In the Bible Christian Ministry
Sunday 5-04-25 (Fully Alive, Part 2)
  • I’m proud of you.. God looks good on you.
    God has brought you this far

    Introduction

    Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life
    Introduction: Discussed the concept of being fully alive, beyond just existing
    Feeling Alive: Describes moments that make us feel extremely alive, such as relaxing in a beautiful place, doing something adventurous, receiving a reward, or focusing on a passion.
    Connection with God: Emphasizes that true life and feeling fully alive come from connecting with God, not just attending church or reading the Bible
    God as a Lifestyle: Highlights that God is more than church, reading, or praying; He is a lifestyle
    Desires vs. Reality: Discusses the conflict between what we say we want and what we really want, and the effort required to achieve a truly fulfilling life *****EXPANDING
    Life-Giving Presence of God: Stresses the importance of living in God's presence for true fulfillment and spiritual vitality
    So to understand what it means to Fully Alive lets understand what it means to be Dead.

    DEATH

    What if you didn’t know you were dead?
    - Sixth Sense Movie
    Romans 5:12 NIV
    12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to ALL people, because all sinned—
    Ephesians 2:1 NIV
    1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
    What does it mean to dead?
    Physically it means Cessation.
    Really cessation of three things:          
    Breathing: Lungs no longer take it oxygen
    Heartbeat: Heart no longer pumping blood leading to a lack of circulation
    Brain Activity: Brain no longer showing electrical activity
    Now you can argue well all it takes is one of those things and that is true but actual death doesn’t come until all three are complete.
    Genesis 2:17 NIV
    17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
    Now of course if this happens no one is walking around
    So what are we talking about…. What about Spiritual death
    Ephesians 2:1–3 NIV
    1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 ALL of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
    Separation from God while we are still alive physically
    The Walking Dead
    We are alive but we don’t know we are dead and when we realize that is when we accept Christ.
    Why is this like being dead:
    - You are not truly experiencing life as it was designed.  You are functioning but you are Living.
    - Just like the plant we spoke about last week. 
    o Alive but roots are shriveled, leaves not broad, fruit not producing. True it is alive but it’s not living in fullness
    o Thing about this spiritual death is it is comes with consequences after this physical life is over in that we don’t get to spend eternity with God but the spiritual death is affecting us now if we don’t have Christ and in death we just continue in the separation.
    o Many people think oh I’m being punished after death.  No it is a continuation.  This is the path.  You continue living the life of separation that was chosen while here on earth or you can continue in the relationship that you fostered while here on earth.
    We are living a life of death and don’t even know it
    We can struggle to recognize our need for true life from Jesus if we don’t realize we are dead.
    A trespass is a false step, involving either the crossing of a known boundary or a deviation from the right path.
     A sin means missing the mark, or falling short of the standard.
    Two ways we go against God.
    Together we have words that cover the positive and the negative, or active and passive aspects of human wrong doing
    Sins of Commission
    - Commission refers to a sin that is committed by actively doing something wrong;
    - Think of it as crossing a line that you know you shouldn’t cross
    - Lying, Stealing, Murder, Adultery, Gossip, etc.
    Sins of Ommission
    - Ommission on the other hand refers to a sin that is committed by failing to do something right that you know you should do.
    - Neglecting a duty
    - Failing to help, Not listening
    - Think of this as something that you don’t do that is wrong.
    James 4:17 NIV
    17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
    Before God we are both REBELS and FAILURES
    - Rebels in that we look to do something that we know is wrong or isn’t right (Commission)
    - Failures in that we choose not to do things we know is right (Ommission)
    We should accept life but we also have to Live a worthy Life.
    1 John 2:6 NIV
    6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
    We Hear and Know how we NEED to live but we also know how we WANT to Live
    So we accept Christ but do we accept His lifestyle
    So now things shift we know we have made a choice of where we spend eternity but do we choose to live this life here on earth FULLY
    In fact we want it ALL!!!

    We Want it All

    He says He wants you to have life and have it more abundantly.
    What do we say in response to that?
    What we say vs. what we Really want
    I want:
    I want a lot of money,
    but I don’t want to work
    I want everyone to like me and know when I walk in the room,
    but I want to treat people how I think I feel like treating them. 
    I want to be treated very special when I walk in a room...recognized
    But if I don’t feel like it I don’t want to speak or act welcoming. 
    I want a lot of things
    But I don’t feel like taking care of the stuff that I have. 
    I want new stuff that I see others have
    But I don’t even want to be truly thankful for what I have
    I want to look good, and be healthy
    But I don’t want to put in the work to get it or maintain it for that matter
    I want a great relationship with God
    But I don’t want to put in the time and effort to grow it.
    Essentially I want to live my Best life
    But I want to do the things that consistently give me my worst life because I enjoy doing the things that give me bad results. 
    My prayer is this: 
    God if I could just do the things that I want to do because I enjoy them but I don’t like the results so if you could just change the results of my decision to be the opposite I would really appreciate it.
    -     You know what if you could just give me everything I want without me trying or putting forth the effort that’s really what I want.
    -     And on top of that… while you are at it ALSO.... GIVE Me a Sign that you got this message or else I won’t believe you even got this message.  So give me that sign and do it soon because I don’t have much time.
    Why… because I’m in Control and I want to stay in Control but of course I’ll give you the glory for it (whatever that is)
    I’ll blame you for my bad decisions
    I’ll blame you for the ways the world
    I’ll blame you for not answering me in my time
    I’ll thank you on Sundays
    I’ll thank you when I feel like
    I’ll forget about what you did for me yesterday and beg for new things tomorrow.
    I’ll give you credit, but I’ll actually give myself credit to, because if it wasn’t for me asking or for me doing my part you couldn’t do what you did—-so you did it but I started it through my hard prayers and focused attention
    This is how we Live… and we wonder why we are FULLY ALIVE

    What Should We Want? The Life-Giving Presence of God

    We ask ourselves often, don't we?
    What should we strive for?
    What should our deepest longings be?
    What is going to make me FEEL ALIVE????
    The world offers a cacophony of answers: success, wealth, comfort, power.
    But as believers, our hearts should echo a different desire, a more profound yearning:to live in His presence.
    Think about it. Throughout scripture, God's presence is not just a concept; it's the very source of life, joy, and strength.
    Analogy of trees and plants. Consider
    Psalm 1:1–3NIV
    1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
    This psalm beautifully illustrates the point.
    The blessed person, the one who delights in God's word (which leads us to Him), is like a tree planted by life-giving water.
    Just as a tree needs constant nourishment from water to flourish, we need the constant presence of God in our lives to truly thrive.
    Trees and plants live in the presence of the Sun.
    They need it.
    They have to have it.
    And it makes them ALIVE.
    The sun provides light for photosynthesis, the very process of creating life and growth. In the same way, God's presence is the light of our souls. It illuminates our path, nourishes our spirits, and enables us to bear fruit – the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
    Galatians 5:22–23 NIV
    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
    Without the sun, a plant withers and dies. Similarly, when we drift away from God's presence, we become spiritually weak, our joy fades, and our ability to reflect His love diminishes. We might go through the motions, but true spiritual vitality is absent.
    Matthew 22:37–40 NIV
    37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
    You are Alive but to be Fully Alive you must realize you are living a life full of ANSWERED PRAYERS
    God has a hand in around and under your life
    God has got you this far and that is a mighty long way
    Some of you shouldn’t be here.
    Some of you barely made it out
    Some of you can look back at that situation and still don’t know how you are sitting here
    Some of you got something to be thankful for
    Some of us shouldn’t be alive.
    Some of us made some decisions that God saved us from.
    _____
    1 Peter 1:15–16 NIV
    15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
    Galatians 2:16 NIV
    16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
    Galatians 5:22–23 NIV
    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
    Consider the words of David in Psalm 27:4:
    Psalm 27:4NIV
    4One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
    David, a king with earthly power and possessions, desired above all else to be in God's presence. He understood that true beauty, true wisdom, and true fulfillment were found there.
    Think about the Tabernacle and later the Temple in the Old Testament. These were tangible places where God's presence was uniquely manifested. The people longed to be near it. Even today, though God's presence is not confined to a physical building (as we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:19), our hearts should still yearn for that intimate connection with Him.\
    1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV
    19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
    How do we cultivate this desire and live in His presence?
    Through Prayer: Prayer is our direct line to God. It's an invitation for Him to draw near, and for us to draw near to Him. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."
    Through His Word: Scripture is God's revealed truth. As we read and meditate on it, we encounter His character, His promises, and His will for our lives. It's like basking in the warmth of His light.
    Through Fellowship with Believers: When we gather together as the body of Christ, His presence is among us (Matthew 18:20). We encourage one another, build each other up, and experience the collective strength of His Spirit.
    Through Obedience: When we strive to live according to His commands, we demonstrate our love for Him and create space for His presence to work more deeply in our lives (John 14:23).
    So, what should we want? More than earthly treasures, more than fleeting pleasures, more than the approval of the world, let our deepest desire be to dwell in the life-giving presence of our God.
    Just as a plant cannot survive without the sun, our souls cannot truly live and flourish apart from Him. Let us cultivate that longing, seek Him daily, and allow His presence to transform us from the inside out, making us vibrant, fruitful, and truly alive.
    Ephesians 2:4–5NIV
    4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
    By his Grace we are alive.  Through His offering to us and our accepting of Him completely we can now be FULLY ALIVE
    Living a life full of answered prayers
    Going your speed with God. Let him tell you not what you see.
    Goal is to not let people pass. 45mph

      • Romans 5:12NIV2011

      • Ephesians 2:1NIV2011

      • Genesis 2:17NIV2011

      • James 2:26NIV2011

      • Ephesians 2:1–3NIV2011

      • James 4:17NIV2011

      • 1 John 2:6NIV2011

      • Galatians 5:22–23NIV2011

      • Galatians 5:22–23NIV2011

      • Matthew 22:37–40NIV2011

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