Gate Expectations

Good Morning and Good Week to you all, Harvest South Bay!
Just a reminder to all of the retreat-bound: please register at your earliest convenience. It makes planning go so much smoother when we know early what our headcount will be for the retreat! Again, if you need a registration form, go ahead and cut and paste the link from last week’s announcements!

The rummage sale is this coming Saturday at 7:00 AM! Many thanks for all the donations so far!

Byron
Gate Expectations
Jesus’ I Am Statements: John 10:1-10

Exposition:
Background-
Interpretation of Jesus’ I am the Door saying is rooted in the controversy over the blind man: The Pharisees were pressuring the blind man to betray Jesus. The blind man refused.

Passage-
Jesus’ I am the Door statement focuses on the fact that He is the one that we need to please, not man (like the Pharisees). It is His expectations that we should be concerned about fulfilling.

3 Principles to Freedom from Outside Pressures

1. Hone our Hearing: Listen to what Jesus says about us (we are already forgiven as believers) and not to the expectations of the world.

2. Reach for the Reward: Understand that Jesus hold abundant life- it might be here and now or in heaven but we need to wait on God and not rush to be enslaved to other masters because of our impulsive nature.

3. Understand the Opposition: Understand that life is full of pressures that seek to dictate expectations for us. When we understand that the opposition is there, we can better contrast them with Jesus’ expectations.

Weekly Application Exercises
1. Examine your sources of daily and weekly stress. What sources of pressure do you face? Who are you trying to either impress or satisfy beyond Christ? Present those pressures to Christ and refocus your motivation, knowing His full forgiveness.

2. Step out of your comfort zone this week to experience freedom from the opinions of others by trying to either share the gospel with someone or at least initiate a discussion about someone else’s faith background.