Life: Connected

Responding to God

Speaker – Crispin Schroeder

I.Intro

II.Common Views of Ancient World Religions:

1. Gods/Goddesses are many

2. Gods/Goddesses aren’t Good

3. The World is Bad and Humans are Insignificant

4. Humans Must Appease the Gods

5. No Relationship Between Humans and Gods

III.View of God in the Bible

1.God is One (Deut. 6:4)

2.God is Good – The Biblical narrative starts with a good God creating a good world.

3.Evil, Sickness, Suffering Are Ultimately the Result of Sin not God – (Romans 8:19-20)

4.Humans Can Have Relationship With God

IV.Ramifications on Worship – Worship is Our Response to Who God Is and What He’s Done (1 John 4:19, Phil 2:5-11)

V.Barriers to Responding to God in Worship

1.Shame—We don’t deserve a relationship with a good God

2.Appeasing Rather than Receiving

3.Trying to Pay God Back for His Goodness