Building Relationships Series

Building a relationship

1 John 4:7-16

Introduction-

I am excited this morning to begin a new series entitled “Nuts and Bolts of life.” We will not race through this series because I think that a lot of times we take some things for granted only to find out that we don’t know as much as we think we do.

What I hope to show you from God’s Word is some basics (Nuts and Bolts) of how to live according to God’s Word and the benefits that gives us.

I said last week that I was starting this series because the giants were winning in most people’s lives instead of believers defeating the giants.

The giants are winning! Instead of using God’s word as an instruction manual, the devil uses life’s challenges to beat us up.

Today we will be looking at building relationships- image of bridege

Don’t tune me out because you think that you are a relationship expert. This society we live in has no idea about relationships. Love of God, or with others. Most people either seclude themselves and have no relationships that are worth anything because of being hurt in their past or they go full throttle from the start to realize quickly that it is not as good as they thought it was.

1 John 4:7-16- image of text

I want you to see the importance here-

From God’s Word- our instruction manual – image of instructional manual

He says that we are to love each other

He says that love comes from God

The only way that we will understand and experience God’s love is through Him.

God showed His love to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ for the sacrifice of our sins

He says that once we understand His love and acknowledge Him for starting a relationship, keeping the relationship, and expecting us to maintain that relationship

That is how we will maintain and love each other properly!

you can understand the problem that comes from those that don’t have a relationship with God.

Since our love has its source in God’s love, His love reaches full expression when we loved others.

Genuine love comes from God, and must be first directed toward God and then to others.

Image- (Vertical to God and Horizontal to man and each other.)

When we are not in a right relationship with God, it will affect how we love and maintain relationships with each other.

John 13:34- “love one another as I have loved you.”

Matthew 22:37- “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.”

Image-

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

True test of our relationship with Christ is how we relate to others.

If Jesus is first in your life, it will relate to how we treat others.

People today just want acquaintances , not relationships because they don’t want to commit. We see it at every level.

Most people today want Jesus as an acquaintance, rather than nurture an active, growing relationship with Him because they do not want to commit to that relationship.

Genie in a bottle- Call Him when you need Him. Image of genie

That spills out into every day relations!

Each and every day of our lives, we have relationship with others that have been formed through the years. Some are positive in nature, others are acquaintances, and some are quite frankly horrible relationships that have been destroyed by either our words and actions or the other persons words and actions.

What is true love and how do I know when I have found it?

What is a healthy relationship and how do I know if I should go to the next level?

These are questions we are asking ourselves!

God’s Word 1 Cor. 13:4-8

“Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boost, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.”

This describes the characteristics of love.

This describes Christ love for us, and they can be found in right relationships also.

The problem with trying to find love in dating and building relationships with others is we don’t look for these qualities.

We look for appearance

We look for popularity

We look for wealth

These qualities are not what God used to look for us and we should not either.

So let me says this- if your relationship is not right with the Lord, that is priority one!