Control Series

Control

Sunday Sermon / Getting Ahead Sermon Series

April 29th, 2007

Intro: Brief recap: Getting Ahead in life. What does it take, what issues are most important to reaching your goals? What is important in setting your goals? Will you be satisfied once you have reached your goals?

We started in:

Isaiah 55:1-3 "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Here’s the bottom line issue: Without drawing your deepest level satisfaction from God, you will never be truly satisfied with anything in life.

This takes us to the next question at hand, “How do I know if I’m on the right track?”

• How do you discern what is right or wrong?

• Is something God’s will or not?

• You may say, “I have these goals and ideas about getting ahead in life but how do I know what to do?”

It is impossible for me to tell you the exact directions on how to get ahead. Other than to teach you how to listen to and follow God. He is the only One who really knows His plan for you.

To start answering these questions let’s turn to Isaiah 55

Text: Isaiah 55:6-9

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I. Take every opportunity to approach God

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

a. Seek and Call upon God

i. While he is near / speaking of the Levites coming near to God.

ii. Look at how God is speaking about how He is drawing near to us. The intersection of God and man. What a concept. What a glorious privilege we have in Jesus.

Remember, God desires to give us all good things.

He will not give us something that will harm us.

This is what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit,

Luke 11:9-13 “"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

b. Seek Compassion, Pardon and Wisdom.

i. Compassion: Not condemned but loved. God’s agape love for you. His unconditional love. To know and experience this love is the most freeing experience you can ever have.

ii. Pardon: Forgiveness, not sentencing. (Assumes confession)

This is certainly true at our New Birth. But this is also true continually in our walk with God. We continue to need compassion, to have our heart reaffirmed of His forgiveness and wisdom to return to path of righteousness.

• We are not: reborn again. But we do need washed. Jesus went to His disciples to wash there feet. Peter objected. Jesus explained that His body was clean, but he was in need of having his feet washed.

• This shows us the nature of our relationship with God, our salvation and our continual need to have our feet washed.

iii. Wisdom: Desire to know right from wrong and walk in that Light.

II. Our Ways and Thoughts

7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;