Sermon Tone Analysis

[1] Title

Pray

Last week: Burn The Plows

You may already know how to dream big.

Perhaps you're even ready to burn your plows and leave your old life behind.

Greater: The life-altering understanding that God is ready to accomplish a greatness in your life that is entirely out of human reach-beyond anything you see in yourself on your best day, but exactly what God has seen in you all along

Are you willing to believe God is big enough to call you to something greater, even if that something is no where on your radar or wish list?

God initiates the biggest changes in our lives through small starts.

In other words, a big dream without a small start is just a day dream.

In scripture, faith isn’t just about believing and certainly not about mere thinking.

Faith is about action.

In fact, faith is action.

That’s why James so pointedly said, “Faith without works is dead.”

Faith isn’t a state of mind - it’s a course of action.

Faith is work.

Living the greater life with God means getting your hands dirty.

No one demonstrates this kind of blue-collar, get your hands dirty approach to believing God for greater things than Elisha.

Starting small means preparing for God’s blessing in your life.

Becoming greater means starting small in preparation for God’s blessing in your life.

The story of Elisha commanding the king of Israel to dig ditches in the Desert of Edom illustrates the importance of our preparation for God's blessing in our lives.

[2-13]

[14] Title

Digging Ditches in Preparation for God’s Blessing

A great need can be a good thing if it leads you to a deeper dependency on God.

What happens when you find yourself stuck in the pursuit of your greater life?

There comes a time in your life where everything you thought you could do doesn’t happen.

The problem lies not in not knowing how to dream big, but in not knowing how to start small.

God doesn’t want me to use him to meet my needs.

He wants to use my needs to bring me to him.

When the king of Israel came to Elisha, his needs were prompting him to look for a solution.

But Elisha pointed him towards God, who would ultimately be their only solution.

God is not your shortcut.

God is your only solution.

If you’re using God just to get the greater things he can bring that’s not faith, it’s idolatry.

Great things are often what drive us to God.

But there are certain things that we must do to play our part in seeing God’s miracles in our lives.

Inspiration vs Implementation

Many of us try to use God for sheer motivation or inspiration, but rarely progress to the point of actually putting into practice what God calls us to do.

Miracles are not magic tricks.

Faith is not a lottery ticket.

Faith is a work order.

Transformation happens through participation in the purpose of God

The king came to Elisha looking for a miracle.

But Elisha gave them a set of instructions.

Everyone wants a calling until it calls.

Are you willing to play your part in the greater calling God has for your life?

Dig a ditch

Do you have enough faith in God to dig a ditch even if you can’t see any rain or hear any wind?

Faith is making preparation for something that you can’t perceive.

We can only assume that everyone in the valley dug all night long, likely not even finishing their irrigation system.

But the next morning, water flowed.

No matter how much faith it takes on our part, it will be an easy thin gin the eyes of the Lord.

If you dig the ditches, God will bring the rain.

What ditches is God calling you to dig?

Are you available?

Are you willing to dig?

He’s not waiting for you to be able.

He’s waiting for you to have the faith to get started.

You don’t control the miracle.

Doing the prep work:

Gardening: Plant, water, God does the growing

Dating: Become the right person

School: Study and learn

Business: Behind the scenes is not glamorous

Church: Study, pray, preach when invited

Do the work.

God sends the rain/blessing.