Jesus Over Everything
Jesus is For All
1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT)
2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For,
There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.
This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
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Peaceful and quiet lives, godly and filled with dignity
But we are in turmoil
Political turmoil
Emotional unrest
Riots and disruptions in our families
Good enough not enough good
Depression and elation come so quickly together we dread both
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Jesus came to set a standard so that humanity could be restored to a relationship with God
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
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What we think of Jesus determines how we live.
What we know Jesus thinks of us determines how we thrive.
How we live…and how we die
(what we do and what we have done)
Stopping here creates a tone of judgment that we hold ourselves and others to.
How we thrive…
(God wants to be intimate with us)
Personally present with us
We’re known by God. We’re loved by God.
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Humanity and society will follow suit
Behavior will change (know Jesus)
Purpose will be restored (Jesus knows them)
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JESUS WANTS ALL TO HAVE LIFE
HE IS NOT LOOKING FOR A REASON TO CONDEMN HE IS LOOKING FOR THE SMALLEST REASON TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU!
Us to know Him and us to accept that He wants to know us.
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That is the nature of Jesus, to be the most common of men, with the holiest of hearts, capable of loving and serving all people without discrimination or prejudice.
And He calls us to do the same.
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What’s Stopping Us?
Our inner turmoil and self-loathing are often the sources of our turmoil and judgment of others.
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JUDGEMENT
Our world is really good at creating separation but Jesus proposes worship, a people, a way of thinking so inclusive that none should be left out.
Judgement that belongs to Jesus does not belong to us!
Judging ourselves and each other.
The old argument of wrong and right
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SIN (DEATH) VS. RELATIONSHIP (LIFE)
We judge on behavior that breaks relationships but Jesus judges on the grace that builds relationships.
“I am a wicked and evil sinner” quickly translates to looking at the sin and sinners in the world and condemning them as we condemn ourselves.
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If we are going to understand what we should be used as a guide for our lives, those we influence, relate to, chose as friends, or even vote for, best we understand what SIN is.
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The bible speaks more of sin in the singular than in the plural. Yet we seem to have plenty of activities that we use to adjudicate ourselves and others.
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Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This[c] is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The consequence of not being in a relationship with God was death. But the consequences of being in a relationship with God were life!
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John 17:3 – NLT
3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
Romans 6:23 – NLT
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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So if life is the opposite of death
Then the relationship with God is the opposite of sin
Death = without God
Life = with God
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Sin is a broken relationship with God
The biggest reasons for breaking that relationship are guilt condemnation and shame.
NOT lying stealing and adultery.
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SIN VS.SYMTOMS OF SIN
A broken relationship with God will cause all sorts of symptoms (Galatians 5)
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RIGHTS VS. RIGHT WITH GOD
We were not designed to adjudicate right and wrong we were designed to walk with God.
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Judgment Vs Acceptance
Judgment comes from having the wrong understanding of how Jesus views you!
Samaritan Women (John 4)
We assume that when she says, “I have no husband” she is trying to hide her guilt because she has been an immoral person.
But she is probably a widow five times over and now has to seek refuge in the household of a man with whom she lacks even the status of a wife, we see that more likely she is hiding embarrassment/ condemnation/shame
Possibly she is filled with shame since in those days it was understood that if you endured multiple tragedies God must be punishing you for something.
She probably believed it herself, thinking, “What have I done, that God would allow this to happen to me?”
We so easily judged her as immoral! Not simply having issues that made her feel unworthy of a relationship with God.
But when Jesus speaks to her, he doesn’t offer her scorn, to which she had become so accustomed.
He offered her the acceptance that she was so often denied.
Acceptance from a Jew, from the Messiah, from God.
Jesus’ disciples couldn’t understand such acceptance – What Jesus was doing wasn’t just radical, but wrong.
It was radical, but it was very right, and it resulted in an entire village hurrying to come to meet this man who put aside questions of blame and offered instead of the living water of God’s unconditional love, grace, and acceptance.
Jesus is for everyone because everyone needs to feel complete, whole, accepted, and loved. But in a way that only the Father can provide.
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Colossians 3:1-17 – NLT
1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,[c] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,[d] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
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Our decision making is easy
Our vote is simple
Our choices are clear
Whoever is building a relationship with God gets my vote
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If Jesus can be for you He can be for all
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