Promise and Reality

Intro:

Theme: God loves you so much He paid the price for your sin with His Son.

Intro:

Coronavirus has caused the whole world to go into lockdown hasn’t it? All food joints are for the most part just to-go only and toilet paper is disappearing! All essentials are being sold out and I just heard that Amazon will get to a point where they won’t do shipping for anything unless it’s essential! There’s even concern that our whole entire economy might crash! I just also realized that the movie theaters will be closed and that we won’t get to watch Mulan or Black Widow!

Call: Memorize and share the gospel with someone this week.

Coronavirus has caused the whole world to go into lockdown hasn’t it? All food joints are for the most part just to-go only and toilet paper is disappearing! All essentials are being sold out and I just heard that Amazon will get to a point where they won’t do shipping for anything unless it’s essential! There’s even concern that our whole entire economy might crash! I just also realized that the movie theaters will be closed and that we won’t get to watch Mulan or Black Widow!

In the midst of all this chaos, let me tell you this: God’s plans for us have not changed! In fact, He has a plan for so many more people to come to Him and receive salvation. That is why I am not surprised that even what God had spoken to me to teach on would be sharing your faith.

Intro:

In the midst of all this chaos, let me tell you this: God’s plans for us have not changed! In fact, He has a plan for so many more people to come to Him and receive salvation. That is why I am not surprised that even what God had spoken to me to teach on would be sharing your faith.

Sure, I didn’t expect for it to look like this but we are now facing a time in our lives where we can reach anyone with the gospel through social media! That doesn’t mean that it needs to change for us now either! God is calling us to be faithful with the opportunities that we have even now to share the hope of Jesus where there seems to be no hope anywhere!

Coronavirus has caused the whole world to go into lockdown hasn’t it? All food joints are for the most part just to-go only and toilet paper is disappearing! All essentials are being sold out and I just heard that Amazon will get to a point where they won’t do shipping for anything unless it’s essential! There’s even concern that our whole entire economy might crash! I just also realized that the movie theaters will be closed and that we won’t get to watch Mulan or Black Widow!

Sure, I didn’t expect for it to look like this but we are now facing a time in our lives where we can reach anyone with the gospel through social media! That doesn’t mean that it needs to change for us now either! God is calling us to be faithful with the opportunities that we have even now to share the hope of Jesus where there seems to be no hope anywhere!

With that being said, we are going through sharing the faith with a tool I learned from seminary. It is the acronym PRAY and today we’re going to go through the P and the R.

In the midst of all this chaos, let me tell you this: God’s plans for us have not changed! In fact, He has a plan for so many more people to come to Him and receive salvation. That is why I am not surprised that even what God had spoken to me to teach on would be sharing your faith.

With that being said, we are going through sharing the faith with a tool I learned from seminary. It is the acronym PRAY and today we’re going to go through the P and the R.

P stands for Promise and that promise is tied to the most famous verse ever. What is the first reference that comes to mind?

Sure, I didn’t expect for it to look like this but we are now facing a time in our lives where we can reach anyone with the gospel through social media! That doesn’t mean that it needs to change for us now either! God is calling us to be faithful with the opportunities that we have even now to share the hope of Jesus where there seems to be no hope anywhere!

P stands for Promise and that promise is tied to the most famous verse ever.

Question! What verse did Tim Tebow feel led by God to put on his eye black for the 2009 national championship game (Gators vs. Sooners)? https://www.biblica.com/articles/john-3-16/

With that being said, we are going through sharing the faith with a tool I learned from seminary. It is the acronym PRAY and today we’re going to go through the P and the R.

Question! What verse did Tim Tebow feel led by God to put on his eye black for the 2009 national championship game (Gators vs. Sooners)? https://www.biblica.com/articles/john-3-16/

3 years later from that win Tim, as a Denver Bronco, won against the Steelers and he was asked about what had just happened. During that game, he threw 316 yards, 31.6 yard per completion, 3.16 yards per rush, the ratings for the night were 31.6, and time of possession was 31.06. During the game, 91 million people googled if you haven’t guessed by now, .

P stands for Promise and that promise is tied to the most famous verse ever.

3 years later from that win Tim, as a Denver Bronco, won against the Steelers and he was asked about what had just happened. During that game, he threw 316 yards, 31.6 yard per completion, 3.16 yards per rush, the ratings for the night were 31.6, and time of possession was 31.06. During the game, 91 million people googled if you haven’t guessed by now, .

Let’s read it. It is the most hope-filled message to the world. This is the one thing that separates this God, our God, apart from every other little “g” god out there! That God big “G” God would want to pursue us in a relationship with Him.

Question! What verse did Tim Tebow feel led by God to put on his eye black for the 2009 national championship game (Gators vs. Sooners)? https://www.biblica.com/articles/john-3-16/

Let’s read it. It is the most hope-filled message to the world. This is the one thing that separates this God, our God, apart from every other little “g” god out there! That God big “G” God would want to pursue us in a relationship with Him.

This segment comes right after Nicodemus and him being told to be born again.

3 years later from that win Tim, as a Denver Bronco, won against the Steelers and he was asked about what had just happened. During that game, he threw 316 yards, 31.6 yard per completion, 3.16 yards per rush, the ratings for the night were 31.6, and time of possession was 31.06. During the game, 91 million people googled if you haven’t guessed by now, .

This segment comes right after Nicodemus and him being told to be born again.

Jesus says these words to him.

Let’s read it. It is the most hope-filled message to the world. This is the one thing that separates this God, our God, apart from every other little “g” god out there! That God big “G” God would want to pursue us in a relationship with Him.

Jesus says these words to him. God loves you. God “so” loved the world. God loved us so tremendously “that” He gave His only Son.

God loves you.

This segment comes right after Nicodemus and him being told to be born again.

Lately we’ve been hanging out with Daniel and Bekah and their baby, Raegan. It’s made me imagine a lot more what it would be like to have a child. We’ve always joked that we would have maybe 3 children. If I was faced with a decision to sacrifice any of my children for you, I don’t know if I ever could. Even if you were the most amazing human being on earth! I could imagine that my child would have infinite worth compared to anyone else as me being his/her father.

God “so” loved the world.

Jesus says these words to him. God loves you. God “so” loved the world. God loved us so tremendously “that” He gave His only Son.

It’s nothing compared to the love God has for His Son. Jesus was never created. He was always since the beginning of time with the Father, one in the same. They had a perfect union that never began or never ended. It was just always there! That connection, that love that was in this mystery called the Trinity, God was willing to send His One and Only perfect Son for my sake! That blows my mind. I wouldn’t even give up my child for a perfect human being let alone a rebellious human being.

God loved us tremendously “that” He gave His only Son.

Lately we’ve been hanging out with Daniel and Bekah and their baby, Raegan. It’s made me imagine a lot more what it would be like to have a child. We’ve always joked that we would have maybe 3 children. If I was faced with a decision to sacrifice any of my children for you, I don’t know if I ever could. Even if you were the most amazing human being on earth! I could imagine that my child would have infinite worth compared to anyone else as me being his/her father.

The love that He showed us was not the nonchalant, “hey I love you,” it was the “I love you so much that I’m going to sacrifice my most prized possession for you!

Lately we’ve been hanging out with Daniel and Bekah and their baby, Raegan. It’s made me imagine a lot more what it would be like to have a child. We’ve always joked that we would have maybe 3 children. If I was faced with a decision to sacrifice any of my children for you, I don’t know if I ever could. Even if you were the most amazing human being on earth! I could imagine that my child would have infinite worth compared to anyone else as me being his/her father.

It’s nothing compared to the love God has for His Son. Jesus was never created. He was always since the beginning of time with the Father, one in the same. They had a perfect union that never began or never ended. It was just always there! That connection, that love that was in this mystery called the Trinity, God was willing to send His One and Only perfect Son for my sake! That blows my mind. I wouldn’t even give up my child for a perfect human being let alone a rebellious human being.

“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”

It’s nothing compared to the love God has for His Son. Jesus was never created. He was always since the beginning of time with the Father, one in the same. They had a perfect union that never began or never ended. It was just always there! That connection, that love that was in this mystery called the Trinity, God was willing to send His One and Only perfect Son for my sake! That blows my mind. I wouldn’t even give up my child for a perfect human being let alone a rebellious human being.

The love that He showed us was not the nonchalant, “hey I love you,” it was the “I love you so much that I’m going to sacrifice my most prized possession for you!

Whoever believes in Him “should not perish.” Jesus is saying that you “should” not die and be eternally separated from Him. It was never His intention for humanity to be apart from fellowship from Him! We were created for eternal life ever since creation. We were made for perfect fellowship with our heavenly Father. Our hearts cry out for a connection with our Creator!

“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”

This is the promise that God loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past. God loves you! You are not some accident that happened to be created. You are an intricately designed creation of God. Fearfully and wonderfully made! He loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for you.

Whoever believes in Him “should not perish.” Jesus is saying that you “should” not die and be eternally separated from Him. It was never His intention for humanity to be apart from fellowship from Him! We were created for eternal life ever since the Garden of Eden.

Whoever believes in Him “should not perish.” Jesus is saying that you “should” not die and be eternally separated from Him. It was never His intention for humanity to be apart from fellowship from Him! We were created for eternal life ever since creation. We were made for perfect fellowship with our heavenly Father. Our hearts cry out for a connection with our Creator!

Why did Jesus die though?

Ever since we were created, we were made for perfect fellowship with no death with our heavenly Father. Our hearts cry out for a connection with our Creator!

This is the promise that God loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past. God loves you! You are not some accident that happened to be created. You are an intricately designed creation of God. Fearfully and wonderfully made! He loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for you.

Here’s the sad Reality - R. If you have sinned ever, you are doomed to be separated from God in hell for eternity. , “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This is the promise that God loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past. God loves you! He loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for you. Why did Jesus die though?

Why did Jesus die though?

Not only is God a loving God, but He is also a righteous and holy God.

Here’s the sad Reality - R. If you have sinned ever, you are doomed to be separated from God in hell for eternity. , “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Let’s go back to the Fall in the Garden of Eden…Adam and Eve were created in God’s image to have authority over creation but when they bit into that fruit, they wanted authority independent of God and God’s punishment for defiance against Him was death. Ever since, sin has passed from generation to generation, we too living in defiance of God’s best for us and us doing what we think is best.

Not only is God a loving God, but He is also a righteous and holy God.

Sin in this context means, “missing the mark.” I just think about darts. It’s fun throwing darts but there’s a reason why hitting right dead in the center earns you the most points. But let me demonstrate further what missing the mark is, it’s not that you are close enough by hitting the dartboard, it’s that you’re best throw after years of practice doesn’t even make it to the board! In fact, you were throwing the opposite way!

Ever since the fall in the Garden, sin has been passed through the generations.

Let’s go back to the Fall in the Garden of Eden…Adam and Eve were created in God’s image to have authority over creation but when they bit into that fruit, they wanted authority independent of God and God’s punishment for defiance against Him was death. Ever since, sin has passed from generation to generation, we too living in defiance of God’s best for us and us doing what we think is best.

You might be thinking of some examples of sin.

Sin in this context means, “missing the mark.” I just think about darts. It’s fun throwing darts but there’s a reason why hitting right dead in the center earns you the most points. But let me demonstrate further what missing the mark is, it’s not that you are close enough by hitting the dartboard, it’s that you’re best throw after years of practice doesn’t even make it to the board! That’s what that means… That even your best effort, your best good works for God, will not earn you a special place with God ever!

Sin in this context means, “missing the mark.” I just think about darts. It’s fun throwing darts but there’s a reason why hitting right dead in the center earns you the most points. But let me demonstrate further what missing the mark is, it’s not that you are close enough by hitting the dartboard, it’s that you’re best throw after years of practice doesn’t even make it to the board! In fact, you were throwing the opposite way!

Sin is not just a broken relationship, it’s rebelling against a King. It’s not just negative thinking. In fact, we think we are too important when we really aren’t. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God! Sin is not just an indication that our hearts are kinda dirty in need of cleaning, at the core, they are evil!

Good works will not save you.

Sin is not just a broken relationship, it’s rebelling against a King. It’s not just negative thinking. In fact, we think we are too important when we really aren’t. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God! Sin is not just an indication that our hearts are kinda dirty in need of cleaning, at the core, they are evil!

, says “the wages of sin is death.”

Sure sins are lying, cheating, lust, greed, hate, pride but the biggest sin of all is not following of believing in His sacrifice to redeem us! Instead of having faith that His work on the cross was enough but either adding to it or taking things out of it! We are missing the mark when the mark that we have to aim for is Christ’s work on the cross to pay the price for our sins!

, says “the wages of sin is death.”

That’s what that means… That even your best effort, your best good works for God, will not earn you a special place with God ever!

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people had to pay a price for sin because only blood being shed could forgive them of their sins. Each animal that was ever sacrificed was never enough. It was all a picture that pointed to one lamb that would cover the sins of all humanity: the Lamb of God: Jesus!

That’s what that means… That even your best effort, your best good works for God, will not earn you a special place with God ever!

Good works will not save you.

Giving up means trusting Jesus’ work on the cross.

Good works will not save you.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people had to pay a price for sin because only blood being shed could forgive them of their sins. Each animal that was ever sacrificed was never enough. It was all a picture that pointed to one lamb that would cover the sins of all humanity: the Lamb of God: Jesus!

Sure sins are lying, cheating, lust, greed, hate, pride but the biggest sin of all is not following of believing in His sacrifice to redeem us! Instead of having faith that His work on the cross was enough but either adding to it or taking things out of it! We are missing the mark when the mark that we have to aim for is Christ’s work on the cross to pay the price for our sins!

Giving up means trusting Jesus’ work on the cross.

This is the gospel, the good news! God loves you so much that He would send His One and Only Son for you. He made a way that only you trusting in His work on the cross could save you. Nothing that you can do to earn His favor. There was nothing you could do to save yourself from His wrath. So God is asking us to give up, to surrender to Him. True belief comes from acknowledging that only Jesus’s work on the cross can save us.

Next week we will go through the A and the Y of the PRAY acronym of Jesus being the answer and the question of what will YOU do when faced to make that decision?

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, it’s not too late! You may feel like there is no hope right now but Jesus is the answer! Stop living the way you think is best for yourself, in defiance to your Creator. Follow God and give up the thought that your good works can save you. DM us and we would love to talk through that with you.

For our CSM students, my challenge to you is to memorize the PRAY acronym. We will post it on our social media platforms for you to memorize and I challenge you to share with someone. Practice with your fellow Christian friends and ultimately with someone who does not know Jesus. Share your testimony too of how you came to know Jesus. There’s a lot of people out there who need Jesus especially in these crazy times. And God is calling us to tell them! Whoever is on your heart, pray for them now and share with them this week. If you don’t have someone on your heart, pray for God to reveal someone on your heart to share with them!

We will be super active on social media so feel free to message us anytime about prayer requests, testimonies of you sharing with someone, or just to talk! We’ll respond!

Let’s pray…

We love you guys and spend your time with Jesus this week. Don’t waste this opportunity to draw closer to Him. Let’s pray…

GroupMe twext will go out, NOW!

DM your phone number and we'll send you the link. Also, because this is new for us, would you take a second to DM us for feedback of what you thought? Things you'd like to see or not see?

Stay tuned for a short devo from me for our Sunday school lesson on Sunday. We'll post details about that through twext, GroupMe, and Instagram.

We will post this video on our Youtube just search Curtis Student Ministry if you weren't able to catch it while we were live! As well as IGTV!

We love you guys and spend your time with Jesus this week. Don’t waste this opportunity to draw closer to Him