Sermon Central
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Wait - Don't Run - Temptation To Forsake Series
Contributed by Nick Panico on Apr 28, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the final message in a four part series on Walking Through the Wilderness. This message deals with the temptation to forsake the Lord when life just doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would.
“Wait, Don’t Run”
Wilderness Pt. 4 “Forsaking”
By Pastor Nick S. Panico
(Exo 32:1-4 NKJV) Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” {2} And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” {3} “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. {4} And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
I. Review
A. We are in the fourth and final week of our journey through the wilderness
1. In the book of Romans 8:28-29 a truth is revealed that must capture our hearts and reside in our spirits if we are going to understand God and His working in our lives
2. Lets read these two verses out loud together…
(Rom 8:28-29) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. {29} For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
B. Pay close attention to these two statements which I am about to make…First –You are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus
1. Tell your neighbor right now “God is working on you”…
2. God has predestined you to be like Jesus – in attitude, in behavior, and eventually in glory
3. He is working on your attitudes
a) He is doing things to get at those preconceived ideas you have about Him, and the world around you
b) He is confronting the value systems in your life and is trying to get you to adjust you values to His
4. He is working on your behavior
a) He put that brick wall there that you keep running head on into
b) Some of us have hard heads!
5. God is conforming you into the image of His Son
a) When He is done you will resemble the Son of God in attitude, behavior and glory
(1 John 3:2-3) Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. {3} And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
C. Secondly - The “all things” in Rom. 8:28 means exactly that “all things”
1. Everything that happens in your life as a believer has the potential to conform you into the image of Jesus
2. God who is a redeemer, can redeem everything and anything that takes place in our lives – if we will allow Him to do so
3. Even the tragic and difficult circumstances of life can be redeemed
4. God uses all kinds of circumstances…
a) He uses blessings, and mountain top experiences
b) and difficult circumstances, crisis and tragedies, to perfect the image of His Son in us
D. Our focus has been on the Wilderness experiences of life, and the temptations one confronts during these times of leanness… spiritual dryness… and how they play an important role in our being conformed to the image of the Son of God
E. three weeks ago we confronted the temptation of fear in the wilderness
1. We discovered that in times when our human effort is not enough to change our circumstances…
2. And fear begins to grip our hearts, we must stand still, and look up, and watch the salvation of the Lord come our way
F. two weeks ago, we confronted the temptation of frustration
1. This time instead of complaining and becoming bitter about the circumstances we find ourselves in…
2. we learned the importance of setting our heart on the pilgrimage and speaking words of faith,…
3. in the midst of frustration you have to keep reminding yourself that you are just passing through this..
4. and you will make it through if you keep your eyes on the Lord who knows the way through the wilderness
5. and we learned the importance of diligently obeying God while in the midst of frustration
6. – doing the right thing in the wilderness is vital
