GO FAR
The third and final sermon in Todd's series is titled "This is YOUR YEAR - GO FAR!" The focus up to this point has been figuring out what God has planned for us this year and then stepping out in faith to start the process. This one's about moving down the road and making progress together. We start with this quote: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together" Makes sense, right? If your goal is to get somewhere fast, it's best to be un-incumbered by other people. But if you really want to make a difference (go far), you're going to need others to help. This gets at the core of our church vision for this year, to build stronger relationships with each other through our common faith in Jesus Christ. This applies to your individual goals and Gods vision for your life too - it's going to go much smoother if your willing to lean on your fellow Christians.
Being in true relationship with other people takes hard work. Humanity is messy (yes, even for Christians), and if we're going to live life together as God intends, then things are going to get a little messy now and then. Genesis 2:18 reveals very early on that God intended us do life together: "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper (partner) suitable for him". So we are literally designed for relationship, but our culture glorifies individualism. "The best way to be is a self-made person" (this is a lie from the evil one). "You've got to pull yourself up by the bootstraps", "Just get 'er done!" - we've heard this stuff all our lives. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 lends some perspective: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! On the teamwork front, Hebrews 12:1 gives us a glimpse of how it's supposed to work - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (our church family), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (in the Envision step).
Bottom line - we need others to model mercy and grace and love. We need to be pushed to be better. And yes, we even need to be rebuked on occasion. For those of us that are anxious (oh HECK yah that's me!), we hate to hear that worry is a sin. That's why we need others to encourage and assure us. You are NO MATCH for Satan alone! Shame is a tool of the devil - it's not in God's arsenal. So if it's shame you're feeling, it's not from your loving Father. WHY did Jesus endure the cross? For the sake of joy. What joy? For you - YOU ARE HIS JOY! You are also OUR JOY! So let's do this together THIS YEAR!
-John E
