Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on BREAKTHROUGH: Don't Lose Heart, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Prayer and Dependence
We've started this series called breakthrough because it is this new time of year it's this new decade it's this new season for us. To think about what God is calling us to do and find victory in and we looked at that in second Corinthians so if.
- You have your Bible please turn to the book of second Corinthians and we are gonna be in chapters three and four today as.
- An extension of what we looked at in chapters one and two last week our theme was in chapters 1 & 2 there is.
- Triumph in Christ that we always have triumph in Christ as I said in chapter 2 verse 14 thanks be to God who always.
- Leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place and yet to get to that.
Verse last week we realized that wherever there is victory in life in your spiritual life in your life with God and what he's. Calling you to do victory is always on the other side of some trouble trial or suffering and we know that because when we.
Sin and Salvation
Says in chapter 4 of verse 1 therefore since we have this ministry as we have received mercy we do not lose heart that. Is a promise of God that where he has put his spirit in you to bring you into the victory that he has for.
- You on the way there will be things that tempt you not to praise him and worship Him in your trouble but to throw.
- In the towel and we look at the word that says but we don't do that we never lose heart we don't give up.
- And we don't go through the seasons of hardship and think of them as things to give up on and here's the reality wherever.
- God has called you to a good thing that good thing will then turn into a hard thing and that hard thing will turn.
Into a question thing no matter what it is some of you are in that season right now where a good thing has turned. Into a hard thing and the hard thing is now being questioned and we know that the time of the year that we're in.
Family Discipleship
We find is seen in the rapid decline in the average length of time that people will spend at their given jobs throughout their. Lives we once lived in a time not too many generations ago where it was not uncommon at all for someone to commit their.
- Entire lives to one position or one career you could give your whole life 20 30 40 years until retirement into one vocation and.
- Yet now that average time within one position that God has called you to or given to you as a way to provide for.
- Yourself or your family is now just three and a half years now there's all sorts of things that come into that but one.
- Of them is the excitement that allowed you to come into the job and be inspired to do well has worn off and many.
People begin to look around to see what else may be out there maybe you have felt that here's another example of ways that. Things can wear off the initial inspiration can turn into a desire to potentially throw in the towel this one's much more serious because.
Grace and Justification
You're setting out to do this year it will be true and what God has called you to do with the purpose of your. Life to love him and follow him and actually suffer for him so that you have a ministry of mercy grace and comfort you.
- Will be challenged to think should I really keep going so today we're gonna look at this in three ways because when you come.
- To these times in your life when the good thing that God has given you becomes a question thing there really are three things.
- That you have to cling to and remember as to why we believe believers who have the Spirit of Christ in us we say.
- We don't lose heart we never give up we make it until the end we press on to the upward call and when we.
Get to the end of our lives we are people who say we fought the good fight of faith and we did not throw. In the towel here are those three things for your spiritual life but also three things to think about in anything hard that God.
Prayer and Dependence
Until the end and then we finally come to this third aspect for any of us who want to have the heart that does. Not give up it is the spirit of victory the season that we're in right now for the culture that we live in has.
- A good example of this for those of you who are the football fans among us I see some of you wearing your garb.
- There's a game today I understand I was watching some football yesterday and one of the teams that was the underdog or the lower.
- Seed actually won and as the announcers were thinking about this team that one they noticed something about this team for the second week.
- In a row they have one being the away team the underdog team the team with the worst record and yet they keep beating.
These teams and the announcer said this team believes they can win this team has a thing about them that they just think no. Matter who they're playing against they're gonna win that's called the spirit of victory and it's a real thing there's an intangible part of.
Faith and Obedience
Confidence that we're not giving up because we're confident that we can make it we first say the answer is not sufficiency in ourselves. If you come here thinking of losing heart or thinking of giving up and your of confidence is in yourself then we have to.
- Look to something beyond you because when you look to yourself as we see it throughout all of the scriptural examples of why we.
- Shouldn't trust in ourselves there is reason to lose heart we are not sufficient in ourselves we do not have the necessary power and.
- Wisdom and ability and strength to fulfill the call of God on our lives without God and that is where we find the answer.
- In verse 5 but our sufficiency is from God when you come to the fork in the road of your life and you have.
Those circumstances in your life that are trouble and trying and difficult you are being forced your hand is being forced to answer the. Question who do you really trust him who is really making you sufficient to get the job done that God is calling you to.
Grace and Justification
Versus the new and when we study the Old Testament the entire study of the Old Testament can really be summed up for you. In one sentence now read it and allow God to speak to you through the examples of this one sentence being played out in.
- The lessons of the Old Testament but here is what the Old Covenant teaches us what is impossible for man is possible with God.
- That is what the of the law teaches us that where the law tells you what you can't do it brings you to your.
- Own impossibility that you cannot fulfill the perfect law of righteousness in yourself and that is what the Old Testament covenant is a constant.
- Reminder of that God has his people and their job is to obey Him and keep the law and they can never do it.
In themselves and that really is the story of the Old Testament the Old Testament starts with the God who speaks the worlds into. Existence by the power of his word and then it starts in a garden God creating everything breathing life into man and then God.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.