Give God a Chance Series (1 of 6)
40
1/1/17 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
A There are certain things you want to accomplish this year I want to help you get there.
1 Today is the day many of us have made promises to ourselves to be healthier, happier, better people.
a So do I, and want us to take the journey together over the next 40 days (Jan. 1 thru February 9)
b Let’s give God a chance to do something God-sized with our not-so-happy meals that we call our lives.
2 Pray
B We know very little about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life: Scripture says “Luke 2:52 (HCSB) And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.”
1 We really start getting the details of Jesus’ life when He turns around 30 years of age.
a He chooses His team (the disciples), identifies His purpose (Advance the Kingdom & redeem mankind) and starts working to accomplish that purpose.
b In your life . . .
aa See CFBC as your team (we’re on your side & we want you to do well),
bb acknowledge your purpose (lose weight, stop drinking/gambling, some other habit)
cc you know what you need to do to accomplish your purpose . . . this is the season/time to start working to accomplish your purpose.
2 In Jesus life, the first thing He had to move on in His purpose, He had to spend 40 days in the wilderness facing His greatest opponent–Satan.
a He had to give Father God 40 days before He got His break through.
b I want you to commit this morning to giving God your next 40 days in order to receive your own break through.
aa Jesus opponent was Satan: your opponent might be losing weight, releasing bitterness, cleaning up your thoughts or house, . . .you know what they are and you don’t need me telling you.
bb If God asked Himself to give Him your focus for the next 40 days in order to be transformed, refocused, renewed, recalibrated . . . would you?
cc Over the next 40 days we’re going to work on establishing new patterns to develop new purpose.
c In Scripture, the number 40 represents new beginnings, being released from bondage, & victory over opponents.
aa Genesis 7:4 (HCSB) 4 Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.” (Rained for 40 days/nights in the flood)
bb (Gen 8:6 KJV) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: ( Noah waited another 40 days after it rained before he opened a window in the Ark.)
cc Exodus 24:18 (HCSB) 18 Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain, and he remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. (God gave him the patterns of the Tabernacle)
dd Jonah 3:4 (HCSB) 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished!” (Nineveh was given 40 days to repent)
ee (1 Sam 17:16 NLT) For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army. (Goliath came for forty days before being killed by David.)
ff (1 Ki 19:8 KJV) And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Elijah strengthened by one angelic meal went forty days to Mount Horeb where the Lord passed by and he heard the voice of God
TS: Let’s give God 40 days that can change our lives, give us freedom, new purpose, overcome our opponents.
I Jesus faced His 40.
A You would think Jesus could have cleft out of facing His 40 days, but God didn’t deliver Him.
1 Even though Jesus would have to face His 40 days, He was not alone: Luke 4:1 (HCSB) Then Jesus returned from the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.
a Salvation isn’t just about getting man into heaven, it’s also about getting heaven into man.
aa The first step that cannot be ignored when we’re facing our 40 days is making sure you are a Christian.
bb Becoming a Christian means, among other things, that the very Spirit of God resides & dwells in you.
b The same Spirit that filled Jesus is in every Born Again Believer.
2 The second thing I want you to notice (besides the fact that He wasn’t alone) is that Satan was opposing Him during the 40 days: Luke 4:2 (HCSB)2 for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, He was hungry.
a There will always be someone/something opposing you.
aa If we’re waiting for the coast to be clear, things to change before we face our giants, and bring discipline into our lives . . .it is never going to happen.
bb There will always be an opponent.
b For Jesus it was the Devil, for Joseph it was his family...
aa For Sampson it was his lust, Solomon it was his wives.
bb You can always find an excuse NOT to bring your life into order.
II What can you expect when your facing your 40?
A Satan will always try & get you to trade growth for gratification.
1 There may be areas in our lives that we’re not growing because we’ve replaced growth with gratification.
a Luke 4:2-4 (HCSB) 2 for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, He was hungry. 3 The Devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.”
b Why is it important that the text tells us that Jesus was hungry? (He was fasting, seeking a Word from the Father, on the verge of attacking His life’s mission)
2 Eating bread wasn’t sinful, wrong . . .but He was trying to grow! (He could have given in and gratified Himself or He could have grown past it.)
a Some of us are going to use our 40 days to try & lose weight and we’re going to be tempted to turn bran into brownies.
b (Let’s chose growth over gratification!)
B There is a huge difference between growth & gratification.
1 We must choose between the two:
a Growth: The process of growing, becoming mature, developing.
b Gratification: The act of giving into pleasure or satisfaction.
2 Jesus chose to stay focused, hungry while He was fasting because He was looking for growth, not gratification.
a Later in His ministry He multiplied the loaves to feed the 5,000 . . .bread wasn’t the sin: it was the test.
aa Did He want a word from God more than bread?
bb He was being tempted by Satan to move away from His focus.
b It’s not a sin to have friend chicken over grilled chicken, but when your focus is to lose weight, fried chicken can get you off course!
C Third thing to notice, Satan was just making suggestions!
1 He was like, “You know JC, if you wanted to you could just have small biscuit.”
a I recognize that voice!!! Don’t you?
b The power of free will is an awesome gift that God has given us . . . but it can be very dangerous in the wrong hands: MINE!
2 In the next 40 days, we’re going to have to decide not do some of the things that we want to do & it will take what Jesus was learning in His 40 days: DISCIPLINE.
a He was learning discipline, focus . . .when you give into gratification YOU STOP GROWING.
b That’s what Jesus’ temptation was all about!
aa Jesus would leave the 40 days with a solid sense of mission, He would not move off task, all roads lead to the cross from that point forward.
bb In the next 40 days we need that same resolve, a resolve of iron that says, “I will do this! I will not settle for gratification over growth.”
III Satan will try to tempt you with shortcuts:
A Philippians tells us that there is a time coming when the whole world will adore, confess Jesus as Lord, give Him glory/worship: Philippians 2:8-11 (HCSB) 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Look at what the Devil offers in Luke 4:5-7 (HCSB)5 So he took Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil said to Him, “I will give You their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 If You, then, will worship me, all will be Yours.”
a You can all the worship, glory for yourself WITHOUT THE CROSS . . . here’s the short-cut! (Offering the crown without the Cross!)
b In essence, “You don’t have to do the hard work . . .you don’t have to go through the effort of training the disciples . . . put in the time. I’m giving you an easy way out! (We recognize that voice, right?)
2 It sounds like, “Diet! That is why they make stretchy pants!” Or “You’ve never been an organized person so this isn’t really for you.” “40 days of discipline? You can’t do this!”
a THAT IS THE VOICE JESUS HEARD FOR 40 DAYS AND IT’S THE SAME VOICE WE’VE LISTENED TO FOR LONGER THAN THAT!
b In the next 40 days, let’s make the gravy train stop rolling!
aa
B Satan has always been a liar.
1 He couldn’t have given Jesus the crown without the cross even he had wanted to.
a We’re never going to get to where we want to be by taking shortcuts. (In life there truly are no short cuts to success: Doing the work, brings success.)
b During the next 40 days DO THE WORK.
2 For right now, we’re not looking beyond February 9 . . .we’re just looking at taking the next 40 days one day at a time . . .and doing the work of each day!
Quick Review:
* Jesus had to face His 40
* Satan was His opponent
* Satan wants us to trade growth for gratification
* Satan makes suggestions
* Satan offers short-cuts.
IV Satan will always try and remove you from personal responsibility.
A Luke 4:9-11 (HCSB) 9 So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you, 11 and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
1 Let the angels worry about you jumping . . . let them catch you, it’s their responsibility.
a If Jesus would have jumped . . . my guess is that He would have fell to His death.
b And, it would have been no one’s fault but Jesus’.
2 When we don’t take ownership of our actions, lives . . .we’ll always be jumping off the cliff and hoping someone catches us.
a Better yet, when we do jump off and splatter ourselves on the ground we’re always blaming others for not catching us
b OR we blame someone else for pushing us off the cliff.
B At some point we have to own our actions, take personal responsibility for ourselves.
1 Hey, that’s me doing those drugs. . .that’s my hand holding all those beers . . .
a that’s me laying in bed for bed because I’m depressed . . .that’s me inhaling an entire bag of cookies . . .
b That’s me feeling sorry for myself all the time. . .that’s me thinking all of those terrible thoughts.
2 It’s me! Not the devil/ not the things from my past that have hurt me, it’s not my circumstance . . .it’s me.
a You’ll never accomplish your cause/find your purpose if you do not own up your personal responsibility.
b If you take responsibility for actions . . . the next 40 days will be life, family, church, community changing.
Conclusion:
A God want you to live in victory, with a purpose, and to accomplish that purpose . . . but somewhere along the way we’ve dropped the ball, out-of-focus, off course. Today, is the day we recalibrate.
1 There was once a flock of pelicans that happily fished off the coast of California.
a One day, a fishing company began cleaning their catch at a nearby dock, where it was convenient for them to cast the discarded fish scraps into the water.
b The pelicans, drawn to the daily ritual, soon gave up fishing for themselves and settled into a more domesticated existence.
aa Life was pretty good for these pelicans, at least until the fishermen discovered that there was a market for fish scraps.
bb Abruptly, the free meals ceased.
2 Despite this regrettable change of fortune, the pelicans continued to show up every day at meal-time, only to go away with empty stomachs.
a It wasn’t long before the lack of sustenance began to take its toll.
aa The unsightly appearance of the emaciated birds eventually drew the public’s attention, and experts were called in to investigate the cause of their plight.
bb For some unknown reason, the pelicans no longer seemed able to access the abundance of food that teemed just below them in the sea.
cc After a thorough investigation, it was concluded that the pelicans were starving to death because they’d forgotten how to fish!
b Have you ever heard of anything so absurd? Pelicans were made to fish. But they had forgotten who they were and what they were made to do.
B Sadly, there is a spiritual parallel to this, and it’s just as puzzling.
1 It’s when a child of God forgets who they are and how they are to access the profound blessings teeming just below the surface of their everyday life.
a We suffer from spiritual amnesia when we allow our doubts and fears to rob us of the joy and fruitfulness that would naturally be ours.
b Believe what God says about you and you will thrive. aaYou are His beloved child, fully accepted, and
profoundly valued.
bb You have been given great and eternal purposes to fulfill.
cc Those who forget who they are in Christ waste away.
2 Let’s go back to God for the next 40 days and allow Him to teach us how to overcome our hang ups, habits, our hurts.
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My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
