The Apprentice
May 30, 2004 AM
2 cor 4:8-9
[s1]
Let me quickly review our previous 6 secrets of the apprenticeship;
[s2]
1) the buck stops here
Stop playing the blame game -- you control your life
You are where you are right now because of choices you have made,
And your reactions to situations that come against you
2) we must seek wisdom
Wisdom is the most important thing Solomon said
3) we must be people of action
Life will pass you by if you just sit and let it.
I heard a good advertisement this week in Dallas --
Two guys talking about doing something with our lives
And one said "you know, if you’re 20 and you lay in bed a sleep for a year, you’ll be 21 ...
But if your 70 and lay in bed for a year, you’re dead.
We must keep moving --
We have to be people of action.
4) We must decide our hearts
That is one step beyond just making up our minds --
5) I will choose to be happy
Looking miserable does not qualify you for special blessings.
Pouting does not move the hand of God quicker.
God hangs out with happy people,
God dwells with thankful, happy, praising people.
6) Secret # 6 was "I will forgive"
Forgiveness not given becomes a seed within you that produces a very bitter fruit.
You are the only one that can decide to live in bitterness or forgiveness.
This morning we will look at the last success secret --
[s3]
7) I will not give up
[s4]
If there is any indictment against my generation and all the generations under us -- it’s the inability to make complete commitments.
It shows up in lack of commitment to marriages,
It shows up in dead beat dads, runaway moms,
It shows up in lack of committment to churches,
It shows up in politics, in education, in just about every walk of life.
Nobody sticks to anything.
It’s as if people use this as their motto:
[s5]
"I’m with you as long as it is easy, but if times get difficult, or I find something better, I’m outta here"
If the classes get to hard -- we change majors.
If the job gets difficult -- we change jobs,
If the marriage gets rocky -- we change partners.
[s6]
The term "till death do us part" no longer has meaning.
I hear people all the time -- "I know I said I would never leave, but things changed,
[s7]
Or this is my personal favorite -- "I fell out of love", "I just don’t love them any more"
I’ve even heard this "it’s just not what I thought it would be"
And because we are quiters -- we have left generations of children out in the cold.
But we can carry it one step further --
Because people also give up spiritually.
My Grandpa used to tell me stories of when he got saved --
And the one thing that stuck with me was he said once that when he made up his mind to serve God --
[s8]
He never even considered turning back --
He said he never even once considered giving up on God.
I remember as a young kid that I thought to myself --
There aren’t many people like that.
I mean today -- we can make up our mind we’re going to sell out to God,
[s9]
And then two Sunday’s later there’s a flower show in pocassett that we want to go see,
So we skip out on church,
[s10]
And then the next Sunday there’s a dog parade in pickens,
And so we skip church again,
[s11]
And the next week, well we just felt like sleeping in.
And we go from being sold out to God, to skipping church,
to giving up on God in a matter of weeks.
This whole series on the Apprentice has been based on one important premise --
[s12]
The power of choice.
And the fact that where we are, and what is happening in our life is a result of choices.
And choices, whether good or bad, bring consequences.
And those consequences are the circumstances we are in right now.
And our way out of those circumstances is again going to be determined by more choices.
I mean think about it --
[s13]
#1 was - the buck stops here -- that is a choice
#2 was -- seek wisdom -- that’s a choice
#3 was -- be a person of action -- that’s a choice
[s14]
#4 was -- we must have decided hearts -- another choice
#5 was -- we must choose to be happy - we have to choose,
#6 was we must forgive -- again, a choice.
[s15]
And making the decision not to quit is a choice.
The greatest gift God ever gave man was the power of choice.
And the greatest heartache God ever gave man was the power of choice.
And it is our choice that determines gift or heartache.
We can choose to never quit - no matter what.
We can choose to keep our focus
We can choose to not become distracted.
We can choose to finish the course
Let me show you something from the life of Paul --
We begin first in 2 Corinthians 4 ...
[s16]
(2 Cor 4:7 NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all - surpassing power is from God and not from us.
(2 Cor 4:8 NIV) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
[s17]
(2 Cor 4:9 NIV) persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Cor 4:10 NIV) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
[s18]
(2 Cor 4:11 NIV) For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
[s19]
(2 Cor 4:16 NIV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
[s20]
(2 Cor 4:17 NIV) For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
[s21]
(2 Cor 4:18 NIV) So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Now I want you to catch something here ---
[s22]
We have a tendency to exagerate our own struggles.
If we are broke -- there is nobody having as much trouble getting by as we are ...
If our car won’t run, there is no one who has ever had a more difficult time with an automobile than us ....
[s23]
If we’re sick, honey ain’t nobody ever been as sick as we are ...
If we’ve got a cold ... it’s the worst cold that has ever plagued the human race ...
Do you see what I’m saying ?
We’re all prone to it.
But if we start looking at the real world, the one that is not outside our door step,
The one where people are being imprisoned for their beliefs,
The one where people are tortured for saying their a believer,
[s24]
The one where people are starving because their government has squandered the food supplies,
The one where people die from a disease they don’t even know they have,
Because know one has explained AIDS to them ....
That world ....
If we look at that world,
When we lay our struggles beside the real struggles ....
[s25]
We come off as wimps.
We quit church, we quit God, we quit marriages, we quit jobs, we quit everything over what the real world calls ... nothing
Absolutely nothing.
[s26]
Please understand -- the devil’s strategy for your life is to make you quit everything of value that God has placed in your life.
[s27]
If you feel like giving up on God -- it’s because God has a plan for your life that is beyond your expectations or dreams --
And Satan can’t stand it -- so he has determined the way to stop it is to get you to quit.
[s28]
If you feel like quiting church -- it’s because God has strategically designed church to be a part of bringing forth your best blessings.
[s29]
If you’re thinking about giving up on your marriage -- it’s because that spouse is an important key to your blessings --
And without him or her you will never achieve the best of what God has for you right now --
[s30]
So Satan wants you to quit.
He will bring trouble into your life hoping out of desperation you will accuse God as the source of your troubles.
The devil hopes to wear you down through frustration, anger, heartache, and stress all so you will simply give up on God,
Or on the church, or on your family, and just quit.
I want you to hear me this morning --
[s31]
God has never given up on you.
And there were times you deserved to be given up on !
But God remained faithful.
[s32]
Friends you do not have the spirit of a quitter living inside of you.
[s33]
You have the spirit of the only man in history to conquer death.
You have the spirit of the ultimate eternal victor living in you.
You cannot give up -- there is nothing to give up for.
Let me give you some simple steps to keep you from giving up;
[s34]
1) Finish what you’ve started
You started out reading the Word -- keep on --
You started out praying every day -- keep it up
You started your marriage with love -- keep on doing what it takes to make it grow
You started forgiving others -- finish it -- keep on forgiving
You started following hard after God -- finish it -- keep following after God.
Finish what you’ve started.
[s35]
2) Don’t lay aside your good intentions
Never grow tired of doing good.
[s36]
(Gal 6:9 NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
[s37]
Again in (2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV) But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
Don’t allow the self centeredness of the world to rub off on you --
keep doing good -- regardless
[s38]
3) Guard your heart
[s39]
(Prov 4:23 NIV) Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
The NLT says it like this --
"Above all else guard your heart -- for it affects everything you do."
Don’t allow bitterness and anger, unforgiveness and revenge to steal from you.
Guard your heart.
[s40]
The living Bible says "Guard your affections"
[s41]
Becareful what you get close to.
Becareful what you allow to enter the part of your life where you treasure things.
We hear it so often -- "I love that", "Or I love it".
We have to guard our affections --
We have to be careful what we "love."
What we treasure, what we hold dear can have incredible influence over our lives.
[s42]
(Luke 12:34 NKJV) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
So guard your heart. Guard what you hold valuable.
[s43]
4) Resist the spirit of the age
That’s a tough one because we are being bombarded on every side with what the world wants us to see, hear and think.
[s44]
Guard the eye gate -- limit what you see,
Guard the ear gate -- limit what you hear --
Guard your emotions -- limit your response to ungodliness.
[s45]
We are being brainwashed by public opinion and media to belief in a culture without wrong.
I made the statement a few months ago in a message --
[s46]
If homosexual behavior is not sin -- then what is?
[s47]
I expand the thought -- if adultery is not a sin, then what is?
[s48]
If pornography is not a sin, then what is?
[s49]
If nothing is a sin, then what did Jesus die for?
God’s whole plan for redemption is null and void if there is no such thing as sin.
[s50]
(1 John 1:8 NKJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[s51]
(1 John 1:10 NKJV) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
To prevent giving up -- resist the spirit of this age
[s52]
5) Lastly - become part of the team
The word says in Deuteronomy that 1 puts a thousand enemy soldiers to flight --
But two fighting for the same cause put 10,000 enemies to flight.
[s53]
(Mat 18:19 NKJV) "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Walking together seems to multiply the blessings of God.
[s54]
Have you ever noticed that when you were young -- you did things in a crowd that you would never do alone.
You had more courage to do stupid stuff, you had more prideful ego to not let someone else out do you.
So you climbed things that you shouldn’t climb,
And you took things you shouldn’t take,
And you tried things you shouldn’t try,
And you went places you shouldn’t go
All because of the power that a crowd held on you.
That same principle can be used for good though.
[s55]
You can surround yourself with people who cause your faith to be stronger than it would be by itself,
You can surround yourself with people who cause you to walk in boldness that you would not normally have,
[s56]
You can fill your life with people who won’t let you quit, you won’t allow you to give up.
People who stand by you, people who lift you up when you can’t stand on your own,
People who know how to lay aside their own struggles to see that you get through yours.
Be a part of the team -- today you help soneone else -- tomorrow they help you -- and the next day you both help someone else.
[s57]
#1 -- the buck stops here
#2 -- seek wisdom
#3 -- be a person of action
#4 -- we must have decided hearts
#5 -- we must choose to be happy
#6 -- we must forgive
#7 -- never, ever, ever, give up
