CrossPoint Fellowship Messages

The root of Cain’s sin was jealousy - he coveted what his brother had and killed him over it. We cannot play the comparison game - nothing good comes from that. The harshest critic of a believer is a fellow believer. We have to be better than that, to let forgiveness reign. Why? Because those who are outside the church will know what God’s love is like by looking at Christians’ love for each other.

• In our sin we cannot be jealous of others' righteousness.
• Being hated shouldn't surprise us. Being hated by a believer should. 
• To hate is to murder, to murder is to sin, to sin is to die. 
• A believer cannot live in excess while their fellow Christian struggles to survive.
• Christians can calm their natural (sinful) hearts by participating in real acts of love. By doing so, they can find rest in God.

When a person becomes a Christian, he or she is essentially “reborn” - a new life has begun and the person has been created anew. This morning, we’re doing a “Christological test” - compare yourself to Christ to see where your relationship with him is at. Are you different than how you used to be? Do you recognize Christ in your life? Do others? When we find ourselves feeling guilty and wrestling over our sin, that is a sign that Christ is alive within us.

• Have you changed for the better? Have others seen change in you?
• People shouldn't recognize the new you. 
• No one who is a Child of God sins freely. 
• Those who pass the Christological test are influencers. They aren't influenced.
• If God's Seed is in you, righteousness will bloom and thrive in your life. 

Anything or anyone that opposes Jesus or his relationship with people is an antichrist. We live in the world but that doesn’t mean we have to love the world. We have to be careful to not let our desires and aspirations take the place of or get in the way of God. What’s done for Christ will last. Is that thing you spend your money, energy and time on actually important? 

• Love for the world breeds corruption of the heart. 
• It's not sinful to want, it’s not sinful to have, it’s not sinful to achieve, but if we do so at the expense of our relationship with God, then we have loved the world and that is sinful.
• Like the game of telephone, the farther you get away from the original message, the more corrupted it becomes. 
• To deny Christ, while using Christ as the justification for your denial, makes you an antichrist. 

There is an old command in the Old Testament that is really the same as the new command: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Walking in the light means walking in love. But what is love? Jesus defined the greatest love as laying down one’s life for his friends. It is taking our love for God himself and applying it to the people God has placed around us. If we can do that, we live a blameless life and walk in the light. 

Like it or not, we are all sinful beings. In fact, claiming that we are not essentially makes God a liar. But the good news is that there is forgiveness that comes with confession! Confessing our sins shows God that we know our wrongdoing is serious; not confessing reveals that we think we don’t need His forgiveness. We need to show “godly sorrow” - a grief that comes with knowing that we’ve hurt God’s heart, not a grief that reveals we’re sorry we messed up. 

• If we truly want to lead others to confession, and therefore lead them to Christ, seeing ourselves in their story increases the probability of it being important to us.
• A Christian who never asks his Heavenly Father for forgiveness of his sins cannot claim to be sensitive to the ways in which they grieve the Father.
• Forgiveness comes when confession is accompanied by true remorse.
• Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death

In 1 John, we learn that God is light. Throughout the Bible, goodness is seen as light and evil is seen as darkness. We cannot claim Jesus as Lord and live a life of fulfilled temptation. We are encouraged to walk in the light as he is in the light. It is the only way to have fellowship with Jesus, and in the end fellowship with one another.

• God is identical to light.
• Our natural state is darkness.
• Thinking that perfection is what God demands of you alone demeans the gift of Christ. 

Finishing up our series in Haggai, we wrap up chapter 2 as God warns his people to think before they act and remember when things weren’t good between them and God. Remembering the history of your walk with God will help you make decisions that direct your path away from the fruitless and toward the overflowing life. When things don’t seem right between you and God, seek the presence of the Lord.

- When things are good or when things are bad, it’s important that we use our memories to keep us where we should be or return us to where we should go.

- Once you’ve been in the presence of the brightest light, everything seems dim by comparison.

- The potential for God's blessing is always present.

- What is and what isn't largely rest on decision making.

In Haggai 2, some of the remnant of Israel remembered what the temple looked like before the exile and they were not pleased with how it looked during exile. But God had a different opinion - God told them that he was still with them. When things in our lives don’t seem as pleasing as the “good ol’ days”, we need to remember that God is still pleased with us and brings us peace. 

• It's not the temple, but what's inside the temple that matters.
• We can't focus so much on material wealth that we miss out on lasting riches. 
• Peace isn't about a life free from conflict or pain. Peace is found when the pieces of our life form together to create the beautiful masterpiece God is trying to paint from our lives. 
• Where the Glory of the Lord is, there is peace. Peace is the freedom from worldly expectations or standards.

In Haggai, God is calling his people to choose empowerment over entitlement. Entitlement is rooted in selfishness and given to people who haven’t earned it but empowerment is given to those who are faithful to God. We are being called to give up our comfort and step out in faith, get to work and receive an empowerment that can only come from God.

• Empowerment is given to us when obedience is given to him.
• When God calls, we must respect his word, and do the work. 
• Sometimes obedience requires us to give up what we feel entitled to. 
• Recognize where you have made an error and correct, because it's not too late.

In our first week of “The Workers” series, we saw that God is unhappy with his people for building up their houses instead of the Temple. This week, we’re looking at the punishment God enacted on them, ruining their crops, livestock and more because they refused to put Him first. God reiterates what He is calling his people to and promises to strip away everything until there is only him if he has to. What has God called us to that we’re ignoring?