Sermon Tone Analysis

| *"Great Questions:   /About Changing & Growing in Life"/**  **August 12, 2001* |

 

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*Q 1:  "What does the Bible say about how to *

*live a blessed life?"*

 

*A 1:  ** **/"Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who /*

*/have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

{6} As they pass through the Valley of [Weeping], they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

{7} They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."

Psalms 84:5-7 /*

 

* Did you know it is possible to live as a practical ______________?

It is when I live as though God is not involved in the details of my life.

* The question that can help you break through practical agnosticism is, "What is God _____ _____?"

* The Bible calls us to live as an "Adventurer", not someone who hopes to have a great adventure* *

* How does this relate to the Christian life?

God provides no _____________ notice or travel brochures, describing in detail where we're ________________.

* */"Without faith, it is impossible to please God."  (Hebrews 11:6)  /*You cannot exercise faith and know where you're going every moment.

By definition, faith demands that we step into the __________________.

* This all cuts against the grain of what most of us have been taught.

The Christian life cannot be _______________ by memorized steps, principles, and a predictable plan for each day of your life.

* *

* Oswald Chambers said:  "We are so used to being mathematical that we look at uncertainty as a bad thing.

*________________ _________________ is the mark of the spiritual life*."

He goes on to say that to follow Christ means we do not know what a day may bring.

"This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of *breathless expectation*."

* *

*Q 2:  "How do I change and grow during hard *

*times?"*

*A 2:  "It all comes down to whether you think God can be *

*_______________."*

* God came to Abraham and simply said, "Come.

I want to show you something.

I have great plans for you!"  Abraham was _____  years old when he packed up his tent.

* In the book of Job, it is as though God is on trial.

Satan is the Prosecutor, saying that God only has a following from those He _____________.

* Will you cast your vote for God when life is hard?

Trials reveal who ________really are.

Trials reveal who is our ________.

* The "vote" is the decision we make about whether we will put our trust in God or in ourselves.

*Q 3:  "How do I get my life straightened out so I can *

*start growing, changing and become the person God wants me to be?"  *

* *

*A 3:  "You _______.

You _______.

You simply accept *

*that God has already accepted you (in Christ) and that He sees more in you than you can imagine."*

* *

*/"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, {19} and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

That power is like the working of his mighty strength,"       Ephesians 1:18-19 (NIV)  /*

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* Those words were written by a man who used to be _________ (Paul).

* One of Satan's most destructive lies to us is, "Things will never ________.

Things will never be __________ than they are right now."

* When you don't have an earthly "cheerleader" to convince you of what God wants to do, you need to grab hold of His other gift to you.

________________ is God's gift to us to keep hope for change alive.

*/ [1 Samuel 17:33-35]/*

* *The 3 Essentials for a Life of Growth & Change:*

ð       _________ - imagination fueled by God's dreams for your life

ð       _________ - remembering the past for the future's sake

ð       _________ - passion for the good of God and others

 

| */Summary/*1.

Our lives are not a random series of disconnected events.2.

We have an Enemy who seeks to destroy us.3.

There is Someone in charge of our life.4.

We are God's Beloved.

We decide every day if we will give our hearts to other lovers or to God alone.5.

A life lived in connection with God will always be an Adventure, will never be boring, and will lead us to be constantly changing and growing.6.

God is worth trusting and following.

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