Northstar Bulletin: June 7, 2015
If Sunday’s sermon could be summed up in one sentence it would be, “Seeing reality as God sees reality.” It was part three of our summer series: Think to Change. During this series we are examining fundamental components of our faith and looking at how our belief guides our behavior, which in turn determines who we become.
The first week we spent time learning about the authority of scripture. The second week we learned about applying God’s Word, and this week Neal Nelson, our Associate Pastor, taught on becoming a person of truth.
Through our study ,we have learned that he Bible, presents a consistent worldview and basis for morality. It claims over 4,000+ times to be THE Word of God. As a result of that belief, believers should saturate their lives with scripture. As what we believe (the Bible is God’s Word to us) and how we behave (applying God’s Word) come together, we become people of truth.
That can certainly be a challenge because we are also in a battle against the “unholy trinity” of the flesh, the world, and the father of lies. The flesh refers to the things we use to feel whole and satisfied, other than God. The world is the systems and secular beliefs that we are constantly exposed to that threaten to derail us from living a life in accordance with God’s reality. The Father of Lies is satan, he is tricky, manipulative, and wants us to believe half-truths that will keep us from a deep and intimate love relationship with the Father.
To better understand this we looked at Ephesians 4:20-25:
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
It is one thing to accept the scripture above intellectually; it is another to live it daily. The process of becoming a people of truth, as revealed in Ephesians, is trifold.
- Put off your old self
- Renew the “spirit of your minds.”
- Put on your new self
To do this we must begin to see our everyday realities consistent with God’s reality. For example, you must view your marriage the way God views your marriage. You must view your behavior at work the way God views your behavior at work. You must view parenting the way God views parenting. Everything we do must be done in accordance with God’s reality.
Each message in our #ThinktoChange series can stand alone. However, the series is most powerful when you listen to all of the sermons in order to get the big picture of God’s design. If you missed this week, or previous weeks, you can hear the full podcast.
Join us next week as we dive into the doctrine of the Trinity! Consider this statement from Scott Duvall, author of Experiencing God’s Story of Life and Hope:
“What difference does the obscure doctrine [teaching] of God as Trinity [Father, Son, Holy Spirit] really make after all? Why do we have to try to solve this theological puzzle? The simple answer is that this belief matters greatly if you want to know God and experience His salvation… What sets Christianity apart from other religions is that we believe in one God who Father, Son, and Spirit, with each playing a unique role in rescuing lost humanity.”