God's Love, God's Family And God's Forever Home

GOD’S LOVE, GOD’S FAMILY, AND GOD’S FOREVER HOME

OPENING: Testimonies

INTRO TO TOPIC: Challenging week. As of last night, didn’t have a sermon.

• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6).

• Woke up this morning and the Lord said, “Tell them about my love, tell them about my family, and tell them about my forever home.”

1. GOD’S LOVE:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

• QUESTION: Do YOU know how much God loves you?

• Look at the Cross: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

• “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

• Read meditatively through Romans 8:31-19:

• “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Discuss how much I love my children. How much more does our Heavenly Father God love us?

• If you didn’t have a good relationship with your father, you will have a hard time knowing, believing and receiving the love of God. God loves you – yes, even you!

2. GOD’S FAMILY:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:14-16).

• Christianity isn’t about being religious; it’s about a relationship with God and being adopted into His family.

• We have a perfect Heavenly Father, but an imperfect, dysfunctional family.

• QUESTION: What is the family of God like?

• Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).

• The New Testament teaches us our family values in the many “one another” statements: Love one another, bear one another’s burdens, help each other’s troubles and problems, pray for one another, confess your sins to one another, forgive one another, and accept one another.

• This is why our small groups are so important – home groups and men’s and women’s meetings.

3. GOD’S FOREVER HOME:

“1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:1-6).

• This world is not our home. When we experience hard times on the Earth, it should be a reminder that this is not our final destination.

• “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).