BackGod’s Unconditional Love
Wednesdays, January 13–April 28
6:00 PM | Room 2006
Teacher: Bill Borleis
As a kid, did you ever go roller skating, ice skating, or snow skiing for an hour or more? What was the first thing that you felt after you put your own shoes back on? It felt like you were still on the skates or the skis, right?
In the same way, as you walk through this world, you may “feel” like God doesn’t love you. However, He does! As you see how much God loves you, you will feel His love, despite your behavior. By God’s amazing love and grace, your behavior will become more like Jesus!
How to feel God’s love for me, when I don’t feel worthy:
1. Feeling God’s love for me when my own heart/feelings condemn me (1 John 3). Seeing Jesus’ love of us in the story of Joseph (Genesis 43:29-31, 45:4-5).
2. God is love and wants us to live in His love (1 John 4). The Bible says God is “Holy, Holy, Holy” and yet never says “he who lives in holiness lives in God,” but it does say, “he who lives in love, lives in God.”
3. Jesus’ blood keeps on cleansing me even when I still blow it as a Christian. He is my legal Advocate to defend me (1 John 1:7, 2; Romans 8:31-35).
4. It’s safe and okay to call God “Dad” without any fear of punishment (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 3:26-29; 1 John 4:18; Colossians 2:13-15).
5. The key to success in life is rooted and grounded in love and made righteous as a free gift (Ephesians 3:14-21; John: references to “the disciple Jesus loved;” Romans 5:17).
6. When I fail, I need God’s love the most. God’s Truth says He doesn’t convict the believer of sin but of righteousness in Christ (John 16:7-11; Romans 7-8; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 John 2:1-2; Colossians 2:6).
7. There’s an enemy out there. Not everyone loves God’s love (John 15:18; Galatians 2:4-5; Colossians 2:8-23; 1 John 3:1, 4).
8. We love the brothers and sisters because God loves us first (1 John 4:19). Any lack of love in the church is from a lack of knowing God’s love and forgiveness (Luke 7:47; 2 Peter 1:9). We must admit our faults to one another and pray for healing to gently restore any brother stuck in sin (Galatians 6:1-5; James 5:16).
9. God remembers our sins no more, which is the foundation of the New Covenant (Hebrews 10:15-18). God’s love forgave us and forgot our sins. He didn’t forgive us in order to love us (Colossians 2:13-15; Romans 5:8-11; Daniel 9:24).
10. God’s grace and love was before law all along. See in the the stories of Abraham (Galatians 3:17, 4:21-31), Jacob, the two wives, and the Israelites coming out of Egypt.
11. God’s justice says we are His righteousness (Romans 4:5-17). The cross was the great exchange. You ask, “How could God make me righteous when I have sinned?” The answer comes in the form of a question: “How did God make Christ sin when He was righteous?” (Hebrews 12:22-25). Our righteousness is an irrevocable gift (Romans 11:29).
12. Christ in us means we know God’s good opinion of us (Romans 4:20; Colossians 1:17). If you visited heaven for a minute you would hear your Dad/God say, “Hey, that’s My son! That’s My daughter!” You would hear Jesus say, “Hey, that’s My brother and sister!” (1 John 3:1; Hebrews 2:11; John 20:17).
No registration required for this class.