Break Out – 3 – When there’s No Way Forward – How to Turn Around

Welcome

 

Break Out

Jesus broke out of a tomb… So can you.

There is a plan for freedom.

Week 1 – When your hope dies.. how to have hope again.
Week 2 – When your faith croaked – How to believe again

Today – When there’s no way forward – How to Turn Around

Dead End

Me

I know what it is like to come face to face with a dead end.

Career & Education
  -Job that I enjoyed… no promotion, raise,  
Relationships
  -No future.
Myself
  -Make the same mistakes – no growth

 

Staring at the dead end does not progress your life.

We know dead ends that go nowhere…

Habits – Food, drugs, social media
Thoughts
Lifestyle – $$, time
Relationships – No commitment, growth
Religion – just a tradition – leads nowhere

People spend too long… 

• staring at their dead end.
• Committed to their dead end.
• trying to press through a dead end.

We sink money, time, energy into something that will never work.

Stop… 

• spending energy on what is not working.

Relationships

• pouring life into dead things.

Choosing job over family – fired

• Wasting time at the dead end.

Time is precious.

Be in the right place. (no cemeteries)
Do the right thing.

Sometimes things get worse… Why God?
…”Because you are not supposed to be here.”

…”You are supposed to learn something here.”

…”Watch me.” (miracle – red sea) 

 

When there’s no way forward – How to Turn Around

Imagine – Bad place. Ruined everything.

You caused the dead end.

You did it…

• Divorce
• Debt – car repossessed
• Relationship destroyed
• Dead end job – never applied yourself
• Far from God

Dead End Bible story… Turn to Acts 2

-Holy Spirit power…

-People notice. Ask questions.

-Peter tell them about Jesus.

Then Peter told them…

Acts 2:36 (NIV) “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

 

YOU DID IT! Dead End.

 

Acts 2:37 (NIV) When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

 

Dead End Moment – No Hope.

 

Acts 2:38 (NIV) Peter replied, “Repent…

 

Peter tells people who are caught at the dead end to do one thing first…

 

Repent (metanoeō) – CHANGE your mind, TURN from sin and toward God

 

The hope for dead end people is CHANGE.
Change mind…
Change action…
Change direction…
Change your heart…

 

The only way out of a dead end is to change.

Hate change? I get it…
I hate dead ends enough to change.

The people in Acts 2 were thankful…
3000 people changed that day.

“But I don’t have a dead end?”

O really…
Fear
Sadness
Anger
Lonely
Why isn’t there LIFE flowing in every part of your life?

 

Call to action 

What is your dead end?

• STOP
  • spending energy on what is not working.
  • pouring life into dead things.
  • Wasting time at the dead end.

• START
  • New thoughts
  • New Direction
  • New Actions

Repent. Need help? Come to the front.