Lead Pastor
Sermons by Wade Allen (Page 23)
As we come to the end of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, we realize that Paul arrived in Corinth physically and emotionally spent—burned out—and he was in desperate need of rejuvenation. That is exactly what he received when he arrived in Corinth. In this study, we will spend some time examining all the ways that Paul received encouragement and instruction during this difficult time and try to apply some of these same principles to our lives as well.
How can we know God’s will for our lives? That is a question that believers have been asking for centuries! It is a question that I grappled with as a teenager; and a question that I still seek answers to today. We never outgrow the need for seeking God’s will. In this study, we find Paul and Barnabas ready to set sail on yet another missionary journey, but conflicted over some of the details of the journey. In spite of human failings, God’s will was accomplished in and through these men.
God is sovereign! He was sovereign in Moses’ birth. He was sovereign in Moses’ call. And He was sovereign in His dealings with the Egyptians. He will be sovereign in the situations we face in our lives as well. God is calling us to do great things for Him. The first step toward following God’s call on your life is identifying yourself with God. Step two is to listen to all the Lord speaks to you through His Word, through wise counsel and through the guidance of His Spirit. Step three is trusting in God’s power and presence in the life and ministry to which you have been called.
In the life of Joseph we are able to see what is referred to as a “Type” of Christ because there are aspects of their lives that correspond to one another. In other words, as we look at the life of Joseph, it is a picture of what God promised He would do for mankind to save them from the desperate state of sinfulness that we are in because of Adam and Eve. We must be careful in considering Joseph as a “Type” of Christ; in that, we must not deify him in any way. He was a man, lost in his sin and disgrace, which trusted God and it was credited to him for righteousness—just like his great-grandfather, Abraham. In this study, we will look at some of the corresponding attributes of the lives of Joseph and Jesus.
As we continue our journey through God’s One Big Story of Scripture, we come to a story that for some people is impossible to understand what God was thinking. Our focus will be the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac, and the promises that God made to them. In Genesis 15:6, the Bible says that “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” There is no doubt that the Bible teaches salvation as a free gift of God received from Him by faith alone—not by deeds we have done. This is a story about Abraham’s faith for sure, but it is even more so a story about the faithfulness of God.
As we continue looking at the “One Big Story” of Scripture, I believe that it is vitally important that we understand God’s motivation for redeeming mankind out of the degenerate state of sin that we are in. Isaiah 43:6-7 says: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth [says the Lord] . . . everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.” It is God’s goal for us to bring glory to His Name! It is God’s desire that we pursue His glory in and through our lives, but we are unable to do that without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.