what your boss says = loss of favor
Disobey parents = no phone, no car, no going out, and no video games!

Sin.... "wrongdoing"... has consequences.  And by the way, he makes sure to say... All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Cravings.... Desires Like when you are eating healthy and you walk by a box full of donuts someone brought by the office or pass Waffle House. We are all Guilty!!!! Most do not like this in today's world... We want the feel-good sermon. We want God to want all of us and we all want to go to heaven.

See Paul is reminding the Ephesus church. God knows you and longs to be with you but our SINS separate us from Him and there is nothing you can do to earn it back. Truth is.... When you don't realize you are made for more, you live in the pleasures of the world over new-found peace through being In Christ! You just don't know what you don't know right? To understand you are Made for More, you have to understand where you are!
Now....
If we understand vs1-3 we live grateful for 4-10  4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. So our SINS separate us from God and keep us from spending an eternity with God. BUT - But is a coordinating conjunction used to connect ideas that contrast. PAUL SAYS.... BUT.... GOD!! 45 times those 2 words are found in scripture....

Paul says.... We were born into this world enslaved by Satan and doing whatever we want, living however we want, acting out however we want, and destined for an eternity in a real place called HELL. We were Hopeless and helpless
BUT.... GOD!!
BUT GOD connects ideas that contrast. Let’s look at these passages... For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 6:23 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able . . . 1 Corinthians 10:13 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.- 1 Corinthians 3:6
him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead . . .Acts 13:29-30
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit. Jonah 2:6

Think about it here...
You were dead, you were without Hope, you were without direction, you were headed to eternal separation from God... BUT GOD... I love the 3 HUGE Statements he makes following BUT GOD... Statements he makes....
But God Loves you
But God is Rich in Mercy
But God makes you Alive in Christ

This reminds me of 2 Peter 3:9 [NIV] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God Loved us - That he sent Jesus to die for us. (John 3:16) God had mercy on Us that He did not turn His back to us in the middle of our SIN - While we were sinners Christ died for us - Romans 5:8 God displayed GRACE to us that He accepted us just the way we are. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The gospel defined in 2 Words -
Victory found in 2 words 
Hope displayed in 2 words
Grace Defined in 2 words: BUT GOD

That is why Paul penned.... - it is by grace you have been saved.

You can do nothing to earn it
You can do nothing to change it
You can do nothing to force it...

BUT GOD displayed his grace so all you have to do is receive it. Why would God do this for us? Vs 7... in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. This is talking about Heaven. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- He is saying.... God Gifted His grace to you so be responsible with the Gift. You did nothing to earn this. Notice he says... by grace, you have been saved, through faith BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH.

He is saying... Faith is how you receive salvation, not a deed to earn salvation. Salvation is given BY GRACE and is received THROUGH FAITH. Salvation is a gift that must be received!!! That is why he says.... 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. You are not saved by Works or Deeds. Do you know that the Barna Group found that a majority of people who describe themselves as Christian (52%) believe that a person can gain eternal salvation by "being or doing good"? Yet that is the opposite of Scripture. It feels good but it is not the truth.
Eph 2:9 Not by Works 

Roman 9:16 It (salvation) does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. Paul wanted the Ephesus church to know... THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO BE SAVED....
No need to stress any longer
No need to try any harder
No need to clean yourself up anymore
No need to try to fix your past first
No need to do anything.... It has already been done for you; all you have to do is accept it by placing your faith in Christ. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. Then what are we made for once we are saved? Well.... Because you are saved.... 10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. He is saying... True Faith will work. We are not saved by Works, but once we are saved through placing our Faith in Christ Jesus, we will work.

You were saved to serve not to sit. Why? You realize you are MADE FOR MORE!
Listen...
God displayed His grace for you so that through you others may see the incomparable riches of his grace. Through GOD GRACE God displays YOU ARE MADE FOR MORE. You have a great purpose. You have a great meaning in life. You have a great drive in you. It is to live a life as a Kingdom Influencer. Paul is saying YOU ARE GOD'S PLAN to DISPLAY His GRACE by how you live a life surrendered to Him! YOU ARE MADE FOR MORE!! You are Made to be God's Handiwork, not the world's trophy! It is who you are called to be!!!
Go back to the beginning... you were spiritually dead. You used to live when you followed the ways of this world. I love the past tense... You were dead but you are not anymore. You were trying to earn it but you no longer do! You made a decision to change. You made a choice to follow. You chose Jesus!!!

Join us Sunday morning at 10am as we Worship God together 

53 South Dean Rd. Orlando, FL 32825

You can find us on Facebook

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The link to this past Sundays sermon is below

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Eyes on the Prize

I love our country. We live in the greatest country in the world. We have the world's largest economy. We have the world's strongest military. We have the world's most advanced technology. We are the world's richest country. We have the world's best transportation system. Those are just a few of the things we lead the world in. Before we get the big head there is another first place trophy that we hold. We are the most wasteful country in the world. Literally, we produce more garbage than anyone else in the world. Even though we have four percent of the world's population we produce twelve percent of the world's waste and garbage. The average American is responsible for seventeen hundred pounds of garbage a year and that is not just trash talk either. We waste more food than any other nation in the world. When you take into account all the food that homes, restaurants, various companies and corporations, we throw away forty-percent of our food. We are talking about bringing home two bags of groceries and taking one bag and basically throwing almost all of it out on the ground. It will never go to feed a homeless person or a child stuck in poverty. It is wasted.

The richest country in the world wastes the most money. The average American wastes $18,000 a year buying things they don't even need. Please understand, I am not trying to be a debbie downer here, but I believe there is even a greater waste going on, not just in America, but around the world that breaks the heart of God more than any other type of waste and that is a wasted life. Although you waste food, you can buy more food. Even though you waste money, you can make more money, but you only have one life and it is too precious to waste.

Today, I want to share with you one principle straight from the word of God on how to make sure that you, not only don't waste your life, but you both give your life and get out of your life the one sure fire way to make sure that you achieve the potential of your life and live your life to the fullest. Here is the principal. Keep your eyes on the prize. Let me tell you what I mean. Life is exactly like a race. From the time you are born until the time you die you are running a race. The one goal in every race is to cross the finish line. No matter what else you do in a race it doesn't matter how hard you run or how fast you run. If you don't cross the finish line you won't win.

Football is the same way. There is only one way you can win a football game- you have to cross the goal line! You have to physically put the football across the goal line or you kick a football between the goal post or you will never win a football game. . And then you must keep your eye on that goal. The great philosopher Yogi Berra wisely said,"be careful if you don't know where you are going you might not get there." I would also tweak that to say this, "be careful that you are headed to the right goal or you would be better off not getting there."

I look back on my life and see that the things that have made my life most meaningful are the goals that I have achieved that give you purpose. Goals give you direction and the drive and the desire to achieve, to produce, to be better. JC Penny said, "give me a stock clerk with a goal and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal and I will give you a stock clerk."

We are looking in the book of Philippians and one sure-fire way to get joy in the life you are living is to set God-given goals and then to give your life every day to reach those goals. A man by the name of Paul gives us the formula on how to do that. He gives us three simple steps that you can use at the beginning of every year, every month, every week, and every day to make that year, that month, that week, and that day the best year, best month, best week and best day of your life. Here is how you keep your eyes on the prize. Philippians 3
 Forget what is behind you: 1. No matter where you are in your life or how much you either have achieved or haven't, remember this. You will never achieve all of your goals, but you should always have goals that you never achieved. 2. Paul begins by saying, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12, ) The funny thing about Paul is you would admire all the things he had achieved in his life. He was the world's greatest theologian, the world's greatest church planter, the world's greatest missionary. Many would say he was the world’s greatest follower of Jesus christ. There are still a lot of places he wants to go and a lot of things he wants to do. Though he has reached a lot of his potential he has not reached all of it. I don't care where you are in your life. As long as you are drawing a breath there will always be more lessons to learn, more principles to apply, more room to grow. The first step you have to take to move forward is to quit looking backward.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind..." (Philippians 3:13, NIV) Too many people never get to where they need to go today or tomorrow, because they are still living in yesterday. The truth is you can't focus on where you are going until you forget where you've been. No runner has ever won a race by running the entire time looking backwards. You cannot sail the ship of your life into the seas of the future if your anchor is stuck in the mud of the past. You can't run forward if you are always looking backwards. It is so easy to want to do that. There are a lot of things I wish I could do over again as a pastor. There are certainly a lot of things I wish I could do over again as a father and as a husband. There are things I’ve done in my life I wish I could undo. There are words I said I wish I could take back. Sir Winston Churchill said it perfectly, "If the past quarrels with the present there can be no future. We must learn to accept the past as unalterable and move on."

Don't misunderstand what that word "forget' means. It doesn't mean to "fail to remember." I mean there is no way you can ever totally erase the past from your memory. The word"forget" literally means "not to be influenced or affected by." For example, God says in Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25) When he says,"I will remember your sins no more", it doesn't mean that all of a sudden God comes up with a bad memory or he gets spiritual dementia. It simply means he will no longer allow your past to affect your present relationship with him and your future fellowship with him. I have heard people say this,"I used to. I used to regularly attend worship. I used to be involved in a small group. I used to disciple other people. I used to go on mission trips. I used to share my faith. I used to serve in my church. What we must all do is this: Learn from the past. Live in the present. Look to the future. Which leads exactly to the next step in order to keep your eyes on the prize. Focus on what is before you.

Paul has put his past where it belongs, in the rearview mirror. Now he can put the present where it belongs - on his windshield. Paul gives us the secret to what we must do every day if we are going to get the most out of that day and that day is going to get the most out of us. "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing, I do" (Philippians 3:13, NIV) In two simple words, Paul tells us the difference between mediocrity and superiority. The difference between an ordinary life and a super ordinary life. The words are "one thing." Have you thought about how important those two words are in the bible? There was a rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked him how he could receive eternal life. He told him all the things he had done, all the commandments he had kept and he was stunned when Jesus said, "one thing you lack." 

Jesus was staying in the home of his adopted family - Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha was in the kitchen cooking dinner and Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him teach. Martha got upset because she was doing all the work by herself, and she came in and began to fuss at Mary to come and help her. Do you know what Jesus said to Martha, "Martha, only one thing is needed." The greatest king who ever lived, David, a man after God's own heart who could have asked God for anything and God would have given it to him said, One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:4-5

Do you know why one thing is such a big deal? Anybody knows that concentration is the secret of power. You could take a swamp and channel that swamp into a river that goes in one direction and you can create a tremendous source of electric energy. You can take light and concentrate it and make a laser beam that can cut through steel. The key is making sure that you set at least one goal, but make sure it is the right goal. I read about a football coach who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to become a place kicker. He got down on his knees and put the ball down and looked at his son and said, "Son, when I nod my head, kick it!" That is how he lost his two front teeth!

I went to the Ringling Brothers Circus, I saw this man get into a cage with a lion and all he had was a stool and a whip. Have you ever wondered why a lion tamer carries a stool with him? Because, when tamer holds that stool with those legs extended towards that lion's face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs at the same time. That divided focus totally paralyzes him. God put you on this planet to focus on one thing and one thing only. You can do more than one thing, but you can only focus on one thing to be what God wants you to be. What was the one thing Paul was seeking? "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14, NIV)

The Greek word for "goal" is skopos which means "to focus on." We get our word "telescope" from that word. It means to fix your eye on a very small target. Paul's eyes were on the prize. He was focused on this one thing which he called "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  What is that? God has called every one of us to accomplish one goal. If you accomplish this one goal in your life on a daily basis you will maximize the influence you have in your business, in your home, in your neighborhood, in your family and every other area of your life. This is the one thing we must seek daily -to know God and glorify Him. No matter what other goals you achieve in life it doesn't matter how many ladders you climb and how high you climb them. If you do not know God and glorify Him with everything you are and everything you have, your life is a waste and you chased the wrong goal.

That means that every waking moment of every day you have on this earth you do not dwell on the past and you do not dread the future. You devote yourself to the present and you make it your one thing goal to know God and to glorify Him. Keep your eyes on the prize. Face what is beyond you Paul uses a word twice in this passage to tell us how to face the future. Remember, Paul is in prison and he doesn't know what kind of future he has. He doesn't even know if there will be a tomorrow for him, but here is what he says, "If there is a tomorrow, no matter what my circumstances, I know what I will be doing. I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." He repeats himself in verse 14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize..." (Philippians 3:14, NIV)

The word for "press on" means "to relentlessly pursue." Remember, life is like a race. In this passage, Paul is talking like an athlete. What he is saying is, "no matter how dark tomorrow may look, no matter how dire my circumstances may be, no matter how discouraging things may appear, I am going to keep running. I won't be deterred; I won't be detoured and I won't be distracted. I am going to keep my eyes on the prize of knowing God and glorifying Him until I hit the finish line of my life."

I want to be very careful how I say this, but for far too many people; their prize is retirement and too often that word is sugar coating what we really mean. When people retire, they want to be able to quit and either do nothing or only do what they want to do. God never enters into it. I believe that every follower of Jesus Christ who is going to live the cross-shaped life should be actively involved in worshipping God in their church, involved in a small group, being disciple and discipling others, serving their church someway, somehow, and both in their neighborhood and to the nations. They should be sending themselves to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you know why we get to a certain age and we stop all that stuff? We take our eyes off the prize.

You see, what Paul said was, "I am never going to retire. I may re-tool, but I am not going to retire. I am not going to die sitting and soaking. I am going to die standing and serving." Let me ask you what one thing will you focus on for the rest of your life? At the end of the day, at the end of every day, we all focus on one or two things - what we want or what God wants.Too many people spend their life making things; instead of making things count. What would it mean for you if you finally got your eyes on the right prize and every day you pressed on toward that prize? For some of you, it would mean for the first time in your life, you would read your bible every day and read it completely through. For others of you, it would mean you would begin to manage your money in a way that honors God and be faithful financially. For many of you, you would realize that God didn't put you here to be served, but to serve, and you would find a way and a place to serve God's church and God';s people. For many of you, it would mean you are no longer going to practice lone ranger Christianity. You are going to get involved in a life group, a community group, a small group, some group where you can help others grow and grow with others. For many of you, it would mean getting serious about your activity and asking God to use you to help other people see what the real prize is and put your eyes on the prize.

God didn't put us here to run the rat race; God put us here to run the real race. He didn't put us here to run for the approval of this world, but to run for his glory. The prize is not the gold of this world; it is the glory of God. When you get your eyes on the prize and you have one goal every day to know God and to give him glory, He will make sure all the other things will fall into place.

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