God Views Week 4 fearing God’s rejection

God Views
Week 4
fearing God’s rejection
http://www.pjteaches.com/GodViews.htm
Two weeks ago, we had the
opportunity to hear a powerful
story about how God changed a
person’s view of Him and how that
difference made an impact on her
life. Beverly’s view of God was
marred by her family history. But
at her invitation, God rewrote her
past.
Today, we will continue to explore
the amazing notion that God wants
to spend time with us, and we will
examine another potential stumbling
block to our acceptance of His
invitation to “dance” – our own
awareness of our faults and flaws.
Fear of God’s rejection.
Worksheet 2-A
My Relationship With God
Take a moment to think about how
you would describe your present
relationship with God. Use the
information provided in worksheet
2-A to help you organize your
thoughts.
Worksheet 2-B
My Strengths and Weaknesses
Take a few minutes to jot down in the
columns what you believe God considers
to be your primary strengths and
weaknesses. These do not have to be
in regard to your relationship with Him.
Simply list 5 things about yourself you
think He likes and then 5 aspects of
yourself you believe He would like to
“tweak.”
Video clip “bony shoulders ”
by Curt Cloninger
Video clip “bony shoulders ”
by Curt Cloninger
Why did Curt avoid being around
Susie McClatchy in the years that
followed?
What did he miss by assuming
that she could not see beyond his
“fault”?
Video clip “bony shoulders ”
by Curt Cloninger
Do you truly believe that God
desires to be with you, warts and
all?
Not so fast if you said “Yes.” Do
you believe it with your heart? And
do you act as if it’s true?
Do you know …
that God longs to spend time with
you?
that God designed you in such a way
that you’ll never feel completely
satisfied unless you are enjoying a
loving relationship with Him?
God, who exists as
Trinity (a community of
love and fellowship),
created you to join in –
forever.
You Can Understand the Bible
by Its Uniting Themes
by Nelson B. Baker
Nelson believes there are only 4
primary themes in all of Scripture –
and 3 of them are about how God
longs to be in relationship with you.
The Bible’s Uniting Themes
(1) God longs to spend time with you.
(2) God has prepared a rich inheritance
for you to enjoy.
(3) We often reject both the
relationship and the inheritance.
(4) God continues to pursue you with
His offer of love.
God longs to be with His children.
We see this in Eden. God walked
with Adam and Eve in the midst of
the Garden (Genesis 3:8-9).
God longs to be with His children.
Even though things change
dramatically because of man’s sin –
this theme does not.
God’s desire to be with His people
soon takes the form of the Ark of
the Covenant – a symbol of His
presence.
God longs to be with His children.
Keep turning pages in Scripture,
and you will bump into Solomon’s
Temple. At its center is the Holy
of Holies – the place for God’s
presence in the midst of His
people.
God longs to be with His children.
Later, this theme reaches full
crescendo. God becomes incarnate.
He empties Himself of divine glory
and humbly steps into human flesh.
Why? To be with us for a while so
we can be with Him forever.
God longs to be with His children.
After Jesus’ death and
resurrection, God sends His Spirit
to reside inside each of His
children – if we invite Him in.
Forever.
God has prepared a rich
inheritance for you to enjoy.
The second theme is also a
refection of how much we are loved
by our heavenly Father. God loves
you so much that He has prepared
a rich inheritance for you to enjoy.
Again, we see this first in Eden,
which means “pleasure.”
God has prepared a rich
inheritance for you to enjoy.
The fall of man did not stop God
from continuing to offer His rich
gifts. Eden becomes the Promised
Land, and ultimately the abundant
life of entering into the kingdom of
heaven.
We often reject both the
relationship and the inheritance.
Adam and Eve, the Hebrew nations, and
the majority of those who heard Christ
teach said no to God’s offer of
abundant life. They picked the same
tree as Adam and Eve – to be like God
instead of to live in love with Him.
They chose isolation over living in
community with God.
God continues to pursue you with
His offer of love.
God’s offers are still on the table. And
through fellowship with Christ, we have
the means to enter in. As Jesus
prayed just before His death, “May
they all be one: as thou, Father art in
me and I in thee, so may they also be
one in us.” (John 17:21, KJV).
Song “Daddy’s Song”
by Dennis Jernigan