1. John
O’BrienThe Avenue Church
Delray Beach, Florida

2. When People Are
Big
And God is Small

3. Three Goals
 Provide encouragement -- My story
 Impart hope -- Demonstrate the sufficiency
of the gospel for all of life including
codependency.
 Offer Direction – Bring gospel clarity and
focus to the trials we face daily.

4. We can help others overcome
codependency
if we interpret the totality of life
through gospel lenses.

5. To accomplish these goals
I want to help you to:
 Identify the true roots of codependency
 Understand how God redeems us from
them
 Apply the gospel to your life

6. Identifying the Roots of
Codependency
 Our experiences of suffering, in every form,
are the context of our personal problems, not
their cause.
 Our context does, however, factor
significantly in the shaping of how we express
our root problem.
 Before turning to see what I mean, consider
the theme of the movie Life is Beautiful…

7. Understanding how God redeems us
from Codependency
 To understand God’s solution you have to get
a sense of the story first.

8. Understanding how God redeems us
from Codependency
 Next we need to grasp the biblical view of
people and answer the motivation question.

9. Biblical Anthropology
Recognizing the centrality of the heart in the system of life.
 “Keep your heart with all
vigilance, for from it flow
the springs of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
Goals
Culture
Worldview
Character
Actions
Thinking
Desires
Heart/Personality
Nature
Outer
Life
Inner Life

10. Understanding how God redeems us
from Codependency
 Finally, we need to understand God’s process
of change.

12. Applying the gospel
to our lives
 Remember the “Big Picture” in your war against the
flesh, the world, and the devil (New R.I.D.)
 Keep yourself from idols through prayer and
Scripture meditation (Christian hedonism)
 Need people less, love people more.
 Respond well when you go wrong.
 Remember what love is and isn’t.
 Live in the light (Coram Deo and Community).
 Keep your eyes on Jesus as you grow in wisdom.