September Sermon Series

In the month of September we have been going through a series by Doug Fields called iLife.  This series is all about our relationships!  Not boy/girl relationships, all relationships: mom & dad, friends, enemies, siblings, boy/girl relationships... everyone!  There are basically two ways we can look at our relationships: first the way that the world tells us we should treat others (treat others the way they treat you) or second, the way that God has specifically designed relationships to work the best!  Why would we not listen to the one who created relationships in the first place!  Each week we tackle a different irule (a rule that God has designed for us to have the best relationships possible).
     The first week we simply talked about forgiveness.  That is the foundational element in a friendship.  Eventually, we are going to do something that needs to be forgiven, and we all have experienced something that someone has done that we needed to forgive them for.  This is basic.  This is elemental!  Many of our students have gone through pretty tough stuff.  Maybe they have had some issues with parents, or a girlfriend/boyfriend that has broken their hearts!  One thing that we have to constantly remember is that no matter what, we have been forgiven way more than anything else someone has done to us:  when Christ died on the cross, he took all of our sins and forgave us even before we were born!  Why on earth would we hold something so trivial over someone else and not be able to forgive them after Christ has wiped us completely clean!  I know that it is hard sometimes when someone intentionally hurts you, but in no way does those things  measure up to the perfect example.  If we want to be like Christ, we have got to forgive.
     Last week we tackled Acceptance.  Same concept.  Why on earth would we not be able to accept someone after God has accepted us even after all the things we have done against him. Thank goodness we have a Savior huh! I would strongly suggest that as this series goes on through the month, be sure to check back to see what we are talking about at Connect!  This is an interesting and powerful series.  Please pray that the right students are here on the right nights to hear what God wants to say to them individually!