Grace-Filled Relationships
Notes
Transcript
Friendships come from joy rather than supply joy
Bubbles vs Reality
Threats
Expectations
Rule-based relationship
Christ eclipses everything else
To have grace-filled relationships, find joy in holiness by expecting to:
To have grace-filled relationships, find joy in holiness by expecting to:
1. Share grace
1. Share grace
As God’s chosen, holy and loved
Compassion - Emotional empathy - Everyone is suffering
Kindness - Do tangible good. But not eliminating suffering. Find 5 people. Pray
Expect differences - be patient
Bear with one another
19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!
20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.
21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that.
Know the difference between a difference of opinion and moving away from Christ
2. Prioritize harmonious love
2. Prioritize harmonious love
“I believe in my actions I am seeking to point you to Christ.”
Boundaries - changes in my behavior in order to point others to Jesus
Time & Rumblings
3. Rest in Christ
3. Rest in Christ
There’s only one Jesus and you aren’t him.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
Submit to and share Scripture
Represent Christ always
Christ eclipses all
Be in the Word and prayer
What expectations are you putting on relationships? Will you put grace-filled expectations and live those out?
Come, see us.
Partake in communion
Behold the Lamb
V1 - deacons come to front V2 - while passing bread V3 - while passing cup V4 - directly following cup (before closing statements)
Community Group questions
What could it reveal about our hearts when people stop being compassions, kind, and patient with us or we stop doing it with someone else?
Could we think someone is being uncompassionate when they actually are being compassionate? Why or why not?
What are some questions you could ask to get to the heart of differences in expectations as well as the heart of activities that seem ungracious?
We are called to put on harmonious love. This kind of love takes time. How much time on average are people willing to devote time to relationships? Is that good or insufficient? Why or why not? Might the time amount vary? What would determine that?
From your perspective, how does the peace of Christ rule your hearts in relationship to others? How can you encourage that with each other?
Thankfulness is mentioned 3x in the passage. We are to be thankful we are called into one body, that we have the word of Christ guiding us, and that we can represent Christ. What are some ways you cultivate and demonstrate that thankfulness?