Sermon for April 9, 2017 BMZ Church Series: Pictures of God Text: Exodus 3:14; Ephesians 3:18-19; Romans 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30; Matthew 28:17-19; Colossians 4:2-4; I Timothy 2:3-4 Title: "ALL-LOVING" Introduction: Good Morning BMZ! Welcome to all of you joining us online (9am) and all of you who might be listening sometime after right now... Glad you are with us today... Today we are WRAPPING UP our series, "PICTURES of GOD"! This is a series that we have been using to DEVELOP a BIBLICAL PICTURE of God. I think that people have pictures of God in their heads, but I m NOT sure that they are ACCURATE, TRUE BIBLICAL! And our PREMISE for this Series has been that UNTIL people have a TRUE PICTURE of GOD, they will struggle with MAKING SENSE of THIS LIFE! BUT, as we gain an ACCURATE PICTURE of God, Learn to TRUST GOD in the different AREAS of our LIVES, we will develop MEANING and PURPOSE and SIGNIFICANCE about our TIME on this PLANET There are MANY people that WE KNOW that CANNOT make SENSE of this life. If you have your Bible with you, turn to Exodus 3. If you don't have your Bible with you, no worries. We will put up all of the Scriptures on the screen and it's also printed in your program. As a matter of fact... If you haven t already, I invite you to take out your 3-HOLE PUNCHED MESSAGE NOTES and CONNECTION card. On one side you will see our Scripture for today and on the other you will find a brief outline walking us through our Scripture. You will see that there are blanks to fill in Please take the time to do so. Grab a pen and write down whatever else you think is important to you and your faith journey. After worship, drop off your CONNECTION CARD and take your notes home and refrigerate them. Please Re-read the Scripture and the notes to keep growing and learning. For those of you watching on-line, you can hit the button for notes and for CONNECTION CARD and stick with us. If you are watching/listening later, or IPODing; you can download the outline off of our website so you too can take notes. Let s pray and then we will press on with where we are going today LET S PRAY (turn off marked lights during prayer)! Our KEY VERSE for this Series has come from the EXODUS story as GOD CALLED MOSES to LEAD His people out of SLAVERY in Egypt to FREEDOM in the Promised Land. And, that adventure started with God SPEAKING to Moses through an EVERBURNING BUSH! As you recall, Moses asked GOD what He should tell the HEBREW people when they ask, WHO SENT YOU? God s answer Exodus 3:14 = 14 God replied to Moses, I Am Who I Am.* Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you. 1 Again, over the past few weeks, we have learned some AMAZING ATTRIBUTES of GOD that BENEFIT US as Human Beings. We ve found that BIBLICALLY SPEAKING GOD IS: OMNIPRESENT = God is EVERYWHERE = We said that BECAUSE God is Everywhere I can be PROTECTED by God DIRECTED by God and ENJOY God EVERY DAY! OMNIPOTENT = God has UNLIMITED POWER = BECAUSE God has UNLIMITED POWER I can OVERCOME my PROBLEMS (Big and Small) I can MAKE a DIFFERENCE in this World AND, I can be FORGIVEN. OMINISCIENT = God KNOWS EVERYTHING = BECAUSE God KNOWS EVERYTHING I can TRUST GOD with my FUTURE My DAILY LIFE AND, I can TRUST GOD with my PAST! Today, we are going to WRAP IT UP with arguably the GREATEST ATTRIBUTE of GOD our God is a LOVING GOD! 1 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ex 3:14). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
2 So, I brought with me today one of Michelle s (our Administrative Assistant at BMZ) famous 5 CHIP COOKIES with me. It has become one of my favorite cookies in the world! Now, I could try to HELP you UNDERSTAND the greatness of this cookie I could tell you about how it might have SMELLED coming out of the oven. I could tell you about how FRESH and SOFT and CHEWY it is. I could describe for you how the dough and the 5 chips come together so that each bite is a VERITABLE EXPLOSION of cookie BLISS. BUT, the problem is that vast amount of CULINARY DELIGHT that Michelle s 5 Chip Cookie allows, CANNOT possibly be UNDERSTOOD unless EXPERIENCED. To truly UNDERSTAND the GREATNESS of Michelle s 5 Chip Cookie, there is something you would have to do, right?! You would have to TRY IT yourself. Well, the SAME is true with God. In this series, I have attempted to DESCRIBE the GREATNESS of God. We ve talked about God s OMNIPRESENCE He s EVERYWHERE. We ve talked about God s OMNIPOTENCE God is ALL-POWERFUL. Last week we talked about God s OMNISCIENCE God KNOWS EVERYTHING! BUT, you and I ultimately UNDERSTAND God s GREATNESS and especially His LOVE only to the DEGREE that we ve EXPERIENCED IT. You know that the most EFFECTIVE think I could do today to help you UNDERSTAND the greatness of Michelle s 5 Chip Cookie would be to DESCRIBE it enough that YOU would contact her and try one yourself! You need to EXPERIENCE it for YOURSELF! And, I will be buying a lot of ingredients for her In the SAME WAY, it is my INTENTION today to DESCRIBE TWO great TRUTHS about the LOVE of God, CLEARLY enough that you will, as the Bible says, TASTE and SEE that the LORD is GOOD! I want desperately to do a GOOD enough JOB that when you leave this room, you are COMMITTED, NOT to just file away another message in your 3-Ring Binder and have another PIECE of INFORMATION ABOUT the LOVE of GOD, BUT that you will take the NECESSARY STEPS to EXPERIENCE God s LOVE! The Apostle Paul understood this and he PRAYED for it for his FRIENDS Ephesians 3:18-19 = 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 2 Would you please UNDERLINE the beginning of verse 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully It is MY PRAYER today that you would UNDERSTAND enough about these TWO TRUTHS about God s LOVE, that you would take whatever STEPS you need to in order to EXPERIENCE the PARTS of GOD S LOVE that we CANNOT fully UNDERSTAND. Here we go In you notes BECAUSE GOD IS ALL-LOVING I CAN EXPERIENCE GOD S LOVE PERSONALLY FIRST TRUTH = I can experience God s Love PERSONALLY! It is a LOT EASIER to believe that God LOVES the WORLD than it is to believe that GOD LOVES ME. Do you know WHY that is? It s BECAUSE we have developed all these FALSE BELIEFS about God and GOD S LOVE that we ve HEARD from the PEOPLE around us and from the MEDIA and even from RELIGION These FALSE BELIEFS keep US from experiencing God s LOVE in a PERSONAL WAY. Today, I would look at what the BIBLE says to STRIP away the POWER of those FALSE BELIEFS that PREVENT us from EXPERIENCING God s LOVE personally! 2 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Eph 3:18 19). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
3 Here we go FIRST, the BIBLE teaches that I can EXPERIENCE God s Love PERSONALLY - Even When I DON T FEEL God s Love I guess we have to ask, What does it TAKE for US to FEEL God s Love? BECAUSE, in the BIBLE, we FIND that God uses SUFFERING and difficult circumstances OFTEN to BUILD CHARACTER and FAITH in a person and prepare them to ENJOY ETERNITY. But, WE don t tend to FEEL God s LOVE when we are going through TOUGH TIMES, do we?! Honestly, I feel MOST LOVED by God when I believe that God has done something for me that AFFECTS my LIFE in the way that I LIKE! BUT, if that is the ONLY WAY I believe that I can experience God s LOVE just when I FEEL IT I m going to MISS OUT on MANY opportunities to EXPERIENCE God s Love! Listen, the PROOF of God s LOVE for me is NOT in how smoothly things went for me yesterday The PROOF of God s LOVE for me is found in something FAR DEEPER and GREATER than that! Listen Romans 8:32 = 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won t he also give us everything else? 3 God uses a LOGICAL TOOL here It s called the Argument From the Greater to the Lesser. Here s how that works IF God GAVE up his ONLY SON, that s the GREATER thing, and that is ABSOLUTE PROOF that God would surely GIVE us every other GOOD THING God would say, I GAVE YOU my ONLY SON! Why would EVER hold back ANYTHING ELSE GOOD from you?!? The Bible teaches that there is NOTHING GOOD that God will WITHOLD from us. Now, there are things that WE WANT and WE THINK are GOOD, but God KNOWS what is BEST for us and will NOT HOLD BACK. And, JESUS is the PROOF! So, I can EXPERIENCE God s LOVE PERSONALLY Even When I Don t FEEL His LOVE and - Even When I DON T THINK I M GOOD ENOUGH This is another LIE that TOO MANY BELIEVE that is NOT a TRUE PICTURE of GOD! We think that God s LOVE is FOR people who are GOOD ENOUGH Read their BIBLE enough PRAY ENOUGH SACRIFICE ENOUGH to be able to Hang with Jesus BUT, those are NOT the people that God is CALLING to FOLLOW Him! Listen to Jesus Matthew 11:28-30 = 28 Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. 4 Jesus is NOT calling the STRONG and those who have it all together in life. Jesus calls those who are WEARY and carrying HEAVY BURDENS who are STRUGGLING to handle life themselves. It s NOT about being STRONG enough or GOOD enough to FOLLOW JESUS, it s about REALIZING that I m NOT STRONG ENOUGH I m NOT GOOD ENOUGH! It s those people who PUT their TRUST in HIS STRENGTH instead of their own. Listen, becoming GOOD ENOUGH to Follow JESUS is like getting CLEANED up to take a BATH! You re MISSING the POINT! God loves us not because we are good enough to be loved, because the Bible tells us that God is love, so it is impossible for God to do anything but love us. In fact, for God to stop loving us, even for a millisecond, He would have to cease to be God. And THAT will NEVER HAPPEN! The Bible tells us that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. 3 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 8:32). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 4 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 11:28 30). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
4 So, I can EXPERIENCE GOD S Love PERSONALLY, even when I don t think I m GOOD ENOUGH and FINALLY, I can experience God s Love PERSONALLY - Even When I DOUBT Even when I have those MOMENTS that I m embarrassed about as a FOLLOWER of JESUS those MOMENTS of DOUBT, I can STILL EXPERIENCE God s Love PERSONALLY! Listen to what JESUS said the LAST TIME he talked to the Disciples here on earth according to Matthew Matthew 28:17-19 = 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 5 Do you ever doubt God? ME TOO! I have some serious DOUBTS. Every Sunday, I understand that I m in WAY OVER my HEAD! I can t do this. I know it EVERY WEEK. There are TIMES that I QUESTION God s Calling in my life, like God must have made a MISTAKE or that I HEARD it wrong. Then I m EMBARRASSED! How dare I DOUBT Almighty God. But listen to these verses Jesus INVITED SPECIFICALLY those who DOUBTED to PARTNER with Him to carry out The Great Commission! Even those of you who DOUBT, Go INTO ALL the WORLD and MAKE DISCIPLES! That s why Jesus said in the NEXT VERSE And, I will be WITH YOU always Listen, when we STRUGGLE with DOUBT, we have to remember that it s NOT the SIZE of my FAITH that matters, it s the SIZE of the GOD that I put my FAITH IN! We re HUMAN we will have DOUBTS. God knows that and lets us know that our FAITH is NOT the POWER. Our FAITH is the CONNECTOR to the POWER of GOD (Omnipotent). We just need FAITH the size of a MUSTARD SEED to CONNECT to Almighty God s POWER! Again, there HAS to be a CONNECTION to GOD! The Bible tells us that our SIN, the CHOICES we all make to go our own direction instead of God s, those sins SEPARATE us from GOD DISCONNECTS US. The Bible tells us that the CONSEQUENCES of SIN is DEATH! Jesus talks about this SEPARATION from God ETERNALLY as a very REAL PLACE called HELL. BUT, God LOVES US / YOU so much that He SENT his SON to DIE on a CROSS for our SINS. He took the PUNISHMENT. He makes it POSSIBLE for us NOT to be SEPARATED from GOD to be CONNECTED. It s by JESUS FORGIVENESS through that DEATH! Jesus took the PUNISHMENT that WE deserved for our SIN. And, now we have a CHOICE to make. We can CHOOSE to go our own way and SUFFER the ETERNAL consequences (Hell), or we can ACCEPT Jesus Death on the CROSS as the PAYMENT for our SIN and spend ETERNITY in God s Presence (Heaven). It s our CHOICE. Let me come BACK to this in a FEW minutes BUT, I don t want us to FORGET what JESUS DID for you and me. NEITHER did JESUS! It s Palm Sunday today. This THURSDAY is what we call Maundy Thursday. It s the DAY that we REMEMBER that Jesus told us (at the FIRST LAST SUPPER Upper Room) to REMEMBER His SACRIFICE for US. This THURSDAY, we will RECEIVE COMMUNION at MZ and North Clayton Campuses Because of God s great SACRIFICE Jesus WILLINGLY CHOOSING to Die for ME and my sins I KNOW that I can EXPERIENCE God s LOVE PERSONALLY Even when I DON T FEEL it When I don t think I m GOOD ENOUGH When I DOUBT BECAUSE GOD IS ALL LOVING 1 st TRUTH = I can experience God s LOVE PERSONALLY SECOND MAJOR TRUTH 5 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 28:17 19). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
5 I CAN INVITE OTHERS TO EXPERIENCE GOD S LOVE BECAUSE God is ALL-LOVING, I can invite OTHERS to EXPERIENCE God s Love! Listen to me NOTHING causes you to EXERIENCE God s Love MORE than by SHARING His LOVE with OTHER PEOPLE. The Apostle Paul wrote to his friend Philemon Philemon 6 (not in your notes) = 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith (Paul is talking about SHARING our FAITH generously) as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 6 IOW we will NEVER fully UNDERSTAND and EXPERIENCE all the Good Things we have in Christ UNTIL we GENEROUSLY SHARE our FAITH with people who do NOT KNOW Jesus! We are missing it. We cannot just SIT here and enjoy this WORSHIP experience (we should) and go home and read our Bibles (we should) and even TITHE or GIVE GENEROUSLY back to God through our PLACE of WORSHIP (we should) and then call ourselves Fully-Developing FOLLOWERS of JESUS. NO! It s NOT ENOUGH. We are MISSING OUT on the very ESSENCE of the CHRISTIAN FAITH and FOLLOWING JESUS! I m pretty SURE that Jesus DID NOT come and hang on a CROSS and DIE so that we could SIT around and FEEL GOOD about ourselves. I m pretty sure JESUS did that so that SINNERS could be FORGIVEN and start to FOLLOW JESUS to a BETTER LIFE! Two Questions: #1 = ARE YOU GOING TO WASTE JESUS WORK ON THE CROSS? Are you going to continue to thumb your nose at JESUS BECAUSE your PRIDE won t allow you to BOW DOWN to the SAVIOR? Are you going to continue to CARRY ON in life REFUSING JESUS GIFT to YOU and TRY to figure out your OWN WAY to HEAVEN and keep trying to EARN it OR, tell yourself that HELL won t be SO BAD, SO WHATEVER?!? OR, will you FINALLY SWALLOW your PRIDE and BOW before Almighty GOD and ADMIT your SIN and ASK for FORGIVENESS?! Listen, I m not going to take the BLAME for YOU NOT doing that, so LET S PRAY Dear God, I admit I have sinned. I have been living my own way and not Yours. But I believe that Jesus took the punishment that I deserved when He died on the cross. And I know I cannot save myself from the consequences of my sin. So right now, I put my trust in You to forgive me, to give me the power that I need to follow You. In Jesus name. Amen. If you PRAYED that PRAYER SINCERELY, no matter what DOUBTS might creep into your mind later You just ALLOWED GOD to CHANGE your ETERNITY! And, that will change your life HERE in this life too! Would you please let me know on your CONNECTION CARD? #2 = (Similar) ARE YOU GOING TO WASTE JESUS WORK ON THE CROSS? If Jesus came to SAVE PEOPLE from their SINS, offer a BEST PLAN for their Earthly Lives and then ETERNITY in HEAVEN be ACCEPTING the GIFT of FORGIVENESS that is ONLY made possible by the DEATH of JESUS HOW LONG are you going to KEEP that a SECRET from your FRIENDS and FAMILY?!? Jesus came and DIED so that SINNERS could be FORGIVEN! Do you KNOW ANY?!? If all we ever do is to READ the BIBLE (which we should) and chant to ourselves Jesus loves me over and over, then we will become STAGNANT and SELF-FOCUSED and INDIFFERENT! And, that is the OPPOSITE of LOVE! 6 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Phm 6). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
6 ELIE WIESEL, a HOLOCAUST survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner, said this, The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference. See, when we FOCUS on ourselves and OUR experiences, and our enjoyment of God s love, WITHOUT a HEALTHY FOCUS on INVITING OTHERS to experience His love as well, we actually move AWAY from GOD S LOVE, which by its very nature is FOCUSED on OTHERS instead of ourselves. Think about that for a minute. The OPPOSITE of LOVE is NOT HATE it is INDIFFERENCE! The BEST way to NOT SHOW LOVE is to SHOW that we DON T CARE! I would much rather my wife YELL and SCREAM at me than to give me THE SILENT TREATMENT! ELIE talked about all of the people back in the 30s and 40s who KNEW something TERRIBLE was happening to the JEWS and DID NOTHING. He claimed that was WORSE than the HATE of HITLER!???????? Let me ask IF you see an INJUSTICE happening, are you MORE MAD at the people who start it, or the people who STAND BY and ALLOW it to happen?!?????????????? Listen, I find that INVITING other people to WORSHIP is INTIMIDATING You? This has been a great help to me when I recognize that SHARING my FAITH does NOT BEGIN with Sharing my Faith. Listen Colossians 4:2-4 = 2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. 7 Pray FIRST! Don t FORCE it that just gets us into trouble. BUT, when God leads, DON T IGNORE that either! But, again, PRAY FIRST for GOD to LEAD YOU and to SOFTEN their HEARTS and for COURAGE, etc.! Then, do as God leads be OBEDIENT to GOD. BUT, please do NOT watch the people you LOVE and CARE about DIE ETERNALLY and NOT LOVE them ENOUGH to INVITE THEM SHOW them what FAITH in JESUS LOOKS LIKE. Please do NOT just STAND BY with INDIFFERENCE and NOT DO ANYTHING! They are DYING! How much do we have to HATE someone to just STAND BY and WATCH while their ETERNITY LITERALLY GOES UP IN FLAMES?!? You have TICKETS in your PROGRAM. We, as a CHURCH, are trying to make this as EASY for you as POSSIBLE. WRITE DOWN the NAMES of the PEOPLE you WILL INVITE this week (NEXT STEPS). It is BIBLICAL to DO this I Timothy 2:3-4 = 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 8 Let s be PLEASING to GOD this week and PACK OUT our CHURCHES for EASTER and BEYOND! Let's Pray! Next Steps: Experience God s Love for the first time today. Memorize I Timothy 2:3-4 I will use my tickets to invite,, and to Easter @ BMZ (April 16 th ) NEXT SUNDAY! 7 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Col 4:2 4). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 8 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Ti 2:3 4). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
7 Hosting (Closing) HEY, it has been a GREAT DAY here at BMZ Glad you ve been here with us! In a moment we are going to RECEIVE the OFFERING so please take this time to finish COMPLETING any information Or NEXT STEPS on your CONNECTION CARD (FULLY FILLED OUT!!) AND when our ushers come around to RECEIVE our OFFERING You can drop that card in the offering basket. YEP BOTH in the SAME BASKET!! IF you are a First Time Guest with us today We are so glad that you joined us And we have a GIFT for you. It s a book called UNSHAKABLE and it s at the BACK TABLE / By the DOORS and all you need to do is DROP your COMPLETED Connection Card in the OFFERING PLATE / BASKET WITH your OFFERING when it s passed. YEP BOTH in the SAME BASKET! +++++++++++++++++++++++ As our ushers GET READY to come forward I just want to remind you that STEWARDSHIP is DISCIPLESHIP we RECEIVE an OFFERING EVERY Sunday BECAUSE it s BIBLICAL AND, it HELPS us GROW in our FAITH! EPHESIANS 3:18 = 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 9 As Developing Followers of Jesus Christ, We need to know what the BIBLE says about GIVING NOT just what we THINK it should say. MONEY is a HEART ISSUE. And, GOD wants what is BEST for your HEART! God wants us to have HIS BEST LIFE POSSIBLE OBEDIENCE is the KEY! If you are NOT PREPARED to GIVE today NO WORRIES you can give ONLINE anytime at bmzchurch.org Or MAIL in your offering using the Postage paid giving ENVELOPE that s in your program PRAY!! USHERS Next Week: It s EASTER Starting a series to HELP all of US to have a BETTER LIFE God s WAY as we LEARN to RECOGNIZE EVIL in this world! BE HERE! (DVD = Have a Great Week ) AFTER OFFERING: SONG (Live) / PRAYER (Live) Truth without Grace is Fundamentalism (Brutality). Grace without Truth is Sentimentalism (Hypocrisy). Special thanks to Andy Stanley, Nelson Searcy, R.A. Pegram, Mike Slaughter and Perry Noble for outlines and ideas for this worship series. 9 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Eph 3:18). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.