SESSION 09 - GOD'S PASSION FOR YOU AND HIS BLESSINGS
GROUP VIDEO
Today we look at why Redemption is important. We ask:
- Does God have an emotion towards our pain and suffering?
- Why does God hate sin?
- Can God hate the pain in your life and yet you still not experience God's "will" for your healing?
SESSION 9 - GROUP VIDEO
Watch 10-20 minutes of a GROUP video teaching, that correlates with the full Workshop semester topics.
GROUP CONVERSATION GUIDE
GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE CURSES OF THE BROKEN LAW
GALATIANS 3:13,14, 29 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith...And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God is PASSIONATE. A great working definition of passion is Any extravagant, ardent or extreme emotion that compels one to outbursts of action, including enduring intense suffering and agony simply to fulfill the desire.
Sin is anything that God knows will destroy our lives.
God hates anything that mars His creation, that destroys us.
God’s attitude towards the curse of sin is the same as His attitude towards sin. God hates sin. God hates the curses brought into the world through sin.
HEBREWS 12:1-2 NKJV - 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
EPHESIANS 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
God is passionate about these things! He isn’t passively removing our sin, the heinous and repulsive agency that separates God from us. He PASSIONATELY wants intimacy with us through Jesus Christ’s morally legal sacrifice.
LUKE 13:10-17 NKJV Now He (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." 15 The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought NOT THIS WOMAN, being a DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM, whom SATAN HAS BOUND — think of it — for eighteen years, BE LOOSED FROM THIS BOND on the Sabbath?" 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
This lady “ought” to be healed. However, her experience wasn’t healing. The reasons she “ought” to be healed is because she is a daughter of Abraham and because it was Satan who had bound her. Yet, both of these reasons preexisted to this moment. She should have been healed in the mind of God long before she experienced it. This reinforces the idea that many things desired go un-experienced, yet God longs for the thing to be done.
GALATIANS 3:13,14, 29 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith...And if ye be Christ's, then are YE ABRAHAM'S SEED, and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.
GOD HATES EVIL
PROVERBS 6:16-19 KJV These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
PROVERBS 8:13 KJV The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
1 JOHN 3:8 NKJV He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD was manifested, that He might DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.
That is why…
- Jesus was moved with compassion on the sick in body.
- Jesus REBUKED demons that were enforcing these curses. He didn’t “ask” them to leave!
- Jesus dealt with these curses as though He were dealing with Satan himself!
These are all the undisputed enemies of God and His people! God hates emotional/mental weakness, sickness and poverty with the same passion He hates sin, especially since sin brought these curses into the earth!
Adam’s original sin brought pain, suffering, confusion, sickness, and poverty into the earth, therefore, God’s attitude toward these curses MUST be like that of an enemy. God could not look at these curses that work in our lives in a lackadaisical manner. These curses have wreaked havoc and death on the very ones that God loves. How could God befriend it in any way?
- Mental confusion, depression, etc is in no way an ally of God!
- Sickness, pain and diseases is in no way an ally of God!
- Poverty, lack and financial struggle is in no way an ally of God!
GOD HATES THE CURSE
God HATES each curse in the same way He does sin!
- Fear
- Confusion
- Faulty thought processes
- Foolishness
- Distance from God
- Shame
- Embarrassment
- Humiliation
- Addictions
- Hiding
- Guilt
- Inferiority
- Timidity
- Hard heartedness
- Unclean conscience
- Hating work/labor
- Can’t get pregnant
- Financial / vocational failure
- Darkness mentally
- No safety or protection or security
- Sickness, disease, and physical weakness
- Everything is hard, no momentum, things are impossible
- Regret
- Oppression
- Rejection
- Anxiety
- Faithlessness
- Skepticism
- Isolation, aloneness, separation
- Psychological breakdown
- Victimization
- No justice
- Child abductions / kidnappings
- Rape of life (literally and figuratively)
- Harassment
- Supernatural failure
- Despair
- Etc.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Take a few moments to discuss your answers to these questions with the Group.
ICE BREAKER
If you had to name one thing that really makes your day, what would it be?
MY MEMOIR STORIES
IMPORTANT: If the Group would like to continue telling one Memoir Story per week until they are completed, that might allow for a more congruent transition. Please be sensitive to the Science of Freedom content and discussion. It is important that our people are exposed to the possibilities in their potential that this content will provide. Please take no more than 20-25 minutes for the Memoir to leave time for the rest of the content below.
MEMOIR: PREPARING TO TELL MY STORY (Scope Timeline) worksheet to help you think through your story. You can download the SCOPE TIMELINE WORKSHEET at the link. There is a longer version of the worksheet, that gives an extra step to dig deeper into your story, which can be downloaded at LONG VERSION WORKSHEET (RECOMMENDED). You can also watch the WRAP UP video from last week that explains how to use the worksheet. Each person's Memoir should be 10-15 minutes long.
QUESTIONS
- After watching Session 9’s video, what is your biggest takeaway, “ah ha” moment, or challenging thought? Why?
- Describe how it makes you feel to know that God HATES what sin has done to us, the objects of His love.
- When you hear about the woman bowed over in Luke 13:10, how that she "OUGHT" to be healed even though her experience had not yet happened, how do you process that in terms of your own life and God's blessings?
- In the Group Notes, the last portion describes all the CURSES that God hates. Describe how this impacts your identity and how you interpret human suffering?
SESSION 9 - WRAP UP
This is a 5-10 minute section for MOVING FORWARD, GOING DEEPER, use of worksheets and periodic church-wide announcements.
MOVE FORWARD
Receive the challenge to “move forward” by applying what was learned this week.
SUGGESTIONS:
1. IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PREPARE TO TELL YOUR STORY, your MEMOIR, to the rest of us over the next few weeks. Use the MY MEMOIR: PREPARING TO TELL MY STORY (Scope Timeline) worksheet to help you think through your story. You can download the SCOPE TIMELINE WORKSHEET. There is a longer version of the worksheet, that gives an extra step to dig deeper into your story, which can be downloaded at LONG VERSION WORKSHEET (RECOMMENDED).
2. PRAY FOR GROUP MEMBER - Pray for at least one person in the Group. Try to identify someone who hasn't been prayed for, or given an encouraging Scripture. Don't worry about feeling inadequate as a prayer. No one feels like they are professional prayers, at least not when they look into eyes of the Almighty God. Praying the Scriptures over people is the best way to learn how to pray effectively. Simply find a Scripture, put the person's name in the text, and pray those words out loud. Then ask the Lord to help you think of things to say to Him about them that would help their lives.
3. ASK FOR A SCRIPTURE WORD - Ask God to give you a Scripture to give them to encourage, comfort and edify them. You can Google search "God's Promises" and find a plethora of appropriate texts. Look for one that seems to give you a spark of energy as you think about the person you have been praying for.
4. DELIVER THE WORD TO THEM - Then send them an email, text or phone call to encourage them. This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. As you practice these movements you will expand your own capacity with God, all while giving people much needed hope and strength.
GOING DEEPER
Encouragement to engage the FULL WORKSHOP SEMESTER experience. While this is not required, nor is the Group discussions connected to the full workshop, it is an option for everyone.
PRAYER / DISMISS GROUP
Prayer time with the Group.