If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he

1

• "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that
  asks you for a drink, you would have asked him
  and he would have given you living water."

2

• What is this gift of God we should know about?
• Why will this gift make us respond in that way?

3
Gods invitation

• God created the world
• Man and woman the pinnacle of Gods creation,
  created in the image and likeness of God, ie.
  created to love
• Man and woman are friends of God, and they are
  fulfilled
• All things came from God and were therefore good.

4
Gods mercy

• Man sinned through selfish pride and wilful
  disobedience
• Man lost the likeness, goodness and friendship of
  God
• Satans kingdom established on earth
• Man is hopelessly in sin and needs the salvation
  of God (Gen315)

5
Gods plan of salvation

• Man populates the earth
• Evil continues to flourish as man disobeys God
  and seeks to make a name for himself
• God decides to elect a race to be an example of
  Gods people to the other nations
• God calls Abraham to be a Father of this nation
  Israel

6
Gods work

• Election God alone chooses
• Promise From the beginning to the end of OT is
  one of promises. God keeps His promises
• Covenant God offers to unite man with Himself

7
God frees Israel

• Israel has been in the land of Egypt for 400
  years growing steadily in numbers
• Pharaoh decided to subject the Israelites to
  slavery and they suffered
• God sent Moses to free His people and guides them
  into the dessert to train them in God reliance
• God gave them the 10 commandments to live good,
  holy and happy lives
• The presence of God in their midst in the
  tabernacle identifies them as Gods people

8
Gods promise of land

• However the people continued to exasperate God in
  their lack of faith and disobedience
• As a result they were made to wander in the
  desert for 40yrs and not all made it into the
  promised land
• Joshua called to lead the people into the
  promised land of Canaan
• God continued to protect His people and helped
  them fight their battles

9
God trains Israel

• After Joshua died, the Israelites became
  unfaithful to God
• God allowed the enemies to defeat them
• The people cried out to God for help
• God sent them a judge who would defeat the
  enemies
• The people will have peace only to repeat the
  whole cycle again

10
Gods promise of royal kingdom

• The people asked for a king to rule over them
• By doing this, the people were rejecting God as
  their king, but God allowed it
• Saul was the first king of Israel and was
  successful in the first years, but he fell into
  disobedience.
• David succeeded Saul and brought the Ark to
  Jerusalem and made it the place of worship
• God promised David his kingdom will be eternal
  and his sons will be called sons of God

11
Gods punishment

• Soloman was a wise king but he taxed his people
  heavily and he had 700 wives and 300 concubines
  who led him to worship false gods
• As a result, the kingdom divided after Solomans
  death
• Northern kingdom called Israel Southern kingdom
  called Judah
• Seed of idolatry sowed in the north and
  eventually came to poison the south
• A total of 20 kings reigned over 350 years, who
  predominantly did evil in the sight of the Lord

12
God sends His messengers

• One of their main duties is to advise and correct
  the kings (in the north or in the south) and many
  died as a result
• They called the people to worship God in spirit
  and in truth, not just through external acts
• They urged the people to be faithful to the one
  true God, and not turn to false gods
• They spoke out against social injustice

13
Covenant

• Relationship between God and Israel
• Originated from ancient political treaties
  between a patron state and a vassal nation which
  required protection against the larger empires
• The patron state promised protection to its
  partner on the condition the latter followed the
  patrons terms of agreement

14
God and Israel

• God gives Israel the commandments to obey, as a
  servant to his master, as part of his commitment
  to his master
• This ancient Israelite understanding of covenant
  would change radically thanks to Hosea, a prophet
  of the northern kingdom

15
Hosea

• Hosea was most fond of 2 images of God - Yahweh
  as husband and Israel as wife (Hosea 1-3)
• - Yahweh as Father and Israel as son
  (Hosea 4-11)
• Hosea caused a radical change in Israelite
  understanding of covenant from the political
  model to the relational model

16
The political model (I)

• Emphasises the distance between the Lord and the
  vassal, eg Exodus 2018-21, Joshua2419-20
• When the people saw the thunder and lightning
  and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in
  smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a
  distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself
  and we will listen. But do not have God speak to
  us or we will die."
• Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God
  has come to test you, so that the fear of God
  will be with you to keep you from sinning."
• The people remained at a distance, while Moses
  approached the thick darkness where God was.

17
The poltitical model (II)

• Presupposes the wide gap between the king and
  subject the overlord and vassal
• Violation of the conditions could merit severe
  punishment
• Hosea bridges this gap by introducing a new way
  of understanding the relationship between Yahweh
  and Israel as a marriage between husband and wife
  (Hos 31-3)

18
Hoseas marriage

• Hosea called to marry an unfaithful wife
• She bore him 3 children
• 1. Jezreel battlefield
• 2. Lo-ruhamah not loved
• 3. Lo-ammi not my people
• Israel too was unfaithful as she prostituted
  herself to the other pagan nations and gods

19
Gods plea to Hosea

• God punishes and restores Israel who had been
  unfaithful (Hosea 2)
• He pleads with Hosea to do likewise to his wife
  who had been unfaithful (Hosea 3)
• Hosea pays for the price of a female slave
  (Ex2132) 30 shekels altogether

20
Hoseas reconciliation with his wife

• Hosea had married a slave girl who returned to
  slavery when she left her husband
• Now Hosea is paying the price to buy her again,
  to have her back, but this time no longer as
  slave but as a wife

21

• Then I told her, "You are to live with (or wait
  for) me many days you must not be a prostitute
  or be intimate with any man, and I will live with
  (or wait for) you." Hos33
• The waiting suggests Hosea has decided to redeem
  this woman not in order to claim her back as her
  possession, but to give her the freedom to decide
  whether or not to return to him
• He would no longer impose himself on her. Rather
  he is willing to wait until she could love him
  back, not as slave to a master but as wife to her
  husband!

22
God woos back Israel

• "Therefore I am now going to allure her I will
  lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to
  her (Hos 214)
• "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call
  me 'my husband' you will no longer call me 'my
  master. (Hos 216)
• I will betroth you to me forever I will betroth
  you in righteousness and justice, in love and
  compassion. (Hos 219)

23
Covenant reinvented

• Metaphor for Yahweh as husband of Israel is
  original in Hosea and provides a full
  understanding of the covenant relationship
  between Yahweh and Israel, characterizing
  infidelity as adultery and prostitution
• Over and above what was considered as right and
  just in such relationships, he introduces the
  aspect of steadfast love and mercy (or compassion)

24
God is love

• Hosea insists on the unconditionality of Gods
  love, which so far is unheard of in Israelite
  thinking.
• Hence even when God has every right to be angry
  and to punish Israel, his anger could not
  possibly outweigh his love and mercy!
• Gods passionate love for humanity is at the same
  time a forgiving love. Its so great it turns God
  against Himself, his love against his justice

25

• "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that
  asks you for a drink, you would have asked him
  and he would have given you living water."
• John410

26
Gods faithfulness

• During Hoseas time the people did not change
  their lives
• Assyria crushed the northern kingdom
• People from other nations were brought in and
  intermarried the Israelites who remained, forming
  the Samaritans
• When Jesus offered living water to the Samaritan
  woman, God is once more wooing back the old
  Israel who forsook Him

27
Incarnate love of God

• In Jesus, flesh and blood is given to the concept
  of God is love
• In Jesus it is God Himself who goes in search of
  the stray sheep a suffering and lost humanity
• So radical is Gods love for man that by becoming
  man, he follows him even unto death, and so
  reconciles justice and love!

28
Living bread

• Jesus anticipated His death and resurrection by
  giving His disciples in the bread and wine, His
  very self body and blood as the new manna
• Marriage between God and Israel is now realized
  not just by standing in Gods presence, but it
  becomes union with God through sharing in Jesus
  self gift body and blood

29
The Holy Spirit

• In Jesus dying on the cross, He gave up His
  Spirit, anticipating the gift of the Holy Spirit
  he would make after His resurrection (John2022)
• The love of God has been poured into the hearts
  of believers through the Holy Spirit given to
  them (Rom55)
• 50 days after the new passover, it is the finger
  of God that writes the law of love in their
  hearts through the Holy Spirit, principle of the
  new covenant

30
Heart of God

• I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
  in you I will remove from you your heart of
  stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will
  put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my
  decrees and be careful to keep my laws (Ezekiel
  3626-27)
• For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
  slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit
  of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
  we are God's children. (Rom 8 15-16)

31

• The gift of God is God Himself!
• God gives His all to be with us, to be our Father
  and Husband / Bridegroom
• God pursues the heart of Israel relentlessly and
  forgives their transgressions repeatedly
• God empties Himself and becomes man to seek us
  out and save us
• God gives His spirit to transform our hearts to
  love like He loves
• God has given His all in loving us!

32
How to receive the gift of God?

• Imagine yourself an abandoned orphan, an outcast,
  a nobody
• Rejected from young, never loved
• No love for self or dignity or esteem
• What do we need?
• Someone to love us unconditionally!

33
What happens when you receive?

• When we are loved unconditionally, we learn to
  love ourselves authentically
• We accept ourselves, we have a sense of purpose
  and self-dignity
• Love elicits love and we become capable of loving
  others
• A new life is born
• We see ourselves in the eyes of the beloved
• We continue to love even when love is difficult

34
Our story

• Recall the Prodigal son (Luke 1511-32) a
  reenactment of the people of Israel
• Israel / the son receives inheritance from God /
  the father and goes to a faraway place / outside
  the covenental relationship
• Son loses all his money Israel in exile
• Son repents and goes back to the father jus as
  Gods love and mercy waits on Israel
• Son wanted to return a slave but is restored
  sonship (recall Hosea), just as God restores
  Israel after the exile

35
Our problem

• The elder son could not accept the younger sons
  restored sonship
• He could not accept the fathers unconditional
  love for his son
• He decides to stay outside the fathers house and
  the joyous celebration
• The problem is not one of sin, but one of not
  accepting Gods unconditional love! We want to
  work for it.

36
Our problem

• We don accept everything comes from God freely
  and we want to work for that grace
• In doing so we get proud and we get comfortable,
  like the pharisees
• We have not truly had a deep experience of Gods
  unconditional love
• We become calculative and tired easily when our
  motivations for growth in holiness, worship and
  ministry are not founded on this

37

• If you knew how much God loves you and that it is
  Jesus knocking on the door of your heart, you
  will open that door, welcome Him in and feast in
  His love!
• If you knew how much God wants you to experience
  His unconditional love everyday, you will surely
  look to Him only as the source of that love!
• If you knew how Jesus can lead you to abundant
  life, you will abide in Him and obey His word

38
Our response

• When we know the gift of God, we come to know the
  giver and surely we can only respond the same way
  in love
• The only way is to contemplate/reflect on the
  unconditional love of God revealed to us so far,
  and be open to more of that in our lives, so we
  grow in love
• Commandment of love is only possible because it
  is more than a requirement. Love can be
  commanded because it has first been given!
  (1John 4)

39
Great in Power

• Praise him you heavensAnd all that's
  abovePraise him you angelsAnd heavenly
  hostsLet the whole earth praise himPraise him
  the sun, moonAnd bright shining starsPraise him
  you heavensAnd waters and skiesLet the whole
  earth praise himGreat in power, Great in
  gloryGreat in mercy, King of heavenGreat in
  battle, Great in wonderGreat in Zion, King over
  all the earth

40
Through it all

• You are forever in my lifeYou see me through
  the seasonsCover me with your handAnd lead me
  in your righteousnessAnd I look to youAnd I
  wait on youI'll sing to you Lord a hymn of
  loveFor your faithfulness to meI'm carried in
  everlasting armsYou'll never let me goThrough
  it allHallelujahHallelujah

41
How great is our God

• The splendour of the King, clothed in
  majestyLet all the earth rejoice, all the earth
  rejoiceHe wraps himself in light, And darkness
  tries to hideAnd trembles at his voice, and
  trembles at his voiceHow great is our God, sing
  with meHow great is our God, All will seeHow
  great, how great is our GodAge to age he
  stands, and time is in his handsBeginning and
  the end, beginning and the endThe Godhead, three
  in one, Father, Spirit, SonThe Lion and the
  Lamb, The Lion and the LambName above all
  namesWorthy of all praiseMy heart will sing how
  greatIs our God

42
Reaching for you

• I can't believe the wayYour love has got a hold
  on meEach morning I wake to find you nearYou
  lift me above my fearsAnd set my feet on solid
  groundAll of my days belong to youAnd I
  breathe in your breath of life
• that fills my heartYou are my all consuming
  fireI stand here before youIn wide-opened
  wonderAmazed at the glory of youThe power of
  heavenRevealing your purpose in meAs I'm
  reaching for you

43
Events coming up

• OLPS youth mass theme is God is love! Saturday
  25 March 8pm
• Youth formation by Fr Simon intro session
  Sunday 2 April 3pm
• OLPS lenten vigil "GETHSEMANE DARKNESS TO
  LIGHT" -- Saturday 8th April to Sunday 9th April
  2006 from 9.30 pm to 7.00 am.
• Worship weekend 29 April 1 May