How Great Is Your God?
Rom 11:33-36
Review: Be filled with the H Spirit… Christ-like, holy, fruitful.
Why is the American church, many of whom desire to be filled & fruitful, often joyless, defeated, depressed & fruitless?
The Scriptural standard for Christ’s disciples is holiness… impossible in the flesh.
All our self-efforts to be holy & walk in His light are doomed to failure.
Christ in you, living His life in & thru you is your only hope.
Trials & trouble that lead to brokenness, weakness, & failure are good. (2Cor 12:10)
The Rest of the Gospel… you were crucified with Christ, you no longer live, but Christ…
Key is to reckon that Christ now lives His life in & thru you.
What you focus on is critical… we must focus on truth (above line) that you are already what you desire to become, & only by reckoning it so will it become a reality in your life.
The life we live, we live by faith. (Gal 2:20b; Heb 11:6)
Many in the American church are deceived & consider themselves good soil even though there lives don’t measure up to NT standards.
Many are like the thorny soil that chokes the seed (Word). (Mt 13:22)
Life’s worries, riches, pleasures, etc. crowd out God & lead to fruitlessness.
When we want God and a bunch of other stuff… we have thorns in our soil.
Has your relationship with Christ actually changed the way you live? (2Cor 13:5)
Have you sold everything to obtain the only thing that matters? (Mt 13:44)
Root cause (core problem) of lukewarm, fruitless church is that we have a grossly inaccurate view of God. (Isa 55:8-9)
God created the universe for His pleasure & glory… it is all about God.
God created, counts, & calls each star by name. (Isa 40: 26; Ps 147:4-5)
The creator of the universe knows your name & lovingly cares for you. (Jn 10:3)
Is your God great? Who God is to you affects your faith & walk…
We too often see Him as a small, distant, benevolent being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way.
But He is God almighty, creator of all things, & the great & sovereign Lord who deserves to be the center of our lives. He never begs us to give Him a small part of our lives… He is Lord & commands everything from His followers.
Do you know God… can you describe Him?
What comes to mind when we think about God is most important thing about us. (Tozer)
Who do you say I am? (Mt 16:15)… What is God like? His character? His attributes?
God is holy: I AM who I AM. (Ex 3:14) Can’t compare Him to anything… He is set apart, distinct, so we can never fathom all of who He is.
God is eternal: He has always existed & is outside of time. (Ps 102:12,27) We can’t grasp this concept, but we must not try to limit God so we can comprehend Him.
God is all-knowing & everywhere present: An intimidating thought; we can all fool (to some degree) family & friends about who we really are. God knows everything about you… nothing is hidden from God’s sight. (Ps 139:1-4,8; Heb 4:13)
God is all-powerful: All things were created by Him & for Him. We live as if everything was created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, & take care of our families.
God is in heaven & He does whatever He pleases. (Ps 115:3) Yet we question & challenge Him with a thousand “why’s”.
All the people of earth are regarded as nothing (tiny), no one can hold back His hand, or say, “What have you done”. (Dan 4:35)
God is just & righteous: God alone is good & He sets the standard. God hates sin & He punishes those guilty of sin. He is just & righteous to punish sin.
God is love: Although just in punishing sinners, in love He has provided forgiveness for our sins & made it possible to restore fellowship with Him. (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8)
God is all-wise: He always does right & good thing based on all knowledge & wisdom.
God is infinite & immutable: There are no changes or variations with Him. (Mal 3:6) God can never be wiser, more holy, more just or merciful… nor less so. (Ps 103:17)
We must set our eyes & hearts on Christ & His cross… He is very big, powerful, wise, & sovereign & he loves you… you can rest & trust in Him.
Do you know Him? Do you say with Paul, “I want to know Christ…”? (Phil 3:10)
This is eternal life, that you know God & Jesus Christ. (Jn 17:3)
Have you moved from religion to relationship… to knowing Christ?
How great is your God… can you trust Him in trouble?
Spiritual warfare is about God’s reputation… will you trust & honor Him in all circumstances? (Job)
Christians are promised trouble (Jn 16:33)… an opportunity to trust & glorify God.
You can trust God… He’s huge, created all things, & He loves you.
He uses evil, pain, suffering for His purpose & your good! (Rm 8:28; Gen 50:20)
Because His plan for you is to be like Christ, suffering & trials are necessary.
How can you increase your faith so that you’ll trust & honor God thru Trouble?
1. Read about His love, faithfulness & sovereignty thru the ages. (Rm 10:17)
2. Consider the works of His hands… heavens declare His glory! (Ps 19:1-2)
3. Fix your eyes on the Cross of Christ… He loves you. (Heb 12:2-3; Rm 5:8)
It really doesn’t matter what your current circumstances are… your part in life is to bring glory to God. Your life should honor & point to God… it’s all about Him.
Purpose to make your brief life all about glorifying God… (1Cor 10:31)
01-11-09