Fwd: Blog Set Apart to Be Great

SET APART TO BE GREAT

 

Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:9-10 addresses Timothy by saying, "Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessolonica." Paul is making a very important point. John Piper says that Paul is warning Timothy about how the love of this world destroys your ability to minister. He says, "There is a love for this world that makes ministry impossible. There is a love for this world, this present age, this God ignoring, God distorting, God demeaning products of culture that is mutually exclusive with real, deep love for Jesus."

 

God chose Demas for greatness. He chose him to be the apostle Paul's right hand man to change history. But because he loved the world, he turned his back on the greatness that God had for him.

 

God has called you to be set apart for greatness. He saved you to live for him and rewrite history on your campus, in your family, with your friends. He designed each of us for greatness. But there is a love for this world that makes this impossible. There is a love for the world that makes being sold out for God impossible.

 

KING SAUL SET APART FOR GREATNESS…(WHAT HAPPENED?)

 

In the book of I Samuel the Israelites ask God for a king to rule over them and protect them. Even though the Israelites were going against God's leadership, God decides to give them a king to rule over them. God uses the prophet Samuel to choose the man who shall rule the Israelites as king. This young man is Saul, a normal man that God anoints who soon becomes extraordinary because of God's anointing. This story starts in 1 Samuel 9:

 

"Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me." (1 Sam 9:16) "As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the Word of God. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage…Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will be turned into another man. Now when these signs meet you, do what your hands finds to do, for God is with you" (1 Samuel 9:27-10:1,6,7).

 

Saul soon becomes very successful. He has a golden touch on everything he does. He is winning victory after victory, walking out the greatness that God has for him because of the anointing God has placed on his life. But we discover in chapter 15 Saul go south as the greatness of God is stripped from his life. What happened?

 

In Chapter 15 God tells Saul to completely destroy the wicked Amalekites. So Saul musters up his men and God begins giving them the victory once again. Saul starts to destroy everything…but then he sees a few things that him and his men like a little too much to destroy. So he decides to only destroy the things that are bad, but keep the things that are appealing.

 

When God sees that Saul has not fully obeyed him, he decides to take away his kingship and give it to another. God confronts Saul through the prophet Samuel, "Saul, did you fully destroy the Amalekites like God told you? Did you obey him?" "Of course I did… I killed the Amalekites like God told me." "Then what, Saul, is this sound of sheep that I hear? What is this cattle I see?" "Oh we saved these because they were still good. We could give them to God. Maybe they could be used for God's purposes…you know…" "Does the Lord like sacrifices and offerings more than obedience, Saul? To obey is what the Lord wants! You were not keeping these for God. You were keeping these for your own selfish ambition. Because of this God has taken away your kingdom!" "You're right, I've sinned…I feared man more than God. I wanted affirmation from them more…"

 

Saul could not let go of this world and because so he saw God's anointing or greatness stripped from his life. Do you want to be famous or do you want to be great? God designed you for greatness! How many of us come to God, ask him into our lives, are excited about the greatness he has for us, but then the love of the world keeps us from following God's commands?

 

God tells us: "Chris, I'm going to use you to save Sandalwood. Ben I have chosen you to bring revival. Andrew, I have called you to lead. I've placed my anointing on you, my greatness, to rewrite history!" We get all amped up. God starts giving us success, destroying the Amalekites and bringing us victory through our lives… BUT THEN…

 

"Billy, give up these friends holding you back. Chris, throw that God demeaning music away. Andrew, step out of your comfort zone" "But wait, wait… I can't destroy that! It's not going to hurt anything…" God replies, "What's this bleating of sheep that I hear?" I.E. "What's this music I hear? What's this habit? What's this thought I see? Is that pornography? What's this party you went to?... I WANT FULL OBEDIENCE!"

 

AND BEFORE OUR VERY EYES WE ARE STRIPPED OF OUR GREATNESS. Have you been stripped of the anointing, the greatness of God on your life because of a love for this world? There is more to life than that! Demas in love with this present WORLD lost EVERYTHING!" Are you obeying God…FULLY?

 

WHAT TO DO PRACTICALLY:

 

YOU ARE A NEW CREATION (2 COR 5:17). THEREFORE, PUT ON THE NEW SELF (COL 3)

 

-       (Col 3:2-4) When you give your life to Jesus you are a new creation. Why should we set our minds on above and not worldly things? Because you died to the world! (last week). Your life is not hidden/found in status, popularity, athletics, scholarship, the crowd, in being accepted and the "cool kid." It is found in God!

 

The reward in this is when Christ returns and ALL the things in this world perish, and He is ALL that is left in this dead world, you too will appear with him in his glory! (WOW!! It's worth it to lay down the world for Jesus! –that boy, status, pleasure…)

 

-       (Col 3:5-8) What do you need to put to death?

-       (Col 3:9-10) Your life is now defined by Christ! Don't go back to letting the world dress you!

-       (Col 3:12-17) What you need to put on!