Matthew 22

Love: The Catalyst of Missions

Love: The Catalyst of Missions

Guest Speaker - Jay Armstrong - 10/1/2023

Key Passage: 1 Timothy 1:5

Missions Emphasis Week - Part 1

What do we mean when we say Gospel / Disciple?

- The gospel that you preach determines the disciples we produce.

Axiom: Christianity without Discipleship is always Christianity without Christ

- “Christianity without Discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Better Question: Jesus, how am I doing loving the people you’ve given me to love?

- What are we practicing?

- How are we preparing?

Grow in Grace

- Grace is God at work on our behalf to help us become and do what we could never become nor do on our own for our best good and His highest glory.

- Titus 2:11-15

The Disciple’s Process

1. Believe like Jesus

2. Live like Jesus

3. Love like Jesus

4. Serve like Jesus

5. Lead like Jesus

The Royal Command

- Love God. Love People.

- Matthew 22:32-40

A Divine Example

- As I have loved you

- John 15:11-17

A Disciple’s Duty

- Live as people of love

- Can we ever really say, we love God whom we haven’t seen if we are not willing to love the people he commands us to love who live right next door?

- Information alone doesn’t create transformation.

The Church: a community of faithful love.

- Motivated by relationships built on love, not on traditions, personalities, finances, programs, buildings, or events.

Relationships

- The end

- The means

- The message

Without Wax

- When love is sincere

Defining Love

- Love is the ongoing sacrificial pursuit of God’s best for another person.

Paul’s Purpose

- 1 Timothy 1:5

- The goal of our instruction is love

Two Goals

1. Love more people than we’ve ever loved before

2. Love people longer than we ever have before

Axiom:

- it’s more important to be than do

- It’s more important what happens in you than to you.

- You cannot give to others what you do not posses yourself.

What is God's Will For My Life?

Message Begins at 37:00


What is God’s Will for my life

Jordan Baker - 6/4/2023

Key Passage: Matthew 22:36-40

Remain in God’s Presence and Follow His Leading

  • Exodus 13:17 - Pillars of cloud and fire

  • Numbers 9:15-17, 22-23 - They camped at the Lord’s command and they set out at the Lord’s command

    • God’s people don’t have to worry about when and where to move if we are firmly planted in his presence.

      • “where is the shade?”

What does this actually look like in our lives?

    • Matthew 28:18-20

      • Make Disciples

        • A Disciple is one who:

          • Loves Jesus

          • Follows Jesus

          • Is Being Changed By Jesus

          • Is On Mission With Jesus

      • Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.

        • 1,500 unique commands in the Bible.

          • They all depend on…

Love God and Love Others

  • Matthew 22:36-40

    • Every command exists to help you love God, love others, or both.

“Throughout history, one's calling has often been narrowly defined as an occupation or a status in life… As a result, we often think: "Whatever my calling was, I think I may have missed it." Or, "I'm not trained. I'm just a regular person." Or, "I'm just working, waiting for my true calling to reveal itself." Scripture teaches, however, that every Christian is called by God at conversion. And that calling encompasses the whole of our lives. Recovering this truth revolutionizes how we understand our role--in the workplace and in the world-as men and women sent by Jesus to embody his love.” Pete Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Relationships Day by Day

Know God and Make Him Known, Together.

  • Love God… Love Others - Matthew 22:36-40

    • We love God by being in relationship with Him and knowing Him intimately.

    • We love others by demonstrating Christlikeness to them.

    • And we do these things together, because this is a calling for all believers.

Up, In, & Out

  • How is your relationship with God? - this is Your UP relationship

  • How is your relationship with Other believers? - Your IN relationship

  • And Your OUT relationship - How are you proclaiming gospel truth, not just through your actions, but also through your words to the people in your life who don’t know Jesus?

  • How will your next decision affect your ability to Love God and Love Others while walking side-by-side with Other Believers? 

What is God’s Will for my life?

  • How am I loving God and loving others in this season of life?

  • How am I knowing God and making Him known Together with other believers?

  • How am I balancing my Up, In, and Out relationships?

All of those questions are just different ways of saying “how can I remain in God’s presence and follow his leading” in my life today.

Become Your Own Best Friend

Become Your Own Best Friend

Anxiety and Depression• 3/14/21 • John Opalewski

Key passage: Matthew 22:36-39

1 in 4 adults 18-24 contemplated suicide during the pandemic.

  • A 300% increase

28% of Americans are suffering from symptoms of depression during the pandemic.

Followers of Jesus aren’t immune.

Our capacity to love others is directly related to the degree we love ourselves.

  • Matthew 22:36-39

How do we love ourselves without becoming self-centered narcissists?

Healthy self-talk

  • Be kind with the words you say about yourself.

  • If we talked to our friends the same way we talk to ourselves, we would quickly wind up with a long list of enemies.

Self-care vs Self-centeredness 

  • Acts 20:28 - attend to the flock AND yourselves.

  • Philippians 2:4 - not just yourself, not just others. both/and

Embrace God’s opinion of you

  • Psalm 139:1-3 - God knows everything about you.

  • Psalm 139:13-14 - you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

  • Psalm 139:17-18 - his thoughts and cares for you are vast and uncountable.

  • You are worth loving without strings attached. You are worthy of His thoughts.

Get in touch with your soul

  • Proverbs 19:8 - he who gets wisdom loves his own soul.

60 million people in the United States suffer from depression

  • 350 million worldwide (pre-Covid)

Why does depression happen to someone who loves the Lord?

Event- driven

  • loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job

Incremental

  • Small things that compound and build up

Doesn’t respond to strong-will

  • You can’t work your way out of it by sheer force of will.

A black hole of sadness

  • Matthew 26:38

Hits when least expected

  • It can happen even when life is going great.

  • It can happen even when we are close to the Lord.

It can happen to anyone, even people who love God.

  • King David, Jeremiah, and Elijah...

Our capacity to love others is directly related to the degree we love ourselves.

3 Choices

  • Tell your anger where to go.

  • Protect yourself from abuse.

  • Refuel emotionally. Fill your emotional tank.

I’m not struggling with this

  • Be thankful!

  • take care of yourself

  • It is easier to prevent depression and anxiety than it is to cure it.

I am struggling

  • Know that it’s not a life sentence.

  • Call your doctor

  • Find a competent counselor/therapist