The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.’ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

-Judges 7:7-8

  

Are you one of the three hundred?

Employees realized they need not be controlled by eternal forces but instead could shape unfortunate events into individual and cooperate wins by altering their response and perspective.

-Stephen Covey

  

The Seven Resolutions: ”A firm decision to do something.”

1 - I will see the unfortunate events of my life as God’s opportunity to build my faith and trust in Him.

2 - I will assume that God will often require me to do things that seem unreasonable.

3 - I will acknowledge that God will always lead me to do that which brings Him the most Glory.

4 - I will be aware that God will often strip me of everything I depend upon other than Himself.

5 - I will keep in mind that God will send me encouragement when I grow fainthearted.

6 - I will live as though God is always working on the other side of the camp.

7 - I will resist the temptation to sit on God’s throne.

  

Did you know?

1 - Less than 1.3 percent of NCAA players drafted into the NBA make it as an NBA performer.

2 - According to BaseballAmerica.com, the MLB drafts 1200 of America’s best high school players each year. 900 of those players will agree to some sort of contract, but only 200 will play for a Major League Team.

3 - Only .000005% of those who describe themselves as “golfers” will play professional golf.

As many who have launched new businesses with high hopes will tell you, successfully doing so requires a lot of skill, hard work, and a considerable measure of luck.

71% of Americans believe in Heaven, and 64% believe in Hell.

-Statista.com

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

-Matthew 7:13-14

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

-Matthew 7:21-23

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ’Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ’Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

-Matthew 8:18-22

Jesus replied, ’No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’

-Luke 9:62

Many begin the journey, but when life does not turn out the way they planned, when God does not deliver in an expected way, when culture’s definition of morality is favored, when the cost to follow seems too great, the wheat is separated from the chaff and the seed that never truly penetrated the heart falls by the wayside.

-Jeff Vines, ‘UnPossible’

Don’t pray that the persecution ends. Pray that we will be brave and courageous enough to endure it. This is how the kingdom grows.

-Dr. Ajai Lall

The cross is all about giving up power, pouring out resources, and serving. When Christianity is in a place of power and wealth for a long period, the radical message of sin and grace and the cross can become muted or even lost. Then Christianity starts to transmute into a nice, safe religion- one that’s for respectable people who try to be good.

-Tim Keller, ‘King’s Cross’

  

Are you one of the three hundred?

  

Our lives have been about the meaningless passage of time, moving from one point to the next with no reflection, never giving ourselves passionately to any moment.

-Jeff Vines, ‘UnPossible’

  

Are you one of the three hundred?

  

Commonality One: No double-mindedness.

Commonality Two: No fear.

Commonality Three: No regrets.

Commonality Four: No debilitating depression or anxiety.

Commonality Five: No second guessing.

  

Resolution One: We will see the unfortunate events of our lives as faith builders leading to the greatest accomplishments of our life.

  

Resolution Two: We will affirm that God will often require us to do something that seems unreasonable.

  

Resolution Three: We will live with the resolution that God will always lead us to do that which brings Him the most glory.

  

Resolution Four: We will acknowledge that God will usually strip us of everything we depend upon other than Himself.

  

Resolution Five: We will believe that God will send us encouragement when we grow weary and afraid.

  

Resolution Six: We will trust that God is always working on the other side of the camp.

  

Resolution Seven: We will make the commitment to resist the temptation to sit on God’s throne.

  

How do you know you are one of the 300?

  

  

  

  

What are your main takeaways from this sermon?

Make a Decision