DEPENDENCE
Pastor Mark Warda
Woodland Church
Sunday, July 10, 2022
“Depend” comes from the Latin word pendere meaning “to hang” … “to be sustained by or attached to something above” … “to be connected”
“Rely” comes from the Latin word religare meaning “to bind.”
Trust involves Faith.
Confidence literally means “with faith”
In what or in Whom do you place your trust?
(Isaiah 12:2) “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
(Jeremiah 17:7) “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.”
A. THE LORD IS MY ROCK
(Psalm 61:1-3, ESV) “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”
(Deuteronomy 32:3-4, NLT) “I will proclaim the name of the LORD; how glorious is our God! He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!”
(Isaiah 26:3-4) “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.”
- SALVATION
(Romans 10:13, NLT) “For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT) “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
- STRENGTH
(Galatians 5:16-23, NLT) “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, … But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
- SERVICE
(James 2:18, 24, NLT) Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
B. THE CHURCH IS FOUNDED ON THE ROCK
(Matthew 16:13-18, ESV) “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
(1 Peter 2:4-7) “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.”
- WITNESS
To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world.
(Matthew 28:18-20, NLT) “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- WORSHIP
To be a corporate body in which man may worship God.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NLT) “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”
- WALK
To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son.
(Ephesians 4:11-16, NLT) “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
- WORK
To be a people who demonstrate God’s love and compassion for all the world.
(Galatians 6:7-10, NLT) “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
GROWTHWORK
- Connect with Jesus.
- Be Bound in Christ.
- I will read my Bible and pray each day at _____.
- Connect with lost people.
- Be a Lifeline in the world.
- I will invite the following person(s) to church _____.
- Connect with fellow believers.
- Be a Servant in ministry.
- I will inquire about volunteering at Woodland in _____.