Living in Overlap: Embracing God's Will and Redemption

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Daily Surrender to God's Will

The journey of faith is not a one-time decision but a daily commitment to love and trust Jesus. It involves a choice - to live life according to one's own will or to surrender to God's will. This surrender is not a sign of weakness but a testament to the believer's trust in God's plan and purpose. ([12:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Mz_iIewnk&t=750s))

Bible Passage: Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Reflection: What does daily surrender to God's will look like in your life? Can you identify one area where you struggle to surrender control and how you might begin to release it to God?

Day 2: God's Redemption in Our Brokenness

God's goodness is powerful enough to overshadow the big separation story, and it can also redeem and transform the individual falls and brokenness experienced in life. This is a powerful reminder of God's ability to redeem all things, even the most broken and fallen aspects of our lives. ([24:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Mz_iIewnk&t=1455s))

Bible Passage: Joel 2:25 - "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced God's redemption in your brokenness. How did that experience change your perspective on God's goodness and power?

Day 3: God's Respect for Our Free Will

God respects our free will, even when our choices lead us away from Him. This is seen in the Book of Romans where God gives people what they want, a thought that can be both a gift and a scary reality. ([36:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Mz_iIewnk&t=2160s))

Bible Passage: Deuteronomy 30:19 - "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."

Reflection: How have your choices reflected your free will? Can you identify a choice you made that led you away from God and how you can make a different choice moving forward?

Day 4: Authentic Christian Living

It is not enough to simply have the right beliefs or say the right things; the fruit of one's life should reflect a flourishing and overlapping life, rather than a separated and hellish existence. This is a call to authentic Christian living, where our actions align with our beliefs. ([48:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Mz_iIewnk&t=2915s))

Bible Passage: James 2:17 - "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Reflection: What does authentic Christian living look like in your life? Can you identify one action that you can take today to align your actions with your beliefs?

Day 5: Life Everlasting with God

Life with God is characterized by a seamless overlap between God's space and our space. This overlap allows for a relationship with God, a sense of purpose, and meaningful partnership. This is a profound insight into the nature of eternal life as a continuation of our relationship with God, rather than a completely different existence. ([59:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Mz_iIewnk&t=3555s))

Bible Passage: John 17:3 - "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Reflection: How do you envision your relationship with God in the context of eternal life? What steps can you take today to deepen that relationship?

Sermon Summary

The sermon begins with the pastor drawing a parallel between the soothing storytelling of Bob Ross and the biblical narrative, emphasizing the significance of trees in both. The pastor then focuses on the message of 1 John 1:9, which encourages confession of sins and belief in Jesus for redemption. The pastor presents a choice to the listeners - to live life according to their own will or to surrender to God's will. The sermon encourages believers to live in the overlap, where they daily choose to love and trust Jesus.

The pastor then explores the concept of separation and how it is ultimately overcome by the work of Jesus Christ. The pastor reassures listeners that if God's goodness can overshadow the big separation story, it can also redeem and transform the individual falls and brokenness experienced in life. The pastor then discusses the concept of God giving people what they want, as seen in the Book of Romans. This idea is described as a gift, although it may be a scary thought.

The sermon then moves to Ephesians 2, where Paul discusses the concept of being made alive in Christ Jesus. The pastor highlights God's mercy and love, stating that God does not want us to remain in a separated space and actively pursues us. The pastor then refers to Genesis 3, where God calls out to Adam and Eve after they have separated themselves. God covers their shame and provides clothing for them, symbolizing his grace and willingness to enter into their separation.

The pastor then addresses the issue of living in a state of separation. He emphasizes that it is not enough to simply have the right beliefs or say the right things; the fruit of one's life should reflect a flourishing and overlapping life, rather than a separated and hellish existence. The pastor concludes by stating that there are two types of people in the end: those who say "thy will be done" to God, and those to whom God says "thy will be done."

The sermon concludes with the pastor discussing the concept of life everlasting as described in the Bible. The pastor emphasizes that life with God is characterized by a seamless overlap between God's space and our space. This overlap allows for a relationship with God, a sense of purpose, and meaningful partnership. However, something happened in Genesis 3 that caused a separation between God's space and our space. The pastor also challenges the traditional belief of heaven as a place of clouds and harps, suggesting a more dynamic and fulfilling understanding of the afterlife.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

"Living in the overlap means embracing the tension between our love for God and our love for others. It's about recognizing that our faith should not be confined to the walls of the church, but should permeate every aspect of our lives." [41:16]

"Look at the fruit of your life. Does the fruit of your life look like the flourishing of an overlapping life or does it look like a separated life of literal hell on Earth?" (28:20)

"There are two types of people in the end. One of those types God will say, 'Thy will be done,' and the other type God will say to people, 'Thy will be done.'" (30:36)

"God delivered them over into the cravings of their hearts... He gave them what they wanted." (Romans 1:24) [31:14]

"God would not let us stay in the separated space... He came after us." (Ephesians 2) [32:45]

"Every time we sin, we decide in that moment again, however big or small it is, doesn't matter. In that moment, we choose to live life in the separated space, to choose life even if it's just for a moment, to choose life outside of God. And the LIE from the enemy then and now is that you can do that and be okay, you can do that and it'll actually be more than okay, it'll be good choosing it will actually lead to life. But all it ever does then and now is leads to life without God, which is death." [17:55]

"What God did in Christ made the fall or the story of separation a comma in the story and not the final period...we won't remember the fall as much as we will Marvel in the work of Jesus to come into the separation, come into our Wilderness, come into the place where we decided we don't want him and to bring us into the overlap."

"Life with God looks like a complete and seamless overlap between His space and our space, where we were created for relationship, purpose, and meaningful partnership with Him."

"We want to dismantle the previously held belief of heaven being a disembodied floating space. Life Everlasting, as intended, is a complete and seamless overlap between God's space and our space."

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