Embracing Sacrifice: A Call to Holy Ambition

Devotional

Day 1: Sacrificial Living Leads to Greater Delight in God

A life of sacrifice, as taught by Jesus, is not about unhappiness but about finding greater delight in God by serving others and denying oneself for a higher purpose. This sacrificial life is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission. Embracing sacrifice means aligning one's life with Jesus' command to deny oneself and take up the cross. It is a call to live beyond personal comfort and to find joy in serving others and advancing God's kingdom. This perspective shifts the focus from self-centered living to a life that seeks to glorify God and serve His purposes. [00:33]

Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV): "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'"

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you can practice self-denial for the sake of serving others. How can you take a step towards this today?

Day 2: Relying on the Holy Spirit for Life's Journey

The Christian life is like a sailboat, driven by the Holy Spirit, rather than a motorboat powered by human effort. This means relying on God's power and guidance to fulfill our purpose in life. Just as a sailboat catches the wind to move forward, believers are called to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, allowing His power to propel them toward their God-given purpose. This reliance on the Spirit contrasts with striving in one's own strength, which can lead to burnout and frustration. [02:10]

Zechariah 4:6 (ESV): "Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'"

Reflection: In what area of your life are you relying too much on your own strength? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you in this area today?

Day 3: Building a Solid Foundation in God's Glory

Having a solid foundation, or ballast, in your life is crucial for withstanding life's storms. This foundation is rooted in God's passion for His glory and the cross, which demonstrates His commitment to saving sinners. A strong spiritual foundation ensures that when challenges arise, one's faith remains unshaken. The cross stands as a central element of this foundation, reminding believers of God's ultimate sacrifice and His unwavering commitment to His glory and the redemption of humanity. [03:51]

Isaiah 28:16 (ESV): "Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: Whoever believes will not be in haste.'"

Reflection: Reflect on your current spiritual foundation. What steps can you take to strengthen it, ensuring it is deeply rooted in God's glory and the message of the cross?

Day 4: Pursuing a Holy Ambition Aligned with God's Purpose

A holy ambition is a guiding force that helps you focus on what truly matters. It is not about doing everything but about doing what aligns with God's purpose for your life. This ambition should be rooted in Scripture and driven by a desire to meet the world's immeasurable needs. By seeking a holy ambition, believers can direct their energy and resources toward endeavors that have eternal significance, rather than being distracted by lesser pursuits. [12:18]

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV): "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: What is one specific ambition you feel God is calling you to pursue? How can you take a practical step toward this ambition today?

Day 5: Embracing Maturity and Responsibility in Faith

The younger generation faces cultural challenges that delay adulthood and responsibility. Embracing maturity and responsibility is essential for developing a holy ambition and living a life of purpose. Moving beyond a life of play and into one of purpose requires intentionality and a commitment to grow in faith and character. This transition is crucial for those who desire to make a meaningful impact in the world and fulfill their God-given potential. [14:56]

1 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV): "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways."

Reflection: In what ways can you embrace greater maturity and responsibility in your spiritual journey? What is one practical step you can take today to grow in this area?

Sermon Summary

In this message, I express my heartfelt desire for each of you to set your life's course toward the completion of the Great Commission, either as a sacrificial goer or a sacrificial sender. This call to sacrifice is rooted in Jesus' command to deny oneself and take up the cross, emphasizing that a life of sacrifice is not one of unhappiness but of greater delight in God. I urge you to avoid a life of indifference and instead embrace a life driven by a holy ambition, one that is powered by the Holy Spirit, like a sailboat catching the wind, rather than a motorboat driven by human effort.

I emphasize the importance of having a solid foundation, or ballast, in your life, which is rooted in God's passion for His glory among the nations. This ballast ensures that when life's storms come, your faith remains steadfast. The cross stands at the center of this ballast, demonstrating God's commitment to His glory and His way of saving sinners.

I encourage you to seek a specific holy ambition for your life, one that aligns with God's passion for His glory. Whether you already have a clear ambition, are seeking one, or are simply drifting, I invite you to explore Romans 15, where Paul shares his ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known. This ambition is not meant to be a burden but a guiding force that helps you focus on what truly matters.

I also address the cultural challenges faced by the younger generation, who often delay adulthood and responsibility. I urge you to embrace maturity and responsibility, to move beyond play and into a life of purpose and ambition. This ambition should be rooted in Scripture, as Paul demonstrated by grounding his mission in Isaiah 52.

Finally, I highlight the immeasurable need for the gospel in unreached areas and the unique role that Western missionaries can play in reaching these regions. I pray that you will set your life's course toward global evangelization, driven by the Holy Spirit and grounded in gospel truth.

Key Takeaways

1. A life of sacrifice, as Jesus taught, is not about unhappiness but about finding greater delight in God by serving others and denying oneself for a higher purpose. This sacrificial life is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission. [00:33]
2. The Christian life is like a sailboat, driven by the Holy Spirit, rather than a motorboat powered by human effort. This means relying on God's power and guidance to fulfill our purpose in life. [02:10]
3. Having a solid foundation, or ballast, in your life is crucial for withstanding life's storms. This foundation is rooted in God's passion for His glory and the cross, which demonstrates His commitment to saving sinners. [03:51]
4. A holy ambition is a guiding force that helps you focus on what truly matters. It is not about doing everything but about doing what aligns with God's purpose for your life. This ambition should be rooted in Scripture and driven by a desire to meet the world's immeasurable needs. [12:18]
5. The younger generation faces cultural challenges that delay adulthood and responsibility. Embracing maturity and responsibility is essential for developing a holy ambition and living a life of purpose. [14:56]
** [14:56]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - Setting Life's Course
[00:33] - The Call to Sacrifice
[01:14] - Greater Delight in God
[01:33] - Avoiding Indifference
[02:10] - The Sailboat Analogy
[02:58] - The Importance of Ballast
[03:51] - God's Passion for His Glory
[04:15] - The Cross at the Center
[06:09] - Seeking a Holy Ambition
[07:24] - Exploring Romans 15
[12:18] - The Power of a Holy Ambition
[14:56] - Cultural Challenges for Youth
[23:11] - Rooting Ambition in Scripture
[29:06] - Meeting Immeasurable Needs
[36:44] - The Role of Western Missionaries
[41:10] - Setting Your Course for Evangelization

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 15:18-24
- Isaiah 52:15
- Psalm 96:3

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Observation Questions:

What does Paul identify as his ambition in Romans 15:20, and how does he plan to fulfill it? [08:44]
How does the sermon describe the difference between a sailboat and a motorboat in the context of the Christian life? [02:10]
What is the significance of having a "ballast" in one's life according to the sermon, and how is it related to God's glory? [03:51]
In the sermon, what cultural challenges are mentioned that affect the younger generation's transition into adulthood? [14:56]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does Paul's ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known reflect a holy ambition, and what can this teach us about setting our own ambitions? [08:44]
The sermon uses the analogy of a sailboat driven by the Holy Spirit. What does this suggest about the role of human effort versus divine guidance in fulfilling our purpose? [02:10]
The sermon emphasizes the need for a solid foundation or ballast. How does this concept relate to the challenges and storms one might face in life? [03:51]
How does the sermon suggest that cultural trends, such as delayed adulthood, impact one's ability to develop a holy ambition? [14:56]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your current life direction. Are you more like a sailboat catching the wind of the Holy Spirit, or a motorboat driven by your own efforts? What changes might you need to make to rely more on divine guidance? [02:10]
Consider the concept of a holy ambition. Do you have a specific ambition that aligns with God's purpose for your life? If not, what steps can you take to discover and pursue one? [08:44]
The sermon highlights the importance of having a solid foundation in God's glory. What practical steps can you take to strengthen your spiritual foundation to withstand life's storms? [03:51]
How can you address the cultural challenges of delayed adulthood in your own life? What responsibilities or commitments can you embrace to foster maturity and purpose? [14:56]
Identify an area in your life where you might be indifferent or coasting. How can you shift towards a more intentional and sacrificial approach to fulfilling the Great Commission? [01:33]
The sermon calls for either being a sacrificial goer or sender. Which role do you feel called to, and how can you actively participate in global evangelization? [00:13]
Reflect on the immeasurable needs in the world. How can you contribute to meeting these needs, either locally or globally, in a way that aligns with your holy ambition? [29:06]

Sermon Clips

A life of sacrifice is not a life of unhappiness. We deny ourselves things that would diminish our delights in God through serving people, and there are thousands of things that would diminish our delights in God, and they are all pleasurable, and we deny ourselves those for greater pleasure. [00:59:47]

The great tragedy is that people think the Christian life can be turned into a motorboat. It can't. You can grow a church by putting an Evinrude on the back of your boat and making it happen, but it's not supernatural. It's not Christian. It's the sailboat. [02:01:59]

God is passionate for his fame among the nations. God has an infinite regard for his glory. He is totally committed to the display of his greatness in this world, and at the center of that eternity to eternity God-glorifying purpose of God, there's the cross where God found a way to save sinners while magnifying his glory. [03:40:21]

I want to help you get a more specific holy ambition for your life. The ballast in the bottom of the boat is a kind of ambition. I want my life to count as a part of God's passion for his glory, so I want to have a passion for his glory. [06:03:51]

When you're controlled by a holy ambition, there are thousand things you cannot do. You dare not do good things, good things. My life has been one long life of selective neglect because I have ambitions in my life about how I wanted to count things I want to say, things I want to do for a specific focus and a specific message. [11:17:38]

The mark of adulthood is that play is replaced with a sense of responsibility and ambition in this world for your life to count for real babies that are out there or a thousand other things. I'm just using dolls and babies as an example. [20:02:40]

I want you to have a holy ambition. I want you to pursue it by reading your Bible and asking God to make something burn in your heart. I think that's the way it comes. As you're reading the Bible, you're pleading, "O God, speak. God, speak to me." [28:14:49]

There is an immeasurable need that every ambition should care about. I don't think any—I mean, the word ambition I know is a dangerous word. It's usually associated with vanity and ego, and I'm pleading that it can be holy as somebody who were holy on the front of it. [29:06:57]

Missionaries plant churches where they don't exist and raise up pastors to do that. A missionary is a real reality. I don't like it when pastors say we're all missionaries. That's not true. It ruins people's understanding of this radical unique thing that some of you came to this conference to get called to do. [33:55:56]

I simply want to encourage the Western Church to wake up and realize that dozens of regions around the world are still completely devoid of the gospel, and most of these places are difficult places for even native missionaries so-called to work. It is going to take people like you. [39:26:50]

I pray that the mast of your holy ambition will be lifted high, and you'll drop your sails of faith, and you'll catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, and he will drive you freely, no motor on the back trying to make it happen when it can't happen, but being driven by the Holy Spirit. [41:27:58]

Let's pray. So God, please do the miracle work of saving, do the miracle work of purifying, do the miracle work of calling and clarifying the Holy ambition for these young people. I ask for the glory and the fame of your great name among all the peoples of the world. [42:56:23]

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Embracing Sacrifice: A Call to Holy Ambition

Devotional

Day 1: Sacrificial Living Leads to Greater Delight in God

Day 2: Relying on the Holy Spirit for Life's Journey

Day 3: Building a Solid Foundation in God's Glory

Day 4: Pursuing a Holy Ambition Aligned with God's Purpose

Day 5: Embracing Maturity and Responsibility in Faith

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Embracing Sacrifice: A Call to Holy Ambition

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