If...

If

Selective verses

Introduction-

This sermon was put together after reading Mark Batterson book If.

This morning imagine with me what your life would be like if…

Money was not an issue

Your dreams would turn to reality. Would you be able to identify what you want from life?

You could start over and have a do-over. A mulligan in the golf game.

Would you do anything different?

Most of us would say yes.

Why?

Because if you were smart, you would have learned from your mistakes.

You would make smarter decisions concerning your life and not live for the moment.

You would look long range and not be short sighted.

Why do we think short term when it concerns the things of God? The mentality of I have plenty of time to do these things. I will deal with that when the time comes.

According to Google search there are 1,784 if’s in the Bible. I will take their word for it.

Any one if could change your life.

Any one if could change anything and everything.

To me, everything starts with if.

If I go to college.

If I go talk to him/her.

If I apply for this job.

if I get out of my own comfortzone.

If I would save money.

If I take the time.

If I have the courage.

Until if becomes a determined action, it is a dream that has no legs (Repeat)

Illustration-

I remember when God called me to ministry. I remember where I was and what I felt God was telling me.

In my mind was hundreds of if’s.

Some negative and some positive.

Some drawing me toward the dream and many excuses that took me away from the dream.

I mean negative obstacles that pulled me away.

What are your if’s?

Again to me there are two main ifs-

What if…

If only…

One is present and forward looking and one is past and looking back. Which one will define your life when this life is over?

Like I said there are over 1700 if passages in the Bible and we certainly are not going to look at each one. But there is a few I do want to look at and they will literally change your life if you will let them.

As we get older, we use less of the left side of the brain which is the imagination side and more of the right side which is supposed to be the more logical side.

I think most people don’t use their brain at all when it comes to spiritual things in their life.

(1) Let’s start with what if…

We have all said that to ourselves. What if and named numerous things that could happen if I would take positive action toward it.

College

Girl/boyfriend

Job

Courage for change.

We all have had some regrets later that the “”what if turned into “I should of”.

Why? Because we did not respond correctly and/or when the opportunity came up.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (Right it down)

“If my people , who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Would you agree that this world is in trouble?

God’s people are not seeking his face as they should and they are not on their knees praying that God would intervene in this troubling time.

Disunity

Family breakdowns

Racial divide

Conflict/ terrorism

Political unrest are just a few problems that face us as a nation.

There are certain things we have to do if… we want to see God’s hand in our lives. Then, after the if we can see God intervene.

If my people will pray, seek my face… Then I will heal their land.

Our magnificent God calls his people to be a people of prayer and seeking His face and He out of His graciousness promises to heal their land and be their God.

An awesome promise from God if we take a hard look and respond to His word if.

Evangelist Tony Evans

“Prayer is an earthly request for heavenly intervention. It is the tool and strategy we have been given in order to pull something down out of the invisible and into the visible. Prayer enacts God’s hand in history like nothing else because prayer is relational communication with God.’

If…we are going to turn our communities and nation around, God’s people are going to have to repent and to throw themselves down before the face of Almighty God.

We could save a lot of time and worry if we did things God’s way and communicated with God. Amen.

Another what if passage is found in Romans 8:31-