Message Notes 10-12-03
Preparing for 40 Days of Purpose:
Don’t Waste Your Life

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

 

3 BASIC QUESTIONS

 

1. WHAT DOES GOD WANT?  MY WHOLE LIFE!

Romans 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…

 

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and   love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

 

Proverbs 3:6 …in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

A prayer to begin a relationship with Christ: “Dear Jesus, I realize that I need You in my life. I want to have a real relationship with You. Today, I have realized that you created me to know you. I also realize today that I have sinned against you. Please forgive me. I turn to you and ask you to be the leader of my life. I give you my entire life, not just some of it…my heart, my soul, my life, my past, and my future. Thank you for dying for me.  Help me to live for you, now and forever. Amen.

 

 

 

2. WHAT DOES IT TAKE? DISCIPLINE
1 Timothy 4:7b-8 …train yourself to be godly.  ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

 

Hebrews 12:1b let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

 

Luke 10:40-42 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

 

Philippians 2:13 … for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

3. WHY SHOULD I DO IT? THE CROSS!
2 Corinthians 5:15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

 

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…  

 

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

 

2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

 

Habakkuk 3:2 LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.