This week's Sermon @ First B Jackson -March 2nd

In one paragraph

This message was the first of a two-part series on relationship, focusing on how we were made for relationship with God. Pastor Brad walked through three things that need diagnosing and repairing: our image of God, our understanding of love, and our identity. The driving concern throughout was the gap between knowing facts about God and actually knowing him. The starting point was the imago dei....

Read together

1. Genesis 1:27 God created man in his image, male and female
2. Genesis 3:8-9 Adam and Eve hiding from God, God calling out where are you
3. Psalm 34:8 taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in him
4. Romans 5:8 while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
5. Ephesians 2:8-10 salvation was of no merit of our own
6. John 3 Jesus telling Nicodemus he must be born again
7. John 14:15 if you love me you will keep my commands
8. 1 Corinthians 13 Paul on love not being done through gritted teeth or fear
9. 1 John 4 God pouring out his love as deep and permanent commitment
10. John 15 abiding in the vine, apart from me you can do nothing
11. Revelation 21 tabernacle of God among the people, he will wipe away every tear

Talk about it

1. Pastor Brad talked about carrying two different images of God at the same time, one from theology and one shaped by our experiences. Have you noticed a gap between those two in your own life, and where do you think that gap came from?
2. Pastor Brad said it is more natural for him to feel useful for God than to feel beloved by him. Do you relate to that, and what does it look like in your day-to-day life?
3. The sermon drew a distinction between knowing God and knowing about God, comparing it to knowing everything about a Frito but never tasting one. What has actually moved you from knowing about God to knowing him, rather than just accumulating information?
4. Pastor Brad described quiet time drifting into something academic or performative rather than relational, and pointed to hurry as the opposite of abiding. What tends to pull your own time with God away from being genuinely relational?
5. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Brad asked everyone to write down what is stopping them from drawing nearer to God. What came up for you, and what would it look like to bring that barrier into a conversation with another believer this week?