May 29, 2011 Sermon - Frank Billman

To listen to today's sermon, click here. See below for a transcript.

OUR UNCHANGING GOD

Getting to Know God - Part 4 of 8

James 1:17  05-29-11 Sermon

Have you notice how rapidly things change in our world today?   I was thinking of the number of things people use today that they didn't even have five or ten years ago. Technology has brought us DVR's, DVD’s, ipads, home computers, microwaves, CD’s MP3s, cellular phones -- things that ten years were just speculation for most of us.  We're rapidly changing in our world.  It increases the pace of our world.  In 1920 to drive through Los Angeles with a horse, it took about an hour to go10 miles.  Today, with high speed cars and freeways, at rush hour you can go five miles in an hour!  That’s progress!

Too much change creates stress in our lives.  Dr. Thomas Holmes has said there are 43 different things in life that create stress when the changes come, and when that stress builds up in your life you're going to be in trouble and unhealthy.  Alvin Toffler in his book talks about people who are looking for points of constancy and stability where they can find some security; when everything else is changing.  So the question then becomes:  Is there anything in the world that is permanent?  Is there anything that is reliable, that never changes?

The answer is in James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."   Phillips: "...with God there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency."  We're in a series on God, what is He like, the attributes of God.  Today I want us to look at what theologians call God's immutability.  That simply means God never changes. In Malachi 3:6 "I the Lord do not change!"  He is always the same.  He always has been; He always will be.  Because He is perfect, He can't get any better and He can't get worse, therefore, He'll never change.  Because we're imperfect we do change. Everything else in creation changes.  But God doesn’t change.  Have you noticed the fact that you are constantly changing?  Look in the mirror. "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" I'd say the "Lines, they are a Changin'" -- the hairline, the waistline, the credit line.  We always change in the way we act, think, look, talk.  But God never changes. 

Change creates stress in our lives.  This morning I want us to talk about how to stabilize your life in the midst of continual change.  We'll focus in on three things about God that never change.  They will add stability.  They are things you can always count on. 

I.  GOD'S LOVE FOR ME NEVER CHANGES

I need to remind myself of that.  Jeremiah 31:3, God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love."  Circle "everlasting love".  You were created to be loved by God.  You are an object of God's love.  God's love is consistent and it is continual. One of the reasons we get frustrated with relationships is because people change.  They're fickle.  They change from one day to the next.  One day they are your most loyal supporter and the next they are against you.  "You're not the man I married!" or "My sweet child has become this rebellious teenager.  I don't even recognize him anymore."  Unpredictablility, inconsistency.  These cause stress in our lives.

The Bible says God always acts like Himself.  He never changes. He never acts out of character.  Psalm 119:15 "Your love never changes, so save me!"  Nobody ever says, "What's got into God today? What’s HIS problem?  Where did he get that attitude today?"  God never changes.  God is always Himself. 

The point is: You never need to doubt God's love for you.  No matter what happens, no matter what I do, no matter what I feel, God's love for me never changes.  Romans 8:38 "Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God."  You can go to bed tonight, get up tomorrow morning and God has not changed His mind about you while you were sleeping. 

Do you ever have those bad days when you don't think you love anybody?-- your wife, you kids, yourself.  You’re grumpy, cranky, frustrated about things that haven't gone as planned.  You just don't love anybody.  But God never has bad days.  He's never moody, or fickle.  He is always constant love.  We always get into trouble when we doubt God's love. So when tragedy strikes, or when we pray and don't get an immediate answer, or when things don't go your way, just remember God's love for you hasn't changed one bit.  That is a stabilizer in life.

II.  GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES

The laws, the principles, the commands are timeless.  Isaiah 40:8 (Living Bible) "The grass withers and flowers fade, but the Word of our God shall stand forever."  The Bible is always fresh.  It is always relevant, up to date, never obsolete.  Anything that man writes eventually becomes obsolete, dated.  At the rate of scientific discovery today, by the time a science textbook is printed it's already obsolete.  Look at the computer manuals that are now irrelevant -- just a couple of years and they are outdated. Whatever man writes eventually changes. 

Man's ideas don't last.  You need to build your life on something more stable and permanent and unchangeable than the current fad or current therapy or the current thing that is in vogue. 

Matthew 24:35 Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away."  There has never been any book that has been more attacked, criticized, ridiculed, burned and outlawed than the Bible.  Yet today all of those Caesars, dictators and fanatics that opposed the Bible in the past are all dead.  The Bible is still around. It has stood the test of time because His word never changes. Psalm 119:152 "Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever."  The principles, the laws that He lays down, are made to last forever. 

Alan Shepherd, the very first American astronaut in space, was asked by a reporter just before he got into the capsule:  "What is the one thing you're depending on most in this space venture?" His answer was classic, "I'm depending on the fact that God's laws never change."  What if the rotation of the earth was inconsistent?  What if gravity reversed every other day?  When He made the whole universe, He established some universal laws. They never change.  They never have and they never will.  The reason we can study science is because it is predictable.  We can study some verifiable facts of life and of physics that do not change. 

Just as God has established the universe to operate on physical laws, there are moral laws and spiritual laws that God has set up that we cannot ignore.  Because they do not change.  If we ignore them we have chaos.  Do you remember when you were a kid and playing a game with a kid who keeps changing the rules?  How can you win?  How can you even play?  The only way you can win in life is to play by the rules.  God has established some laws, principles, commands in His word that do not change!  There are some absolutes.  There are some things that will always be right and some things that will always be wrong.  It's not a matter of opinion.  Contrary to popular opinion God does not invent new rules for every generation.  He has established them to last forever. 

Satan's temptation is always to get you to question God's word.  The first temptation:  Satan asks Eve, "Did God really say you couldn't eat of that?"  He's getting Eve to question did God really say you shouldn't do such and such...  Today we don't say that much. Satan doesn't tempt us that way because it's black and white, we have God’s written word -- we don't question our hearing, we can just go look it up in the Bible. 

Nowadays, Satan has put a little twist on the temptation.  The phrase I sometimes hear today is: "That's your interpretation."  When you go up to a stop sign, how do you interpret that?  How many ways can you interpret S-T-O-P?  On Mount Sinai God gave Moses the 10 commandments but the world wants them to be the 10 suggestions! There's no interpretation needed there.  It's real black and white.  The fact is God's word has not changed. 

Matt. 5:24 "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."  Jesus said there are two ways to build a house.  You can build it on sand or you can build it on a rock.  If you don't build it on a solid foundation the whole building will eventually tilt and fall over.  You've got to have a solid foundation for your life.  God is saying that if you build your life on the current fad, the current therapy, the current growth group, whatever is being read in the magazines -- you name it -- then you're building on shifting sands and you're going to have an unstable life when the changes of life come.  Those changes are inevitable.  If you want to have stability when the stresses of life come on your life you've got to build it on something that never changes. 

God's love for me never changes and God's word never changes.  It will always be the right thing to do.  It may seem hard, unreasonable, unpopular.  But it is always the right thing to do. Doesn't that simplify life?  Instead of asking, "Who should I believe?"  How many of you believe everything you read in the paper?  see on TV?  read in the Bible?  Why do we spend more time watching the TV or reading the newspaper -- something we don't believe -- than reading the Bible -- something we do believe.  It just doesn't make sense. 

The point is, if I want to have stability in my life, stability comes from building my life on God's unchangeable word.  I don't just listen to the advice of my friends.  They may be just as wrong as I am.  But I build my life on something that will never, never change.  It is consistent.  It will be consistent five years from now and it will be consistent fifty years from now.

Here’s a secret stress stabilizer:  If you want to have more stability in your life when you're under stress memorize scripture – memorize verses from the Bible.  Start filling your mind with things that never change and then when you need them God can bring them to mind. If you're wondering what you should do in a situation, God will pop that verse into your mind.  You won't always have a Bible with you.  When Jesus was out in the desert being tempted by the devil, "Jesus, why don't you turn these stones to bread," Jesus didn't pull out His pocket Old Testament or call it up on the Bible AP on his cell phone for a verse that said, "Don't tempt the Lord your God."  He didn't have to pull out a Bible.  He just simply said, "Satan, the Bible says `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"  He had it memorized and it helped Him.  The fact is if you want stability in your life you've got to base it on these things that don't change.

III.  GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE  NEVER CHANGES

No matter what happens to you, in you, through you God’s purpose for your life will never, never change.  Isaiah 14:24 "The Lord Almighty has sworn, `Surely as I have planned it, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.'"  God is at work in human history.  History is really His-story.  God's story.  What is the world coming to? It's coming to the very climax that God has planned from the very beginning.  I'm not sure what all that involves.  I don't know all what the future holds but I do know who holds the future.  It is coming to the planned climax.  The Bible says nobody knows when that climax of history will come.  Even Jesus didn’t know when he was here on earth.  Only the Father which is in heaven knows.  Even Howard Camping doesn’t know.  Another one of his dates for Christ’s return has passed.   The Bible says, "No man knows the day or hour."  Fortunately, I'm on the winning side.  That's good news.  It is inevitable that we're going to end up on the winning side. 

Psalm 33:11 "His plans endure forever; His purposes last eternally."  Do your plans ever change?  How often do they change?  Why do your plans change so much?  Two reasons:  1. You are not all-knowing.  You are not omniscient like God is.  Because you don't have the perspective or foresight to know everything that's going to happen your plans will change.  Maybe now you know what you didn't used to know.  Now that you know something different your plans have changed.  That's one reason. 

The other reason your plans change is 2. you are not all powerful.  Maybe you don't have the power to implement the changes you had intended to do.  You ran out of time, money, energy, effort -- whatever.  So your plans change.  Since God is omniscient -- God knows everything -- and since He's omnipotent -- God has all power -- His plans never have to change.  He is never confronted with a new situation that demands a change in plans because nothing is new to him.  He has seen it all before!

I Samuel 15:29 "God is not a man.  He does not change His mind." Are there some times in the Bible that say God changed His mind? Yes.  Because it wasn't God who changed, it was the people who changed.  God told Ninevah, "If you don't repent, I'm going to destroy the city."  He didn't destroy the city.  God changed His mind.  God never changes His will, but He does will a change. 

The point:  God's purpose for my life is bigger than my problems. God does not have a Plan B for my life.  Habakkuk 3:6 says, "His ways are eternal."  Think of the biggest mistake you've ever made.  Then think of the biggest sin you've ever committed, that thing you regret the most.  Then think of the biggest disappointment you've ever had.  Do you think God knew about those in advance before you ever did them?  Yes, He did. He wasn’t surprised.  He wasn’t shocked.  Since He knew those were going to come up anyway He has woven that into His plan for your life.  He included them.  Romans 8:28 "God works All things together for good."  ALL things together for good!  Good or bad God can somehow turn them around and bring good out of them.  They all fit into a plan.  That means no matter what has happened in your life you're still on Plan A.  God has not changed His mind and God's purpose for your life has not changed. 

Sometimes I hear people say, "I made this big mistake...  So for now on I've just got to settle for second best."  There's only one problem with that.  The words Second Best are not found in the Bible.  You are still on Plan A.  God knows everything that's going to happen in your life and He's fit it all in to work for good in your life.  Even the mistakes and sins you commit that are wrong and bad, God can teach you from those things.  You can learn many, many good lessons. 

What is God's plan for my life?  John 10:10 says that God's plan for your life is that you might have life.  "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly" Jesus said.  He wants you to enjoy an abundant life.  Live it and not just exist. 

And God’s plan for your life is a good plan.  He says in Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Then in Romans 8:29 it says “for those ….he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son”.  God's plan for your life is for you to become like Jesus Christ.  You learn to think like He thinks and feel like He felt and act like He acts. To Become like Jesus Christ. That’s his plan for you.

It all begins with a relationship.  Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  Something else that has never changed is God's plan of salvation.  God’s plan of salvation has not changed!  For two thousand years there is only one way to get to know God and that's through Jesus Christ, His son.  Jesus said "I am the Way" -- "I'm not a good way, the best way, one way among many, -- but the way".  And His plan has never changed.  God's invitation to you has never changed.  He wants you to come to Him and establish a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. 

In your life, between now and when you die, however long that is, you will experience many stressful changes in your life.  My question becomes:  How are you going to respond to those changes? You can't prepare for them because they aren't predictable.  You don't know what they're going to be.  You don’t know when they are going to happen.  How are you going to handle them?  What's going to be the source of stability in your life?

Three things to remember when you're under stress and they're based on the three things we've just looked at.  They are absolute facts.  They become spiritual anchors for your soul in a changing world.

1)  God will never stop loving me.  Never.  No matter what I do he won’t love me any more or any less because he already loves me completely and he always will.  I won't understand all that is going on but no matter what He's doing, He's acting toward me in love.  That's a stabilizer. No matter what happens, He loves me.

2)  God's word is always right.  The advice here in the Bible is the right thing to do, even if it's unpopular or unpleasant it is always the right thing to do.  I used to have a saying on the wall of  my office that said What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular.  God’s word is always right.  Even if it is not popular.  That's a stabilizer.

3)  God’s purpose for me will not change.  God's purpose for my life is bigger than my problems. Problems can't change God's purpose.  It has not changed God's purpose for your life and it will not change what He wants to do in your life.  He still has a great plan for your life!

Psalm 125:1 "Those who trust in the Lord are as steady as Mount Zion, unmoved by any circumstance."  That's what I call stability.  Unmoved by any circumstance.  Security, stability, confidence, peace, tranquility, all come from being anchored in an unchanging God.  When everything around us is changing in this throw away society where nothing remains the same, there is one thing that never changes and that's God and these aspects of His character.

Prayer:

      Question:  Are you stressed out because of all the changes you've been going through?  Has it been a little hectic lately?  Are you feeling a little uptight about the uncertainty of your future?  Would you like a rock solid foundation on which you can build a stable life?  Then I invite you to pray three things:  "God, I believe that You love me.  I accept Your love gift of Your son, Jesus Christ. Father, I commit myself to learning and obeying Your unchanging word.  I want to follow it's advice even when it seems hard or unpopular because I know it's the right thing to do.  And, God, I want to commit myself to cooperating with Your plan for my life.  Help me to learn from the mistakes that I've made.  Please forgive my sins.  I want to do what's right.  In Jesus' name.  Amen."

May 22, 2011 Sermon - Pastor Frank

You can listen to the sermon here. Please note the recording missed the first sentence or two and begins in the middle of a sentence at the * below).

GOD'S POWER IN YOUR LIFE

Getting to Know God - Part 3 of 8  05-22-11 Sermon

Jeremiah 32:17

We're in this series of messages called "Getting to Know God" and today I want to look at God's Power.  We've looked at His Knowledge and His presence.  Today, His power. 

The power of the sun produces more energy in one second than has been used in the history of the world. And the sun, at its current rate, will be able to burn for another thirty billion years.  That's * a lot of power.  But it's not as great as the power of the Creator who made the sun. 

Jeremiah 32:17 "Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you."  What we're talking about is what theologians call the omnipotence of God.  God is almighty.  He has unlimited power.  He never gets tired.  He is never frustrated.  Everything He does, He does easily.  Nothing is ever too hard or difficult. It's easy for him to answer a prayer.  It's just as easy for Him to create a universe.  He's all powerful.  In Luke it says, "All things are possible with God."  Today I want us to look at the Evidences of God's power, the Application of God's power in my life and the Appropriation of God's power, in other words, how do I get God's power in my life?

I.  THE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S POWER

The natural place to start is creation.  Creation is a silent witness of God's power.  Look at the mountains and oceans.  God's greatness created those mountains and oceans.  Psalm 19:1-2 "The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship.  Day and night they keep on telling about God." Every moment creation is a witness to the fact that God is powerful.  The Bible says that the universe was created at God's command.  He spoke the world into existence.  He said, "Let there be light and there was light."  God one day said "Water!" and there were oceans and rivers and lakes.  God said "Fish!" and the oceans were filled with fish.  Vegetation!  All kinds of vegetation.  Stars! and the universe was filled with stars. That's what I call power!  He spoke the world into existence. And we see the evidence every day of God's power.  Where there is design you have to have a designer.  It takes more faith to not believe in God’s existence than it does to believe in Him. 

Look at Jesus.  Jesus' life displayed the power of God.  He had power over nature.  He calmed the storm.  He told the waves, "Sit down and shut up!" and they became quiet!  He walked on water.  He fed thousands with one little lunch.  He spoke to a tree and it withered.  Another time He turned water into wine.  He had power over nature.

He had power over illness and death.  He healed the blind, the deaf, the sick, the lame, the diseased.  He raised people from the dead.  He had power over the devil.  One time He told a bunch of demons to come out of a man and go into a bunch of pigs -- the original "deviled ham".  God's power is awesome! 

II.   THE APPLICATION OF GOD’S POWER IN MY LIFE

The amazing thing is that God wants to share His power with you. Ephesians 1:20 (Living Bible) "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead."  That's amazing!  Incredible!  He wants to share His power with you.  There are so many people who are powerless.  They feel like victims.  Victims of society, circumstance, other people, their health problems, their financial problems.  They feel always a dollar short and a day late, taking two steps forward and one step back.  They never seem to get it together.  They feel very powerless.  God says I want to give you power in your life.

There are two power shortages where God wants to give you power:

Power Shortage #1:  The Power of Getting Started. 

Most of us have a problem with this from time to time.  How many good things have you been postponing in the last six months? "I'm going to get around to that one day but..."  What would you like to change about yourself but you can't get the motivation to get started?  Do you ever find yourself paralyzed by procrastination?  "Someday, I'll..."  Romans 7:18 (Phillips) "I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power!" Does this describe you?  You want to do what is right and good but just don't have the power!  How many of you have learned that good intentions are not enough?  Living Bible:  "No matter which way I turn I can't make myself do right.  I want to but I can't." Sometimes we get in a cycle of bad habits and it's hard to break out of them.  We don't know how to get started.  King James Version "How to perform that which is good I find not."  A common symptom of people.  Circle "perform".  Many times in life you will face tasks for which you are ill prepared.  You don't have the ability, the talent, the energy, the intelligence, the background, the money, the power.  What do you do about those kinds of things where your performance does not match up to what needs to be done?  That's where the good news comes in.  The good news is that God can give me the power to perform.  He can give me the power to get started.  When I'm helpless He's there to help me get started making the changes He wants me to make and I want to make.  Philippians 2:13 "For God is at work within you, giving you the will [circle "will"] and the power [circle "power"] to achieve His purpose."  God says I want to give you the power to get going.

Power Shortage #2:  Keeping Going

It's one thing to get started.  Many people are great starters. It's another thing to keep on keeping on doing what you know is right even when you don't feel like it.  God says I'm not only going to give you the power to get started, but I'm going to give you the power to keep on going.  Many of you can relate to this verse, Psalm 6:2-3 "I am worn out, O Lord.  Give me strength; I am completely exhausted, and my whole being is deeply troubled." For some of you I think that's a life verse.  "I'm sooo tired!" I read that the average homemaker walks 1,037 miles per year on the job.  And you're wondering what your wife does when you are away at work! Everything wears you out eventually.  What do you do when you're tired?  God says, I want to help you keep on going.

Eccl. 2:11 Solomon:  "I looked at everything I had tried, and it was all so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was really nothing worthwhile anywhere."  And you thought mid-life crisis was a 21^st  century development!  Solomon had a great one right there!  You may feel this way.  Maybe about your career.  "I've tried all kinds of things but it's just not working."  Or about your marriage or about your kids or your health.  "I know I should keep on going but I feel like giving up!"  The Bible says that God can give me the power to keep on going. The good news is that  He can give me the power to not only perform but He gives me the power to persist.  That's good news!  The ability, that when I reach the end of my rope, there is a second wind.  There is ability that comes into my life, additional power, not just to get started, but power to keep going. 

Isaiah 40:28-31 (Good News) "The Lord is the everlasting God.  He never grows tired or weary.  He strengthens those who are weak and tired.  Those who trust the Lord for help will find their strength renewed."  That's a great verse!  God will give me the power to persist.  Because God's power is unlimited He never gets tired.  He never gets weary.  He never goes to bed.  He never gets tired of my prayer requests, of my talking to Him, of anything.  He has unlimited energy.  He can create a universe and say "What's next?"  He does not get tired.

That is a personal encouragement to me.  When I am drained and at the end of my rope I know I can tap into a power that is unlimited. 

Doesn't the Bible say God rested after creation?  Yes, but it's not the same word with the same meaning as our "rest".  We rest because we're tired.  But when it says after seven days God rested it doesn't mean He was tired – it means He was finished!  There wasn't anything else to do.  He was finished.  Rest for God didn't mean restoration.  It meant ceasing from creative activity.  God didn't rest because He was tired.  He's never tired. 

Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings as eagles.  They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faint."  God says, I want to give you the power to persist.  God says, I promise to energize those who trust in Me.

III. HOW TO APPROPRIATE GOD’S POWER IN YOUR LIFE

I know some of you are thinking, "That may work for you but that doesn't work for me.  I'm a believer but I never felt God's power in my life.  I don't know if this stuff really works."  You're probably exactly right!  The fact is, God's power is not automatic.  I would say that many Christians do not have God's power in their life to any degree.  There are some steps -- some things you must do to appropriate it.  Many Christians never get much of God's power in their life.  They never key into it.  They are just as defeated as unbelievers and just as tired and fatigued.  The question then becomes "How do you get power to the people?" Here are four secrets of how to appropriate God's power in your life on a consistent basis.

1.  You admit your lack of power.

I admit my lack of power.  I admit that I don't have it all together.  Our problem is that we think we're omnipotent.  We think we're God.  "I can handle anything.  I can do everything." If you don't believe it, look at your schedule.  Who are you kidding?  If you burn the candle at both ends you're not as bright as you think you are.  Admit your need for God's power in your life.  You can't do it all on your own.  You come out of high school or college believing you can take on everything. Then, later, you realize that you don't have all power.  Stress, tension and frustration come as a result.  Mid-life crisis is simply waking up to your own limitations, realizing you are not God. You cannot control everything.  You are not going to reach every goal you set in life.  You're not going to make as much money as you may have thought.  You are a human being.  You have weaknesses.  You're getting older!  Your hairline may be receding!  Or it may be gone with the wind!  [When God made man He wanted to be fair.  To some He gave brains, to some He gave hair.  If you're bald in the front you're a thinker.  If you're bald in the back you're a lover.  If you're bald all over you think you're a lover.] 

What do you do when you realize you are weak?  2 Cor 12:9-10 Paul says, "God said to me `Where there is weakness, My power is shown more completely.'  Therefore I have cheerfully made up my mind to be proud of my weaknesses, because they mean a deeper experience of Christ's power.  For my very weakness makes me strong in Him!"  When you pretend to be self sufficient, you short circuit God's power in your life.  A self-made man needs to admit his inadequacy and then he can start having power.  Until then you're just going to burn out. 

2.  You believe in faith.

The key to personal power in our life is faith.  Nothing else.  It's faith.  The key to personal power is faith.  Mark 9:23 "Everything is possible for him who believes" Matt. 9:29 "According to your faith it will be done to you."  If that is true, and it is, let me ask you two vital questions:

         What are you expecting God to do in your life? 

         And What are you expecting God to do through your life? 

He works according to faith.  Since God has unlimited power, we should not limit Him because of our expectations of Him.  We limit God by our own unbelief.  God has given us atomic bomb power and we live firecracker lives.  There's no problem too big for God and there's no request that He can't handle. 

3.  Speak in faith.

This is very important.  You must speak in faith.  2 Cor. 4:13 (Good News) "With that same spirit of faith, we also speak because we believe."  We must verbalize your faith.  We must announce what you're intending God to do.  You must not just think it in your mind, you must announce it.  Speak it. Verbalize it. 

That's what a goal is.  A goal is a statement of faith.  When I set a goal "I believe God can help me do _______________ by _______________ time."  Goals are simply statements of faith. The size of your goal is determined by the size of your God. Show me what your goals are in life and I'll tell you what you're believing God for. 

It's very important that you announce your goals up front.  Say it in faith.  The Bible says in the book of James that your tongue is the rudder of your life.  It's like the little rudder that moves the giant ship.  The way you talk to yourself and to others directs the course of your life.  The Bible says in Proverbs, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."  So what are you saying... about your marriage, about your job, about your health, about your finances, about your kids?  Many of you are maybe waiting for God to do something and believing Him for a miracle but you're short circuiting it by the way you talk. You're believing it in one place but then you are denying and negating it by your complaints.  "Yeah, I believe God is going to save my marriage.  But my marriage is the pits!"  "Yeah, I'm praying that my kids will really take a stand for the Lord, but my kids are hopeless!  Incorrigible!"  "I'm really praying that God will heal me, but I'm never going to get well."  "I want God to change my life and help me break those bad habits but it's just the way I am!  I'm never going to change!"  You're short circuiting God's power in your life by your mouth. 

God's power is not automatic.  You must first admit you have a need for it, then you believe in faith, and then you speak in faith.  Nothing is too hard for God.  After you believe in faith and speak in faith then you...

4.  Act in faith.

This is very vital and most people miss this point.  Act in faith.  You must step out in advance before the power is released.  God wants you to take action even before you feel anything.  "You mean I have to act as if I've got the power, even though I don't have the power, in order to get the power?"  You got it! that's what's called acting in faith.  You act as if God is going to provide.  And when you step out in advance, before you even feel it, then God sees your faith.  Don’t wait for a feeling! If the only time you pray is when you feel like it the devil is going to make sure you never feel like it!  You need to do those things you know are right even when you don't feel like it. Immaturity is living by your feelings.  Maturity is living by your commitments.  You act as if, in advance.  So many people miss God's blessing on their life.  "There is something I'd really like to do....  BUT I don't think that I can do it."  So you never even try!  And as a result you never have the power. If you had tried, God would have poured the power into your life to make you competent to do it once you had stepped out.  But if you don't even try you will never sense God's power in your life.

Joshua and the children of Israel came up to the Jordan river.  It was very similar to Moses at the Red Sea.  The whole nation had to pass over the river in order to get into the Promised Land.  It was springtime and the banks of the Jordan were overflowing.  It was impossible.  God said to Joshua and the leaders of Israel, "Take the leaders and put them out in front of the people and tell them to walk into the river.  After they begin to walk into the river I will dam it up a little way north and the waters will recede and you will be able to walk across on dry ground."  The leaders began to walk into the river.  The water was up to their ankles, then their knees, then their thighs.  They were probably thinking, "I'm not going to walk very much further!"  But look what happened.  The Bible says in Joshua 3, "When the priests put their feet in the water, the Jordan river will stop flowing." They acted as if the water would part and it did!  God released His power. 

Example of Craig Marsh’s healing.

People being raised from the dead throughout history.  Even today.  Reports from over 50 countries around the world.  Over 700 in Mexico and Mozambique alone. 

Example of Christian cardiologist raising a patient.

There is no limit to the power that God has available for the situation that you find yourself in. 

The amazing thing is that God wants to share His power with you but you've got to follow the steps.  First you admit you have the need, then you believe in faith, then speak in faith and then act in faith.  Step out in advance, acting as if.  Maybe some of you are waiting for God to do a miracle in your life and you think that you are waiting on God.  In reality God is waiting on you. He's waiting on you to take the first step.  The power will not be released until you take the first step.  It's withheld.  It's a deliberate choice:  "I don't feel it but I know that it's the right thing to do.  I'm going to do it."  You act as if you have the power to do what's right and the power will be supplied. 

         Men, tomorrow when you come home from work and you're exhausted and you're tired and want to be left alone.  You feel lousy and cruddy and you do not want to face your kids or maybe even your wife.  You want to walk in the door and say to everybody "Don't bug me!"  Instead of doing that, why don't you try this:  On the way home, while you're driving home, why don't you take a little pill called Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings as eagles.  They shall run and not be weary..."  ...  They shall play with the kids and not faint.  Before you get out of the car and go into the house say, "God, You've promised to re‑energize me if I wait on You.  So I'm going to wait here a minute, and take a deep breath.  I believe in faith that You can re‑energize me.  I'm going to say it, I'm going to speak it, I believe it.  I'm going to walk in and act as if I've got energy and I'm going to play with those kids.  I don't have many hours of the day with them in the first place."

         I want you to think of that person that you find hard to love.  Or that person you find it hard to be patient with.  Or that person you don't even like, you don't even want to be friendly to them!  Then say, how would a loving person act toward that person?  If I were patient how would I act toward that person?  Or if I were friendly how would I act?  Once you've got that down then you start acting as if you're loving, you're patient, you're friendly, whatever.  Watch what happens!  It will blow your mind.  That is living by faith.  Living in faith!

         Maybe for some of you, the romance died in your marriage a long time ago.  You say, "I just don't have any feelings for my mate any more.  I'm not even attracted to them anymore."  You need God's power to jump start the romance in your marriage.  You start acting romantic toward your mate.  Date your mate.  Treat them like a date.  Send them flowers.  Compliment them.  Build them up.  Start acting romantic and those feelings will come back, because feelings always follow actions.  You cannot feel your way into an action but you can act your way into a feeling.  By faith say, "God, I want to feel this way."  Then act that way and watch what happens. 

So what if God is omnipotent?  What good is God's power if you never take advantage of it?  You're going to need God's power this week.  It is available.  What are you expecting God to do in your life this week?  We limit God so much by our unbelief.  We live on just a fraction of the power that is available to us. 

Prayer:

      You can begin to live a different way today.  You can stop living on your own power and start living on God's power, which is the solution to burn out and the solution to mid life crisis and the solution to that frustration and depression that creeps in on your life.  Would you pray this prayer in your heart?  "God, I admit that I need Your power. I admit that there are things that are just too hard for me. I'm tired a lot of the time.  Yet, Father, I believe nothing is too hard for You."  Just admit that to Him.  God can move a mountain.  If He can move a mountain, He can move a cancer, He can move a bad marriage situation, or a bankruptcy or whatever. 

      Pray, "God, I believe nothing is too hard for You.  I want to start believing in faith that You will fill me with Your power this week and even in this moment.  Help me to start speaking in faith.  Help me to guard my mouth and quit being negative and stop saying things that are and start saying things the way You see them -- the way they could be.  By faith I'm going to start acting in faith this week.  Help me to love that person, and not to wait for the feelings first.  Help me to be patient, to act patiently, to act friendly, to act loving, even when I don't feel like it.  Lord, help me to act romantic and caring to my mate and I will trust that those feelings will be renewed in a greater proportion." 

      The Bible says that God's power is wrapped up in a person and that person's name is Jesus Christ.  You can't get the power without the person.  If you've never invited Jesus Christ into your life, would you do that this morning.  Just say, "Jesus Christ, put Your Spirit into my life.  I need You.  I want to be saved.  Help me to understand that.  I want You to be Number One in my life.  I want to give You the good, the bad, the ugly, the past, the present, the future, all of it.  Fill me with Your love and power, please."  If you did that, today is your day.

      Father, thank You for Your power.  Thank You that it is available and that we do not need to live lives of frustration and powerlessness when we put ourselves into Your hands.  Thank You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

May 15, 2011 Sermon (Vickie Kegerise)

May the words out of my  mouth and the meditations on all of our hearts be pleasing to you. AMEN

The theme of my message this morning is that we have limited time in our lives and we have to make choices about how to spend our time.

TICK TOCK

One thing for sure is that time is a great equalizer. It is the only thing we all share alike. We are all given the same amount of time in a day. Through the ages, time has been measured by the sun, moon, planets and seasons.

READ ACTS 6: 1-7

The early church was growing by leaps and bounds. This “perfect” church was adding members by the thousands, but there were some rumblings going on as they rapidly increased. As the early church increased in size, so did its needs. It seems that as they cared for one another by sharing their food, some lack of equality became apparent. A hint of racial discrimination was the charge: the Greeks were complaining that the Hebrews were getting more resources and that the Greek widows were not getting enough food.

So what did they do, just what all good churches do, they called a meeting. And as the apostles and church leaders wrestled back and forth about what was going on, they came to a place where they began to look at another issue - not the issue of distribution of resources, but the issue of how they (the apostles) were spending their time arguing about this issue. They began to ask the question of themselves, “Should we really be spending our time running a food program, or should we be preaching the Word?” So the apostles realized they were wasting time and chose other people to run the food program.

When I was younger, I would say to my mother, I be glad when I am a teenager or I be glad when I do this or that. I remember my mother saying to me, Vickie, you are just wishing your life away. She was so right. Today, I would love to stop the clock, but you know the clock never stops.

Since I have gotten older and understand life a little bit better, I realize how precious time is.

Back to the story, once the apostles started doing what they were called to do, you wouldn’t believe the lives that were changed. The entire city of Jerusalem and all levels of society would not be the same. Even some priests were converted and that was a violation of the wishes of the high council.

We are called to do the same thing. The word of God spreads like ripples on a pond where from a single center, each wave touches the next, spreading wider and farther. This day, Sunday, May 15, 2011, the Good News is still spread the same way. We don’t have to change the world by our self, it is enough just to be a part of the wave, touching those around us, who in turn will touch others until all have felt the movement. God doesn’t want us to do it by ourselves. Pass it on.

I can understand why people have bucket lists. I wonder what kind of effect the movie Bucket Lists had on people. You know the clock is still ticking. Life is short no matter how long we live. If there is something important we want to do, we must not put it off for a better day. As the saying goes, Don’t put off tomorrow what you could do today.

We should ask ourselves, if I had only six months to live, what would I do? Tell someone that you love him or her? Deal with an undisciplined area in our life? Tell someone about Jesus?

My challenge to all of you is to use your time wisely for the clock never stops. And because life is short, don’t neglect what is truly important.

Let us Pray.

THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS TIME. AS WE GO ABOUT OUR DAILY LIVES, MAY WE REMEMBER TO USE OUR TIME WISELY FOR THE CLOCK NEVER STOPS.

May 8, 2011 Sermon

You can click here to listen to the sermon or read it below:

WHERE IS GOD WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

Getting to Know God - Part 2 of 8 05-08-11 Sermon

Psalm 139:7-12; Jer. 23:23-24

Since today is Mother’s day, I thought I would begin with a list someone has made of which they call “Murphy’s Laws of Parenting.”  Maybe you can identify with some of these:

1.    The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up the next morning.

2.    The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the carpet.

3.    The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child will like it.

4.    A sure way to get something done is to tell a child NOT to do it.

5.    For a child to become clean, something else must become dirty.

6.    Toys multiply to fill any space available. 

7.    Yours is always the only child who doesn’t behave.

8.    If the shoe fits…it’s expensive.

9.    Backing the car out of the driveway causes your child to have to go to the bathroom.

It isn’t easy being a parent.  A young single mom named Mary Jane with four children, it was difficult to get them all ready for church on time.  One particular Sunday morning as the children started to complain and argue, Mary Jane stomped from one room to the other, saying out loud why it was important for them to go to church as a family and have a good attitude about it.  Suddenly, she noticed all four children huddled together and laughing.  “What’s so funny?” Mary Jane asked.  “Mom,” they said, “every time you slam down your foot, smoke comes out.  It must be the wrath of God!” 

In reality, it was the powder Mary Jane had sprinkled in her shoes.  But it worked.  She says they made it to church on time that morning and practically every Sunday after that!

We're looking at the series, "Getting to Know God".  Each week we're looking at a different aspect of the nature of God. 

If I asked you, "Where is God?" how would you answer that?  Some would say "Heaven" or "In my heart".  Some people believe that God dwells in church buildings because a church building is often called a house of God, even though the bible never says that.  There were no church buildings in NT times.

The Bible says that God is all over the place.  David says in Psalm 139 we cannot escape from God's presence.  v. 7 "Where can I go from Your spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence?  If I go up to heaven, You're there.  If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn and if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me and will hold me fast."  It's mind boggling to think that God never has to go anywhere.  Because He's already there.  The Bible says that God is everywhere.  Jeremiah 23:24 (Good News) "I am a God who is everywhere and not in one place. Do you not know that I am everywhere in heaven and on earth?" The New International Version says, "I fill heaven and earth." There is no point in the universe where God is not. 

We're talking about what theologians call God's omnipresence. The omnipresence of God simply means that God is everywhere. He's here, He's there, He's everywhere.  There's no point in the universe where God is not.  He's not limited by space.  He's not limited by place.  He is not confined to any one location.  That's a hard concept for us to imagine because we're finite creatures with a body.  Have you noticed that it is impossible for you to be in two places at the same time?  How many of you have tried to be in two places at the same time?  You can't.  But it's no problem with God because God is a Spirit.  So He can be in many, many places all at the same time.  He's everywhere.

Acts 17:28 "He is not far from us for in Him we live and move and have our being."  That's saying you cannot move apart from God. You wouldn't be alive.  You wouldn't exist without God.  It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian or an atheist or whatever -- God is what holds you together.  He is the cohesive force in all of the universe.  He holds everything together. 

If God is everywhere I need to recognize that.  I need to be aware of that.  Right now this room is filled with radio and television waves.  Every room in your house is filled with radio and television waves.  You don't see them but they're there.  If you can tune in to those radio and television waves you'll benefit from them. 

Likewise, God is here.  You don't see him but He's here, just like the radio waves are.  If you can learn to tune in to the presence of God, it will benefit your life.  God is everywhere, but my natural reaction to a doctrinal statement like that is, so what?  What difference does it make in my life? 

I want us to look at some verses from God's word that deal with the implications of God being everywhere.  What does that mean to me?  How does God’s presence benefit my life?  We’ll look at four common experiences in life:  When I'm lonely, When I'm worried, When I'm tempted, and When I'm discouraged.  God's presence in your life will make a difference in those four experiences if you'll let Him.

1.  WHEN I'M LONELY, GOD IS MY COMPANION. 

You need to just tune in and recognize it.  I need to remind myself that God is my companion.  Psalm 25:16 "Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful, because I am lonely."  Some of you may be lonely now. It's interesting that we live in a world where there were never more people in the world than there are now, yet there are more lonely people than ever before. There are many different kinds of loneliness.  There's the loneliness of death of a spouse or friend.  There's the loneliness of the business trip.  There's the loneliness of a new school, of growing old, of the spouse who won't listen to you, the loneliness of the feeling that you're not understood. There's the loneliness of success -- life at the top is lonely. There are many different kinds of loneliness.  You will be lonely in life.  That's a fact.  So what do you do when you have those moments of uncontrollable loneliness and you can't do anything about it?

You recognize God's presence.  He is your companion.  Hebrews 13:5 "God has said, `Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you!'" He is your constant companion.  Jesus called us friends, "You are My friends."  He's a friend that knows more about you than any other friend.  He knows more about you than you do.  He understands you.  Remember the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" -- it's true.  You have a constant companion; God is always with you.

When we face a challenge we like to have somebody with us. Remember your first day at school and you wanted your parents to go with you?  We like to have reinforcements.  When I am lonely I need to remember that God is my companion because He says "I'm always with you."  He never asks you to do anything by yourself.

2.  WHEN I'M WORRIED, GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE. 

Isaiah 42:2-3 "When you go through deep waters and great troubles, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you won't drown.  When you walk through the fires of oppression, you won't be burned up."  Reminds me of the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego [or Your shack, My shack and a Bungalow] who walked through the fire.  God walked through it with them.  When they came out the ropes that had tied them were burned off  but they were protected.  Maybe you're going through a fire -- some of you are going to go through difficulty this week.  None of us can predict the problems we're going to face.  But one thing we can be certain of:  God's going through it with you.  God is with you!  When I'm worried, God is my confidence. 

God told Moses one day, You're going to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised land.  Moses started making excuses, "God, I can't do that!  I'm insecure!  I'm nothing!  I can't speak!"  God gives one answer to his excuses, "I will be with you.  My presence will go with you.  I will be your confidence."  When I'm lonely, God is my companion, but when I'm worried God is my confidence.

Psalm 16:8-9 "I am always aware of the Lord's presence..."  Are you always aware of the Lord's presence?  I'm not always.  But if I were, look at what the results would be...  "... He is near and nothing can shake me.  I'm so thankful and glad and I feel completely secure."  This is the second benefit.  When I'm lonely, God's presence cheers me up, but when I'm worried, God's presence calms me down.  It gives me stability.  It's a stabilizer.  It's a stress reliever.  I have confidence because I know "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He's with me.  I can handle anything. 

I can even handle death.  Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." That kind of confidence does not come from psychology.  It comes from knowing that God is with me.  He's with me all the time.  He says, "Nothing can shake me.  I'm completely secure."

When I'm lonely I have a companion and when I'm worried I have a confidence.

3.  WHEN I'M TEMPTED, GOD IS MY COUNSELOR. 

He is ready to give me advice.  He is ready to help me make it through the temptation.  2 Cor. 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."  That is an encouraging verse!  When God is with you, He provides a way out. When you're tempted, He's your counselor.

There are several things about this verse.  First, it says temptations are common.  They are common to man.  We all have the same problems.  People think they have a unique problem but they don't.  We all have the same problems.  And if there are some common problems it means there must be common solutions.  They're in God's word. 

Then it says God is with me when I'm being tempted.  He's right there when I'm being tempted.  That's a motivation for me not to give in.  When I realize God is right here watching me, that is a motivation to resist the temptation.  I don't want to sin right in front of God.  Every time I do sin it's as if I do it right in front of His throne. 

The real benefit of God's presence that not only cheers me up and calms me down, but God's presence helps me out.  He knows exactly the struggle going on in my mind.  He's pulling for me.  He's preparing an escape route.  He sees it coming before I see it coming.  He knows I'm walking right into it.  He's already preparing an escape route for me to get out of it.  It's not just my will power but His power and He's promised to help me.  That's good news!

When I'm tempted God is my counselor.  He gives me advice.  He knows what I need to do.  And He promises to help me out.  No matter what temptation I face this next week at home, at work, at church, at school God is there.  He's with me in that time of temptation.  Job 13:27 "You, God, keep a close watch on all my paths."  Circle "close".  Because God is everywhere He sees everything. 

Last week we talked about the omniscience of God -- God sees everything.  Why does He see everything?  Because He's there.  He is omniscient because He's omnipresent.  God is an eyewitness to every single thing I do.  As much as I, like Jonah, run from the presence of God, I can't.  He's at the office, in my car going to work, at school, at home, in the store.  Surprise!  God knows!  There is no such thing as a locked door to God.  You can't lock Him in, you can't lock Him out.  He's everywhere.  It's no big surprise to Him.  He's there. 

Psalm 139:11 "If I say surely the darkness will hide me and the light of the night becomes night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to You for the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to You."  We see on news stories that many of our soldiers have night vision goggles.  God has night vision but he doesn’t need the goggles.  The Bible says men love darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil.  A lot of things go on at night that don't go on during the day because they think they are being hidden.  But the Bible says, God sees everything.  He can see through the darkness.  He created light but he doesn’t need it. He can see right through the darkness.  He can see everything that is going on in my life.

It is so much easier to control yourself when you know other people are watching.  Have you noticed that in your life?  You go to the salad bar at the restaurant... You see this huge bowl of chocolate mouse.  You think "I'm going to take the whole thing" and you begin to heap in onto your plate.  Then you look and see an attractive, slim lady standing next to you -- "You think, What a pig!" and you heap it back into the bowl!  Because somebody's watching! Or some of you who are in school... you don't ever attempt to cheat on a test when you know the teacher is standing over you watching you.  Would it be a correct assumption, that teenagers, are less affectionate with their dates when their parents are around than when they are alone? 

When people watch us, it is a motivation.  God is always watching you.  When I am tempted, He is my counselor.  He says, "I'm making a way out.  I'll help you.  He's there to help you out.

When I am aware of God's presence it helps me to maintain more control.  I am more alert to the things I say.  The Bible says I'm going to give an account of everything I say.  Have you ever had anyone swear in front of you or take the Lord's name in vain and then ask your pardon for it?  I always want to say, "You ought to ask God to forgive you.  It's His name you're using. He's the one you're offending.  He's listening right now because He's there."  We need to be more careful when we realize He's present at all times. 

4.  WHEN I'M DISCOURAGED, GOD IS MY COMFORTER.

Psalm 34:18 (Good News) "The Lord is near to those who are discouraged.  He saves those who have lost all hope."  Circle "near".  If you're discouraged, one thing I can say with all confidence:  God is with you.  The Living Bible:  "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted..."  Is your heart breaking this morning?  The Lord is near you.

The book by Phil Yancey, Where is God When It Hurts? came out a while back.  The answer to that question is He's with you.  He feels your hurt.  He feels your discouragement.  He knows when you're not making it, when you're frustrated.  Some of you may be going through some rough times right now and you're ready to give in or give up or throw in the towel.  You don't know if you want to keep on going in the direction you're going.  You may be ready to give up.  I don't know what you're going through but whatever it is God is going through it with you.  You are not alone.  His presence is there because He wants to be your comforter. 

God is not some impersonal force.  He is not some far off, far away power.  He's very personal and He's right there with you.  Jesus said in John 14 "The Father will send you a Comforter who will never leave you" and He is the Holy Spirit.  No matter what you're going to go through this next week, God will go through it with you.  When the roof caves in, God is with you.  He's never too busy to listen.  He never says Come back later, the line is busy.  You never get knocked off line once you have made a connection.  He is sympathetic to the stress that you are feeling in your life.

Some of you are listening to this, thinking of this as intellectual truth and you're filing it in your mind.  Others of you know exactly, from experience, what I'm talking about. You've been through some deep waters and you have felt God's presence in your life.  He has comforted you.  He has given you the strength and encouragement to keep on going.  He's an encourager. 

I see all kinds of reactions that people have in life.  I see the reactions to funerals, the hospital stays, the crises that come that nobody can predict or plan.  I don't know how people make it without the Lord.  In fact, some don't make it.  They have scars and they don't get over things as quickly as people who depend on the presence of God do.  They hurt much more deeply and much more severely than those who know that God's presence is there.  He's there to encourage them. 

Psalm 116:8-11 (Good News) "The Lord stopped my tears and kept me from defeat.  So I walk in the presence of the Lord.  I kept on believing, even when I said, `I'm completely crushed' and even when I was afraid and said, `No one can be trusted.'"  That verse has only been applied in my life a couple hundred times.  Time after time when I have been discouraged and ready to quit, I thought I was in the wrong direction, without the presence of God's encouragement in my life I would not have made it.  Times when you think, "I'm defeated.  I'm completely crushed.  Nothing can be relied on.  Everybody lets me down."  That's when you need to recognize the presence of God in your life. 

Pastor Ken Gaub was once on vacation in a motor home.  He and his family stopped for food south of Dayton, Ohio, and he took a short walk to get a Coke and stretch his legs.  Strolling past a gas station, he noticed the phone ringing incessantly in a phone booth in front of the station.  Out of curiosity he answered it.  The operator said, “Long distance call for Ken Gaub.”  He almost choked on a chunk of ice from the Coke.  The call was from a lady in Harrisburg, PA, who had heard the pastor speak on TV. 

Sobbing profusely, she told Ken that she felt he was the only one in the world who could help here. She was writing a suicide note when God gave her this phone booth’s number, and Ken was right there!

God is there when you are discouraged and he will get you the comfort and help that you need.  He can do that supernaturally if he has to. 

The presence of God not only cheers me up when I'm lonely and calms me down when I'm worried and helps me out when I'm tempted—it sees me through when I'm discouraged.  It gives you the motivation to keep on going, the power to keep on keeping on.  It renews your strength.  It lifts up your heavy heart.  It gives you a new vision.  That's what God's presence can do to your life.  But you have to tune in. 

The key to keep on keeping on, to overcoming discouragement, is the phrase "I walk in the presence of the Lord."  How do you do that?  God is present all around us but most people are totally unaware of it.  How do you walk in the presence of the Lord?

Four Secrets to Practicing the Presence of God:

1.  Invite Jesus into your life if you haven't done that already. God is around you, God is by you, but He wants to be in you.  He wants to put His Spirit inside of you so you can handle the stress.  Whenever you get under stress and you feel all of this pressure coming in on you, you must have an equal pressure from the inside enabling you to cope.  Whenever people get under pressure, they always begin to fill themselves with something to equalize the stress:  food, alcohol, drugs... they put something on the inside to equalize the pressure on the outside.  Yet the Bible says real clearly, "Don't get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit."  Instead of being filled with spirits, be filled with The Spirit.  As you are filled with God's presence in your life it equalizes the pressure on the outside and you can cope.  You can handle stuff.  It doesn't cave you in. 

The starting point is to invite Jesus Christ into your life.  The Bible says that what Jesus has done for us on the cross has made possible for us to come in the presence of God with freedom and confidence. 

2.  Be quiet.  Just be quiet.  Close your mouth and don't talk. I believe so many people never feel God's presence because they're too busy.  They're too distracted.  They've always got their radio on.  Too much noise.  The Bible says in Psalms "Be still and know that I am God."  Paschal said, "Most of man's problems come from his inability to sit still."  Just be quiet. 

Several times a day, "Tune in and drop out".  Tune in to God's presence and drop out of the environment around you.  Just say, "God I realize that You are present with me right now, that You are by me, with me, and in me if I'm a believer.”  Tune in to His presence.  Take these little breaks during the day to be quiet and recognize that no matter where you are God is with you.  The Bible says in James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He'll draw near to you."  As you tune in to Him you'll begin to be aware.  He's always there but you have to be aware of it.

3.  Talk to God about everything.  Last week we saw with God's omniscience that God knows everything anyway.  You can pray about anything and ask Him for help.  The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians, "Pray without ceasing."  Pray continually.  How do you do that?  How can I get on with life and be continually in prayer?  It's talking about maintaining a continual conversation with God.  Talk to Him about anything.  Walk outside in the morning, "Lord, it's a beautiful day!"  You get in your car, "Oh, Lord, I'm low on gas."  As you're driving, "God, these are some things I'm thankful for." Talk to Him about everything.  Have a continual conversation with the companion who is always with you.  That's what it means to pray without ceasing.  The Bible says in Psalms 62:9 "Trust Him at all times and pour out your heart to Him."  You maintain an ongoing conversation with Him at all points. 

Some of you say, "When I pray I feel like my prayers never get above the ceiling."  Guess what?  God is below the ceiling.  He's right next to you.  He reads your mind the moment you think it. He knows what you're going to think before you even think it. You don't have to have these super duper pious prayers that blast off from earth and get a million light years away up to God in heaven on His throne.  He is right there.  You don't have to feel like you're getting them up to heaven.  You just think it; He knows it.  So you talk to Him about everything.

4.  Develop the habit of praise.  Praise means to thank God for who He is and what He's done for you.  Psalm 100:4 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter His courts with praise."  We move into an awareness of God's presence.  Nothing will help you become aware of God and His presence in your life faster than developing the habit of praise.  Nothing helps you tune in to Him more than beginning to praise God.  God is always around us.  He's always present.  But sometimes we sense His presence more than at other times.  He's equally present no matter where you are -- office or wherever, when you're tired or happy -- He's always present.  But sometimes we sense His presence more.  We talk about entering His presence through praise.  That simply means "tune in!”  Since God is everywhere you can praise Him everywhere.  You can worship God in your car driving down the road, singing some of the songs we sing here on Sunday morning. You can sense God's presence.  Do the same things you do here on Sunday morning.  You will have the same experience of feeling close to God during the week that you do when we're here together on Sunday morning.  God is everywhere so you can praise Him everywhere. 

A whole new life is about to open up to you if you will grasp the simple truth I have just shared with you.  If you will become aware that God is always with you it is going to change your life.  It will cheer you up, it will calm you down, it will help you out, it will see you through when you become aware of the presence of God. No matter where you find yourself this week, God will be there, in advance, with you when you get there -- school, vacation, traffic jam, flying 35,000 feet high -- God is everywhere.  He's in the jail, in the bar -- everywhere.  To those of you who are tired or discouraged or frustrated, hurting, afraid, worried, sick, or depressed I want to say to you: God is with you. 

Prayer:

      God's presence is here with us this morning whether you're aware of it or not.  He wants you to know Him.  He wants you to feel His love.  It's nothing spooky or scary or mystical that we're talking about here.  It's just a part of life you haven't been aware of.  He has been around your life since you were born.  He's always been around you.  It's a fact of life that you need to tune in to.  Say in your heart, "God, I'd like to know Your presence in my life."  Then just be quiet.  Take a deep breath and relax.  Tell God what's on your mind.  Aches?  Pains?  Feel good, worried, tired?  Tell Him what's on your mind right there where you're seated.  If you've never done so would you invite Jesus Christ to come into your life.  Because God is a Spirit He can move in you. Radio waves go through your life all the time.  God can come into your life. 

      Father, I thank You for Your word and that it is relevant. Thank You that You are with us.  Help us this next week to sense Your presence and realize that there is no point we will be that we cannot say "The Lord is in this place." Thank You for the confidence and the comfort that gives us. In Jesus' name.  Amen.