Sermon Central
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A Simple Conversation Series
Contributed by David Rumley on Apr 16, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Approaching Easter to define the difference between relationship and fellowship and what God offers to us.
Simple Conversation:
Leading to the Sunday of our lives:
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
The majority of my message today was just preached…
The 6 people you saw baptized this morning was God’s message for us… the real life example of Romans 6…
The question this morning for us…
DO YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE SUNDAY IN YOUR LIFE? Or ARE YOU STUCK ON FRIDAY?
Do you want real change in your life?
Let’s be honest… our metaphor or example today is to watch the news… watch our neighbors… watch our own lives…
How is everyone really doing… I mean really doing. Is most of the world living well? Even those with money… are they happy? Fulfilled? Whole?
This morning I wanted to speak plainly… not a polished sermon… but a desire for us to simply hear God… the greatest thing any of us need is real change… to genuinely know God… and for Him to know us…
What is God saying…
You too can have a changed life…
There is hope for all of us…
There can be a future for all of us that is better than it has ever been…
But how do you experience God’s Sunday? The reality of Jesus coming alive so that you and I , just like the baptisms, can go through the same process… death to our old self and rebirth into new life…
How do we experience God that way… how can you find your Sunday in life?
1. First – there is a difference between
relationship and fellowship…
Now each of us are born into a family… this makes us related to those in our family. We have relationship to them and we are connected forever that way. But you and I both know there is a difference between being related to some one vs. actually fellowshipping with them.
Many of us have family members we barely know anymore. I have family all over the united states and abroad. I love them… but in many ways I don’t know them. I have relationship with them… but I do not have fellowship.
Fellowship is a deeper level of existing with each other…
In your notes today you find a contract… what we call the contract of freedom…
Defining the Contract: A contract involves two parties agreeing on a focused intent. The two parties in this contract are you and God. If you are like most of us you don’t sign a contract without knowing ahead of time what you are signing. So what is this contract of freedom?
God Offers: God offers a contract to us. He knows we are all in debt in this life, that debt is sin. Sin is living life our way vs. God’s way. We cannot pay this debt on our own. God has already paid and signed His portion of this contract. John 3 verse 16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (See also John 1:12).
God offers us not just relationship (to be His children) but also fellowship… The power of that is found in Scripture where it describes us making a commitment to Christ and making Him our Lord and Savior…
Knowing God is not about a list of rules… but in fellowship with God does require response from our side of the contract…
Which leads to my second point today…
To experience the Sunday of God in your life…
2. Second there is a difference between
regret and repentance…
Regret is just being sorry for something…
Repentance is a desire to make it right and the undesirable action to be gone…
Back to your contract to freedom today…
Our Response: In John 8 verse 32 Jesus says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Also in John 15 verse 14 Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” When we sign this contract, we will find freedom from our sin, and we are committing to walk with God and learn what it means to learn what it means to know and apply the Bible.
