We are beginning a new series today, which we have been looking forward to here at MRC. The series is called The Journey to Freedom & Courage and will allow us to take an intentional journey down the pathway to life as God designed. So that is what we will be doing on Sunday mornings; alongside this teaching series, we are offering a Discipleship Class that will reinforce the Sunday sermons and allow us to dive deeper into each subject. We will meet on Wednesday at 6 pm at The Warehouse. This will be 11 sessions through the fall that take the Sunday topic and allow us to tackle foundational and essential parts of our walk with God. This series and class build very intentionally, from our personal walks and our heart condition to relationships with others. It starts with our hearts and works out from there, so as we get into November, we will talk through relationships just in time for the Holidays when we start running into people we may have been very good at avoiding all year. In the class, there will be a 30 to 40-minute video podcast from Pete and Gerri Scazzero that we will watch together, and then an open discussion afterward. You will get study guides to follow the video via email and hardcopy before each session. If you haven’t signed up for that, please do because it will allow us to dive deeper and connect with each other as well. We are going to hit some of the most important and foundational parts of our faith and our lives, so we want to encourage you to dive into this series with us both Sunday and Wednesday. If you can’t make it on Wednesday, it’s okay; you can still watch the YouTube links and follow along with the Study Guide if you sign up! So this one is going to be a lot of fun.
So, as we start down this pathway to our best lives possible, let’s start with a big-picture question and work toward our first topic of the fall series. Why describe this journey to life as God designed it to be, as a journey to freedom and courage? Well, if you have spent any length of time around church life or Christianity, you have heard a life in Christ described as a life of freedom and courage. While we hear these words a lot, it’s very rare to see people experiencing freedom and courage in their lives. I mean, imagine having the freedom to live your life free from fear and doubt. Imagine having the kind of courage that gives you the passion and clarity to live your life each day. Imagine living with focus and strength, and having the freedom and courage that nothing can pull you away or distract from you, experiencing your best life possible, the very life God designed for you to live. This may feel impossible, but it is possible to live this way, and God shows us how. This fall, we want to help you discover freedom and courage. So, welcome to our big fall discipleship series! Now, let’s take the first step on our journey to freedom and courage today!
There is a clear first step, better stated; it’s a decision we must take on this pathway to life as God designed. And I’m just going to say this: it is the most important choice you will ever make. This choice will determine everything about your life, and I would add that it is rare to see a Christian make this choice and walk through life this way, but when we do, things are better.
We must make the critical decision to align ourselves with God’s purpose and desires over our own.
This is where our journey begins because if we aren’t aligned with God’s purpose but living for our own, we will never experience all that can be in our lives. This is an important choice that we must make intentionally and daily…it is also challenging because we live in a world that can quickly knock us out of alignment with God. Here in 2024, we are facing a lot of intense pressures and challenges, which in some ways, feel more intense than ever before. I don’t think all the social media and connectivity we have is helping. Still, I could say a few words today that could completely distract you from God and what He is trying to say to you right now…if I mention politics, elections, money, sex, the pressures, stresses, or even the hurts and wounds we face from people today, it can really mess with us. Not to mention just the chaos, noise, speed of our lives, and stress; let’s face it, we are dealing with a lot, which can feel overwhelming. This world has a way of pulling us off God’s pathway for our lives and knocking us out of alignment with God’s purpose and desires and onto the world’s or our own. As people, we must make profound and essential choices. This decision is to align or re-align ourselves with God’s purposes and plans even in this pressure cooker we call life in our world today. Our goal today is to start where we must start: to make this decision to align ourselves with God’s purpose, plans, and desires over our own. So, I’m hoping you are thinking right now. If you are tracking with me and I didn’t lose you earlier when I used the “P” word or mentioned money or sex, you may have a couple of questions. First, you may wonder, What does aligning ourselves with God mean? Great question, and we will answer that. The second question you may have is this. Why is this the most important decision we must make in our lives? Is it really Sam, or is this just a way to make the talk sound more exciting? Another great question, and to be crystal clear here, this is the most important choice you can ever make. Before we dive into this question, let me show you a scripture from John 5 where Jesus is challenging the religious leads (and all of us, too) to align with God…going as far as to say that it is essential that we listen to what He is saying.
John 5:24 “It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. MSG
Jesus says, and I’m paraphrasing here, “This is urgent! If you believe in me and align with God, you will experience your best lives possible.” So, let’s talk about those two questions we mentioned a moment ago. What does it mean to align ourselves with God? What do you think? This is all about getting on God’s page and living for His desires over our own. It’s living in step with God and allowing His desires to become ours over time. But I think the best way I can show you what it means to be aligned with God is through that second question. Why is this the most important decision you will ever make?
When you think about alignment, what do you think about? For me, I think of vehicles being out of alignment, and more specifically, I think of my van, which always seems to be pulling left. I just drove home from Georgia in it, and let’s just say, after a couple of hours, that pulling left gets a little annoying. Now, if your car is out of alignment, you can still drive it…it just doesn’t operate as well as it should. Well, it’s the same way with us people. If we aren’t aligned with God’s desires and purposes for our lives, we can still function; we just can’t live as well as we could if we were aligned with Our Creator. This is true in all areas of our lives. Let’s look at a few examples of this because it can explain why some things are so hard in life that shouldn’t be and why some people seem to have an easier life than others.
Have you ever noticed how hard a small task can be for a child to do when their parent asks them to do it? You can ask a child to do something simple, like picking up their toys and putting them back in the toy box; it is a simple task, but how can that go? It can take hours, feel like an exhausting battle, and they can be devastated by this horrible task. Why? They have something else they would rather be doing, the goals and desires aren’t aligned, and something that could take 2 minutes may take hours and energy and feel like the worst thing ever. The parent and child’s desires are out of alignment.
I will show you a couple of things that have always fascinated me. Have you ever noticed parents who talk and act like parenting is the hardest thing ever? Do you know why parenting is so hard? It’s because they are out of alignment. They have goals and desires that their child and responsibilities as a parent are blocking them from, and it takes something as rewarding as parenting and makes it so hard to do. You see and hear this with parents in youth sports all the time. They talk and act like taking their child to their game or event is worse than climbing Mt. Everest. They are stressed and exhausted over it, but if you think about the actual task, it’s not that hard at all. What is the task? They are going to sit in a lawn chair in the park, watching their child do something they enjoy while giving a thumbs up and a smile when their child looks over at them. Why is it so difficult? It’s because they would rather be doing something else. They are out of alignment.
This is why school is so hard for some kids; they would rather be doing something else. This is why work can be so difficult for adults; they would rather be doing something else. This is why dieting and fitness can be so difficult; our desires don’t line up with our goals and lifestyle.
Another thing that has fascinated me is how hard Christianity can be for some and how easy it can be for others. I mean, Jesus told us that His teaching isn’t supposed to be a burden or work, right?
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke (his teaching) is easy and my burden is light.” NIV
Have you ever been around someone who makes their spiritual life look easy? It just seems effortless for them. They spend time with God. They pray. They seem so centered and rested. They serve and engage in things around the church; it isn’t hard or a burden. They seem to genuinely enjoy it. You see that person, and it can be almost annoying, can’t it? Why is it so easy for them? Well, it’s because they are doing what they want to be doing. You know, there are a lot of spiritual disciplines that are important to the Christian life: prayer, reading scripture, worship, rest, engaging, and serving in a Spiritual Family, and for some, they seem so easy to do. For others, they seem hard, like work…they are such a burden…it’s all about their alignment to God’s plan and purposes for their life. Because if we are doing what we want, it’s always fun and easy and life-giving; things are hard and a burden when we aren’t doing what aligns with our goals and desires. It’s always fascinating how a simple task around the church can look and feel so difficult, yet the same task at home is done with no issue. If we are setting up and tearing down for church, something as simple as wheeling in a cart can feel so difficult, annoying, and exhausting; why? We simply would rather be doing something else. Whether it’s serving inside the church, giving to the church, or living out the essential practices of our faith, like spending time with God in prayer, worship, and His Word…these tasks often feel so hard, not because they are complex and difficult, they really aren’t, it’s because we are out of alignment with God’s desires for our lives…we would rather do something else.
Everything is this way in life. If a team at work or in sports all have different goals and desires, it simply won’t work out as well as it should or could. If a marriage is out of alignment, it will struggle and be harder than it should be. If a church is full of people out of alignment, it’s the same thing. Scripture tells us the reality test on our faith life is if we can live out the life God desires and commands of us and it isn’t hard, it’s not a burden, it doesn’t feel troublesome or like work.
1 John 5:3 The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome. MSG
This is so important; it’s urgent and the first step on our pathway to living our best lives. We must make the decision to radically align with God’s desires and purpose for our lives. When we align with God’s desires and purpose, life is just better. After we make this choice, we can engage in life as it was designed to be lived. It is so important that we are aligned with God because, without it, life is just hard…we can still function, but we are not at our best.
I also want you to understand that to be spiritually aligned with God means that we are walking in step with Him and choosing to live for His desires over our own. Over time, His desires become our desires. When I think about being spiritually aligned, it’s hard not to think of David. Remember, we learn that David is a man after God’s own heart, and Paul, in a sermon he preaches in Antioch, takes that a step further, showing us what a life aligned with God looks like…
Acts 13:22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ NLT
Do you see it? Davis is a person after God’s own heart; their goals and desires are in step, and God knows that he will do everything God wants him to do. That is a choice we must all make on how we will live our lives…aligned with God or out of alignment. It is completely up to you.
So, let’s return to John 5 for a bit because Jesus constantly challenged the religious leaders with this concept of alignment during his time on this Earth. This is another moment when Jesus points out that they aren’t aligned with God’s will. This confrontation comes up because the religious leaders are upset that Jesus healed a man on the wrong day. Jesus had just healed the invalid who had been lying by the Pool of Bethesda for 38 years. This is an amazing thing, but the religious leaders can’t see it because it’s the Sabbath, and the rules forbid this being done on the Sabbath day. Jesus responds to them by saying something very important about how aligned He is with God.
John 5:19 So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. MSG
Jesus lets them know that you don’t have to like me and can criticize me, but I am aligned with God, and you must be, too! He goes on to speak about how important this is for us, as we read earlier.
John 5:24 “It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. MSG
He then describes a life aligned with God as he challenges the religious leaders, saying, “I am not out for doing my will but God’s! It’s not about me; it’s about Him!”
John 5:30 “I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. 31 If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness…34 “But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I’m speaking to you this way so that you will be saved. MSG
He then points out to them that they are out of alignment, which I’m sure they really enjoyed hearing.
John 5:39 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! 40 And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want. 41 “I’m not interested in crowd approval. 42 And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. 43 I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. 44 How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? MSG
It’s interesting, but Jesus points to God’s will and purposes a lot. He points to how important it is to do what God desires, and typically, He does this with the religious leaders and people who know and love God. Our spiritual alignment is very important. Many of his confrontations with the religious leaders come back to this concept, and he often points out how they struggle to align with God…and you know what? In these confrontations, Jesus shows us a few of the ways we struggle to align with God.
First, Jesus often confronts them about how concerned they are over what people think.
They are always trying to look good to others. They puff themselves up and try to look good and or important to people. They jockey for rank and position while ignoring God. They are drawn to people who point to themselves rather than pointing to God. We struggle with this today. We see this personally as we want to be loved and accepted, and if we aren’t careful, we can get knocked out of alignment with God to feel accepted and loved by people. Many churches and leaders get derailed by this one, getting caught up in the popularity contest to a place where they live for themselves and do what people want over what God desires, commands, and leads us towards.
Second, Jesus points to how often they find security in earthly things.
They were the leaders of the church, very prominent figures with the best jobs of that time, and so often found security in their jobs and the money they made and were receiving rather than leading people with the freedom and courage they should be leading people with…we struggle with this to this day.
Third, Jesus points to how they used God’s Word.
Did you see that in John 5:39-40?
John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. NIV
The best way I can describe how these people used God’s Word in a way that shows that they were out of alignment is this: They used God’s word rather than allowing God’s Word to use them. They knew what they wanted from it, and that is what they sought out. It wasn’t God challenging and leading them to something; they weren’t allowing that. It was them using God’s Word for themselves, which is another challenge many still face today.
We often talk about how opposed our lives are. One of the big goals of this world and our enemy is to knock us out of alignment. If we are out of alignment with God, we won’t live our best lives possible. We just saw three ways that Jesus points out that we can be knocked out of alignment, and Scripture reveals many more. In the Wednesday night discipleship class, we will watch a video where Pete Scazzero points to the temptation of Christ. Where Jesus is led out into the wilderness, and Satan comes and tries to tempt him away from the Father’s will for his life. This is a great scouting report into how our enemy tries to knock us out of alignment. If you think about the three tactics Satan uses to try and get Jesus to stop aligning with God’s purpose, it’s all about living for ourselves rather than living for God.
The First Tactic – The temptation was turning stones into bread so he could eat something.
Matthew 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” NIV
That starts with quite an understatement; after not eating for 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. Yeah, you think so? Satan plays off that, trying to get him to use his power and strength to meet his needs rather than rely on God. We face this daily, thinking it would be better to live life in our strength rather than allowing God to move and relying on Him to lead and provide for us.
The Second Tactic – this temptation was to jump and let God catch you.
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” NIV
This time, Satan takes him to the high point of the temple and tries to get him to jump, allowing God to catch him…here we see Satan trying to get him to use his power and strength to avoid pain, suffering, and even death rather than allowing God’s plan to play out in his life…this is such a struggle for us today. We are okay with following God’s plan in the good times, but it is difficult in our lives, especially in painful, messy, and challenging moments.
The Third Tactic – is the temptation to bow to him, and he will give Jesus everything.
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'” NIV
Here is another tactic of the enemy we still are challenged with today. This temptation is to find quick and easy success. If you think about it, if Jesus accepted, he would have a lot, the whole world, really, without all the pain and work that God had in store for Him. He wouldn’t have had to endure The Crucifixion…He wouldn’t have had to deal with leading all these people. He wouldn’t have had to do the hard work of loving, serving, leading, and saving an ungrateful human race. This is a powerful temptation and an easy way to be knocked out of alignment to this day.
We have talked today about the most important decision we can make in life: to align with God’s will over our own. We looked at how important that is because life is hard when we are at our best, let alone when we aren’t aligned and unable to function at full strength. We looked at how Jesus confronts the religious leaders, pointing often to the fact that they must align with God’s will. We were able to dive into scripture to see so many ways that our enemy and this world can knock us out of alignment. We looked at the pressures we face with people, worrying about what people think, the temptation to self-promote ourselves, wanting to appear important, and fighting for ranks and positions. We looked at finding security in earthly things rather than depending on God. We looked at how important an open and ready heart is to allow God’s Word to use us rather than us trying to use God’s Word. We saw our enemy’s tactics to try to knock us out of alignment, tempting us to use our strength and power to meet our needs rather than relying on God and tempting us to use our power and strength to avoid pain, challenges, and suffering that may be part of something bigger God has in store for our lives and the temptation to give ourselves away in an effort to obtain fast and easy success. I would take that concept of success a step further and say that so often we are tempted to look at success as the world views it rather than how God does. If we aren’t careful, we trade away our souls and all of eternity for things that people value today that have no eternal value.
This is the first step on our pathway to living our best lives possible. We must step into the most important decision we will ever make: to live for God and align our lives with His purposes and desires. We can function out of alignment, but we won’t be at our best.
So, as we close today, we must examine some questions and personalize them. Have you made the decision to align your life with God’s purposes and desires? If you aren’t sure, I can help you with that. Just look honestly at your life and how you live it. Is your life difficult? Is it more complicated than it should be? Now, look at the essential spiritual practices of your life, and ask yourself if they are fun and something you look forward to or if they are drudgery, difficult, and feel like a burden or like work. Do you enjoy spending time with God? Do you enjoy engaging God’s word? Do you enjoy praying? Do you have fun worshiping and serving at church, or are these things troublesome? If you do them and they are hard it’s a sign that you are out of alignment. If you choose not to do them, that is also a sign that you are out of alignment. In what areas are you most challenged? Where does the enemy or this world try to knock you out of alignment? Some of us are knocked out of alignment because of people and their opinions of us. For some, it’s earthly success or comparing and competing with others rather than simply focusing on God and surrendering our lives to Him. For some of us, all of us, really, life can go in directions we don’t see coming, putting us through things that are painful, disappointing, and confusing, and in those moments, it’s hard to let go of our will and continue to trust and follow God. And for some of us we aren’t willing to surrender our lives to God’s and live for Him. What is it for you? Think this through today; it is so important. Nothing matters more than you making the decision each day to align your life with God’s purposes and desires; it’s the way to experience your best life possible in this challenging and painful world.
I hope to see you Wednesday night as we dive deeper into this subject and challenge ourselves to navigate life in a world that is trying to keep us from being aligned with our Heavenly Father. This is where it all starts. It is the most important decision you can make, and it will determine whether you experience your best life possible or not.
So take the time today and this week to think about this and make the decision to align yourself with God’s will for your life.