MESSAGE OF THE DAY: "God is the God of the Do Over!" Have you ever heard anyone say this before?!? Well, that’s what I want to talk about today! God is the God of the do over, a fresh start, a new beginning! Now, I don’t know where you are right now in your life, but maybe you need a do over, maybe you need a fresh start. Well, guess what… God can handle that! To help you understand this more, I’d like to center this message around 3 questions: 1. When do you need a do over? 2. Why does God give do overs? 3. Why would someone turn down a do over? So let’s begin… I. WHEN DO YOU NEED A DO OVER? ~~ A. When You Fall Into Sin - David was the “man!” He was a hero, a mighty warrior for God. When an entire army was afraid, he was the one who stepped into the valley to face a 10 foot (think about it) GIANT! He was a powerful king who won many victories for God. This man wrote some awesome songs of praise and he was not the least bit afraid to let it all hang out in worship! The people loved and praised him and when God looked at him he said, “there is a man after my own heart.” However, David had fallen into sin and he needed a do over . The Bible says that David stayed home when he should have been out doing battle for the Lord. In other words, had he gone where he should have gone and done what he should have done, his fall could have been avoided. Isn’t this when we normally get ourselves into trouble?!? You know…when we are not doing the things we should be doing, and when we are not going where we should be going! It is at these times when we are most susceptible to temptation and sin. Do you think people still fall into sin today? Do they still wind up in places that they never thought they would be? I mean, no one ever thought David would do what he did, not him. He loved God so much! Hmm…maybe today you are like David and have fallen into sin. You’re really not sure how it happened, but before you knew it, sin gripped you up! You need a do over! ~~ B. WHEN LIFE BEATS YOU UP When we think of Job, we think of man who, in an instant, lost it all - his children, his wealth, his health, etc… Life, for all intensive purposes, had beaten Job up and he needed a do over! Sometimes life beats us up as well and we need a new beginning! We encounter relational storms, health storms, financial storms, emotional storms, etc… and the damage can be severe. Maybe you’re at a point wheere life is beating you up - you’re tired, discouraged, not sure how much more you can take, you don’t know where to turn! You need a do over!!! ~~ C. WHEN YOU’VE GOT THE BLUES If the Biography channel was to do a story on Elijah, they’d show him multiplying a widows food, raising her dead son, going toe-to-toe with 850 false prophets and kicking their butts, etc… However, as great as he was, Elijah got a major case of the blues. So much so, that the Bible says that he asked God to end his life because he just couldn’t take it anymore! Have you ever felt that way? You’re doing all you can and that one thing happens and that’s it! You’ve had enough and you just can’t take any more! You need a do over! ~~ D. WHEN PRIDE HAS YOU HEADED DOWN THE WRONG ROAD Saul was so sure that he was doing the right thing. He was confident in the actions that he was taking. However, he had no idea that what he was doing was, in fact, very wrong, and just like that…all of the wrongness of his actions became crystal clear in the glare of that bright light on the road to Damascus! He needed a do over! Maybe your pride has sent you at full speed in the wrong direction. Maybe you are beginning to realize that a lot of what you were doing is just wrong! You need a do over! ~~ E. WHEN YOU DIDN’T DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU’D DO “Lord even if everyone else falls away, you can count on me! I’ll never deny you.” That’s what Peter uttered to Jesus! However, when that rooster crowed, he denied Christ three times! Maybe you are in a similar situation! “Not me! I’ll never do that! I’ll never be like them!” You need a do over! II. Question #2: WHY WOULD GOD GIVE US A DO OVER?!? In life, do overs are not really the norm! Wouldn’t it be great if there were, though?!? For example, you get pulled over for speeding - “Eh, you know what, officer?!? Thanks, but I’ll be taking a do over today! Or how about when you get into an argument with a friend and you say something mean & cruel?!? “Hmm…I think I’ll be taking that do over now!” While life doesn’t work that way, I do have some good news for you! With God, a do over is not a dream! It’s a reality!!! SO…why would God give us a do over?!? The answer is very simple - because He loves us! In fact, He loves us so much that, even before we were created, our do overs were already preplanned! #wow #thatsdeep The key is knowing that in order for you to receive that do over, you have to ASK Him for it! David, Elijah, Job, Peter, Saul (Paul) - they all got a do over because they all called out and cried out to God! And guess what, these same guys did some awesome things on the other side of their do overs! For example, David wrote Psalms after God gave him his do over; Paul said “I’m proof of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever;” Job was made prosperous again and was given TWICE as much as he had before! These men are just a few of the many that were given do overs! III. Question #3 - WHY WOULD SOMEONE NOT WANT A DO OVER? A. They are full of Pride. (Psalms 10:4) B. They have been blinded by Satan. (2 Corinthians 4:4) C. They don’t really know who God is. (Luke 15:11-32) CONCLUSION: We are all in different places in our walk with God. Some of us have yet to make a decision to believe that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of God. If this is you, think of yourself on the shoreline. You haven’t made the dive into the waters of faith because you have yet to believe. Then there are those of us who maybe have recently come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God and we are in the water. Paul tells us that there are tools/resources provided by the Holy Spirit that enable and empower us on our journey. In other words, think of these tools/resources as your scuba diving equipment. Just as a diver could not sustain a dive without his equipment, it’s impossible to sustain a life of faith without truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word. So some of us have put on the gear and we’re ready for the dive, but we’ve just barely started getting used to the idea of breathing under water. The whole experience is new and a little uncomfortable. And then there are those who have been diving for awhile. They are used to the experience, the equipment, and they understand the pressure that comes from going deeper in their faith. And then there are some of us who, even though we’ve been in the water for a long time, we just can’t seem to sustain a dive for very long. Ultimately, it all comes down to not having enough trust the in the equipment - truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and His Word! So now I ask you…where are you in your relationship with God? Ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep faith and relationship doesn’t cut it. It might make some Christians feel better to think that it does, but a relationship with Jesus is not about convenience! It will honestly cost you everything. You will experience pressure, sometimes even painful pressure! I don’t know where you are in your relationship with Him, but I do know that He demands exclusive worship! A person can say that they are a Christian and even claim to worship Jesus, but only a genuine follower understands the sacrifice, to be in over their head in worship to God. So what’s it gonna be?!? Are you ready for your do over?!?
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 04:20:30 +0000
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