*Genesis 2:8-9 ESV
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The tree of Life= Based on Gods Rule or His way to have relationship.
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil= Based on Self Rule or our way to approach God.
*Gen 2 :16-17 ESV
ESV 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
TO EAT: To ingest, to take it in, to allow something to get inside you.
*Romans 3:21-24 ESV But
now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
The enemy of our soul always tries to twist the issue of sin in our hearts.
1. He tries to get us to minimize the sin in our lives, letting us know that it’s not that big a deal and that we don’t need to change anything about how we view sin.
2. He tries to twist our view on how we think God views sin. This view paints a picture of an angry, absent God that only wants to condemn us and not have relationship with us because of our sin.
4 ways to approach God.
1. I have to do more to get to God vs I receive what Jesus already did.
* John 5:39-40- 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
*
2. I need to gain God’s approval vs receiving God’s love for me.
* Romans 5:8-9 ESV
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
3. Focus is on the external vs A focus on the heart(internal)
*John 3:17 ESV
17
4. Obey out of duty vs Serve God with delight.
*John 14:15 ESV
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
*1 John 5:3 ESV
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
** We deal with the sin in our lives, not because of fear of what God will do to us, but because of what that sin will keep God from doing through us.**
2 Corinthians 5:14. NIV
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
This week:
1. Examine your approach to God: Has the Sin in your life cause you to approach God in a unhealthy way?
- Ask God For a fresh perspective on His thoughts for your life, your future and His plans for you.
Discussion questions:
1. Have you ever “Taken in” a lie about God that Has kept you from experiencing real relationship with Him? Please Explain.
As humans, we are always trying to measure success. Why is trying to “do more” to get God harmful to our relationship with Him?
Read Romans 5:8-9. What can we see about how God views us in light of this scripture?
Describe a time in your life where it was easy, or delightful to serve God? What can you do to get the perspective again?
Pray for each other that any negative ways of thinking about God would be eliminated from our lives and that a fresh perspective of Him would be established.