Sojourn Church | Carrollton Texas
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Pastor Chris McRae tells a passionate and personal story of salvation from God. A moving true story of trials and tribulation, the detours of life, confidence and faith in God, and redemption.
A SHOT IN THE DARK
THAT SOUND CHANGED MY LIFE 18 YEARS AGO. SOMETHING AS SMALL AS A BULLET CAN CAUSE SO MUCH DAMAGE. A 7.62 HOLLOWPOINT COPPER BULLET THIS LITTLE PROJECTILE THAT IS DESIGNED TO WREAK HAVOC AND DESTROY ANYTHING IN ITS PATH DID THAT TO ME ALMOST 18 YEARS AGO FOR SOME OF YOU THIS MORNING, THIS IS A REALITY. YOU ARE NOT FACING A MONSTROSITY OF A TRIBULATION. BUT SOMETHING THAT SEEMS SMALL BUT IT IS WREAKING HAVOC IN YOUR LIFE. IN YOUR MARRIAGE – IN YOUR FAMILY – ON YOUR JOB – IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS – IN YOUR FINANCES I WANT TO TELL YOU A STORY THIS MORNING. IT IS A STORY OF: GOD REDEEMS LIFE HOW NO MATTER HOW BAD A TRIAL, TRIBULATION, OR CIRCUMSTANCE LOOKS OR IS, GOD HAS THE FINAL WORD OVER YOUR LIFE. IT IS A STORY ABOUT SALVATION. HOW OUR GOD’S EARS ARE NOT DEAF AND THE ARM OF THE LORD IS NOT SHORT. HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE. LASTLY, IT IS A STORY ABOUT YOU. LISTEN FOR YOUR PLACE IN THE STORY. YOU HAVE A PLACE AND YOU WILL HAVE A PLACE TO RESPOND. IN NOVEMBER 2003, WE AS PASTORS GOT AWAY ON AN ANNUAL STRATEGY AND HUNTING TRIP. THAT EVENING, AFTER DINNER, I KNEW WE WOULD BE GETTING UP EARLY TO GO SIT IN A DEER STAND. SO I TOLD THE GUYS THAT I WOULD BE HEADING IN TO GO TO BED. I DID NOT GO THE NORMAL WAY BUT TOOK A LONG WAY AROUND TO A LAKE THAT WAY ON THE PROPERTY. POINT 1. “I TOOK A DETOUR” I WONDER THIS MORNING FOR SOME OF YOU SITTING HERE IN THIS SERVICE, THAT THE OUTCOME OF YOUR LIFE WAS NOT THE PATH YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. FOR SOME OF YOU, YOU ARE STILL ON THIS DETOUR YOU TOLD SOME PEOPLE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS OR YOU SET OUT TO DO THAT AND YOU STILL ARE TRYING TO FIND YOUR WAY. OR YOU ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK. TRYING TO GET BACK ON TRACK WITH WHAT GOD HAS DESTINED YOU TO DO. THAT IS FOR SOMEBODY HERE THIS MORNING – PSALMS 37:23 SAYS THE STEPS OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD AND THOUGH HE FALL, HE SHALL NOT BE UTTERLY CAST DOWN; FOR THE LORD UPHOLDS HIM WITH HIS HAND – KING DAVID GOES ON TO SAY – “I HAVE BEEN YOUNG, AND NOW AM OLD; YET I HAVE NOT SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN NOR HIS DESCENDANTS BEGGING FOR BREAD” NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON YOUR JOURNEY – ON THE PATH OR EVEN ON A DETOUR – YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR LIFE AND PLANS TO GOD AND HE CAN MAKE YOUR PATH STRAIGHT. PROVERBS 3:5 SAYS TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING: IN ALL OF YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATH. I TOOK A DETOUR AND FOUND MYSELF AT A LAKE ON THIS RANCH WHERE I SOON HEARD 2 OF THE OTHER PASTORS OFF IN THE DISTANCE AND BEFORE I KNEW IT THEY WERE ABOUT 75 TO 100 YRDS AWAY AND ONE OF SAID THE WORDS DO YOU SEE HIM? AND BEFORE I COULD GET MY HANDS UP TO SAY ANYTHING, FOUR SHOTS RANG OUT – THE FIRST BULLET CAME IN POINT 2. I TOOK A BULLET – THE BLOOD CAME RUNNING DOWN MY SIDE INTO MY LEGS AND BOOTS. THE PAIN WAS EXCRUCIATING I WAS SCARED AND HELPLESS I COULD NOT THINK STRAIGHT SOME OF YOU THIS MORNING HAVE MAYBE NEVER BEEN SHOT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE TRAUMA, TURMOIL AND CHAOS. SOME OF YOU ARE: EMOTIONALLY SHOT – THESE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE CAUSED YOU SO MUCH PAIN THAT YOU ACHE IN YOUR MIND. SPIRITUALLY SHOT – YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD HAS BEEN UP AND DOWN. YOU HAVE FELT ALONE AND ABANDONED AND YOU WANT TO BLAME GOD. YOU ARE AFRAID AND TERRIFIED OF THE NOW AND WHAT IS TO COME. YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. YOU DON’T KNOW IF HE’S REAL. YOU DON’T KNOW IF HE CARES. YOU DON’T KNOW WHICH WAY IS UP ANYMORE. RELATIONALLY SHOT – SOME OF YOU HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS DURING THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SOME OF YOU FEEL SO ALONE AND ABANDONED, YOU HAVE ISOLATED YOURSELF AND YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT GOOD BUT YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S TOO LATE TO TRY TO CHANGE IT. SOME OF YOU ARE SO HURT OR DEPRESSED AND OPPRESSED THAT YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE THE ENERGY OR THE WILL TO TRY TO LOVE AGAIN. FINANCIALLY SHOT – YOUR FINANCES HAVE TAKEN A TOLL FOR THE WORSE AND THE PANDEMIC HAS LEFT YOU FINANCIALLY DRY AND YOU NEED AN ABSOLUTE MIRACLE. POINT 3. I TOOK INVENTORY – I LAY THERE AND TOLD MY FRIEND TELL MY WIFE THAT I LOVE HER. I WAS ABLE TO TELL MY FRIEND THESE THINGS BUT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT. YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO LEAVE THIS WORLD. SO SAY YES TO HIM TODAY… HEBREWS 9:27 SAYS “AND AS IT IS APPOINTED FOR MEN TO DIE ONCE, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT” FOR BELIVERS AND FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST PAUL SAYS IN HIS LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS 5:8 “WE ARE CONFIDENT, YES, WELL PLEASED RATHER TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY AND TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD” SOME OF YOU MIGHT NOT BE CONFIDENT THAT YOU WOULD BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD – YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT TODAY – THE REST OF THE STORY I AM STILL HERE
#TrueStory #JesusSaves #Salvation
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