Daily Recap of Sunday's Sermon — Friday: Is He First in Your Life?

[This day's recap: recorded by the host.]

Host 1: Welcome to Daily Recap of Sunday's sermon. I'm Michael and it's Friday. All week we've been walking through Sunday's sermon from Pastor Aaron who belongs to Jesus. For Matthew 12 verses 46 through 50. Today is part five the last part is he first in your life?

Host 1: Yesterday we heard Jesus's words in verse 50 for whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother. Those who truly belong to Jesus are going to grow because God is at work in them.

Host 1: Pastor Aaron picked up right there.

Host 1: With something that he says a lot. God is really good at getting his people to where they need to be. He reminded us of what we saw in Haggai and in Ezekiel. God was willing to take his people out of the promised land he told them they were in that place because they had profaned his name.

Host 1: But he promised to bring them back not for their sake he said but for his own. That's how committed God is to his people. He's committed to seeing them grow in their faith. and ultimately, to bring them to spend eternity with him.

Host 1: So Pastor Aaron said it's very difficult to be part of his family genuinely without growing. Why did the disciples do the will of their father? Because Christ has saved them and his spirit is at work in them. That's how God works.

Host 1: He moves us in that direction. But sometimes we move slowly, don't we? Pastor Aaron pointed us to Romans 7. He said, when you read Romans 7, you understand the battle every day. When we want to do what is good, evil is close at hand.

Host 1: We wake up and say, Lord, I want to read this today. I want to grow today. And then something usually happens. Sin still remains in us. And we have an enemy but Paul ends Romans 7 with a question who will deliver me from this body of death And here's the answer Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord it's Jesus he died on the cross for all of our sins and he has poured out his spirit on us that's our victory not us we don't manufacture it on our own God does and Pastor Aaron's words Jesus does this.

Host 1: That's why he comes first. He's our only hope. So here's his closing question for each of us. Is he first in your life? Do you see the spirit at work in you guiding you and moving you towards God? Sometimes we feel it the other way in the good discipline of the Lord.

Host 1: Pastor Aaron said that in his life it can look like pain. A day he didn't want to have, a project that didn't work out, financial difficulty, Jesus says we can't love God and money at the same time. And Pastor Aaron said God is very good at putting little financial things in his life that say, don't love this.

Host 1: So look hard for it. When you woke up today, was there a desire for more of God? A desire to obey him? To put Christ first? It won't be perfect, we're not in heaven yet,

Host 1: but is it there?

Host 1: Pastor Aaron said Martin Lloyd-Jones would put it something like this, if it's not there at all, you might not actually be a Christian. Because that's how God is at work. Those whom Christ saves, he fills with his spirit and he causes them to grow.

Host 1: And if that puts a little fear in you, what's the response? Pastor Aaron said, throw yourself at Christ, Christ. Run to him. He says, come to me, all you who are weary. He's not going to stiff arm you. He came into this world to save us, so confess your sins to Christ.

Host 1: Let him forgive you. Ask him to fill you with his spirit and watch what God does. He closed with this, may Christ be first in all our lives. and then he prayed for the parents and the children dedicated that morning that the gospel would take root in those kids' hearts and grow into a vibrant faith and he prayed for all of us that by his spirit we would keep Jesus Christ first the most important relationships we have.

Host 1: And he prayed for all of us that by his spirit we would keep Jesus Christ first the most important relationship we have. So let's look back over the week on Monday we asked who comes first on Tuesday Jesus identified his disciples as his true family on Wednesday we saw that putting Jesus first is good for our families and what a privilege it is to belong to him yesterday Jesus taught us how his true family lives and today the question for each of us is he first in your life?

Host 1: You can hear the full sermon at sgcatlanta.org sermons and I'd love for you to be in church this Sunday I'm Michael thanks for listening this week see you next Monday