Sermon Central
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Survivors Don't Have To Survive Series
Contributed by Ken Hubbard on Feb 11, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: A sermon on how to stop just "surviving" and start really "living" through obedience and risky faith
INTRO
* Cars going by 100 miles an hour looking straight ahead
* Versus being in the car looking into the person's eyes
* 2 people seeing things different
ƒ{ Saul was discouraged -- outnumbered
o Trying not to lose
ƒ{ Jonathan -- not needing to survive
o He's not the king
o Not going to be the king
ƒ{ Sports -- playing to win
o Or playing not to lose
ƒ{ The Philistines are manned to the thousands
ƒ{ The Israelites are weak, discouraged, only have two swords left
ƒ{ Saul's not wanting to go to battle
ƒ{ He's:
o under resourced
o under powered
o under manned
„X kind of like being in the ministry
ƒ{ Yet Jonathan is getting ready to show us
ƒ{ How not only to be a survivor, but a conqueror
o Saul was on the outskirts
o You never win on the outskirts
o Trying not to lose, playing it safe
ƒ{ God works in concert with us
ƒ{ Jonathan wakes up in the middle of the night and says, let's go.
ƒ{ No strategy -- planning meeting
ƒ{ And becomes the turning point
ƒ{ To me it is one of the most spiritual thing a Christian can do
o I know you think it's:
„X Prayer
„X Worship
„X Bible reading
„X Evangelizing
ƒ{ But all those are a result of choosing to take action.
ƒ{ God is going to defeat the Philistines...
o But, He is waiting for someone to choose to move.
ƒ{ I have found that most of the time in our gut...
o We know what to do
o But don't have the guts to do it.
ƒ{ We camouflage our disobedience with:
o Prayer
o Fasting
o Counsel
„X Saul was on the outskirts
„X Having a prayer meeting
„X Trying to survive
„X While Jonathan was doing something
„X And not worrying about surviving
ƒ{ Now, PH, let's not get ahead of God
ƒ{ You must think that God is really slow
ƒ{ Be careful, you might do something great for the kingdom
o And God won't be there to witness it
ƒ{ Jonathan wakes up his armor bearer and says,
o "Let's go pick a fight"
ƒ{ Why do we think we will mess up the will of God...
o By moving with initiative
o In the direction of what we already know to be the heart of God
ƒ{ If your idea doesn't work -- it doesn't work
ƒ{ Quit trying to survive
ƒ{ That's what I love about the apostle Paul
o Paul the sufferer
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
o What should I think about?
„X "whatever"
o You've been reading it in the Greek, emphasis on the wrong word
o What should I do?
„X "whatever"
o And the God of peace will be with you
o Do whatever
o People waiting to be called
o You don't have to pray about:
„X Tithing
„X Evangelism
„X Ministry
„X Church attendance
o Just do whatever!
„X And the God of peace will be with you
o Take some initiative
o Feel free to fail...
„X But be creative
„X And don't fail at the same thing over and over again!
o If anyone ever knew the will of God it was Paul
o Everyone waiting for a Macedonia call...
„X But Paul really had no idea where he was going
* Verse 6
o Let's go to Asia
o We will be the biggest church in Asia
o The Holy Spirit kept them
o So they changed their mind and went to (verse 7) Bithynia
o But the Spirit of Jesus stopped them
o The whole trinity is trying to stop Paul from going to the wrong place
o So finally, while he is asleep...
„X Paul our hero
EXAMPLE: Video Movie - Far and Away
Dead horse scene
ƒ{ Back to 1 Samuel 14:6
„X When you don't have to survive
* You can embrace uncertainty
„X PERHAPS
„X Maybe we will win
„X Maybe not
„X But let's try!
EXAMPLE: Not building at United
ƒ{ I found it's not clear first,
o It's clear after you move
ƒ{ Everyone wants the part of the verse that says:
o "Nothing can hinder the Lord"
ƒ{ But the focus I want to give is:
o Maybe God will help!
o Then the Lord will act
ƒ{ I often hear Christians say
o "God wasn't in that"
