INTRODUCTION:
Do you remember the story “The Little Engine That Could?” A trainload of toys was being taken over the mountain to all the children in Sunshine Valley, but unfortunately the engine broke down. One by one different engines came by, but none were willing to take the trainload of toys over the mountain. At last a small blue switching engine happened by, and all the toys asked if it would please take them to all the boys and girls on the other side of the mountain. The Little Engine had never been out of the switching yard before—let alone to travel over the mountain. You know the story; the little blue engine hooked itself up to the trainload of toys and began the journey over the mountain. As the Little Engine began to pull the toys up the mountain, you could hear it saying “I think I can, I think I can. . . ” At long last the Little engine crested the top of the mountain and as it started its decent into Sunshine Valley it could be heard singing, “I thought I could, I thought I could . . .”
Each of us daily faces a variety of different mountains to cross. Some of us stand before the mountains of Fear and Discouragement. Others want to travel over the mountain of Bills and Financial Difficulty. What mountain do you face? Is it Grief . . . Sickness . . . Loneliness . . . Unemployment?
Regardless of what you call the mountain standing before you, you have a choice. You can choose to let the mountain stand in your way, or you can determine to conquer your mountain and climb over into “Sonshine Valley”—that’s S-O-N; the valley of God’s Son.
To climb our mountains we need strength for daily living. Thankfully we don’t have to try to do it alone. God will give us strength to overcome the mountains we face in our lives.
•Ephesians 3:16-19 (MsgB)
[16] I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— [17] that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, [18] you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! [19] Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God will answer our prayer for strength. What are the keys to spiritual renewal? How can we receive strength for daily living?
More than just keys or principles to live by, we have been looking at five one word answers to five basic questions. When answered properly these are five questions will rejuvenate our spirits through the power of God within us.
Here again are the five answers; IDENTITY, INTEGRITY, CAPACITY, TENACITY and DESTINY.
Identity answers the question “Who am I?” Your identity is not determined by what you do or how other people see you. The answer to the question “who am I?” is found in knowing WHOSE I AM. God establishes your identity! When you remember who you are in Christ, your identity strengthens you in your inner being.
Integrity answers the question “Whose am I?” or another way to put it “Who controls how I live my life?” Your God given identity as a child of God establishes your integrity—whose are you? I am God’s, therefore the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and I will live my life to please God and not myself. You cannot live a holy life—a life of integrity—apart from your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Integrity is not worked into us by what we do—integrity comes from within us because of who we are.
Capacity answers the question, “Why am I here?” For what purpose will I use the capacity or ability God has given to me? We can either choose to use our capacity to fulfill our own purpose or to achieve God’s highest purpose—to bring Him glory as we leave “God marks” in the lives of others. The imprint or impression we leave in the lives of others will be determined by whose capacity we use. We lack the strength or ability to glorify God on our own—we need to let God be the “hammer” to leave His impression.
Today we come to the fourth answer for strength for daily living—TENACITY. Tenacity answers the question “What will I choose?” We’re going to look our choice to learn how making the right choice and sticking with it will bring us strength for daily living.
1. YOUR CHOICE IS CRITICAL! What will you choose? Receiving strength for daily living is dependant upon your choice . . . the choice is critical.
Every miracle outside of creation and the resurrection of Jesus and every answer to prayer involves a human instrument; in other words, when God answers our prayers He will use someone—either us personally or another individual—as part of the answer. What is our part in receiving strength? Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians to receive the strength of the Holy Spirit includes the importance of an individual’s choice. God does not answer a prayer or do miracles just to show off His power.
See if you can find how God uses us to answer our prayer for strength for daily living within Paul’s prayer.
•Ephesians 3:16-17
[16] I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— [17] that Christ will live in you AS YOU OPEN THE DOOR AND INVITE HIM IN. (MsgB)
[17] So that Christ may dwell in your hearts BY FAITH (NIV).
Strength for daily living is dependant upon your choice to receive Christ as your personal Savior. Apart from having a friendship with Jesus you are on your own. God will let you live your life as you want
We are not puppets on a string; God will not manipulate us to do anything we don’t want to do. The only way for God’s gift of salvation and in turn the strength of the Holy Spirit is for us to receive it. It is your choice and mine; you and I must choose to accept what Jesus did on the cross for us. We choose to accept God’s gift of salvation.
•John 1:12 (NIV)
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
•Romans 10:9, 13 (NIV)
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” . . . [13] for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
God predestined—that is God determined beforehand—everyone who accepts Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross will be saved. Our choice is critical; you must choose.
Someone will say, “Wait Pastor; if God predestined us to be saved, then why is our choice critical?”
Predestination is not God standing at the balcony of heaven, looking at a sea of humanity and saying, “I pick you and you and you, but not you or you . . . and definitely not you!”
Our choice is critical! We need to have a proper understanding of predestination. We can’t just think it’s all up to God. We’re either saved and have strength for daily living or we’re not saved and God decided to let us make it with our own strength—or lack of strength.
•Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV)
[4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
(MsgB) Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. [5] Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)
These verses contain two fundamental truths you need to remember whenever you talk about predestination.
First, at the center of election or predestination IS CHRIST. Without Jesus none of us can be included in God’s family. Only through Christ’s death and resurrection is it possible for us to come to God.
“He chose us IN HIM. . .he predestined us to be adopted . . . through Jesus Christ.” “He had us in mind . . . the focus of his love . . . adopted into his family through Jesus Christ.”
God is the one who is actively seeking lost humanity through Christ Jesus.
The word “chosen” is used 125 times and “called” 504 times in the Bible (NIV), but interestingly you won’t find “free will” or “free choice” even once. Only as God calls out to lost humanity can we then respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Although you won’t find the doctrine of free choice specifically taught, the Bible does demonstrate again and again individuals responding to the call of God. Our choice to answer God’s call is critical!
o Jesus used the parable of the sower to illustrate the different responses people make to the word of God. Those along the path let the enemy snatch the truth away from them. Those among the rocks have no root and wither and die in times of trial. Those among the thorns let the worries and cares choke the word planted in their life. But those with good soil produce a bountiful harvest! These are the different responses people make to the voice of the Holy Spirit and God’s word in their lives. (See Matthew 13)
o Joshua recognized the importance of choosing to respond to God in his own life and challenged the nation to make their choice. "If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God." (Joshua 24:15 MsgB)
Second, election and predestination (the theological terms for God’s choice) are used corporately; predestination pertains to US — THE WHOLE GROUP OF BELIEVERS. We are members of the body of Christ, a chosen people. Nowhere in scripture is predestination or election used in reference to an individual; it is always used collectively.
“He chose US in him. . .he predestined US to be adopted . . . through Jesus Christ.” “He had US in mind . . . the focus of his love . . . adopted into his FAMILY through Jesus Christ.”
Predestination and election only becomes effective for the individual through their personal choice to accept what God freely offers to them through His Son Jesus Christ.
ILLUSTRATION:
As Americans we’ll understand this. God gives everyone a car of their very own; we hold the title free and clear. We all receive the same make and model; it’s a car that will never rust and will last a lifetime. God has given us the car “Freedom.” We’ve all have “freedom” to chose to go wherever we want whenever we want to go.
As we travel down the road of life, we see signs warning us of a bridge out. No one has ever seen this missing bridge, but the warnings are posted for all to see.
We have noticed many strange people who have parked their cars at the train stations to ride a monorail. This train is fast taking passengers where they want to go, and the Engineer guarantees to take you safely over the cavern where the bridge is missing.
Those still driving their car “Freedom” can’t imagine why anyone would want to give up the joys of the open road to be confined to a monorail; it’s so restrictive to have to stay on the “right track.” Why should anyone board a train to take you safely over a cavern with a mysterious missing bridge?
Those on the train know—THE BRIDGE REALLY IS OUT. All those riding in their personal car of “Freedom” ignore the warnings and discover too late that the bridge really is missing. They thought with “Freedom” they could choose to take their own path to heaven only to end up in a fiery crash at the bottom of a dark cavern because the bridge was out.
Everyone on the monorail arrived safely in heaven; the Engineer knew the way.
God decided in advance everyone onboard the monorail would arrive safely in heaven. He guaranteed their arrival by having His Son Jesus purchase their ticket for them and lead them safely to heaven as the Engineer.
Our choice is critical!
2. YOUR CHOICE IS CONTINUAL! Making the choice once to follow Jesus is not good enough. Jesus must be both our Savior and our Lord.
We need to daily decide to follow Jesus and renew our faith and commitment to Him. When we have the tenacity to stick with our choice—the determination to follow Jesus no matter what may happen in our lives—then the right choice with tenacity will give us strength for daily living.
•Luke 9:23 (NIV)
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Jesus said it’s a daily choice. In the good and the bad we have to choose to continue to follow Him.
Some might argue Jesus was just speaking figuratively, or that He was only talking to His disciples. Lest you think a one time decision to follow Jesus is good enough, not only does Jesus tell His disciples to daily follow Him (which by the way we are His disciples too), you and I are to encourage each other to daily follow Christ.
•Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
The deceitfulness of sin wants to lead us astray. Satan wants us to think we have arrived and can go back to living our own life—after all we know Jesus has forgiven us.
Another myth of predestination is the misunderstanding of eternal security. The doctrine “once saved, always saved” is a fairy tail! Unfortunately to many Christians today live like its true (even among those who say they don’t believe it).
ILLUSTRATION:
Join me again aboard the monorail to heaven. God has predestined that everyone on-board the train will arrive safely in heaven; they are eternally secure. But each time the train stops at the station to let new passengers board the train, some decide to exit the train to take a ride in their car “Freedom.” They are always careful how they drive—they know the bridge is out. Beside they still have their ticket to board the train guaranteeing they will safely make it across the cavern and into heaven. Something alone the journey has caught their attention outside the window of the train, so they take a ride in “Freedom” to enjoy themselves until they crash through the roadblocks where the bridge is out before they arrived back on-board the train to heaven. The deceitfulness of sin lured them away from God’s place of safety.
3. YOUR CHOICE IS CONVINCING! Your choice to daily follow Christ is powerful. Your tenacity pays off with strength for daily living.
Joshua said, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NIV). I have decided and I won’t change my mind; no turning back—I WILL FOLLOW JESUS! What about you? Is your choice convincing for you?
Think about it. God has called us—He has chosen us to be His very own. The fact God accepts us when we choose to come to Him has great implications for our lives.
No longer must I face a new day with my own strength and determination. I don’t have to try to go it alone. God has accepted me and I belong to Him. As His child I now have His unlimited resources available through His Holy Spirit who lives in me!
Remember the little engine that could? We don’t have to just go through life saying “I think I can.” With God we can say, “I know I can!”
•Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
Jesus told them. "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
Your choice is convincing! You can have faith to give you strength for daily living so that nothing is impossible for you!
You will never find strength for daily living until your choice is convincing. With abandon you need to have a tenacity that says I have chosen to follow Christ and He alone is my source.
Illustration:
The world says when you get the end of your rope tie a knot and hang on. You can choose to do that. With a tenacity and determination you can hold on tight to your rope, and guess what? God will just let you hang there. You will find yourself getting tired—your faith will falter; where is God; why hasn’t he helped you?
If you want strength for daily living, choose not to hold on to the end of your rope. LET GO; GOD WILL CATCH YOU! In His hands you will find peace and rest! In His hands you will find the strength to face your mountain and overcome it!
•Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
•1 John 4:4 (MsgB)
My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory . . . for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world.
Tenacity—What will I choose?
The choice is critical.
The choice is continual.
The choice is convincing.
With tenacity our choice to follow Jesus will give us strength for daily living.
