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Sermon Details
- Pastor Name: Jonathan Cornell
- Date & Time: January 17, 2016 | 10:00am
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SERMON SERIES:
Where are We Going?
Have you ever had an experience that completely changed your world? Sometimes these are known as “game changing” moments, or to use a fancy term, a “paradigm shift.” They can be wonderful and exhilarating; they can also be sad and heart wrenching. Do you know what I mean? Has anyone ever had one of these moments where, in that pivotal moment, you realize that your life has altogether changed?
Maybe it happened when you saw your spouse for the first time. I know for many of you, that—along with children—is the single biggest game-changer. Or perhaps it was when you heard a diagnosis. Funny how two words can utterly transform a life when you hear “it’s cancer.” Or maybe it was the first time you heard a piece of music or read a captivating book. These also can be game changing.
In writing terms, we might call this event the climax. Movies use these moments all the time to begin the road to resolution. Now there is a very obvious game changing moment I noticed in the new Star Wars film, but rather than spoil it for those of you who have not seen it, I went with the next example that came to mind. Does anyone in this room remember the monumental cinematic piece called The Mighty Ducks? The Mighty Ducks is a Disney movie from the 90s about a bunch of rag tag inner-city kids who form a junior hockey team. Their coach was ordered to take on this team by the court. And as you would expect, they flounder early on; other teams eat the ducks for lunch. That is until they discover…the flying V. An offensive strategy that resembles the migratory patterns of Canadian Geese. The Flying V was the game changer. In one moment the Ducks are terrible, then with the Flying V in their arsenal they are all of a sudden literally unstoppable. (This is my surprised face.)
Game changing or paradigm shifting moments show us that one moment life is one way, and then in the very next it is altogether different forever. Last week, as I narrated for you the story of four lepers in the city of Samaria, I told you about how these four men took a chance in a desperate situation. When the city of Samaria was under siege and all the food and water was gone, these four lepers took a chance and went out to the enemy camps that surrounded the city in hopes of receiving mercy. And as they went, God intervened in a miraculous way. While they walked towards their enemy, God caused the sound of thunderous horse hooves and mighty chariots to be heard in the ears of their captors. In that moment, do you remember what they did? They turned tail and fled for their lives, leaving hundreds and hundreds of tents filled with food and water and clothing, gold and silver, and every good thing these lepers could ever need.
God intervened for these lepers and totally, completely changed their lives in an instant. The enemy that was waiting and lurking was chased off into the night. Do you remember? For these lepers, their situation went from being desperate, hungry, and hopeless, to possessing unimaginably good news—everything they could ever need was literally there for the taking. And it’s all God.
Download the entire transcript here: 2 Corinthians 5 14-15 One Has Died for All Therefore
