Can You See Him? Part 2

Today's sermon focused on seeing God in our decisions. The focus was on Saul/Paul and Ananias and how they trusted God and decided to follow the steps God laid before them, leading to Saul/Paul's conversion. The notes below are what I took as important things to learn and apply in my own life, from what was shared.

Do we see God in our decisions?
God wants us to know His plan, purpose, and will. Instead of giving us an entire map of those plans, though, He gives us a step to start with. There is a reason we say that sometimes the best thing to do is take baby steps. By faith, with trust, we can take the first step He gives us, knowing that when we do He will show us the next step. The thing is, it is up to us to respond and sometimes, we just don't want to. We pray over and over, "God show me the way!" but when He does we don't like His answer. Either because, we expect Him to lay it out for us, completely, because otherwise we won't trust Him. Or because we feel that what He is leading us to do seems too difficult, risky, scary, or just down right impossible. However, if we will stop clinging to fear, doubt, and the flesh, God will lead us and guide us. He will confirm His involvement in our decisions and in our lives. We need to TRUST God, His plans, purpose, and will, and that He will lead us and guide us.

For the actual sermon check out: http://tecumseh-ag.org/sermons/


Scriptures from the sermon:
 
John 12:32

New International Version (NIV)

³² And I, when I am lifted up^[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
 
Isaiah 46:10

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

 Acts 9:1-18

New International Version (NIV)

Saul’s Conversion

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

 

 Philippians 3:4-6

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
 
Mark 10:27

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²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

 

 Romans 5:8

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⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 119:105

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¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

 2 Corinthians 5:7

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight.

 

 

Forgotten God

I have started reading 'Forgotten God' as part of a small group that a couple of my friends started. So far I've gotten through the introduction, which I recommend reading, as well as the first 2 chapters.

Last night we held the first small group since we've gotten the books. I must say, God is awesome. The bible says we are to confess our sins with our mouths. Too often, I feel like I have no one to really confess to. In the church, I think, we all too often feel we have to live up to an image or standard and to share what we are truly struggling with, for many, just leaves us more vulnerable than we are ready to be. It is making a commitment to fully surrender a part of ourselves to someone, not knowing if we can trust them. The same can be said of our circle of friends. We know they have problems and struggles and stuff too. I have friends I've been friends with for years. Even though I've never been shy about sharing my faith and beliefs with these friends, or they with me, I don't pray with them. Why? It feels awkward. It is opening a side of my self, my life, that I should be able to with people I truly call my friends, and yet I find it to be so unappealing. Too easy to be hurt by. God knows how hungry I've been to find friends that I can truly have a spiritual relationship with. It's, in my opinion, one of the deepest, most intimate, and personal relationships I can have with others. Which may be why I'm so choosey and so cautious about having them. Last night, God showed me, I do. This is a great group of people. They've accepted me as a person, but are also not afraid to be there for me as spiritual accountability partners. To pray and seek God with me and not just say "Oh, I'll pray for you about that!" or "I'll keep you in my prayers" and then probably never pray for me, because they don't actually pray that often. I say that, because I've done that!

Last night as we began to discuss the book, the Holy Spirit began to move. Not only were confessions made, but I know my eyes were opened to things that I hadn't thought about before. How can others see that God is in me? Am I like a caterpillar who has an amazing metamorphosis and it's quite obvious there has been a change, or do I still look and act just like the rest of the world? Am I quenching God's Spirit, or am I letting the Spirit move freely within me? In all honesty, I do have fears. Fear of what others think of me and how they might perceive me if the Holy Spirit did move in me in a powerful and boisterous way. Having attended more than enough televangelist/traveling ministry things that came through town, I have become skeptical and critical of the dramatic ways in which these people behave and what they say. It is true, also, that I am the typical creature of habit, comfort, and sheltering. But God calls us to come out of our hiding places, to step out of our comfort zones, and to do things that don't always make sense to us from a human perspective. In these ways, I quench the Holy Spirit. I stifle the Holy Ghost. I reject the Spirit of God. But I don't usually think about that.

Forgotten God is about rediscovering the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the counselor, and re-evaluating how we allow the Spirit to move in and through us or maybe we don't. What is our relationship with the Holy Ghost? What should it be? What does the bible actually say about the Holy Spirit and His importance?

I'm looking forward to continuing this journey of rediscovering and re-evaluating as I read Forgotten God and share with the small group. As we pray together and allow ourselves to really let go and let God. I believe the Holy Spirit is extremely important in our spiritual life and I want more of Him in my life. I want to be like the caterpillar who becomes a butterfly.

Can You See Him?

This is the current sermon topic at my church. Just started it yesterday. Pretty timely for me, but I'll get to that in a bit. Understand, these are *my* notes, personal thoughts, and opinions from the sermon. Remember that each person will take, from a message, what reaches out to them and what I take may not be what you would've taken. If you'd like to listen to the sermon for yourself you can check it out at http://tecumseh-ag.org/sermons/ . Sermons are not always posted immediately. If you don't see the one you are looking for, just check back another time. Now on to *my* notes.

Too many times we miss what is right in front of us. Even though it is there, we somehow manage to overlook or take no notice of it. The example my pastor gave, and I'm sure many of us can relate, is when a husband looks in the fridge and can't find something. He asks the wife, "Honey! Where's the ______?" The wife either walks over and pulls it out or gives directions to where it is. The item in question was there the whole time, but the man couldn't "for the life of him" find it. This is too often true with Jesus. He is there, working in our lives, constantly, yet we do not always see him. At least not until we look back over something after it is over. Kind of like the other day when my massage was cancelled. As disappointing as that was, I believe it was a blessing, since the weather turned nasty during the time frame I would've been getting that massage.

When we make Jesus our focal point, our center, our foundation, we have hope and our faith in him is stronger. As Christians it is important for us to stayed focused on God in the good times and the bad, that others might learn to see Him also. When we aren't in alignment with Him, we lose our hope and we don't see Him as easily. Neither do those around us.

Yesterday, someone I know posted a link, on facebook (of course), to an article about a couple in NY. They were on their way to the hospital, in a cab, to have their first baby. The cab was struck by another vehicle and the passengers of that vehicle fled the scene. Last I knew, the cab driver was alive, but the couple didn't make it. Amazingly, their baby did. The person who posted the link stated that the couple's, who were Orthodox Jews, God was cruel. Normally I ignore posts that are bound to become dramatic or confrontational. This time, I couldn't. The person couldn't believe that God would take the parents and let the baby live. I, personally, didn't view the it like that. In the end I told the person that blaming God for the death of the parents was like blaming the Devil when you do something wrong. We have free will. We have a choice to make and our choices do impact others good or bad. Our choices have consequences good or bad, whether we believe in God or not. That is a simple fact. And to me, this wasn't about God failing this couple. It was about other people making a bad decision that impacted the lives of others. If anything, God took something tragic, something horrible, and still managed to bring about a blessing, a miracle. Instead of being angry or seeking to blame someone or something for what happened, though, we should be focused on praying for that baby and for the ones the couple left behind. Bad things happen. It sucks, but life goes on. How will we let it go on? Will we let our focus be on God, or will leave our focus on the things of the world?

 When we have faith, the Holy Spirit can "turn on the lights" and "open our blinded eyes" to see what we couldn't see before. 

Side Note: The truth is, there is a war going on all around us. There is a God *AND* a Devil. Can you believe one is at fault and deny the existence of the other? Even if you don't believe in God or the Devil, there is at least Good and Evil. Which one will win the war over you? That choice is yours.

Scriptures from the sermon:
(Found on www.biblegateway.com )

Hebrews 12:1-2

New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
Psalm 119:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.

 

John 1:1-11

New International Version (NIV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

John 12:32

New International Version (NIV)

³² And I, when I am lifted up^[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Psalm 34:18-19

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;

Luke 24:13-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.
¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

Hebrews 1:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment