WIJD | “Jesus Is Restoring Relationships” Sermon

Series: “WIJD” — Sermon #8 “Jesus Is Restoring Relationships”

John Doerr  (Venture Capitalist)  “Teams. He said I bet on teams. Some people would say people, I say teams. It’s not just people, but how these people work together in relationships. … are these the people that you want to face those problems with?”

Daniel Goleman — (Workplace Psych) “Emotional Intelligence is twice as important as the other two (Skill and IQ) and it is the ability to relate well to a whole variety of people. Without emotional intelligence, … still not be effective in the workplace environment.”

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

Matthew 6:9   “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

Ephesians 3:1 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,…”

Many people think that Christianity is a belief system, but it’s really a belong system.

John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

John 13:35   “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus On Relationships:

John 13:14 “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” 

Greatness is selflessly serving.

Matthew 5:21-22. Anger “…anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder.”

Matthew 5:29  LUST “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you;…”

Matthew 5:38-42 Annoying People  “…Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also …  go also the second mile. “

Matthew 5:44  “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,…”

Matthew 7:1-5  “Judging “First remove the plank from your own eye…”

Matthew 7:12 (Message)  “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”

Galatians 3:24 “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Purpose of the law is to point you to Jesus and cry MERCY!!!

1. Know Who You Are

John 8:14 “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going;”

You are unique.  There is no one like you.    Be yourself!

“The church preaches too much about who we aren’t. Knowing who you now are and Who lives in you is the key to Christian living.”     Ryan Rufus

2. Practice Vulnerability

John 1:14  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Knowing who you are, where you come from and where you are going frees you to be present and authentic.

C. S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; …

… avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

3. Avoid Labelling People

People don’t appreciate Judgement or Assumptions.

We tell ourselves average of 50 stories a day.   We forget they are stories.

4. Excel At Packaging

Colossians 3:14 “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Don’t be a brown paper bag.  Add some bling to the presentation.

Luke 22:61-62 “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

Angel with special message.

Mark 16:7 “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

John 21:15 “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’”

1 Corinthians 5:18-19 “And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.”

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