Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Really?" with part 3, "Love Others" in this Sunday morning celebration.Really? PT3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, February 26, 2012
www.mylifegatechurch.com
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Sermon Notes:
Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
WRM—What Really Matters
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission define WRM:
* Love God
* Love Yourself
* Love Others
Week 3: The way we love others flows out of our relationship with God and ourselves. Today, we will use the supreme human relationship as our subject, but it represents the goal for all our relationships with others and ultimately effects how the world (those away from Jesus) view our Lord.
Matthew 5:31-33 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.”
You can’t ‘un-one’ what God has made ‘one’. (Get this and you get that if you are really saved you can’t be ‘un-saved’.) But what about those who are divorced, are they now in a state of continual adultery (as has been taught in some religious circles). Both Jesus and Paul taught that when you did not know you were not responsible, but now that your eyes are open, live by the new standard of the Kingdom. All of us had old ways of doing things before we met Jesus, now we have a new standard (that’s what the Sermon on the Mount, the Beattitudes, is all about—a new reality—the Kingdom lifestyle. Now that you know, live it. If you have been through a divorce, then adopt this new way—marriage is forever. That means we get rid of the ‘try it’ mentality that results in people marrying people before either are ready or marrying someone God did not plan for you to marry. This new way of thinking results in a new way of relationships with others, starting with our most significant others—I am in this Forever! )
Ephesians 5:31-32 “As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.”
When we get this way of thinking, In this Forever, it changes everything. We don’t jump from church to church, relationship to relationship, etc. The faithfulness of Jesus is portrayed in our relationships with others and the result is others see the Kingdom and different and desirable. Instead of a divorce rate in the church that matches the unsaved, people see Kingdom relationships that make it through good and bad times because of Jesus. The result is the accomplishment of why we are on this planet—“We are here for You (Christ)” and then “We are here for you (others)”
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
When the world sees us loving each other, starting with our most significant relationships, the way Christ loves us, then they know the One we are following is real and alive. Then, like us, their eyes will be opened to another Kingdom, and they will have a choice to make.
Today, we will renew our vows to Christ, His Church, Ourselves, and Our Spouses. For those of you who are single, you will place Christ as a seal upon your hearts, and you will make a vow to the one He has for you, even if you have not met his or her yet.
3 Keys to Having God’s Grace in our Lives and Our Relationships:
1. Receive: Embrace God’s plan, His definition and His way. Receive His instruction concerning “One-ness” in your relationship with Him, His Church, Your Spouse or Your Future Spouse. Abandon the excuses, justification and acceptance of any other standard.
2. Repent: Without repentance, there is no grace. Without God’s grace, we cannot bridge the gap between where we are and where we should be—either in our salvation or in our relationships with others. Confess our shortcomings, confess our decisions to disobey—either in ignorance or in rebellion.
3. Request: Ask for His Grace in this area. Ask for His grace today as we ‘re-new’ our vows to Him, to His church, and to each other. Recognize you cannot do this without Him and His grace actively involved in our relationships.
Vows:
Vows are done in 3 separate areas. For each one, ask those who wish to participate to please stand.
To Jesus and His Church:
(Intro: We have allowed this idea of “un-oneing” to effect our relationship with Jesus and His Church. Instead of “In This Forever” we sometimes have been “In this until it gets tough, rubs me the wrong way, or requires something of me I don’t want to give. Today, we will renew our vows to Jesus and His Church, proclaiming “We are here for You” and “We are in this forever.” If you wish to do this please stand.)
Jesus, today I renew my vow to you as my Lord and to your beloved Church. I understand my relationship with your church reflects to the world my relationship with you and I vow to you to that I am in this forever and will accurately portray your love in the way my love is seen for your church. I ask you for grace and the power of your Holy Spirit in this area. I am yours and You are mine, and we are in this forever.
Singles:
(To those of you who are single: Today we will re-new our vow to Jesus as the 1st love of our lives, renew our commitment to find completion in Him instead of looking for it in other relationships, and ask His Holy Spirit to “seal our hearts” for the one He has for us if our desire is for marriage. If you are single and wish to do this please stand.)
Jesus, today I renew my vow to you as my First Love. I will seek to find completion only in my relationship with you. I ask your Holy Spirit to seal my heart for the one you have planned for me and I will embrace your plans and direction for my relationships with others, including my future spouse. I say to you and that one I may or may not know yet, “I am in this forever”.
Married:
(To those of you who are married: Today we will re-new our vows to Jesus and to each other. Marriage is the supreme human relationship and is designed by God to accurately reflect His love to a lost and dying world. Our marriages are to be a light to those around us. If you are married and wish to do this please stand, take each other by the hands.)
Jesus, today we renew our covenant with You and with each other. We repent for allowing any other standard but yours to enter our relationship. We declare to you, to each other, and to everyone here that our desire if for each other and each other only. We commit to You today that our marriage will accurately reflect your love to others. We ask for your grace and the power of Your Holy Spirit to fill our marriage. Today we re-affirm to You and to each other—We are in this forever. (You may kiss your spouse.)
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