Embracing God's Personality for True Transformation
Summary
In this sermon, I was reminded that obedience to our relationship with God is what allows us to function at the highest level. This is because God is Spirit, and our response to Him should be based on His spiritual personality, not His laws. I was encouraged to read the Bible with the aim of understanding God's personality, rather than focusing on what I have to do. This shift in perspective allows me to overflow with His personality and have the same kind of faith that Jesus says makes me righteous. I was also reminded that intimacy in relationship brings life, and that we can't function properly without a relationship with God and with one another.
The sermon also emphasized that transformation is not possible if we insist on doing things our way. God justifies the ungodly as part of His personality, not as a function. This means that God is in the business of giving life to relationships, not in the business of function. I was also reminded that religious functionality kills life-giving intimacy. The highest level of obedience is allowing God's personality to guide us and to have the greatest volume in our lives. Lastly, I was reminded that our authority comes from displaying God's personality, not expressing our own.
Key takeaways:
- Our response to God should be based on His spiritual personality, not His laws ([16:24]).
- Intimacy in relationship brings life, and we can't function properly without a relationship with God and with one another ([17:41]).
- God justifies the ungodly as part of His personality, not as a function ([31:54]).
- The highest level of obedience is allowing God's personality to guide us and to have the greatest volume in our lives ([35:14]).
- Our authority comes from displaying God's personality, not expressing our own ([26:08]).
Study Guide
Main Points from the Sermon:
1. The highest level of obedience is allowing God's personality to guide us and letting that expression have the greatest volume in our lives. God loves to talk because his talking brings life. His plans for us are good and part of his personality is protection. #!!35:14!!#
2. We should be obedient to the personality of God, not our discomfort or our personality. Operating in religion is operating in knowledge and not faith. Faith is about not knowing what the hoop is but trusting that God is in control of our height, trajectory, and final landing place. #!!28:44!!#
3. Our authority comes from displaying God's personality, not expressing our own. We don't need to be the divine personality that governs the universe, we just need to mirror the personality that does control the universe. #!!25:28!!#
4. Jesus was the very expression of God's personality. When we learn about God's personality through Jesus, we'll be able to know the Father. Letting the personality of God control our mind leads to life and peace. #!!21:51!!#
Bible Chapters for the Group to Read:
1. Jeremiah 29
2. Romans 4
3. Hebrews 11
4. John 17
5. Romans 8
Discussion Guide:
Observation Questions:
1. In Jeremiah 29, how does God express his plans for his people?
2. How does Romans 4 contrast works and faith?
3. In Hebrews 11, how is faith described?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the personality of God manifest in the passages we read?
2. How does the concept of obedience to God's personality, as discussed in the sermon, apply to the passages we read?
3. How does the concept of faith in the unseen, as discussed in Hebrews 11, relate to the sermon's point about jumping through hoops?
Application Questions:
1. How can we apply the concept of allowing God's personality to guide us in our daily lives?
2. Can you share a time when you had to trust God's control over your "height, trajectory, and final landing place"?
3. How can we better mirror God's personality in our interactions with others?
Devotional
Day 1: God's Personality is Our Guide
God's personality should be the guiding force in our lives, not just His plans. His personality is one of communication, protection, and goodness. We should strive to resonate and replicate His goodness in our lives. [35:14]
Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Reflection: How can you better align your actions with God's personality, rather than just His plans?
Day 2: Transformation Requires Trust
Transformation is not possible if we insist on doing things our way. Trusting in God, who justifies the ungodly, is a part of His personality. We should strive to pursue Him and His personality, rather than religious functionality. [31:17]
Romans 4:5 - "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness."
Reflection: How can you let go of your own ways and trust in God's personality for transformation?
Day 3: Embrace the Unknown with Confidence
God calls us to step into the unknown with confidence in His personality. This requires obedience to His personality, not our own comfort or preferences. [27:28]
Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Reflection: What unknown is God calling you to step into with confidence in His personality?
Day 4: Relationship Precedes Function
Our relationship with God should precede our function. Understanding God's personality allows us to overflow with His personality and have the same kind of faith that makes us righteous. [16:24]
John 4:24 - "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."
Reflection: How can you deepen your relationship with God to better understand His personality and function accordingly?
Day 5: Respond to God's Personality, Not His Laws
Our worship should be a response to God's personality, not His laws. Jesus is the way, not a path we have to walk on, but a personality that He is. [18:27]
John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Reflection: How can you shift your worship to be a response to God's personality rather than His laws?
Quotes
1. "The highest level of obedience is allowing His personality to become our guide and to allow that expression to have the greatest volume in our lives. God loves to talk because His talking brings life and He's the Creator so He talks. God sneezes and entire universes are born." - 34:44
2. "Operating in religion is operating in knowledge and not faith. Faith is about not knowing what the hoop is, not knowing if you're going to make it through, not knowing what the color of the hoop is, not knowing if there's fire on the hoop, not knowing any of that but just when God says jump, know that He's in control of your height, your trajectory, and your final landing place." - 27:25
3. "God wants us to pursue Him and His personality and religious functionality kills this life-giving intimacy. God isn't in the business of function, God is in the business of giving life to relationship and therefore when He brings life to you, He brings Himself to you because Jesus is life." - 31:00
4. "Jesus was the very expression of God's personality so when Jesus says no one can come to know the Father unless you come through me, you're going to learn about God's personality through me and because you learn about God's personality through me, you'll be able to know the Father." - 19:36
5. "Letting the personality of God control your mind, give you function from relationship with the Eternal personality of God, it's going to lead to life and peace. You see, function is flesh, it's man-made death, not God made death. But relationship is spiritual because we are in relationship with Spirit Himself, He is Spirit and that leads to life." - 19:36
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?