Sermon Series: Awed By His Love | He First Loved Us

Pastor John Koe encouraged the congregation to grow in grasping the truth of the Gospel. Knowing that we are sons and daughters of God allows us to find rest in Him.

Pastor John shared that it is important for us to identify whether we operate from a “works mentality”.  That is, doing or performing in order to gain God’s approval and love.  He added that the definition of true love is found in John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (NIV84)”.

God sent his son for our salvation, with the aim of reconciling us back to the family of God. He made us sons of God first, before sending us out as ambassadors for Christ. Sonship therefore precedes vocation or servanthood. Sonship without servanthood is passivity, and servanthood without sonship is legalism. Sons make the best servants.

He shared that sons labour out of rest, but servants labour in stress (Matthew 11:28 and Hebrews 4: 1-3, 8-11).  This means drawing on God’s power instead on relying on our own power or abilities, which is to do a “power switch”. This is not easy and takes intentional effort.  God is waiting for us at this place of rest. 

Pastor John also shared about the different stages of entering into the promised rest (Galatians 2:20)

  1. My work for my benefit
  2. My work for His benefit
  3. His work for my benefit
  4. His work for His benefit 

Unbelief prevents us from entering into this promised rest. Pastor John exhorted the congregation to relentlessly pursue knowing God and of His great love for us in 2016. This is because to the degree we understand the Gospel (which is the good news of God’s love and His redemptive plan), we enter to God’s rest.

 

Discussion Questions

1) What to you is God’s idea and purpose of rest? [10 min]

 

2) God made us sons of God first before He sends us out as ambassadors for Christ. Share your experience of growing in the knowledge of sonship and having the heart of a servant. [15 min]

 

3) Pastor John shared about entering into God’s rest. Share with the cell what is an area of your life you would like to move from depending on yourself to trusting in God. What is one step you can take to enter into His rest?  [15 min]