We’re often inspired with what we hear, but are we ready to take it home with us and be different people willing to walk in His steps.

National Family Retreat 2016: In His Steps

<p>We’re often inspired with what we hear, but are we ready to take it home with us and be different people willing to walk in His steps.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Restoration International

Alane Waters

Tom Waters

Take It Home

It's hard to believe that the first National Family Retreat here in Oklahoma is coming to a close.

But the Lord has richly blessed our hearts.

And I know from talking to many of you that it's been a blessing.

So it's the last message, doesn't end the activities, but for this last message, we want to remind each other that it doesn't end here.

Now, I can tell you that the devil would like to see it be different than that.

He would actually like to have it end when you're packing your vehicles today.

Something doesn't go right, and the devil would just love it if somebody in the family, or if somebody's in the family, would just get all upset and frustrated and angry, and then on the way home somebody would say, I told you this doesn't work for us.

Gets me all excited and that's what the devil wants to have happen.

And then there's the letdown and and then he beats us up and it doesn't have to be that way, right?

And if something happens as something is inevitable to happen, we don't have to give up.

The road back home to heaven is the only 1 that's really going to matter.

And the broad road, the road that leads in every other direction, never brings satisfaction.

And so, this morning we're going to be sharing together not just us, but we've got some great helpers that are going to be with us.

But before we share together with these families that are going to be helping us, I just want to remind you of a story in the Bible, because I love the way God encourages us.

The disciples have just spent a terrifying night on the lake and they've seen the power of God working through Jesus when he calms the sea and the storm subsides and he says, oh ye of little faith.

And by the end of that little talk, they're just so encouraged.

And now they're encouraged and they're saying the same kind of things that we do.

It's like, how could I ever doubt the Lord?

How could I become discouraged over something like this?" And then they end up on the shores of Gennesaret and they see these 2 Wild men coming out.

They've got long fingernails and they're wild.

And you can imagine them puffing, puffing, puffing, out of breath.

When They finally reach the boats, they're ready to get out of here, and where's Jesus?

And I said to Elaine this morning as we were talking together, that's significant.

And so there's Jesus with these 2 wild men.

And the good news is that even though after Jesus casts out their demons and after the people of that area of Decapolis cast out Jesus, because they don't want, these superstitious people don't want somebody around that's going to cause them to lose all their pigs and their fortunes.

And they took it home, brothers and sisters.

Jesus invited them while they were yearning to stay with him, the 1 who had made them whole.

And 1 year later, inspiration tells us, just sends chills down my spine, 1 year later, Jesus is invited back.

And there are thousands of people, thousands of people, from the entire region.

Because these 2 men took the gospel back to their homes and showed the people, not just talked, showed the people What great things this man has done for us.

Certainly no differently than they did under the inspiration and the power of God, but we can take this home with us.

But the only way that's going to work, I think that's on.

I'm not techie, but usually there's lights on it.

See, I knew it was supposed to have a light.

And I know for years, many of you who've been in here in the past, you've heard us talk about, Tom and Elaine, Paul and Carolyn, others who may, you have experienced here at family retreats, you've heard us talk about this just isn't for you, it's for us as well.

We are encouraged when we hear these things over and over and over again and we have the the blessed privilege of being able to hear it 8 times over or say it 8 times over but every time we say it's a little bit different so for those of you who are here from other family retreats or those of you welcome you for live streaming but if you may have come from other family retreats and we don't want this to be a substitute from where you come from but we want because you know we'll have new and fresh things to share there some of the things will be the same but take it home where you are and we open and this is our theme this year, in his steps.

And it's found in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 21.

For even here unto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps.

He has shown the way, he has lived the way, he has led the way, and all he asks of us is follow me.

Sometimes it seems like it's too much because what he asked us to do But it's not too much and where he's asking us to go and what he's asking us to do I hope each 1 of us is learning because I haven't learned it yet completely either, that we are learning that the way he leads, while it may be difficult at times, is always the best, the happiest, the peaceful, the restful, the joyful way to travel.

And in that process, he's the 1 who led us here and he's the 1 who's going to be taking us home.

We can follow him wherever we're going, whether you're flying home today, whether you're driving home today, whether you're going to a friend's house today, whatever it is, he wants us to follow him and be with him in that process.

Because as my husband said, like our biblical example with the demoniacs, they did not just say, oh, this is nice, I am free now.

They were so excited for what God had done in their lives, in their hearts, to totally transform them.

And I can tell you that there's not 1 person who's been here, either through the live stream or he's sitting in 1 of these chairs this entire weekend that are in worse condition than they were.

And that's why that story is so powerful because sometimes we narrow it down, oh, poor me and what about me and my circumstances are so hard and nobody's had to go through this like I've had to go through it.

We have examples that far outweigh our self-pity and God through that experience, Christ willing to stand there and not be afraid when they are running toward him.

And if we read Inspiration, she says, they are intent on attacking them.

And he has no fear because he's in the will of his fathers.

He's in the footprints of his father and we need to be in the footprints of Christ.

Back to Menu

Take It Home

Transcript

Description

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine