“Straining Toward What Is Ahead”
- We are called to live a life with Holy Wreckless Abandon
- We are all going to be crushed by God! Either crushed by His wrath on our sin or crushed by His mercy & grace because we believe in Jesus who has already taken wrath for us!
Philippians 3:13
Luke 10:25-37
Dan Lian shared a message at NewSpring at the 6pm service in May 2012 about the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and asked 3 questions…those 3 questions changed the course of my “career” & I can see these same questions all over Luke 10 as we talk about straining ahead
- Do You Love Your Life?
- Priest vs. Levite vs. Traveler
- Priest: Carries out the Acts of God (Law)
- Levite: In the Presence of God (Law)
- Traveler: Walks in Obedience to God (Mercy)
- We often think that God’s plan is far off…but actually it is right in front of us (the man beaten, robbed and half naked)
- God’s plan for our life isn’t always glamorous…it’s simply helping others instead of just talking about helping others!
- The #1 Calling on our lives as a Christian is to Go & Tell! (Matthew 28:19-20)
- Priest vs. Levite vs. Traveler
- Do You Love Your Work?
- Traveler spent 2 days wages to pay for the beaten man…you wouldn’t spend that kind of money unless you loved what you are doing!
- Priest and Levite were taught to help others, but they were so caught up in what others looked like & what others thought that they forgot that they were commanded to only love God & Love Others as themselves!
- Often God’s plan involves people and places we have written off as “dead and worthless”…but those places are exactly where He wants us to be!
- Many times we neglect God’s Plan for our lives because we don’t see results…we are just called to be obedient to the work…only God can make the results
(1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
- Do You Live A Life that would Invoke the Savior to Say “Well Done”?
- The Traveler…lived out Zechariah 4:10 & understood that God blesses humble beginnings
- What if what God made you for won’t be felt for generations down the road? Would you be willing to be a sower that may not see the fruit?
- God Promises the Harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few…but He says that we get to reap where we did not sow! The Harvest we are getting to reap in spreading the Gospel has been on the backs of generations before us begging God to see what we get to see!
- What Does All Of This Mean?
- The Traveler is Jesus and we are the man robbed left for dead! He paid the price for us & will pay the price even when the judgement comes
- God never makes a dull story…every story is AMAZING!
- Your Story matters…so share it! Though the world & religion have passed you by…God’s mercy has not! Share that! God didn’t make your story one of tradition but instead one of REDEMPTION!
- The World is asking the same question the man of the law asked Jesus “How can I live a life that outlasts me?” The world needs to know that hope
- We have to keep our eyes up & see the broken, robbed, half naked left for dead people God has placed in our lives & we just have to share with them the story of the One who came along and saved us! It’s that simple…share what He has done for you on this faith-filled path you are on! Don’t water it down, and act like it’s peaches and cream…share the GRIT…cause in the Grit is where your story of REDEMPTION lies!
TakeAway:
- Who is the ONE person You are going to be Jesus to this week in the way you love them by telling your Story of Redemption?
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Tyler West 