You Won’t Relent Series

Full Audio, Video, Outline and Devotional available at http://oldsite2.rockpointchurch.org/index.php/resources-mainmenunew-245/weekly-messages-2011/408-behind-the-music.

REVIEW: BEHIND THE MUSIC…SONGS OF THE REDEEMED…

1. Song: MANIFESTO: Colossians 3:16 MUSIC richly connects truth to life, by changing our Attitude and our Actions, and connects God’s people to our shared story. BI: Music takes my heart to the destination of its message!

2. Song: AWAKENING: Ephesians 2:1-10, 5:1-20; Isaiah 60:1 We must WAKE UP FROM our darkness, and WAKE UP TO love: Loving God and Loving Others in Unity and we must WAKE UP BY The Light! BI: AWAKE MY SOUL!

3. Song: I WILL FOLLOW: Matthew 10:37-39 We follow what our heart is devoted to; we follow step by step; and we follow Christ’s example! BI: Today, and every step of the way, we must follow Christ!

4. Song: FIRE FALL DOWN: JOHN 14-16, ACTS 2:1-13, GALATIANS 5 The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness, to pray, to overcome temptation, to strengthen the Church, to convict, and He changes lives! Is He evident in our lives? BI: The Spirit of God TO us is the Spirit of God THROUGH us!

5. Song: ALWAYS: Psalms 3, 91, 121, Proverbs 3:5-6 Will we see the greatness of God? Will we seek the goodness of God? Will we still trust in God in the midst of our troubles? BI: God calls us to entrust our lives exclusively to HIS protection and purposes!

6. TODAY…YOU WON’T RELENT…Song of Songs 8:6-7

None makes sense unless u embrace today’s message, and the message of this entire series, that JESUS is PASSIONATELY AND RELENTLESSLY PURSUING us with His AMAZING LOVE and HE WON’T RELENT until He has our WHOLE HEART! He LOVES us! He cares about us! He pursues us! He takes care of us! He’s our friend!

Psalm 8:3-4 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

We can stand in awe about why God cares so much for us. Why would our Almighty God even love us? What have we done that deserves such a love? We’ve done nothing to deserve this genuine friendship. Why? Because He desires and INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with His people, with each and every one us, and He’s on the pursuit!

Since the beginning of time, He’s been RELENTLESSLY pursuing us! From Genesis to Revelation! From day one of creation, he created man and woman to BE in RELATIONSHIP with Him and for them to BE in RELATIONSHIP with each other. From the beginning, the goal was INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP.

Even after Adam and Eve sinned, God the Father’s first words were Genesis 3:9 Where are you? His first words were not words of condemnation, but of LOVE. You can hear how God longs for Adam’s and Eve’s relationship. How disappointing it must have been to find out that they were hiding from Him. Sin always produces this horrible consequence of hiding from God, BUT He will not give up on us! He pursues us, no matter what, hoping for us to accept His friendship, AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with Him.

Genesis 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was another man who enjoyed his power walks with God. God’s friendship became indispensable to him. God’s desire for fellowship was fulfilled and as his friend, God warned him of the upcoming judgment that was going to take the world unaware. IT’S NO WONDER GOD CHOSE TO START HUMANITY ALL OVER THROUGH NOAH AND HIS FAMILY!

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. Abraham was another man who realized the importance of having a close relationship with God. God considered him as his close friend! What an honor! James 2:23 Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God.

Romans 9:13 I loved Jacob The Lord pursued Jacob throughout his lifetime, as he does with all of us, even though at first Jacob was not even pursuing God. It’s only after he wrestled with God throughout the night, several years later, that Jacob realized how much God loved him. He exclaimed, Genesis 32:26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Exodus 19:4 You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. God pursued lovingly the children of Israel. He freed them from their inhumane slavery in Egypt with the sole purpose to have fellowship with them. It is sad that Israel did not respond in same kind to His invitation. Instead they were grumbling and pursued God’s blessings rather than His presence. When God invited the people of Israel to draw near to Him, they refused, Exodus 20:21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was. How saddened He must have been!