OMG! #2 -- Love: 041713

Message: OMG! – God of Love

I.                    Introduction

a.       Over the next few weeks we are going to be talking about different character traits of God.  Beyond this, God desires us to be like him, so we will show how we can live out that characteristic in our own lives.

b.      Tonight we are going to look at the character trait of love

                                                               i.      1^st John 4:8c says, “God is love.”

                                                             ii.      We have a God of love

II.                 Body

a.       What is Love?

                                                               i.      If we are saying God is love, what exactly does that mean?  What is this type of love?

                                                             ii.      The Greeks had 3 words for love: Eros, Philia, and Agape in order to differentiate what they meant when they said love.

1.      Eros meant lustful love, when you want something; you love it because of what you can get from it.  Can be for an object, a person of the opposite gender, or a person of the same gender.

a.       When you look at some one and check them out, that is Eros.  It is all about passion and emotion that comes and goes.

2.      Philia meant natural love.  It is a love that is built over time because of mutual relationship.  You love them, they love you. 

a.       When you say you  love your brother, sister, mom, or dad, that is Philia.  There is no romantic part of it, it is all about a built relationship. 

3.      Agape meant a sacrificial love.  It is a love that is for someone despite what they have done, and it always ends in an action. 

a.       When you take care of a stranger or help an enemy that is Agape.

                                                            iii.      When we talk about the love God has for us it is Agape.  He loves us despite what we do, no matter how bad or good we are He loves us.  And this was displayed for us when he died for us, a sacrifice we didn’t deserve.

                                                           iv.      This is the perfect love, while Eros is a corruption of love.  In one it is about what you can get out of it, instead of what you can give.

b.      Read 1^st Corinthians 13:4-8a – “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

                                                               i.      Go through the list as how God loves us

III.               Conclusion

a.       Read 1^st John 4:7-8 – “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

b.      This is the same passage that we started with.  It says that God is love, but it also says that we are love one another.  In fact we don’t it means we don’t know God, we aren’t in relationship with Him, we don’t get Him.

Read 1^st Corinthians 13:4-8a – “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

                                                               i.      Go through the list as how we should love others

d.      Are you loving like this?

OMG #1 -- God of Grace: 041013

 Message: OMG! – God of Grace

I.                   Introduction

a.       Over the next few weeks we are going to be talking about different character traits of God.  Beyond this, God desires us to be like him, so we will show how we can live out that characteristic in our own lives.

b.      Tonight we are going to look at the character trait of grace

                                                              i.      1^st Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

                                                            ii.      We have a God of Grace

II.                Body

a.       What is Grace?

                                                              i.      Illus: Les Miserable

1.      A novel adapted into various movies, follows the life of Jean Valjean, a thief who is released from prison after 19 years.  After spending hours trying to find a place to stay a Bishop invites him to stay at the church.

2.      Play Video Clip (3 minutes)

                                                            ii.      That is grace, when we receive something good that we in no way deserve nor could we ever pay back.

                                                          iii.      In this case Jean Valjean is given a new life, being bought back for God

b.      How Does God Have Grace For Me?

                                                              i.      Read Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

                                                            ii.      God demonstrated his character of grace to us by buying us back from sin.  We have sinned and been separated from God, but Jesus died in order to pay the penalty that we owed for our sin.  We are then given forgiveness and salvation this is God’s grace to us, something we don’t deserve that we cannot pay back.

                                                          iii.      It is a gift, so that means we can choose to accept that gift or reject it.

                                                          iv.      We can’t earn that salvation on our own, it only comes through Jesus.

                                                            v.      Before I go on, is there anyone here tonight that wants to accept that gift of forgiveness?  (Pray if there is)

c.       How Do I Live a Life of Grace?

                                                              i.      If we are supposed to be like God we should be people of……GRACE!

                                                            ii.      Read Matthew 18:21-35

                                                          iii.      We are people of grace when we forgive, they haven’t earned it, they don’t deserve it, nor can they pay us back for it, but we forgive because we are showing the same grace God has shown to us.

III.             Conclusion

a.       Tonight in your group there are some papers for each of you to fill out.  And they are not easy because I know there are many of you who have been hurt by others and there are even many of you that don’t want to forgive or show grace to that person.  But it is what God has called us to do, because we received grace from Him, we give grace to those around us.

Rescue #4 -- The Promise: 040313

Message: Rescue – The Promise

I.                    Introduction

a.       Act out Noah Story

II.                 Noah’s Story

a.       Read Genesis 9:8-17

b.      The rainbow was used as a sign of the promise.  It was a reminder of protection, so they would not fear.

c.       Can you imagine the fear the next time a big storm came up…Would it flood again?

d.      So even if it got dark and stormy, they would know that God would keep his promise and protect them.

III.               Jesus’ Story

a.       Read John 20:1-9

b.      The resurrection was a reminder of protection, so we don’t have to fear death, no matter how dark and stormy life gets. 

c.       Read 1^st Corinthians 15:17-20

d.      We know that God will keep his promise of heaven and forgiveness of our sins.

IV.              Death

a.       How many of you fear death?  Why?

b.      When you have Jesus as your Savior there is no reason to fear death because we know what is on the other side…heaven.  And we know that we are secure because Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death.  So that empty grave, much as the rainbow did for Noah, is a reminder of a promise that Jesus’ death was enough to redeem us from sin and death and give us heaven instead of hell.

c.       Rev. 21 tells us a little bit of what that heaven will be like.  Read Revelation 21:3-4

V.                 Conclusion

a.       Because Jesus rose again we have hope, but only if we put our trust in the promise he has made.

b.      Are there any of you tonight that want to make your eternity secure by putting your faith in Jesus, allowing him to forgive your sins, and making him your God?