John 10:10 says, âI have come so that you might have life and have it more ... SOMEONE(s) â You always imagined that
1
Winning Dependence
Home Run Life 1 Part
Dr. Brandon Park | June 1, 2014
John 10:10 says, “I have come so that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Would y ou say that you are living life to the full? Unfortunately, research shows that believers live no better and no differently than non-‐believers. For example, believers don’t seem to handle money any better than non-‐believers, they struggle with pornography just as much as non-‐believers, and (according to Barna) the divorce rates for Christians are virtually identical to non-‐Christians at 32 and 33 percent. Many Christians are missing some foundational principles and practices of their faith. As a result, they are not living the life of their dreams—the abundant life God wants them to have. Many people want to grow from the ___________________ in, but God wants to change us from the _____________________ out.
What makes for a home run life?
The question is what are the elements that make up for a great life? There are four elements to it: • SUCCESS -‐ When we're young and we dream about our lives, we dream about our future job and career success. When we are y oung, no one aspires to grow up and accomplish small things. But success is too small to make up the whole of your life dream. • SOMEONE(s) – You always imagined that there would be others in this dream life (coworkers, teammates, close friends, a soul mate). Success without someone is __________________. Success all alone is empty! Success without the "someones" is diminished joy. • SELF-‐RESPECT – You imagined you would be able to look into the mirror and respect the person you see without dropping your eyes in disgrace. • SIGNIFICANCE – You dreamed that your life would make a difference and that it would count for what matters.
What can we learn from Joseph's journey? In the Bible, Joseph illustrates the pattern for winning a home run life (See Genesis 37-‐50). Joseph
was in the line of God’s great promises. His father Jacob, was highly influential and very affluent and Joseph was the favored son. At the age of 17, his father gives him a “coat of many colors” which means he is very important. He also gets a v ision from God that someday his brothers would be bowing before him and he makes the mistake of sharing that vision with his brothers. Joseph assumed that his next step in life would be success, but God’s next step for him was the pit. His brothers threw him into a pit, took his coat of many colors and made it look like an animal had killed him. He is left for dead, but is eventually sold into slavery and is sent to Egypt. What was God doing in Joseph when life was not going as planned and things did not make sense? He was taking him on the same pattern and journey as He desires to take all of us. • WIN DEPENDENCE – When we wonder why God is allowing things to happen that don’t make sense, He is helping us win dependence. You may find yourself in a pit today that you didn’t create and you are trying to figure out what God is doing. God was stripping Joseph of everything he would have used to make this dream possible so he could move Joseph from self-‐ reliance to G od-‐reliance. Joseph was __________________ of everything he would have depended upon to accomplish the dream. He was stripped of his c oat which made him feel important. He was stripped of his name and security of his Father’s home. All that was familiar, and even his freedom, was taken away from him. The way we grow up humanly is different than the way we grow up spiritually. Humanly speaking, we grow by progressively moving from dependence to independence. Spiritual growth is the opposite. You grow spiritually by progressively moving from ______________________ to _______________________ upon God. • WIN WITHIN – Joseph’s second major breakthrough was when he faced a major temptation. By this time he was a servant in Potiphar’s house and Potiphar’s wife makes a sexual advance towards him. In that moment, he had to decide, "What kind of person am I going to be?" Joseph couldn't help that he was a slave on the outside, but he didn't have to be a slave on the inside to his passions, his appetites, or his desires. The quality of our relationships and the life that we live will never consistently rise above the quality of ___________________ within us. God’s dream for Joseph involved more than just worldly success where he would rule over others. God’s heart was to develop Joseph to be a person who could rule over himself. The greatest battles that we face are not _________________ us, but ______________________ us. • WIN WITH OTHERS – Joseph is now the imprisoned slave. People don’t even notice him. They dismiss him. Joseph used to think that he was a real “somebody” in his Father’s household. Perhaps God had him in this place to teach him how to value others. There are few things more redefining than when God puts you in the place of people you once ____________________. • WIN RESULTS – While Joseph was still in prison, he had the opportunity to interpret a dream for Pharoah. Joseph told him that while he could not, the God whom he served was able. God gave Joseph the interpretation of the dream. Then more than give the problem, he delivered the solution to the coming famine in Egypt. The pinnacle of Joseph’s life is when he moved from success to significance. He said to his brothers: "What you meant for bad, God meant for good, for the saving of many lives."
What is the pattern?
READ ROMANS 12:1-‐2 • HOME PLATE is where you __________________ with God (Win Dependence). Just how in baseball, everything begins and ends with the home plate, in this life, everything begins and ends with God. This is where we find our purpose and receive God’s power. st • 1 BASE is where you develop _____________________ (Win W ithin). We think the point of the Christian life is to get God to change everything around you, when the first thing God wants to do is change everything _______________ you. God is more interested in how ____________ we grow our ____________ than how big we grow our branches. nd • 2 BASE is where we grow in ________________________ (Win with Others) – Matthew 22:36-‐ 40. Life is about loving God with our whole heart and loving our neighbor as yourself. rd • 3 Base is ____________________________ (Win Results) – A player does not score when he rd gets to 3 base – only when he crosses home plate. You must go from success to s ignificance. God’s definition of success is… K________________________ God and His purpose for our lives G________________________ to reach our maximum potential S_________________________seeds that benefit others. -‐ That’s the kind of success that anyone can achieve.
1
Winning Dependence
Home Run Life 1 Part
Dr. Brandon Park | June 1, 2014
someone(s) Community
Win with Others
self-respect
success
Competence
cheat
Win Results
Character Win Within
significance
John 10:10 says, “I have come so that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Would y ou say that you are living life to the full? Unfortunately, research shows that believers live no better and no differently than non-‐believers. For example, believers don’t seem to handle money any better than non-‐believers, they struggle with pornography just as much as non-‐believers, and (according to Barna) the divorce rates for Christians are virtually identical to non-‐Christians at 32 and 33 percent. Many Christians are missing some foundational principles and practices of their faith. As a result, they are not living the life of their dreams—the abundant life God wants them to have. outside Many people want to grow from the ___________________ in, but God wants to change us from inside the _____________________ out.
Connect (with God)
Win Dependence
What makes for a home run life?
The question is what are the elements that make up for a great life? There are four elements to it: • SUCCESS -‐ When we're young and we dream about our lives, we dream about our future job and career success. When we are y oung, no one aspires to grow up and accomplish small things. But success is too small to make up the whole of your life dream. • SOMEONE(s) – You always imagined that there would be others in this dream life (coworkers, teammates, close friends, a soul mate). Success without someone is hollow __________________. Success all alone is empty! Success without the "someones" is diminished joy. • SELF-‐RESPECT – You imagined you would be able to look into the mirror and respect the person you see without dropping your eyes in disgrace. • SIGNIFICANCE – You dreamed that your life would make a difference and that it would count for what matters.
What can we learn from Joseph's journey? In the Bible, Joseph illustrates the pattern for winning a home run life (See Genesis 37-‐50). Joseph
was in the line of God’s great promises. His father Jacob, was highly influential and very affluent and Joseph was the favored son. At the age of 17, his father gives him a “coat of many colors” which means he is very important. He also gets a v ision from God that someday his brothers would be bowing before him and he makes the mistake of sharing that vision with his brothers. Joseph assumed that his next step in life would be success, but God’s next step for him was the pit. His brothers threw him into a pit, took his coat of many colors and made it look like an animal had killed him. He is left for dead, but is eventually sold into slavery and is sent to Egypt. What was God doing in Joseph when life was not going as planned and things did not make sense? He was taking him on the same pattern and journey as He desires to take all of us. • WIN DEPENDENCE – When we wonder why God is allowing things to happen that don’t make sense, He is helping us win dependence. You may find yourself in a pit today that you didn’t create and you are trying to figure out what God is doing. God was stripping Joseph of everything he would have used to make this dream possible so he could move Joseph from self-‐ stripped reliance to G od-‐reliance. Joseph was __________________ of everything he would have depended upon to accomplish the dream. He was stripped of his c oat which made him feel important. He was stripped of his name and security of his Father’s home. All that was familiar, and even his freedom, was taken away from him. The way we grow up humanly is different than the way we grow up spiritually. Humanly speaking, we grow by progressively moving from dependence to independence. Spiritual growth is the opposite. You grow spiritually by independence dependence progressively moving from ______________________ to _______________________ upon God. • WIN WITHIN – Joseph’s second major breakthrough was when he faced a major temptation. By this time he was a servant in Potiphar’s house and Potiphar’s wife makes a sexual advance towards him. In that moment, he had to decide, "What kind of person am I going to be?" Joseph couldn't help that he was a slave on the outside, but he didn't have to be a slave on the inside to his passions, his appetites, or his desires. The quality of our relationships and the life that we live will never consistently rise above the quality of ___________________ within us. God’s character dream for Joseph involved more than just worldly success where he would rule over others. God’s heart was to develop Joseph to be a person who could rule over himself. The greatest around within battles that we face are not _________________ us, but ______________________ us. • WIN WITH OTHERS – Joseph is now the imprisoned slave. People don’t even notice him. They dismiss him. Joseph used to think that he was a real “somebody” in his Father’s household. Perhaps God had him in this place to teach him how to value others. There are few things more dismissed redefining than when God puts you in the place of people you once ____________________. • WIN RESULTS – While Joseph was still in prison, he had the opportunity to interpret a dream for Pharoah. Joseph told him that while he could not, the God whom he served was able. God gave Joseph the interpretation of the dream. Then more than give the problem, he delivered the solution to the coming famine in Egypt. The pinnacle of Joseph’s life is when he moved from success to significance. He said to his brothers: "What you meant for bad, God meant for good, for the saving of many lives."
What is the pattern?
READ ROMANS 12:1-‐2 connect • HOME PLATE is where you __________________ with God (Win Dependence). Just how in baseball, everything begins and ends with the home plate, in this life, everything begins and ends with God. This is where we find our purpose and receive God’s power. st character • 1 BASE is where you develop _____________________ (Win W ithin). We think the point of the Christian life is to get God to change everything around you, when the first thing God within wants to do is change everything _______________ you. God is more interested in how deep we grow our ____________ roots than how big we grow our branches. ____________ nd community • 2 BASE is where we grow in ________________________ (Win with Others) – Matthew 22:36-‐ 40. Life is about loving God with our whole heart and loving our neighbor as yourself. rd competence • 3 Base is ____________________________ (Win Results) – A player does not score when he rd gets to 3 base – only when he crosses home plate. You must go from success to s ignificance. God’s definition of success is… K________________________ God and His purpose for our lives nowing G________________________ to reach our maximum potential rowing S_________________________seeds that benefit others. owing -‐ That’s the kind of success that anyone can achieve.
