Christian Atheist Week 3

When You Believe in God but Aren’t Sure He Loves You

TERMS (7 Minutes)

GUILT [gilt] having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong

SHAME [sheym] a painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous

INSIGNIFICANCE [in-sig-nif-i-kuhns] lack of importance, consequence, status

LOVE [luhv] a profoundly tender, passionate affection

UNCONDITIONAL [uhn-kuhn-dish-uh-nl] without limits or conditions; absolute; total

EVERLASTING [ev-er-las-ting, -lah-sting] never failing or coming to an end

BELOVED [bih-luhv-id, -luhvd] somebody who is loved very much

Zondervan. The Christian Atheist Participant's Guide . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Discussion -

Zondervan. The Christian Atheist Participant's Guide . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TEACHING (17 Minutes)

Two questions Christian Atheists ask:

1. “Why would God love someone as bad as me?” (). [Your Notes]

Job 42:5–6 NIV

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

2. “How could God love someone so insignificant?” (). [Your Notes]

Exodus 3:11 NIV

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Why would you love so insignificant.

Love isn’t just what God does; love is who God is ().

John 4:8–10 NIV

(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

[Your Notes]

Two benefits of the love of God:

1. God’s love covers our sins (; ).

1 Peter 4:8 NIV

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Titus 3:4 NIV

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

God provided a covering for Adam & Eve in the garden.

The message of the prodigal son / lost son. When the son designes to return home the father welcomes him home and places the best robe on his son. He places a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet and scripture tell us the father order the best robe be placed on the son that returned home. God loves us so much that he chooses to cover our sin and giving us His best.

When the prodigal son comes home the Father covered his son with his robe. A man who can messed (read v17-

Luke 15:17–23 NIV

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.

Luke 15:17-

Jesus taught the man who left the 99 to go for the 1.

Matthew 18:12–13 NIV

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

2. God’s love makes us significant. (; ; ).

Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

God will tell you he loves you if you pause and listen.

When you receive that love and stop trying to earn it, it totally changes the way you live.

We love because he first loved us ().

GROUP DISCUSSION:

PARTNER ACTIVITY: (See Page 38 or Handout) (10 Minutes)

GROUP DISCUSSION: (10-13 Minutes)

Finishing Passage:

Romans 8:35–39 NIV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Closing Prayer at Tables (5 Minutes)

Zondervan. The Christian Atheist Participant's Guide . Zondervan. Kindle Edition.