#1: Jesus Came Because We Were Enemies With God Series

Series: Why Did Jesus Come?

Sermon Title: 1-Because We were enemies with God

Scripture: Philippians 3: 17-4:1

Sermon Notes

I. Jesus Came because We Are E______________ of God

A. Becoming an Enemy of God

“enemies”—comes from the verb that means, ‘to H_______.’

Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In that act of D___________________, they declared themselves to be enemies with God.

King Saul began to do some things that he was not supposed to do: He consulted a M_____________. He was trying to force God to do what he wanted God to do.

B. What is an Enemy of God Like?, v. 19

Their destiny is D__________________.

Their god is what they are H_____________ for deep down.

The things that ...gives them glory, they should be A____________ of.

Their mind is on earthly things– Physical, M______________

II. Jesus Came So We Could Be Citizens of H____________

A. Our citizenship begins while we are here on E_________.

God wants us to be R_______________________ with Him.

‘reconcile,’ means—to make changes, so that two things are in A______________.

The word, ‘citizen,’ is where we get the word, ‘politics,’ from, but it means, ‘your behavior,’ or ’your way of L_________.’

B. God makes it possible so that we can really B______ with Him forever in heaven.

Immigrants who become citizens are naturalized.

Believers in Christ will be G_________________.v.21

What does that means to live like we are citizens of heaven?

Giving our whole-hearted P_____________ to Him in worship.

Fellowshipping together with other B________________

Getting to know Jesus B_________ through His Word.

Loving one another and helping to meet N______ people have. Telling others that they can B___________ citizens of heaven.

Series: Why Did Jesus Come?

Sermon Title: 1-Because We were enemies with God

Scripture: Philippians 3: 17-4:1

There are many people we could call Friends of the cross, and, then, there are those who Paul called Enemies of the Cross. As Romans 5: 10 tells us, we all have been part of this second group.

I am beginning a series called, “Why Did Jesus Come?,” and the first reason I want to mention is this: He came because WE were ENEMIES with God.

I. Jesus Came because We Are Enemies of God

A. Becoming an Enemy of God

18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

"many live as enemies of the cross of Christ"

The noun, enemies, comes straight from the verb that means, ‘to hate.’ In the Greek language, the word for enemy is ‘echthros.’ The word SOUNDS hateful.

The current teaching in Jesus’ day was that you were to love your neighbor, but it was OK to HATE your ENEMY—to hate those who were hateful to you, or who hated you. That’s what religious people were teaching.

Wars have been going on for quite some time, haven’t they? As people, we get to the point where we not only dislike somebody, we begin to hate them. Maybe it’s because they have done a wrong to us or to a loved one. Maybe it’s because a nation begins to oppress another nation. Maybe it’s because one religion opposes another.

We really have to go all the way back to the garden of Eden to find where it all started. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command.

You know, when you break a rule, you are basically declaring that you don’t like the rules that the Rulemaker has made. This can even turn into dislike or hatred for the Rulemaker—how can this rulemaker dare to tell me what I can and can’t do.

In our culture where we emphasize the rights of the individual, there are many who simply don’t want someone else to hold them to a set of rules. They want to be able to make up their own rules—as they fit them.

So, Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In that act of disobedience, they declared themselves to be enemies with God.

We see it continue with Cain, as he became so angry and filled with hate, that he killed his brother.

Jacob deceitfully stole the blessing from his father, and Esau was so filled with anger and hatred that he declared he would kill his brother, Jacob.

But to be an enemy with God is a serious thing.

King Saul had been selected by God to be the first king over Israel. He began to do some things that he was not supposed to do:

He offered a sacrifice that only the priest was to offer

He became so jealous of David, that he tried to kill him several times

But the event I want to mention happened after Samuel, the priest had died. Saul did something that was a good thing—he got rid of all of the psychic, sorcery kinds of people, the mediums, the spiritists. But along came the Philistine army. Now, this is after the battle David had with Goliath, so the Philistines had regrouped and came back. Saul became very afraid. He inquired of the Lord for help, but God did not respond in dreams or through prophets, the Scripture says. God was silent, so Saul took matters into his own hands, as he had become accustomed to doing. So he located a medium, and asked her to bring up the spirit of Samuel.