Until He Comes! # 1

2-25-18

Message # 1

“Until He Comes”

How’s your memory these days?

If you're anything like me… the things that you once knew well and could recollect easily are now things that “slip your mind” and that you have to THINK HARD to remember.

However, if I look at something regularly and think about it often… then I can easily remember it when I need to know it to share it!

1 Corinthians 11:24-26

24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.…

WE HAVE GOOD NEWS TO PROCLAIM!

THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION!!!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, 

then to the Gentile.”

Romans 1:16

We need to KNOW and Regularly expose ourselves to the Word of God so that we will REMEMBER what He did for us… so that we can relate that to others so that they can GO TO HEAVEN!

John 3:16

The Lord is gracious and compassionate. 

He remembers his covenant forever (Ps. 111:4-5).

Note that remembrance is visible in the bread and cup—'This is my body" and "This is my blood.” 

We have to VISUALIZE that what He did… He did for ME!

    Remembrance strengthens us. Our faith is strengthened and built up through the eating, drinking, and remembering. "Eating is believing and believing is eating.”

while this remembrance is historical, it is also personal. Jesus doesn't ask us to remember the date, place, etc. We are never told to "Do this in remembrance of my death." The command is "Do this in remembrance of me." Our relationship with Christ is a personal one: "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Remember not the sins of my youth 

and my rebellious ways; according to your 

love remember me, for you are 

good, O Lord (Ps. 25:7).

"The time is coming," declares the 

Lord, "when I will make a new

covenant with the house of Israel...

For I will forgive their wickedness and 

will remember their sins no more (Jer. 31:31,34).

Remember the gracious love of our

Father in heaven

who made us children of his own possession.

Remember Jesus Christ, sent by the 

Father to share our human nature, to 

live and to die as one of us, and so to 

move us from the alienation of sin and death,

to reconcile us to God our Father by 

his perfect sacrifice, and through his 

suffering, death, and resurrection to 

save all who put their trust in him.

Remember the Holy Spirit, who teaches us these things

and makes the effects of Christ's salvation real in our lives.

Finally….

Jude 1:17-23

In this CRAZY, EVIL world we live in and where we encounter every WIND AND WAVE of Doctrine (opinion, thought and feeling)… we have to be GROUNDED in the fact that He loved us SO MUCH that He gave us TRUTH to understand, walk in… and Share with others who are lost!

Be aware and on your guard Church for anything that causes you to deviate from the commands of Scripture, the watering down and trivializing of the values and character traits God desires for His children and from anything that draws us from the truth that He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE!

Livin on the Edge # 4

“Dance as though no one is watching

Love as though you have never been hurt

Sing as though no one is listening

Live as if Heaven is on Earth”

ROMANS 12: 17-21

17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. 19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord." 20 Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame." 21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.

TO LIVE ON THE EDGE… We have to LOVE with reckless abandon! To Love as Christ Loved us.

A pair of hands methodically began to scoop up the loose ground, moving it into a pile. When a sufficient amount of earth had been placed in the pile, the hands began to move the earth around swiftly. The earth began to take a shape unseen before. When the earth had been fashioned into the desired form, the Creator bent down, looked approvingly at the shape and placed His mouth over the earthen lips of the form. He breathed, forcing air into the earthen vessel He had fashioned. Suddenly, miraculously, the form responded to the breath and sprang to life. Adam was aware that he was the culmination and climax of creation and that the Creator had just formed a special bond with him-a relationship of love (see Genesis 2:7).

The Very Nature of God is Love

Volumes have been written about the characteristics of God, but when it is distilled to the most basic categories, He is love (1 John 4:8), life (Jeremiah 10:10; Revelation 22:1), and holiness (Psalms 99:9). 

And in reality, His life and holiness are based upon and are an expression of His love: love gives, so He gives life; love desires the best, so holiness proceeds from Him.

Love is not something he chooses to do or give. It is the very essence of who He is. He doesn't just love-He is love (1 John 4:16). It motivates His every action, directs His activities, and reflects His desires (1 John 4:10). Love is the greatest and purest essence of who a person is and its proper expression brings fulfillment.

However, God's love is not like the love expressed by many in our culture today: a love of convenience and ego. That is, "I will love you as long as you add value to my life and please me. When that ceases, so does my love for you." For many, love is conditional. The conditions may be different depending upon the relationship, but there are still conditions to be met in order to "earn" our love.

William Bennett, former Secretary of Education and author of The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories (1993), once said that he attended a wedding where the vows had been changed to reflect this love of convenience. He decided to send a gift to the couple that reflected their commitment to the marriage-a package of paper plates! He said he figured the package would last as long as the marriage.

This attitude stands in stark contrast to God's unconditional love, which never fails (Psalms 52:8), endures forever (Psalms 106:1), is uncalculating (Proverbs 30:5), and not motivated by personal gain (1 John 3:16). 

Unconditional love does not mean that God loves everything we do, but rather His love is so intense that He loves every sinner, no matter how vile and despicable he or she may be in the eyes of humanity, so much that He provides a way for them to find love, life, and holiness (John 3:16). "Intense love does not measure, it just gives" (Mother Teresa).

The Focus of God's Love is Redemption

Daily, Adam and Eve walked with God, until the desire for pleasure overcame their love for God (see Genesis 3). 

This break in the relationship required redemption.

God's love (and our own!) is not an abstract ideal, but a concrete reality that finds expression. Love that is not expressed through the giving of self, practical action and sacrifice is not love. Love must meet the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of those loved. It is costly, brings vulnerability, and seeks the person's highest good (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

God's unconditional and intense love for fallen humanity motivated the plan of salvation (Revelation 1:5). Simply, salvation is God making us whole or complete. It is a healing of the soul, bringing us back to the state of Adam when God breathed life into him and made him a living soul. Separation from God, caused by sin, is separation from life. A person might have biological life, but not the quality of life God envisions for us.

A few years ago I encountered Marc, a house painter. He promptly told me that he knew I was a preacher, but he didn't have much for Christians or preachers because of some bad experiences. I quickly prayed for wisdom and said, "Marc, Christians are a lot like painters. Not everyone who claims to be one is. Of those who are, some are better than others. And even the best make mistakes." He paused and replied, "I've never thought about it like that." Our friendship continued to develop. One day, he called to tell me that he and his wife had given their hearts to the Lord. He was amazed that he felt so alive and free. God's love brings cleansing, freedom, and wholeness. True love is liberating, not restrictive. This does not give us a license to sin, but the freedom to serve God completely, motivated by love, and empowered by the Spirit.

God's love motivates His compassion and mercy (love in action). His love brings transformation. Usually at baptism, the minister will quote from Matthew 28:19 and baptize the person "in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We clap, raise our hands, and miss the truth of the event. It is more than a public expression of one's faith. At baptism, we are baptized (immersed) into the very character of the Father (love), the character of the Son (grace), and the character of the Holy Spirit (fellowship; see 2 Corinthians 13:13).

Salvation is based on God's fervent love and mercy, not our worthiness (Titus 3:4-5). One response (in the image of Jesus Christ's offering on the Cross) is that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (Rom 12:1).

The Goal of God's Love is Relationship

Ephesians 4:29 New International Version (NIV)

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Love requires relationship, as love is a dynamic force or presence that naturally seeks expression. Simply put, love loves! And in order to do that there must be an object of that love or it is incomplete.

God's love is revealed in that He created us in His own image (a position of responsibility before God) and likeness (moral freedom; Genesis 1:26-27; Job 33:4). Part of that image/likeness is freedom of choice. We can choose to accept and embrace God's love or we can choose to ignore or reject it. We were formed from dust, but because of God's great love for us, we received the breath of God, with its intrinsic and inherent life. This life gives us the capacity and desire to be in relationship (understanding; self-awareness; communicative; ability to have fellowship) and to love in return. To live in God is to live in love (1 John 4:16).

Our relationship with God is an intimate one. There is a sacred knowledge and expression that takes place. To know Him intimately is to open the door for revelation and fulfillment. It brings change or transformation-change of essence, expression, behavior, desires, identity, and security. The bond is so strong that God says a nursing mother may abandon her child, but He will never abandon us (Isaiah 49:15-16). He becomes the ultimate Father!

When we reflect upon the intensity of our relationship with God, self-doubt often arises. Can we keep our end of the bargain? Of great comfort (and a pressing challenge) is the thought that our relationship with God is not the sum of our activity directed toward God, but the intensity of our relationship with God as expressed through our devotion to him, our obedience to his wishes, and our attitudes toward his will and best desires for us. He loved us first, enabling us to respond properly to His love (1 John 4:10-11). And His love (and ability) never fails.

A young student asked Karl Barth to share the most significant theological truth he had discovered in all of his years of study. Barth, one of the most prolific theologians of the 20th century, wrote approximately sixty volumes of commentaries and theological studies. This brilliant man that many call the most important theologian of modern times thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Nothing-absolutely nothing-can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:35-39)!

Living on the Edge # 3

“The Greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him. To Fear and NOT be afraid… that is the paradox of faith.”

- A.W. Tozer

In our FIRST message in this series…

• Romans 12 showed us that we have to be willing to let go of control and we must surrender it to the ONE who knows us BEST and who loves us MOST

• We talked about what a Surrendered Life actually looks like

• We asked the question… “are you in or only in half way?”

In our SECOND message in this series…

• We asked you the question… “Why Wait?!”
• Do you really WANT to be well? - John 5

• To Live On The Edge, you must POSITION yourself to be where the BLESSINGS are!

• They're cannot be any excuses… the proof is in the pursuit!
• Jesus said to let the dead bury the dead

This morning in our THIRD message in this series… Question: “Are you getting God’s Best?”

• A practical, but most difficult step to Living On The Edge - Separate yourself from the World’s Values and Actions
• Jesus said…”If you hand causes you to sin… or if your eye causes you to sin, cut it off or pluck it out!”

Then He said to them all; “If anyone would come after me, he must DENY himself and take up his cross DAILY and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it!” - Jesus of Nazareth

How do you get the very best from God?

Romans 12:2

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. THEN you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is… His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

• Look at the last 19 words of this verse…. 

“THEN you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is… 

            His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

• Can you imaging that were is something we ca actually do that God promises will allow us to “Test and Approve” (the idea is to fully and completely experience) how good, pleasing and perfect His will is for our lives?!

• Think about that! GOD wants you to experience his good and pleasing will in your marriage, your job, and your future He even wants you to experience His perfect Will is a difficult situation as you learn to wait, learn and see God’s wisdom and grace sustain you and I.

• All of this to say… God wants to give us the VERY BEST. I didn't say the easiest… and don't confuse THE BEST with how YOU define it. BUT, the Creator of the Universe knows your name, sees your heart, knows your pain, and longs to pour out His good, acceptable, and perfect will into every area of your life and relationships!

• Sadly, most christians… yep, you and me…. don't experience God’s best. Most christians get seduced and conned into believing lies that keep them conformed to this world and they miss out on all the wonderful things God wants to give them.

• Here’s REALITY… WE ARE IN A BATTLE! We all struggle. We all all have missteps and failures on our journey; but it is GODS DESIRE for you to experience His good, pleasing and perfect will! HOW?

Here’s how one man described it….

“I still struggle at times with my thought life and I am very susceptible to visual messages, so I have to be very intentional about what I watch or where I let my eyes go. I have battled workaholism, pleasing people, and self righteousness in my journey. However, I rejoice at God’s work in my life, but I still have daily temptations and that deep, lasting, significant change has occurred in my motives, speech, behavior, and relationships…. which have become deeper and better than I ever imagined. God’s good and perfect will is sweet!”

• The battle will CHANGE SHAPE as you continue to mature, but real transformation IS possible! This life is available and waiting for you! Those last 19 words in Romans 12:2 can describe your life when you learn by faith to put into practices the first 22 words of Romans 12:2! Results require Action. You will not experience one without the other!

God really wants to speak to you about this! PERSONALLY!  Using the acronym TRUST ME…

Think about the pathways to LIVING ON THE EDGE in your life. As you hear these and

 think on these things… listen to the Holy Spirit and follow HIS leading out onto the EDGE!

THINK - Read Romans 12:2 over slowly with a special focus on the last 19 words

REFLECT - What comes to your mind when you think about doing God’s will? Does your mind gravitate to words like difficult, painful, distasteful; or do you see His will as GOOD, Well Pleasing, and custom made for your benefit and joy?

UNDERSTAND - How and where have you struggled the most in your walk with Jesus? What habits, sins or setbacks seem to thwart your relationship with Christ?

SURRENDER - Ask God to begin opening your eyes and your heart to what His Good and Pleasing will is for your life.

TAKE ACTION - Discipline yourself and include an accountability partner if needed to walk away from things that are getting in the way of your walk with The Lord

MOTIVATION - Write out this prayer on a 3x5 index card or onto something else and tape it up somewhere you will see it…

“Father, help me not to let this world squeeze me into its mold, but transform me from the inside out as I meditate on and apply your word to my life”

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE - Jot a brief note to someone who knows Christ, but who is struggling in the day to day walk with Him. Just let them know you care and that you are praying for them today!