Sermon Central
-
A Lot Of Christians Have A Tendency To Think That ...
Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 9, 2009 (message contributor)
A lot of Christians have a tendency to think that --- even though it was God’s Grace and Mercy that saved us --- now that we are saved, it’s all up to us to get on with the business of struggling to “live the Christian life” on our own power. We rev up our own dedication, will power, grit, and determination.
Endless UPS and DOWNS are the inevitable result of something within ourselves. They are the natural result of Christians living a SELF-FOCUSED life.
Which reminds me of the old movie from the 80’s – Karate Kid. The famous line is when Mr. Miyagi is training the young Daniel in Karate by having him paint fences and wax cars (wax on wax off) and he says, Focus, Daniel-san. Focus. That’s what we need to do when our Christian life gets off track – Focus Daniel-san, Focus.
But we DON’T need to focus on ourselves and our own will power. We don’t need to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We don’t need to follow that old saying, “God he’ps them who he’ps themselves.” By the way, that’s NOT from the Bible (Poor Richard’s Almanac).
In fact, the Bible gives the opposite advice --- Look at what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians chapter 3: I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Galatians 3:2-3
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Pastor Tells Of Standing By His Father's ... PRO
Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 10, 2002
"A pastor tells of standing by his father’s tombstone and reading the words, "Born 1884 - Died 1970." It suddenly occurred to him how much the little dash between those two dates symbolized". (Herb Miller. Actions Speak Louder Than Verbs. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988, p. 124). It is what we ...read more
-
A Couple Of Years Ago, Newsweek Magazine Ran An ... PRO
Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 6, 2005
A couple of years ago, Newsweek magazine ran an article on “Faith and Healing.” The article began with this unsettling story: “On a quiet Saturday afternoon, Ming He, a fourth-year medical student in Dallas, came across a man dying in the VA Hospital. Suffering from a rare cancer and hooked up ...read more
-
The Dictionary Defines ‘accident' As "An ... PRO
Contributed by W F on Sep 21, 2004
The dictionary defines ‘accident’ as “an unforseen event or one without apparent cause.” Any Christian who understands the sovereignty of God will immediately determine from this definition that there is no such thing as an accident. It’s like the cowboy who goes to buy some life insurance. The ...read more
-
Patience Makes It Happen PRO
Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 10, 2002
PATIENCE MAKES IT HAPPEN "The history books are full of stories of gifted persons whose talents were overlooked by a procession of people until someone believed in them. To name a few ... "Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read". Einstein became ...read more
-
Have You Ever Seen A Straight River? Canals Are ... PRO
Contributed by W F on Sep 21, 2004
Have you ever seen a straight river? Canals are straight, but all rivers seem to be crooked. We call it “meandering.” Why are rivers crooked? Because the natural tendency of a river is to take the easiest way around any obstacle. So rivers are always crooked, and they always run downhill. Some ...read more
Related Sermons
-
I Won't Complain Series
Contributed by Bishop Talbert Swan on May 29, 2010
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. The Lord wants us to speak life.
-
Wade In The Water
Contributed by Harold Miller, Jr. on May 6, 2013
An appeal to have a deeper walk with the Lord
-
Heart Is Where The Home Is Series
Contributed by Pat Damiani on Aug 13, 2007
24th in a series from Ephesians. How to make my heart a place where Jesus can be at home.
-
The Power Of Transformation Series
Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Oct 16, 2012
The Gospel has the power to radically change us from the inside out.
-
Matthew Levis To Wranglers Series
Contributed by Kevin Landis on Dec 9, 2006
Out of the clear blue sky, Take Aim, God is looking for some approved workers
