Nurture Others Out of Personal Wholeness
Written by Ed Allen
Wednesday, 02 February 2005 19:00
"As followers of Jesus, we seek to make relationship-building a priority. However, our own sin has blocked our ability to relate in meaningful and/or beneficial ways. Before we can relate to others in a godly way, we, ourselves must pursue healing. Therefore, we will seek to respond to the effects of God's grace in our lives by moving toward personal healing, wholeness and purity with courage and honesty. Among other things, we will pursue sexual purity as a reflection of God's heart and respect for other people. We will seek a growing, healthy interdependence with others and seek restoration of broken and harmed relationships." - Gateway Community Church Covenant
Ephesians 4:3; 5:8; Matthew 18:15-20; Colossians 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 7
Sermon Notes to accompany audio
"13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness- 15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression [a] and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand."
Isaiah 52:13 - 53:10
Jesus' response to abandonment, betrayal, and redicule is to open the door to relationship.
In Luke 23:34, Jesus said 'Father forgive them...'
In Luke 13:34, Jesus, knowing He is about to die, laments for Jerusalem and not for himself.
Jesus had no empty spaces to fill. He was whole.
If we are going to be able to move toward right relationship, we have to let God make us whole and fill the empty spaces. If we allow the empty spaces in our lives to sway us, we won't be able to move toward right relationship.
Resources to becoming whole
- Home Fellowship
- Christian counseling
- Inside Out by Larry Crabb
- Other people at Gateway