Sermon Tone Analysis

Vision of Grace: We are a Church of Christ-followers learning to Love God, Love Others and Change the World

We are a Church of Christ-followers learning to Love God, Love Others and Change the World

We are a Church of Christ-followers learning to Love God, Love Others and Change the World

We Believe Life is about Relationships

Love God – Vertical Relationship (Height/Depth)

Love Others – Horizontal Relationships (Breadth/Scope)

Change World – Outward Relationships (Movement/Purpose)

The REASON we exist as a Church = To Glorify God in our Lives (with our lives); and invite others to do same

To Make a CONNECTION with the Personal God who made the Universe.

To Turn from Worldly/Self-serving pursuits;

Turn TO living our lives to bring honor to Another—to God himself.

To learn to Live Life with the Constant Goal of shining light upon the Glory of God.

To make that the Purpose of our Lives.

The Reason for which we live.

The WHY of our existence.

Glory of God.

To make that the Purpose of our Lives.

The Reason for which we live.

The WHY of our existence.

We Believe that’s the KEY of Living the way God designed us to Live.

And so we Call everyone we know into this New Way of orienting our lives.

Our AIM in All we Do: INTIMACY with God COMMUNITY with Each Other INFLUENCE with Others

INTIMACY with God

COMMUNITY with Each Other

INFLUENCE with Others

That’s the CORE of who we are as a Church.

These are our CORE MATTERS.

Because you know what?

The CORE MATTERS!

EVERYTHING we do as a Church—as a People who identify ourselves with Jesus Christ—EVERYTHING seeks to take us Deeper/Higher, Wider/Farther in These 3 Pursuits

INTIMACY with God

Horizontal Relationships – COMMUNITY with Each Other

Outward Relationships – INFLUENCE with Others

INTIMACY with God

“Intimacy” You may not like that term.

Sounds too personal/passionate.

Because we associate it mainly with our Romantic Relations.

Intimacy simply means Closeness.

Oneness.

A Coming-Together of 2 persons in Trust, Familiarity, Care.

Love.

We enjoy this level of Closeness in several different kinds of relationships:

Moms/Dads with their children.

Studying every part of the newborn who has just come into the world, eyes & smiles gazing for minutes at a time into the face, over the body, playing with the hands/feet… It’s an INTIMATE connection.

We have Acquaintances & we have Friends.

And we have BFFs.

Trust one another to share secrets, difficult things, feelings.

And of course choosing to enter into a lifelong covenant relationship of marriage brings us into most INTIMATE relations with another.

“For this reason a man shall Leave… be United… and the 2 shall become one.”

And the man & woman were both naked & not ashamed

That beautiful portrait of the Closest of Human Relationships—Husband/ Wife—the INTIMATE connection demonstrated in that Union ALSO SERVES as a SIGNPOST pointing to Another Relationship we are intended to Live Into: The Relationship between God and Us

We who are made in the Imago Dei reflect in our most Sacred Relationships the Sacred Desire God has to draw us into Union with Himself.

An INTIMATE knowledge of the Holy One.

Not SEXUAL INTIMACY.

No, that’s a Human Device.

Not even FAMILIAL or FRIENDSHIP INTIMACY—though those relationships point to a deeper Oneness with God which includes those Familial/Friendship bonds.

It’s ONENESS with our Creator.

Father.

The Lord of all things.

Made for this.

It’s what God created us for.

To Enjoy a relationship of Love with God that wakes us up each morning.

That gives us Purpose/Motivation/Drive.

Passion.

Passion for living.

NIV “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus said greatest command is to love God with all heart, soul, mind.

Whole self.

When we start here, life makes sense.

(Problems in life come from worshiping wrong god—many choose Self.)

It’s like a Huge BILLBOARD Jesus plants right out our front door to see.

Like if you miss everything else, this is the One Thing you mustn’t miss out on—Loving God & Enjoying God’s Love!

Westminster Shorter Catechism: What is the Chief End (Purpose) of Man?

To Love God & enjoy Him forever!

KEY is not working up love for God; but receiving love of God!

Not trying to love God more; rather, learning to accept God loves me.

And made me for himself.

One of 20th century’s greatest theologian, Karl Barth, once said the most profound theological conviction of all = Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so

When we recognize how head-over-heels in love with us our Father is, that’s when we’re freed up to love as he first loved us!

NIV This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

He loved us so much that when we were in trouble of missing out eternally on this Lifelong Covenant Relationship with God, he sent his son, his only begotten son…that we would not perish (die) but live eternally with him!

That’s LOVE!

An All-out Rescue Mission to bring us back to God!

This is At our CORE.

At Grace Church.

Our AIM in all we do.

Cultivating INTIMACY with God.

It’s what we will always be about.

You can expect to grow deeper in your Love of God as part of this community of Christ-followers.

COMMUNITY with Each Other

Life is about relationships, and relationships are the hardest things in life.

Complex.

Complicated.

Jesus said 2nd greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Life is meant to be lived in community, relationally with others, not individually for ourselves.

KEY to joy in life—placing others before ourselves.