Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by Permission. All rights reserved

Expectations are Universal Parents Schools Jobs ?? Congregations ??

Expectations For members at Grissom Road (Elders don’t provide list) What is expected of “me?”

Ground Rules (1 John 1:3-7) God-fellowship is primary (brother/sister fellowship is secondary) Requirements set only by God Conformance should be judged (1 Peter 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

Avoid external list making God’s Expectations Avoid external list making (Matthew 23:23-28) Transform heart first (Romans 12:1-2)

God’s Expectations Actively Respond to His character and gifts (selected examples today) Become who he made you to be

God’s Character (Ex. 34:6-7) “… The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness … forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty”

Responding to God’s Grace Conviction of sin (Acts 2:21, 22, 23, 30, 37) Willingness to obey “What shall we do?” - Acts 2:37 “Repent and be baptized” - Acts 2:38

Responding to God’s Grace Godliness and self-control “For the grace of God has appeared, bring salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in the present age.”(Titus 2:11-12)

Responding to God’s Grace Glorify God “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Responding to God’s Love “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19) “You have truly said that … to love Him with all the heart and with all the under- standing and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:32-33)

Responding by Loving God Obedience to God’s commands “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” – 1 Jn. 5:3 “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father…” – John 14:21

Responding by Loving God Looking to His word for direction “…If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” – John 14:23 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11

Responding by Loving God Ministering to Brethren (John 21:15-17) “Do You Love Me?” “Feed lambs, tend sheep, feed sheep”

Responding by Loving God “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” 1 Cor. 8:3 Love – expressed by listening to and obeying his word and serving his children is the basis for fellowship with (being ‘known by’) God.

A New Commandment “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” John 13:34

A New Commandment “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” John 13:34

A New Commandment - Love “By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” – 1 John 3:16 God expects us to love our brethren enough to die for them Dying is easy – what about living for them?

Love by Overlooking Faults “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” – 1 Peter 4:8 “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses” – Proverbs 10:12

Love by Meeting Another’s Needs “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” – 1 John 3:17-18

“Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4) Love by Being Patient “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Love by Giving Up Your Way “(Love) does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5)

Love by Being Willing to Serve “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13)

Love by Refusing Fights “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another , watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13)

Love by Forgiving as Christ Forgave “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:13b-14)

Strengthen Love by Meeting Together “And Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Fellowship Depends on Loving Brethren “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:21)

Fellowship With God Based on our response to God’s grace and love expressed in concrete actions Determines fellowship with one another

We Fall Short (Romans 3:23) We don’t always Love God Love our brethren Glorify God in our lives Respond to correction And obey God As we should Mercy in our Judgment

We Fall Short (Romans 3:23) BUT…This does not change God’s conditions for fellowship God will demand more than you’ve done in the past; but He will not demand more than you can do in the future.

For Fellowship, God Demands We respond to His character and gifts by being an acceptable living sacrifice That we prove our commitment by “loving not in word or talk, but in deed and in truth” Success – Deuteronomy 30:11-14