See God, BE REAL! (Part 2)

FULL SERVICE: See SERMON ONLY below

SERMON ONLY:

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1. We begin part 2 by saying that God does not just want us to be fruitful, but that He wants to encourage us and make us encouragers also. Look at the word ‘encourage.” Take away the ‘en’ and what have you left? How does that change the emphasis?
2. Read 1:14-18 a few times. Is Paul trying to encourage them? How, and in what way?
3. I want you think about this next statement carefully – “When you are at home, look around you, that is your sphere of witness. But when you look beyond your home, that is your sphere of blessing.” I am calling us to look at life in terms of ‘spheres.’ And ‘spheres’ as arenas of influence for the kingdom of God. Where you surprised at what seems to be a reverse? Surely ‘blessing’ is for home, and ‘witness’ is to the world! Why, do you think, I reversed it in our day?
4. Seeing God, in our ‘real’ world, is very much about our personal experience. In other words, I am saying, that our ‘small lives’ are exactly where (1) you see the real sovereignty of God (2) your chains become opportunities (3) God brings most glory to Himself, and others to Himself (4) you become an example (5) and where you get to really get God’s power and perspective to overcome discouragement and fear. Does that seem possible? What would cause this to be not just possible, but in fact, the ordinary experience for the child of God?
5. In calling for ‘sober reality,’ I say that we are to expect opposition (1) within ourselves, (2) from the outside world, but also (3) from within even the community of God! Look at each of these three oppositions. What forms do they take?
6. Many were coming to Christ. The church in Rome was encouraged to speak the gospel without fear. And Christ was being proclaimed through friend or foe! Paul rejoiced!! He himself was encouraged to think differently about his ‘circumstances’ even more so! Wonderful, isn’t it? So, I want us to focus our attention on just how Paul got there. Notice – he didn’t just pray. He gets re-encouraged with the coming together of four different elements: Look at the four things he mentions (1) The prayers of the church (2) The power of the Spirit of Christ (3) His own thinking – personal expectation (4) And lastly, His own personal hope – future faith! This is really worth thinking about. How do I get encouraged? How do I encourage others?
7. In many ways, we tend to simplify what God calls us to in Mission. Maybe we just focus on one thing (God’s Sovereignty, how we are doing spiritually, a negative or worldly belief about ‘circumstances, our abilities and gifts, how attractive our personalities are, or how eloquent we can speak, or how knowledgeable we feel we need to be, or how worthy or unworthy we feel about being a Christian witness, etc, etc). But in our passage, “Seeing God, Being Real” call us to live with at least these four elements – (1) The gospel, and only the gospel, must infiltrate our sad little lost community. (2) It must infiltrate from the perspective of God’s Sovereign ways. How He orchestrates circumstances. (3) We must be encouraged agents of the kingdom, and we must be encouragers of one another in doing the work of the kingdom (4) And lastly, to be sober to the reality of opposition who are agents of discouragement. Their mission? To rob us of courage! In conclusion, from 1:18, what is Paul’s supreme guiding star and central purpose?