Sunday Sermon Starter 2-26-13

What will you allow to dictate the terms of your life?  Often we take a strong, firm position of independence from any outside sources of influence and say we are going to be ourselves regardless of any situation.  However, that attitude often fades into fear in the face of the moment.  Satan works in powerful and vindictive ways to win our souls away from God – but only if we allow him to!  We don’t have to do anything we choose not to do.  Now that doesn’t mean that such a perspective of life will not involve pain and sacrifice.  However, we, by the power of God, are in control of our own destinies; and not even all of the powers of hell can change that:

• Dictate My Actions – Genesis 1:26 indicates that in the beginning God created man in His own image.  This thought involves many things but key of which is that we are creatures of rational thought who have the ability to choose and make decisions.  We are free moral agents.  However, there are some in the religious world who would argue that man ultimately has no choice in life.  We are either inherently saints or inherently sinners and cannot altar our actions.  In fact, famed Reformation leader John Calvin wrote: “God knows what he has determined to do with us: if he has decreed our salvation, he will bring us to it in his own time; if he has destined us to death it will be in vain for us to strive against it” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, Chapter 23, Section 12).  In other words, we have no ability to choose the ultimate destiny of our souls.  We are merely God’s puppets and the world is our stage.  But if that is true then Joshua’s inspired plea to Israel was in vain – “…choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15).  God Himself cannot stand in the way of our ability to dictate our own decisions; and if God cannot, how then would even the powers of hell?

• Diminish My Faith – In the 1970s Flip Wilson popularized the phrase, “The devil made me do it.”  What began as a joke, though, has now escalated into a mentality of how many people approach life.  Individuals live today believing that the influence of sin is so great that it cannot possibly be defeated.  Paul’s response to that statement is found on full display in Romans 8:35-39.  The love displayed on the cross is the motivator of faith.  If we cannot forcibly be removed from the love of God then we cannot forcibly have our faith taken away.  We have been made conquerors (really more than conquerors) over the most earnest powers of evil.  Thus even they cannot diminish our faith.

• Destroy My Hope – The Psalmist wrote, “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more” (Psalm 71:14).  The very fact that David could declare the perpetuity of his hope is a testament to the inability of hell’s influence.  One thing can be said on behalf of Satan: he does not discriminate.  He hates everyone thus his efforts toward everyone are equally dispersed.  However, because David’s hope continued even in the midst of the fury of hell it means that fury is worthless to the soul dedicated to God.  Read Romans 5:1-5.  The only thing that could possibly cause shame for our faith is the influence of evil in the world.  Yet Paul claimed that the love of God is stronger than any carnal influence.  Thus we are able to retain our hope in Christ Jesus.