Part
4 (think it through)
INTRODUCTION
What you naturally want is often in conflict with what you ultimately value. But your heavenly Father knows what you need. He wants for you what you really want. So, how do you put aside those natural wants and pursue what you ultimately value?
So, what do you want?
The goal
The goal of
this series is not just for believers to align with the wants that God has for
you, but also for the un-believers to hopefully wrestle with some questions as
to what you truly want in your life and for your life.
So let’s get to it, the big questions
of the day is: What do you want?
·
The
answer is different for everyone
·
The
older you get there seems to be less “what”
·
When
your younger there is more “what”
·
In
different seasons of life the “what” changes
·
But
one things is for sure there we always want something!
Recap
·
One thing is for sure, we want our way!
·
And we want to do what we want to do!
o
What we really want is perpetual
pleasure!
·
And you may not know what you want, but
you know you want it now!
o Regret
always starts with getting something we want
o
This wanting thing, is a tricky thing!!
o
Sometimes getting or way, we lose our
way
Sometimes we will do whatever we can to get
what we want!
·
You
say I wouldn’t kill for anything, really??
o We kill friendships
o We kill work deals
o We kill families
o We kill marriages
o We destroy the things that mean the
most to us for what we want
·
To
get what we want!
Here is the problem.
Most
of don’t know what we really want, because we are so distracted by what we want,
what we desire right now!
The skinny of it all
What we really what we rarely explore!
“What we really want lurks in a realm that we
rarely explore” Andy Stanley
The good news!
·
God,
your father, wants more for you
·
He
doesn’t want more from you
·
He
wants more for you!
·
And
lurking in the shadows is what you ultimately want
o What you value
o What is really important!
·
So,
for the next few weeks we are going to help you find what you really value!!
What naturally drives us is not what we
truly value
·
We
are naturally driven to do what feels good now, not what gets us to what we
REALLY want
Romans
7:15 (NIV)
15I do not understand what I do. For what
I (really) want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do.
So
now we know the problem how to we start to figure out what we really want, what
is really important, what we really Value??
Last Week
·
Did you do the exercise?
For Christians, we take it one step
farther! What does GOD what for us!
·
Remember
God is a father that doesn’t want anything from us, but wants things for us
·
We
somehow think that what we want is different from what God wants is different
·
And
that may be true about what you natural want in a fallen world
·
But
if you dig deep I bet you will find that you want what God wants for you
·
The
eulogy exercise will show you that what you really want, is not that far apart
from what God wants for you
·
And
that surrendering to God and his will for your life will get you to where you
truly want to be!
So, what does God want for you??
Galatians
5:22–23 (NIV)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.
So, I hope that the last 3 weeks have
helped you find out what it is that you really want!
·
It’s
hard to find
·
Only
you can find it
·
And
until you do, life will be much harder
·
More
disappointments
·
And
with less love
·
Peace
and joy!
When we discover what we really values,
we are less prone to settle for what we merely want!
We need to think it through!!
The kingdom of this world cannot give
you what you really want
·
The
world we live in
·
The
values that drive society
·
Cannot
and never will give you what you really want
The kingdom of this world is designed
to distract you from what really matters to you!
·
We
all know this
·
The
natural nature of the fallen world is fueled by the natural
·
And
its all a distraction from what we really want
The kingdom of this world is fueled by
two things
·
Upgrades
o Sound familiar
o We upgrade constantly
·
And
experiences
o Relational experiences
o Emotional experiences
·
And
there is nothing wrong with either
o Unless it distracts you from what you
really want
What we really want can’t be
·
Packaged
·
Marketed
·
Or
sold
·
There
is no App for that
·
There
is no Rap for that
·
No
one can help you with this
·
They
can only distract you from it
So, for you to discover what you really
want
·
You
have to spend time looking for it
·
But
don’t be surprised if you find that what you really want and what God wants for
aren’t one in the same
·
And
maybe, just maybe the God you have been running from, is the God you should be
running too!
SO, how do we stay in the habit of
pursuing what we really want?
Romans
12:1 (NIV)
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and
sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
I urge you!
·
He
is saying “HEY pay attention”!
·
This
is important, don’t miss this!
In view of Gods mercy
·
For
the past 11 chapters, he has in great detail explained Gods grace and mercy for
his children
·
Not
because Gods wrath is so severe
·
Not
because is Judgment is so harsh
Romans
2:4 (NLT)
4Don’t you see how wonderfully kind,
tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you
see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
·
God
is for us
·
And
it’s his mercy, His grace, His kindness that should lead us to trust him and
know that all he wants is things for us!
Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice
·
No
more animals
·
Jesus
paid the price
·
But
he is saying here that we should offer our “bodies” as the sacrifice
o Our behavior
o Our will
o That we follow whatever God wants and
where ever God leads us
·
And
I know that’s like writing a blank check
o That we would do whatever, whenever,
however God leads
o And that sounds irrational
o But its not!
This is your true and proper (logical) worship
·
He
is saying this is the logical thing to do
·
In
view of God’s mercy
·
In
view of God’s grace
·
In
view of God’s Kindness
·
It’s
the logical thing to do
·
Because
of all that God has done for us
The practical
Romans
12:2 (NIV)
2Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do not conform to the patterns of this
world!
·
Don’t
follow the norm
·
Not
fit the mold
·
Don’t
fall for upgrades and experiences
·
Don’t
be distracted by the kingdom of this world
But be transformed by the renewing of
your mind
·
There
is a process
·
Over
time you have been pressed into the mold if this world
·
And
it is time for a transformation
·
It
is time for a change
And we do that by a renewing of our
minds!
·
Behavior
modification wont work
·
We
have to start to think differently
·
We
have to start to think like God thinks
o When we start to see the world as God
sees
o When we start to see marriage like God
sees
o When we start to start seeing Money the
God sees
o When we start to value what Gods values
·
We
are more inclined to do what God what’s us to do
·
It’s
time for you and for me to renew our minds!
New testament imperatives, apart from
new testament thinking, results in short-term obedience and long-term
frustration!
·
Simply
following the do’s and don’ts of Jesus
·
Without
changing you thinking
·
Will
cause short term obedience
·
And
cause you to be frustrated and feel like you failed
·
Because
you never changed your thinking!
·
And
this is why people leave church
·
They
never figure out it’s not just a do or don’t
·
It’s
a new way of looking at everything on your life
·
And when you see things differently, you
act differently
It’s time to take off the old and put
on the new
·
What is the old?
o What I naturally want
o What I want now
o Things
o Upgrades
o Experiences
o Things of this world
o Lies that you have believed about
§ Money
§ Marriage
§ Sex
§ Work
§ Family
§ friendships
·
What is the new?
o What I ultimately want
o What I want later
o What God ultimately wants for me
o Its Character
o Its peace
o Its love
o Its joy
o It’s the renewing of your mind
§ To a different way of thinking
§ To challenge the natural of this world
§ To see the world as Gods does
Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
·
Then
you will be able to examine everything you do through Gods eyes
·
And
then you can test everything against Gods will for you
·
And
God’s will for you is
o Good
o Pleasing
o And perfect
·
And
you will finally find
o Love
o Peace
o And joy for your life!
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