The Big Idea: To maximize the power of marriage, I must understand and commit to God’s original intent.

Matthew 19:3-12

THE HISTORY OF THE QUESTION:
Deuteronomy 24:1

THE HEART OF GOD:
• Marriage as Covenant
• Marriage as Discipleship
• Marriage as One Flesh
• Marriage as a Picture of God

THE REAL ISSUE (v8):
Jeremiah 17:9
A hard heart is easy on self, hard on others, and hollow in holiness.

THE WAY FORWARD:
• Know God’s answer to the question
• Reach resolution before God
• Start where you are now

The Big Idea: No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them.

John 6:41-59

43-44, “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

There Are Two Ways People Don’t Get It:
1. I don’t get it, but I WANT TO
2. I don’t get it and I don’t LIKE IT!

What Does Jesus Mean?
We would never seek for or CHOOSE God unless God first sought after and CHOSE us.

John 15:16

Couple of Perplexing Issues:
1. Does this mean we don’t have any FREE WILL?
• You will never have the desire to lose everything so you can gain Christ unless GOD DRAWS YOU.
2. Does this mean God is not choosing EVERYONE?

John 3:16-17
Matthew 18:12-14
Romans 8:29

Here is the Huge Key: You are DRAWN, not DRIVEN.

Deuteronomy 7:6

What Difference Does This Make?
The Sovereign Rulership of God challenges our PRIDE and sense of SELF and comforts our FEARS and INSECURITIES.

Debating Jesus – About the Afterlife

Mark 12:18-27

Two areas we error in:
1. We don’t know SCRIPTURAL truth.
2. We underestimate the POWER OF GOD.

Big idea: We live differently, grieve differently, and hope differently because we serve the God of the living not the God of the dead.

1) We are ETERNAL created beings

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Romans 6:23
1 Corinthians 15:21-22

2. We will all experience the Day of JUDGEMENT

Romans 14:10-12
Revelation 21:11-13

* The Christian: What Degree of REWARD

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

* The non-Christian: What Degree of PUNISHMENT

Romans 2:5-6

* The PERFECT judge will judge PERFECTLY

3. Jesus will lift the CURSE and make everything RIGHT

Revelations 22:3
Romans 8:18-25

* No more reason to CRY

Revelation 21:4-5

LOVING GOD


Mark 12:28-34 (pg.709)

The Big Idea: Love for God is the foundation of the Christian life and the characteristic of a true believer.


1. THE APPROACH

Mark 12:28a

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating, noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer…”



2. THE QUESTION

Mark 12: 28b

“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”




3. THE RESPONSE

Mark 12:29-31

“Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”



4. THE REACTION

Mark 12: 34

“When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him,
You are not far from the kingdom of God”

The Big Idea: Jesus calls us to participate politically while working with Him to activate a completely different kind of revolution.

Mark 12:12-17

The purpose of the question was to TRAP Jesus.

They aren't trying to make Jesus unpopular - they are trying to get him EXECUTED as a revolutionary.

The Wisdom of His Answer:
Jesus calls us to refuse political SIMPLICITY, political COMPLACENCY and political PRIMACY.

Jesus articulates the first theory of LIMITED government in the history of the world.

Jesus won't let his people GIVE UP or see politics as the pathway to REVOLUTION.

The Revolution to Which He Calls Us:
V15
The King without a quarter revolutionizes the world through an UPSIDE-DOWN Kingdom

Luke 6

The revolution leverages the 4 dominant values of man: POWER, SUCCESS, COMFORT and RECOGNITION

The greatest thing you can do for your country is pray and live the LORD’S PRAYER. (Come, thy Kingdom; be done thy will, on earth as it is in heaven)

2 Chronicles 7:14

The Big Idea: My calling from God is lived out through who I am, whose I am, and how I love.
1 Peter 2:1-10

Jesus Introduced a New Model for Life with God:

TEMPLE Model: Sacred places, Sacred texts, Sacred men, Sacred sacrifices.

JESUS Model: New covenant. New command. New ethic. New movement.

What Am I Called To Be?
A person of the people of the PRESENCE of God; a member of God's FAMILY
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

What Am I Called To Do?
I exist to declare the praises of my DELIVERER. V9

1. Rid myself of all:
• MALICE
• DECEIT
• HYPOCRISY
• ENVY
• SLANDER
2. CRAVE spiritual nutrition (start something)
3. Offer spiritual SACRIFICES

Romans 12:1-2

Hebrews 13:15

How Can I Be Empowered To Do This?
1. COME TO Him, the Living Stone
2. LEAN INTO the Spirit's Presence

The Big Idea: We are a people, a priesthood and a nation - declaring together the praises of our Deliverer.

1 Peter 2:1-10 (pg.850)

The Call to a Living Community: 3 metaphors in these verses for the church

CITIZENS in a nation
We are a chosen people, royal priesthood, and holy nation
2. CHILDREN in a family. V2:17

We have the same blood line
3. STONES in a Temple

A spiritual house V4-5
We are the house of the Spirit.
At ECC:

Life transformation BEGINS with encounters with God, is SHAPED by my community, is ESTABLISHED by spiritual disciplines, ENERGIZED through service, and REPRODUCED through authentic relationships.

The Ethic for an Alien Community:

To DECLARE THE PRAISES of him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
Where is the power for this kind of community? V4

1. Acknowledge you have a CORNERSTONE

2. See him as PRECIOUS. V6-7

3. ALIGN yourself with him

The Big Idea: Everybody serves something or someone. Choosing to serve God initiates a life of true freedom.
• 1 Peter 2:13-17
• 1 Peter 4:1-5
• 1 Peter 5:1-11

What is Christian Freedom?
We are free people because we are God's SLAVES.

This makes no sense unless you buy two assumptions:
1. There is no such thing as negative FREEDOM.
2. Freedom is finding the LIBERATING restrictions.

Which restrictions do I choose?
• The ones that fit my DESIGN.

Three Things Freedom Brings into Your Life:
1. Freedom from uncontrollable and enslaving EMOTIONS and DESIRES.
(1 Peter 4:2-3)
2. Freedom from the fear of CIRCUMSTANCES. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
3. Freedom to SERVE people.

Two Ways to Grow in Freedom:
1. Don't be afraid of making PROMISES. (1 Peter 5:5-7)
2. Look at Jesus Christ ON THE CROSS. (1 Peter 4:1-3)

Walking With Jesus Week 6: Our Path - The Cross of Suffering
June 4, 2017

The Big Idea: Suffering is inevitable and provides enormous opportunities in our faith development.

1 Peter 1:6-9; 1 Peter 3:13-18

Two Facts of Life:
1. Suffering is INEVITABLE
2. Suffering is a pathway to BLESSING

We suffer as EXILES
We suffer as ones who need FAITH GROWTH
We suffer as ones who follow the SUFFERING SAVIOR

The Good Outcomes of Suffering:
- Our faith is REFINED
- Our faith is REVEALED
- Our faith is REWARDED

The Disciplines We Need During Suffering:
Suffer GRIEF
Do not FEAR what they FEAR
Isaiah 8:12-15
FEAR Christ

Walking with Jesus, Week 5: Our Power - Spirit Filled Living
May 28, 2017

Scripture references: 2 Peter: 1:3-11; Acts 2 & 4; James 1:12; Galatians 6:9; Colossians 1:11-12; John 13:35; Matthew 22:37-40; John 15:13; Romans 12:9-13

Big Idea: Without God’s power, it cannot be done; without my participation, it will not be done.

Without God’s power, you cannot understand His goodness; without effort, you will not show it to others.
• Out of goodness comes knowledge

Without God’s power, you cannot achieve divine knowledge; without your effort, it will not make a difference in your faith.
• Out of knowledge flows self-control

Without God’s power, you cannot experience divine self-control; without your participation, you will not experience divine self-control.
• Out of self-control flows perseverance

Without God’s power, you cannot persevere; without your participation, you will not persevere.
• Out of perseverance comes godliness

Without God’s power, you cannot be godly; without your participation, you will not be godly.
• Out of godliness comes mutual affection and then ultimately Love

Without God’s power, you cannot show love; without your participation, you will not show love.

Two questions:
1) On what character building block do you find yourself today?
2) What is keeping you there?