How God’s Characteristics Can Change Our Life Lesson 1 Series

A. INTRODUCTION

1. The mirror of our soul reflects God. “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27).

2. God knows all things; so we can know our self and the surrounding world.

3. God loves people and hates sin; so our emotions bless and protect us.

4. God’s will decides our life; we can obey or rebel against God.

5. God is a person and we get our personality from Him.

6. The more you learn about God, the better you know yourself.

7. But wait, what is the source of sin, addiction, murder, and lying?

8. In freedom, Adam chose to disobey God rather than obey God.

9. Adam gave us a sin nature. “Through one man, sin entered the whole human race, and death came by sin, thus the nature of sin spread to all, and all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, ELT).

10. An anthromorphism means human characteristics are projected on to God to describe His action.

B. GOD HAS PERSON-LIKE TRAITS (PAGE 175)

1. Most religions reflect God as a distant, uninterested power.

2. But God has intellect, emotion, will, self-perception and self-direction (definition of personality).

3. Self-perception. “I Am that I Am” (Ex. 3:14).

4. We can know God. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

5. We can talk with God in prayer.

God can do whatever He chooses to do.

He has not chosen to do everything.

When God has chosen to do anything,

Nothing can stop Him.

God chooses at times not to do everything He can do.

God honors the free will He has given us.

C. GOD SINGS – ZEPHANIAH 3:17 (PAGE 21)

1. Why does anyone sing? (a) Love, (b) patriotism, (c) joy, (c) sorrow, (d) anxiety, (d) anticipation, (e) to tell a story, (f) lullaby.

2. “The Lord Himself (is) exulting over you in happy song” (Zeph. 3:17, LB).

What would make God happy about you? ________________________________________.

3. God gets pleasure out of creation. “The Lord shall rejoice in His works” (Ps. 104:31).

4. When backsliders come back. “The Lord will again rejoice over you for good” (Deut. 30:4).

5. When His people worship Him. “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people” (Ps. 149:4).

D. GOD LAUGHS – LUKE 15:10 (PAGE 89)

1. The King James Version suggests angels laugh. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents” (Luke 15:10).

2. The original suggests God laughs. “Likewise, I (Jesus) say unto you, God gets happy in Heaven in the presence of angels over one lost sinner that repents” (Luke 15:10, Amplified).

3. Why do people laugh? (a) Get what you want, (b) unexpected, (c) inhibited joy, (d) excited, (e) because others laugh, (f) absurd, (g) added value.

4. Why God is not like us? God did not leave the “lost” to suffer, saying:

a. Serves him right.

b. Take your punishment.

c. You deserve it.

5. God expresses what kind of laughter. “Rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost” (Luke 15:6).

6. With whom do you celebrate?

a. Spouse.

b. Friends.

c. Fellow workers.

d. God celebrates with angels.

E. GOD REMEMBERS NO MORE – JEREMIAH 31:34 (PAGE 49)

1. Omnipresence. God knows all things actual and possible. He knows the past, present, and future. He “calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Rom. 4:17).

2. Since God knows all things, if He forgets or doesn’t remember, He denies His deity. So technically, God can’t forget your sin(s).

3. But God’s power to know, overwhelms His power to forget; so that God remembers no more. “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin, I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34).

4. Your sins break fellowship with God, but not relationship. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us the moment we sin” (1 John 1:7, Amplified).

5. To restore broken fellowship. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

F. GOD HAS A NOSE THAT SMELLS – GENESIS 8:21 (PAGE 65)

1. What is the sweetest smell in the world?

a. White Shoulders perfume.

b. Barbecue sauce.

c. Talcum powder.

d. Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

e. Yankee Candles.

2. A blood sacrifice pleases God. “And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice” (Gen. 8:21).

3. What pleases God about sacrifice?

a. When a life has been given to Him.

b. When blood (a death) has been substituted for a sinner.

c. When people respond in obedience with a total gift of their life to Him.