Romans 5:1-5 (ESV) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith [b] into this grace in which we stand, and we [c] rejoice [d] in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us

- Despair is the enemy of the believer. It

will cause one to conjure real pain,

sorrow and fear concerning an idea or

concept that may never come to be.

Despair is defined as the absence of

hope. The most resounding anthem of

despair is "it's too late..."

- "Hope is being able to see that there is

still light despite all the darkness"

(Bishop Desmond, Tutu)

- The greatest physical example of hope is

light. Why because much like light hope

is pervasive. Our physical is based solely

on what light illuminates, and like wise

our spiritual vision is based on what our

hope illuminates.

- Every "hope that" essentially

presupposes a "hope in", thusly our hope

must transcend the finite and be ascribed

to the infinite. President Dwight D.

Eisenhower said, "There are no atheists

in foxholes" which denotes the reality that

should the situation become critical

enough one will need to make a decision;

succumb to despair or reach up towards

hope. which leads to the text of focus

- Verses 1-2 Affirms the reality of faith and

it's benefits based solely of the finished

work of Jesus Christ

- Verse 4 speaks of the redemptive power

of suffering. Which is unwelcome but it

can prove to be a source of productivity

for the believer

- Verse 5 expresses the expanse of hope,

which at it's peak drives out shame,

envelops love and thrives in the Holy

Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV) “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

Mahatma Gandhi said “Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking.”

As we approach our text of focus we see a church full of power and potential. However it was also plagued with strife and division. When the Apostle Paul pens this letter to the church his desire was for them to forge past their differences and fine unity within their diversity. Let’s look at the formula he prescribed to bring about unity.

Live in agreement - According to Amos 3:3 agreement is necessary for progression. Therefore we must prioritize getting everyone on the same page.

Fight division - Jesus teaches us in Matt 12:25 that a house divided cannot stand. Therefore we must give our attention to killing the division not each other.

Have the same mind - If we all embrace the mind of Christ, which Paul instructs in Philippians 2:5, our thoughts while they may very will all be founded in love and Aimed towards grace.

Give the same judgements - the Greek word for judgement in this text is gnōmē (NO-MAY) which denotes the forming of an option based on purpose rather than proclivity. If wee want to see true unity in our lives we must judge each other based on who God has purposed us to be not just on what we’ve done. THIS IS THE GOSPEL, FOR THIS IS WHST JESUS DID FOR EVERYONE OF US!

Luke 6:27-31 (ESV)  “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

“love is flowing goodness, and goodness is the breath of love.” - Dietrich von Hildebrand

Goodness is love in action. However from a general western context most of what we do is not goodness but rather gratuity. Generally our actions are based on others merit and the level of pleasure they have afforded us. Thusly what we do towards others is reactionary.

The goodness that Jesus is calling us to in today’s text is a goodness based on love. And this love is UNCONDITIONAL.

1. You who hear - this sets the context for

His directives. These are not just some

broad stroked ideas for a utopian society.

Christ is speaking these to His disciples.

Those who have been empowered by His

love to follow His lead.

2. Love your enemies - embrace opposition

Do good to those how hate you

3. Be excellent towards those who

disregard you.

4. Bless those who curse you - Do that

which will be of corporate benefit, even

to those who speak agonist you.

5. Pray for those who abuse you - intercede

for mercy upon those who the wrath of

God is emanate.

6. Offer the other also “turn the other

cheek” - make space for re-

contextualization.

7. Give your coat and your shirt - make sure

your fellows are amply prepared for the

season they are about to go into.

8. Give...and do not demand back - do not

engage in revolving generosity.

9. Do and be from a place of desire rather

than a place of distain.

Week Four: Truth

Zechariah 8:14-17  ""For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

Truth is factuality, firmness, reality, reliability.

1. The Artful Liar- is one who sees nothing

wrong in affirming the contrary of what is

true when it is expedient for his aims.

2. The Real Liar- lives in self-deception by

simply erases from his mind everything in

his life that is difficult or disagreeable, and

a man's that all those who would engage

with him accept the deception as reality.

3. The remorseful liar does not wish to

deceive others; neither do they wish to

cheat themselves, but end up doing so

because they are enclosed within

themselves always twisting their gaze

back upon themselves.

*Speak the truth to one another

*Render in your gates judgments that are

true and make for peace

*Do not devise evil in your hearts against

one another, and love no false oath

Galatians 6;1-5 (ESV) "Brothers,[a] if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.  For each will have to bear his own load."

Responsibility is the result of engagement, however we will only be responsible to the degree we value the engagement or those with which we are engaged. Thusly is it is quite possible for someone to have responsibilities and not be responsible.

Therefore if one would desire to become responsible they must first attribute value to those they are responsible to and that which they are responsible for.

How do we develop value? By understanding purpose and determining worth.

1. "Brothers,[a] if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness"

- we must be responsible for those we

cover.

2. "Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."

- we must be responsible for ourselves

and our actions

3. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ".

- we must be responsible for that which

does not belong to us.

4. "For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."

- we must be responsible for our

perspective.

5. "But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor."

- we must be responsible for self

evaluation.

6. "For each will have to bear his own load."

- we must be responsible for our own

destiny

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (ESV). 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

When we speak of faithfulness, two major concepts come to mind;

Fidelity - loyalty and support based on a covenant or decision. (Right Doing)

Consistency - the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. (Right Doing)

Verses 11 and 12 are pretty straight forward;

Our relationship with Christ is based on our submission to Him

Our endurance produces elevation.

If we deny Christ He will respect our wishes. (Peter vs Judas)

However when Paul gets to verse 13 he presents a shape dichotomy between our human propensity and Christ divine sovereignty. Paul’s presentation of our human propensity to be faithless leads us the enigma of this text; what causes us to be unfaithful?

I. Pride: When you think of yourself more highly than you ought to, you render yourself incapable of being faithful to others because your too busy being faithful to yourself. / Consider the value of God and those around you.

II. Passions: When our fleshly desires are stronger than our spirit man, we will be unable to remain faithful to Christ or others. We must deny ourselves while simultaneously engaging in spiritual disciplines.

III. Procrastination - the root cause of procrastination is fear. We defeat procrastination through swift acts of boldness towards our destiny.

Above all this, fine the ability to be faithful by submitting to the life our Christ for He is faithful!

Sermon Notes

Scripture Ephesians 5:15

Wise- Wisdom is an attitude and not an outpouring of emotion.

Foolish- Those who move off fleshly inclinations rather than spiritual revelation

Debauchery- If you keep doing it, God will let you live it

Live in Reverence

1. Reverence God in Obedience 1 Sam

15:22

2. Reverence Authority in Obedience Titus

3:1

3. Reverence Humanity through Love 1

Thess 3:12

Sermon Notes

Title: Moving Forward In Faith

2 Timothy 4:7

1. Your Faith will lead you to a fight (Ephesians 6:12)

Fighting Fair means you are prepared

Remove your earrings , apply vaseline, put on some shoes.

Beauty of community

Joining with others will give you a better chance at winning

We need unity in our community

2. Faith will lead you to Freedom (Romans 6:15-18)

Lay down those snares

Snares : sin , lies , people , things not of God

If you can't measure yourself you can’t measure your opponent.

Measuring exposes us but also allows others to hold us accountable to the Word of God.

3. Faith will help you Finish (2 Corinthians 8:9-11)

In order to finish you have to die to yourself

Moving Forward Even In The Midst of Limitations

Minister Deidre Wright breaks down the power of moving forward even when it seems and feels like it’s not possible.