The Divine Crash

After spending all week with this Camp Meeting, here is teaching number 7, feel free to listen to the audio at the bottom or on iTunes.

Our scripture John 3:14-18

It starts with Jesus saying: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that those who believe in Him will have eternal life.”

- Background is numbers 21 that the people were dying from snake bites and Moses put a snake on a pole so that people would live.

Jesus had to be lifted up so that all those who believe would have eternal life.

Then Jesus says that God sent His Son because God loves the world. Not because God was angry or because God wanted to smite you. god didn’t want to destroy you or make your burden worse.  Simply because God loves you. and because of that love you are saved.

The result is you are saved because of Jesus but Jesus was sent purely out of love.

Jesus didn’t come to make us feel guilty, although that sometimes happens because we regret our choices and our consequences, but that was not the purpose of Jesus.  Jesus’ purpose was to save us.

hold up dollar bill

- dont come are those who are afraid of strings

- feel they are too good for a dollar

- feel as if they aren’t worthy of something for nothing.

I pick up my son

Jesus desires us to be in relationship with Him, like my son and I are in a relationship.  If he cries he must have faith that I will answer, if his pants are dirty he must have faith that I will change her.

if you aren’t this close to god or if you have the relationship backwards you are doing it wrong.

Jesus wants nothing more than for us to be in relationship with Him, Jesus will do whatever it takes to bring us closer to a relationship with Him.

Jesus doesn’t care if you cry, if you are bruised, hungry, tired or lonely. Jesus only wants you to be in relationship with Him.

this relationship starts at the cross.

at the cross is where hurts fade away.

at the cross is where we find true love.

at the cross is where we find true satisfaction

at the cross is where we know we are loved

at the cross we find we are no longer best friends with the word regret.

at the cross we find that we no longer live in shame

at the cross we find that we no longer need to run from our past.

at the cross is where we find that we are safe in the arms of the god who created us.

This relationship that starts at the cross, starts with a stirring in your heart that says there are no strings attached and you are good enough. it is never a special prayer to ask Jesus into your heart.  It is always a clear and concise choice to make Jesus the most important thing in your life.  To trust him even when it is hard, to have faith in Jesus and a clear choice to follow Jesus and think like Jesus.  All of that might drive you to your knees in prayer but it might not.

and it may drive you to the cross. if you find that you need the cross it is here. the cross is here and is open.

maybe you need to come to the cross for the first time then may you see that the cross is open.

maybe you need to come to the cross and be reminded that god is with you then may you see that the cross is open.

as we close in prayer the worship team will start to sing and we invite you to come to the cross and find that Jesus is here waiting for you. there will be people here with you who will hold you and pray with you.

Sermon Audio

 

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