"Storybooks, Fairytales & the Life God Wants You to Have"
Part 2 - Slaying Your Dragons
NewSong Church - 11/23/08
[SLIDE] MAIN GRAPHIC
This week we continue our teaching series, "Storybooks, Fairytales & the Life God Wants You to Have." Over the next few weeks leading into the Advent season, we will be looking at principles from the Bible that help us live God’s ideals in our reality.
:: The Life God Wants You to Have ::
• Last week we asked the question “What kind of life do you think God wants for you?”
[SLIDE] - John 10:10
“I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” [The Message]
:: Experiencing God’s Ideals: Obedience ::
[SLIDE] - We can live life on God’s level when we exchange our ideals for His ideals.
• Living in obedience means that God’s Word becomes the final authority for all aspects of our life
• Living in obedience means surrendering to God, exchanging our life for the one He offers
[SLIDE] - Deuteronomy 28:1-6, 9
If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God: God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way he has shown you.
[SLIDE] - We can live life on God’s level when we exchange our ideals for His ideals through obedience to His commands & principles.
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:: Enter the Dragon
• In the storybooks, there is often a villain that must be overcome before the “happily ever after”
• These villains represent standards, methods and ideals that are in direct conflict with the hero
• They stand in the way of the hero and the goal
• In order for the hero to win the day, theses villains must be confronted and defeated
:: Obedience Challenge – Adam & Eve
• Adam & Eve in the Garden, in the place that God created just for them
• Living the life that God wanted for them
[SLIDE] - Genesis 3:1-6
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.”
:: A Thing or Two About Dragons
• Dragons question the authority, validity and truth of God and His Word
• Dragons present their ideas in place of God’s truth
• Dragons attempt to convince us to give in and settle for something other than our goal
:: Facing the Dragon
• We are not alone when it comes to facing dragons
• Jesus also faced the same dragons that Adam & Eve face, that we still face
• Dragons that represent power, money, fame, materialism, consumerism, pride, lust
[SLIDE] - Matthew 4:1-10
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”
• Dragons try to catch us off guard, when we are in our weak moments
• Dragons create false realities, illusions that can destroy us
• The dragon’s goal is leading us away from God and into the worship of something else
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:: Slaying the Dragon
• Jesus gives us the best example of what to do when we face a dragon
• When presented with the questions, “ Did God really say…” & “Did God really mean…” Jesus responded with “This is what God said, this is what he meant.”
• Jesus was certain of who God was, what His Word said, and where their relationship stood.
** We can face and defeat the dragons in our lives when we live life on God’s level with His ideals **
[SLIDE] - James 4:7-8,10
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
[SLIDE] – Ephesians 6:10-18
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
[SLIDE] – Psalm 119:10-11
“I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
[SLIDE] - This life will only be experienced when:
1. We have received forgiveness and a new life through faith in Jesus Christ
2. We surrender our life and ideals to God and choose to obey His ideals and His life
3. Allow the Holy Spirit to daily transform us, bit by bit even, until our life reflects Jesus’ life
[SLIDE] :: Next Step ::
What is the Next Step for you this morning?
• Maybe it is to discover a new way to live by meeting Jesus Christ and beginning a fresh relationship with God.
• Maybe your Next Step is to begin or continue to surrender your ideals in exchange for God’s ideals. To live a life of obedience to God’s commands and principles.
• We can help you with that – by participating in a small group, beginning a discipleship journey, or becoming involved in ministry at NewSong you open up the door for the Holy Spirit to begin to work in you and change your life.
Whatever your Next Step is, we are here to help you take it. You have a place and a purpose here at NewSong. I encourage you to live your life to its fullest here, in this community.
[SLIDE] - COMMUNION
[SLIDE] - Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
