“Good Luck With That”

“Good Luck With That”

The first two weeks of 2018 have been awesome. God has blessed and encouraged as the church has moved forward in it’s purpose. Many churches in this country are moving back to the Gospel message. I look for it everyday and am excited to see it happening.

Two weeks have passed and already God is providing opportunities to help others. Speaking a unified message to servants in this house. Calling us, as the scriptures say in Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:17-19 NASB, (17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.) “What an awesome way of saying, God is calling for the maturity of the saints.”

#wewill #inHisname

I want to share some thoughts today titled, “Good Luck With That”

Actually, “Good Luck With That” has a definition. It is a set phrase that people say when you’re going to try something that they think will be hard or impossible. The literal meaning is simply, I hope you succeed with that, but is most often used sarcastically.

The moment I heard it, it brought several encounters from the Bible to mind.

Genesis 17:15-19

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

“Abraham fell on his face and laughed” Let me translate that in today’s vernacular. “Good Luck With That”

Abraham had more than enough legitimate, physical reasons that this would not happen.

Abraham was basing His purpose, and God’s promise on what He could do.

The same things takes place everyday in the world, and in the kingdom of God. (We base our purpose, God’s promises, on what we believe about ourselves.)

Many times God speaks to His people a word of destiny. A plan and purpose for their life. Sometimes He speaks through another. Sometimes in a dream or a vision. He also will remind you of your talent and ability. We often reject the plan and purpose of the Father because we think we can’t.

Our thoughts are very clear. “Good Luck With That”

Every tine the dream, the vision, the talent confronts you with an opportunity your mind tells you, “Good Luck With That”

Preach, Far too many many people base their purpose and their abilities on what they think about themselves.

“It is difficult for God to bless you in His plan for your life when you will not let Him use what you have.”

(Everything begins somewhere, with something!!)

John 20:24-29

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

“Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Let me put this in today’s vernacular, tell it however you want, “Good Luck With That”

Once again the situation represents the thought patterns of today. People want to experience success before they ever believe that it is attainable. Before they ever even take the first step. Make the first sacrifice.

Let me see the new building, the overflow crowd. Let me see the dream and vision come to pass. When I see it I will believe it.

So what is this all about. It is all about one thing. Doubt. A feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.

James 1:5-8

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Matthew 14:28-31

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Mark 11:23 NASB

Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.

I found this very interesting. The word doubt, or doubting, comes from the Greek word,

“dee-ak-ree’-no”, and it means, to be at variance with oneself, to hesitate or doubt.

I love this stuff. Doubt is the enemy of faith. There are people in many of our lives, that do not want you to succeed. They perceive no dream, vision, or talent in their life so jealousy rears it’s ugly head every time you mention a desire, or a gift, a dream. Your passion for helping others. The words that come from their shallow mind and negative perception ring loudly, Good Luck With That.

Let me close with this. Remember what God told Abraham. Gen. 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Jeremiah 32:17 NASB

Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,

The Angel told Mary in Luke 1:37 NASB, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

When the disciples asked Jesus who could be saved in response to the encounter with the rich young man, He said in Luke 18”27 NASB, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

(We base our purpose, God’s promises, on what we believe about ourselves.) What do You believe?

I believe you can do anything, accomplish anything, get over anything, make anything, sing any song, share the Word of God. I believe you can walk out His divine purpose in a victorious fashion.

Nothing is impossible with God.

Will you take the step forward today to be what God has called you to be? (1^St, is to be a follower of Christ.)

#wewill #inHisname