BROKEN AND POURED OUT

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. ²⁶ When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. ²⁷ “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ ²⁸ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. ²⁹ “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’” – Matthew 13:24-30 NLT

• Why does a _______ and _______ God allow pain and suffering?
• What if there is more to our __________ than what we see?

• PRODUCING __________ IS OUR PERSPECTIVE
• PRODUCING ______ _______ IS GOD’S PRESPECTIVE!

5. THE _______________ IS NOT THE END!

THE WOUNDED WARRIOR

“Every boy, in his journey to become a man, takes an arrow in the center of his heart, in the place of his strength. Because the wound is rarely discussed and even more rarely healed, every man carries a wound. And the wound is nearly always given by his father.”

—John Eldredge, Wild at Heart

… “Absalom may go to his own house, but he must never come into my presence.” So Absalom did not see the king. 2 Samuel 14:24 NLT

The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” 2 Samuel 18:33 NLT

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 NIV

Three Things Every Warrior Needs to Hear

•     I believe in you.

•     I’m proud of you.

•     I’ll always love you.

• David wasn’t where he was supposed to __________.

• He __________ something he wasn’t supposed to __________.

• He __________ something he wasn’t supposed to __________.

• He __________ many people something they weren’t supposed to __________.

1. They are overly _______________.

5. Why battle a temptation in the future when you have the power to eliminate it today?

2. They feel _______________.

• Confess to _______________.
• Confess to the right _______________.
• Remove the _______________.
• Get the necessary _______________.
• Let God heal the _______________.

1. Every warrior must fight their inner fear of failure.

• Women want to know: Do you cherish and value me today?

• Men want to know: Do you respect, admire and believe in me today?

2. In Christ, every warrior has everything he/she needs to fight and win.

3. With God, the way forward often starts with a step back.

• Every warrior’s greatest fear is failure.

• Every warrior’s greatest pain is regret.

• SOMEONE TO PROTECT.

• A KINGDOM TO ADVANCE.

• A BATTLE TO WIN!

• Victory isn’t always what you CONQUER later.

• Victory is being faithful and OBEDIENT today.
   

• Distraction: a pulling apart, separating, a drawing of the mind in different directions. 

• Satan doesn’t need to destroy you if he can distract you.

• So often the most difficult choices aren’t between good and bad, but between good and best.

1. Diminish the distractions. 

2. Focus on what’s important.

3. Listen to the voice of God.

Finding the Thank You in Faith 

John 11:41 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

Hebrews 12:28-29 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

We should be _______________ in the faith of what we have not __________________________.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

We Should be thankful in reverance and awe for the things that have happened and from it find the faith to be thankful for the things to come.

Revelation 5:5 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

We worship God acceptably when we are thankful.

Hebrews 12:28-29 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

FEED YOUR FOCUS

• If your enemy can’t destroy you, he will distract you.

Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. ²So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. Nehemiah 6:1-2 NLT

• What we call an opportunity, God often calls a distraction.

The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand, ⁶and this is what it said: “There is a rumor among the surrounding nations, and Geshem tells me it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king.” Nehemiah 6:5-6 NLT

• You will never do big things if you are distracted by small-minded people!

I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.” They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination. Later I went to visit Shemaiah …. He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight.” But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!” ¹²I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.¹³They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me. Nehemiah 6:8-13 NLT

And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”  Nehemiah 6:3 ESV