Dr. Jack Graham's mission is to glorify God by introducing Jesus Christ as Lord to all people.
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Power Point with Jack Graham | Jack Graham - On Purpose For A Purpose | February 2, 2025
- ♪♪♪
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- There is no person that god cannot save!
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- There is no promise that god will not keep!
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- There is nothing that our god cannot do!
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- Take your bibles and turn with me to proverbs, the third
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- Chapter. and today's subject in our series is “on purpose for a
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- Purpose” because every child of god is born on purpose and to
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- Live for the purposes of god in our lives. you are made for
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- Him. you're not an accident, a product of chance or
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- Circumstance. every life is a plan and purpose of god.
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- And the will of god is certainly an essential because
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- Of all the questions i get from years as a pastor, so often
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- They come down to decisions that we make and how we make
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- Good decisions and godly decisions. how can we know...
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- How can we find, fulfill and follow god's will in our lives?
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- There's a man who got in bed one dark night and when he
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- Slipped under the covers, he reached over and touched his
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- Wife's face and hair. then in just a moment he reached out
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- And took her hand and held it for just a moment. and then he
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- Moved down towards her knee and was caressing her knee. (don't
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- Get nervous. [laughter] it's a story.) ... caressing her knee.
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- And then he stopped. and she says, "why did you stop?" he
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- Said, "i found the remote." [laughter] [he chuckles]
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- Well, you don't have to live groping in the darkness! and
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- Even in dark days, like today in the world, there is god's
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- Way for every dark day in your life personally and in my life.
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- And when we speak of god's guidance, we know that god's
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- Guidance in a general sense... all the people, but i'm saying
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- According to god's word, that there is a personal promise for
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- Every one of us that god will lead us. and the will of god is
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- Not something that we have to do; it's something we get to do.
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- I like to say that god would choose for you what you would
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- Choose for yourself, if you had sense enough to choose it.
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- And so proverbs 3:5-6... very meaningful verses to me
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- Personally. i memorized them as a youth. in fact, i had a small
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- Bookmark with proverbs 3:5-6 posted on a little bulletin
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- Board in my room in east fort worth when i was growing up as
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- A teenager. later on, when i yielded my life and gave my
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- Life to preach the gospel, it was these verses that prompted
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- Me and propelled me to say yes to the call of god in my life.
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- So i want you to read this verse. many of you know this
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- Verse and have memorized these verses. but i want you to hear
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- Them today relative to god's will and purpose for your life,
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- Perhaps as you have never heard or read them before.
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- 5) trust in the lord with all your heart and do not lean on
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- Your own understanding. 6) in all your ways acknowledge him,
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- And he will direct your path.
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- To put it another way... to paraphrase the message gave it
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- This way:
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- Trust god from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure
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- Out everything on your own. listen for god's voice in
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- Everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will
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- Keep you on track.
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- I like that. and then the new living translation puts it this
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- Way:
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- 5) trust in the lord with all your heart; do not depend on
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- Your own understanding. 6) seek his will...
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- And in the living bible, it says:
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- 6) put god first in your life in all that you do, and he will
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- Show you which path to take.
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- So there it is. the will of god is not really a formula;
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- Certainly, it's not fate or circumstances or good fortune,
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- But it is by faith that we find, follow and fulfill the
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- Will of god.
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- So as i was looking at this verse once again, as i have, of
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- Course, many, many times, i divided it up into three
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- Premises and a promise... three premises or three principles
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- And a promise. so let's cover the three premises first.
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- The first premise is this: "trust in the lord with all
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- Your heart." so this is a positive premise... something
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- That we do. it's personal and it is positive. it is all about
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- This relationship that we have god. first and foremost, the
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- Will of god is about our character. before it becomes
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- About our conduct... what we do, it's the development of our
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- Character and our christ-likeness. trusting in
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- The lord with all your heart. so god's will is not really a
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- Roadmap, as i would see it, but a relationship, as we're
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- Walking with the lord and trusting in him. and to do
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- It... to trust in god with all our heart... with all of my
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- Life. the heart being the center... the core of your
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- Being, representing the you of you; the inner you. so with all
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- You have. with everything within us.
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- We use the word like this: all... "i love you with all my
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- Heart." or "i'm going to put my heart into this job; i'm going
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- To give everything i've got." that's the idea of trusting in
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- The lord with all your heart. to seek him first in all
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- Things. after all, 1 corinthians 10:31 says,
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- "whatever you do... whatever you do, do it all for the glory
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- Of god." and when you put first things, first... when you give
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- Him that place of preeminence... not just
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- Priority, but preeminence in your life because ultimately
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- This is about the lordship of jesus in each of us. christ who
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- Is lord, who lives in us.
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- But i was thinking about some of the ways, practically,
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- Personally, that we put god first. one, give god the first
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- Part of your day. do you give god the first part of your day?
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- When you get up in the morning, do you seek him above all and
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- Before all?
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- I know it can be a challenge with all the chaos of getting
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- The kids out of bed and off to school if you're a young
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- Family. or just getting yourself out of bed some
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- Mornings. but get up before the day begins, before the sunlight
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- Burst forth on a new day and spend time with god, practicing
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- This principle of first things, first; give him the first part
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- Of your day.
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- Secondly, if you want to make sure that first things are
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- First and you are giving all your heart to him, putting him
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- First in your life, then give god the first day of your week.
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- And the first day of the week is this day, the lord's day.
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- Sunday is not the weekend! it's not the jewish sabbath. the
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- Jewish sabbath was yesterday on saturday. but as christians, we
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- Worship on the lord's day. why is it the lord's day? it's the
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- Resurrection day, the first day of the week. and the early
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- Christians pivoted from the sabbath to what we would call
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- Sunday, the lord's day. and so it's the principle of giving
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- The first day of the week. god will bless you and benefit you,
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- When you give the first day of your week to the lord. and that
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- Means worshiping him.
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- I'm not going to give you a list of what you should do and
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- What you shouldn't do on the lord's day. but i know above
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- All things, on the lord's day we should make him number one
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- In all that we do. sunday is not the last day of the week;
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- It's the first day of a brand-new week. and your week,
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- I'm telling you, will go a lot better if you put him first in
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- Your life and start your week by worshiping him, opening
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- God's word as you're doing right now and being a part of
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- The fellowship of god's church.
- 00:09:00.062 --> 00:09:02.798
- We are seeing the de-churching of america. church attendance
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- Is down... way, way down, and it went exponentially even more
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- Downward in the trends at the pandemic and many people are
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- Not back. but there's some studies... there's some data
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- Now as to why people aren't going to church and why people
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- Haven't come back to church, even after the... after the
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- Covid19 scare. you know the reasons? it's not because most
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- Have abandoned their faith. there are some who have
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- Abandoned faith and there's deconstruction of faith and
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- Apostasy going on. but that's really a small percentage of
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- People who are de-churched today. it's not even that they
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- Are unchurched. they once were churched, but now they're
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- De-churched.
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- And you know the number one reason by far that people are
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- Not going to church today? they say, “i'm too busy.” “i just
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- Got out of the habit.” “we got things going on in our lives.”
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- I mean, “there are trips to take” and “there's kids and
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- Their ballgames”, and “there is lake houses”, and “there's
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- Vacations”, and “we're tired at the end of the week” and “we
- 00:10:03.325 --> 00:10:05.528
- Just got out of the habit.” i spoke with a person the other
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- Day in our community. just finding out she was a
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- Prestonwood member, and i said, “you know, how you liking
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- Church?” [she] said, “well, we're just not back yet. i
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- Don't know why. we just got out of the habit.
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- But we're going to get there.”
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- The priority of a christian is to worship god on god's day in
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- God's church. and so i want to challenge you to get back in
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- Church if you're out.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Many people consider romans chapter eight to be the epic
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- Biblical masterpiece written by the most prolific contributor
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- To the new testament, the apostle paul, the great apostle
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- Paul. and this powerful message of scripture sends one message
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- Loud and clear. as a follower of jesus, you have every reason
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- To live in hope. now i realize with so much anxiety and fear
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- And depression in our world today, finding hope can be a
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- Real challenge.
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- But as believers, you and i are called to look at everything
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- That's going on around us. our gaze is meant to be pointed
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- Elsewhere, somewhere higher, someone high. and his name is
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- Jesus. that's why i wrote a book of meditations on romans 8
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- Called “a hope and a future,” to help you experience this
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- Hope that god wants us to have.
- 00:11:35.851 --> 00:11:39.155
- [announcer] in “a hope and a future,” you'll find the life
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- Preserver that god throws to you when you find yourself
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- Sinking in confusion, doubt, or fear. you'll find help when you
- 00:11:44.426 --> 00:11:48.097
- Seek and find rest in the lord jesus christ. pastor graham
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- Would like to resource you with this book today when you give
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- Your very best gift. so call, text the word hope to 59789
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- Or visit jackgraham.org
- 00:11:59.909 --> 00:12:02.611
- [jack graham] “a hope and a future” is our thanks for your
- 00:12:02.611 --> 00:12:06.982
- Gift today in helping us share the gospel with more and more
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- People all over the world - ‘til the whole world hears.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Number three, give god the first fruits of your income...
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- The first part of your income. that's proverbs 3:9. it's right
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- There in the text, below proverbs 3:5-6, and that is:
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- "give the first fruit of your labor to the lord." all of our
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- Possessions belong to him. and the first fruit... that's
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- Agricultural language, of course, of the crops, of the
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- Possessions, of what you own and possess; the first belongs
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- To god. first things, first. what is a tithe? a tithe is a
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- Tenth of your income. no! a tithe is not a tenth of our
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- Income; it is the first tenth of our income. it's the
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- Principle of giving god first in all that we have and all
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- That we own. and so, not only do we bring ourselves and
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- Families to god's church on god's day, but we bring our
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- Tithes and our offerings with us, as god has commanded us.
- 00:13:10.045 --> 00:13:14.116
- This is a principle... this is a premise.
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- You want to know god's will? you want obey god? the things
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- That he's already showed you because let me say that god
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- Will not take us one step further than the measure of our
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- Obedience to him. and if i'm disobedient to god, why should
- 00:13:28.430 --> 00:13:33.135
- I expect him to lead me to do anything? why don't you do the
- 00:13:33.135 --> 00:13:37.006
- Thing right in front of you? do what god has commanded and
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- Called all of us to do.
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- Number four, give him priority in every decision you make,
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- Both large and small. second corinthians 8, verse 5, it
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- Says: “but they first gave themselves to the lord.” before
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- They gave their money, before they gave their possessions and
- 00:13:53.389 --> 00:13:56.325
- Practiced stewardship which is lordship, they gave themselves
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- To the lord. so give yourself completely, all of your heart
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- To jesus, as matthew 6:33 “seek first the kingdom of god and
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- His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto
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- You.”
- 00:14:12.541 --> 00:14:13.776
- So give the first part of your day to the lord; give the first
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- Day of the week... today, the lord has made for him, and give
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- The first part of your income to the lord. and then give the
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- First part of your life, the best part of your life... give
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- Yourself first to lord above all else, and all those
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- Decisions that we're making... that they would honor god and
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- Please him. and then fourthly, give him the first devotion,
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- The first love of your heart.
- 00:14:39.001 --> 00:14:41.070
- Jesus spoke to a church in ephesus who left their first
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- Love, and he said, "i have this against you; that you left your
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- First love." first love is emotional and passionate.
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- It's... you might call it the honeymoon love. it's the brush
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- And the blush of first love. and we are to maintain that in
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- Our... our marriages... our love and our devotion to one
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- Another. if your love is not growing in your relationship to
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- Your husband and wife, it's probably dying. so we cultivate
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- That relationship and that love. and we ought to be loving
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- Each other more and more. as we grow older we shouldn't be
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- Growing colder, but more loving and warm and passionate for one
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- Another and kind.
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- And what is true in human relationship, is true in our
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- Relationship with god. jesus said not that you've lost your
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- First love; but you left it behind. and so we should give
- 00:15:27.950 --> 00:15:32.721
- Our first love for jesus. above all other love in our live,
- 00:15:32.721 --> 00:15:39.128
- That we would love him.
- 00:15:39.128 --> 00:15:41.630
- So let me ask you, do you trust him with all your heart? to
- 00:15:41.630 --> 00:15:46.301
- Know him is to love him; and to love him is to trust him; and
- 00:15:46.301 --> 00:15:51.206
- To trust him is to obey him and do what he tells us to do. have
- 00:15:51.206 --> 00:15:56.111
- You given your life completely to him? that's really what this
- 00:15:56.111 --> 00:15:59.014
- Message is about. it's about trusting the lord with all your
- 00:15:59.014 --> 00:16:03.385
- Heart, knowing that he is faithful. we just sang it; we
- 00:16:03.385 --> 00:16:06.755
- Just said it. lord, you are faithful. many are
- 00:16:06.755 --> 00:16:10.692
- Untrustworthy, but god is faithful and trustworthy. he
- 00:16:10.692 --> 00:16:15.397
- Will never break a promise to you. you can trust god with
- 00:16:15.397 --> 00:16:19.902
- Everything and anything in your life. amen? [amen]
- 00:16:19.902 --> 00:16:24.907
- Secondly, premise number two, lean on the lord... lean on the
- 00:16:24.907 --> 00:16:29.144
- Lord. for it says: "trust in the lord with all your heart
- 00:16:29.144 --> 00:16:33.148
- And do not lean on your own understanding." as i noted in
- 00:16:33.148 --> 00:16:37.619
- The paraphrase in the message, said: "don't try to figure
- 00:16:37.619 --> 00:16:41.790
- Things out on your own." it really means, don't rely or
- 00:16:41.790 --> 00:16:46.895
- Depend upon your own knowledge or your own understanding. it
- 00:16:46.895 --> 00:16:50.833
- Doesn't say: don't have understanding or don't have
- 00:16:50.833 --> 00:16:55.104
- Knowledge; it says don't lean on your own knowledge, on your
- 00:16:55.104 --> 00:16:58.907
- Own understanding. ephesians 5:18(17) concerning the will of
- 00:16:58.907 --> 00:17:02.644
- God, said, "understand what the will of the lord is." so
- 00:17:02.644 --> 00:17:06.415
- Understanding is a part of this. but we don't lean on our
- 00:17:06.415 --> 00:17:09.551
- Own understanding.
- 00:17:09.551 --> 00:17:10.819
- If you don't trust the lord with all your heart, you're
- 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:13.455
- Probably are trying to figure out things in your own way. am
- 00:17:13.455 --> 00:17:17.826
- I right? it's when i don't really trust god for that
- 00:17:17.826 --> 00:17:22.431
- Situation that i start trying to figure it out for myself.
- 00:17:22.431 --> 00:17:25.267
- And that's a recipe for failure, not success. that's
- 00:17:25.267 --> 00:17:30.072
- Losing, not winning when it comes to the will of god.
- 00:17:30.072 --> 00:17:34.977
- I believe in education. i actually liked school growing
- 00:17:34.977 --> 00:17:39.615
- Up. and i liked high school; i even liked middle school for
- 00:17:39.615 --> 00:17:45.554
- The most part. i loved being in college... university, where
- 00:17:45.554 --> 00:17:50.926
- Deb and i met, out at hardin-simmons. i loved
- 00:17:50.926 --> 00:17:53.729
- Furthering my education. that was a privilege. not many
- 00:17:53.729 --> 00:17:56.665
- People in our family had the privilege of being college
- 00:17:56.665 --> 00:17:59.434
- Educated. generations before us did not have the privilege that
- 00:17:59.434 --> 00:18:03.805
- Many of us have to get formal education.
- 00:18:03.805 --> 00:18:09.645
- My own father dropped out of school in the eighth grade to
- 00:18:09.645 --> 00:18:13.115
- Go to work for his family. and some of you, you didn't have
- 00:18:13.115 --> 00:18:18.820
- The opportunity to have a formal education. so we don't
- 00:18:18.820 --> 00:18:21.490
- Take that for granted, whether it's personal education...
- 00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:24.793
- Self-educated or whether formal education, i'm for it. seminary
- 00:18:24.793 --> 00:18:29.831
- - loved every second of it really.
- 00:18:29.831 --> 00:18:33.402
- I hope you're a life-long learner. we should be learning
- 00:18:33.402 --> 00:18:37.372
- All the days of our lives. "study to show yourself
- 00:18:37.372 --> 00:18:41.443
- Approved; a workman that needs not to be ashamed." so i'm
- 00:18:41.443 --> 00:18:45.380
- Often studying, and not just for sermons, but we should be
- 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:49.451
- Reading books and listening to podcasts. i would encourage you
- 00:18:49.451 --> 00:18:52.988
- If you have the opportunity, to enroll in a... in a bible
- 00:18:52.988 --> 00:18:55.891
- Class, or a course in college outside of your expertise. do
- 00:18:55.891 --> 00:18:58.927
- Something new. learn something new. get all the knowledge that
- 00:18:58.927 --> 00:19:04.066
- You can god's way.
- 00:19:04.066 --> 00:19:07.069
- But don't lean on your own understanding when it comes to
- 00:19:07.069 --> 00:19:10.439
- Making decisions regarding the will of god. listen and learn,
- 00:19:10.439 --> 00:19:15.677
- Because we don't rely on what we know. there are lots of
- 00:19:15.677 --> 00:19:20.716
- Things we don't know. and if you think you're... you know,
- 00:19:20.716 --> 00:19:24.720
- It's like the old saying: "if you're the smartest person in
- 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.889
- The room, then you're in the wrong room." right? there's
- 00:19:27.889 --> 00:19:32.160
- Always more to learn. and we don't know what we don't know!
- 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:37.199
- So we can't lean on our own understanding. we can't see the
- 00:19:37.199 --> 00:19:40.836
- Future. we don't know what may be coming. so what should we do
- 00:19:40.836 --> 00:19:44.806
- With knowledge? we should treat knowledge with humility. not
- 00:19:44.806 --> 00:19:49.244
- With arrogance... "i'm smarter than you. i'm smarter than
- 00:19:49.244 --> 00:19:53.582
- God." no, we treat knowledge with humility because all
- 00:19:53.582 --> 00:19:58.620
- Knowledge really comes from god. and what we need is
- 00:19:58.620 --> 00:20:00.822
- Wisdom. and when we pray and ask god for wisdom, what is
- 00:20:00.822 --> 00:20:04.459
- Wisdom? wisdom is the application of knowledge.
- 00:20:04.459 --> 00:20:07.496
- Wisdom is seeing things from god's perspective. it's seeing
- 00:20:07.496 --> 00:20:11.700
- Life as god sees life, and living it accordingly.
- 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:15.804
- So how do we have wisdom? it starts with asking god for
- 00:20:15.804 --> 00:20:19.441
- Wisdom. james tells us in the midst of adversity in life...
- 00:20:19.441 --> 00:20:24.579
- In the midst of the problems that we face, the crisis of
- 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:28.884
- Life, what are we to do when we don't know what to do? when
- 00:20:28.884 --> 00:20:31.420
- We're so hurt, we can't even breathe a prayer, what are we
- 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:33.889
- To do? we're to cry out to god for wisdom. and god says, "i'll
- 00:20:33.889 --> 00:20:37.159
- Give you wisdom when you don't understand."
- 00:20:37.159 --> 00:20:41.463
- And then we have god's word, because god's word is the
- 00:20:41.463 --> 00:20:48.737
- Guidebook. it's like a... i was thinking today, the bible is
- 00:20:48.737 --> 00:20:54.209
- Like a passport for us to live in a foreign land. this world
- 00:20:54.209 --> 00:20:59.715
- Isn't our home. but god has given us a passport. and in
- 00:20:59.715 --> 00:21:04.052
- God's word we find god's will. god's word is god's will and
- 00:21:04.052 --> 00:21:07.289
- God's will is god's word! get it? god's will is god's word;
- 00:21:07.289 --> 00:21:15.697
- God's word is god's will. so we have his word to us that we
- 00:21:15.697 --> 00:21:27.075
- Might learn to depend upon him and not ourselves, and to ask
- 00:21:27.075 --> 00:21:31.279
- For the wisdom in his word.
- 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.582
- And that brings me to the third principle or premise, which is
- 00:21:33.582 --> 00:21:37.753
- Walk in his way. it says: "in all your ways acknowledge
- 00:21:37.753 --> 00:21:42.491
- Him... in all your ways..." so in your way and on your way,
- 00:21:42.491 --> 00:21:49.364
- Walking in the way. the bible says, psalms 37, "the steps of
- 00:21:49.364 --> 00:21:57.506
- A good man are ordered by the lord and he delights in his
- 00:21:57.506 --> 00:22:01.443
- Way." and i might add, not only the steps, but the stops are
- 00:22:01.443 --> 00:22:08.984
- Ordered by the lord. because we are trusting in him and we're
- 00:22:08.984 --> 00:22:14.322
- All in with him, and we begin walking right into the will of
- 00:22:14.322 --> 00:22:19.361
- God.
- 00:22:19.361 --> 00:22:20.629
- This is the way i see the will of god: obey god every step of
- 00:22:20.629 --> 00:22:24.766
- The way. it's not so much about what is the will of god five
- 00:22:24.766 --> 00:22:31.873
- Years from now, ten years from, long-range plans; that's fine.
- 00:22:31.873 --> 00:22:35.811
- But really the will of god is not about the next fifteen
- 00:22:35.811 --> 00:22:38.647
- Years; it's about the next five minutes, the next 15 minutes.
- 00:22:38.647 --> 00:22:43.118
- And as we're walking with him, what happens is the providences
- 00:22:43.118 --> 00:22:48.757
- Of life begin to work in our lives.
- 00:22:48.757 --> 00:22:53.895
- What is the providences? it's the hand... the invisible hand
- 00:22:53.895 --> 00:22:57.265
- Of god working and weaving his way in our life. and so
- 00:22:57.265 --> 00:23:03.472
- Providences count, circumstances that are
- 00:23:03.472 --> 00:23:06.208
- Controlled by the hand of god. and god brings people into our
- 00:23:06.208 --> 00:23:10.345
- Lives or decisions and opportunities and open doors
- 00:23:10.345 --> 00:23:14.649
- And closed doors as we're walking. what did paul say?
- 00:23:14.649 --> 00:23:20.622
- "present your bodies as a living sacrifice unto the lord,
- 00:23:20.622 --> 00:23:23.525
- And don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
- 00:23:23.525 --> 00:23:29.097
- The renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good
- 00:23:29.097 --> 00:23:33.134
- And perfect and acceptable will of god."
- 00:23:33.134 --> 00:23:36.538
- Here's a little formula, if you want a formula. it's a biblical
- 00:23:36.538 --> 00:23:39.207
- One. presentation plus transformation equals
- 00:23:39.207 --> 00:23:43.578
- Revelation. presentation- you present your life unreservedly
- 00:23:43.578 --> 00:23:48.617
- To the lord, or that decision... you give it to god.
- 00:23:48.617 --> 00:23:51.086
- "lord, i give this to you." and then god through his word,
- 00:23:51.086 --> 00:23:55.390
- Through his will begins to work in your mind. he gives you
- 00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:58.326
- Mental clarity and spiritual focus so you begin to see.
- 00:23:58.326 --> 00:24:02.364
- Psalm 119:105 "your word, o lord, is a light unto my path;
- 00:24:02.364 --> 00:24:06.768
- A lamp unto my feet."
- 00:24:06.768 --> 00:24:08.703
- And so we're taking one step at a time. he lights the way. he
- 00:24:08.703 --> 00:24:12.574
- Opens the door. we walk in it. you'll hear a voice behind you,
- 00:24:12.574 --> 00:24:16.144
- The psalmist said, saying, “walk in this way”, and so we
- 00:24:16.144 --> 00:24:20.415
- Keep walking. as we keep walking in the will of god, we
- 00:24:20.415 --> 00:24:23.385
- Keep doing the will of god. the will of god is not so much us
- 00:24:23.385 --> 00:24:27.756
- Finding the will of god, but the will of god finding us as
- 00:24:27.756 --> 00:24:33.862
- We walk with him. so presentation - “present your
- 00:24:33.862 --> 00:24:38.633
- Body as a living sacrifice”; plus transformation- “a
- 00:24:38.633 --> 00:24:42.103
- Renewing of your mind”, equals revelation - “that you may
- 00:24:42.103 --> 00:24:47.342
- Prove what is a good and perfect will of god for your
- 00:24:47.342 --> 00:24:50.378
- Life.”
- 00:24:50.378 --> 00:24:51.479
- Here's what know: god's will is good and perfect and
- 00:24:51.479 --> 00:24:54.683
- Acceptable. he leads us not only by providences in this
- 00:24:54.683 --> 00:25:00.622
- Way, but what i would call promptings... promptings given
- 00:25:00.622 --> 00:25:08.063
- To us by the holy spirit. you have a counselor within. the
- 00:25:08.063 --> 00:25:13.034
- Spirit of christ... the paraclete... the holy spirit
- 00:25:13.034 --> 00:25:16.438
- Lives within each of us and romans 8 tells us: "as many as
- 00:25:16.438 --> 00:25:20.308
- Are led by the spirit of god, these are the children of god."
- 00:25:20.308 --> 00:25:24.279
- So there's objective leading in god's word. one preacher said,
- 00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:29.451
- “ninety-nine percent of the will of god is above your
- 00:25:29.451 --> 00:25:31.453
- Neck.” so there's objective knowledge but then there's the
- 00:25:31.453 --> 00:25:38.259
- Subjective, and i do believe the spirit of god leads us and
- 00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:42.063
- Prompts us along the way.
- 00:25:42.063 --> 00:25:46.034
- This is the end of baseball season. (go, rangers!) but it's
- 00:25:46.034 --> 00:25:50.839
- The start of football season. it's been going a while. and if
- 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:53.475
- You're a football fan, you know that games are typically won
- 00:25:53.475 --> 00:25:57.212
- And lost not by the stars... you know, the great line
- 00:25:57.212 --> 00:26:00.515
- Receivers or quarterbacks, but games are won in the trenches.
- 00:26:00.515 --> 00:26:03.318
- And when you look at the offensive line... the offensive
- 00:26:03.318 --> 00:26:06.021
- Line in a football team, really, all the blockers are
- 00:26:06.021 --> 00:26:08.723
- The football team, make the plays go and the team wins. and
- 00:26:08.723 --> 00:26:12.394
- So, it's beautiful if you like offensive football, to see all
- 00:26:12.394 --> 00:26:16.931
- The blocks being executed and the movement and a strategic
- 00:26:16.931 --> 00:26:20.702
- Play, a winning play and... and so the running back or the wide
- 00:26:20.702 --> 00:26:23.672
- Receiver gets the ball; they're blocking down field; opens the
- 00:26:23.672 --> 00:26:26.908
- Door to winning the score.
- 00:26:26.908 --> 00:26:30.178
- So think of it this way, all you football fans: god is down
- 00:26:30.178 --> 00:26:36.084
- Field, blocking for you. he's got a play... he's got a plan,
- 00:26:36.084 --> 00:26:42.290
- And he is clearing a path. that's what this word means.
- 00:26:42.290 --> 00:26:46.361
- He's straightening the path, he's clearing the path, he's
- 00:26:46.361 --> 00:26:49.130
- Opening the door of opportunity for you! all you need to do is
- 00:26:49.130 --> 00:26:52.967
- Run with all your might! (hashtag) #winning! because
- 00:26:52.967 --> 00:26:58.573
- This is how we win - when we let god lead the way through
- 00:26:58.573 --> 00:27:01.776
- Our lives and just follow him. the lord knows the way through
- 00:27:01.776 --> 00:27:05.814
- The wilderness! all i've got to do is follow.
- 00:27:05.814 --> 00:27:10.618
- “trust the lord with all your heart; do not lean on your own
- 00:27:10.618 --> 00:27:13.221
- Understanding. in all of your ways put him first in
- 00:27:13.221 --> 00:27:16.458
- Everything you do, and he will direct your path.”
- 00:27:16.458 --> 00:27:21.930
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:21.930