Click here for the sermon discussion questions or see them listed below. We highly encourage you to listen, think, and talk about the sermon. These are questions you can reflect on by yourself, with your family, or with your small group.
Discussion Questions:
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What does it mean to you, that “God is love” (1 John 4:8)? How is this different from the phrase, “love is God” and why would this second phrase leave so much room for disappointment? (think about the ways, the world defines love)
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Why is it not enough to simply understand intellectually, God’s agape love (His relentless, committed, and unconditional love), in order for us to truly love one another? Beyond an intellectual cerebral understanding of God’s love, what do you think it takes before we truly delight in the Person of God’s love?
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Recall the illustration of Allen stealing the taco from Dan, Dan getting mad, and then Allen repaying Dan with a taco and a burrito. Based on this illustration, what does “propitiation” mean? How does Christ’s death on the cross act as the propitiation for our sins and how does the above Allen/Dan illustration fall short when it comes to our sin against God? Why was it necessary for Chirst to die?
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How is an invisible God made “visible” in our world today? Related to this, how is God’s love perfected in us? What is the end goal of God’s love?
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Using the words “initiate”, “sacrifice”, and “serve”, describe how you can apply what you have learned through this sermon. Based on what you just described, explain how this differs from the way the world teaches and encourages us to live.