Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction

Divine Moments:

Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” NIV

 

Luke 12:25 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” NIV

 

Psalm 139:16 “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” NIV

Carpe diem = seize the day!

Today we begin a journey exploring what the Bible says about leadership.  We are doing this to educate ourselves….

Today we focus on our first issue – you and the moments God has give you.   What resources are you drawing on for your motivation?

Who are you trying to please?

What are you doing with the moments God has given you.

Are you a voyager living for God’s will or a voyeur entertaining yourself with video games and movie romances?

Are you in the game or Are you sitting on the bench?

Which game?  The one where you call the shots or the one where God calls the shots?  The one that boringly and  selfishly centers around you.   Or the adventure that focuses the light your life on God and His greatness and His worth.

About leadership:

Taking initiative!  Stepping up to the plate.

Not allowing others to make the decisions for you.

I.          A Journey Into God’s Mercy

We are inspired to follow Him with joy!

He is the One Who created the Good News of salvation.

That Good News is the power of God for salvation to everyone who

            believes.  God is not partial.  He is not a racist or sexist.

And God’s Good News of salvation can be received so simply – through faith in Jesus Christ. 

It was not man’s idea.

     And it is unachievable by human effort.

 

Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” NIV

 

He is the Creator of our world and universe.

He is the creator of true beauty.

            His power and nature are clearly seen by everyone who will see True!  Many turn their backs on God

(Pictures of creation and universe!)

 

Romans 1:21-23 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” NIV

 

And He allows them to go their own way into more and more unhappiness and degrading sin, using and being used and then

thrown away as if of no value!

 

Romans 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” NIV

 

            The ungodly are sinners.  Even they might not disagree.

            The self-righteous, Bible thumping moralist is a guilty sinner too.

            All fall down!  No one will have an excuse before Him.

 

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” NIV

God was not satisfied with lost and away-ness of us guilty sinners.

He was so broken hearted over you

            that He sent His Son to die a bloody death for us.

And if you decide to turn away from your sin to put your faith in Christ as you Savior and leader He will declare you to be a son or daughter in good standing!

 

Romans 3:24-25 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—” NIV

He is the One who mends broken people.

He is the One who gives you the gift of righteousness.

He is the One who brings you peace in your relationship w/ Him.

He is the One allows you to stand in His grace.

He is sweet on you.

He is the One Who places hope and confidence in your heart.

He is the One Who breaks the power of sin in your life.

He is the One Who gives you a new relationship with Christ,

He is the One Who gives you cuts up your old I.D. card

            and gives you a new name “Child of God!”

Law will never make you live a holy life for God.     

In your own strength you will always be defeated by temptation & sin.

But God gives you victory over the terrible cycle of sin and death

            through the Holy Spirit Who lives in you.

 

How sweet it is when His Spirit whispers into your fearful heart “you are my child.  You belong to me and never need to fear again.  Nothing and no one can take you out of the palm of my hand. Oh, and did I mention, that everything that is mine will one day be yours in my soon and coming kingdom.”

 

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” NIV

 

I know life can be tough.  I know life is filled with anxious moments.  But be assured this is only momentary and this too shall pass!

And don’t forget, the Spirit inside you prays for you with emotions far too deep for even you to understand.

 

Romans 8:26-28 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” NIV

 

Now listen up!  If I am for you and I am, who can hurt you?

Nothing and no one!

Since I gave you my best possible gift in My Son don’t you know I will freely give you more than you will ever need!

 

Romans 8:31-32 “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” NIV

 

Even in the worst of times you are more than conquerors in Christ.

 

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” NIV

 

Now, do you see why I say It is not out of duty but out of joy that we surrender to God and sacrifice our lives for Him?

            He has made me glad.

            For once in my life I have peace.

            For once in my life I’m free.

            For once in my life stand in His grace.

            For once in my life I am not a victim but a conqueror.

            And on one and nothing can take me away from my God.

 

II.         The Power of a Moment - The Crisis of A Personal Decision

A.        Present Your Body

Romans 12:1 “ Therefore, I urge you….to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” NIV

 

Your body is a gift from God.  It is your greatest gift.

In the beginning, end and all along the way that’s all you’ve really got.

1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” NIV

 

Our passions do not always conflict with God’s purposes!

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” NIV

 

Or, if you received it why do you look down on it or reject it or extreme make it over as if it were not beautiful?

 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside their body, but the one who sins sexually sins against their own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” NIV

 

Who are you trying to please?

Where did God live with His glorious presence in the OT?

In the Temple…in the Ark of the Covenant.

 Scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark

When you misuse it, you are abusing the present day Ark of the Covenant

 

When you let someone else abuse it you might as well go out in 10 degrees below zero weather, stick your tongue out and place it on a steal post and then have someone come along and yank it off.

 

And when you take from someone what does not belong to you, you are stealing from God!

 

B.        A Living Sacrifice

Committed to living for God.

Doing His will.

 

Crisis of trust.  You must trust the character of God.

God invited Abraham, Moses, Gideon to courageously step beyond the realm of comfort and safety for a God-inspired journey.

Everyone wants to live for something bigger than themselves.

You can not be a “living sacrifice” and play it safe!

            You may be rejected.

                        Your journey may take you away from those you love.

                                    And it may take you into harms way.

But it will also take you into the heart of worship where you will genuinely please your audience of one.

 

Great risk        significant lose            satisfying adventure.

 

Your journey on the greatest adventure of your life begins in the moment you decide to surrender control of your life and hand Him the trump card in your hand.

 

The power of a moment!

Present = a present, active choice

                        One moment at a time. – Enjoy the moment!

                        God’s moment for you. – Defining moment!

                        Squeeze every oz of opportunity out of it possible.

 

Hebrews 3:7-8 “ So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,” NIV

 

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For he says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” NIV

 

Story of Rahab – Joshua 2

Joshua 2:1,8-9 “ Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies …they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there…Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” NIV

 

 Joshua 2:12-14 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death….”“Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”” NIV

Joshua 6:25 “But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” NIV

 

Married Salmon and had a son named Boaz

Boaz married Ruth who had a son named Obed.

Obed had a son named Jesse and Jesse had a son named David

And David had a son name Joseph who had a son name Jesus!

 

III.        The Trauma of Morphing Into Your Mirror Image!

 

Definition of Morphing:      

May sound weird.

Those who know may think of it in computer technology.

You may not know how it works but we’ve all seen it.

Morphing is where one image (say on a TV or computer screen)

            Like a truck changes with liquid smoothness into something else

            Like a car.

Morphing is liquid smooth transformation.

Morphing happens because the little color dots that make up the picture of the truck are one by one moved into the configuration that make up the car.

 

This computer term was borrowed from the NT.

Galatians 4:19 “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed (morphe) in you,” NIV

 

You see, the question is not are you morphing.  Everyone is.

 

The question is, whose image are you changing into?

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” NIV

 

Story of Frodo! 

One defining moment.

A choice to go on your divine mission.

It is your defining moment! It is a life-changing decision.

And you are one choice away from a different life!

When you choose the good, you chose to move with God!

He greatest blessings come when you accept His invitation to join Him in your divine moment!