Sunday Morning, September 16, 2012
scriptures: Romans 5, Luke 14, 1 John 3, 1 John4
keywords: communion,
audio file: click to open in a new window or right-click to download
NOTES
Romans 5:1-9
God gives us a charge to have a rejoiceful spirit in the face of everything that goes on.
vs 5. Hope makes not ashamed. Do you have the love of God in your life, giving you hope.
The Holy Spirit, influence of God is in us, affecting how we think. Are you filled with the fulness of God?
It is hard to think of someone dying for another person. God showed that He loves us by dying for us, even when we were in our sin.
This is to save us from a wrath that is to come. Correction is better than wrath.
Luke 14:25-35
Your love for God has to be so strong and true that nothing will keep you from Him. Is there anybody in your life right now that affects how committed to Christ you are right now?
Your commitment to Christ should be steady, because of the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
If your hope is in Christ, no one can take that hope away.
Are you steadfast in your walk with Christ? You have to stand on the fact that Christ died for you. That does not change based on people.
It is not enough to just check your relationships. You also have to make sure that your own life is also subjected to Christ.
Not our thoughts, wants, wishes should stop us from glorifying God. Is that your chief priority? Your chief goal?
God will test us to see if we will be consistent in Him.
As the parable of the lord’s feast, people give their reasons for not serving God, but they are not excused.
Our relationships with Christ have to built upon Christ, not other people or circumstances.
Stress and anxiety are often about self-preservation, not about what God can do through you. Trusting in Him allows you to serve through discomfort.
Do you fight to be the person God wants you to be?
Have you given God everything?
Luke 14:27
What is my cross? What is it that I have to deal with to make sure that I am following Christ?
What does it mean to come after Christ?
Ask yourself: What are you willing to do? What are you doing?
It is not just what you put off for Christ, but also what have you put on, taken on as service.
You could survive on less stuff, if you had more of God. Many people are satisfied with what they have and don’t have an urgency for God.
If you really don’t want Jesus, He is not going to force His way into your life. There will be a time that He will stop trying and bring His wrath and judgement.
Consider the situation around you. A lot of the problems we have may actually be our struggles with God trying to get us to not be selfish.
Many people will say that they are willing to forsake all, but not that they have forsaken all. If the situation comes up, I will give it up. The question is have you already committed to Him. We should already be what He wants. We may not be able to understand things going on in the bible if we have not forsaken all.
Can a believer really be ashamed to pray? Ashamed to worship?
It is not about your look, your appearance. It is about how great God is.
Christians are not weak people.
If salt is not salty, what good is it? What good is it being Christian that is not Christ-like? How are you making a difference if you are not distinctive? Bland, not willing to give? It has no use.
Christ came to suffer and die to get us value and flavor.
God wants to take our lives, which we used for nothing good or useful, and give them use for him.
Those who want to throw their lives away are being selfish. Bitterness deceives people to think that they are worth more than they have, that people owe you and you forget what your life has done wrong and what good you can do in Christ.
We need to realize that we need Him. That He will be sufficient for what we need.
1 John 3:13-20
Don’t trip out if the world hates you.
We have to love one another. We have to be careful about getting angry with people and holding grudges.
That bitterness doesn’t exist with the love of God.
We know that we have God’s love when we love others in Him. Since He laid down His life for us, we are to lay down our lives for the brethren. How are we going to do this? Not “going to” lay down our lives, but do we lay down our lives? And how do you do it?
Love is not just a word and telling someone. It takes deeds.
1 John 4:7-16
This scripture is for everyone. We are all to love if we are of God.
You have to find a way to love someone to obey God’s command.
When you fail to love the people of God, you feel distant from God.
vs 16 This is the esteem scripture, why we can continue to do for God, why we can stand regardless of the situation.
We believe that God loves us. That’s what makes the difference. The confidence that cannot be shaken.
God says that we are to love. We are responsible and accountable to others.
God says that we are worth something in Him. He died for me because I matter to Him.
Love helps you not only have a to-do list, but also a want-to-do list.
Always consider the love that God has toward you.
Communion is saying, knowing and believing that God loves you.
“Thank you” are a powerful two words.
Communion reminds us of the love of God.
In His death, He took the suffering for you. We love Him and others because of that.