Join us for the story. Gather a few friend around you, pull up the study guides, open your Bibles and share the story together!
CREATION
Chapter 1: In the Beginning
The beginning or our story is not the beginning of the story. When heaven and earth came into existence God was already there! Every story ever written or read, ever lived or told is only part of a larger overarching story. It’s the big story that all other stories fit into. It’s the story of love and it’s an eternal story. We didn’t create the love story, but it is within this love story that God created us. When our story begins God was already here! When we frame our reality in the smaller stories we come to messed up conclusions.
Sermon Page / Study Guide / 1 Minute Message
Chapter 2: God Created
In the opening line of Scripture we find God. He is creating. And it is all about love!
Why did God say, “let there be light”? LOVE!
Love is both the motivation and the intention of creation! It is an expression of love and love is the purpose for it!
CRISIS
Chapter 3: What’s the Problem
The story of love sounds really good, until the story experiences a major crisis. Humanity chose sin. We have fallen out of love. And the atmosphere outside of love is death.
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Chapter 4: The Risk of Love
Why? Why all this sin and suffering? Because God is love! He loves us enough to take the risk of love to give us to freedom to love Him back!
COVENANT
Chapter 5: The Old Covenant
When humanity chose to step out of love, God started making promises! We see love in God’s covenantal faithfulness! And the covenants themselves are promises that relational love will be fully restored.
CHAPTER 6: THE NEW COVENANT
The Old Covenant was a promise made. The New Covenant is a promise kept! What’s new is the cross. It’s the same love but a deeper experience! In the New Covenant God declares an emphatic “yes” to all His promises!
CHRIST
CHAPTER 7: God So Loved The World
Love desires a restored relationship. So love sent Christ!
Sermon Page / 1 Minute Message
CHAPTER 8: What Must I Do To Be Saved?
God offers salvation as a gift. Within this gift are two necessary miracles!
1. Christ became sin!
2. In Him, we might become the righteousness of God!
CHURCH
CHAPTER 9: A Community of Love
The Church was God’s idea! He established the Church! Why? Why not just take His people home? He has a love reason for the Church!
The church exists to be a community that experiences and expresses God’s love!
CHAPTER 10: Remaining in Love
God has called His Church to remain in His love. (John 15:9) But we struggle to do that! (Revelation 2:4) In fact, there is a war against love. (Revelation 12:17) The devil is doing all he can to pull God’s people out of a love relationship.
In love, God has warned us of the agenda to pull us out of love and He has warned of the judgment against it. And, in love, God has told us exactly how to remain in His love! (Revelation 14:12)
COMING
CHAPTER 11: The Blessed Hope
One day soon this battle will be over. Our struggle in this sin sick world will come to an end. And not because of any human accomplishment but because our Savior is coming back. It’s love that brings Him back. He is coming to gather those who love Him and take them home!
Sermon Page / 1 Minute Message
CHAPTER 12: We Will Be Changed
When Jesus comes back we will be changed! It’s love that changes us. The way we are now, in the flesh of sinful humanity, we cannot inherit eternal life. But God is going to change that. In the moment of the last trumpet at the return of Christ, those though love Jesus will be given the gift of immortality. Right now, we are mortal. But in that one awesome love moment, all who have ever loved God, both living and dead will join Christ together, imperishable. And love relationship will live forever!
Re-Creation
Chapter 13: A Loving End to Sin
After the rescue of the second coming there is still a mess of sin for God to resolve. But He won’t just end it. He will be just in the way He ends it. To bring a loving end to sin, God has planned to take some time, 1000 years, to display perfect love and justice before executing final judgement.
Chapter 14: An Eternity Without Sin
Love is displayed in the eternal life of the righteous and in the eternal destruction of the wicked. Sin and suffering aren’t just quarantined to a fiery world for eternity, they come to an end. But the story of love will never end. The righteous will spend an eternity in love with the God of love.