Your God Is Too Small | Bryan Loritts | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Your God Is Too Small

Concord Church • Jun 8, 2025 • 33 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this encouraging message, Pastor Bryan Loritts challenges believers to dismantle small, distorted views of God and behold His true nature as revealed in Scripture. Drawing from Exodus 34, he demonstrates that God defines Himself through mercy, grace, and compassion—attributes that specifically presuppose our human failures and struggles. While faith does not shield us from hardship, true divine compassion means that God walks with us through every valley, offering endless covenant faithfulness and presence.

Themes

God's CharacterCompassionMercy and GraceIdentity in ChristSuffering and God's Presence

Pastor's Points

1.

God's name is compassionate

Key Points

1.
Be careful about the negative names or labels you allow to stick to your soul, because God defines your true identity as chosen, redeemed, adopted, and a child of the King.
2.
How you think about God is the most important thing about you, because right thinking about God transforms how you live for Him.
3.
Many believers harbor distorted views of God—seeing Him as perpetually angry, a cosmic Santa Claus trading blessings for performance, or a distant weekend visitor.
4.
In Exodus 34, God revealed His name through attributes like mercy, grace, patience, and steadfast love—names that all presuppose human weakness and failure.
5.
Even when we break covenant through sin or mistake, God invites us to keep coming back to Him because His covenant faithfulness never fails.
6.
True divine compassion (from the Latin meaning to suffer with) guarantees that while faith does not shield us from trouble, God walks with us through every trial.
7.
Just as a loving father steps in when a child faces pain, God does not abandon us in our suffering; He stepped into human history and suffered on the cross so we would never be alone.

Sermon Moments

“God defines your true identity as chosen, redeemed, adopted, and a child of the King, not by the negative labels others have placed on you.”

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. When we think better about God, we will live better for God.”

“God's revealed names in Exodus 34—merciful, gracious, slow to anger—all presuppose human weakness and failure; He doesn't demand perfection before showing love.”

“Even when we break our covenant with God, He never breaks His covenant with us and invites us to keep coming back to His endless grace.”

“A true father's love is shown not just on the mountaintop of obedience, but in stepping into the valley of rebellion and failure.”

“Compassion literally means 'to suffer with.' Getting saved does not bubble-wrap us from trouble, but it guarantees God is right beside us in it.”

“Looking to the cross reminds us that Jesus drew blood and suffered so that whenever our own pain comes, we never have to face it alone.”

This Week

Reject negative labels or false identities that others have placed on you, and intentionally affirm your true identity as God's chosen, redeemed, and adopted child.

Examine your personal view of God this week to see if you view Him as distant, overly punitive, or performance-based rather than merciful and compassionate.

When you mess up or slip into old habits, do not hide from God; bring your brokenness back to Him, trusting that His covenant grace never runs out.

Meditate on Exodus 34:6–7 during your daily quiet time to anchor your mind in God's true revelation of His own character.

Reach out to someone in your community who is walking through a valley of suffering and offer to sit with them in compassion rather than offering quick answers.

When facing unexplained hardship or suffering, remind yourself that God has not abandoned you, but is walking through the pain right alongside you.

Fix your eyes on the cross when you feel overwhelmed, drawing strength from Christ's willingness to suffer for you and remain with you in every trial.

Remember This

When we think rightly about God's compassionate, merciful nature, we can rest knowing He never abandons us in our weakness or suffering.

A Challenge for You

Look to the cross, child of God. He's with you in the trouble. He's with you in the midnight hour. He's with you in the struggle. He is a compassionate God full of mercy.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.