Joy Story
Relationships That Last
To Infinity and Beyond
When I feel loved I love others better!
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James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
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Joy is Supernatural
Joy is a supernatural delight found:
In the person of God
In the purposes of God
In the people of God
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IN THE PERSON OF GOD
Through Jesus
Colossians 1:15-16 (NLT)
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.
Life is found in relationship with God
Jesus came to present us with God so we could have life
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IN THE PURPOSE OF GOD
Being in close relationship with God is a supernatural process:
Relationship with God gives us purpose.(FAITH)
Purpose Gives us Identity. (BELONGING)
Identity Gives us PEACE (in relationship, peace is a good thing)
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Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
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Faith is directly connected to your relationship with God because faith is directly connected to your purpose.
James 2:23 (NLT)
And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
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GOD IS LOOKING FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU BECAUSE HE WANTS YOUR PURPOSE TO BE EVIDENT
HE KNOWS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM BRINGS PEACE TO YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
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John 4:23 (NLT)
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.
Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
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RELATIONAL AUTHORITY
Because our relationships with others are based on our relationship with God, He has authority over our relationships.
He defined the nature of all relationships in such a way that they would maximize our expression of our relationship with Him.
Ephesians 5:23-24 (NLT)
For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.
As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
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Being in close relationship with God is a supernatural process
Being in close relationship with God has supernatural consequences on our relationships with others
Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT)
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
Leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
You can not be expressing your relationship with the Father if you are not expressing your relationship as defined by the Father with others
James 3:9-10 (NLT)
We use our tongue to praise God our Father[a] and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image!
Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!
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IN THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.
1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.
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Finding Joy in our relationship with God and others is a universe away than simply being happy in our relationships.
I dont want a happy marriage
I want a joyful one
Joy is a supernatural delight that is found in relationship with the Father and overflows into my relationships with others.
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When we have God as our primary relationship we don not fall into the trap of making an idol out of any human relationship.
The story of you and God and the story of you and others
LOVE STORY – That which makes ordinary relationships divine
I SAY YES – Covenants Commitments (you can’t speak about God behind His back because He never turns His back).
BREAK UP – What keeps us from divine relationships
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