16 February 2020 - Unified with our Community
Thank you, Monica.
Good morning, everybody. It's lovely to see you all here this morning kind of feel like. We don't even need to praise and worship songs. Listen to the spirit being powered by the spirit and then love one. Another thing that probably covers it right, but I spend some time working on it. So I'm going to bring it anyway.
Can you can you imagine being the queen?
You know, it must be awful. It must be awful never you are that yes. I know she lives in a palace and I know she has people that have been cool but on the couch
sneaky cheeseburger If you head down to Mac has a cheeseburger or maybe or ubereats, I guess. Yes, no, maybe you want to go to meet windy or Brad a waiver for coffee at the cafe. She can't do that. That would take months of planning and by the end she probably doesn't feel like a cheeseburger right like she conquered that moment. I wouldn't mind heading down the beach for the afternoon. She can't do that. Hey Glenn, let's go and watch that movie with me talking about to do that.
Kings and queens can't really get out and about amongst the community that rule I can think that's pretty pretty sad and tragic. And then there's Jesus. a well-known story From John 4:49. Jesus had to go through Samaria that Jesus and the disciples have been traveling and he was moving from one place to another and he came to a town in Samaria called psycho. Give me the piece of land. Jacob had given his son Joseph and Joseph swell was there just was tired from the journey. So he set down by the well, it was about noon a woman from Samaria came to get some water and Jesus said to her. Will you give me a drink? I'm sure you said please will you give me a drink I posted going into town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? She said this because Jews don't have anything to do with Samaritans. And he was Jesus the King of Kings the Lord of lords. I like getting out and about amongst. He's Community but connecting and why is that nobody thought was possible? Firstly Jewish men didn't initiate conversations with women. . Not a chance men's bike with men and women's bike with women, but here in this moment Jesus not only Spike with that. He initiated the conversation breaking down this area.
Sickly Samaritan Jews when exactly the best of friends actually went friends at all. And it was open hostilities between Jewish people and Samaritan people and this was centuries-old. Now this is going on for a long time relationship called rigid and full of resentment and mistrust. Jeez, they spoke with all the Jews and Samaritans bike without the Samaritans.
And that he Jesus broke down these political boundary.
A Jesus that lie as an honorable and becoming a bit of a famous Jewish teacher a rabbi a woman with questionable backgrounds. You see honorable people hanging out and speak with other honorable people. And shameful people hung out and spoke with all the shameful people. But in this one moment Jesus I break down the social barriers.
An interesting late if it really getting to the store either some high-level theology happening here tonight that the woman in the Samaritan has a mole theological conversation with Jesus, then the Pharisee Nicodemus dolls, and he's encounter in John 3. This is unheard of Orthodox Jewish theology would be discussed among the Orthodox Jewish theologians. One would have never had this sort of theological discussion with one. So uneducated.
But Jesus did so breaking down theological boundaries.
When we consider being a unified people if we're not unified without Community which means examining the boundaries that we have in place including not as we put our past selves. Am I not doing the mission of God, and we're not really unified with God. The knowing god means knowing God's mission to the world and if we're not doing that then a Unity among sales feels he is nothing more than just a club. I mean ever want to pay that. Bob the great don't get me wrong went to Clubman. I told Chris that Clubman off a Valentine's die only the finest. And then I got sick as well anyway. Cubs a Great Lakes Provide support and fellowship the church is a better because they provide support and fellowship in the name of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit. What does this mean unify without community mean understand these Concepts? Let me freak out because we think that we going to ask you to go moving from your beautiful house Tunes. Hippie, you know something like that. That's what about being a community is about but it's not that. Unless of course relieved in an area with lots of PPE called meetings and I needed to hear the good news of Jesus.
But it also gets misunderstood sometimes as what we see elsewhere. We should be doing here, you know the church I heard such and such they do this and they do this and I even do that. We should do that heat. What is amazing a job is as other churches are doing that's their community and praise God they doing it. Well there. They don't know about community. And while there are a thousand plus books on how to save your commission save your community and be missional and unified. And many of those are fantastic books. They weren't written about the area rug down. in early 2020
but the good news is we get to write that book here. Arena Rock Palomino on cliff and call girl and I brought in the sand, Ramsgate months Ryan Bexley if we have to do some missionary work will even go to Kings Grove.
See, these are our neighbors. And so it doesn't need to look like what others are doing or even what the books tell us how it should look. South community It's always tell story led by God and God's purposes for this place. It is why we value the time we shared last week to get all the people of God hear uptown coming together to dream about how we unify with a community to see God's kingdom come here broke down in the surrounds as it is in heaven. And play Z as Renata said if you didn't get a chance last week to speak into that. Please come and speak to us. We want to hear from you.
You're part of the reason the Apostle Paul write to the church in galatia, which is part of modern-day turkey. Is that the churches that had started listening to the white others have done Mission and it becomes confused about what it is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Now you made a group of Christian converts. Now, when is the judea's is who insisted that to truly be a follower of Jesus and saved by God you had to accept Jesus and obey the ancient Lauren costumes. Sorry circumcision for the guys and following varies ritualistic food cards and sacrifices for everybody. Here are the Christians of this area getting sidetracked from Mission or what others are saying is the right thing to do rather than focusing on Jesus and what Jesus has in store for them?
Galatians 3:13 to 15. It says these Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree in order that Christ Jesus The Blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith and a bit later in Galatians. 3:23. 23 was made known so the law was put in charge of us until Christ came. He came so that we might be made right with God by believing in Christ. But now faith in Christ is come so the law is no longer in charge of us. At least doesn't mean that we can just do whatever the heck we want. Because my reading today for you to call to Freedom brothers and sisters, I only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for Self Indulgence, translations have an opportunity to indulge the sinful nature. See if it pulls message about why Christ times are give us freedom and freedom from the law. Was that we're down free in Christ, Alabama neighbors as ourselves. Frost here drop down it means we are free from freed from the tedious constraints of the Old Law so that we can be like Jesus and love a community. It means that with free along those annoying people who always pocket the wrong spots out here. Nice knowing people who always sneak an extra loaf of bread on a Thursday. Always free to love those who are ruthless because there's a item in the shop that is not to $5 and it should only be photos 50.
Every week we get those chances to love those people.
Freedom in Jesus Christ is freedom. The city's kingdom here right now to be in a pod with God and God in heart and mind. To be in a fight here so that collectively and unified without community so that they know we love them and Hazel gets frustrated easily and flipped into crankiness. With the love of God that was first shown to me a Cena loved by God so that I can love others. Freedom to set aside out frustrations and Prejudice has a way of doing things. And allowing God's way to stiffen and in doing so unifying and God and their community. if we don't do it God's way pull highlights the Results of the the end of outrageous today if however you want internet devel one another that he's not loving each other in their neighbor. Take care that you are not consumed by one another they know Ivy put it this way. It says you could end up destroying one another Stop warning of when we get this stuff wrong. But it needs to be loud and clear and in plain language. They're far too many real world examples where churches have taken the focus off of loving God and loving their neighbor and It Started Loving themselves and their way of doing things. And the ended up consuming themselves destroying themselves, and they Community a designer is not that much of the unified without community Through the freedom that God has given us in Jesus. And it is Jesus that we should be following not others who have different ideas, but focused on Jesus. And I'm like kings and queens that we can think of. Jesus was out and about and he's community. I'm talking to people right where they were. It's always you wait. Many of Jesus's interactions happen with people in their workplaces most of the disciples with cold while they're at work.
Jesus met people in their homes, the story of Zacchaeus comes to mind wait exactly at 3 time. Zacchaeus Was saved I went out to do two things. I was he making about the day-to-day duties such as the woman in the well that we read about earlier. We love anime, but wherever they are. Which is basically everywhere. We follow the lead of Jesus wherever they are and in doing so we have been faithful to God's mission for us here truck though. And drinks are good for feeling the prayer that Jesus prayed that we looked at in week 1 John 7:23. Then the world would know that you have sent me and of love them. Even as you have loved me.
I think through some examples of where I've seen this Love In Action disunified love a memory came to me for my time back in Ghana when I went on a mission trip in 2008. I was privileged to spend some time with working with some amazing kids. So you slept at all sorts of various physical disabilities cerebral palsy and other things. So for some of them they could mobilize and do the usual things of Life pretty well with others. The Olympics didn't work properly. And so they need help doing things.
One thing that stood out was this saying that I stole time and time again? These kids love each other with the love of God, they really loved the neighbor isn't so. So much so that we wanted the keys needed to use the bathroom. They helped each other.
But he is one boy who can't use his legs and he's on properly and using crutches on both arms. And he needs to go to the bathroom.
And the other boys jump up no hesitation. No judgement No Boundaries. Just seeing the other innate and loving with the love of God.
When we love each other without hesitation or judgment, we love in the freedom that Jesus gave us. Freedom talavi Neva community in Jesus name
he's the key to being unified with them. Just as God plan for us to be and it is the desire of them Mission here up there to love God love each other and to Lafayette Community and it being sold to be unified with God unified with each other and unified without community.
May God changes us as we made it. man hot seat off the gods community in the way that God wants may that be I pray as we engage without community.
I'm going to ask the band to come up and going to spend some time. Just I guess reflecting on a place in God's Mission and how we love our community. I'm going to sing the song. We just sang before for the one. Because it's a challenge.
Help me to love with open arms like you do. I love that erases all the lines and sees the truth. Jesus did constantly you should never ever spoken a word to that Samaritan woman.
But he raised the Lions of Jen the public in politics and decade centuries-old hostility. He saw the truth of a woman. He needed to know about Jesus.
That when they look in my eyes they would see you. Even in just a smile that they would feel the Father's Love.
That is a prayer for when we engage workout Community whether it's in the foia during the week, whether it's in that work places with her to school or university.