WHY DO WE STRUGGLE WITH DISAPPOINTMENT WITH GOD?

• 1. A MISCONCEPTION OF THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

• 2. A MISCONCEPTION OF GRACE

• 3. RELYING ON FALSE HOPES

A MISCONCEPTION OF THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

The problems with the ‘purpose of life being to make us happy on our own terms’:

A. We often have these desires that make us look for happiness in the wrong places

B. The pursuit of our happiness in good things will not satisfy our soul!!

C. The pursuit of happiness on our own terms gets really tiring.

Isaiah 55:

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55 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and you will delight in the richest of fare.3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.I will make an everlasting covenant with you,    my faithful love promised to David…….• 8

7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your

ways my ways,” declares the LORD.9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my

ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your

thoughts.

10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,and

do not return to it without watering the earth and making

it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower

and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It

will not return to me empty, but will accomplish

what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I

sent it.12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into

song before you, and all the trees of the field will

clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This

will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting

sign, that will endure forever.”

REDISCOVERING PURPOSE

Invitation:

The invitation is for all the thirsty and free

God invitation to follow him(make him our life’s purpose):

a. A reminder of deep soul satisfying love that fulfills every need we have.

b. Reminds us of his glory.

c. Offers not just happiness but deeper joy and peace .

A MISCONCEPTION OF GRACE

A general notion of Gods approval is that Good people deserve good things and bad people deserve bad things

Isaiah 1Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the LORD has spoken:“I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.3 The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger,but Israel does not know,my people do not understand.”4 Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!

They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

Isaiah 55:1

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him,and by his wounds we are healed

WE LEAN ON FALSE HOPES

Romans 4:

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Through Abraham’s crisis we see that:

1.God was his only hope.

2.He faced the facts but never lost sight of his faith that God had the power to do what he had promised.

3.He was able to worship God for who he was.

God is calling us to crazy joy and deep fulfillment in him, by living for Christ through God's amazing grace while leaning on an unshakeable hope.

Romans 5:5

 5 And hope does not put us to shame (disappoint us), because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 God just doesn’t help us in our struggles he is given us his Spirit to be with us in our struggles.