Fast & Furious Part 1 Series

START WITH CAR RACE VIDEO

OPEN: Good Morning! Welcome to our new series called.....

! Explain video

! Many of us wouldn’t dare get into a car going that fast, yet our lives are going that fast.

! New series title is “Fast and Furious: Easing Up to Create Margin

TEXT: Please turn to Luke Chapter 5, verse 16. I will be reading this verse from the New Living Translation. Here’s what it says:

! Jesus was on the shore at the Sea of Galilee

! Verse One says “great crowds pressed in on Him”

! Then Jesus teaches Peter how to fish and Peter is awestruck

! Then Jesus heals a man with leprosy

16 But Jesus often withdrew to the

wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16

! Then the Bible says a “vast crowd” presses in on Jesus (indicating even more than before)

! Then verse 16 Jesus leaves.

! He goes off by himself.

! He logs off of Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and Snapchat

! And God forbid, he even turns off his

cell phone.

! And when people called him, this is

what they heard...

oPLAY AUDIO CLIP

! If the Son of God HIMSELF needed

MARGIN, how much MORE do WE need MARGIN?

Definition:

MARGIN: THE AMOUNT

AVAILABLE BEYOND WHAT IS

NECESSARY.

(Explain)

TEXT:

38 As Jesus and the disciples

continued on their way to Jerusalem, they

came to a certain village where a woman

named Martha welcomed him into her

home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s

feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But

Martha was distracted by the big dinner she

was preparing. She came to Jesus and

said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you

that my sister just sits here while I do all the

work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear

Martha, you are worried and upset over all

these details! 42 There is only one thing

worth being concerned about. Mary has

discovered it, and it will not be taken away

from her.” Luke 10:38-42

(Tell Story)

! Here is what’s dangerous:

oShe was BUSY, but she was BUSY

doing the wrong thing oShe was “distracted”

! WORK is a distraction, time spent with family and close friends is NOT a distraction)

oShe wanted Jesus to DO something about it and Jesus taught her about MARGIN

oMy concern is that many of you (might I say “us”) think we are ‘doing the right thing’

oWorking hard

oGone four or five nights a week

(explain story

about Parker wanting to play ball)

oHere is what’s scary: Martha thought

SHE was right and Mary was wrong.

oOver the next few weeks, we are

going to look at “Easing off to create

margin”

oPutting our kids in everything under the sun just to keep up with others

Let me show you what happens when we don’t purposefully create MARGIN in our lives: (if you are taking notes, please write this down):

WHEN YOUR MARGIN

DECREASES......YOUR STRESS

INCREASES

WHEN YOUR MARGIN

DECREASES.......YOUR RELATIONAL

INTIMACY DECREASES

WHEN YOUR FINANCIAL MARGIN

DECREASES......YOUR WORRY

INCREASES

(WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT LATER IN THIS SERIES)

So, Pastor Tommy, what is the answer?

We need to have a “Come to Jesus”

Meeting.

Jesus said.......

Come to me, all you who are weary and

burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I

am gentle and humble in heart, and you will

find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

oOne of the main reasons we lack margin

is we lack trust in God!

oWe feel like WE are the one’s keeping things together

oWe are the one’s making things happen

oWe are the one’s making the money come in.

oBut NONE of that is true

o18 But remember the Lord your God,

for it is he who gives you the ability

to produce wealth... Deuteronomy

8:18 NIV

oBe still, and know that I am God...

Psalm 46:10

o11 The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-

scorched land and will strengthen

your frame. You will be like a well-

watered garden, like a spring whose

waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

oWeek 1: Introduction to Margin

Week 2: Scheduling Margin



Week 3: Financial Margin

Week 4: Moral Margin