The Day God Ran

“The Day God Ran”

Luke 22:31-32; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Luke 22:31-32 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

INTRODUCTION

Our lives are built on relationships. Parent/child; siblings; teacher/student; friends; peers; dating relationships; marriage; and the circle continues. None is more important however than our relationship to our heavenly Father because our entire existence hinges on whether or not we are living in healthy communion with Him. Just as Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat, so are Satan and his cohorts desiring to undermine our relationship with the Lord. He knows if he can put that wedge between us and God, he has broken the effectiveness of our entire life.

So Paul writes to the Corinthians “Be reconciled to God!”

How can our relationship to God be affected?

I. OUR ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLD

Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and

love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other.

ILLUSTRATION:

What if Jesus wrote you a letter and said he was coming to spend the week

with you...how would you rearrange your schedule.....how long could you keep it that way

Home (TV - Conversations - Magazines/Books)

Work (“Hey, what’s wrong with you this week?)

Church

David & Michal

2 Samuel 6:13-20

And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. So they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And when David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.

20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!"

Friends

Jesus says to the church at Laodicea:

Revelation 3:15-16 ’I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. ’So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

TRANSITION - Satan desires to sift us as wheat and one of the strongest lures in our culture today is that lure to take up the things of the world. To hunger and thirst not after righteousness but after right purchases!! Another area of our life that can affect our Relationship to God is in our relatioships with others.

II. RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHERS

Matthew 5:23-24 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and

there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering

there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

A. Gossip

B. Motives

C. The good of our Brethren over our own

D. Who we are is affected by who we are around

ILLUSTRATION: Job at Texas

Instruments

Root of Bitterness - Listening is same

as harboring

Who’s affected?? Pastor? no

Friends? no YOU ARE

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no