Resolution Realities
Gtcotr/ss010404
Please turn to The Book of Genesis, Chapter 2
Key Scripture: Genesis 3:9 ¶ But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Each New Year brings thoughts of fresh beginnings. A new or renewed chance to start afresh, to begin again, to leave the old habits and patterns of life behind and start down a new pathway.
Almost anything is possible if we will only begin.
I have heard it said that if we are to have a successful journey, we must begin with the end in mind.
Beginnings are important and a definite first step, however, beginning a task merely opens the possibilities, it does not guarantee success.
Beginning alone does not guarantee success.
Success and achievement of our goals are realized through a combination of principles working together in a process.
Success unfolds one step at a time revealing the completed work.
New Year’s Resolutions seldom succeed, not due to a lack of sincerity or need, but rather due to a lack of the follow through required to achieve the desired results.
You see, there is but one New Year’s Day. It’s followed however, by 364 evident opportunities to live the resolution.
Life is not just one, but rather a series of choices.
We choose to stop one thing and begin another.
Then we choose daily to continue that course or abandon it.
Life is a continuing choice.
I believe that 2004 is a year of choice
A year of choice - A lifetime of consequences
One other thing I believe the Lord put in my heart was that this year was not a year to waste time.
Genesis 2 (NIV)
7 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
18 ¶ The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
21 ¶ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Since the beginning, men have raised Three Great Questions Of Life
1. Where did I come from?
2. Where am I?
3. Where am I going?
The greatest arguments on earth center around the origin of man.
The greatest inventions are aimed at serving us where we are.
The greatest challenge we face is determining where we are going.
I. Where Did I Come From?
A. We don’t know what happened prior to about 6000 years ago.
* Elaborate
B. God created man, as we now know him, from clay and spirit
1. God made woman from Adam’s rib
2. God put them in a Garden of Pleasure and gave them guidelines for life in the garden of pleasure.
C. Adam and Eve chose to go against the guidelines of God, disobeyed Him and went their own way.
1. They had been deceived into thinking they could live in greater pleasure without following God’s guide.
2. They lost the garden of pleasure and were separated from God’s guiding presence and His life giving principles.
3. The carnal, selfish nature of fallen man became the life force that multiplied and dominated as Adam and Eve reproduced children, and families spread abroad on the face of the earth.
D. With no other hope, God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus.
1. To be born of a virgin - All man and yet All God
2. To live a sinless life
3. To die a sacrificial death, atoning for the sins of Adam and all men and women since Adam.
4. To offer to every person a chance to be born again, (John 3), not entering into their mother’s womb a second time, but to be born of the Spirit of God, as a child of God, free from the dominion of sin and more powerful than the carnal and selfish appetites of the flesh.
* To Once Again Offer A Choice To Man
You came from a place where you had no choice, you were doomed in the clutches of satan, held captive in reserve unto death.
II. Where Am I?
A. The bible is full of character references
B. Bible stories about real people in real life situations who offer us a chance to find ourselves in their shoes and help us see where we are in life. Characters like:
* Abraham; Isaac; Jacob; Joseph; Moses; Ester; Daniel; Job; Peter; Jairus; The Woman With The Issue Of Blood; Mary; Martha; The Woman Caught In Adultery; Cornelius; Thomas; Gideon; Paul; Phineas; Barabas; Bathsheba; Ruth; The Lad With Fish And Loaves; The Pharisees; Sadducees; The Young Rich Ruler; One Of The Twelve Spies; Samson; Delilah; Jael; King Saul
* All have stories, real life stories, that were lived out one day at a time, one choice at a time, either following God’s guidelines or abandoning them.
* Character references giving us immeasurable benefits as we survey their lives and decisions, searching to find where we are.
C. Of these, none is more valuable than the life story of David.
* The smallest and youngest son of a Bethlehem sheep farmer
* Anointed to be the King of Israel while in his youth
* Achieved recognition as a battle hardened warrior
* Then spent years in exile, homeless and on the run
* Was ultimately crowned king of all Israel, however
* This process took more than 25 years. Why?
2 Samuel 7:8 “I took you from the pasture, tagging along after sheep, and made you prince (a King) over my people Israel.”
D. Where Are You?
You are in the middle of a making! (God’s got a plan …)
E. What in the world is going on … what’s happening to me?
* The Holy Ghost is happening to you
* You are in a battle.
* The second most dangerous part of the battle is when the devil deceives people into thinking they are not in a battle and that everything is ok just the way it is.
* The most dangerous place is when you start working with the devil to defeat the efforts of the Holy Ghost who is attempting to help you, correct you, instruct you, warn you, deliver you and use you.
F. Life can make you better or bitter, frustrate you or educate you and the choice is yours.
G. Jesus died to give us a choice
Not choosing is the wrong choice
H. What will you choose in your day of battle?
* Proverbs 24:10 ¶ If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.
* Proverbs 24:10 ¶ If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place. (The Message)
11 ¶ Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help.
12 If you say, "Hey, that’s none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know—Someone not impressed with weak excuses.
III. Where Am I Going?
A. Each of us are bound for heaven or hell
* Not only in eternity, but also in this life.
B. Heaven is a once in a lifetime choice
* This choice saves you from an eternity in hell.
* Missing the hell of this life however, requires daily decisions to follow through … to daily follow the guidelines of God.
* Salvation is a beginning … Success in this life will require follow through
C. The single reason most New Year’s Resolutions fail is a failure to follow through.
D. Perhaps it’s a:
* Lack of conviction
* Lack of passion
* Lack of discipline
> The going gets tough and so they go
IV. Conclusion
Where did you come from?
From a place of no choice.
Where are you?
At or approaching the point of decision.
Where are you going?
Depends on your choices.
Visitors Welcome
2004 Discipleship Opportunities
