Movie Sunday 4 Sermon Notes

Taken directly from Brooke Lewis' notebook.

Enjoy having your faith encouraged whilst reading these notes, and then use them to further study the topic of journeying WELL to our Promised Land!

 

From Now On: Movie Sunday 4

Everyone has a dream, promise or prophetic word from God.

How does The Greatest Showman have anything to do with my faith journey?

In 2021 whilst talking with God about my dreams - a quote from this movie rose up in my heart, and my life has NEVER been the same.

1 Samuel 16

Here we find David being given a dream, promise and assignment from God.

It's a good dream - you NEED to know that your dream is from God.

"Faith starts where the will of God is known."

 

PT Barnum's Dream

P T Barnum starts the film with a dream. And it's a good dream.

He wants a better life for his family.

They are living in poverty and have barely enough to put food on the table. He wants more. And that's good.

And guess what, for P T Barnum - things start to happen! He starts a circus, and people love it. Now they not only have food on the table, he buys his family a mansion, and he gets his daughter the ballet lessons she'd always dreamed of.

 

Motivation

But then Barnum makes a statement which rings alarm bells.

"Ballet school that's just down the road from your parents' house, actually."

Why does Barnum's underlying motivation matter? So what if there's a bit of selfishness. So what if there's a bit of compromise?

 

Your motivation determines your choices.

PT Barnum brings Jenny Lind to America to tour. Everyone in his life is confused by this choice. It's a detour from what he's been doing. But he's got a dream and he pursues it.

Finally, the night of Jenny's concert in New York arrives. Barnum is over the moon because the who's who of New York society are flooding the arena. He's reached his goal. He's made it.

 

Enjoy the Journey

And his wife turns to him and says "are you happy now?"

Being miserable whilst pursuing a dream is a human condition that is all too common.

If you’re not enjoying the process - what’s even the point?

No-one is forcing you to believe God for your dreams.

We all know someone who becomes insufferable whilst waiting for a dream. People who make life miserable until they have seen their breakthrough.

 

Remember WHO all this was for.

Barnum comes to the dark night of the soul moment (Movie Sunday 3).

As Barnum continues to chase the lights and glitz of fame by touring Jenny Lind around the country. everything unexpectedly, but also very predictably, falls apart. He loses the circus. And he loses his family.

Let me remind you of how this entire movie began - with Barnum desiring a better life for his family. Yet, in his pursuit of success - he lost the very reason he began.

Chesapeake Shores - "Remember who you're working for."

God has used this challenge on me, more than once. Why did I want this dream? Why am I pursuing this goal?

 

Don't Compromise

Eric Little - "I believe God made me for a purpose. And he made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Don't ever compromise to run fast if it means you'll run without His pleasure!

It’s a tale as old as time

A father desires a better life for his family so gives his all at work and hopes for a raise… but then the job becomes all-consuming and he ends up compromising the very family the Dream was for.

Politicians want to make a better community but end up compromising to keep their power at the cost of their convictions.

A boy has a dream to play AFL and shine Jesus in the sport industry. But he ends up playing local footy on Sunday mornings to get drafted and loses his relationship with God.

A girl has a dream to get married and raise a family for Jesus. But as her clock ticks, she ends up marrying a guy who believes in God but just doesn’t really have a relationship with God. They get married and have kids, but now they and their family don’t attend church except at Christmas.

High school Musical 2: “If along the way you act like someone you’re not, pretty soon that’s who you become.”

 

Who do you want to BE when you arrive at your Promised Land?

So who do you want to become?  

Nobel Peace Prize - He decided to redefine his legacy.

 

The Challenge

Instead of your obituary, what would you like to be said at:

Housewarming
Wedding
Business Launch
Baby Shower
Celebration Dinner

Home-Work Assignment:

Write best man’s speech at your wedding
Write your husband’s speech at your business launch
Write your life-group leader’s text when you tell them you’ve bought a car
Write your mum’s Instagram post when you get a breakthrough

Do you want them to CELEBRATE how you walked your journey? Or will they struggle because you’ve compromised?

What is God going to say? David was described as a man after God's own heart.

 

David in the Cave

David was promised to be king, but he chose not to kill Saul when he had the chance in the cave. Why? Because that was not HOW God had promised his breakthrough.

 

TODAY is our FROM NOW ON MOMENT!

Now back to Barnum: He's at a crossroad. And this song, this moment - has defined my life for these past 3 years

What will your From Now On be?

I won’t neglect the family this dream is for
I’ll be joyful and pleasant whilst waiting
I’ll refuse to compromise
I’ll stay connected with the One who gave me the dream to start with

WE can only draw a line in the sand, but God can wipe the slate clean! He can restore our mistakes.