My God is…

Life Church, 2rd June 2012, morning.

We’re going to look at three levels of faith for living our lives and discover that wherever we are and whatever we’re facing there is hope for us.

We’ll draw some thoughts from various passages, but we’ll build around some words from the book of Daniel.

Daniel 3: 16-18: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. ”

Hebrews 11:1:  Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

1.      My God is Able

…the God we serve is able….

Faith level one: understanding that He is able.

Most Christians get this, or at least should, that God is able to do the impossible. 

Luke 1: 37:  For nothing is impossible with God.

This promise is spoken over the Virgin Mary, a young girl as the angel Gabriel announced that she was with God’s child!  In the same way that a promise was placed inside of Mary’s womb there was a promise placed inside of Mary’s heart; there was a conception that grew with her that God was doing the impossible!

We’re told that after the shepherds visited Jesus soon after His birth, Mary: treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

The word here ponder = sumballō in the NT Greek which means to “throw together, or to confer,” or “to put one things with another when considering circumstances.”

Mary literally is beginning to join events together in her heart, remembering the seed of the promise that has been planted in her, and seeing its fulfilment coming about.  She will have joined this in her heart with other things too: OT promises of the Messiah, the political regime that she lived under, the promise of her boy sitting on David’s throne!

When we look to hear from God and understand what He is saying we need to think about the main ways He talks to us – otherwise we add 2+2=5! 

Mary is joining in her heart the promise + circumstances = fulfilment.

So how does God speak to us today?  Quick summary!

•       Word of God: this is our primary source!  Not reading it will mean we’re groping in the dark and blindfolded.

•       Complete Surrender: The longer I am saved the more obvious it becomes that God speaks to surrendered lives!

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Being able to know God’s will comes after living as a sacrifice and renewing our mind (through the Word of God).

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When we became Christians we died in order to live!

We surrendered our rights and claim to ourselves, yet the western church seems more concerned with enabling humanity than obeying God!

If we want to hear God speak then we have to surrender!

•       Spiritual Gifts: Prophecy, Words of Knowledge, Wisdom.  But remember these will not contradict God’s Word.  If we don’t know His word then we will not know if something is in error.  Equally if we don’t know His Word we won’t recognise the genuine!

•       Confirming Friends: our mature Christian friends will be able to confirm things to us; even if they don’t know what they’re saying is relevant.

•       Circumstances!  Last one in the list.  Don’t’ allow circumstances to dictate what God has told us to do!  We obey first, circumstances follow!

The idea that God is able is reinforced when we see the miraculous intervention of Father in our lives.  But more than this it is the understanding that He sustains me.

Knowing that God is able speaks of the faithfulness of God and His sustaining power!

Nehemiah 9: 21 For forty years you sustained them (children of Israel) in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

The sustaining power of God is the sustenance of God; the nourishing of our very self in Him!

2.      My God Does

…and he will deliver us…

Faith level two: moving out on that understanding.

This is when God delivers us from things.  We have a God who does great things!

Psalm 3:8: From the Lord comes deliverance….

Psalm 34:4: I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

We see deliverance in action in the life of Peter.

Peter, after he’d spent considerable time with Jesus, asks in the middle of the storm when Jesus is walking across the water:

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:28-33

Notice that when confidence grows in Jesus so will the ability to trust Him to deliver us.

Peter had a confidence that was built in a relationship that was developing with Jesus. 

Let’s not forget that Peter walked on water!  The idea of the Peter taking his eyes of Jesus and sinking is well worn, but here are some thoughts for you on this that may be new to you:

·       Peter wants to be delivered from the storm so calls to Jesus!  Sometimes we want out of the situation we’re in so badly that the riskier options start to make sense to us!

It is in times of trial that we really begin to call out to Him!

·       He gets out of the boat based on who Jesus is: Lord, if it’s you… Peter does not get out of the boat because he has confidence in himself.  Our confidence needs to be in Jesus!

·       Peter sinks!  He sinks because he forgets who Jesus is; just for a moment.   Why did Peter forget who Jesus was?  Because he saw the wind and was afraid. 

Peter forgot who had called Him out of the boat.  The One who had called Him was bigger than the storm.

·       Jesus catches him!  Isn’t it great that Jesus doesn’t let Pet test out his swimming skills (Peter can swim – John 21).  He saves him!

I just want to say, that Jesus will save us and delver us when we’re responding to Him and things seem to go pear-shaped.  They’re on the lake because Jesus sent them on it (v22).

But why prevail upon His grace by saying things like, “If Jesus doesn’t want me to do this or that sin He’ll take away the opportunity…”  That’s used so much to justify our sinful, free-will, decisions and then somehow not repent because Jesus didn’t intervene.

He will save the truly repentant heart but don’t think that this makes sin living okay. 

·       The storm is calmed, and when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They’re all delivered!

It’s all about where the comma sits in our lives!  Punctuation!

Isaiah 59: 19b: When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. (NKJV).

In Hebrew, in which the OT was written, there are no commas or consonants, just block texts.  This verse has been translated in various ways but this is the one I recall.  Translators have put the comma in the wrong place, according to OT lecturer years ago.  Look what happened when you move the comma:

When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

I know which one I prefer!

3.      My God seems Delayed

But even if he does not…

Faith level three: standing when nothing happens.

Remember God might seem delayed but He is never late!

I use the word ‘delayed’ here in the sense that our deliverance does not always seem immediate!

How do we deal with life when things don’t tend to work out?

The hardest place to live is between the bow and the target.  In other words we always have times in our lives when we are between the promise of God and the fulfilment of the promise.

A gospel that says that everything has to work out in the short term produces Christians who are consumers; lazy consumers at that! 

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This has become a bit overused as a sound bite.  It means a lot to me for it’s my baptism verse!  Let’s be clear:

·       All things work together for my good, not my wants.

·       All things work together for my good, even if I do not see it immediately.

·       All things work together for my good, to accomplish His purposes.

·       All things work together for my good, to work out the call of God in my life.

But in life, it seems some things never seem to work for our good, yet God has promised that they will.  How does that work?

Hebrews 11: 35-40: Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—  the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,  since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

How do we deal with it when God does not seem to follow through on His promises?  We’re told several things about these great saints in Hebrews 11:

·       the world was not worthy of them

Heroic individuals!  Where are the heroes of our faith?  Those who will stand when all else falters.

He question is, “Is the world worthy of me and you?”

·       commended for their faith

Commendations: You know we have to pay now and play later!

Too many people seek the reward before the task is complete.  They desire pleasure above the price of completing what they started.

Broadly speaking there are three categories of educational degrees you can get.

Purchased Degrees: degrees purchased from websites are quite popular.  But there is now price to this, other than money.

Earned degrees: where a student has done the hard graft and is commended at graduation.

Honoury degrees: given to individuals for their life time of work, again a commendation.

We too will be commended at our graduation with the words, “well done good and faithful servant,” Matthew 25:23 

Don’t sell out cheaply for the prize we receive is worth the price paid!

·       since God had planned something better

We should not be trite with this.  There may be something better this side of heaven, there may not, but we know that in all things God is working things out for good.

Things often get worse before they get better!  The young boys in Daniel 3 did get thrown into the furnace.  In fact those throwing them in died due to the extreme heat!  But in the fire God met them!  God met with them to bring salvation to the King and promotion to come in their lives (Dan 3: 19-30).

Bear Grylls talks about the death zone on Everest; just before the summit and above 26000 feet.  He ran out of oxygen – but in the death zone lie the bodies of those who did not make it all the way up, or died coming back down.  You may be in a death zone of your life today, where others have failed, but you’re going to make it.

Psalm 23: 4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

God does not wave us on with a cheery goodbye, He is with us every step of the way!

Wrapping It Up!

God is able!  Whatever we’re going through He is able to sustain us!

God will save us!  Whatever we’re going through God will deliver us!

God is always on time!  It may seem that there is a delay but this means that our commendation is even richer!