Hope in aPERSONAL GOD

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD hope for today

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SECTION 1An Infinite Fund of Power

hope for today

KEY TEXT:Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save: He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 6:6; Exodus 3:14-16; Proverbs 6: 16-19; Isaiah 54:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Micah 7:18; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 1:7-9

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 1An Infinite Fund of Power

hope for today

CONSIDER:Obviously our God is not impersonal, distant and inattentive. As we come to know, trust, love, learn from, and pray to Him, He in turn feels our emotions and understands our sufferings. Just as it takes time and physical proximity to know another human, so also it takes time and a close relationship to know a personal God.

DISCUSS:How do Biblical passages indicate the personal nature of our God?

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 2Three-in-One

hope for today

KEY TEXT:Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

FURTHER STUDY: Mark 1:9-11; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:3-14; I Peter 1:1-2

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 2Three-in-One

hope for today

CONSIDER:The Old Testament and the New Testament insist that God is one. Both leave no doubt about their monotheism. But the New Testament divides our single God into three Divine persons. This, of course, represents one of the mysteries of the Bible. Although it is by faith that Christians accept such a God, this stance is not unusual: we believe in many things that we do not understand. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equally Divine; the Christian responsibility is simply to accept the role of each.

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 2Three-in-One

hope for today

DISCUSS:Why do we need the three-in-one (Trinitarian) God?

FATHER

SON

HOLYSPIRIT

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 3God Cares About this World

hope for today

KEY TEXT:Acts 17:24-25 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands as though He needed anything, since He gives to all breath and all things.”

FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6-9; Psalm 104; Hebrews 11:3

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

SECTION 3God Cares About this World

hope for today

CONSIDER:God is our Creator. He knows us intimately and cares for us moment by moment. Having such a God makes all the difference in how we live our lives and relate to others.

DISCUSS:What is God’s relationship to the existing world?

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD

INVITATION

hope for today

Can we trust our God––not being consumed or paralyzed by worry and fear? Can we trust our God and live a selfless life of love and compassion?

Hope in a PERSONAL GOD