Knowing God's Nature
Introduction:
Your love for me was settled on the cross!!! Please Lord, don’t let me ever look at my circumstances and say You don’t love me. Your love for me was settled at the cross once and for always.
When Nathan does not get his own way he may be thinking or feeling I don’t love him. Is that true? No, my love for him has not changed but it may be expressed in a different manner.
Many of us misunderstand God in our lives because we do not understand His nature.
We kind of fashion God according to our needs or wants.
The believer who wants to Experience and Know God is called by God to be with HIM on HIS mission in the world.
Most of us want God to be on our mission, bless our plans, take away life’s discomforts and make it better for me.
God is the one who made us and it is He who invites us into a meaningful love relationship with Himself.
Blackaby says “God works through those He loves to carry out His Kingdom purposes in the world.
It’s not about you, its your life in response to His. I’m impacted by Christ again and again so that He can bring about His kingdom purposes through me and you.
Lets look at 3 aspects of His nature that will impact on you knowing and doing HIS will.
1. God is Love – His will is always best.
1 John 4:16 (NLT)16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Why is this aspect of His nature important to us?
Let me try to answer that by first noting that it says God is love, not God loves. He is love and God cannot function contrary to His nature.
God cannot stop loving you. His will for you and towards you will always be an expression of His love for you.
Even His discipline and judgment and wrath is based on His love for us.
Hebrews 12:6-11 (NLT)
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
John 3:16 (NLT)
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 3:16 (NLT)
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Whatever your circumstance look at it from the backdrop of the cross!!
This reality builds my love relationship with Him.
Settle this in your hearts – God loves me and he is pursuing a love relationship with me. Yes He proved that on the cross, I can’t question that.
Blackaby says “it is spiritually impossible for you to believe one way and practice another”
1. God’s commands are for your good
1 John 5:3 (NLT) 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
Land mines: Life has some land mines that can mess you up.
Suppose you had to cross a field of land mines.
Listen to the voice of God. No don’t go that way…go this way.
2. The purpose of God’s commands
John 10:10 (ESV) 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
God’s commands are not there to restrict you but to free you.
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (NLT) 20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’
21 “Then you must tell them, …. 23 He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. 24 And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. 25 For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’
Marriage illustration: This is God’s perfect intention of marriage for you. … Now He introduces the following command “you must not commit adultery.” Is that command to limit and restrict you or is it to protect you, bless you and free you so that you can experience human love at its best. Matthew 5:27
God’s commands are designed to guide you to life’s best!!!
2. God is all-knowing – His directions are always right.
Omniscience that is, He is all knowing…. He possesses all knowledge past present and future.
So He loves you and wants what’s best for you and because He is all knowing He will always guide you in the right way.
Illustration: I felt prompted to give all my clothes to my gardener. I had sifted through and minimized getting rid of clutter and excess. So I was giving away even some practically brand new clothes.
When he got home his room had been burgled cleaned out. Yet he had a bag full of clothes on his back.
God is all-knowing and He always directs you right.
He loves you and knows all.
3. God is all-powerful – He can enable you to accomplish his will.
Isaiah 46:10-11 (The Message)
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul
I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it.
I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done.
God is omnipotent, if He asks you to do something; He Himself will enable you to do it.
Look at:
· Noah (Gen 6-9)
· Gideon (Judges 7-8)
· Jesus enables his disciples to heal people and cast out demons (Matt 10)
· God enables Paul to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles and plant many churches (Acts 9-28)
You need to believe that He will enable and Equip you to do everything He asks of you.
So what?
1. God is Love – His will is always best.
2. God is all-knowing – His directions are always right.
3. God is all-powerful – He can enable you to accomplish his will.
Now let’s answer some questions.
· If God gave you a clear assignment that you knew came from Him, what reason could you give for NOT obeying Him?
· Why does God give you commands about how to live your life?
· When God gives you a directive, how much must you trust your human knowledge, common sense, and wisdom to guide your actions?
· How should you respond to an assignment from God when you know you don’t have the power, skills, or resources to accomplish what He is asking you to do?