The Sermon The Power to Choose by David McGee
Feb 6, 2011
The Power to Choose (29:58)
Referenced Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
14) For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.
15) He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
16) Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, they have become new.
18) But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20) We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21) For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Him again want to want to mention about this day with funeral for Brent Walker and we are not again. We are grateful for all the church family that was able to give them support and thankful that young family felt the strength of your prayers and number of you who came to that the viewing things so appreciated it and so continue to remember Wallace and the family prayer number of them are headed out today. They came from the number of states final six eight different states to be here for the weekend. So pray for them as they travel, but also we are also remember Dorothy and prayer for the dangerous, she's not doing very well. So with the family is making decisions about that. So we pray that God will always give us direction he is the giver of life, and we continue to place ourselves in his hands and we are safe and we know that Dorothy is safe and his hands and we just pray that God will give us say, given the doctors and all of all guidance as so down that he is, it's in his presence. We are, we are safe and that the song that I'm safe in the arms of my father is one that is very special one is very important to me because it is an expression of our faith and expression of our trust, and we are grateful for that and were just grateful for all that God keeps us day by day, and then study your Bibles to second Corinthians chapter five, beginning in verse fourteen. The primary verse that I I'm going to be speaking on his verse seventeen, but I want to I want to read this from the message Bible so. Second Corinthians chapter five the first fourteen versus twenty one and the final love my message today is all things new. You know, we have spoken the last last week because we spoke about and I remember the power of one. The value of one. How that each one of us as an individual is very important to God, and continuing on that. I want to read second Corinthians chapter five, beginning at verse fourteen. It says our firm decision is to work from this focus center. One man died for everyone that puts everyone in the same boat included everyone in his death, so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrected life a far better life than people ever lived on their own because of this decision. We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look, we look at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong. As you know, we certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start is created new. The old life was gone. A new life margins look at it. All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationship with each other. God put the world square with himself the Messiah giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins, God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing, where Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences, and it God 's word for making things right between them were speaking for Christ himself. Now become friends with God is already a friend with you how you are in Christ, God put the wrong on him, who never did anything wrong, so we could put so that we could be put right with God. Therefore if anyone is in Christ is a new creation. All things pass away, behold, all things become new. The value of one all things new. Jesus told us about the Shepherd who had a hundred sheep ninety nine were safe and one was lost. What did the shepherd to the shepherd went out and saw look for search the walk for the one until he found it. He let us know the value of one. And in that relationship that he seeks to have with us is the value of one meaning that no one is more important than another one. So we all are equal in that value system that we now also know that we'll have talents and abilities that God is given to us that that we are to develop and that we are to find our purpose for how we as an individual are to live our life. So with this wonderful knowledge verse seventeen if anyone is in Christ is a new creation. Christians are brand-new people, Christians are brand-new people, and they are brand-new on the inside and out. We mentioned this in Sunday school on your member. The show was it makeover extreme makeover and they did not John, there should run again. People knew the mark. The dimples and surgeries and rearrange their nose in their ears and down new hairdo 's new wardrobes and they come out after three or four weeks of all of this and wow what a wonderful, beautiful person. They are well their extreme makeover that God does with us is not a is not that we are a reformed individual per day. We're not rehabilitated and were not reeducated. We are re-created. We are re-created. We are created in the new spirit renew a right spirit within us create a clean heart and the oh God, renew a right spirit ring. Thinking we approach to life. We already created a new creation, living in a vital union with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who saw the one that we would be one with him that we are united with him. So our conversion is not merely turning over newly our conversion is not about a new beginning that we would start up with the new year, but we are beginning a new life under a new master. A new life because it has been re-create. We have been created. The new in Christ Jesus. And all of this is from God. All this is from God. God brings us back to himself. It's called reconciliation bringing us back to the place that God has for us, were no longer God 's enemies were no longer strangers were no longer foreigners. We are one with price and I ever replace the carpeting your house need to haul out the wrong and get up balloon and start to restring every five good and what did you learn a guy with one got a new one. While the ideas that were not creating this were not restraining the old me. We are creating the new mean the new creation. The guy had the presence of God. One of us could be whenever he formed us in our mother 's womb is a question I'm really not how they know that we can make choices in our life, our personal life for families and friends that can end up hindering us know that in the next three weeks, we can make choices that would end up injuring us in the bad choices that we know we could do that the rest of you never made notes, but we also know that we can make good choices in the next three weeks. That will be a benefit to show ourselves into our families, our friends, and so we know that we can make family can make the choices and the idea is we can choose. Is it we can choose. We have the ability to choose, and that choice is what gives us and that makes us different were not were not blaming other people were not blaming the government were not blaming the circumstances we are looking at our ability to choose now. Our past is important. Why because it brought us here, but archive should never be the influencer of our present what is the influence of our present our hope for the future. If you don't have hope for the future. You do not have power in the present. If you now that you're out of this is untrue. Even, you know it's ridiculous ready if you knew zero fail the test. That unit need native the supposed related test tomorrow and I told you right now, there's no way you have failed a test tomorrow and there's no way you're ever going to pass it. Would you study for now, no matter what you fail what happens whatever we feel like we're going to fail. We don't prepare, we don't prepare if there is no used to doing that is no need for me to say good things like this, it never works. So then what you do, you don't say good things. If you are not. If you are without hope in the future. There is no power in the presence essays. If you don't believe the things can ever be good for you and your life more. How is Howard. How is you. I wish you is you find how is you are the gaming bring back okay it. You know how are you there you so, what decisions even based on how you view your future determines how can the power you have in your present, and if we feel that we and how we are powerless to change if we are powerless to make right choices that we don't live with him of trying to make the end, that's what the Scriptures are telling us that we have hope for our future. So we come back to make decisions in our present we have hope of life without hope of eternity. Jesus says I don't prepare a place for you that where I am there. You may be also. We have a hole of heaven, we have a halt that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Mary is a plan. We may not understand it. We may not agree with it. We may not know, I know, and we may never know till eternity. How all these things come about, but there is hope and why is there hope because God is in the God has spoken those words of hope to meet. Therefore, I have power. I am, I am powerful in this moment to make choices because I will make choices that will either be good for me or bad for me. I will make choices that are either good or bad for me and you are the one choosing that you choose your friends. You chose your conversation, you chose how you think you chose what you think about and argues this story before values. Again, I'm normal. There is it is Eskimo. I have black on a white dog that NEDs the flight. The new device, and this was in northern Alaska and whenever they redid dogfights. And it's not the more visually arrested for cruelty to animals. But anyhow, this guy had these two dogs, and they were and he would pit them against each other, and every week they have these fights and people would come and bet money on which one would win this week and so on. But the God who was the trainer got all the dogs he never lost it ever lost. And so the people after a while, you know, after Diane retired dogs and all that stuff and they didn't find any more than they were ultimately how do I wish I was going to win this demo, obviously the one I fit all week would the one I fed during the week when because it would be stronger if I didn't be. It was weaker than the other one. I knows the what thoughts you fee. What thoughts you think about what choices over and over delay busy. I do this is that this is the power of the word of God to influence us with how I've changed if we have no hope of change. We will think the same thoughts. We will do the same thing we will expect the same results. And guess what you're going to get in and out your day and that's our faith in action. Our faith in action is a hold of what we shall become and we do not turn it over to faith and turn it over to God spirit to give us the ability the power to choose in which an artist of the Lane. We chose to believe that there is the case we are capable through Jesus Christ to change if we could not change we would be without hope. If we do not change we would be without hope, but Jesus Christ gives us hope because we can change he gives us his Spirit. He gives us his word he empowers us in our thoughts and actions. We read the Scriptures, we pray. We believe now is that while things all happen the way that I believe will that's correct because of God ran the world the way each of us believe we be colliding and it would be a mess because we can't see beyond Marcel, we can say beyond our own purpose. We can see beyond our own actions. We can see beyond what is in front of us and we only can interpret what we see in how we say it, God sees it all and he plans any of the purpose. While I and if we believe that we have hope. Paul whenever he was writing. He told the people, even Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, we are of all people most miserable and without hope, and everything we believe is a lot. Paul also because if Jesus is arisen from the dead. None of this is means anything, and the early disciples in the early church. They saw Jesus taught John says we been held him. We help him. He opportunity that one either. One idea I got a hold of the night. This is being held at the new and expecting that where you are. I just sent you the second one. I do that you today and they said is what John said we beheld him, Jesus then Ryan straight up what John this is the system this is one of the most than five John did this for the Jesus your Jesus John laid his head, chest, cheese was that close to that post is beheld God was alive. He held this part of any leg. He literally laid his head upon the chess of Jesus on the chest of God. That's holding God, I know you will love you brother always so good at him and I run wellies up and reminding you that the bubbly understand whenever we see that someone were talking about it. You were talking about Jesus. This is not. This is not just thinking about God is not reeducating us were not being reeducated. We are looking at the rate creation of a high honor heart being created new honest spirit being created again a new all right, all right spirit within us that the spirit of God creates this in us, just as the spirit of God helmet over the earth and created the earth and created the atmosphere and created all these things, his spirit in our songs in our worship and our communion in our prayers creates in us. God is not done creating he creates the right spirit. You, it creates a right attitude and new annualized terms. If were going to accept that are rejected when Sharon is whether we are going to allow the spiritually alive in us. We choose life because God is the giver of life and residual loss. We say thank you Lord. I mean, certainly say something more. Thank you, God, I have hope. And when I have hope. I have power in the moment power in the moment I'm powerful in this moment. Why, because I am whole. I am help of a new life. I've hope of eternal life. I hope that I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I have hauled that life is more than what I see in my talks inside. There's something more about it because God is alive in me, and he is alive in me for a purpose, a divine purpose and that divine purpose will live for eternity in the weather. I live on whether I die I am God 's. I make decisions with the power of knowing God is with when I choose not to lie when I choose not to steal when I choose not to bear false witness. When I choose not to break God 's commandment IQ why I choose the purpose I choose those things because of hope that is in me say I'm believing in and is not just that I am saying these things to change your mind. I am saying these things that we could be aware what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. I can't do that for you God care God will. God is doing that if you so there is hope for your test for tomorrow. There is hope for your future. There is hope for what you want to do with your life. There is helpful and so and I hope you will make choices and you will study and you will know this. I member this is true story. Years ago there is a lady came to church only once in a while a and and I never understood when we would stand. She would sit. We would sing. She would talk when I would preach she would read something I understood why she came to come once in a while. So anyhow, this individual said to me one night. She said afterward to pray for me, I'm thinking attached and she was taking a test for her nursing. Even beginners and on whether as an LPN and RN or whatever, but she was taking a test for her for her herbivores. Okay, so cable tray couple weeks later she came by. She was met. She said you didn't pray for me is what I'm e.g. related. She really got used to figuring everything. He privately why what happened. Jesus, I failed my test I will set the blog that you study. I didn't get off of them. Sorry at all. You use the help will be tried again, you have a look and ask you to pray at all. I will pray for you. Maybe it will pass. I don't know. But you know you home in July. We have choices in the nose choices, which is the starting and in all who study and our partners will work okay. You know, I know that part I but the idea is that God has given us the ability to choose a place with this story of an apartment how that one-on-one the value of one and how valuable you are now in as individual ones. We all have gifts we each have a gift or gifts things that we do and do them, that are get things for us, you know, they are your special gift things God has put in your life so that you will then have the ability to an end to give things that we have are for one another for the common good. So what God gives to you in your life is not something that you are to squander our way and just all about me. The self absorbed. It's about how you will you and I might take those gifting and use them in the serving of others. So we have the value of our choices and how that they will be good for our life, but also how they will have an impact on other people, and God has given unto us, not only for our own use, but for the for the common good day, you must first discern your gifts and use every opportunity to show we must learn from your mistakes and the defendant being tenacious about what God is calling you to do. K now is the story in high school. was, as they think. He flunked Latin. He flunked algebra, English and physics. The mega Ball theme that promptly lost the only mass of the season and then he lost the consolation that such it was awkwardly social. He was more shy than he was disliked. He never once asked a girl out on a date in high school. One thing however was very important to drawing. It was proud of his awkward as Ginny was proud of his artwork. It was oh, nobody else appreciated. He submitted cartoons to the editor of his high school yearbook, but they were rejected. Even so, he aspired to be an artist. After high school he sent some of his some of his samples of his work, the Walt Disney Studios. Again they were rejected, but didn't quit. He decided to write his autobiography and cartoons. The popularity of this cartoon strip eventually led to countless books and television shows you see was Charles Schultz creator peanuts comic strip. The most famous cartoonist of all times. Like his main character, Charlie Brown, Scholz seemed unable to succeed at many things, but he made the most of his God-given talents. He refused to quit ended up sharing history of the world use your gift godly people will make you feel important, but godly people will challenge your faith cause your faith to be shocked that if you're going to be no errors. If you're going to be a genius. What kind of a genius you going to be in iPhoto. I don't say that because someone some people are extremely intelligent and some of them are so intelligent they can even communicate with people. What kind of a genius he is going to be, and each of us are old unique genius and what type of ingeniously going to be because no one else has your fingerprint. No one else has your signature. No one else has your abilities. You are uniquely a genius in your own right now. How are you going to use that genius for God and for the well-being of others. The value of one. The unique reality that God has called us to is to choose, choose empowers us to choose based upon the whole, that we have in our hearts. Charles Schultz would not allow people to take away his hope the cat drawing his cartoons. We all know in our lives. We each are empowered to make decisions based upon the hope that we have in Christ gives us hope of what we can doHim again want to want to mention about this day with funeral for Brent Walker and we are not again. We are grateful for all the church family that was able to give them support and thankful that young family felt the strength of your prayers and number of you who came to that the viewing things so appreciated it and so continue to remember Wallace and the family prayer number of them are headed out today. They came from the number of states final six eight different states to be here for the weekend. So pray for them as they travel, but also we are also remember Dorothy and prayer for the dangerous, she's not doing very well. So with the family is making decisions about that. So we pray that God will always give us direction he is the giver of life, and we continue to place ourselves in his hands and we are safe and we know that Dorothy is safe and his hands and we just pray that God will give us say, given the doctors and all of all guidance as so down that he is, it's in his presence. We are, we are safe and that the song that I'm safe in the arms of my father is one that is very special one is very important to me because it is an expression of our faith and expression of our trust, and we are grateful for that and were just grateful for all that God keeps us day by day, and then study your Bibles to second Corinthians chapter five, beginning in verse fourteen. The primary verse that I I'm going to be speaking on his verse seventeen, but I want to I want to read this from the message Bible so. Second Corinthians chapter five the first fourteen versus twenty one and the final love my message today is all things new. You know, we have spoken the last last week because we spoke about and I remember the power of one. The value of one. How that each one of us as an individual is very important to God, and continuing on that. I want to read second Corinthians chapter five, beginning at verse fourteen. It says our firm decision is to work from this focus center. One man died for everyone that puts everyone in the same boat included everyone in his death, so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrected life a far better life than people ever lived on their own because of this decision. We don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look, we look at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong. As you know, we certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start is created new. The old life was gone. A new life margins look at it. All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationship with each other. God put the world square with himself the Messiah giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins, God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing, where Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences, and it God 's word for making things right between them were speaking for Christ himself. Now become friends with God is already a friend with you how you are in Christ, God put the wrong on him, who never did anything wrong, so we could put so that we could be put right with God. Therefore if anyone is in Christ is a new creation. All things pass away, behold, all things become new. The value of one all things new. Jesus told us about the Shepherd who had a hundred sheep ninety nine were safe and one was lost. What did the shepherd to the shepherd went out and saw look for search the walk for the one until he found it. He let us know the value of one. And in that relationship that he seeks to have with us is the value of one meaning that no one is more important than another one. So we all are equal in that value system that we now also know that we'll have talents and abilities that God is given to us that that we are to develop and that we are to find our purpose for how we as an individual are to live our life. So with this wonderful knowledge verse seventeen if anyone is in Christ is a new creation. Christians are brand-new people, Christians are brand-new people, and they are brand-new on the inside and out. We mentioned this in Sunday school on your member. The show was it makeover extreme makeover and they did not John, there should run again. People knew the mark. The dimples and surgeries and rearrange their nose in their ears and down new hairdo 's new wardrobes and they come out after three or four weeks of all of this and wow what a wonderful, beautiful person. They are well their extreme makeover that God does with us is not a is not that we are a reformed individual per day. We're not rehabilitated and were not reeducated. We are re-created. We are re-created. We are created in the new spirit renew a right spirit within us create a clean heart and the oh God, renew a right spirit ring. Thinking we approach to life. We already created a new creation, living in a vital union with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who saw the one that we would be one with him that we are united with him. So our conversion is not merely turning over newly our conversion is not about a new beginning that we would start up with the new year, but we are beginning a new life under a new master. A new life because it has been re-create. We have been created. The new in Christ Jesus. And all of this is from God. All this is from God. God brings us back to himself. It's called reconciliation bringing us back to the place that God has for us, were no longer God 's enemies were no longer strangers were no longer foreigners. We are one with price and I ever replace the carpeting your house need to haul out the wrong and get up balloon and start to restring every five good and what did you learn a guy with one got a new one. While the ideas that were not creating this were not restraining the old me. We are creating the new mean the new creation. The guy had the presence of God. One of us could be whenever he formed us in our mother 's womb is a question I'm really not how they know that we can make choices in our life, our personal life for families and friends that can end up hindering us know that in the next three weeks, we can make choices that would end up injuring us in the bad choices that we know we could do that the rest of you never made notes, but we also know that we can make good choices in the next three weeks. That will be a benefit to show ourselves into our families, our friends, and so we know that we can make family can make the choices and the idea is we can choose. Is it we can choose. We have the ability to choose, and that choice is what gives us and that makes us different were not were not blaming other people were not blaming the government were not blaming the circumstances we are looking at our ability to choose now. Our past is important. Why because it brought us here, but archive should never be the influencer of our present what is the influence of our present our hope for the future. If you don't have hope for the future. You do not have power in the present. If you now that you're out of this is untrue. Even, you know it's ridiculous ready if you knew zero fail the test. That unit need native the supposed related test tomorrow and I told you right now, there's no way you have failed a test tomorrow and there's no way you're ever going to pass it. Would you study for now, no matter what you fail what happens whatever we feel like we're going to fail. We don't prepare, we don't prepare if there is no used to doing that is no need for me to say good things like this, it never works. So then what you do, you don't say good things. If you are not. If you are without hope in the future. There is no power in the presence essays. If you don't believe the things can ever be good for you and your life more. How is Howard. How is you. I wish you is you find how is you are the gaming bring back okay it. You know how are you there you so, what decisions even based on how you view your future determines how can the power you have in your present, and if we feel that we and how we are powerless to change if we are powerless to make right choices that we don't live with him of trying to make the end, that's what the Scriptures are telling us that we have hope for our future. So we come back to make decisions in our present we have hope of life without hope of eternity. Jesus says I don't prepare a place for you that where I am there. You may be also. We have a hole of heaven, we have a halt that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Mary is a plan. We may not understand it. We may not agree with it. We may not know, I know, and we may never know till eternity. How all these things come about, but there is hope and why is there hope because God is in the God has spoken those words of hope to meet. Therefore, I have power. I am, I am powerful in this moment to make choices because I will make choices that will either be good for me or bad for me. I will make choices that are either good or bad for me and you are the one choosing that you choose your friends. You chose your conversation, you chose how you think you chose what you think about and argues this story before values. Again, I'm normal. There is it is Eskimo. I have black on a white dog that NEDs the flight. The new device, and this was in northern Alaska and whenever they redid dogfights. And it's not the more visually arrested for cruelty to animals. But anyhow, this guy had these two dogs, and they were and he would pit them against each other, and every week they have these fights and people would come and bet money on which one would win this week and so on. But the God who was the trainer got all the dogs he never lost it ever lost. And so the people after a while, you know, after Diane retired dogs and all that stuff and they didn't find any more than they were ultimately how do I wish I was going to win this demo, obviously the one I fit all week would the one I fed during the week when because it would be stronger if I didn't be. It was weaker than the other one. I knows the what thoughts you fee. What thoughts you think about what choices over and over delay busy. I do this is that this is the power of the word of God to influence us with how I've changed if we have no hope of change. We will think the same thoughts. We will do the same thing we will expect the same results. And guess what you're going to get in and out your day and that's our faith in action. Our faith in action is a hold of what we shall become and we do not turn it over to faith and turn it over to God spirit to give us the ability the power to choose in which an artist of the Lane. We chose to believe that there is the case we are capable through Jesus Christ to change if we could not change we would be without hope. If we do not change we would be without hope, but Jesus Christ gives us hope because we can change he gives us his Spirit. He gives us his word he empowers us in our thoughts and actions. We read the Scriptures, we pray. We believe now is that while things all happen the way that I believe will that's correct because of God ran the world the way each of us believe we be colliding and it would be a mess because we can't see beyond Marcel, we can say beyond our own purpose. We can see beyond our own actions. We can see beyond what is in front of us and we only can interpret what we see in how we say it, God sees it all and he plans any of the purpose. While I and if we believe that we have hope. Paul whenever he was writing. He told the people, even Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, we are of all people most miserable and without hope, and everything we believe is a lot. Paul also because if Jesus is arisen from the dead. None of this is means anything, and the early disciples in the early church. They saw Jesus taught John says we been held him. We help him. He opportunity that one either. One idea I got a hold of the night. This is being held at the new and expecting that where you are. I just sent you the second one. I do that you today and they said is what John said we beheld him, Jesus then Ryan straight up what John this is the system this is one of the most than five John did this for the Jesus your Jesus John laid his head, chest, cheese was that close to that post is beheld God was alive. He held this part of any leg. He literally laid his head upon the chess of Jesus on the chest of God. That's holding God, I know you will love you brother always so good at him and I run wellies up and reminding you that the bubbly understand whenever we see that someone were talking about it. You were talking about Jesus. This is not. This is not just thinking about God is not reeducating us were not being reeducated. We are looking at the rate creation of a high honor heart being created new honest spirit being created again a new all right, all right spirit within us that the spirit of God creates this in us, just as the spirit of God helmet over the earth and created the earth and created the atmosphere and created all these things, his spirit in our songs in our worship and our communion in our prayers creates in us. God is not done creating he creates the right spirit. You, it creates a right attitude and new annualized terms. If were going to accept that are rejected when Sharon is whether we are going to allow the spiritually alive in us. We choose life because God is the giver of life and residual loss. We say thank you Lord. I mean, certainly say something more. Thank you, God, I have hope. And when I have hope. I have power in the moment power in the moment I'm powerful in this moment. Why, because I am whole. I am help of a new life. I've hope of eternal life. I hope that I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I have hauled that life is more than what I see in my talks inside. There's something more about it because God is alive in me, and he is alive in me for a purpose, a divine purpose and that divine purpose will live for eternity in the weather. I live on whether I die I am God 's. I make decisions with the power of knowing God is with when I choose not to lie when I choose not to steal when I choose not to bear false witness. When I choose not to break God 's commandment IQ why I choose the purpose I choose those things because of hope that is in me say I'm believing in and is not just that I am saying these things to change your mind. I am saying these things that we could be aware what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. I can't do that for you God care God will. God is doing that if you so there is hope for your test for tomorrow. There is hope for your future. There is hope for what you want to do with your life. There is helpful and so and I hope you will make choices and you will study and you will know this. I member this is true story. Years ago there is a lady came to church only once in a while a and and I never understood when we would stand. She would sit. We would sing. She would talk when I would preach she would read something I understood why she came to come once in a while. So anyhow, this individual said to me one night. She said afterward to pray for me, I'm thinking attached and she was taking a test for her nursing. Even beginners and on whether as an LPN and RN or whatever, but she was taking a test for her for her herbivores. Okay, so cable tray couple weeks later she came by. She was met. She said you didn't pray for me is what I'm e.g. related. She really got used to figuring everything. He privately why what happened. Jesus, I failed my test I will set the blog that you study. I didn't get off of them. Sorry at all. You use the help will be tried again, you have a look and ask you to pray at all. I will pray for you. Maybe it will pass. I don't know. But you know you home in July. We have choices in the nose choices, which is the starting and in all who study and our partners will work okay. You know, I know that part I but the idea is that God has given us the ability to choose a place with this story of an apartment how that one-on-one the value of one and how valuable you are now in as individual ones. We all have gifts we each have a gift or gifts things that we do and do them, that are get things for us, you know, they are your special gift things God has put in your life so that you will then have the ability to an end to give things that we have are for one another for the common good. So what God gives to you in your life is not something that you are to squander our way and just all about me. The self absorbed. It's about how you will you and I might take those gifting and use them in the serving of others. So we have the value of our choices and how that they will be good for our life, but also how they will have an impact on other people, and God has given unto us, not only for our own use, but for the for the common good day, you must first discern your gifts and use every opportunity to show we must learn from your mistakes and the defendant being tenacious about what God is calling you to do. K now is the story in high school. was, as they think. He flunked Latin. He flunked algebra, English and physics. The mega Ball theme that promptly lost the only mass of the season and then he lost the consolation that such it was awkwardly social. He was more shy than he was disliked. He never once asked a girl out on a date in high school. One thing however was very important to drawing. It was proud of his awkward as Ginny was proud of his artwork. It was oh, nobody else appreciated. He submitted cartoons to the editor of his high school yearbook, but they were rejected. Even so, he aspired to be an artist. After high school he sent some of his some of his samples of his work, the Walt Disney Studios. Again they were rejected, but didn't quit. He decided to write his autobiography and cartoons. The popularity of this cartoon strip eventually led to countless books and television shows you see was Charles Schultz creator peanuts comic strip. The most famous cartoonist of all times. Like his main character, Charlie Brown, Scholz seemed unable to succeed at many things, but he made the most of his God-given talents. He refused to quit ended up sharing history of the world use your gift godly people will make you feel important, but godly people will challenge your faith cause your faith to be shocked that if you're going to be no errors. If you're going to be a genius. What kind of a genius you going to be in iPhoto. I don't say that because someone some people are extremely intelligent and some of them are so intelligent they can even communicate with people. What kind of a genius he is going to be, and each of us are old unique genius and what type of ingeniously going to be because no one else has your fingerprint. No one else has your signature. No one else has your abilities. You are uniquely a genius in your own right now. How are you going to use that genius for God and for the well-being of others. The value of one. The unique reality that God has called us to is to choose, choose empowers us to choose based upon the whole, that we have in our hearts. Charles Schultz would not allow people to take away his hope the cat drawing his cartoons. We all know in our lives. We each are empowered to make decisions based upon the hope that we have in Christ gives us hope of what we can do