Made for Relationships: God
Focusing on the multifaceted nature of relationships, beginning with the foundational connection between humanity and God. Pastor Tim emphasizes that while many associate "relationships" solely with marriage, the series will explore various forms, including divine, familial, communal, and individual connections. A central theme is God's unwavering pursuit of relationship with humanity, even in the face of human sin and rejection, demonstrated through biblical accounts and culminating in Jesus' sacrifice.
Deep Dive
Sermon Study Guide: The Foundation of Relationships
This study guide will help you review and deepen your understanding of Pastor Tim's sermon on relationships, focusing on the foundational relationship with God.
I. Core Concepts & Sermon Structure
Pastor Tim's sermon initiates a new series on relationships, aiming to broaden the typical understanding beyond just marriage. The sermon focuses on the foundational relationship with God as the basis for all other relationships.
Key Themes Explored:
Broadening the Scope of Relationships: Moving beyond marriage to include relationships with God, family, community (Mercy Church), singleness, orphans, and widows.
The Dynamic Nature of Relationships: Acknowledging that relationships change and evolve over time, making future relevance important.
Why Talk About Relationships?Humans are inherently in various relationships.
It aligns with Mercy Church's mission: loving God, loving others, and making disciples (all relational).
Relationships are a primary means through which God challenges and grows individuals.
Three Main Ideas for the Foundational Relationship with God:The Nature of God
God's Pursuit of Us
God's Commitment to a Relationship with Us
II. Detailed Breakdown of Key Ideas
1. The Nature of God
Starting Point: Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God." This immediately establishes God's primacy and relational nature.
Attributes of God:Omnipotent: All-powerful.
Omniscient: All-knowing.
Omnipresent: Everywhere.
Omnibenevolent: Totally filled with love (the definition of love).
Omni-content (Biblical Truth): Completely happy and content within Himself.
The Trinitarian God: God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in perfect, loving relationship with each other from eternity. This debunks the idea that God created out of lack.
God's Motivation for Creation: Not out of loneliness or boredom, but from an overflow of His creativity and love to share Himself with other beings.
God's Sadness over Broken Relationship: He is sad not because He misses out, but because we miss out on the pure, non-transactional love He offers. This contrasts with often transactional human love.
Creation of Humanity (Genesis 1:26-27):Made "in our image, in our likeness," distinguishing humans from all other creation.
Humans are "image bearers" of God, meant to resemble and represent Him on earth.
Likeness with God is not physical, but involves the capacity for:
Ruling over creation.
Relationship with God and other humans.
Reason, intelligent speech, moral consciousness, creativity, rationality, and choice.
The call to "be fruitful and multiply" is a call to fill the earth with God's image bearers.
Humans are "sub-creators" or "under-creators" who care for God's creation.
The Fall (Genesis 3): Sin breaks four key relationships: with God, with other humans, with the created world, and with oneself. God was justified in ending the story but chose not to.
2. God's Pursuit of Us
God's Intentionality: Even after sin, God continuously pursues relationship with humanity throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Examples of God's Pursuit:Jeremiah 2:4-7: God expresses angst and sorrow over Israel straying, questioning "What fault did your ancestors find in me?" – highlighting a broken relationship, not merely punitive anger.
Isaiah (unspecified verses): God promises strength, help, and upholding to Israel, despite their turning away, because He chose them for relationship.
Book of Hosea: God commands Hosea to buy back his prostitute wife as a powerful image of God's heart: enduring scorn and laughter to pursue and redeem His people.
Continuous Pursuit: God continues to pursue individuals even when they turn their backs on Him, welcoming them back with open arms when they return in humility.
3. God's Commitment to a Relationship with Us
Ultimate Commitment: Demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why Jesus Died: Not just for sin, but to restore our relationship with God the Father.
Jesus' Sacrifice: Giving His life is the greatest expression of commitment. His cry "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (on the cross) highlights the relational cost.
Restoration through Christ: His death broke His relationship with the Father (in some way) so that humanity's relationship with God could be re-established.
The Torn Temple Curtain: A symbolic act at Jesus' death, signifying that access to God's presence is now open to all through Jesus.
Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:15-17):No longer a spirit of bondage or fear, but of adoption.
We can cry out "Abba, Father!" (an intimate term for Father).
We are children of God, heirs, and co-heirs with Christ, inheriting spiritual blessings and eternal life.
Eternal Pursuit: God's pursuit is not a one-time event but continues for all of our days and into eternity.
Impact on Other Relationships: Getting the relationship with God right "trickles out to impact every other relationship."
Augustine's Quote: "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till we find our rest in thee."
III. Application & Reflection
Personal Pondering: Reflect on the truth that God pursued you before you pursued Him and continues to do so unconditionally.
Non-Transactional Love: Consider the challenge of reciprocating God's non-transactional love in your own life and relationships.
Image Bearers: How does understanding yourself as an image bearer of God influence your self-perception and your interactions with the world?
Quiz: The Foundation of Relationships
Instructions: Answer each question in 2-3 sentences.
What is the primary reason Pastor Tim chose to do a sermon series on relationships, beyond the common focus on marriage?
Name three attributes of God mentioned in the sermon that describe His nature.
How does the sermon explain God's motivation for creating humanity, particularly given His "omni-content" nature?
According to the sermon, what does it mean for humans to be "image bearers" of God, and what capacities does this include?
What four relationships are identified as being broken when sin entered the world in Genesis chapter 3?
Explain how the Old Testament story of Hosea and his wife Gomer serves as a powerful illustration of God's pursuit of humanity.
What is the ultimate demonstration of God's commitment to a relationship with humanity, according to Pastor Tim?
Beyond simply forgiving sin, what is the deeper theological reason Jesus died on the cross as presented in the sermon?
In Romans 8, Paul describes believers as receiving the "spirit of adoption." What does this mean for their relationship with God?
How does Pastor Tim connect "getting that relationship right" with God to all other relationships in a person's life?
Quiz Answer Key
Pastor Tim chose to do a sermon series on relationships because humans are in a variety of relationships, it aligns with Mercy Church's mission to love God and others, and relationships are a key way God challenges and grows people biblically. He also wanted to broaden the scope beyond just marriage to include many other types of relationships discussed in scripture.
Three attributes of God mentioned are omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere). Additionally, omnibenevolent (totally loving) and omni-content (completely happy) were also highlighted.
God's motivation for creating humanity stemmed from an overflow of His creativity and love. He was not lonely or bored but desired to pour out and share Himself with other beings, demonstrating His inherent nature.
To be "image bearers" of God means humans are fashioned to resemble and represent God on earth, distinguishing them from other creation. This likeness includes capacities for ruling, relationship with God and others, reason, moral consciousness, and choice, rather than a physical resemblance.
When sin entered the world in Genesis chapter 3, it broke four relationships: humanity's relationship with God, with other humans, with the created world, and with oneself.
The story of Hosea is an illustration of God's pursuit because God commanded Hosea to buy back his prostitute wife, symbolizing God's willingness to endure scorn and humiliation. This act represented God's deep desire and intentionality to redeem and bring His people back into relationship with Him despite their unfaithfulness.
The ultimate demonstration of God's commitment to a relationship with humanity is found in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus giving His life on the cross represents the greatest cost and sacrifice imaginable to restore that connection.
Beyond simply forgiving sin, the deeper theological reason Jesus died on the cross was to bring humanity back into relationship with God the Father. His sacrifice re-established the broken connection, allowing people to once again have fellowship with their Creator.
Receiving the "spirit of adoption" in Romans 8 means believers are no longer bound by fear but are welcomed as God's own children. This grants them the intimate privilege of calling God "Abba, Father" and makes them heirs and co-heirs with Christ to all of God's promises.
Pastor Tim explains that "getting that relationship right" with God first and foremost "trickles out to impact every other relationship" that a person has. A strong, biblically-grounded relationship with God provides the foundation and perspective needed to navigate all other human connections.
Essay Format Questions (No Answers Supplied)
Pastor Tim emphasizes that "relationships change and they shift." Discuss how this dynamic nature of relationships, particularly as exemplified by becoming a widow, influences the relevance and application of biblical teachings on relationships throughout a person's life.
The sermon highlights that God created humanity not out of lack, but out of an "overflow of his creativity and in the overflow of his love." Analyze the theological implications of this statement for understanding human purpose, God's character, and the nature of divine love as non-transactional.
Using specific examples from the sermon (e.g., Jeremiah, Hosea, the torn temple curtain), elaborate on Pastor Tim's argument that God's pursuit of humanity is "intentional" and continuous, even in the face of human unfaithfulness and sin.
Pastor Tim states that the oversexualization of culture (pornography, abuse, deviance) is "terrible" because it perverts the image God gives of a bride and groom in perfect unity. Explain the sermon's argument for why this distortion is significant in the context of our relationship with God, and how it relates to the broader theme of being "image bearers."
The sermon concludes with the idea that God's commitment to us is "deeply and eternally" profound, culminating in our status as "children of God" and "co-heirs with Christ." Discuss the practical and spiritual implications of these titles for a believer's identity, security, and future hope, drawing connections to the full scope of God's relational pursuit.
Glossary of Key Terms
Sermon Series: A collection of sermons preached over several weeks, all focusing on a common theme or topic.
He Said What?: The title of Pastor Tim's previous sermon series.
Mercy Church: The community/church Pastor Tim pastors, whose central mission involves loving God, loving others, and making disciples.
Biblically: In a way that aligns with the teachings and principles found in the Bible.
Gospels: The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), which recount the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Foundational Relationship: The primary, most essential relationship upon which all other relationships are built or depend (in this sermon, the relationship with God).
Nature of God: Refers to the inherent characteristics, attributes, and essence of God.
Omnipotent: Having unlimited power; all-powerful.
Omniscient: Knowing everything; all-knowing.
Omnipresent: Present everywhere at the same time.
Omnibenevolent: Perfectly good; all-loving (Pastor Tim states God is the "definition of love").
Omni-content: A term used by Pastor Tim (acknowledging it may be self-created) to describe God as completely happy and self-sufficient, a biblical truth derived from scripture.
Trinitarian God (Trinity): The Christian doctrine that God exists as three co-eternal, co-equal persons—Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit—yet is one God.
Godhead: A theological term referring to the nature or essence of God; the divine being.
Acts Chapter 17: A biblical passage where Paul speaks about God's self-sufficiency, stating God does not need anything from human hands.
Jonathan Edwards: A prominent American theologian, philosopher, and Congregationalist minister, often cited for his profound insights into God's nature and creation.
Overflow of Creativity/Love: The concept that God's creation of the world and humanity stems from His abundant and inherent creative and loving nature, rather than from a need or deficiency.
Transactional Love: Love that is given with the expectation of receiving something in return; conditional love.
Sacrificial Love: Love that is given without expecting anything in return, often involving personal cost or self-denial.
Genesis 1:26-27: Biblical verses describing God's creation of humanity in His "image" and "likeness."
Image Bearers (Imago Dei): The theological concept that humans are uniquely created in the image of God, reflecting His character and attributes in specific ways.
Sub-creators/Under-creators: A term used to describe humanity's role in cultivating and caring for creation, working under God's ultimate creative authority.
Genesis Chapter 3: The biblical account of the Fall of Man, where sin enters the world through Adam and Eve's disobedience.
Old Testament: The first major division of the Christian Bible, primarily containing the sacred writings of ancient Israel.
New Testament: The second major division of the Christian Bible, focusing on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the early Christian church.
Jeremiah Chapter 2:4-7: A biblical passage where God expresses His sorrow and questioning over Israel's unfaithfulness.
Francis Chan: A contemporary American pastor, author, and speaker known for his passionate teaching.
Isaiah (book): An Old Testament prophetic book, frequently quoted for its messages of God's judgment and salvation.
Book of Hosea: An Old Testament prophetic book where God uses the prophet Hosea's difficult marriage to an unfaithful wife as an allegory for God's relationship with unfaithful Israel.
Book of Revelation: The final book of the New Testament, an apocalyptic work describing the end times, new heavens, and new earth, and the ultimate restoration of God's relationship with humanity.
Over-sexualization of Culture: The excessive emphasis on or portrayal of sex in society, often leading to the perversion or destruction of sacred concepts like intimacy and marriage.
Pornography, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Deviance: Examples of ways the "over-sexualization of culture" perverts the divine image of unity and connection in relationships.
Abba, Father! (Romans 8:15): An Aramaic term for "Father" used in the New Testament, conveying intimate affection and trust, akin to "Daddy."
Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8): The theological concept that through Christ, believers are adopted into God's family, receiving the rights and privileges of children rather than remaining enslaved by fear.
Heirs and Joint Heirs with Christ (Romans 8): The promise that believers are inheritors of God's blessings and Kingdom, sharing in Christ's inheritance.
Eternal Life: Life without end, particularly referring to the spiritual life that begins now for believers and continues infinitely with God.
Kingdom of God: God's sovereign rule and reign, both present and future.
Restored Creation: The biblical hope for a renewed earth, free from the effects of sin.
Curtain in the Temple: A thick veil in the Jewish Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, symbolizing humanity's separation from God's immediate presence. Its tearing at Jesus' death signified open access to God.
Augustine: Saint Augustine of Hippo, an influential early Christian theologian and philosopher, whose quote about restless hearts finding rest in God is widely known.
