Limited
The Limit of Marriage
June 18, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Genesis 2:15–25, Matthew 19:4–6, Ephesians 5:21–27
Marriage is a limit. Marriage is a limit because it prioritizes your spouse over all other relationships. Marriage is a limit because it sets boundaries for sexual intimacy. Marriage is a limit because it replaces individual independence with dependence on one another. Marriage is a limit because God designed marriage as part of being human. Because the story of the Bible begins and ends with a marriage, God is reminding us that He also designed marriage to point to a more intimate, meaningful relationship. God didn’t just create us for one another. God created us for himself. The limit of marriage forms us into the image of Christ and gives us a foretaste of our marriage to Christ.
The Limit of Sexuality (part 2)
June 11, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 15:12–13, 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, Genesis 1:27–28
Embracing the limit of sexuality means we follow and obey Jesus when our desires are strongest and the opposition is fiercest. Surrendering our sexuality to Jesus is one of the most prominent obstacles to following Jesus because we live in a sexualized culture. However, sex is not the greatest expression of love. Sacrificing your life so another may live is the greatest expression of love. The kind of love that Jesus tells us we ought to give is marked by self-denial, sacrifice, and service. It will be difficult for people who love sex as much as the rich man loved money to follow and obey Jesus. Rather than lower the bar and make it easy to follow and obey Jesus, we ought to help people rise to the challenge by walking with them.
The Limit of Sexuality (part 1)
June 4, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 14:15–17, Mark 3:1–6, John 8:2–11
In the minds of these Western thinkers, what it means to be human is to be alive, to be free, and to be happy. We can be who we want to be, love who we want to love, and do what we want to do. We are told our identity is self-defined. We are told our destiny is self-determined. Anything is permissible if there is a possibility it will make us happy. God had a design for sexuality and sex when he created us. When we reject the limits of design as image-bearers of God, our identity, purpose, and morals have no anchor. We easily drift into a sea of limitless possibilities. We are lost. But we call it freedom. Embracing the limit of sexuality means we follow and obey Jesus when our desires are strongest and the opposition is fiercest.
The Limit of Presence
May 28, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Mark 3:13–15
Everyone needs help, but we can’t help everyone. Everywhere has people, but we can’t be everywhere. Our presence is a limit. We have forgotten this limit because we live in a connected world. We can connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. But our presence is both valuable and powerful. Embracing the limit of presence means that we help people take their next step by walking with them. Embracing the limit of presence means that we see the value in simply being present with people. Embracing the limit of presence means that we face-to-face is preferable to text, email, or Facebook. Embracing the limit of presence means that we look for who God is bringing to us rather than focusing solely on what is ahead. Embracing the limit of presence means that we prioritize loving the people in close proximity to us.
The Limit of Contentment
May 21, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Matthew 6:19–34
Jesus talked a lot about money. And it’s easy to see why. Money is one of the biggest competitors for our time, our energy, and our affection. Humans focus on material things. However, Jesus teaches us that what matters is what lasts. More money is not inherently more valuable than less money. Its use determines its value. The more lasting the impact, the more valuable the investment. Possessions, promotions, and progress will not make us content. We can be content with less on earth because generosity stores up treasures in heaven.
The Limit of Control
May 14, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Mark 4:26–41
Humans are designed to be dependent. We tend to favor situations, people, or tasks that we can control. But our desire to control our lives moves us away from God. God does not give us complete independence to control our own lives because that would move us away from him. In Mark 4, we hear two parables Jesus tells followed by one miracle Jesus performs. The miracle validates the lesson he teaches his disciples. These three scenes are all about faith. Faith is the opposite of seeking control. It is surrendering control. This faith is characterized by dependence on Jesus. It is our response to the limit of control.
The Limit of Hardship
May 7, 2023 • Jason Hilgeman • Matthew 5:4
Hardship is part of abiding in Jesus. The more we become like him, the less like the world we become. Sometimes hardship happens because of those differences. Mourning is a limitation of our humanity. Mourning inhibits our ability to function. We think it’s better to skip mourning. However, it’s in times of mourning that we become moldable. Mourning moves us to abide because having Jesus is greater than avoiding suffering.
The Limit of Personality
April 30, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Matthew 10:29–31
At the heart of the mental health crisis is a discontent, a dislike, and disdain for who we are. We do not like our shape. We do not like our fingerprint. We have low self-esteem. We have high self-doubt. We idolize celebrities. We browse social media and compare ourselves to one another. We do not like how we look, what we do, or who we are. And so, we look for ways to change ourselves because we are weary and burdened. However, only by embracing our limits, by accepting our uniqueness as image bearers of God, will we live as we were designed and find the rest that Jesus promises in Matthew 11.
The Limit of Priorities
April 23, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Matthew 22:34–40
To be human means we have priorities. We are not designed to be everywhere, to do everything, or to help everyone. We must be willing to say "no" to many things. We must be willing to prioritize some relationships over others. Jesus lived with the limit of priorities. He prioritized his relationship with his Heavenly Father above all else. He even prioritized his relationships with Peter, James, and John above the other nine disciples. He prioritized his relationships with all twelve disciples above other people. He didn’t visit every town or meet every person, but he prioritized the places he went and the people he met. He prioritized rest even when there was much work he could do. He prioritized prayer even when people wanted him to help. As we continue our Journey with Jesus, we’ll be looking to Jesus to understand what it means to be human, to function as we were designed, by embracing the limit of priorities.
Limited
April 16, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • Matthew 11:28–30
God designed us to live within limits. In Genesis 3, the devil gets Adam and Eve to believe the lie that they will find more joy, more happiness, more satisfaction, by living without limits. After all, God has no limits. And the devil’s temptation is that Adam and Eve could be like God: unlimited. In Matthew 4, we see the same strategy used by the devil to tempt Jesus. Each temptation is designed to cause Jesus to reject the limit of his humanity. Today, the devil is using the same strategy. He is trying to convince us that we will find more joy, more happiness, more satisfaction, by living without limits. But here is the reality. We are limited. But our limits are part of a good design by a loving Creator. It is by denying ourselves and embracing our limits that we find the rest, purpose, and joy our souls are searching for.