A Life Without Limits

it lack of vision – Where there is no vision the people perish!
k. Do we see ourselves as a city without walls?
l. Or are we constantly pulling out a measuring line?
m. What kind of church do we want to be?
i. Do we want to be a church that measures itself by what we think we can do?
ii. By what we think will fit in our budget?
iii. By what we don’t think we can do?
n. Or do we want to be the kind of church that says, God what do you want us to do.
i. And if what God wants is bigger than what we have, we trust that God is big enough to provide for the vision he gives.
o. If God is really on our side then what can’t we do if he is in it?
p. Are there any measuring lines we need to get rid of?
B. To You and Me – A Life Without Walls
a. I think one of the greatest misconceptions about faith is that when you come to Christ you step into a box full of limitations.
i. We think coming to Christ is about a list of dos and don’ts.
b. But is that true?
c. When we come to Christ do we step into a box, or do we step out of a box?
d. I think we often think we’re stepping into a box, but the opposite is true.
i. The Bible says that sin enslaves and constrains us, but that Jesus sets us free.
e. Did you know that Christianity is really a life without limits?
f. Now, hold on a minute preacher – are you saying being a Christian means I can do whatever I want?
i. No that’s not what I’m saying at all.
ii. But what I am saying is that if we think Christianity is a list of dos and don’ts then we’ve missed the point.
iii. Doing whatever we want is not really freedom; it’s a type of slavery (slavery to self).
iv. True freedom comes when we are set free from selfish ambition, and learn to live for someone else.
g. And when God does place limitations on us those limitations actually set us free.
h. Here’s an example.
i. The world model for sex says have multiple sex partners, because the more you learn about sex the better partner you will be when you are married.
ii. Reality says that is absolutely not true.
iii. The Bible places a limitation on us as believers when it comes to sex (1 man and 1 woman who make a lifelong commitment to stay together).
iv. On the surface that seems like a restrictive limitation.
v. But research shows that the overwhelming majority of people who say they have had multiple sex partners say they are highly unsatisfied with their sex lives.
vi. However, by far the highest percentage of people polled who said they were very satisfied with their sex lives were married couples who very strongly believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong.
i. What does that prove?
j. God’s limitations are not limitations at all, but free us from ourselves.
k. What limits you from being a city without walls?
III. Conclusion
A. What is God’s vision for your life?
B. What is God’s vision for First EMC?
C. Are we limiting what God can do because we’ve inadvertently built some walls?
D. Those walls may be a lack of faith, or those walls could be sin.
E. Those walls may be misunderstanding or misguided good will.
F. Are we a city without walls?