Sermon Link: Living in Grace 1 Peter 5:6-14
I started this message out with 2 illustrations and than incorporated them later in the message.
The first was a 1 minute sit-up competition between me and one of the other men from the congregation...because I was laughing I only did 45...he did something like 22.
The second was a football one. I selected 3 individuals to be my O linemen (2 pushing 300 lbs), a receiver and 3 defensive players (2 kids and 1 adult). I was the QB. The defensive players were to try and get me. Eventually I threw the ball to the receiver. As long as I had the ball the defense was going to try and get me...but what happens when you throw the ball? The game changes...the defense moves from trying to attack the QB to going after the receiver...
Intro Questions: How do you define faith? Does faith always make sense?
Faith = Total Trust in God
Main Point: Christianity is a life of total trust in God's grace (or His gracious character)
Vrs. 6 Humble
In the midst of pain what do you want to do?
Get away from it?
Control everything? Arrange the team or stack the deck in your favor? I did that in my illustration by selecting two 300Lb. guys to be my O linemen...seems smart, but I am trying to control it...also if God is our wide receiver and He is standing there wide open saying "Throw me the ball" our tendency is to say "Nah, I got this" Again it comes down to control...
Vrs 7 Cast
Do we really trust grace or God's gracious character? If we do we will throw or cast the ball to Him
Vrs 8 - 9
What does it mean to be strong? I think the following picture illustrates what we typically think of...
But that is not what Peter is talking about...or going back to the football illustration if a 250 Lb guy is rushing at me do I brace myself? Again this isn't what is being talked about here, but rather total trust...check out Zephaniah 3:17 and the surrounding verses.
Vrs 10 - 11 Living in Restoration
The secret to this is, as Toby Mac says, keep our eye on it...or keep our eyes fixed on the prize...this life is a vapor...keep eternity in sight...
Think of 3 inter-connected circles one titled Head, another Heart and the other Hands....we can know something in our heads, but not believe it in our hearts, which then means our hands are not moved to action...where is what you know about God not really lining up with what your heart believes about God...chances are there is a buried hurt...we need to have all 3 of these circles lined up if we are going to be strong...the other thing we have to be careful of is taking Scripture out of context...for instance saying "God is my rear guard" (Isa 58:8)...then something happens and we say "I thought God was my rear guard why did..." But if we look at Isa 58:5b-11 there are some huge conditions (hand things) that are in play in those verses...the head, heart and hands need to line up. Or Psalm 100 was another example I used.
In the end we need to live in the light of grace....
Check out the message for more...
By His Grace and for His Glory,
PT
