LIVING WITH PURPOSE TRUST THE PROCESS 1
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A CONSISTENT MESSAGE PETER S SECOND SERMON ACTS 3 STEPHEN S DEFENCE ACTS 7 PAUL S SERMON IN PISIDIAN ANTIOCH ACTS 13 10
THE REAL CONCLUSION GOD HAS DIRECTED ALL OF HISTORY PERSONALLY FOR ALL THOSE WHO WOULD COME TO FAITH IN CHRIST NAS 1 CORINTHIANS 10:6 NOW THESE THINGS HAPPENED AS EXAMPLES FOR US, 11 NOW THESE THINGS HAPPENED TO THEM AS AN EXAMPLE, AND THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR OUR INSTRUCTION, UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE AGES HAVE COME. 11
ACTS 13:44-52 1. LIVING OUT VOCATION 13:44 2. MIXED RESULTS A. FAILURE 13:45-46A B. SUCCESS 13:46B-48 3. LIVING OUT VOCATION 13:49 4. FAILURE 13:50-51 5. TRUSTING THE PROCESS 13:52 12
1. LIVING OUT VOCATION NIV ACTS 13:44 ON THE NEXT SABBATH ALMOST THE WHOLE CITY GATHERED TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD. 13
2. MIXED RESULTS A. FAILURE NIV ACTS 13:45 WHEN THE JEWS SAW THE CROWDS, THEY WERE FILLED WITH JEALOUSY AND TALKED ABUSIVELY AGAINST WHAT PAUL WAS SAYING. 46 THEN PAUL AND BARNABAS ANSWERED THEM BOLDLY: "WE HAD TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD TO YOU FIRST. B. SUCCESS NIV ACTS 13:46 SINCE YOU REJECT IT AND DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELVES WORTHY OF ETERNAL LIFE, WE NOW TURN TO THE GENTILES. 47 FOR THIS IS WHAT THE LORD HAS COMMANDED US: "'I HAVE MADE YOU A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.'" 48 WHEN THE GENTILES HEARD THIS, THEY WERE GLAD AND HONORED THE WORD OF THE LORD; AND ALL WHO WERE APPOINTED FOR ETERNAL LIFE BELIEVED. 14
3. LIVING OUT VOCATION NIV ACTS 13:49 THE WORD OF THE LORD SPREAD THROUGH THE WHOLE REGION. 15
4. FAILURE NIV ACTS 13:50 BUT THE JEWS INCITED THE GOD-FEARING WOMEN OF HIGH STANDING AND THE LEADING MEN OF THE CITY. THEY STIRRED UP PERSECUTION AGAINST PAUL AND BARNABAS, AND EXPELLED THEM FROM THEIR REGION. 51 SO THEY SHOOK THE DUST FROM THEIR FEET IN PROTEST AGAINST THEM AND WENT TO ICONIUM. 16
5. TRUSTING THE PROCESS NIV ACTS 13:52 AND THE DISCIPLES WERE FILLED WITH JOY AND WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. 17
NIV 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24 DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT IN A RACE ALL THE RUNNERS RUN, BUT ONLY ONE GETS THE PRIZE? RUN IN SUCH A WAY AS TO GET THE PRIZE. 25 EVERYONE WHO COMPETES IN THE GAMES GOES INTO STRICT TRAINING. THEY DO IT TO GET A CROWN THAT WILL NOT LAST; BUT WE DO IT TO GET A CROWN THAT WILL LAST FOREVER. 26 THEREFORE I DO NOT RUN LIKE A MAN RUNNING AIMLESSLY; I DO NOT FIGHT LIKE A MAN BEATING THE AIR. 27 NO, I BEAT MY BODY AND MAKE IT MY SLAVE SO THAT AFTER I HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS, I MYSELF WILL NOT BE DISQUALIFIED FOR THE PRIZE. 18
RECOGNIZING THE PROCESS 19
NIV EPHESIANS 1:11 IN HIM WE WERE ALSO CHOSEN, HAVING BEEN PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO THE PLAN OF HIM WHO WORKS OUT EVERYTHING IN CONFORMITY WITH THE PURPOSE OF HIS WILL, NAS ROMANS 8:26 AND IN THE SAME WAY THE SPIRIT ALSO HELPS OUR WEAKNESS; FOR WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY AS WE SHOULD, BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF INTERCEDES FOR US WITH GROANINGS TOO DEEP FOR WORDS; 28 AND WE KNOW THAT GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. " 37 BUT IN ALL THESE THINGS WE OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 20
NIV JOB 37:5 GOD'S VOICE THUNDERS IN MARVELOUS WAYS; HE DOES GREAT THINGS BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING. NIV JOB 12:13 "TO GOD BELONG WISDOM AND POWER; COUNSEL AND UNDERSTANDING ARE HIS. NIV ISAIAH 40:13 WHO HAS UNDERSTOOD THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR INSTRUCTED HIM AS HIS COUNSELOR? 21
UNDERSTANDING ADVERSITY 22
NIV ISAIAH 28:29 ALL THIS ALSO COMES FROM THE LORD ALMIGHTY, WONDERFUL IN COUNSEL AND MAGNIFICENT IN WISDOM. NIV PROVERBS 16:4 THE LORD WORKS OUT EVERYTHING FOR HIS OWN ENDS-- EVEN THE WICKED FOR A DAY OF DISASTER. NIV AMOS 3:6 WHEN A TRUMPET SOUNDS IN A CITY, DO NOT THE PEOPLE TREMBLE? WHEN DISASTER COMES TO A CITY, HAS NOT THE LORD CAUSED IT? NIV ACTS 2:23 THIS MAN WAS HANDED OVER TO YOU BY GOD'S SET PURPOSE AND FOREKNOWLEDGE; AND YOU, WITH THE HELP OF WICKED MEN, PUT HIM TO DEATH BY NAILING HIM TO THE CROSS. NIV ACTS 4:28 THEY DID WHAT YOUR POWER AND WILL HAD DECIDED BEFOREHAND SHOULD HAPPEN. 23
CONCLUSIONS 24
LOVE, TRUST, AND OBEY THE LORD NAS DEUTERONOMY 7:9 "KNOW THEREFORE THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD, HE IS GOD, THE FAITHFUL GOD, WHO KEEPS HIS COVENANT AND HIS LOVINGKINDNESS TO A THOUSANDTH GENERATION WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS; NAS DEUTERONOMY 10:12 "AND NOW, ISRAEL, WHAT DOES THE LORD YOUR GOD REQUIRE FROM YOU, BUT TO FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD, TO WALK IN ALL HIS WAYS AND LOVE HIM, AND TO SERVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, NAS DEUTERONOMY 6:5 "AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT. 25
LOVE ONE ANOTHER NIV JOHN 15:12 MY COMMAND IS THIS: LOVE EACH OTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. 13 GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS. 26
VALUE GOD ABOVE ALL ESV MATTHEW 6:33 BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU. NAS COLOSSIANS 3:1 IF THEN YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH CHRIST, KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST IS, SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. 2 SET YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THE THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH. NIV HEBREWS 12:2 LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD. NIV 2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 SO WE FIX OUR EYES NOT ON WHAT IS SEEN, BUT ON WHAT IS UNSEEN. FOR WHAT IS SEEN IS TEMPORARY, BUT WHAT IS UNSEEN IS ETERNAL. 27
TRUST GOD TO WORK THINGS OUT NAS PHILIPPIANS 1:6 FOR I AM CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFECT IT UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. NIV 1 CORINTHIANS 1:8 HE WILL KEEP YOU STRONG TO THE END, SO THAT YOU WILL BE BLAMELESS ON THE DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. NIV 1 PETER 5:10 AND THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, WHO CALLED YOU TO HIS ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST, AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED A LITTLE WHILE, WILL HIMSELF RESTORE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONG, FIRM AND STEADFAST. 28
TRUST THE PROCESS NAS 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24 DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT THOSE WHO RUN IN A RACE ALL RUN, BUT ONLY ONE RECEIVES THE PRIZE? RUN IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU MAY WIN. 29