TOTAL BLUEPRINT MAKEOVER
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion.
Sermon Title: TOTAL BLUEPRINT MAKEOVER
Main Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 7:8-11, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 3:14-19, Psalm 103:8-12, 1 John 1:9
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
Summary:
Pastor Jody Wood continues the Family Blueprint series by discussing a total blueprint makeover. He shares God's desire to bring us back to his original plan and ability to change our lives no matter our circumstances. God sees us differently than we see ourselves. We are more than our mistakes and we have been bought at a high price.
Notes:
Our foundation for this message:
God’s blueprint is perfect.
When we follow it… it works.
Our execution of God’s blueprint is severely flawed
and has been subject to our fleshly desires
and selfish rewriting for our own benefit
God’s love has been a catalyst in trying to get us back to His original blueprint in order to live Godly and productive lives for Him and our family.
God’s target for a total blueprint makeover is us as individuals.
Why?
God influences us as individuals
We influence our spouse
We as a couple influence our kids
Our kids influence future generations
He is passionate about this!
In listening to the past couple of weeks in the services to Pastor and Angela Coon, several lessons were glaring to me:
No matter how we think things were in our lives, the impact it can have on us is significant.
It does not matter what we have ever experienced, God is into changed today!
We are new every day
God moves us into the future, guilt-free
God can use us no matter what we have experience in our lives.
The reality is this:
God does not define us by what we have experienced, or the decisions we have made.
He sees us differently than we see ourselves.
But, we as fallen humans have a problem:
Here is what I feel is one of the most corrosive and destructive mindsets with its constant and overwhelming shame – Regret
Regret defined:
To think of with a sense of loss
To feel sorrow or remorse for
A feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.
There are many things we can regret:
Career decisions
Parenting decisions
Personal decisions
Relationship decisions
Experiences we have had
Mistakes we have made
Shortcomings we have
Why is regret so destructive?
We cannot go back and change a thing
It locks us in the past.
It robs us of hope for the future.
It treats us with an unforgiving and destructive view of ourselves.
It is a preoccupation of shame and a constant focus on past mistakes in failures that defines us today.
It is dominated by fear of being a failure.
Bottom line:
We cannot change the past but we can live in God’s redemption today in order to have hope for a new tomorrow.
The good news:
Repair is the greatest antidote to regret.
Repair is the ability to make things right by God’s help in order to disarm regrets power.
Look at the difference:
Regret says:
I am defined by what I did
I wish I could change the past
I am stuck and can’t move forward
I am preoccupied and dwell on failures and mistakes
I am heavy in my soul
I am defective
Repair says:
I am defined by what God sees
I can be different today in order to change the course of tomorrow
I am free to be different
I am free to start fresh and change the course of the future
I am released from the weight in my soul
I am redeemed
Our Hope comes from one major truth:
God is the greatest repairer ever.
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Notice the key attitudes of this scripture:
1. The attitude of change.
Godly sorrow brings repentance
Deep heart change. Not just because we were caught.
2. The attitude of repair.
Godly sorrow leads to salvation
Repair of the breach between God and us
Salvation becomes our strength to maintain change
3. The attitude of peace.
Godly sorrow leaves no regret
4. The attitude of passion.
Verse 11 describes the passion behind Godly sorrow
All of this is in response to God‘s love for us.
Because he is perfect in repairing.
If we truly experience God’s love, shame and regret have to run.
Consider this:
When our shame is greater than our perception of God’s love, we have a problem.
When our experience of God’s love is greater than any shame we may have, we will experience freedom.
Romans 5:8 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 8:38-39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 3:14-19 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Psalm 103:8-12 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
1 John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Takeaways:
Our pursuit of God is a necessary factor
He holds the truth about the blueprint
He holds the better way
The world has messed it up
Our way is not His way
He is our healing agent to any experience in life
His Word is our guide
2. Our individual well-being is an essential element
Self-awareness is the key
Denial, defensiveness, and deflection are not helpful
Humble view of ourselves and our behavior
Realization of how what we do affects others
Our change influences others
3. Repair and strengthening of our marriage and relationships is important
Our focus should be on ourselves and how we are affecting others; not on how others are affecting us.
No marriage issues – individual issues multiplied.
Conflict comes from inside us.
Our focus should not be on who is right or wrong… but on the dance.
Emotional connection is the key
Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness should be our guiding forces.
4. Repairing and strengthening our parenting not only benefits our children but can also affect future generations
We are the parents, they are not
Emotional connection is the key here as well
Lead assertively but compassionately
Let kids individuate
Learn from their mistakes
Support them through adversity, not rescue
Eliminate power struggles
Say it once and then walk away
To Conclude:
Our pursuit of God and His blueprint benefits us as individuals first…
So then our marriages can be the strongest in working God’s blueprint…
Then our working of God’s blueprint can be a benefit to our children…
Who will hopefully carry God’s blueprint to future generations!!
But…
It all starts with us as individuals
Let us learn God’s way
Let us practice God’s way
Let us influence our family God’s way
And God will influence future generations!!
Discussion:
What did God use in this sermon to speak to your heart or situation?
In what ways have you allowed your mistakes and shame to define you?
What setbacks have this tainted mindset caused you?
Are there areas in your life where you have found peace by changing your view to one of grace and salvation?
What other notes did you highlight or write down that you would like to share?
The most important decision you will ever make!
Are you ready to experience salvation and be transformed? We encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, amen!
We would love to know if you made the decision to accept this wonderful gift from God. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!
