Beyond the Weekend: GOD IS...
People have a lot of thoughts about God. Some say he is angry and vengeful. Some say he is a buddy or best friend. But what does Scripture tell us about God?
Understanding the character of God matters. It changes how we meet him in our everyday lives. It changes how we understand the world around us, and his work in it. And it changes our prayer life and how we talk and hear from him. Understanding the character of God leads us to living lives of obedience and worship.
Join Pastors Aaron Buer, Jeff Manion and Brad Holmes in our 10-week series GOD IS ..., a study on the identity and character of God, and learn how your faith can grow as you know God better.
Stuck
Read: Luke 5:6-10 Listen: Luke 5
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8
Peter knows that Jesus cast out a demon from a man. He saw his mother-in-law healed. It was in Peter’s hometown where Jesus spent the night healing anyone who showed up (Luke 4:31-41). But what convinces Peter that Jesus is different is the miraculous catch of fish. Only then does Peter see he is in the presence of someone who has power over nature. Peter sees his sinfulness in the light of Jesus’s power and perfection. Peter will eventually understand who Jesus is—the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Here, Peter recognizes that his sin means he doesn’t deserve to be around God. He feels stuck and even asks Jesus to go away from him.
We, too, know we don’t measure up. We can get stuck thinking we have to earn our way to God when we know we can’t. We might focus on our pattern of failure rather than on God’s faithfulness. We may even feel that we’ve messed up so much there’s no way we can be forgiven. We can easily lose sight that God is the One who offers us life, forgiveness and freedom through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. Jesus reveals God’s ultimate faithfulness.
TODAY: Where do you feel stuck? Confess that to God and ask for help. If you need help in sorting some things out, we’d love to speak with you. Reach out to us at care@adabible.org to start a conversation.
JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Read Isaiah 32-33. Highlight anything that points to Jesus.
