Speaker: Jeremy Utley
Title: Hope for the Impossible
Date: 3/2/21
Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29)
We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3)
We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Summary
The central message is that true discipleship requires acknowledging the impossibility of keeping God's standards, rather than adopting an attitude of familiarity or complacency. The speaker uses examples from Israel (Exodus 24 and Joshua 24) and the New Testament (Peter, Ephesus) to illustrate how people fall away when they treat God's commands as manageable. The key is to maintain a sense of awe and recognize that fulfilling God's will is beyond human capability.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Did the Israelites regard God's standard as impossible?When Moses recounted all the words and ordinances of the Lord, the Israelites confidently claimed they would do and be obedient to everything without recognizing how impossible it is in human strength.Exodus 24:3
The same cycle in the generation of JoshuaJust like the desert generation, the people under Joshua confidently declared they would serve the Lord, ignoring Joshua's warning that they were not able to do so on their own because God is holy.
The first essential step is acknowledging the impossibilityWe must see that fulfilling the commands of God and living the call to discipleship is as impossible as a virgin birth, waiting until we come to the end of ourselves.
The danger of overconfidence in the New TestamentPeter and the elders in Ephesus failed to heed warnings about falling away and backsliding because they thought danger only applied to someone else.
Fruitfulness only through abiding in ChristJust like a branch separated from the tree, it is impossible for us to meet Jesus' standard except by abiding in Him, knowing that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
The danger of losing hopeWhile we must not ignore the impossibility of God's call, we must also watch out for the other extreme of giving up hope and losing expectation in the face of that impossibility.
Do you wish to get well?Jesus asks the man at the pool of Bethesda whether he still wants to get well, challenging us not to let our pursuit of God degenerate into an empty ritual.John 5:5
Believing in hope against hopeLike Abraham, we come to the Lord expecting a miracle and believing for the fullness of the Holy Spirit even when we have exhausted all human help.
Keep coming and keep drinkingJesus invites anyone who is thirsty to keep coming to Him and keep drinking, trusting Him to cause rivers of living water to flow from our innermost being.John 7:37
Walking step by step as the Lord measures out the distanceDrawing from the picture in Ezekiel, the Lord measures out our daily walk and commands; as we obey day by day, we trust Him to transform us into His likeness.
Speaker: Jeremy Utley
Title: Hope for the Impossible
Date: 3/2/21
Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29)
We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3)
We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Summary
The central message is that true discipleship requires acknowledging the impossibility of keeping God's standards, rather than adopting an attitude of familiarity or complacency. The speaker uses examples from Israel (Exodus 24 and Joshua 24) and the New Testament (Peter, Ephesus) to illustrate how people fall away when they treat God's commands as manageable. The key is to maintain a sense of awe and recognize that fulfilling God's will is beyond human capability.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Did the Israelites regard God's standard as impossible?When Moses recounted all the words and ordinances of the Lord, the Israelites confidently claimed they would do and be obedient to everything without recognizing how impossible it is in human strength.Exodus 24:3
The same cycle in the generation of JoshuaJust like the desert generation, the people under Joshua confidently declared they would serve the Lord, ignoring Joshua's warning that they were not able to do so on their own because God is holy.
The first essential step is acknowledging the impossibilityWe must see that fulfilling the commands of God and living the call to discipleship is as impossible as a virgin birth, waiting until we come to the end of ourselves.
The danger of overconfidence in the New TestamentPeter and the elders in Ephesus failed to heed warnings about falling away and backsliding because they thought danger only applied to someone else.
Fruitfulness only through abiding in ChristJust like a branch separated from the tree, it is impossible for us to meet Jesus' standard except by abiding in Him, knowing that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
The danger of losing hopeWhile we must not ignore the impossibility of God's call, we must also watch out for the other extreme of giving up hope and losing expectation in the face of that impossibility.
Do you wish to get well?Jesus asks the man at the pool of Bethesda whether he still wants to get well, challenging us not to let our pursuit of God degenerate into an empty ritual.John 5:5
Believing in hope against hopeLike Abraham, we come to the Lord expecting a miracle and believing for the fullness of the Holy Spirit even when we have exhausted all human help.
Keep coming and keep drinkingJesus invites anyone who is thirsty to keep coming to Him and keep drinking, trusting Him to cause rivers of living water to flow from our innermost being.John 7:37
Walking step by step as the Lord measures out the distanceDrawing from the picture in Ezekiel, the Lord measures out our daily walk and commands; as we obey day by day, we trust Him to transform us into His likeness.
