Courageous – 5

Courageous – 5

Subject – Offense or Defense

By Rick Welborne

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

--I shared with you from a previous sermon that we have two kinds of regret. We can have regrets of action or regrets of inaction.

--A regret of action is doing something you wish you hadn’t done. We all have those. A regret of inaction is not doing something you wish you had done. I have had my share of regrets of action for sure.

--When we moved to our new neighborhood we found out quickly that there were tensions between the people who lived up on the hill (us) and the people below. There was war. Literally!

--Between the hill people and the valley people was a creek. Stink Creek. A man made creek dug out by the paper mill to take all the waste water from the mill to a swamp. Wham Break!

--Because the creek was dug out there were hills beside it. This was the battle zone. We used BB guns and cherry bombs. Pretty serious. One day we were on opposing hills fighting it out.

--For the most part, no one ever got hurt. The valley people yell for a seize fire. We agree, sort of. We stop shooting momentarily. I said, if they stand up…I will shoot them…Daisy BB gun.

--I was laying on the ground with my gun aimed and ready. Someone stood up and I shot. Hit him right in the forehead. Needless to say that action got me in trouble and the war escalated.

--Bo Bo came on top of the hill with a shotgun and shot at me as I dove into an abandoned van. Fortunately, I was not hit (close) and he was arrested. My parents made sure I regretted my action.

--All of us have said things or done things we regret but I believe our deepest regrets will be missed opportunities. Actions taste bad for a while but inaction can hurt for a lifetime.

--Inaction can make us ask “What if?” What if I would have chased the lion into the pit instead of running away. Benaiah’s story could have ended quite different. 

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)                                                                                                                                     ²⁰ There was also Benaiah…on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.

--I love telling you stories of sharing Christ with people and seeing wonderful results. Those are such “feel good” stories. But I have a story of inaction that happened years ago that I have struggled with.

--I had only been a Christian for a few months. I am driving out in the country and stop at a little store to get a soda. The family who owned the store were very kind. They had a special needs son.

--Holy Spirit said pray for him to be healed. That freaked me out. What will the parents think? What if nothing happens? What if they get angry and think I am making fun?

--I had a war going on inside of me. I got in my car and drove off. God said go back and I said “no!” That sin of omission or sin of inaction haunted me for years.

--My job was not to heal the little boy; my job was to pray but I didn’t. What guilt and shame. Of course, I have asked God to forgive me a hundred times.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NCV)
⁹  Now I am happy, not because you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you change your lives. You became sad in the way God wanted you to, so you were not hurt by us in any way.
¹⁰  The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death.

--I have determined, with God’s help, to listen to Holy Spirit and do what He says. We need to stop worrying about our reputation and start striving for God to be glorified.

--So what is your point? We won’t regret the mistakes we have made as much as we will regret the lions we did not chase into the pit. Make the most of your regrets and live more intentional.

1. Play to Win.

--There are two camps we can live in as Christians. We can either play to win or play not to lose. Guess which camp lion chasers are in. 

--Many of us are tentatively playing the game of life as if the goal of life is to arrive safely at death. We need to take our cues from the early church as they advanced the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
¹²  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

--Following Christ should not be something we do passively. Some of us follow Christ as if the goal is to get to the end of our lives with as few mistakes as we can.

--It seems we are playing a “prevent defense” when we should be in a two-minute offense. Jesus said it best:

Matthew 24:34-36 (NIV)
³⁴  I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
³⁵  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
³⁶  "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 

--The truth is, none of us know when that trumpet will sound but we do know that the events (prophesies) are pointing toward the soon return of Christ. 

--Being faithful in these last days has nothing to do with maintaining a status quo or simply holding the fort until Jesus comes back. 

--It has everything to do with competing for the Kingdom of God and storming the gates of hell. That is not something you can do just sitting on a pew every now and then. 

--A few years ago I helped coach my daughter’s tennis team and it was exciting trying to get these young ladies ready to compete. Some had never played tennis until they walked on the court for try-outs. 

--Some of them were just interested in looking good on the court and, at least, looking a little bit like they knew what they were doing.

--You might not know this about me but I am competitive. I want to win whether it is at a game of cards, playing a sport, or the game of life from the Kingdom’s perspective. Play to win!

--The tennis team had winning seasons while I was coaching them and the second year they made it to the finals in their district. Let me just say it, winning is fun, losing, not so much.

--Why wouldn’t we have that attitude for the Kingdom of God as we compete with the devil for the souls of men, women, boys, and girls? Winning souls is contagious. 

--That’s why you will never see this pastor being happy with the number of missionaries or mission’s organizations we support. As long as people are lost, we still have more to do.

2. Offense not Defense.

Matthew 16:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ …I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

--I am sure you aware of this, gates are defensive measures. We need to see the church as a battering ram storming the gates of the devil and taking back captives from the kingdom of darkness.

--I just read a quote by Annie Dillard in her book, “Teaching a Stone to Talk.” Let me paraphrase what she said.

Dillard – As a whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the church, aware of what is going on in the world. Does anyone recognize the power available to us? Or as I suspect, does anyone believe a word of it? The church seems to be the children on the floor playing with a chemistry set trying to mix up something that will create a great Sunday morning service. We must be on the offense to reach the world because some day the Sleeping God may awake and send us out forcibly. By persecution.

--Is anybody else tired of the church playing defense? Why is it that the church is known more for what it is against than what we are for?

--Yes, it is great to defend the faith that we cling onto, but there comes a time that we have to put on our helmets, and get in the game on offense. Score a touchdown for God.

3. God is Raising Up a Generation of Lion Chasers.

--It is definitely good to distance ourselves from evil but it is never good to distance ourselves from sinners. How will we ever reach them if we never engage them?

Matthew 11:19 (NRSV)
¹⁹  the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

--God, please have people accuse us of being friends of sinners. Wisdom is proven right by the fruit that we bear. You can never pick the fruit until you go find the tree.

--Thank God for our pastors who are lion chasers but there are many others. They are young people on fire for God. They are adults working with Youth and Children.

--They are volunteers going to Bike Week and rubbing shoulders with the lost. They are people working at the House of Hope showing people that someone cares.

--Lion chasers have learned to stop criticizing the culture and start creating it. You may have to go into a pit with a lion but you always know God is with you.

Romans 8:31-32&37 (NIV)
³¹  What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
³²  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
³⁷  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

Courageous – 4

Courageous – 4

Subject – Sacrifice or Worship

By Rick Welborne

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

--I have tried to be courageous in my preaching here at Life Church and today will be one of those days. I have, for many years, wrestled with the concept of us being sacrificial to the Lord. 

1. Serving God is a Privilege.

--When I hear others and even hear myself, saying the word sacrifice, in the context of serving Christ, I have always felt uneasy or actually what I think to be conviction. 

--I think many people make a fundamental mistake in the way they view their relationship with God. We focus on what we have to give up and fail to see what we gain. 

--A relationship with God (a real relationship), is the ultimate win/win situation. Let me cut through the chase. I don’t think there is any such thing as sacrifice when you are a follower of Christ. 

--Wait a minute, Pastor Rick, doesn’t the Word of God tell us this:

Luke 9:23-24 (NKJV)
²³  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
²⁴  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

--I will be the first to agree with anyone that we will certainly experience temporary loss but I don’t think anyone has ever sacrificed anything for God. 

--Why? Because we all get back more than we give up. And if you get back more than you gave up, have you really sacrificed anything at all? 

--On December 4, 1857, David Livingstone gave a speech at Cambridge University:

Livingstone – People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending much of my life in Africa…Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these things are nothing compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.

--A confirmation from the Word that confirms and reiterates what Livingstone is saying:

Romans 8:14-18 (NKJV) ¹⁴  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
¹⁵  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
¹⁶  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
¹⁷  and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
¹⁸  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

--Let me sum up these five verses; 14. It is a privilege to be led by the Spirit of God. It is a privilege to be sons and daughters of God. 15. It is a privilege to call God Father.

--16. It is a privilege to have Holy Spirit confirm we are the children of God. 17. It is a privilege to suffer with Christ so we can be an heirs with God and Christ.

--17. It is a privilege to suffer now because of what comes later. God’s glory. Serving God is a privilege, not a sacrifice.

2. It is in Your Best Self-Interest to Always Obey God.

--This is what I meant when I said a relationship with God (a real relationship), is the ultimate win/win situation. Your obedience to do what God says is the best thing you can do for yourself.

--Again, you have never sacrificed anything for God but have had the privilege to obey Him and serve Him. Your return is always so much greater than what you give. Verse please.

Matthew 19:27-30 (NLT2)
²⁷  Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”
²⁸  “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
²⁹  And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.
³⁰  But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. 

--Peter said to Jesus…we have sacrificed everything to follow you. Jesus, I serve at the church several hours a week. Jesus, I sacrifice a $100 a month for missions.

--Let me just say here, if you give $25, $50, $75, $100, or even $500 a month to missions on top of your tithe that already belongs to God, and you still go out to eat multiple times a week…is it really sacrificial?

--If we give $50 a month to missions and our cable bill is over $200 a month, have we really sacrificed anything? Yes, you have given but you have not sacrificed anything.

--We have so much here in the US that I think we have lost perspective on what sacrifice really is. Remember, if you are getting more back than you have given, it is not sacrifice.

Luke 12:48 (NLT2)
⁴⁸ When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

--Math has never been my favorite subject but God’s math blows my mind… everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 

--Help me understand this, Jesus. Whatever I give up for your sake, your cause, your mission, I will receive a hundred times as much back plus eternal life. Please sign me up! FP card please!

--It is in Your Best Self-Interest to Always Obey God. Whatever I have the privilege of giving to God (my life or my possessions) in this life will only bless me in this life and the one hereafter. Example:

Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT2)
⁵  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
⁷  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
⁸  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 

--I know this for sure…the only regrets that we will have in heaven will be…why didn’t I seek Him more, why didn’t I give Him more, why didn’t I obey Him more.

--Whatever I give (not sacrifice) to Him, I am just making a deposit in Heaven which will be mine to enjoy for all eternity. It’s so hard for us to see past this life.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
²⁰  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

3. Living Sacrifice or Spiritual Act of Worship

Romans 12:1 (NKJV)
¹  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 

Romans 12:1 (NIV)
¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 

--I could not get away from these questions. Is living for God just reasonable service or is it our spiritual act of worship? Service or worship? I believe this is key to our understanding.

--Is it a sacrifice to live for Jesus and to give to Jesus or is it a privilege to serve Him with all our hearts? If we get more back than we give, is it a sacrifice at all?

--I think of poor widows in our church who have fixed incomes of $800 to $900 a month. No help from family and they ask nothing from their church. No one out gives these ladies.

--They buy their groceries, pay their utilities, pay their insurance, and take care of all their other needs without grumbling and complaining about what they do not have. I am blessed, Pastor Rick.

--First they tithe and give to missions every month $50-100. A sacrifice? No, it’s a privilege! Their secret!

Psalm 27:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
⁵  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
⁶  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. 

Finding God’s Direction - 1

Finding God’s Direction - 1

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV) ¹ My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

--We all should want to find God’s direction for our lives. We should all want to know God’s plans and destiny for our lives. How do we arrive at the destination God has for us?

--The truth is…say that…the truth is…You are one decision away from changing your life forever. What’s interesting is that you probably do not know what that one decision will be. 

--It is natural to think that such a big, life changing decision would be obvious. Sometimes it is, like taking a job in another state and relocating your family. Or maybe returning to school to finish your degree. 

--Clearly decisions like these cause countless consequences rippling through our lives and for years to come.

1. Small Decisions Can Have Huge Effects on Our Lives.

--Our lives are constantly spilling over into the lives of others, and theirs into ours. We all like standing dominos up side by side. Our small decisions flow into consequences we didn’t see coming.

--I love giving life examples of what I speak about…I had been the youth pastor in Covington, La. for almost three years when I felt God wanted me to finish my college degree…Where should I go to school?

--My lead pastor thought I should go to Springfield, Missouri to the A/G Bible College there…his reasoning was…that is where the A/G Headquarters was…Meet the big wigs and make connections.

--I thought, it is cold in Springfield and I do not do cold weather…I had taken kids there for college days in January and thought I would freeze. I made it a matter of prayer. God is the One Who connects us!

--Our men’s ministry was going on a 26-mile canoe trip which turned out to be a 26-mile race! I was put with a man I did not know and was told to make him feel welcome. An avid canoer and we won the race. 

--Guess what? All he wanted to talk about was what a great Bible College SE University in Lakeland, Florida was. He and his wife both had graduated from there…who knew? God!

--In the process of a canoe trip, I got God’s direction for where to go back to school. It was warm weather and it was exactly where God wanted me to be.

--Not only did I get my education there, I found my wife at a nearby church, which that decision alone opened a ton of doors for me in ministry…every decision we make has major consequences. 

--Every little choice you make now determines the story that you will be telling later in your life. 

Proverbs 1:29-30 (NLT2) ²⁹ For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.
³⁰ They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.

--The decision not to fear the Lord…the choice not to listen to the wisdom of parents, pastors, or teachers has consequences. A young man in Covington, La. who would not listen to anyone. 

--Pastor Rick, I am sick of you, my parents, my teachers, and everyone else telling me what to do and when I have to do it. I am just going to leave home and go join the army! Say what!

Pro. 1:31-33 (NLT2) ³¹ …they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
³²  For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
³³  But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” 

--After basic training, this simpleton came to my office at the church and as soon as he walked through my door he broke down and started crying…I am such an idiot! No argument here.

--The army tells me when I go to sleep, when I get up, when to eat, when to bath, when to run, when to drop and do 40 push-ups. They never stop yelling at me…I want to come home. You must eat the bitter fruit.

Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                         ²⁶ The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. 

--How important is it for us to choose friends wisely…Oh, how I remember Owen and I remember my parents who were not Christians at the time telling me…He is bad news.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV)
¹⁹  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
²⁰  that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

2. Our Choices Accumulate to Tell Our Life Story.

Craig Groeshel – What is always true is that the decisions we make today determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow. Every day, all day, we make one small choice after another. And those choses keep accumulating, each one woven into the rest, forming the tapestry that is your life story. 

--The purpose of this series is to help you make good godly decisions which enhances you to become God’s direction. If your destination for your life is peace and joy…you must make deliberate choices.

--Many people do not like to hear this…You have to be willing to take responsibility for every decision you make. Stop playing the victim card and stop blaming others because of your poor choices.

--When you choose to follow biblical principles set forth in the Word of God and you are dedicated to staying on this path for a lifetime, you will have a beautiful destination. 

--One way or another, each decision you make is the decision of a lifetime, whether or not you can see where it ultimately leads. You are one choice away from making your best decision ever. Solomon.

Proverbs 3:1-6 (NKJV) ¹ My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

--Look at verse 2…this is what obeying God’s Word will do… For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Daily choices lead to long life kissed with peace. 

--Do we truly trust the Lord with all our hearts when it comes to, not just big decisions, but every decision. Pastor, you make it sound like every decision is so important…In all your ways acknowledge Him. 

--Can it really matter where we eat lunch or dinner (which Mexican Restaurant)? If we acknowledge Him (if we ask Him) He may send you to a specific place to minister to a specific person. 

--I remember determining I was going to a specific place to eat and as I thought about that, I felt overwhelmed to go to another one. I simply made the decision to go where God wanted me to go. 

--I no sooner had sat down and this waitress came and sat at the table with me…thru her tears she said I prayed you would come here today…she confessed her sins, received direction. It matters!

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

3. Our Decisions Lead to Predictable Consequences. 

--The truth is many (probably most) of our choices lead to fairly predictable consequences. And as we learn to choose well, we can connect the dots of where we are and where we want to be. 

--When we choose in a moment of temptation or peer pressure to take that first drink, that first smoke, or that drug…we have just opened the door to much pain and suffering for yourself and others.

Hosea 10:12-13 (NKJV)
¹²  Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
¹³  You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men. 

--The best decision you can make is always the next one. Each decision should move you closer to becoming all that God made you to be, to turn your life in the direction of a story you’ll be happy to share. 

Courageous – 3

Courageous – 3

Subject – The Courage to Take Risks

By Rick Welborne

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

Vision, Passion, Discipline, and Risk

1. Vision - Godly vision is the power to see beyond our limitations. 

Helen Keller – What’s worse than being blind? Having eyesight but no vision. 

2. Passion - The intense, compelling emotion evidenced in decisive, courageous action.

Carl Barth – Passion is fear that said its prayers.

3. Discipline - Embracing the restraints of a Godly ambition.

--Vision and passion produces or results in discipline. 

4. Risk - Spending your life making a difference that your dreams (visions) dared you to believe.

--Vision, passion, and discipline will give you the courage to take risk.

Mark Twain – Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

--As you read through the Word of God, you quickly see that God uses people who are willing to take a risk and will do what He tells them to do like Abraham, Nehemiah, and Benaiah.

--Abraham risked his son by his obedience to God. Nehemiah risked his position in the Babylonian administration to build the walls of Jerusalem. Benaiah risked his life chasing a lion. 

--The law of risk in God’s economy is universal and it is eternal. The more you are willing to risk, the more God can use you. 

--If you are willing to risk everything, there is nothing God cannot do in you and through you. The coward in us says better safe than sorry but God is saying nothing ventured, nothing gained.

1. Commander and Chief of Israel’s Army

--So how did Benaiah accomplish that? His rank is really a by-product of three calculated risks that he had taken decades before. What we do now, sets us up for the future.

--Being courageous now and remaining faithful now are merely catalyst for future blessings and even promotion. The Scriptures are full of examples.

--The first risk was, he took on two Moabite champions even though he was outnumbered. Or was he? If God be for us who can be against us.

--The second risk he took was to chase a lion down into a pit on a snowy day, and then, to be courageous enough to jump in the pit and kill the lion. Yikes!

--Third, he took on an Egyptian giant who was armed with a spear and all he has was a club in his hand. He took the spear away from the giant and killed him with it. 

--What if Benaiah would have said, there are too many Moabites for this to be a fair fight and would have retreated instead? It’s too dangerous chasing a 500-pound beast into a pit. 

--What if he would have said a seven-and-a-half-foot tall giant was too big? I believe it is safe to say that Benaiah would have never become David’s body guard or commander and chief.

--It was his willingness to risk life and limb that set him apart from all the rest. The scriptures say that he was more honored than the thirty. David’s elite fighting men.

2 Samuel 23:23 (NLT2) ²³ He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

Mark Batterson – Lion Chasers are risk takers. They have learned that playing it safe is risky. They recognize that the best you can do if you run away from a lion is break even. You might save your skin, but you won’t have a lion skin hanging on your wall either. No risks equal no reward.

--As I look back over the years at my ministry here at Life Church, I realize that most of the wonderful things that have happened have been a by-product of taking calculated risks. 

--Twenty plus years ago as we considered building our sanctuary and surrounding classrooms, I was well aware of the risks involved. I knew pastors who left their churches because of that.

--They could not raise the money and then got bogged down in debt, and felt the only way of escape was to escape. I was concerned about how it would affect our missions.

--Our willingness to take risks gave God a great opportunity to show his grace. We raised 2.2 million dollars in 3 years and our missions giving went up instead of down. 9 acres became 26 acres. Debt free.

--Two Sundays in a roll we had visitors put in one-hundred thousand dollars. We had people in the community stopping by giving us large checks. The bank dropped our loan from 7 to 4 percent. 

--So what’s my point, we took a risk and God showed up again and again. The need was met and God received the glory. Pastors would call me and ask me about fund raising. I would just laugh.

2. Experiences that Change the Direction of Your Life.

July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong said this when he first stepped onto the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

--To modify his quote a little for our purposes. One courageous small step can lead to one giant leap toward destiny. God, please give us courageous pioneers of the faith!

--There are experiences in our lives that forever change the trajectory of our lives; these are the moments that couldn’t be planned or predicted. These divide our lives into chapters. Lions and giants.

--Since we are talking about courage, let me exhort you to pray one of the most dangerous (scariest for some) prayers you can make:

Jesus, what do you want me to do with my life?

--By the way, the only thing more dangerous than praying this prayer or asking this question is not asking the question at all. Not my will but Your will be done.

--Most of the time, you will not get that answer right away. Why? God wants you to want that answer seriously enough that you begin to seek Him with a greater intensity.

Psalm 27:7-9 (NIV)
⁷  Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸  My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
⁹  Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 

--As you seek God’s face over a period of time with intensity, you will eventually look back in retrospect and be thankful it took time to hear His voice. Why? Easy answers produce shallow convictions. 

--If I acknowledge Him in all my ways and if I stop leaning on my own understanding, He will direct my path. That’s His promise from Proverbs 3. If it’s in the Bible…

3. Good is Often the Enemy of the Great.

--When I still lived in Texas and had a good opportunity to play Tournament Tennis for a living, many people thought I had lost my mind by moving to Lousisana to be a youth pastor.

--In 1983 I was working at a trucking company making about $32,000. A man who had been coming to my tennis matches (I didn’t know that) offered me a really good opportunity.

--He said, I will pay you $35,000 a year just to practice and play tennis. I will pay for your coaching, your travel, your equipment, and everything you need to succeed. I just want 10%.

--Wow! What a good opportunity. Kind of exciting to say the least. I asked the man to give me a week to pray and he agreed. I prayed one of those dangerous courageous prayers.

--Lord, you know what I have been offered. I know you have called me to preach but if you want to use tennis for your glory, I am willing. But if you open any door during this week, even if it doesn’t pay…

--I had to let the man know on Friday. That Thursday I got a call from a pastor in south Louisiana. I need a youth pastor but I can’t pay you anything. You have to work. I said yes. My first year…$3800.

--Though my three years there were very difficult, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Youth group grew from 6 to 120. Last year, number one in STL. Over $10,000. It was a great choice.

Hebrews 5:8 (NLT2) ⁸ Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

--Sometimes taking a calculated risk means giving up something that is good so you can experience something that is great. In a sense, sin is shortchanging ourselves and shortchanging God.

--It is settling for anything less than God’s best. Faith is the exact opposite. Faith is renouncing lesser goods for something greater. To get to your destiny, it may just be one small act of courage. 

--One courageous choice may be the only thing between you and your dream becoming reality. One small act of courage has changed the course of history. Ask Esther. She saved the Jews from genocide.

Esther 4:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"

--One act of courage, one decision to choose the best and thousands were saved. What about you and me? 

Dream Again - 6

Dream Again - 6

Subject: Win the Day

By Rick Welborne

Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) ¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. 

Psalm 105:17-21 (NLT) ¹⁷ Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
¹⁸  They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar.
¹⁹  Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.
²⁰  Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
²¹  Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions. 

--The last several weeks we have been talking a whole lot about these three things in Joseph’s life:

1. It is not so much about us as it is about “them”. 2. It is about the timing of God. 3. It is about the test.

--Tonight I want us to look at Joseph and see how is it even possible to get from the pit to the palace in Egypt. How could this ambitious young man arrive at his dreams? Just lucky I guess. Not so!

--Some of you are old enough to remember when Jackie Robinson made his debut as the first black player to play major league baseball in the modern era. In the third inning he hit a three run homer.

--An Associated Press photographer captured the moment when Robinson crossed home plate and George Shuba (the batter up) extending his hand to him to congratulate him. A giant leap for racial equality.

--In a book The Boys of Summer Roger Kahn made a statement about Shuba’s swing that it was as natural as a smile. Shuba laughed at the notion that his swing was natural. 

Shuba – You call that natural? I swung a 44ounce bat 600 times a night, 4,200 times a week, 47,200 swings every winter. By the way, I did that for 15 years.

Mark Batterson – You cannot pray as if it depends solely on God; you also have to work as if it depends on you. It’s your work ethic plus your prayer ethic that will inch you toward your dreams. And it happens one practice, one day at a time. 

1. To fulfill your dreams depends on what you do in the pit.

--I hope all of us realize that we have choices every day that we have to make that will either keep us on our journey toward our dreams or send us into a pit of despair. Decisions we make in the pit are vital.

--I often say…between the promise and the prize there is a process. Today let me say it this way…between the declared dreams and the fulfilled dreams, there are lots of decisions to be made.

--What I do in the pit today will determine how the rest of my story will be written…there will always be plenty of opportunities for you to quit…to give up. Lots of pits.

--Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him and throw him in a pit…they were ticked about his dreams… Reuben intervened and the pit became the means of saving his life. How do you view your pit?

--What appears to you as the obstacle of your destruction may actually be God’s stepping stone to get you there. The Dream Giver has the power to work everything for your good. Rom. 8:28

Lamentations 3:20-26 (NLT) ²⁰  I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
²¹  Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
²²  The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.
²³  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
²⁴  I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
²⁵  The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
²⁶  So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. 

--What is my attitude when I am in the pit…what is the inclination of my heart? Do I whine or do I trust the God Who gave me my dreams in the first place? Do I trust Him with all my heart?

--You see, before you get to the palace God is testing your character to see if you are the man or woman He wants there to accomplish His will for that situation.

--Joseph exemplified certain disciplines for all of us to consider. He had to be intentional about not taking his eyes off of the dreams/promises of God. God’s promises are yes and they are amen!

--Think about how you react when you are detoured from your objectives. Fix your eyes on Jesus, author and finisher, think about that. Beginning and the End!

--In the pit Joseph had to remember God is Omni-present…He is everywhere. God is Omniscient…He is all knowing. He is Omnipotent…He is all powerful.

--He is everywhere…even in the pit. He is all knowing…He knows his brothers are wanting to kill him but God knows Joseph will be used to save them. He is all powerful…He can protect him until the time is right.

--Let me ask you today…what do you know? More important…Who do you know? When you are in the pit and life isn’t fair…Who do you know? Paul:

Philippians 3:8 (NIV)
⁸  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ …

--Life ain’t always pretty…life can be hard and challenging but what you do when you are in the pit will be your declaration to the world how much you trust your God. Trust God in the pit! Trust God in the pit! 

2. To fulfill your dreams will depend on what you do before you get in the pit. 

--Say what? What are you doing to prepare yourself for the day you are thrown in a pit or thrown in jail. What are you doing to get ready for the day you are falsely accused or forgotten. 

--Let me say it this way…games are not won the day we play them…they are won with all the days of practice. 

--When I was going to college in Texas, I was introduced to tennis by a bunch of my college buddies. I played two years of basketball there and loved it but I found myself loving tennis.

--One of these friends took me to a tristate tennis tournament at the Samuel Grand Tennis Center in Dallas Texas. Keep in mind I had been playing tennis about 2 months. I was the worst in our group.

--As we sat there watching the match, I got inspired and I got a dream in my heart and I blurted it out of mouth. I said (out loud) I will come back to this tournament next year and win the whole thing.

--My friend laughed so hard and so loud that the tournament director came over and told him to be quiet or leave. He said, “Rick, these guys have played tennis all their lives…there is no way you can win!”

--I had one year to learn how to play a game that I had just started playing and to come back and fulfill a dream in my heart. My friend kept mocking but I kept dreaming. Within a month I could beat all my friends.

--I watched tennis on TV as I held my racquet in my hand imitating how they were swinging, I went to the library (remember those) and got books on tennis. I ordered tennis magazine and read it cover to cover.

--At that time I was 200 lbs. so I started jumping rope every day and eating better until I got down to 170 lbs. I would hit on the wall for hours and finally got where I could hit 2000 times without missing. I biked a lot.

--I would practice every day serving for two hours…I would practice in the wind and in the sun…Picture in the paper shoveling snow off the court so I could play. 

--I found a small tennis tournament close by entered…I won. I met an older man in a tennis tournament who wanted to play every week…he was like a human backboard, he never missed. I told him my dream.

--He was the first person who did not laugh at me when I mentioned my dream…He said to me…You can win if you do what I tell you…I could not wait for his wisdom…tell me…tell me!

--He said…quit trying to hit a winner every time you hit the ball and use your ability and athleticism to win…in other words hit the ball back at least seven times…let your opponent lose the point.

--As soon as I applied his wisdom, I beat him for the first time and he never won against me again. I kept practicing every day. I would set up three matches in one day…I put in the time. The day finally came.

--I was so excited and so nervous, that in the first round I was so nervous I could not hit the ball back and forth with my opponent. He said, Good grief, let’s just start. 

--After winning 6 matches I found myself in the finals…He won the first set…I was nervous and wanted to abandon the game plan but I didn’t. Keep the ball in play 7 times, 8 times, and more. Be consistent!

--I squeaked out the second set using that strategy and I perceived the plan was wearing down my opponent…I won the third set 6-2 and was elated and thankful. I won it three years in a row.

--The first time I won I went was to my buddy who laughed at me when I told him my dream to show him the trophy. Of course, he was in shock! Pastor Rick, what is the point to this long story.

--The point is this…before you find yourself in a pit, in a prison, falsely accused, forgotten, or discouraged by family there are certain disciplines you need to have in your life.

--On the job training is okay, sometimes, but that can be overwhelming if we have not done our homework ahead of time. Peter says it this way:

2 Peter 1:3-8 (NIV)
³  His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
⁴  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
⁵  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
⁶  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
⁷  and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
⁸  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

--In other words, David didn’t win the battle with Goliath the day he hit him in the head with the stone and cut his head off…He won the battle as he daily disciplined himself to worship and to protect the sheep.

--David was being prepared to handle the giant as he was taking care of a bear and a lion. We win our battles (our pits) by the daily disciplines we have put into practice…we keep adding to our faith.

3. To fulfill your dreams will depend on you winning the day…win the day!

--This could be one of the greatest years of your life! Sure, Pastor, that sounds great but that seems impossible from where I am sitting right now…it seems like just a dream to get there…can’t do it.

--Let me ask you this…can you discipline yourself to have a good hour…of course. Can you put enough hours together to have a great day…I think so! How about a week…maybe! What about a month?

--Here’s the key…win the day…win today. You see, you get in shape one workout at a time, you get out of debt one payment at a time, you graduate one class at a time, you get the promotion one project at a time.

--You win the game or the match one practice at a time…just win the day! Win today! Do what it takes today! Pray today! Learn today! Persevere today! Have self-control today! Win the day! Psalm of Ascent:

 Psalm 40:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
²  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
³  He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.
⁴  Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
⁵  Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. 

Courageous – 2

Courageous – 2

Subject – Life is Uncertain/God is Complex

By Rick Welborne

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

--One thing that Benaiah found out in all of these situations is that life is uncertain and that God is complex. Make sure you get this: Life will always have a measure of uncertainty.

--I heard one family’s uncertainty principle was this: “You can’t never always sometimes tell.” With my kids it was this: “We are all going to die if we live long enough.” Dad, you are crazy.

--Think about Benaiah, I am totally convinced that he had no idea that the above events would be on his calendar the day they happened. He had to trust God each day.

1. Stop trying to Figure God Out.

--Just when we think we have God figured out, we discover a new dimension about Him that blows our mind. Theologians call this the “Incomprehensibility of God.”

--I have coined a phrase with my daughter, especially in the area of dating, that I believe has added wisdom to her life and it is this. This has to do with the guys she dates:

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

--The more I think about these words I find that they are applicable in so many areas. In our finite minds, we simply do not know what we do not know. We are blind in so many areas. 

--This uncertainty principle definitely applies to God. We will be learning for eternity things about Him that we simply don’t know.

Psalm 145:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
²  Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. 

Isaiah 40:28 (NKJV)
²⁸  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 

--So if life is infinitely uncertain and God is infinitely complex, then all we can do is accept our lives the way they are and embrace uncertainty. Stop thinking that your faith reduces uncertainty.

--Nothing could be further from the truth. Faith doesn’t reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty. Simply put, we will never have all the answers. 

--Some people never come to terms with this truth. They feel like something must be wrong with them because they cannot figure God out. 

--Maybe, just maybe, faith has less to do with gaining so much knowledge about our lives and our future, and more to do with embracing the surprises or wonders God sets us up for.

2. Our Lives are Complicated. 

--Think about this: Maybe a relationship with God doesn’t simplify your lives the way you think it should. Maybe it complicates your lives in ways they should be complicated. 

--I don’t know about you but I believe it would be extremely complicated to fight two Moabite warriors, and Egyptian giant with a spear, and a lion in a snowy pit.

--Stay with me, how many of you know being in love complicates your lives. I am sure you have heard the phrase, “There is a fine line between love and hate!” Love complicates our lives.

--Children complicate our lives. They are definitely high maintenance, they are extremely expensive, they can be very aggravating, they can break your hearts but they can bring you great joy.

--Pastoring a church with three campuses and supporting 220 missionaries is extremely complicated. But without those complications how would I ever fulfill my calling and destiny.

--Wealth can complicate our lives. Having to manage your employees, taxes, and investments. Constantly watching your schedule and the bottom line is stressful. Thank God for complications.

--When you study the parable of the talents (money), the reward for good work was more work. Complications are or can be the by-product of blessings. More work and responsibility.

Matthew 25:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'
²¹  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

--A relationship with God will complicate your life but it will complicate your life in ways it needs to be complicated. How so?

--Being a disciple carries with it a lot of responsibility and complications. That is why, I believe, in the Great Commission, He says to “Make disciples.”

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

--As a disciple you have to study to show yourself approved, you have to be a good steward, you have to be faithful, you have to share your faith. Complicated but complications are good.

--Sin will complicate your lives in ways they should not be complicated. One way or the other our lives will be complicated. Good complications or bad complications…it’s your choice.

Psalm 37:1-5 (NLT2)
¹ Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
²  For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
³  Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
⁵  Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. 

3. Sensitivity to Holy Spirit.

--The longer I live, the more I think that spiritual maturity is less about figuring everything out and having all the answers. I believe it is more about a moment by moment sensitivity to Holy Spirit. 

--Obviously, I am not against planning our lives. Many leadership gurus will tell you, you have to have a 5, 10, 15, and 20-year plan laid out and that sounds good on paper.

--Did I mention earlier that we can’t figure God out and our lives are extremely complicated? If we can figure out and plan our own futures, where does that put the lordship of Jesus?

Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT2)
²⁰  Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
²¹  You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail. 

--If you want to make God laugh, give Him a detailed description of where you will be and what you will be doing twenty years from now. 

--Though you may have plans for the future, the reality is, you have no idea what life will look like ten years from now. But that’s okay because God does. 

--I just don’t believe that spiritual maturity equates in higher degrees of predictability in our lives. Being spiritually mature should mean that we become more sensitive to Holy Spirit.

--In Revelations 2&3 Jesus says something seven times to the churches that we should hear:

Revelation 2:7 (NCV) ⁷ “Every person who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. 

--I am totally convinced that Benaiah did not have a detailed plan laid out about killing a giant, killing Egyptian warriors, and a lion in a snowy pit. This led him to be commander of Israel’s army.  

--Some of our most memorable events were unplanned. Vacation to Williamsburg. Fairfield Glades. Looking at stained glass. A police officer. Fairfield…Fairfield Glades. Sorry, officer, she has a drinking problem.

--Sadly, we want control of our lives. Being a follower of Jesus means you are relinquishing control. Just like kids on a trip…are we there yet?

--We never outgrow the desire to want to know exactly where we are headed and when we will get there. We are control freaks. But faith involves giving up control. 

--With loss of control comes a lot of uncertainty (possibly a five-hundred-pound lion) and complications. But again, that’s ok because if we are sensitive to Holy Spirit may lead to our destiny.

2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
²¹  Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
²²  Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
²³  He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

--Look what uncertainty and complications led to in Benaiah’s life. Captain of David’s body guard and eventually, captain over Israel’s army. 

--If we are sensitive to Holy Spirit through all of our challenges, who knows where God will lead us?