Tainted Love, Part 1

Relationship Priority:·        God·        Spouse (if applicable)·        Children·        Extended Family·        Friends How did it get this way? (Genesis 1:26) "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,…" (Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."     (Genesis 2:9) "And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:16-17) "And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:18) "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:21) "So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh."         (Genesis 2:21-22) "Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." (Genesis 2:23)  "The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman', for she was taken out of man." (Genesis 2:24) "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:25) "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (Genesis 3:1) "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3:3) "…God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " (Genesis 3:4) "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman." (Genesis 3:5) "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:6) "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:7) "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:21) "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." (Proverbs 14:12)  "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Religious thoughts: ·        If I do something wrong, I should do something right.·        If I do something right, I deserve something good. (Galatians 3:2-3)  "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.  I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:10-11)  "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'  Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, the righteous will live by faith." (Galatians 3:19)  "What, then, was the purpose of the law?" (Galatians 3:24-25)  "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." Are you frustrated with religion? Discover G.R.A.C.E. 1.  G – God's gift to me. (Romans 6:23)  "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." 2.  R – Receive by faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Romans 4:16 NCV)  "People receive God's promise by having faith.  This happens so the promise can be a free gift…" 3.     A – Available to everyone. (Romans 10:13)  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 4.     C – Comes through Christ. (John 1:17)  "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:15 NCV)  "... many people have received God's gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ." (Galatians 2:21 NLT)  "Don't treat the grace of God as meaningless.  For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die." 5.     E – Extended throughout eternity. (John 3:16)  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Isaiah 30:18)  "…the Lord longs to be gracious to you."  1.     Is my relationship with God clear or tainted? (John 10:10 NLT) "….My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." 2.     Are the rest of my relationships clear or tainted?   For more information on the vision of Freedom Church, please visit our website at www.freedom-church.org.