050113: OMG #3 -- Just God

Message: OMG! – God of Justice

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 being just.

                                                               i.      2^nd Thessalonians 1:6a says, “God is just”

                                                             ii.      We have a God who is just

II.                 Body

a.       But what does it mean that God is just?

                                                               i.      The word just means that God administers justice

1.      It is as if he is the judge and is passing judgment on people for their actions.  Meaning, have they kept the law or broken it? 

2.      He is impartial, which means he judges people equally, no matter their past, their nationality, their popularity, their name, their wealth, etc… he treats them the same. 

3.      He judges justly by actually giving a judgment that is fair, they get what they deserve, either punishment or reward.

4.      We see this in 2^nd Thessalonians 1:6-7a – “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled…”

5.      So there is both the idea that if we do wrong he will punish us for doing wrong, whether that is in this life or the next.  And the idea that if do right he will reward us for doing right, whether that is in this life or the next.

                                                             ii.      But God being just doesn’t just mean that he judges justly, but that he also acts justly.  He follows the laws himself.  He doesn’t just tell us what to do but he has been that way at all times.  He is consistent and not a hypocrite. 

1.      Because of that perfection and consistency he has every right to judge everyone else, dealing out punishment and reward…we aren’t perfect so we don’t have that right to condemn others, only God has that right.

III.               Conclusion

a.       If you can’t judge how then can you be just?

                                                               i.      The bible makes it clear that justice involves not just judgment but being responsible for and fair toward the poor and disadvantaged. 

                                                             ii.      This means that we refrain from being unfair and hurting those people.

                                                            iii.      But it doesn’t just stop there, we take the initiative to help them when they are being treated unjustly by others.

                                                           iv.      To put it simply, we look after those who can’t look after themselves.

                                                             v.      Who does that include?

1.      Who does that include in your school?  The bullied, the unpopular, the handicapped (physical/mental), minorities, etc…

2.      Who does that include in your community?  The poor, the homeless, the elderly, minorities, the handicapped, etc…

3.      Who does that include in your world?  Sex slaves, poor, those in famines, those in wars, children, lepers, AIDs patients, etc…

7:50-8:05 – Application: Decide on a person or a group that you are going to dedicate the next month to helping: financially, verbally, physically, etc…

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.