Sermon Central
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Help, I See Fat People
Contributed by Joshua Bowers on Nov 20, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: I think God wants us to be FAT. Faithful, Available, Teachable.
I see FAT people.
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
A. This morning I would like to speak to you about goals. I know that when you saw the title of the sermon you probably thought I was going to teach on gluttony or something but what I want to share with you is the importance of setting the right goals in life. I am not going to speak so much about what exactly is the right goal but I want us to take a very brief look at the building blocks we need to have in place to be capable of setting the right goals.
B. Consider the importance of having a goal for these people.
Columbus To prove the world was round
Pilgrims To settle in a new world
Revolutionaries To declare freedom from tyranny
Union One united nation w/o slavery
Allied Powers Liberation from Nazism
NFL Super bowl
Major League baseball World Series
Ricky Nurse
Jonda Teacher
Scott wants to know what he is doing
C. It is important for us to have something we are shooting for. I like the song that says “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
D. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to meet our goals. Sometimes our goals seem to be impossible but if we ever want to reach them we have got to press on. The devil would like nothing more than to see you fail. God has provided a way for you to succeed.
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
E. In pursuing our goals we need to make sure we after the things God is after in our lives. We need to be sure that we are on HIS page and not hoping he is on ours. A lot of people act as if God is a Well-Fare check. I have heard people, as have you, say they were called to be wealthy or powerful. I have my doubts about that. God’s goals in our lives will build up His kingdom, not our own. The major side effect of pursuing the goals of God is that our lives will be blessed in the process.
F. I have often heard of people trying to reach their goals by their own power. God’s power is like a jet engine whereas our power, by comparison, is struggling to be a bottle rocket, at best.
3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
G. We need to be certain that our goals are God’s goals for our lives and, furthermore, that we are trying to reach those goals with the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
H. In order to build a car you need to have a car garage. It wouldn’t do well to try to build a car in an ice cream shop. The proper equipment isn’t in place for success. If we want to build a person following God’s goals than we need to provide the proper workshop to bring about that result.
I. This is why I am convinced that God likes and desires us to be FAT. God wants FAT people. Fat People are Faithful, Available and Teachable.
Faithful
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
A. We must serve God faithfully. Sometimes it can be difficult to serve what is unseen. We who are in the faith business occasionally find ourselves even trying to figure out if it is all worth it. The fact is we must remain faithful. Some days it feels like I can only give God 10% before I find myself exhausted. God will take that 10% if that is what I have to offer. He will use that faithfulness to show me Himself so that I can again give him 100%
