Notes From Sunday- 2/15/2009

Sunday we continued in the series Exploring Faith. The message was called Our Faith & God's Word. We read Hebrews 4:11-13: 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.



Here are some of the things to take out of it:

• Spiritual Growth is NOT Automatic & it DOES NOT Stop! There is not a place in your walk with God where you can say, "Okay, I've made it!" We don't become Super Christian over night. It takes time to mature in Jesus. Sorry, but no one was ever born and immediately began to walk, talk, and was potty trained. It takes time! That's why the writer of Hebrews tells us to be diligent! We need to strive and be passionate about our Passionate God!


• We Cannot Mature as Followers of Jesus on our own. I know this seems to contradict my last point but it doesn't. The fact is that God is cooperating with us, or vice-verse. Jesus is the one who changes us, but He won't change us if we don't want Him to. Jesus will not force you to come to Him, but if we have hard hearts and refuse Him, we're being very foolish.


• God's Word is Living and Powerful & It is Not a Fairytale! I know I'll get push back on this from non-believers, but I don't care. The honest to God truth is this: The Bible has never ever EVER been proven wrong! The only people who doubt it's truth are those who refuse to accept its message. You don't have to be a follower of Jesus to know that the Bible is true. The Word of God is self-proving! God's Word is very powerful.


• It Doesn't Bother Me Too Much When People Who Don't Follow Jesus Doubt the Bible... as much as...:


• Christians who supposedly make the Bible their rule of faith and supposedly live it out, but really neglect it's message. The Bible makes it clear that those who the Word of God but refuse to live it out will be subject to harsher judgement. It REALLY bothers me when "Christians" can sit in their seats all smug and think that they have it all together, when in reality, there is so little difference between them and the world. The greatest danger preventing people from coming into the Kingdom of God is, I believe, not Satan, but the Church of Jesus being stagnant and lazy.
• If God's Word is True, Then it MUST Affect Us! Here are some areas:
  - Attitudes towards ourselves and others.
  - Our Finances-- Put your money where your mouth is. People think the Church is all about money... We're not, at least not at Eden. God does not need your money. The Bible says He has the cattle on a thousand hills. Giving and prioritizing your finances is not about supporting the Church as much as it is about putting God first in your life. D.L. Moody said, "The wallet is the last thing to get saved and the first thing to go carnal."
  -Our Relationships-- Marriage, Family, Dating, Friends, etc. They need to be grounded in Christ. You need to be showing Jesus to these people in your everyday lives.
  -Our Passions & Purpose-- What do you get excited about? Football? Fishing? Movies? Spending time with Friends? How about Jesus? Is He our Foundation, or just a figurine on a shelf? Are you excited the the Son of God came and died and rose again for you to have a new life and eternity in Heaven? SERIOUSLY! THIS SHOULD PUMP YOU UP IF YOU'RE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS!
• God's Word Brings It All Out Into The Open! You can't hide from God. You can try, but it is pointless. People spend their entire lives running from God and it gets them nowhere fast. Don't be silly and waste your life. We need to admit who we are without Jesus: Lost in sin. God's Word is piercing... It is Convicting... It will cut you to the quick and you need that because we all need Jesus.
• By The Way: If You Realize You're Not Following God's Word or that You're not a Disciple of Jesus, The Bible Tells Us the Answer. In the next verses in Chapter 4 of Hebrews, we find that Jesus is our compassionate High Priest. That means that He is the middle man between us and God. But not only that, Jesus has total compassion-- meaning He knows we need Him and He loves us greatly.

Some other thoughts are running through my mind as I look back at Sunday:

• God is really AWESOME! He is working in the lives of people and that never EVER gets old.
• God is also working in me and that is also AWESOME because I need Him more and more.
• I am excited for the Worship Celebration this Sunday! SERIOUSLY, you need to be there!
• I'm looking forward to Easter and Spring! It's coming quick! This Spring you need to come and bring some people with you to Eden Church. Talk about a season of re-birth!!
• I realize that I probably won't be at Eden forever, but I want to give God my best while He has me here. Lately, God has really been impressing me with the issue of excellence in everything we do for Him.