Sermon Outline February 2, 2014 Difference Makers Moving from Membership to Discipleship Pt. 21 Think Big #2 Reading for Worship Guide John 15: 5-8 Sunday 2/2 Proverbs Ch. 2; John 15: 1-8; Philippians 4: 13 Monday 2/3 Proverbs Ch. 3; Ephesians 3: 14-21 Tuesday 2/4 Proverbs Ch. 4; Ephesians 1: 15-23 Wednesday 2/5 Proverbs Ch. 5; Romans 8: 28-39 Thursday 2/6 Proverbs Ch. 6; Matthew 22: 34-40 Friday 2/7 Proverbs Ch. 7; Hebrews 6: 1-12 Saturday 2/8 Proverbs Ch. 8; Isaiah 46: 1-4 Read: John 15: 1-8 After two wonderful weeks of fasting, praying and being in the awesome presence of God, we are going to reinforce through the Ramah Word of God, the five Difference Maker Principles for THINKING BIG! Our objective is to become grounded and rooted in the Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so we, for the rest of our lives THINK BIG! DIFFERENCE MAKERS Philippians 4: 13 Declaration of a Difference Maker (Christian Life New Testament Porter Barrington): Today I will think like a dynamic servant of God, because I am what I think. I am not always what I think I am; I am what I think. 1
I am not what I eat; I am what I think. Clothes do not make the man or the woman; thinking makes the man or the woman. Therefore I will keep my thought processes active and open to the voice of God. God did not call me to a life of failure, but to a life of excellence. This being so, I cannot fail as long as I do His will, allowing Him to work in and through me, motivating my every thought. Because my God is a big God, I will THINK BIG with confidence, knowing my thoughts can never be bigger than my God. Today, I will think as the apostle Paul thought when he said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) DIFFERENCE MAKERS Acts 17: 6 These [people] who have turned the world upside down have come here also (AMP) MOVING FROM MEMBERSHIP TO DISCIPLESHIP Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. (NIV) SEE BEYOND SELF & THINK BIG John 15: 8 This is to my Father s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. DIFFERENCE MAKERS 2
1. See beyond self A. Their ethical posture is Christ-Centered & Others- Focused B. Add value to the lives of others, their families, communities, work places, churches C. Bear much fruit, glorifying Christ by THINKING BIG! 2. WHAT IS DISCIPLESHIP ABOUT? a. It s about becoming a complete and competent follower of Jesus Christ. b.it s about the intentional training of people who voluntarily submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ and want to become imitators of Christ in every thought, word and deed. c. We become transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. d.discipleship is a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle. e. Discipleship is activity that guides individuals to become spiritually mature, radical zealots for Christ who then reproduce equally passionate and mature followers of Christ. i.disciples experience a changed future through their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and the Christian faith as their defining philosophy of life. ii. Disciples undergo a changed lifestyle, manifested through different values, goals, perspectives, activities, and relationships. iii. Disciples mature into a changed worldview, attributable to a deeper comprehension of the true meaning and impact of Christ. Truth becomes an entirely God-driven reality to a disciple. Pursuing 3
the truths of God becomes the disciple s lifelong quest. GOD CREATED ME TO 1. Ephesians 3: 20-21 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV) a. THINK BIG By: Thinking on the Scale of God s Capacities! i. The scale of God s capacities is to be at work in us. ii. Because our God is a Big God we will THINK BIG with confidence, knowing our thoughts can never be bigger than our God. b. Ephesians 1: 19-20 His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead i. God has anointed your life with RESURRECTION POWER! ii. You don t know the limits of your life! iii. Henry Ford once said, There is no person living who isn t capable of doing more than they think they can do. I CAN DO MORE THAN I THINK I CAN! 2. Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. a. THINK BIG By: Knowing Your Life is a Part of God s Big Plan! 4
b. Romans 8: 29 For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son i. God knew us before we were placed in our mother s womb. ii. God filled us with the potential to be a picture of the image of Christ in this world. 1. Our potential is God s gift to us. 2. What we do with our potential is our gift to God. 3. Even if that picture is destroyed, God is working for our good through Jesus Christ s sacrifice and resurrection to put it back together again in the image of His Son. iii. Since God is working for our good in all things, let s join God in working for our own good. 3. Matthew 22: 39 Love your neighbor as yourself. a. THINK BIG By: Meeting the Needs, Healing the Hurts, and Facilitating Abundant Life in the Lives of Others. b. Your life is not just about you! i. It s about contributing to others ii. It s about adding value to the lives of others. iii. THINK BIG by thinking of others! c. THINK BIG by solving the problems of others! i. Every major accomplishment is really a series of smaller problems solved. ii. We see the vision of the God-ordained outcomes and then say: 1. Yes, but we don t 2. Yes, but we have to deal with 3. Yes, but what about 5
iii. iv. We must learn to kick doubt to the curb and hear God s affirmative YES!, and solve the problems we encounter in fulfilling God s plan. Instead of listening to Buts, Christ calls us to kick buts to the curb! 1. Jesus told me to Kick buts. 2. It s time to kick some buts. 4. Hebrews 6: 1a Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teaching about Christ and be take forward to maturity... a. THINK BIG By: Maturing Spiritually, Intellectually, & Emotionally b. One of the Tenants of being a Difference Maker is Difference Makers Must Be Different. c. Acts 17: 6 These [people] who have turned the world upside down have come here also (AMP) i. Difference Makers redefine the meaning of success! ii. Success is defined by our connection to the Vine, Jesus Christ. (John 15: 5) iii. It is to God the Father s glory, that we bear much fruit. (John 15: 8) iv. Author, H. G. Well once said, Wealth, notoriety, place, and power are no measure of success whatsoever. The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have been and what we have become. 1. In other words, success comes as a result of growing to our potential. 2. We are connected to the greatest Vine there ever was, is, or will be. We can therefore GROW! 6
5. Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. a. THINK BIG By: Serving Until God Takes You Home b. God s promise is that He will keep us until we have completed our mission for His kingdom. c. Although we can do anything (Philippians 4: 13) we can t do everything. d. Each of us has a mission a part in God s eternal plan. e. If you re living right now you re still on the mission. DECLARATION: - I am a difference maker! Because my God is a big God, I will THINK BIG with confidence, knowing my thoughts can never be bigger than my God.! INVITATION TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP 7