Reflection from my sermon today at NRN - 3 pictures of our relationship with God

I trust that today was a great day at NRN!  Thanks to Pastor Jordan for leading worship today.  Here is a reflection from my message today:

Have you ever had a distorted relationship with someone? Maybe it was a family member and it seemed like the primary method of communication between you was shouting. Maybe it was a friendship that soured. Maybe it was a work relationship based on fear and jealousy. What about your relationship with God? Do you see him as an irritable taskmaster, checking to see whether you are following the rules? Is he an indifferent observer, who doesn’t seem to care about you or your life? Or is he a loving father, who wants nothing more than for us to love him back? How would you describe your relationship with God? Here are three pictures that contrast images of our relationship with God.


First Picture: SON vs SLAVE               

Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.  But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world.  But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights.  And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!”  So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.                               Galatians 4:1-7


Second Picture: RULES   vs RELATIONSHIP

Galatians 4:8- 20

Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?               Galatians 4: 12-15


Third Picture: CONTRACT vs COVENANT     
                                                     Galatians 4:21- 31
 
But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac. But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now. But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” of the free woman. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.                                                                                 Galatians 4:28-31 NET

Example: 
 


A covenant says that “I will fulfill my end, no matter what.” So despite all of Abraham’s failings, despite all of his descendants’ failings, God remains faithful. The secret of our being faithful is dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Next week we move from theology to practical life application. Let’s be careful not to try to mix the Law and grace – it leads to a frustrated, barren Christian life. Living by grace, through faith, leads to a free and fulfilling Christian life. This is a step toward the New Normal.