Life As It Was Meant To Be

Part 8: Letting God Finish the Work

Louie Marsh, 8-1-2021

 

Intro -  pictures of unfinished buildings -  story of house in Mom & Dad’s neighborhood.

 

“23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV)

 

I Must Develop the Proper Perspective on…

 

• My PROBLEMS

 

“14 … What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14b, ESV)

 

• My ACHIEVEMENTS

 

“5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)

 

• My HEART

 

"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)

 

• The TRUTH

 

“32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” (John 8:32, ESV)

 

Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. John 14:6 (Mes)

 

Martin Luther – wrote this about the Peasants Revolt, in the tract, “Against the Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants.”

 

Picture of Luther’s Tract

 

If the peasant is in open rebellion then he is outside the law of God…Therefore let everyone who can, smite, slay, and stab, secretly or openly, remembering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful or devilish than a rebel… Therefore dear sirs, fire here, save there, stab, smite, strangle them, whoever can. If your death result, very well, you can never attain to a more blessed death.”

 

• My RELATIONSHIPS

 

“10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)

 

“5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV)

 

“12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13, ESV)

 

I Allow God to Finish the Work When I…

 

“23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV)

 

1) Understand God’s goal for my life – CHRIST-LIKENESS.

 

2) Let God give me His PEACE.

 

3) Find SPIRITUAL WHOLENESS in Christ!

 

“24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”” (John 4:24, ESV)

 

4) Let Christ bring wholeness to my SOUL!

 

My soul is my –

 

• MIND

 

“20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14:20, ESV)

 

• WILL

 

“24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, ESV)

 

• EMOTIONS

 

“16My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.” (Proverbs 23:16, ESV)

 

5) Realize this – God wants my BODY!!

 

“19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,” (1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV)

 

“2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,” (1 John 4:2, ESV)