The following is a sermon I will be giving at Lake Hills Community Church on January 4, 2015 and that I feel is important to hear at this time. It is based on a sermon I heard by Mark Warner the Lead Pastor of Vineyard Church in Overland Park, KS. I have tried to change it enough to make it reflect me.
Wow, here we
are beginning 2015 and if you are like many people you may have set a
resolution or two. But if you are like me you find come Feb. 1st I
have already broken every one. What I want to do today is encourage you to set
some goals instead.
I want to
share 6 things with you about goals that will help.
1.
Goal-setting is a Spiritual
responsibility.
Jesus and
Paul did it. They both knew exactly what they were being called to do and did
not let anything stand in their way.
Let’s look
at Luke 4: 16-21 He came to Nazareth
where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the
meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the
prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news
to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to
the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s
year to act!”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down.
Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just
heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”
Mark 1:38 Jesus
said, “Let’s go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is
why I’ve come.” He went to their meeting places all through Galilee, preaching
and throwing out the demons.
Philippians
3: 12-16 I’m not saying that
I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way,
reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends,
don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but
I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off
and running, and I’m not turning back.
So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God
has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than
total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now
that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
You are either going to go through
life with purpose or by design or by default. You are going to decide what is
important by your goals or you will allow someone else to make that decision
for you.
Goal setting is an incredibly important
discipline to develop. If goals were important to Jesus and we are supposed to
imitate Him shouldn’t we set a few goals in our lives?
2. Goals are Statements of Faith.
You might be thinking “isn’t setting
goals what businesses do? What athletes do? Isn’t that a secular thing to do?
Well yes that is true but NO! Setting goals is a spiritual habit we need to
develop. Goals reflect our faith. If you are a believer, a follow Jesus Christ
and you set a goal, what you are saying is, “I believe (that’s faith) that God
wants me to accomplish such and such by such and such a time.” This is what I
believe God is going to do in my life. That is a statement of faith.
Hebrews 11: 6 It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because
anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and
that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
Romans 14: 23 If the way you live isn’t consistent
with what you believe, then it’s wrong.
Ephesians 3: 20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could
ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing
us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the
church!
Glory to God
in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all
the generations!
Glory through
all millennia! Oh, yes!
I have to admit sometimes I do not
dream BIG enough. Sometimes what I do is dream just big enough that I can
accomplish it by myself. I want to encourage all of us to dream outside of the
box we or others place us in. You know the, “I am not smart enough, not
talented enough, not gifted enough, I am not old enough or I am too old, or
what comes to your mind.
In 2015 Let’s let the size of our God
determine the size of our dreams.
A cool thing is Dreams cost you
nothing. Press into God about your dreams. Ask Him to help you set goals around
the dream, put a date on it, make it measurable and do not expect instant
success.
Begin today to live a WHATEVER Life,
whatever you have for me God. I am signing up for whatever you have.
Goals are a statement of faith that
God has something for you.
Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb
with your goals. All fruit is found on the branches and not at the trunk. You
will not produce fruit playing it safe. Goals that take you out on a limb and
out of your comfort zone are statements of faith. Another way to spell FAITH is
RISK.
3.
Goals focus our energy.
I want to encourage you to set goals
in four areas of your life:
Spiritual
Relationships
Financial
Health
Goals in these areas will help you to
focus your energy. Goals will keep you from wasting time, money, resources and
energy. Goals will help you keep your eye on the ball. They will help you live
a more effective life. Without goals you will live a life of little impact. But
by living a purposeful life you will have more power, be stronger and you just
might change the world.
The greatest use of life is to invest
it in what is going to outlast it. God does not expect you to do everything but
He does expect you to do something. The main thing he wants you to be is the
man or woman he knows you can be.
1 Corinthians 9: 26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.
I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert
and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone
else all about it and then missing out myself.
Goals are your
Statement of Faith and they will focus your energy.
4.
Goals keep us going.
Goals will give you hope to keep
moving. They will give you strength to endure. A country song captures this
perfectly.
If you’re going through hell keep on
going, don’t slow down. If you’re scared, don’t show it. You might get out
before he knows you’re there.
Jesus endured all that led up to the
cross because he looked beyond the cross to the goal. He looked beyond the pain
to the prize. You need to do this, too!
Holocaust survivors.
Goals will give you hope to move past
your mistakes, your fallings, your setbacks. Every one of us will blow it
sometime this year. Always remember that none of those are failures unless you
choose not to get up again and try again. Each of those things are actually
helpful in you achieving your goals well that is if you learn from them.
Goal setting is a Spiritual
responsibility, it is a Statement of Faith, it helps us to Focus, it gives us
Hope and 5. Goals help to build our
character.
Drifting through life does nothing to
build our character. If you set goals that are God given He will begin a work
in you that builds character. The greatest benefit to you when you set goals is
not what you accomplish but what happens inside you as you move on them.
God is more concerned about your
character than your accomplishments. Here
is the idea: “While we are working on the goals God gives us He is working on
us.”
You will never become the man or woman
God knows you can be unless you make it a goal to be that man or woman.
Goals build character and 6. Goals that are based on God’s word will
be rewarded.
Proverbs 11: 27
The one who seeks good finds delight; the student of evil becomes evil.
1 Corinthians 9: 25 You’ve all been to
the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.
All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and
fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
Goals are a Spiritual Responsibility, goals are Statement of
Faith, goals focus our energy, goals Give us Hope, goals build Character, and
Goals based on God’s word will be rewarded.
I want to encourage you to make goals in these areas of your
life:
Spiritual
Relational
Financial
Health
As you set your goals ask yourself
these 3 questions:
1
Will it honor God?
2
Is it motivated by love?
3
Will it require me to depend upon
God?
If you set a goal that will not bring honor to God He will not
help you achieve it. If the goal is not motivated by love He will not support
it. If it does not require you to depend upon God then it is self-based and it
might be achieved but not have His help or support.
Finally you need the following 3
things to help you achieve your goals:
1. The Holy Spirit to empower you.
2. The Word of God to guide you.
Joshua 1: 8 And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out
of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice
everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll
succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get
discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step
you take.”
3. The Body of Christ to encourage and support you.
Matthew 18: 18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on
earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one
another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at
all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And
when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll
be there.”
Let’s make 2015 a year built around
having a purpose in life and set goals based on that purpose. Setting goals can
change your life even transform it.
Hey guys, if all we do is come to church
each week and listen to Pastor Mike’s sermons and never apply them we might as
well be out fishing or golfing. But if we hear, discuss and apply what he
shares weekly we will not be the same person at the end of the year as we are at
the beginning.
We are going to do something different
today. We will take up the offering and have announcements and then have discussion.
Questions:
Did this speak to anyone?
Would you like to set some goals?
If you are moved to set
some goals please contact me and share them. I will pray with you about them.
Father we thank you for caring enough
to want us to grow through having goals. May 2015 be a year that we bring you
honor and glory. In Jesus name amen
