January 3 Sermon: “Putting God First in 2010″

Here’s the sermon from Sunday.  It’s the second in a series about living without regret in 2010.  This week, we look at ways we can build our relationship with God in the year ahead.  Sermon notes follow.

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A Regret-Free 2010: Put God First!
Mark 12:28-30

All of us want to live without regrets in the new year. How can we do it? For the next few weeks, we’ll look at the fact that the priorities in our lives should reflect what’s really important.

This week, we’ll discover that when we love God with everything we have, He helps us live a life without regrets.

1. What loving God with everything you have doesn’t mean
doesn’t mean you are weird
doesn’t mean you spend all day reading Bible & praying
doesn’t mean you are useless
doesn’t mean you just think about doing good (Acts 10:38)

2. What it does mean to love God with everything you have
Heart: what you value, what is important to you. Only God can take first place—everything else is an idol
(Ex. 20:3-4, Is. 45:9)
**How do we tell what place God has? Calendar & Checkbook
Soul: your life. Would you follow God if it cost you everything—health, family, freedom, life?
Mind: your thinking. 2 quick truths:
**Loving God with all your mind means you concentrate on different things (Phil. 4:8, Rom. 12:2)
**Changed thinking is key to a changed life.
Strength: your energy and influence. How do we spend our time? our money? our God-given talents?

3. What does it look like to love God with everything we have?
Remember: this is about developing a relationship, not following rules (Difference: we have to follow rules, we want to build a relationship)
**might involve same actions—motivation & attitude differ
Fact: Christians have desire to please God (Rom. 7:21-23)
Fact: loving God is not one-time decision: it’s a lifelong journey (2 Cor. 3:18)
Developing a relationship with God is like developing a relationship with any person (same principles apply)
You’ve got to get to know Him (Bible study)
**The Bible is God’s letter to us. It tells us about Him, what He’s done for us, & who we are. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Heb. 4:12)
**The best Bible-reading plan? The one you use!
You’ve got to talk to Him (prayer) (1 Thes. 5:17, Phil. 4:6)
** In the Bible & history, people who prayed most did most **You can pray anywhere, anytime
**Use reminders (2 lists: requests & answers)
You’ve got to spend time with people He loves (church)
(Heb. 10:24-25)
**We have responsibility to encourage, motivate & teach each other
You’ve got to be committed to what He thinks is important (time, talent & treasure) (2 Cor. 8:7)
**We show devotion to God by how we use what He gives us

What does this mean to me? (Acts 2:42-45, John 14:23)
1. This is how the early church lived—this is how you were meant to live! A year without regrets happens when God is our first priority. He commands it, for our good & His glory.

2. When we commit to loving God with everything we have, we begin to see the world the way He sees it. We’ll view our families, our friends, our work, our possessions differently.

3. We’ll never love God perfectly in this life. But He promises us peace, wisdom, & fellowship—and forgiveness for the times we fail Him. He wants to bless His children!

4. When God is first in our lives, everything else falls into place! You will be better in every aspect of your life.

Big questions
What’s first in your life? (Family, money, etc.) We all put things in God’s place. Will you commit to building your relationship with Him first, and letting Him transform your life?