A Sailing Upward Soul

Sermon A Sailing Upward Soul

- Last week’s message was about soaring with God.

- You have been given life to live, & you choose to live it.

- Now, whenever you’ve started something new, you realize I’ve got to do things a

little different with this new life.

- I told you last week about my life changing news about cruising, being allowed to

learn to walk again.

- Well, That comes with some complications.

- My right foot doesn’t bear weight like it used to.

- If I try bring my left foot forward at full length, I’m going to hit the floor.

- I have to walk with my right foot turned a little at an angle, because of too much

pressure on my foot/ankle.

- I made a choice that I would walk.

- I made a choice that I would soar!

- This time our soul is called a sailing upward soul.

- There are difficulties along our path, but they will not stop us!

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

- The Word Concupiscence stands for strong desire.

- Look at the list. A strong desire for Sin!

- God called us unto holiness, or to be set apart.

- God called us to be different/transformed from the world.

- Our upward soul draws us to want to put away the things we see as unholy.

- The end result, we’re closer to God. We have an upward Soul.

Prayer

> the backslider (Author unknown www.christianforum.com)

A backslider suddenly began attending church faithfully on Sunday mornings instead of going fishing. The pastor was highly gratified and told him, "How wonderful it makes me feel to see you at services with your good wife!"

"Well, Preacher," said the fisherman, "it's a matter of choice. I'd rather hear your sermon than hers."

- That’s kind of funny, but one thing you take away from the joke is, the fisherman

learned what was bad & chose what was good. Even against his own judgement.

- As a Christian, When we have a sailing soul, our soul is doing just that sailing.

- By the leading, & push of God we sail forward.

Romans 8:26-28

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

- The Spirit intercedes, groans, & searches our hearts, because He is the rudder that

steers this great ship called the temple of the Holy Spirit

- What I find intriguing, but also bewildering, is the fact that God will not force us to

do something, but at the same time He also will move us, lead us, & cause things

to happen to protect us, & even steer us in the right direction.

- Now the us, in that, is those who are His, Christians.

- Our sailing Soul faces seas of great waves & torrents that other ships could

not fare, but somehow we continue to sail.

Q- How Do you think that’s possible?

- God is divinely in control of all of His creation.

- God is omniscient, which means all knowing.

- When it comes to sailing a sea, with such immense waves, an unskilled sailor

would perish, but God knows where the waves will come from.

- Think back to Joseph’s life. Beloved by his father, but despised by his brothers.

- The brothers desired to kill him, but instead sold him to the Ishmaelites, who

were Midianite traders.

- He was sold to Potiphar, accused by his wife & jailed, forgotten by the