It's Time to Get Together
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro
The whole series is aimed at getting us going in 2020
I want you to live your best life possible and it’s closer than you think it is.
“If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.” Stephen Covey
“If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.” Stephen Covey
A lot of us expect life to be better. We have high hopes, but our habits are low.
How do we change that?
All of Jesus messages were built around this…
2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
Repent is a positive word. Our culture has tried to make it negative, but it’s a powerful, positive and life giving word.
Repent is Jesus sayin, I have a better way so change what you are doing…
KOH is at hand… there are great things in front of us and time is running out.
We are at a starting point for 2020. We get moving in faith into the best year ever for each of us.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
God has plans for you.
What kind of plans are they? They are good plans…
In those days - Israelites were in captivity. Jeremiah told them that if they would call on God, he would answer them. It doesn’t matte what your circumstances, God has good plans for you and he will hear your prayer. You may feel captive to your circumstances… whatever they are… but God will deliver you from them.
God says that when we seek him and we will find him.
God says that when we seek him and we will find him.
We have to wholeheartedly seek him in our lives.
Today, we want to look at how we can best step into the wonderful plans God has for us…
God doesn’t raise up lone ranger Christians.
God doesn’t raise up lone ranger Christians.
We are a family, a body the church… We have to run this race together.
If we are going to get where we would like to be, we have to go together.
It Takes a Group
It Takes a Group
Why? Because
We are better together
We are better together
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
God designed Christianity as a group project. That’s why he refers to us as a family… we are in this ting together.
We are to meet together so we can worship together and encourage each other in our faith walk. .. to motivate each other to acts of love and good deeds....
Together is God’s Plan
Together is God’s Plan
It’s not good for man to be alone… He created us for relationships. God calls us a family… a building… a body. Each of us are different parts in his body and each part has a purpose and a plan so that the body functions properly.
ILL of something alone vs a team… If you have ever worked on a project… maybe at your house, it always seems to go better when you are not alone… even if the other person doesn’t know much… it just goes better.
When we work together miracles can happen… street ministry on Mission trip to Africa.
Together isn’t always easy
Together isn’t always easy
It can be messy, creates vulnerability, takes work, inconvenient, … It’s so important.
Another thing that makes it difficult is that many of us have been hurt by other people. People get offene
The enemy’s plan is for you to be alone… the banana that gets away from the bunch…
In America, we are more connected than ever, but more isolated than ever… social media… more cell phones in the world than toilets… teens avg 300 instagram followers, but will say they have 1 friend… You don’t build togetherness… like i’m talking about online… it’s face to face.
Together requires a choice
Together requires a choice
We have a choice. We can be intentional about connecting or we can isolate.
Here is what we want any group or team to do…
Look at story from David’s life
David was the 8th of 8… often forgotten. In the natural, you would not expect anything great from him…
22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
That’s the greatest thing God could say about a human.
How did David get to where he was - though his relationships.
God wants us to meet together… to worship together and work for God together and there are some things that we need to do when we are together.
1. When we get together, we call out the best in each other
1. When we get together, we call out the best in each other
Most of us go through life being put down, passed over, not living up to expectations, disappointed or being a disappointment… No One ever calls out the best from us.
God wants us to call out the best from each other.
12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
Samuel went to David and anoints him - King… He called the best out of David. No one else had ever said anything good about David. He was the runt of the family, but Samuel called out greatness from him.
That’s what we want to do every time we get together. We want to speak life. We want to call out greatness from each other.
If you are hanging around with negative people, get away from them… dating… work… friends…
You need to be around people that call out the best in you… Jon Elder, Ron Dingus, Steve Lanier, Buford Easley,
2. When we get together, we call out to God for each other
2. When we get together, we call out to God for each other
David was loyal to Saul, but Saul felt threatened by David. So Saul tried to get rid of David.
15 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.
What an awesome friend Jonathan was for David. He supported him and prayed for him and helped him.
story of someone who made a difference… People taking others to hospital…
17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Small Groups help with this… ministry teams help with this. Men’s Group tomorrow… ladies hanging out. This is about building relationships out of love and trust.
3. When we get together we call out the truth to each other.
3. When we get together we call out the truth to each other.
David is king and he has committed adultery with Bathsheba… even a man after God’s own heart made a terrible mistake, but he doesn’t see it. That the way the devil works. Nathan, his friend and prophet comes and confronts him.
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul.
We got Psalms 51 because of this encounter. Create in me a clean heart…
5 An open rebuke is better than hidden love! 6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
We need friends who can speak truth in love to us… We need people who can say what we don’t want to hear and gently bring us back to walking in repentance.
Let’s go
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom
Altar time -
Salvation Prayer
Prayer about relationships…