40 Days of Purpose, week 6

This post is the final sermon in our 40 Days of Purpose course. I preached this on Sunday, October 23 at our church. Let me know what you think.

            The truth that we have been looking at these last few weeks is that we were created by God for a purpose; and that purpose is to “Know Christ and to Make Him known.”

            We were never meant to live, breathe, eat, work and die all alone. We were created to worship: to know and love God.

            We were created for fellowship: to learn to love each other.

            We were created for discipleship: to become like Jesus Christ.

            We were created to use our SHAPE to serve the Body of Christ: ministry.

            Those are the 4 truths that we have been looking at in great detail; but we are not done; there is still one more purpose in this life. It’s a purpose that we cannot leave out.

            Jesus said in John 17:18: “In the same way that you (God) gave me a mission in the world, I give them (us) a mission in the world.” (The Message)

            Jesus said that God gave Him a mission and also said that we have been given a mission; we have been given a task to carry out.

            John 20:21 says: “…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (NIV)

            The Bible says that we have a mission and we are being sent, but what is

our mission and what are we being sent to do?

            Paul said in Acts 20:24: “…The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God's grace.” (NCV)

            Church: our 5^th purpose in this life is to share the Good News.

            Once we know that we are not an accident; once we know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, He gives us a mission: Go and Share the Good News.

            The Biblical name for this is Evangelism, and like all the other words we’ve studied, this word has been misused and misrepresented for ages.

ILLUSTRATION- Many people think that evangelism is standing on a Soap Box in the middle of a busy street corner, yelling at the top of their lungs.

            Still other people think that evangelism is closely related to the Greek word Television. When people think of evangelism, they think: “Send me your money!”

            But this is an inadequate view of evangelism.  The word Evangelism in the Greek means “Gospel” or “Good News”.

            Once we have received the Good News, we are to share that Good News with other people.

            Jesus said in Acts 1:8: “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV)

            I’ll have you notice a few things about this verse. We are told, first of all, that we are to share this news.

We will share the Good News in our home (Jerusalem), we will share the Good News outside of our Home (Judea and Samaria), and finally, we will share the Good News with everyone (to the ends of the earth).

ILLUSTRATION- The story is told that God and an angel were engaged in a conversation in heaven, and God told the angel: “My plan is to give the Good News to my children who are living on earth and ask them to go and share it.”

            The angel said to God: “What if they don’t. What is plan B?”

            God responded by saying: “There is no plan B.”

            This is the second thing I’ll have you notice about Acts 1:8. Jesus has a plan to reach the whole world: you and me.

We are responsible to go and share the Good News. We were created for a mission; we were created to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Notice that Jesus said that we would be His witnesses. He did not say that we would be “His defence attorney”.

He did not say that we would be “His prosecutor”. He did not say that we would be “His salesperson.” Jesus said that we would be His witnesses.

God does not need defending. God does not need to be prosecuted. God does not even need to be sold. He simply needs a witness. Someone who is willing to share what He has done in their life.

You don’t have to prove that God exists; you just have to tell people what God has done in your life. 

ILLUSTRATION- I am involved in a Leadership Coaching Network with 9 other Pastors.

I attended this seminar a few weeks ago, and I heard a series of statements that made a profound impression on my life, and I want to share them with you now, because they relate to this idea of evangelism.

            I want to encourage you to write them down, because they are that good. I also want you to carefully answer each question, with a “yes” or a “no”.

1.     Do we believe that Jesus is who He says He is?

2.     Do we believe the Bible is God’s Word?

3.     Do we believe that people without Jesus are eternally Lost?

4.     Is the Local Church the hope of the world?

5.     Should our church be reaching more people with the Good News?

All of these questions are straightforward and deserve an answer.

If we can say “yes” to each question, then we should be reaching new people for Jesus.

I’m going to be very intentional in making sure this church is reaching people for Jesus. It’s not enough for us to say “us four and no more”.

I believe that greater things are still to come, and we must be willing to take a risk for Jesus.

If we believe Jesus is who He said He was; if we believe that people are eternally lost without Him, we must be willing to be a witness for Jesus and share with them the Good News.

Listen carefully to what I am about to say: The message we’ve been given will never change. But the methods have got to change.

We can’t do what we’ve always done and expect what we’ve never had. You can’t pray for revival and expect it on your own terms.

If we believe that people are eternally lost without Jesus; we’ve got to be intentional about reaching people for Jesus Christ.

ILLUSTRATION- I have set a goal for our church to reach by the end of next year. The goal is to see 20 salvations and 20 baptisms. Wouldn’t that be great? We’d rock out the Ridge for Jesus!

But we can’t achieve that goal, unless we are willing to set aside our personal preferences and be witness for Jesus.

            In order for this church to reach people for Jesus, we’ve got to share the Good News. We’ve got to be willing to be Jesus’ witnesses.

            The most obvious question, is how? How do we reach people for Jesus?   In order to reach people for Jesus, we must be willing to Share the Good News with them.

            We read in Luke chapter 8 of the time that Jesus healed a demon possessed man. After this man had been healed, he wanted to accompany Jesus on His journey, but Jesus told him:

            “Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you." So the man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:39 NCV)

            If we are going to see lives transformed for Jesus Christ, we must take the Good News into our world. We must share Jesus with the people we live with and with the people we live beside.

            The Bible says that this man went all over town telling people how much Jesus had done for him.

He wasn’t using “theological terms”; he was simply sharing what had

happened to him.

            Each person in this room has a story to share. Each person has an “I went from what I was, to what I am now, only by the grace of God” story.

Jesus wants us to use what He has done in our lives to reach the people around us.

            One major reason we don’t is because of fear. We’re scared that we will say the wrong thing, or the people we’re witnessing to will not be interested in what we’ve got to say.

ILLUSTRATION- I read this week of a survey that said of the 65 million Americans who do not have a church home, 34 million of them said they would attend if somebody would invite them.

            That’s incredible. People would attend church if they were invited. When was the last time that you invited someone to join you for church? When was the last time that I invited someone to join me for church?

            Some people won’t invite people to church because there scared of what they might find at church.

Well, I want you to know that I am committed to doing whatever needs to be done so that you will want to invite people to church.

ILLUSTRATION- I have a saying that I share with all of my ministry leaders and it

is our responsibility as leaders:                             

            “Our responsibility is to create an environment of ministry excellence that people are comfortable inviting others to.”

             I want this place to be a place that you go around town telling other people: “man, you’ve got to check out what Jesus is doing at my church... It’s awesome”

            That is what the man in Luke chapter 8 did. He went and told anyone who would listen that Jesus healed him.

            You see church, it’s not about me; it’s not about you, it’s all about Jesus.

            2 Peter 3:9: “God does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” (NCV)

            The Bible reminds us that God does not want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to join Him in heaven.

As long as there is one lost person left on this earth, it’s our job as the Church of Jesus Christ to reach them.

ILLUSTRATION- I don’t want to be part of a church that is telling its community Go to hell. I would hope that you wouldn’t want to be a part of a church like that either.

            I want to be part of a church that is willing to take a God sized risk and

reach people for Jesus.

            If we believe Jesus is who He said He is, if we believe that people are eternally lost without Jesus, we’ve got a job to do. We’ve got to reach one more for Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION- This week, those of us who are reading the P.D.L. book are going to read about Jim Warren.

            Jim was a preacher for over 50 years. In his later years, he developed cancer.

            In the final days of his life, Jim was “kept awake in a semi-conscious state nearly 24 hours a day.”

            Rick tells the rest of the story: “One night near the end, dad suddenly became very active and tried to get out of bed. Of course he was too weak… and needed to lay back down.”

            “…he persisted in trying to get out of bed, so (my wife) Kay, finally asked him: “Jimmy, what are you trying to do?”

            “He replied: ‘got to save one more for Jesus.’ ‘Got to save one more for Jesus.’ ‘Got to save one more for Jesus.’  (Warren, 2002, 287)

            You know friend, this is our final purpose in life. We have a responsibility to reach one more for Jesus. This purpose, like all the rest, will take a lifetime to

figure out.

            Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told His followers: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT2)

This is our task. Nothing should occupy more of our time, talent and treasure, than trying to figure out how to reach one more for Jesus.

Rick Warren reminds us that “Our mission has such eternal consequences- heaven or hell- that we must be willing to risk anything to share the Good News.” (Warren, PDL sermon. 6)

If we had the cure for AIDS or cancer, we’d share it with the world. The truth is we have a cure to the problem that has plagued humanity for centuriesà His Name is Jesus.

There are people in our community who need whatàratheràWho we have. There might even be one or two in our midst today. Without Jesus you are eternally lost. With Jesus you can be found.

The Bible says in Acts that: “David served God’s purposes in his own

time…” (Acts 13:36, TEV)

We now know our purposes. We know that we are not an accident; we know that God created us for 5 purposes and we must get busy in fulfilling those purposes.

God didn’t send Jesus to die on the cross so you could waste your life; God sent Jesus to die on the cross so you could find your life.

He sent Jesus for a reason, so we could Know Christ and make Him known. 

While our church is going to be intentional about reaching new people for Jesus, you must be intentional about reaching people for Jesus, too.

It’s not about you, it’s not about what you want, not about your preferences; it’s all about Jesus, and if you are willing to be a witness for Jesus, I’m going to ask you to stand right where you are, and I’m going to ask you to commit your life to reaching one more for Jesus. 

John Wesley once said: “Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.”

We’ve been given a task. We’ve been given a mission. That mission is to reach one more for Jesus.

40 Days Of Purpose, Week 5

this Post is my sermon from 40 DOP. I preached this on October 16th 2011. It is the 4th purpose of our life. Enjoy.

            We are slowly coming to the end of our Spiritual Growth Campaign, 40 Days of Purpose.

            On this journey, we have been asking and answering the most important question of life: “What on earth am I here for?”

            This is a question that I have asked, and this is a question that I am sure most of you have asked at one time or another. 

            Because we did not create ourselves, we cannot tell ourselves what we were created for; so we must look to Someone other than us.

The Bible says us that God created us for a purpose. And we have spent the last 28 days looking at what those purposes are.

The first purpose of life is: Worship: we were planned for God’s pleasure. The second purpose of life is Fellowship: we were formed for God’s family.

And the 3^rd purpose of life, the 3^rd reason we created is to become Like Jesus Christ. This process is called Discipleship. God wants us to become like His Son.

If we were created to become like Jesus Christ, then while we are on this earth, we must do what Jesus did. “What did Jesus do?” you ask.

Well, this is the 4^th purpose of life.

The Bible says: “…we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10, NIV)

You see dear friend, “We were made to make a contribution, not just to consume. God made us to make a difference. What matters is not how long you live, but how you live. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life.” (Warren, PDL. Sermon #5)

The Bible reminds us that we were created for a purpose; we were meant to make a contribution.

1 Peter 4:10 says: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” (NIV) We are here to serve one another.

This is the fourth purpose of life. We were created to Serve God and to Serve others. We are not here just to take up space. If we were created to become like Jesus Christ, then we will follow His example and serve.

The Bible has a name for this and it’s called Ministry, and like worship, fellowship, and even discipleship, ministry has often been misunderstood.

Many people think that ministry is just for Pastors. Only Pastors are called to do ministry. But that’s simply not true.

The Bible reminds us that each person who is saved by the Blood of the Lamb is a minister; not a pastor, but a minister.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5: “…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

¹⁸ (And) all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Cor. 5:18b-20, NLT2)

Those who have given our lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ are ministers. We have a message to proclaim, and we are all ministers of the Gospel of Jesus. Not everyone is a pastor, but everyone is a minister.

God has given each person special abilities and experiences to serve the church. And anytime you use your time, talent and treasure to help someone in the church, you are ministering to that person.

Each person who claims to follow Jesus is a minister, and we are all called

to serve.

Shortly after Jesus had talked to His disciples about His impending death, James and John came and spoke to Jesus.

“Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

³⁶ “What is your request?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

³⁹ “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. ⁴⁰ But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant.

⁴² So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over

those under them.

⁴³ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.

⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35-45, NLT2)

Jesus reminded His disciples that the way to greatness is not by “lording it over other people’; nor is it by exercising your authority, but the way to greatness is by serving other people.

As a great example of this truth, Jesus told His disciples that He came to this earth not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom.

Jesus came to this earth to serve. In our purist of Jesus, we must follow His example, and we do so in at least 2 ways:

#1. Serving like Jesus means being available.

One day, (not too long after this lesson on serving) Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho when all of a sudden: “two blind men…shouted, “Lord have mercy on us!’…Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?’ He asked.” (Matthew 20:30-32, NIV) 

I want to you to notice what Jesus did in this account.

He didn’t walk right on by. He didn’t pretend He was too busy. I’ll have you notice that Jesus stopped.

In fact, most of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions. Of all the things Jesus did, of all the people Jesus healed, most of them were interruptions. He was on His way to do something else. But because Jesus stopped, lives were changed.

If we are going to be used by God, we must be willing to be interrupted.

ILLUSTRATION- There was a day that I would be bothered by interruptions. I used to hate hearing the phone ring, or hearing a knock at my door, as I was working on a message—about interruptions.

            But more and more, I’m convinced that God can, does, and wants to speak during the interruptions of life. If I want to be used by God, I must be available.

            Someone wise once said: “God doesn’t want your ability; He wants your availability.”

            John Wesley said: “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”

            God wants us to be open to the situations that He will put in our path, for every situation is a way that we can serve God and serve other people.

            Instead of looking for one or two huge areas to be involved in; start looking

for God in the details of your life, because every opportunity is a way to step up and serve God; but we must be available. 

            And don’t think that you’re too busy to help someone out. The Bible says: “If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” (Pr. 3:28, NLT2) 

            The first truth that we need to keep in mind if we are going to serve is we must be available.

            #2 Serving like Jesus means being faithful.

ILLSUTRATION- The story is told of an old missionary couple returning to America after years of ministry in Africa.

They were arriving in New York to retire with no pension, their health broken, very much discouraged and afraid.

            The couple discovered that they were on the same ship with President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

All through the journey they observed passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the President, while no one even knew they existed.

When the ship docked in New York, the mayor and other dignitaries were there to greet the President as a brass band played in his honor.

No one noticed the missionary couple as they slipped quietly off the ship, and settled in to their new life.

That night the man's spirit broke. "This is all wrong!" he cried out. "We have given our lives in service in Africa and no one even cares, but this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes over him. It isn't right! God isn't treating us fairly!"

Patiently, his wife responded, "Why don't you go into the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

After a few minutes he emerged from his prayer room, with a completely different expression.

"What happened?" his wife asked.

"The Lord settled it with me," he said. "I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one even met us as we returned home.

And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But you're not home yet'!" (adapted from: http://www.preaching.com/sermon-illustrations/11567153/page-3/)

Not everything we do will be rewarded while we are here on this earth. We may not receive a warm reception for each act of service, but we must be faithful

nonetheless.

Jesus said: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4, NIV)

Jesus was faithful in fulfilling His act of service; He didn’t give up, give out, or give in. He remained faithful.

In our purist of Jesus, we must remain faithful in our acts of service. The Bible says: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9, NIV)

It also says: “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Cor. 15:58b, NLT2)

Nothing that we for the Lord is ever wasted. God takes notice, even if no one else ever does.

You see church, each one of us has a part to play in God’s Kingdom; there is a job for everyone. The Bible says:

“…the body has many different parts, not just one part. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.

¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part!

²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.

²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor. 12:18-27, NLT2)

There is not one part of our physical bodies that are unimportant, and there is not one part of Christ’s Body that is unimportant.

Each person has a part to play in the Body of Christ, and if you do not step up and use your gift and abilities for the benefit of others, the whole body will suffer.

God has each of us here in this church, at this time, for a very important reason. There is an area of ministry just for you.

If you want to know what you can do, come and talk to me. My list of ministry opportunities is growing by the hour.

Each person in this room has something to offer the Body of Christ. The question is: are you available? Will you use what God has given you to serve His church?

ILLUSTRATION- A minister was approached by a man who wanted to join the church. “But,” the man said, “I have a very busy schedule. I can’t be called on for any service, such as committee work, teaching, or singing.

I won’t be available for special projects or to help with setting up chairs or things like that. And I’m afraid I’ll never be able to go on visitation, as my evenings are all tied up.”

The minister thought for a moment, and then replied, “I believe you’re at

the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right.”

The man followed the preacher’s directions and soon came to an abandoned, boarded up, closed church building. It was a dead church—it had gone out of business.” (NCBSIQ, 800)

God is not looking for your excuses, God is simply looking for you to step up and serve Him in the church.

Things will never slow down; there will never be a better time than right now to get involved and fulfill your 4^th purpose in life.

God is looking to use you; but in order to be used, you must be available and you must be faithful.  

Purpose Driven Life, Week 4

This post is the next message in our 40 Days of Purpose. Enjoy

            We are a little over half way through our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign.

            We began this campaign a few weeks ago by asking the most important question on earth: What on earth am I here for?

            So far, we have looked at 2 of the 5 answers to this question. Our first reason for being here; our first purpose in life is: Worship: we were planned for God’s pleasure.

The second purpose of life is Fellowship: we were formed for God’s family.

Worship is loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and fellowship is loving our neighbour as our self.

This week, we are going to examine our 3^rd purpose in this life.  I want to warn you now; this is where things get intense. The reading gets intense, the message is intense. This is where the dial gets turned up. But don’t let that scare youà it takes work to become like Christ.

The Bible says: “…God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son…” (Romans 8:29a, NLT2)

From the beginning of time, it has been God’s plan for you and me to become like Jesus Christ.

God doesn’t want you to be a god; He wants you to be godly.

He wants to develop your character; He wants to develop your actions. He wants to develop your thoughts, He wants to develop how you respond to people; in short, God wants to completely make over your life.

ILLUSTRATION—Chances are pretty good that you have seen one of the “extreme makeover” television shows that were on a while back. 

In case you missed the series, the basic premise is that everything, from people to houses, were transformed from something ugly into something beautiful.  

            This is what God wants to do with your life. He wants to take what is ugly and transform you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. So the third purpose of our life is: Discipleship—we were created to become like Jesus Christ.

            The Bible says in Romans 8:28: “…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)

            Paul is quick to remind us that God will use whatever He wants to transform us into the people that He desires us to be. God will use good things and God will use not so good things.

“All things” means “all things”. God will use everything in our life to make us like Jesus Christ.

            “Author and speaker Elisabeth Elliott says nothing is a waste with God. He takes everything, even the slightest detail, and works it all together for our good.” (Stanley, 2010, Oct. 8) God uses all things to make us like Jesus Christ.

I would like to look at 3 of those “all things” that God will use to make us like Jesus.

#1 God uses troubles to teach us to trust Him.

We read in Romans 5: “…troubles produce patience.⁴ And patience produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4, NCV)

The Bible reminds us that God uses troubles to forge our character. He uses the hard times of our life to transform us into the likeness of His Son.

Mark chapter 14 tells us of the most troubling time in the life of Jesus. It was the night before He was to be crucified for the sins of humanity; the night before our darkest hour, so He asked His small group to journey with Him into the Garden.

“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be

deeply distressed and troubled.

34 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." (Mark 14:32-34, NIV)

Jesus was in a world of hurt.

His time had come and as He was facing His darkest hour, He told His disciples: “…My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death...” (Mk. 14:34a, NLT2)

Jesus was under intense pressure and He wanted His disciples to watch and pray while He went to talk with God.

Jesus prayed for two things. First, He prayed for a way out: “Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.” (Mark 14:36a, NIV)

Jesus asked for the trouble He was experiencing to be taken away from Him.

This leads me to believe that it’s all right for me to ask God to take the trouble that I may be experiencing away… but don’t stop there, because Jesus didn’t stop there.

Notice the second thing He prayed for: “…Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:36a, NIV)

Jesus was more concerned with God’s will being carried out in His life than He was about His personal comfort. Jesus wanted God’s will to be done.

Here’s what we need to learn from Jesus: God wants us to trust Him in our times of trouble. God wants us to look to Him in our times of trouble.

You see, it’s easy to trust God when everything is going good, but the real test is: do we trust God when life sucks? Will we look to God in times of trouble?

ILLUSTRATION-The story is told that Alexander the Great had a favourite doctor who always went with him into battle.

            This doctor had another doctor who was envious of him, who wanted to get his position.

One day, the envious doctor wrote to Alexander and told him that his personal physician was going to poison him; that the next morning when he took his wine, there would be death in the bottle.

            The emperor read the note to himself, and the next morning when his doctor handed him the wine glass, he took it, held it in his hand, and read the letter out loud.

            Before his doctor could deny the accusation, Alexander drank all the wine in his cup.

            Alexander the Great showed he trusted his physician with all his heart.

There was not a shadow of distrust between them. Is that the way you treat God? (Reed, 1996, 297-298)

            The Bible says: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last

forever!

¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18, NLT2)

            Do we look at the troubles in our life of do we look to God? Do we trust God to do the right thing?

Jesus trusted God, and if we’re going to be like Him, we must work on trusting God in times of trouble.

            This takes time, it isn’t something that will come overnight, but as we rely less on ourselves and more on His power, we can begin to trust in Him.

            #2- God uses temptation to teach us to Obey.

            Notice I didn’t say God causes temptation. James 1:13 says: “…remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” (NLT2)

            God does not cause temptation, but He will use temptation to teach us to

obey.

            Do you know that temptation always provides us with a choice? Two choices, actually.

            We have the choice to obey God and walk away from temptation, or we have the choice to give in and disobey God.

            Again looking at the example of Jesus, I’d have you turn over to Matthew 4.

After Jesus was baptized, the Bible says: “...Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

³ During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off!

For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

⁸ Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

⁹ “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” (Matthew 4:1-10, NLT2)

During His 40 day journey, Jesus was tempted.

During our journey, we will be tempted. What we need to remember is that God can use our temptations to teach us obedience.

Jesus teaches us, in His experience, that every temptation is an opportunity to make the right choice, and temptation, really is all about choices.

Temptation asks: will I choose God, or will I choose that thing that will take me away from God? Temptation is always a test of what do I love the most in my life?

Obedience, choosing to say “yes to God”, is a matter of love. Remember, Jesus said: "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15, NIV)

If we say “yes” to God and “no” to the things that will take us away from God, we will grow closer to God; but if we give into temptation, we take a step back from God.

Know friends, if we do give into temptation, we can come back to God. The Bible says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV)

If we`ve messed up, we can come back, but the Good News of Jesus Christ is that we can stand tall in times of temptation.

God will use temptation to make us more like Jesus Christ. So remember this truth:

``No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Cor. 10:13, NIV)

            God can use temptation to make us like Jesus Christ. And if we are tempted; He will provide a way of escape; but we’ve got to take it.

            Martin Luther once said: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” 

            Resisting temptation is not allowing birds to make their nest in your hair. It’s taking the way of escape that God has already providedà His word, or someone in your small group.

            Resisting temptation will help you become more like Jesus Christ.

            #3 God uses wrongs to teach us to forgive.

            The final example in the life of Jesus is taken from His time on the cross.

            The Bible says: “People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus… and the elders made fun of him…even the bandits who had been crucified with Him insulted Him in the same way.” (Matthew 27:39-44, TEV)

            As Jesus hung on the cross for the sins of humanity, people ridiculed, scoffed, mocked and rejected Him.

            Peter reminds us that: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats….” (1 Peter 2:23a, NIV)

            What did Jesus do when He was nailed to a cross for our sins?

            What did Jesus do when He was rejected?

            What did Jesus do when He was laughed at?

            He forgave.

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing….” (Luke 23:34, NLT2)

            Even as He was on the cross, Jesus still offered forgiveness to those who rejected Him.

            In our pursuit of Jesus, we are going to have to forgive those who wrong us. This will not be an overnight issue, but we will have to forgive those who have

wronged us.

ILLUSTRATION- A few months ago, the Lord confronted me with a person that I needed to forgive.

            I had been angry at this person for a very long time; they had hurt me in a big way, and each time this person’s name was mentioned, I would be among the first to insult, or ridicule them.

            The Lord led me to two verses in Matthew 18. “…Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

As I read these words, the Lord confronted me and reminded me that I was to forgive this person, even though they had hurt me deeply; even though they continue to hurt me to this day.

I sat in my office that day and wept. I made the choice to forgive this person for the years of wrong that they had inflicted in my life.

Even today when I think about what this person has done, I must make the conscious decision to forgive.

The Bible says: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32, NIV)

If we are going to learn to become like Jesus Christ, we are going to have to learn how to forgive people. Forgiveness is not excusing what’s been done; but it does free us up to live in God’s grace.

God’s third purpose for your life is to make you like Jesus Christ. And if that’s true, then He’s going to take you through everything that Jesus went

through.

That means He’s going to take you through a Gethsemane, an experience of trouble where you learn to trust His love.

He’s going to take you through a desert, an experience of temptation, where you learn to obey Him and do the right thing.

And He’s going to take you to the cross, a time of wrong, were you learn to forgive.

While I don’t know what you’re going through, I do know that God wants to help you. If you are struggling with temptation, if you are enduring a time of trouble, or if you have been wronged, know that you can cry out to Jesus this morning; know that God is here and He’s ready and willing to reach out and touch your life.

He might not take your pain and problems away, but God will use all things to make you like Jesus Christ.