PROMISES, Part 5–Make A Difference

Exodus 6:6-7, "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians."

God promising us...

• Salvation
• Freedom
• Restoration
• Fulfillment

We have the choice to either accept or decline what He is offering.  

“Our future is as bright as the promises of God.”

Exodus 6:7, "I will take you as my own people..."  

He is making us into a PEOPLE.

Matthew 4:18-22 [NIV], As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

• “Come, follow Me” – Salvation
• “I will make you” – Freedom
• “fishers of men” – Restoration

"The day of hearing must give away to the day of doing."

John 15:8 [NIV], This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  ...[11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

"It's not good enough that we do good...we must do good for the Kingdom."

Luke 10:1-2 [NIV], After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two [teams] ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Luke 10:17 [NIV], The seventy-two returned with JOY...

Four things that keep us from living a fulfilled life...

1.  We let our past paralyze us

2.  We let our culture define us

Galatians 1:10 [NIV], Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? ...If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

3.  We try to do it alone

Ecclesiastes 4:9, Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.  

4.  We let fear stop us

Matthew 25:24 [NIV], "Then the man who had received the one talent came.  'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not shown and gathering where you have not shown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.'

“May your choices reflect your hopes [dreams], not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela

1.  Believe we're called

2 Timothy 1:9 [MSG], God saved us and then called us to this holy work.  We had nothing to do with it.

2.  Use our gifts

1 Peter 4:10 [NLT], God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you.

3.  Be last in line

Mark 9:35 [NIV], Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

Galatians 5:13 [NIV], ...serve one another in love.

"Our real purpose In life is to serve God by serving others."  

Hebrews 6:10, God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

4.  Willing to move

Hebrews 10:24 [NIV], And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

5.  Join a team

"Teamwork makes the dream work!"

The three C's of teamwork:

• Contribution
• Community
• Celebrate