Read Romans 5:1-11
The world is increasingly living only in the here and now. Even through out my short life I’ve noticed a transition from preparing for the future to living only for the here and now. Studying for the future has given way to present enjoyment. Why study for so long when you might not get a job anyway? Saving for the future has given way to spend up and live big here and now. Debt rates have soared across the western world. Teenagers, young adults and even the older generations want to indulge every possible fantasy here and now.
The Christian life however is lived on three planes - the past, present and the future. Our hearts and minds are constantly returning to the past where Christ died for our sins and rose to victory for our justification. We look continually to the past and gain strength and encouragement from what Christ has done for us.
Our hope, while built on the past, comes from the future. We know that Christ will return and that He will judge the living and the dead. On that day, all evil, sin and wickedness will be dealt with. On that day, the new creation will be ushered in. Love and perfection will reign supreme. Here in the present, our rejoicing stems from the past and the future. As we look back to the work of Christ we rejoice and praise God for our salvation and justification. As we look to the future we rejoice and praise God because we know that God will be glorified.
Sonday Church gatherings are an opportunity to focus on God past, present and future. Every service should take us back to the cross at Calvary and melt our hearts with the love that was shared at the cr5ss. A church service without Christ’s death and resurrection is like a helicopter without blades. It won’t fly anywhere!
But also every church service should look to the future, warning of the coming judgement and calling for repentance but also encouraging believers that the best is yet to come.
Every church service should also look to the present to encourage believers to live lives worthy of those who have been reconciled to God through the past actions of Jesus and who will one day be totally united with God in the present. The church should also be calling the people of the world to repent and to believe in Jesus because of the coming future judgement. As you gather tomorrow in Church, look for these three elements and promote them among the Christian family!
Prayer:
Use the bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for those in your congregation that need healing.
¥ Pray for your session that it might be filled with godliness, integrity and a desire to know and do the Word in its fullness.
Walk Moment:
You can only know who you are in the present if you remember where you’ve come from and where you are going.
1. What do you think would happen if a church focussed only on the past?
2. What do you think would happen if a church focussed only on the future?
3. What do you think would happen if a church focussed only on the present?
Intro: Sometimes the future seems very scary and it’s often better to not think about it.
Discuss a time when you feared the future and how you avoided it or dealt with it.
Read Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 22:13
What comfort does God give us in these verses?
How should we pray when we the future worries us?
Pray together God would give you strength to endure and to praise Him even if you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.
Intro: Sometimes it’s easier to goof off in the present than to worry about the future. The future can be pretty scary.
Discuss a time when you feared the future and how you avoided it or dealt with it.
Read Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 22:13
What comfort does God give us in these verses?
How should we pray when we the future worries us?
Pray together God would give you strength to endure and to praise Him even if you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment