Passion perspectives #1 41404
Experiencing (accepting) Pure Love
Wednesday Night-Passion Perspectives
4/14/04
-Creation shows the hand of God but Easter really shows His heart.
Romans 5 LB
/6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.[1] /
Matthew 27
42 /“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! [2] /
-It is amazing that one of the religious leaders who were mocking Jesus laid out the options as they existed for Jesus;
· Save others
· Save yourself
-Jesus chose to save others instead of Himself.
-I am beginning the study of the passion. There will be 3 other speakers who highlight different aspects.
-We are looking at the movie as well as the event itself.
-The first topic in our manual is “Experience Pure Love”.
-Notice that the emphasis is on “experiencing”.
John 15-The Message
“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.
/ “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. [3]/
1 John 3
/How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [4] /
-The greatest revelation we can have is the revelation of God’s love for us.
-We have many things that fight that knowledge.
-It is very easy to think God is just tolerating you.
-There are natural as well as spiritual forces at work to tear us down and try to make us think there is a wedge between God and us.
Colossians 1
21 /Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of a your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— [5] /
· It is easy to think that our sin was too bad.
· We think that those whose names were written in the Bible are God’s favorites.
· We know we aren’t perfect so how can God love us since He is perfect.
· We know we have rebelled against God in the past, how can He forgive us?
-The first time I saw the passion the thing I wrestled with in my own mind was “DO JESUS DO THAT FOR ME OR WAS I JUST IN THE SECOND STRING?”
-That seems like an odd thing for me to think about but I think God was trying to get me to focus on the fact that He did it for me.
-We have to convince ourselves that it was a personal thing aimed very much at us as individuals.
-It is not difficult to believe that God loves US. It is more difficult to believe that God loves ME.
-How can we accept His love?
Ephesians 3
14 /For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family a in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. [6] /
· Pray for revelation
· Fight feelings of inferiority
· Act like God loves you no matter how you feel
· Walk in the truth-cast down imaginations and lies about God
-Remember the problem in Eden was doubting God’s goodness.
Hebrews 11 The Message
/It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.[7] /
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[1]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Ro 5:5). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 27:42). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[3]Peterson, E. H. (1995). The message : New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs (Jn 15:1). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (1 Jn 3:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or minds, as shown by
[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Col 1:21). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or whom all fatherhood
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Eph 3:14). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[7]Peterson, E. H. (1995). The message : New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs (Heb 11:1). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.
