Study Guide:
Out of all the names of Jesus, the everlasting father does not make sense. How can Jesus be son and father at the same time? In this sermon, Pastor Bryce helped us understand that Jesus embodied the father’s love for us to see and understand better.
God desires for us to have a relationship with him. He wants to be the light in our darkness. He wants to be the motivation to keep going until we reach the summit. And God does so through Jesus Christ.
What holds us back from experiencing God in this way is often the wrong concept we have about Him. If we see God as the enforcer of His laws then he becomes a distant Authority. But there can be a time when we can get to know God as the everlasting, faithful father.
How can you make sure that this shift happens? Pastor Bryce mentioned three things that might keep us from experiencing God as the Everlasting Father:
- Evaluate Your attitude
Ask yourself, “in what areas of my life have I had the I GOT THIS attitude? Where has your pride, your professionalism, or your stubbornness replaced the reliance on God? Confess your attitude, to a friend if necessary. And then write on an index card how God can step into this particular area. Make it practical.
- Pour out Your heart
Life is tough, no doubt about it. But the worst thing you can do is stay in the darkness alone. Take out a piece of paper and write a letter to God. Pour out your heart to him. If it helps you, look at how David in Psalm 27 shifts from crying out for help to hanging on to God for direction and comfort.
- Seek His presence
We have probably all read Psalm 23 at some point in our life. Read it again. In your group, count the many though things David goes through. For example, he desperately needs rest and finds it in the green pasture.
In the last verse, David makes the declaration to “stay in the house of the Lord forever”. Why would David come to that conclusion? What do you find in Psalm 23 that points to any possible reason why David reaches this point of “seeking God’s presence” constantly.
Jesus is described as the Everlasting Father, a man who demonstrated the love of God in an unimaginable way. It is truly an “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved -and saves daily- a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”
Pastor Daniel
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Through the Bible in one Year
Join us in reading through the entire Bible in one year. Each day of this plan guides you through passages from both the Old and New Testaments, allowing you to see connections between the history of our faith, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Readings average four chapters in length, so it is posible to do. When you use the YouVersion Bible App, you can even have the app read the Bible text to you – very useful when you are in the car or otherwise occupied with your hand.
All you need to do is click the link to the Bible Plan, which should lead you straight to the Bible app. Your two options are now (1) to read the plan on your own, one day at the time. Or (2) you can make it more fun and rewarding, by sharing the plan with one or more friends, and then even “Talk about it”.
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