Grace Community Church
Big Idea: God's unconditional love has never meant unconditional acceptance, of beliefs or behavior.
Exodus 34:5-7 NLT
Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT
Hebrews 12:5-6 NLT
Hebrews 12:7-10 NLT
John 3:16-18 MSG
John 8:23-24 NLT
Exodus 34:8 NLT
For My Personal Time With God This Week:
[#1] R.C. Sproul once wrote, “sometimes it seems like God boils over in temper tantrums that are inexcusable; from our perspective, we can think the God of the Old Testament is brutal.” Reread Exodus 34:6-7, along with 2 Chronicles 30:9, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13 and Jeremiah 4:4 in the Old Testament. As you read each of these Scriptures, how does your view of the character of God start to become clearer? What is God emphasizing in these verses?
[#2] Study a few verses about the holiness and justice of God (Psalm 105:3; Isaiah 43:14-15, 45:21; Zephaniah 3:5). As you read these verses, do you struggle with seeing how God loves us unconditionally while being totally unyielding in his intolerance of our sinful choices?
[#3] Read Romans 1, which talks about why no one has an excuse in this life for not coming to terms with God in life. How does that Scripture strike you? How would you explain it to someone else who might be having a hard time accepting God for who He is, as He explains Himself here and in other places like Exodus 34:6-7?
[#4] Study Psalm 114:7, 119:120; Isaiah 66:2 and Philippians 2:12. What do these passages seem to say about the holiness of God? How do they speak to you about your understanding of God and how you relate to Him? Should you relate to Him any differently at times? When, and how?