Sunday, December 8, 2013

The King of Love - 1 Jn 4:16

The King of Love
December 8, 2013
1 John 4:16
INTRODUCTION
. How would you describe God?
. Is he tall, short, how is he dressed?
. Does he wear a crown?
. Is he sitting on a throne?
. Does this impact how you see him?
. What kind of personality does he have?
. Can you see him?
. Does he say things to you?
. God of course is Father Son and Holy Spirit
. But Jesus says if you have seen me you have seen the Father
. So I expect that the Father and the Holy Spirit look the same as Jesus
. Today we are going to discuss what God is like, and how we can draw closer to him

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
. How does God appear in the Garden of Eden?
. God creates man from the dust of the ground
. We see that man is made of the minerals and molecules that make up the soil from which he is made
. God breathes into Adam the breath of life and Adam becomes alive
. God shows utmost care in the way he prepared a place for Adam to live, and finally forms man
. God recognizes that Adam needs a wife, and companionship
. So God fashions Eve from Adam's rib
. They were made perfect for each other
. This was the start of the institution of marriage, where man and wife become one flesh,  totally unified
. So God was aware of Adam's needs, and he took care of it
. God himself is one, and totally unified, though he is made up of three persons
. So he tells Adam and Eve that they are married till death do them part
. He desires that they enjoy the same closeness and love that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit experience.
. These attributes of God are all pretty loving toward Adam and Eve
. 1 Jn 4:16 – God is love
. God showed his love to us
. 1 John 4:9-10
. He showed his love to us by sending his Son to be a sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven

WHAT STOPS US FROM BEING CLOSE TO GOD?
. Why are our sins so important?
. When I live contrary to the way God shows us, I am sinning
. Rom 14:23 – whatever is not of faith is sin
. God made it easy for us to define what is good and bad for us by giving us the Ten Commandments
. Deut 5:29 – O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
. Sin separates us from God – Isaiah 59:2
. So what makes it difficult for us to love God?
. It is sin. Sin is anything that separates us from God
. When we are separated from God we miss out on his love for us
. But we don't have to stay separated!
. 1 John 4:9-10
. He showed his love to us by sending his Son to be a sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven
. Now we can have relationship with him, and his love dwells in us.
. This love then flows out and is expressed in the way we love others.
. 1 John 4:11-12
. What are some of the things that separate us from God?
. Selfishness.  It does not fit into a life of love.
. Pride.  Pride says I don't want your help.  I will do it on my own.  I don't want your love
. Holding onto hurt.  To hold onto hurt means we want to hurt the other back, rather than love them.
. Unforgiveness.  This is similar to holding onto hurts.
. Each of these build up a barrier between us and receiving God's love

HOW CAN WE DRAW NEARER?
. The way back means that we tear down these walls
. Listen to this short video clip
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WJU7LjorRc
. These walls stop us from experiencing the love and joy that God has for us
. These walls need to be broken down
. But how do we break them down?
. We ask God to forgive our sins, and we allow him to tear the walls down brick by brick.
. Dream of wall outside my window, had to be torn down, brick by brick
. If you would like to remove these barriers from your life, please come forward now.
. Don't let yourself leave this room without experiencing God's breakthrough in your life

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