God is Good - Oct 18

God is Great…so I don’t have to be in control.

God is bigger than whatever you can imagine, stronger than any power in this universe, and absolutley in control of anything. He loves you, and cares for you. So you don’t have to be in control. God’s got it.

God is Glorious…so I don’t have to fear others.

Glory has a weight to it. What weighs more in your decision making process; God’s glory, or the glory that you recieve from others?

You don’t need to base your worth on the opinions of others, you can fear God instead of people.

Are there some times in the last month where either of those two statements would apply?

(You will have a chance to share that in small groups later).

God is Good…so I don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction.

Movie Clip - The Gospel of John, from John 4.

Remember these parts: The Well, The Woman and Jesus

The Well

Tell me about the well, what are some facts? You can look in your Bibles at John 4:11 and John 4:5

Facts:

Jacob’s Well

Deep

How many cups of water a day should you drink?

6-8

How many days can you go without drinking?

3 (General Rule)

How long does it take for you to become thirsty after taking a drink of water?

(subjective, student answers)

(video - “Why Do You Get Thirsty” D News)

For the purpose of today’s lesson, Water is going to represent things in your life that quench thirsts.

Aside from liquid, what are some things that you get thirsty for?

Relationships.

Entertainment.

Aproval.

Etc.

You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions 5 What Truths Do You Need to Turn To?

Every longing in us is a version of our longing for God

When all you want to do is play a video game, that longing is a version of your longing for God.

When you are begging for bacon, that longing is a version of your longing for God.

When you planning for a future career, there is something there that can only be satisified by God.

Your life has specific wells.

These are places that you go to be satisified.

Can you write down what some of these places are?

60 second timer.

The Woman

What facts can you tell me about the woman from John 4.

(John 4:7, John 4:18, John 4:25)

Gather answers from Students

What do you think some of the wells were for this woman?

-Relationships, (maybe some other insights from students)

Was the woman satisfied from her wells?

No, because she had many failed relationships.

Yet, even if her relationships were fantastic, they would still not be enough to satisfy her forever.

Why, because we can only be satisified in God. God is good, every thing that is good is from God.

Without God, everything else will leave you thirsty for more.

You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions 5 What Truths Do You Need to Turn To?

If you look for satisfaction or fulfillment, meaning or identity, anywhere other than in Jesus, you’ll be left empty. There may be a moment of refreshment or pleasure, but you’ll soon be thirsty again.

The woman had run a well dry in her life. What wells are leaving you thirsty in your life?

What wells are poisoning you, promising to fulfill you yet leaving you hurt and worse off?

The woman was at a well to draw water, where she met Jesus who promised her a different kind of water.

John 4:13–14 HCSB

13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.”

Jesus is able to offer Life Giving Water.

Jesus is using water as a metaphor. We need it to satisfy our thirst. But we always need more water.

Jesus is saying that he alone can satisify our desires. He is the Living Water. He carries on the satisfied theme with food as well.

Look at what Jesus says to his disciples when they offer him food to eat.

John 4:32–34 HCSB

32 But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33 The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?” 34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.

Jesus found his satisfaction in obedience. That is what satisfied him.

Obedience to God is life Giving

The reason for this is simple. God is good. When we are obeying him, we are walking in his goodness.

Sin is the choice to love ourselves over the love of God.

-Ric Olson

Sin, is trying to satisfy our thirsts outside of God.

Sin is going to all of the other wells, and drawing water that isn’t good.

Needs create Choice

We have many needs in our life. These are legitimate needs.

BASIC NEEDS _____________________-

RELATIONAL NEEDS__________________

PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS___________________

Needs remind us that we are not God.

God doesn’t have needs. God is perfectly satisfied. But we have needs, because we are not God.

These needs create choice in our lives. We get to choose how we will satisfy those needs.

Fasting, is a discipline that people sometimes practice in order to dethrone certain needs in life. You might be spending too much of your money on candy, why not take a break from candy and do something good with that money.

What are some other things you might fast from, in order to help you see your dependancy on God?

But when we choose to satisfy our needs outside of God, we will always find ourselves needing to do more and more to find that satisfaction.

Only God can meet our needs. Only God can satisfy. Only God is Good.

Sometimes we find ourselves acting like God isn’t good.

In 2008 I ran for public office in a by-election. I was running to be a Town Councillor.

When I won the election, I was so excited, I was praising God, saying how good he was.

But, what if I didn’t win. Would I still be praising God, and saying how good he is?

Is God Good only if:

-you get what you want?

-you get your way?

John 6:35 HCSB

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.

Jesus is who satisfies us.

When we walk in his ways, when we experience his forgivness and his righeousness, when we believe his truth, we are satisfied.

The needs that you have in your life can point you to Jesus.

You need a friend

You need identity

You need food

You need purpose

Look to Jesus first.

What is the biggest need in your life today?

How can Jesus satisfy that need?

The woman came to the well for water. Jesus found her there,and satisfied her need for real life.

God is Good, and so we don’thave to look elsewhere for satisfaction.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

What are some common “wells” that people have? (i.e. relationship, approval, looks, food, winning, control, career

What is the most common “thirst” or “Desire” that people at your school (or your friends) have?

How do you see people satisfying that need?

What does it mean when we say, “God is good, and so I don’t have to look elsewhere for my satisfaction”?

God is Great, and So I don’t Have to be in control. Where have you seen God’s greatness and rule in the past month?

God is Glorious, and so I don’t have to fear others? Has there been times in the past month where you had to choose between pleasing God or pleasing people? What happened?

Prayer time.