“COLLATERAL DAMAGE”

The Impact of Personal Weakness on Those Around Us

 

GENESIS 28-29                                                                                                                                                    Mark Kolbe

 

INTRODUCTION

·         Salvation required the sacrifice of God’s p_______________, and only Son, Jesus.

·         God has, and is, using i_________________ people in His plan as well.  But thankfully God somehow still finds a way to use the chaos in their lives to bring about His end goal. 

·         Since we aren’t perfect yet, we cannot help but affect others in a n________________ way as well.  

·         Our personality traits, decisions, sin, and faulty views about spiritual matters can cause d________________ in the lives of other people and in our relationship with God.

 

GENESIS 28:1-9             DIRECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT

·         Jacob’s trip was going to be a way for God to start weaning Jacob from his devious ways so that he could be used more e_________________ by God.  

·         Esau i____________________ found wives who didn’t follow God.  

·         We should choose our s___________________ direction carefully (Psalm 1:1-2).

 

GENESIS 28:10-15        DREAM BIG

·         Whenever we come across something that seems to stand out in a passage, we should let s_______________ interpret scripture.

·         Jacob’s dream helped him…

o   become aware that God desires a p_______________ relationship with him. 

o   start to understand God’s p________________.  God is at the top. Jacob was at the bottom.

o   recognize that God is a________________ at work in this world. 

o   become aware of his r_________ in God’s plan.

·         God shows His grace and seeks to redeem even those who seem u_________________. 

·         Don’t let all your spiritual d_____________ just fade away.  Be willing to take some r_________. If your specific dream doesn’t come true, allow G__________ plan to unfold (1 Peter 4:10).

·         God has granted us the p________________ of studying His word anytime and anywhere (Joshua 1:8)

 

GENESIS 28:16-22        TESTING THE WATER

·         Jacob gave his dream more of a l______________ meaning than he should have.  

·         Jacob thought this place was so s_______________ that he used the rock as a memorial to God. 

·         While the promise God made to Jacob was u____________________, Jacob responds to God with a list of c__________________.

·         Jacob took a step of c______________________ towards God. 

·         No one becomes a spiritual giant overnight – but we should begin s_______________ and s________________ (Psalm 34:8).

GENESIS 29:1- 11           LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

 

GENESIS 29:12-19        HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

·         Leah is going to become part of the plan later, whether Jacob l___________ it or not.

·         When we are willing to make sacrifices and travel on the d_____________ path, that’s when there is most to gain (Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 6:10).

 

GENESIS 29:21-30        THAT DIDN’T GO AS I PLANNED

·         This entire process of finding a wife help prove that Jacob could dedicate himself to the task at hand and show p________________ and perseverance over a long period of time. 

·         We need to be involved spiritual endeavors for the long haul, not abandoning our mission when things don’t go as we p________________ (Galatians 6:9).

 

GENESIS 29:31-35        THE POWER OF LOVE

·         Leah gave birth to 4 sons who would become leaders of the tribes of the nation of Israel: R___________,  S______________, L______________, and J______________.

·         Eventually, sin always brings n_________________ consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).

·         When love is c_____________________, bad things happen.  Thankfully God’s love is not conditional.

·         We should be imitators of God and l___________ the unloved (Matthew 22:37,  John 15:12).

 

SO WHAT

·         God’s sovereign will always p____________ (Proverbs 19:21, Isaiah 14:24).

·         We will be j_____________ upon choices and behaviors involving God’s moral will (2 Corinthians 5:10)

·         We can cause collateral damage to others in 3 ways: 

 

1)      Personal h_____________ (Matthew 7:12, 1 Corinthians 9:22)

 

2)      S_______________ choices (Proverbs 12:26).

 

3)      Bad T_________________ (2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).       

 

o   Spread t___________ from God’s word, not our own spiritual i________.

 

o   Speak in love, not in pride hoping to i_________________ others.