Introduction● Hook: Tell a 1 minute story… Building Lego’s following the plan

Mr. Lego designed the toy – he knows best how it should be built –God designed us – When we follow the design of the creator – it allows us to live a full and abundant life The scripture teaches us about this – a lot of people think of the bible as having a bunch of rules to control us or limit us – when we follow the teaching in scripture we find out how to receive and live and incredible and abundant life We are going to start with following God’s plan – you can see then next five weeks laid out in your books

● Overview: We are going to explore God’s plan for our lives by looking at the life of Peter

● Peter’s Story Begins: Matthew 4:18-20○ Peter is at work… fisherman○ Jesus shows up… says “Follow Me, and I will make you fisher of men”○ Peter… drops his nets immediately and follows! A stranger○ This is crazy… we know Peter as a bold disciple, author of 2 books…

but at this point he was a dirty fisherman in a back water region of northern Israel

● Main Point: Jesus meets us where we are and asks us to follow him!

● Trans: To understand what Jesus is asking Peter… we must go back to the beginning… to the BIG STORY of the world. Back to creation

The Big Story● Read Genesis 1:27-31● Mankind’s Design - At Creation God Designed Us in a Particular Way! Just like the

lego guy designed the toys○ We are Designed for Relationship

■ Genesis 1:27 “made in the image of God”, “male & female He created them”

○ We are Designed for Responsibility■ Genesis 1:28a “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth…”■ Genesis 1:28b “… and subdue it; and rule over… every living thing…”

○ We are Designed for Receive Blessing■ Genesis 1:29 “Behold I have given you…” (underline ever “every”)■ Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and behold it was very good.”

Genesis 1:27-31 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and

multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds

of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have

given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its

fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens

and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every

green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was

very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

 

■ Key Point: We are at our best when living according to our design…■ Example: Using our Gifts (made to)–talents –musician – teacher -artist■ Example: Kids and rules – to help protect them guide them■ Example: Guardrails on highway■ God gives us guardrails – boundaries so that we may live a healthy life■

○ Key Point: We are at our best when we are living according to our design…

○ Trans: God gave us boundaries to help us live with in the parameters of our design… guardrails – so that we may live a healthy and abundant life

● Man’s Failure●

○ Genesis 2:17 - God’s Guardrails… “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

● Contrast with all of the things he has given us –● Guardrails – you will surely die

● Highlight God as Justice

○ Genesis 3:6 - “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

■ Failure to follow design… the Bible refers to this as “sin”■ This led to loss of relationship■ This led to inability to fulfill responsibility■ This led to a limitation of the blessing Adam could receive

○ Romans 3:23 - “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

■ We have all done this… failed to live within the guardrails of our design

■ When we fail to live within the guardrails God designed for us… it is called sin and the result is we are unable to access the very things we were designed for

■Trans: Fortunately, the story doesn't end here…

● God’s Solution○ Key Point: God continually seeks to help us be restored to our original

design○ ○ Romans 5:8 - “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still

sinners, Christ died for us.”○ ○ Main Point: God meets us where we are… “while still sinners”

■ You don't have to clean up first■ You don’t have to stop sinning first… God meets us where we are…

○ Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

■ We deserve death, separation from God, destruction from ignoring the guardrails

■ Jesus death paid the consequence of our sin… and that death is offered as a gift

■ Through Jesus we have access to “eternal life”

○ John 10:10 - “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

■ Jesus didn't come to judge or condemn us, but to restore us to our original design

■ Restored to relationship■ Restored to responsibility■ Restored to blessingKey Point: This is the abundant life Jesus promised

Trans: God pursues us through Jesus personally and individually… remember, we are designed for relationship with Him. So lets take a closer look at Peter’s story

Peter’s Story Write Down (pg 4) - Interruption, Invitation, Immediate Response● Read Matthew 4:17-20

Matthew 4:17-20 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Peter’s Story● An Interruption to Life (vs 18) - Jesus meets him where he

was… at his job Connect to our lives● An Invitation to Follow (vs 19) - Jesus calls Peter to a

specific action… to follow Him – Invitation back into relationship with him

● An Immediate Response (vs 20) - Peter doesn’t hesitate… immediately follows

○ Leaves his nets… his livelihood… his family… his boat○ Example: You are at work, a dude shows u and says follow me… you walk out,

leave your bags, credit cards, wallet and laptop… leave your car behind and follow?

○ This was Peter’s defining moment

○ Trans: The way God interacted with Peter is how he interacts with us. The way peter responded is how we should respond if we want to be restored to the design for relationship, responsibility and blessing that God made us to have.

We all have our defining moment – It may have already happened for you and this is reaffirming for you, or maybe you are in the middle of your defining moment or maybe it has yet to happen

Our Story - Main Point: Jesus meets us where we are and asks us to follow him!● Critical Question - How do we respond?● Write in Handout - Write out ABC

● Accept God’s Invitation Connect to Education – receiving an educationPersons being saved in water – hand reaching out

● Romans 10:9 -10- “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

● Believe in Gods Plan – connect to accepting invitation○ vs 9 - believe in Jesus death and resurrection… as paying

the consequence of our sin

● Confess Jesus is Lord○ vs 9 - confess… or declare Jesus is LORD… accepting His

plan or design for our life

○ Trans: If we are offered a gift but never receive it… we don’t get it.

● Key Point: Choosing to do this is our defining moment

Acts 3:19-20 19 Repent therefore, and turn back,

that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times

of refreshing may come from the presence of the

Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed

for you, Jesus...

Conclusion● Peter’s life was interrupted… Jesus met him where he was and invited him to follow.● Peter’s response was immediate… Peter chose to follow!● Jesus has interrupted your life… He has invited you to follow… he has offered you

and I abundant life, relationship with Him, responsibility and blessing if we follow. ● Like Peter you have a choice…● Critical Question: Jesus has interrupted your life – he is offering you an abundant

life – restoration to God’s plan - What will you choose? How are you going to respond