Archive for the ‘Choose Relationship’ Tag
“Know The God Who Is Here And Is Coming!”
Filed under: Advent, Bible, By Pastor Timothy, By Tim Brassell, By Timothy Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Good News Celebration, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Resurrection, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Adoption, Advent, Basic Christian Doctrine, Being In God's Family, Choose Relationship, Christ Came, Christ comes now, Christ Is Coming, Christ will come, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, GCI Baltimore, God who comes, God's Faith, God's Grace, God's love, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Having The Peace Of God, How God Reveals Himself, Humanity Revealed, Humanity Revealed In Jesus, Jesus, Knowing The Father's Love, Life's meaning and Significance, Love, New Life Fellowship Baltimore MD, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, Relationships, Revealing Your Life's Purpose, Revelation 4, Sharing God More Accurately, Sharing In God's JOy, Sharing In God's Laughter, Sharing In The Divine Nature, The Basic Christian Belief, The God Who Is Love, the reason for your existence, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Understanding God, Understanding Human Beings, Understanding Life's Calling, Wake up to Christ, Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?
Leave a comment 
Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: Revelation 4
Summary:
This first Sunday of Advent invites us to awaken from spiritual sleep and lift our eyes to the God who is both here and is coming. In This powerful sermon, Pastor Tim reminded us that time is not a dull, repetitive cycle but a purposeful, forward-moving story shaped by God’s self-revealing love. As Karl Barth writes, “God’s revelation is His self-unveiling, in which He speaks for Himself and acts for Himself; in which He makes Himself known.” Advent is this unveiling. God showing Himself, not staying hidden, not remaining distant, but revealing His heart through Jesus Christ.
Using the imagery of a spiral staircase, the sermon teaches that we are all moving either upward toward Christ, or downward away from Him. There is no neutral place in discipleship. To face Jesus in trust is to ascend by grace; to turn away is to drift downward. This sober picture is intensified by the reality of human fragility, the certainty of death, and the nearness of Christ’s return. We are closer to His final appearing today than we were last year, last month, or even yesterday.
Advent also calls us to understand the one coming of Christ expressed in a three-fold way:
- Christ came in the Incarnation.
- Christ comes now in the Holy Spirit.
- Christ will come again in His final, glorious Advent.
This is not confusion or contradiction, it is God’s relational, dynamic way of revealing Himself. As T.F. Torrance beautifully puts it, “God does not remain at a distance but draws near to us in His incarnate Son, making Himself known within the fabric of our human existence.” This nearness is not metaphorical; it is the very heartbeat of Advent.
Pastor Tim also helped us understand biblical “separation from God” not as God’s absence but as our relational refusal. God is present everywhere, sustaining all existence, even in the depths. Hell itself is not the absence of God. Hell has to do with rejecting a relationship with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit God…And we know that separation from God is not something God chooses for people…Hell is the natural consequence of rejecting the relationship God continually offers.”
Advent calls us to reject our double-mindedness, embrace the God who is making Himself known, and respond with trust, repentance, and love.
As Advent begins, the message is clear:
Wake up. Lift your eyes. Receive the God who is here and coming. And invite others into this urgent, beautiful relationship while there is still time. Christ is coming soon and HIS PROMISE is our hope.
Key Themes and Reflection Questions:
- Wake Up to God’s Presence 👁️🔥
- Theme: Advent shakes us from spiritual sleep, reminding us that God is already near, closer than our breath, and calling us to renewed awareness.
- Discipleship Question: Where have you grown spiritually sleepy, and how is Jesus inviting you to wake up to His presence?
- #WakeUpToChrist
- Time Is Moving Toward Christ’s Return ⏳👑
- Theme: Time is not a repeating cycle but a God-directed story moving toward the glorious return of Jesus.
- Discipleship Question: How does remembering Christ’s soon return shape your priorities this week?
- #ChristIsComing
- The Spiral Staircase of Discipleship 🌀✝️
- Theme: We are always moving, either upward toward Jesus by grace or downward by neglect; there is no neutral ground.
- Discipleship Question: Are you facing Christ in trust, or drifting downward in self-reliance?
- #StepTowardJesus
- The One Coming of Christ in Threefold Advent 🌟🕊️✨
- Theme: Christ came in the Incarnation, comes now through the Spirit, and will come again in glory. One God revealing Himself in three relational ways.
- Discipleship Question: Which aspect of Christ’s Advent: past, present, or future, do you need to reflect on more deeply this season?
- #GodWhoComes
- Relationship, Not Distance, Defines Salvation ❤️🔥🤲
- Theme: Separation from God is never His absence but our refusal of relationship and Advent calls us back into His embrace.
- Discipleship Question: Who in your life needs the hope that God is always present and always pursuing?
- #ChooseRelationship
Reflective Moment:
Take a quiet moment and allow the truth of Advent to settle into your heart: the God who created you is nearer than your own breath, and yet He is also the One who comes, revealing Himself, drawing near, and inviting you into relationship. Let this season lift your eyes above routine and awaken your spirit to His presence. Hear His whisper: “I am here. I am coming. Stay awake to Me.” Trust His nearness, embrace His coming, and let hope rise in you again.