The God That Lives
Notes
Transcript
Good morning. What another glorious morning it is. Not just because of the beautiful weather outside but because for the second week in a row we started our service and worship of God together with a baptism! Praise God for that. God is surely moving in this place and preparing hearts for His kingdom and doing all He has for each of us to do to build His kingdom
As with all baptisms church it is our responsibility to underpin Mythos. To support him
To teach him
To rebuke him
To hold him accountable
To encourage him
To walk with him
Mythos.....welcome to the family! Love ya young man
Camp season is right around the corner so we need to know who is interested in going both kids and sponsors.
Sr High camp has been set for May 28th-June 4th. I will be going as a sponsor
I have copies of the camp dates on both tables as you enter the sanctuary please grab one and look it over and let me know this week what dates work best for you.
More than likely we will set a church date but if you want to take your kids at another time I am sure that would be just fine as well as long as you go as a sponsor and if both boys and girls going need both male and female sponsor.
Let’s Pray
Start OBS
Here we are about halfway through our The God That sermon series. I pray this series has been good for you and that you have dug into scripture and gotten a better understanding of God and therefore a better, closer relationship with God.
That is my prayer each and every Sunday is that you leave here closer to God.
Today we look at The God That Lives.
Psalm 115:3-8
Psalm 115:3-8
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“But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: Eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: Noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: Feet have they, but they walk not: Neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; So is every one that trusteth in them.”
This morning I want to look to this scripture to see the God that lives and what that means for you God’s child.
Quickly Jesus is clear in John 14:6 that He is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him
That means if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are not a child of God and none of this matters because you are lost,
you are a sinner,
and you will go to hell when you die.
Jesus is the only way to heaven
Jesus is the only way to salvation
Jesus is the only way to the Father
Only those who belong to the Father enjoy the promises of the Father
God through the psalmist here points to His being alive. He contrasts Himself to worldly idols. I want to start this morning right there.
Idols
Idol is an image of a false god
Another definition is anything that you put before God
God demands to be #1
Above all else in your life if you are a Christian
Anything before Him is an idol
Anything you turn to instead of God is an idol
Stressed out and you pull out a cigarette or vape instead of hitting your knees in prayer.....that cigarette and vape are an idol
Finding your worth in your job
or security in your bank account instead of God.....you have idols
Serving yourself instead of your neighbors......you are an idol
Idols take many forms today
Homes
Clothing
Possessions
Celebrities
Causes
Financial assets
Ideologies
Just to name a few
The devil doesn’t care what you turn to or who or what your idol is as long as you are not truly turning to God.
Church
Ministry
Worship
They can all become idols when the focus is on those things and not God.
Idols are so dangerous because a lot of the time you will have an idol and not even really know it until you come crashing down when it fails you
When it is no longer enough and you have to find more and more things to turn to or it takes more and more to satisfy
That is why being in a Bible preaching and teaching church is so important
That is why being a part, not just showing up here and there, of a true Bible study is so important
When you come in contact with the Word of God conviction follows
When you surround yourself with other like minded believers who love you and encourage you and rebuke you and hold you accountable then you feel more comfortable sharing that conviction and together you help each other overcome those idols and sins.
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 3:17
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“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus!
If your heart is always focused on Jesus then you will not struggle with idols because nothing will matter except Jesus!
What about relationships?
They also can become idols
As humans we are tempted to show favoritism
Tempted to do more for the wealthy
Tempted to do more for those who can do more for us
Tempted to help and do more for those who can benefit us
We give and take bribes all the time…very rarely what we think of as old school bribes but bribes nonetheless
I will give or do this if you give or do that.
We place people in a place of honor and that place is only for God
Deuteronomy 10:16-18
Deuteronomy 10:16-18
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“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.”
Church this is a heart issue.
Idols become real to us for many different reasons
Pride
Fear
Selfishness
Insecurity
Ignorance
Denial
Rebellion
Lust
Desire
Hurt feelings
Abuse
The list is limitless but it all boils down to a heart issue
In the west, especially here in America
We are a stiffnecked people
Our American dream is all about us, the human.
Work hard
Be committed
Anyone can become anything with enough self-confidence and work
What a stiffnecked and anti-gospel belief!
Jesus says the only good in us is God so the American dream should be finding Jesus and living from Him to build God’s kingdom through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit as we have nothing to do with it
If your heart truly belongs to God you will never have idols and you will love others as God loves you
I John 4:20-21
I John 4:20-21
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“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
If you are real with yourself God just slapped you in the face
If you are honest God just convicted most of you in this room and online
You are very quick to hate your brothers
Look at your social media.......are you ranting and raving against someone??????
Do you have someone you think about that immediately makes your blood boil??
I can’t stand him or her
I have seen on falsebook many hating those who they think are the enemy
Democrats
Government Officials
They do stand for evil but God didn’t say hate them....He said love them
Hate is also an idol
If you hate someone.........
if you refuse to love someone....
you are no different than them.......
your actions are just as sinful as theirs
I want to chase a rabbit for just a few moments.
I mentioned democrats and government officials
I think part of our problem here in America is Christians put themselves in a box........Christians get political
Now before I go further I do believe you as a Christian and USA citizen should vote.
That is how God set up our government and if you don’t vote you have no say.......
now when it comes to voting you must vote the Bible not your pocketbook......
You must vote Jesus not your feelings
How many times have you heard someone say I am a Republican Christian or a Democrat Christian or a White Christian or a Gay Christian or a Conservative Christian or a Liberal Christian or an American Christian
I got news for you if there is anything before Christian you are wrong and miss the point entirely
What you put before Christian is truly where your heart is because you are defining your Christianity through that adjective not Jesus
We are called to be Christians......
on fire for Jesus......
everything we do or say is for the glory of God!
If you are a Christian today you serve a living God!
A Living God who loves so deeply
A Living God who loves so completely
A Living God who wants none to perish but all come to repentance
A Living God who sent Jesus to pay your price and my price
A Living God who sent Jesus to become your sin and my sin
A Living God who sent Jesus to die in your place and my place
Jesus paid the sin debt because God lives and loves us and wants all to come to repentance
I want to look back at Psalms 115 and dig into what we find
We have looked at idols now let’s look at the characteristics listed and how those impact you as a Christian
1. Mouth: The God That Speaks
1. Mouth: The God That Speaks
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The Bible is God’s Word.
Where do words come from…The mouth.
The Bible is God’s Word spoken to men through the Holy Spirit to be written down and recorded
God speaks through His Word
If you are saved here this morning and I asked you this question
Do you live for God?
Every hand would go up
But you don’t
I don’t
We fall short
Jesus defines living for God
Matthew 4:4
Matthew 4:4
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“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
How eager are you to receive life from God’s Word?
How often do you crave God’s Word?
Is it God’s Word that truly sustains you?
Most of us struggle to spend 10-15 minutes a day in God’s Word
You are dying if that is you
You are starving yourself
Here is the deal
Many of you can’t love your neighbors because you don’t truly love God and His Word
You have troubles and tribulations.....
.no duh....
Jesus tells us in the Bible as a Christian you will have troubles and tribulations
and persecutions
and unjustified attacks on you and your character.
You will lose jobs
You will lose friends
You will lose family members
You will have troubles and tribulations but when those things come instead of feasting on God’s Word and turning to it and God you get
angry
offended
upset
mad at God
leave the church
turn to drugs or alcohol or sex
The last thing you want is the only thing you need God’s Word!
When you turn to the world instead of turning to God you get a hard heart
When you have a hard heart it is easy to hate
It is easy to be selfish
It is easy to treat people wrong
It is easy to talk about people behind their backs
It is easy to share and like and post horrible things on social media
You know it is true because you live it day in and day out
God’s Word changes you from the inside out but it will never change you if you never truly study and apply it!
Live off of God’s Word!
Live off of every Word God Speaks!
2. Eyes: The God That Sees
2. Eyes: The God That Sees
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God sees all
God knows all
God speaks to His children through His word
The promises in the Bible are for His children......
Not everyone here this morning is a child of God
Society says we are all God’s children.....Wrong.....false....fake news
We are all created by God exactly how God wanted us created....
end of gender confusion.....
I don’t care what you feel God created you male or female period end of story.
We are all created by God but we are not all God’s children
As I said earlier only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are true Christians....God’s children
Back to eyes
II Chronicles 16:9
II Chronicles 16:9
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“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”
Perfect here means fully committed not without error or mistake
You and I will always error or sin but we can be fully committed to God
Sometimes it feels you are far from God
When that happens it is because your heart is wrong
you are not fully committed to God and therefore you suffer because of that
Psalm 33:18-19
Psalm 33:18-19
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“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.”
Fear here is respect....reverent…afraid
God demands our reverence
We revere God because of Jesus and the cross
We respect God because of Jesus and the cross
Salvation is eternal life
We are afraid of God because without Jesus we will face God’s wrath....
I believe today’s culture....even Christian culture has lost its fear of God
If you are not saved....have not accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you die you will face God and His wrath
you will go to hell
That should terrify you
if you are saved and see lost people around you
You know what they face…that should terrify you
God’s wrath is real and we must be deathly afraid of facing it without Jesus!
God’s mercy is we do not face His wrath
Praise God for that mercy!
His eyes are on those whose heart belongs to God
His eyes are on those whose are living for God....living from Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit building God’s kingdom not their own kingdom!
3. Ears: The God That Hears
3. Ears: The God That Hears
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Psalm 34:4-6
Psalm 34:4-6
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“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.”
God hears you
God hears your prayers
God hears your cries
If you are saved here this morning God heard you
He enlightened you through the Holy Spirit to the fact you were a sinner....
that sin would require you to die and go to hell.....
you realize there is nothing you can do about it.....
you realize Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin and rose from the dead to grant you eternal life
God also hears your unanswered prayers
God will only do what is in His will and for your best
If it doesn’t fit His will He still hears you
God never ignores His children
Sometimes you feel some prayers are unanswered and they are because either it is not in God’s will or it is not the perfect timing of God
God hears you and will reveal His will in His perfect time
Your job in the mean time is to live for God
To live off of every word that comes from His mouth
To be a sold out
Soul on fire
Gospel preaching and teaching Christian
4. Hands: The God That Reaches
4. Hands: The God That Reaches
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God’s hands do many different things
God has wiped out armies with His hands
God has destroyed cities with His hands
God has raise dry bones to life with His hands
God holds everything in His hands
Jesus allowed His hands to be nailed to a cross for you and for your sin
These are amazing things....eternal things
This morning however I want feel led to talk about another aspect of God’s hands
Psalm 27:10
Psalm 27:10
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“When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take me up.”
Other versions say hold me close instead of take me up
Humans....even mothers and fathers will always fail you
God never fails you
God holds you close in times of rejection
Jesus was rejected and He knows how you feel and how to hold you and comfort you
So many today are struggling with emotions,
hurt feelings,
rejection,
being offended all because of actions done to them or things said about them by
Friends
Family
Spouse
Kids
Work
Society
Church
Government
Jesus was rejected by everyone.....the entire world
He knows how you feel
He longs to hold you close to Him
To flood you with His peace
peace beyond all understanding
John 14:27
John 14:27
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“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Many say I can’t feel God’s hands.....
it is because you are looking for the wrong peace......
You want the worlds peace…
lack of conflict
but need Jesus’ peace
in spite of conflict in the midst of conflict a peace you cannot explain but are so glad it is there
A peace that only comes from Jesus because it is only for God’s children......
the peace we feel when everything hurts
When everything is falling down around you
When your marriage is in shambles
When your kids say they hate you
When you lose your job
When you can’t pay your bills
When to return to your vomit as Proverbs says, return to drugs or alcohol or sex or any other stronghold sin
When it feels like you got nothing left
If you are a Christian you can be flooded with the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ and even though those things are still true you know none of it can touch your salvation
You also know that God is the God of reconciliation and He wants those things fixed just as much as you do if not more.
If you will just turn to Him and rest in His hands
as my Grandma Betty used to say hold on tight and everything will be alright!
The problem for most is this
You want to hang on to the problems
You want to hang on to the hurt
You want to hang on to the rejection
You want to hold on to those things because you refuse to forgive
You refuse to rest in God’s hands
You refuse to let Jesus be enough
You and I must be different
Jesus was so radically different than the world
Jesus still is so radically different than the world
You and I as Christians must also be so radically different than the world
You and I....Christians are called to take the Gospel to the world
Be a tangible representation of Jesus in a world full of lies and deceit but looking for truth and reality
You and I.....Christians....are to be God’s human hands
You and I....Christians.... are to give in an extreme manner of time and resources and money
You and I....Christians....are to serve with no strings attached
You and I....Christians....are to Serve in a way that blows people’s minds
You and I....Christians....are to Seek the lost....show them the Gospel and Watch the God that lives work!
You and I....Christians....are to truly put God 1st in our own lifes
You and I....Christians....are to Make feasting on His word more important to you than food you eat
You and I....Christians....are to Make Him the one you truly turn to in times of trouble or tribulation
You and I....Christians....are to Make Him the one that defines and gives your worth
You and I....Christians....are to Make Him our everything and watch the God that lives work!
If you need Jesus now is the time
If you realize you have Jesus but are not truly believing in, turning to, and proclaiming the God that lives in all that you do and all that you are.....come
STOP OBS
Invitation song
With all I am Hillsong