Good Morning Family.
I'm so grateful to God for gathering us all together.
Welcome, all those who are joining us here for the first time.
Heavenly Father,
I give thanks for this gathering here today
Affirm in our hearts, the truths in Your Word
Help us to follow You always
even when those in our lives disagree
when those around us attempt to cause us to stumble
let us to hold fast, clinging tightly to You
lead us into Your perfect truth,
and help us to be the people You created us to be
lead us in Your ways
fill our hearts with Your love for one another and others
If any of our paths be crooked, make it straight
reveal those things within us that displease You
In Jesus' name
Amen
Today, as we conclude the series on relationships, I want to talk about communication.
More specifically the communication of our hearts.
The foundation of all our relationships is communication. If there is no communication, there is no relationship
If the communication between you and your family is not well, then your relationship with them is probably not going very well. The same is true with our relationship with God.
If we aren't in communication with God, daily, our relationship with God isn't going well.
If we have no communication with Him, we have no relationship with God.
The closer we are to someone, in any relationship is, the more we are in communication with them..
Isn't that true? It's no different with our relationship with God.
I communicate with God not only everyday, but all throughout the day.
Why? Because it's important to God and it's important to me!
From the very beginning of this world, God has been a communicator.
God desires to communicate with His creation! It pleases Him.
Doesn't it make us happy when those we deeply love want to talk to us?
So why should we look at our relationship any different?
"They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden."
Genesis 3:8
God wanted to communicate with them. They chose to hide instead....they did not want to talk to God at that moment.....and we all know what happened.
They were thrown out of the garden.
Mankind was cursed!
God has always wanted to communicate with man. He has never tried to hide His plans from us...
God revealed His plan to Adam, and to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob.
God has always revealed His plan...
As He has revealed His plan to us..
It's called Scripture!
Sometimes it is through His own voice.
Sometimes it is through His word.
Other times it is through a preacher...
But God is always a Master communicator!
That's never been a question, the question is then, are we listening to Him?
Jesus was a master at communication.
He taught in parables that all people could understand.
He let His people know what His plans were.
More specifically, Jesus communicated that which was in His heart.
"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another."
John 15:12-17
We can see from Jesus' words, that the difference between a servant and a friend, is based upon the depth and the content of communication.
A servant doesn't know much because his lord does not share many things with his servant.
The servant hears things like...this is what I need you to do today.
The scripture said that Jesus told his friends all things. There was a progression from servant hood to friendship.
Jesus told his true friends His dreams.
Jesus told them everything that He had heard of His father.
There is a principle here that I believe that we all need to understand about communicating our hearts.
Jesus did not tell His servants all things, but He told his friends all things.
It is natural to have different types of friends.
We communicate differently with people that we would call friends.
Jesus was careful with the content of His communication!
Just as you have to be careful who you tell your secrets to,
You have to be very careful who you tell your dreams to.
If they are not true friends they may use your dream against you, or in some cases, sabotage it.
As brothers and sisters in the Lord we are instructed to love one another as we love ourselves.
We all understand that today....we love and trust one another, and we openly communicate with one another, because we share the same dream...we all want to make it to heaven one day!
That is our dream. That is what we are all about!
Having said that, we also understand that people will be people, and everybody can't be your closest friend.
In this world, and in church, we have different relationships with different people.
We have those "ride or die" people..
They will love you unconditionally. No matter how badly you mess up.
They will always support you.
They will be there in the good times and in the bad.
They'll roll up their sleeves and help you, when you need it.
And they'll cheer you on, encourage you not to give up.
They will be there when are sick.
They will be there when you are broke...because they believe in you!
They will feed you.
They will build you up.
They don't just take from you.
But they also give back to you.
These are special people...if you don't have good in your life, you are always going to be giving, giving, giving, and never receiving.
You will always be feeding, feeding, feeding, but never getting fed yourself.
We need a community of good people...we need those close relationships and special people in our lives.
If we are ever going to succeed in this walk...we need a faithful community behind us.
When you tell them your dream, they will help you look for ways to achieve your dream.
They love you so much they will confront you when you're not doing right.
And sometimes, they will get in your face.
They will tell you when you are going the wrong direction....because they want what's best for you.
If you have two or three of them in your lifetime you are a blessed person.
If you don't have one, then you need to find one.
I am so blessed to have my family, my church family and several others, who are always there for me.
I call these people my confidants, I can literally tell them anything, and they love me anyway, even when they may disagree with me.
Then there will be some people, and it is important to identify and understand these people early on, these are those people who are in your life, who are your so called friends, but they are not really there you. They have a "hidden agenda."
Oh, they'll talk a good game, but when the time comes to deliver, they would if it was any other time, but right now just isn't good. But... if you ever need them, they'll be right there!
They are not for you....but they are with you because of what you represent.
I call these people constituents.
If they meet somebody else who can advance their personal agenda better than you, then they will leave you cold and follow them.
They will always follow the person who can advance their cause the best interests.
Warning:
You have to be careful not to mistake your constituent for your confidant.
In the heat of the battle you may break down and pour your heart and soul out to them because they seem like your friend.
But be careful who you tell your dreams to, because sooner or later they will break your heart,
use your dream against, and I've met some, who will attempt to "steal your dream."
That's why it's crucial to identify and understand what they are for, what you can offer them at that time, and they won't be around very long in your life....Constituents!
group of people in your life are your Comrades.
our comrades are not for you....they are not into you.
And they are not for what you are for.
But they are against what you are against.
They are your comrades...they fight with you against a common enemy.
An examples, ladies, is an ex boyfriends ex girlfriend before you, you pair up to "take him down" so to speak. Come on now, don't be looking at me all shocked! You know some of you have at least discussed it with your ex's ex. Let's be honest, God's listening.. (smiling)
They are like those Old Testament Kings of Israel and Judah who made allegiances with Egypt and Assyria because they faced a common enemy who was greater than they were.
Once that enemy was defeated, those Kings were no longer comrades.
Just don't get confused by their friendship...it has a purpose.
When you defeat what it is that you are both against...they will leave you because they have just won their victory.
Like scaffolding, they come into your life for a purpose, and when the purpose is complete, the scaffolding is taken down and removed.
Ain't no sense in getting all mad about it, just keep in mind, the building always remains once the scaffolding is removed.
Just realize that your comrades and your constituents are not going to be around forever...they are going to leave.
So don't get upset when they don't react to your dream the way that you expected them to because they were never for you in the first place.
They were only for what you were for and against what you were against.
Just be careful then, who you tell your dreams to.
One example I can think of is Joseph, the dreamer...Joseph thought he was safe telling his dreams to his own brothers...his own flesh and blood.
Little did Joseph know that his own brothers were not his confidants.
They were not for him, in fact, they were not even for the things that Joseph was for.
Even though Joseph loved his brothers very dearly....they did not love him the same way.
At the very best, his brothers were his constituents...they were against the things that he was against....they had the same enemies.
And when Joseph communicated his dreams and his passion to his brothers....
They did not like what they heard.
They thought he was crazy.
They got the wrong idea about Joseph.
They thought that Joseph wanted to rule over them.
They chose not to believe his dreams.
And they used his dreams against him....and sold him into slavery.
Get my point?...don't communicate your dream with everybody!
I am talking today about communicating not just your dream but your heart.
But, if you want to succeed in your life you must communicate your heart!
If you want to succeed in the Kingdom you must communicate your heart!
You need somebody to communicate your passion to!
We need friends who are really there for us, have our best interests at heart.
And sometimes, we won't like what they have to say, but, it's important to listen!
We need those people, we can trust to be honest, not just say what we want to hear, who "tickle our ears" as Scripture says, those people are fake!
We need to surround ourselves those people that we can really communicate our dream to.
Amen?
Of all the stories of friendship in the Bible, one of my favorites, is the story of David and Jonathan.
David needed a Jonathan in his life!
Most of you know the story.
David had been anointed to become the next king of Israel.
King Saul's son Jonathan became best friends with David.
It was a very unlikely friendship because Saul wanted his son Jonathan to become the next king.
It was customary in that day for a newly crowned King to kill all the sons of the former king.
Jonathan even wondered if David would do that one day.
David replied...how could you ever think that Jonathan.
The Bible says that the souls of these two men were knit together...
"Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt"
1 Samuel 18:1-4
But, in the very beginning, Jonathan didn't understand everything about David, but as time went by, David began to communicate his heart with Jonathan.
And David and Jonathan became confidantes!
Just listen how crazy this story is...
The crown prince of Israel, Jonathan...the one who should claim the throne, becomes friends with the shepherd boy David.
Eventually David reveals his destiny...God is removing Saul in favor of David.
Yet, Jonathan is so into David that he is not only willing to give up the throne, but also his life for David's sake.
In fact, if it wasn't for Jonathan, David wouldn't have made it to the throne!
"So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself."
I Samuel 19:2
Jonathan became David's eyes on the inside of the palace.
Jonathan was able to warn David at the appropriate times.
Jonathan was there for David, when nobody else was.
Jonathan played a large role in turning a shepherd boy into a King.
We need a trusted friend like Jonathan. We need a confidante.
How did this unlikely friendship happen? All I can say is God!
God will always send somebody into your life to help you fulfill your calling!
God will send you a Jonathan.
God will send you a Barnabas.
You may wonder if you even have a confidant.
There is one way to be sure....your confidant will weep for you when you weep, and will rejoice with you when you rejoice.
God's blessing, God's favor!
If you are going to share your dream with somebody, make sure you share it with your confidante.
The next time you walk into a room and tell somebody some good news, stop being happy for just a moment and closely watch their reaction...if they are not rejoicing for you then you ought to shut your mouth and leave that place.
Don't share your dreams with that person...they are not your friend!
That is why Jesus said, I tell all things of my father to my friends!
"The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant."
Psalm 25:14
God chooses to communicate his secret with those that fear Him, that word fear means to have respect and reverence for.
You respect those that you care about.
You have reverence for those that you love.
Since you are really into God...He is really into you....and He chooses to share his secret, and His covenant with you!
God is going to share his dream with us!
This is what Jesus was talking about when He said I will tell you all things of my father.
Jesus was talking about God's covenant, God's dream!
We know then that Jesus is really into us because He communicates His heart to us!
David would have never made it without Jonathan.
In Closing....
Remember we are talking about relationships...We can't make it alone!
David couldn't.
Peter couldn't.
Paul couldn't.
You know that God wants you to make it don't you?
Is anybody listening to me today?
That means that He is going to send you somebody you can communicate your heart with.
Somebody you can share your dream with.
Somebody who can laugh with you.
Somebody who can cry with you.
Somebody who can be your ears in the palace.
Somebody who can help you through a hard time.
Somebody who can build you up.
Somebody who can pray with you!
Together you can pray through your situation, that's why we pray together in church.
Find somebody who is willing to pray with you, not just for you
Tell them your needs.
Pray for those needs.
We need each other!
We weren't meant to go through life's struggles alone.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Brian Monzon Ministries