Psalm 133:1 ESV
1Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
It’s this aspect of unity and the path to unity I want to address today
Hayden: No fans, no revenues, no hype…nothing but the game and one’s love of it
It’s giving him a whole new appreciation for the game he loves
When he steps back into that stadium, he’s going to appreciate the game more
We, Koza, will not return to normal for some time, maybe never
It’s a time, just like in my football story, to reflect and plan
It’s a great time now to think about what we’ve been through, what is ahead, and to contemplate why we are here
And, it’s an opportunity to assess your personal relationship with Christ
Two step process:
1) Get right with God
2) then get connected
In my last sermon I spoke to the brevity of life…
James 4:14 ESV
14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes
Look at the moral and spiritual condition of the world today
Are we improving or moving toward the book of Revelation?
Psalm 90:10-12 ESV
10The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
God has a day already set for your life to end, for you to appear before him
Are you ready?
Hebrews 9:27 ESV
27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
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Consider what the Gospel of Mark tells us:
Mark 13:27 ESV
27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Mark 13:32-33 ESV
32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
We simply don’t know when he is coming, not even the Son/Jesus, but he is coming.
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False Hope
We “Christians” often find it too easy to fall into the belief that we are saved.
SBC: estimate 10-15% of their congregations are saved
Many cling to false hope – “a pastor told me so” or “I prayed a prayer at VBS”
So, how can we be sure?
Like anything we want to be sure of, we test it.
2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV
5Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
It’s a worthy question. Some of us have faith no stronger than a horse’s hair – and we know it, yet we believe the lies we tell ourselves, week after week, sermon after sermon
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The Tests
Test yourself against God’s word.
No better litmus test that the book of 1 John (John, the Apostle of Love)
*1 John 5:13 ESV
13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
Test #1
1 John 1:6 ESV
6If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
What does your fellowship with him look like? Do you seek him?
What time do you spend with him daily?
What time do you spend in the word daily?
– Have you ever noticed how the word of God moves you? Unlike any other prose, it’s magical, supernatural….or maybe it doesn’t move you, yet.
Psalm 33:13-14 ESV
13The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14from where he sits enthroned he looks out
Psalm 33:18 ESV
18Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
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Test #2
1 John 1:8 ESV
8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us
Now who among us says they have no sin? Nobody right?
Let me ask you this, are sensitive to your sin?
What do I mean by that, sensitive to your sin?
Does your sin bother you when you come in the presence of God?
Does your sin bring you to tears when you pray before him?
Consider this when you come into the presence of God again, just you and him…
Exodus 34:6-7 ESV
6The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Are you sensitive to your sin, or are you too comfortable in your sin?
Do you read his word and tremble in awe of his majesty and holiness?
Isaiah 66:2 ESV
2All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
Do you tremble at his word?
1 John 1:10 ESV
10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Better said maybe, “If we convince ourselves our sins are small, OR others sins are worse than ours…”
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Test #3
1 John 2:4 ESV
4Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
Commandments
John is not saying you have to live a life of sinless perfection
He is talking about your style of life
Do you live a style of life which seeks God or a style of life which seeks this world?
Jesus isn’t looking for perfection in the over 600 commandments of the bible
Matthew 11:29-30 ESV
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus knows how simple-minded we are, so he boils it down to something we can put on a t-shirt
Matthew 22:37 ESV
37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
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Part 2
Matthew 22:39 ESV
39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Test #4
1 John 2:10 ESV
10Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
Now brother here is not anyone, it’s a fellow believer
Whoever loves his brother…when we love someone how do we act
When we love our fellow believers we want to spend time with them.
So, another test, do you seek the presence and fellowship of other believers?
OR, do you seek the presence of people who entertain you or you benefit in your career by spending your time with them?
So, test number four, who do I desire to spend time with – sinners or believers – leads to my second part of my message, service
Test #1 – Do you fellowship with God or the world?
Test #2 – Are you sensitive to or comfortable with your sin?
Test #3 – Are you striving to keep his two basic commandments – love God / love your neighbor?
Test #4 – Do you desire the company of brothers or sinners?
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How does your life stack up against these four? Still convinced your are “saved?” Do you know exactly where you will be in 10,000 years?
What can you do? No big surprise here gang. You get it every week.
Turn, today, repent and believe.
No matter how much time you’ve wasted, you still have tomorrow to get it right
2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV
2For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Did you like me, know God, backslide, and now you can’t find your way back?
I can help. Any of the pastors, elders, or deacons can help you find your way back.
Do you feel the holy spirit calling you?
Do you know enough of the word and your Lord to sense the peace that is right at your fingertips
Every time we hear the Gospel we are given that chance to respond, there is always a response.
Each time the invitation is rejected, the heart grows a little harder and harder
No matter how bad you have sinned in this life
No matter how much time you have wasted
No matter how horrific you think your sin is
He is ready to forgive you and receive you as his own.
It’s so easy. As the bible says, repent and believe
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Two step process: 1) Get right with God; 2) then get connected
Test #4 asked us if we truly desire the company of “the brothers”
I want to tell you about some of the most special people in my life, my community group
This is who I do life with
We are structured. We study our Lord THROUGH HIS WORD.
When life happens, we’re there for everyone
We pray together. We pray for our marriages, our families in the states, our kids in college, and for Koza.
I love my community group. They are my church, and I wouldn’t want to hurt one of them because we are together each week.
Psalm 133:1 ESV
1Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Living inside my community group, it is so good and pleasant. I can’t find better words.
Any other attempts at unity will fail. There is a limit to how nice any of us can be, day in day out if we aren’t joined in, abiding in Christ.
Unity begins in Christ
Colossians 1:17 ESV
17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Numbers 6:22-26 ESV
22The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
24The Lord bless you and keep you;
25the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
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“Only King Forever” — Elevation Worship
“Won’t Let Me Down” — Matt Maher
“Goodness of God” — Bethel Music
“Nothing Else” — Cody Carnes
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