SHORTCUT TO WEEK 2: DAY 1 - DAY 2 - DAY 3 - DAY 4
WEEK 2 - DAY 1
1 John 2:1-6
Is following God a burden or a delight? Is your relationship with the Lord mostly marked by begrudging duty or willful pursuit of a great joy? If walking with God seems to be a burden or rigid religiosity, I have great news for you. It’s not. Walking with God and finding joy in him is the pursuit of a lifetime that can be completely hedonistic in nature and rewarding in experience. Why? Because the gospel is complete freedom! What do I mean? Get ready for the best news you’ll ever hear…
God has commanded us to be satisfied in the most satisfying thing in the universe!
DID YOU JUST HEAR HOW LOVING OUR FATHER IS? He has commanded us to be satisfied in the most satisfying thing! This can’t be begrudging duty! This can’t be just religious duty! This is freedom! This is a life lived pursuing joy! Matthew 11:28-30 says, “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Yes. There is a yoke of authority that Jesus puts on our shoulders. But that makes sense. He is the joy. He knows how best to command us to experience him fully. So to trust him and his authority makes sense. Why? Because his burden (authority) isn’t heavy! It’s light! It’s desirable! Just on the other side of losing control of our lives and giving it to him, there is unimaginable joy both now and forever!
The truth is, if our walk with Jesus is nonexistent or very dry, it is because we do not possess or have lost the ability to see Jesus as fully satisfying. SO HOW DO I POSSESS THIS RIGHT VIEW OF JESUS THAT RESULTS IN A PURSUIT OF JOY AND NOT DUTIFUL RELIGION?
2 Steps:
1) Allow the gospel to capture your heart!
2) See the gospel as the bridge to ALL of God’s promises to you and for you.
This will work! Here we go!
As with the start of any romantic relationship, the gospel relationship with Christ is similar. There is an initial attraction that jars the heart away from every other option you may desire to pursue. (The Cross) Then a deepening experiential love that is worth experience beyond any other people. (God’s Promises)
The Gospel Captures Our Heart
READ 1 John 2:1-2
These two verses really rise and fall on two words. Advocate v.1 and Propitiation v.2.
Questions:
1. What does the word “advocate” mean in your own words? (Hebrews 4:15)
2. What does the word “propitiation” mean in your own words? (Romans 3:23-26, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
3. Verse 1 says, “When we do sin, we have an advocate.” How does it impact you that the God of the Universe, the highest possible authority, is your very own personal advocate, even when you sin and fail miserably against him?
4. If the word “propitiate” means “to fully appease anger and wrath,” why is it wrong to think God is still mad at you if you are a Christian?
5. What does the following phrase mean in your own words? “God did to Jesus on the cross what my sin deserved, and God did that to Jesus instead of me.”
6. How does this reality “capture your heart in the gospel?”
Martin Luther coined a phrase for the reality of God sending Jesus to take your spot on the cross. He called it “The Great Exchange.” Jesus’ life for mine. When this reality becomes real, it captures our heart!
The gospel is the bridge to ALL of God’s promises to you and for you.
But how do we stay in this reality mentioned above? How does this initiate a reality that I continue to walk in? By what power do I continue to walk in this reality?
We must realize the gospel is the bridge that unleashes all of God’s promises to us and for us!
This is where the joy continues to deepen more and more. The gospel captures our hearts. But it is the experience of walking in his promises that deepens and ensures our joy forever!
2 Corinthians 1:20 - 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him (Jesus).
When Jesus died on the cross, that forgave our sins and made us rightful heirs to all the promises of God. In Jesus, every promise in the Bible is a YES to us! First, let’s see how this reality empowers us to walk a joyful and faithful walk with Jesus and second, let’s examine some of these promises to find how their power can be experienced in everyday life with great joy!
READ 1 John 2:3-6
Questions:
8. This passage is definitely a cause/effect passage. Verses 1-2 is the cause and verses 3-6 is the effect. If we understand the weight and power of verses 1 & 2, why is obeying God’s commands mentioned in verses 3-6 the natural response?
9. Who is God to you? Write your answer before going to the next question.
10. How do you normally feel about obeying God’s commands?
11. Many times, your view of God effects how you view his commandments. If you think of him as a cosmic dictator, his commands will be heavy. If you view him as our “homeboy,” “bro,” or “BFF,” obedience will be optional. Why is it important to see God correctly in the gospel first, before moving on to obedience?
12. If someone doesn’t walk in obedience, why is that a sign that they don’t know God and have never had their heart captured by the gospel?
God’s Promises: The fuel for my joy!
The cross is the initial power that captures our heart but the promises of God is how we walk and continue in joy. The cross is easy to see as personal and life altering, but how do I use that to get through a valley, to cope with loss, to seek guidance in decision, or practice self-control. The gospel isn’t lacking to do this, it’s just the bridge that connects you to the promises of God that actually can do this! If Jesus is the YES to every promise from God to us, then it would serve us well to know God’s promises well!
CLOSING EXPERIMENT:
Open a new browser tab now. Google this “God’s promises about ________” then fill in the blank. Do a Google search for the promises of God that you most need now in life. You may search for peace, guidance, hope, anger, self-control, or many other things. Look through the results. Click a few links and find a verse that speaks to you. Write it down.
For the rest of the day or maybe the rest of the week, meditate on this verse. Understand that Jesus is your advocate supporting you in the gospel. He is the propitiation of all wrath from God and you now stand before God accepted and loved. In that reality, claim this promise from God as your own. Own it! Meditate on it! Believe it! Trust it! Enjoy the joy that it produces!
What was your major takeaway today?