July 3, 2011 Sermon - Let God Love You

You can listen to this week's sermon by clicking here.

LET GOD LOVE YOU

Getting to Know God - Part 8 of 8 07-03-11 Sermon

I John 4:16

If you are ever confronted by a person who says “I don’t believe in God, I’m an atheist,” ask them to describe for you the kind of God they don’t believe in.  Chances are you could respond,   "That makes me an atheist too because I don't believe in that kind of God either."

For the last several weeks we've been in a series on getting to know God for that very reason.  Many people reject God before they even know Him.  We've looked at different attributes of God. Todaywe will conclude this series by looking at the Love of God. 

I John 4:16 "We know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love."  The most talked about attribute of God is probably the one that is most misunderstood.  This does not mean that God lets me get away with murder.  Or, I do anything I want to and because God loves me; He just slaps me on the wrist.  What it means is that God wants what's best for you.  He's for you.  He's not against you.

If that's true, then why do so many people avoid God?  Many people avoid Him like the plague.  They run from Him.  The reason they do that is because of a fear.  They're afraid of what might happen if they really give their life to God.  They're hesitant. They want to keep a safe distance.

I.  WHY PEOPLE AVOID GOD

I want to give you three common fears that are reasons people don't get to know God.

         FEAR #1:  I'm afraid that I'll have to give up my fun.

In other words, to become a Christian means the party's over. To be spiritual is to be miserable.  We're very interested in having fun these days.  We don't want to give up our fun.  People are frantically looking for fun fixes.  It's the law of diminishing return.  You find you spend more time, more money, more energy to get less and less of a thrill.  You go around asking, "Are we having fun yet?"  So many people are looking for love in all the wrong places and they're looking for fun in all the wrong places.  Think about a Singles Bar.  Have you ever seen a more phony place than a Singles Bar?  Everybody's pretending they're having a good time.  Where else do you walk up to a stranger and offer to buy them something?  "Can I buy you a drink?"  Do you walk up to someone in a Walmart and say, "Can I buy you a toaster?"  That's fun?

The way you fight fear is with fact and look at what the fact says:  I Timothy 6:17, "God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."  God wants you to enjoy life.  He doesn't want to take your fun away.  Matthew 11:19 (Phillips) says, "Jesus came enjoying life."  Fun is a clear conscience.  Fun is a happy, unified family.  Fun is laughing in church.  Fun is having friends who don't manipulate you because they're Christians.  Fun is enjoying the world that God has made.  That's fun! 

         FEAR #2:  I'm afraid I'll become a fanatic

Often well meaning and misguided people tend to cause us to avoid God because of their fanaticism.  I wrote down some names of religious fanatics I've met:

         Freddy the Pharisee.  Rigid, narrow minded, legalistic.  He has a rule for everything.  His favorite word is "don't".  Some think "Will I become like that if I become a Christian?"

         Susie Self-righteous.  Holier than thou attitude, judgmental of others.  Her favorite phrase is "Thank God I'm not like you!" Am I going to become like that if I become a Christian, if I get to know God?

         Billy Bible-thumper.  Obnoxious, overzealous crusader.  If it's alive he'll convert it.  His favorite phrase:  "Turn or burn!" 

The fact is John 10:10 "I have come that you might have life [not religion] and have it to the fullest!"  Jesus' harshest criticism went to religious fanatics.  Read Matthew 23.  He couldn't stand them!  He said, "You guys are whitewashed tombs.  You strain at a gnat and swallow a camel."  God doesn't want to make you into some fanatic.

         FEAR #3:  That I'll lose my freedom.

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint -- do anything I want to do, say anything I want to say, without anybody telling me Yes or No.  What has sexual freedom given us?  AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, abortions.  What has chemical freedom given us?  Grade school addicts, the most chemically dependent society in the world. What has credit card freedom given us?  146 easy payments.  There is no such thing as an easy payment.  They are all hard. Incomprehensible national debt. 

        

You are not as free as you think you are.  The Bible teaches that with every choice you make there are consequences.  You are free to live anyway you want to live.  But once you make that choice you are no longer free.  You are not free to choose the consequences.  What you sow you will reap. 

On this 4^th of July weekend, what does the Bible say about freedom?  John 8:36 Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be really free!"  Circle "really".  He's talking about real freedom not phony freedom.  Real freedom is freedom from guilt, from worry, from bitterness, from fear of death, because I know that I'm going to heaven, I’m free to be myself, free to quit pretending -- that's real freedom.  How do you get rid of those kinds of fears?

I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives our fear."  The antidote to fear is to recognize how much God loves you.  Love and fear can't exist in the same heart.  When you realize how much God loves you, you're not going to have a fear of becoming a fanatic or that God's going to take away your fun or your freedom or anything else in life.  He's not a cruel God, He's a loving God.  The very first words of Jesus when He came out of the tomb on Easter Sunday was "Don't be afraid."  He was saying, "I don't want you to be afraid!  I didn't come to scare you, I came to save you."  We just need to realize how much God loves us.  God is not at all the way many people think He is.  Do you think God gets His kicks out of making people miserable? What kind of God do you think we serve?  You need to realize how much He loves you. 

II.  HOW MUCH DOES HE LOVE ME? 

Ephesians 3:17-18 "I pray that you will grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."  There are four dimensions there.  Circle those four words:  "wide ... long ... high ... deep".  These are four ways God's love grows for you.

1.  GOD'S LOVE IS WIDE ENOUGH TO INCLUDE EVERYBODY

Psalm 145:17 "The Lord is loving toward all He has made."  All -- everybody.   John 3:16 "God so loved the world."  Who does that include? -- everybody.  It's universal.  The good news is that God loves me.  But that also means that He loves my enemies just as much. Jesus loved the unlovely and that's what got him in trouble with the religious fanatics.  Everybody you meet this week -- God loves them.  And He loves them unconditionally.  God never made a person that He didn't love.  He loves you.  He loves you very, very much.  You matter to God. 

This is one of the reasons why everyone is welcome at United Methodist communion services.  No matter what you have done, no matter who you are, you are welcome if you are coming repenting of your sins and wanting to walk from this place following in the ways of Jesus. 

The secret of self esteem:  If you want to feel good about yourself, if you want confidence, realize how much you matter to God.  That’s the secret of self-esteem!  He loves you, He made you and God doesn't make junk!  If I like me and God likes me, if you don't like me it's you that's got a problem.  If God likes me, who cares what anybody else thinks.  Because God loves me I don't have to prove my self worth.  That is so relaxing.  I don't need the props anymore to make me feel good about myself.  I don't have to wear a certain kind of clothes to make me feel like I'm OK.  I don't have to drive a certain kind of car to prop up my faltering ego.  I don't have to have certain status symbols around my house.  I don't need them.  God has looked at me and said, "I love him; I value him!"  He made you and He loves you.  God's love is wide enough to include everyone.

2.  GOD'S LOVE IS LONG ENOUGH TO LAST FOREVER

Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love."  Psalm 89:2 "God's love will last for all time."  That is so different from our kind of love.  Human love can wear out.  It can.  That's why we have a lot of divorces.  It wears out. There are people who are not divorced but they don't love each other anymore.  There's sometimes a limit.  It dries up.  That's why you have to have God's love in your marriage if it's going to last.  I don't know how marriages last without God's love in them.  Human love can wear out, it can be hurt.  But God's love never wears out. God's love is patient, persistent, persevering. 

Isn't it good news to know that God never gives up on you?  No matter what you do His love never gives up.  It's wide enough to include everybody and it's long enough to last forever.  God will never love you any more than He does right now.  But He also will never love you any less than He does right now.  He loves you on your good days.  He loves you on your bad days.  Because His love is not conditioned by your response.  God is love.  It is unearned, undeserved.  Just accept it! 

3. GOD'S LOVE IS HIGH ENOUGH TO BE EVERYWHERE

Romans 8:39 "Neither height not depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  There is no place that you can go where God's love isn't.  You'll never be separated from God's love.  Nothing, no circumstance, no situation can separate you because God's love is everywhere.  If you want an antidote for loneliness, that's it.  You will never be separated from God's love.  The fact is we do lose loved ones.  If you're married, one of you is going to die first unless you die together in an accident.  And you will grieve over that. But if you're a Christian, you'll never have to be lonely, because you can always tune into God's love.  I'm not talking about religion, I'm talking about a relationship with Jesus Christ.  His love lasts forever and His love is everywhere. 

4.  GOD'S LOVE IS DEEP ENOUGH TO MEET MY NEEDS

Psalm 40:11 "My only hope is your love [circle this] for my problems are too big for me to solve and are piled over my head." I'm going under for the last time!  I'm about to sink!  The fact is God's love is not shallow.  It's profound.  No matter what problem you have, His love is deeper than that problem.  Some of you may be in deep despair, deep trouble, under deep stress, you've got deep problems, emotional problems, physical problems, financial problems.  God's love is deeper still. 

Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom were Christians who lived in Holland during World War 2.  During the war they hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis.  When they were discovered, not only were the Jews taken to the concentration camp but Corrie and Betsy and their father were also taken to the concentration camp, and they spent their lives there during the war.  Corrie came out alive.  Her sister and father died.  At one point in the movie where they had seen one atrocity after another, Corrie says to Betsy, "This place is the pit of hell!"  Betsy says, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper."

Some of you in the last few weeks and the last few months may have hit bottom.  Maybe financially and you think, "I am going broke!" or you've hit bottom emotionally or your marriage has hit bottom or you're having health problems and your health has hit bottom and you're frustrated and you think, "I am going under."  Where is God when you hit bottom?

Deuteronomy 33:27 "The eternal God is your refuge and underneath you are His everlasting arms."  When you hit bottom guess who's underneath the bottom?  God is.  Drop into His arms of love.  Let Him catch you and support you when you have nowhere else to go. 

When you look at these four phrases --- "know the height, the depth, the length and the width of God's love" -- you have the four dimensions of the cross.  Height, depth, width, length.  You can't really talk about the love of God without talking about the cross because the ultimate demonstration of love is when someone gives their life for you.  "Greater love hath no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friends."  The Bible says in Romans 5:8 "God demonstrated (or showed) how much He really loves us by dying for us."  Christ died for me and for you.  That is the ultimate demonstration of love.  Good Friday is about love. 

When you go to Jesus Christ and say, "Jesus, how much do you love me?" Jesus stretches out His arms on the cross and says, "I love you this much.  I love you so much it hurts."  When you reject that kind of love and then expect God to let you into heaven, it is ultimate arrogance to walk away from that kind of love as if it doesn't matter.  It matters!  And you matter to God that's why He did it.  That’s why there was a Good Friday.

You matter to God.  He loves you so much it hurts.  He loves you so much. 

The fact is everyone of us came here this morning for different reasons.   Some of you came simply became it's tradition.  Some of you came out of duty.  Some of you came because you had a need and you thought "Maybe I'll find the answer there."

Regardless of why you think you came, you came because God brought you here and He knew you'd be here even a thousand years before you were born.  He brought you here.  Some of you have felt God's love in the past.  You were close to God.  You felt His care and His concern but you've kind of drifted away.  You think, "Can I ever get back to that kind of relationship?" 

What does God have to say to you?  Regardless of your situation, regardless of your background God brought you here this morning to say one thing to you.  He says, "With a deep, deep love You matter to Me more than you'll ever know.  I have a plan for your life.  Get in touch with Me.  Build a relationship, not a religion.  Get to know Me.  Let Me show you why I made you.  You'll find your niche and all of a sudden you'll know that's why you're here on earth ‑- not just to take up space and breathe and die.  You're here for a reason."  Don't reject God's love.  There is no one who will ever love you more than God does. 

Prayer:

      I invite you to pray a prayer in your heart right now.  You don't have to say it out loud.  God will hear you.  God knows what you're thinking.  He knows the very thoughts going across your brain right now because He made you.  You don't have to say any formula or fancy words.  It's really the attitude of your heart.  Would you say this to God, would you just be honest to God once in your life, say, "God, Help me to realize how much You love me.  Help me to realize that You care for my problems and my needs.  Help me to realize that You have a plan for my life.  Forgive me for being afraid of You.  Help me to realize that You want what's best for my life.  Today, God, I want to come back to You." 

      Lord, thank You so much for Your love for us.  Thank You for Good Friday.  Thank You that the cross demonstrates the heights, the depth, the width and the length of Your love.  Thank You that there is no fear in love, that perfect love casts out all fear.  We don't have to fear You.  We can know You personally.  We thank You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

JULY 2011 Newsletter

FROM THE PASTOR:  

Independence is great!  We all want independence.  We want to see our children grow to become independent of us.  We celebrate our nation’s independence on July 4^th. 

Yet there is another side we must learn if we are to be truly free.  The signers of the Declaration of Independence discovered their strength by depending on one another.  We gain freedom when we learn to depend on others for the help we need.

We discover true freedom when we learn to be interdependent.  The words “one another” are found in over a hundred verses in the New Testament.  Every Sunday in church in Interdependence Day!

A group of pastors were discussing on the Christian Broadcasting Network how wonderful it is to have freedom of religion in America.  Evangelist Jerry Falwell said that freedom of religion meant tha tin America the Pentecostals, if they wanted to, could jump over the pews, and tha the Baptists, if they wanted to, could sleep in the pews. 

  

FELLOWSHIP DINNER

The fellowship dinner for June will be held Wednesday July 6^th at 6:30 pm in the fellowship hall.  Everyone is welcome, even if you don’t have time to make something to bring.

FELLOWSHIP BIBLE STUDY GATHERING

Those interested in a time of sharing, praying, and fellowshipping together are welcome to gather at the home of Henry Procopio on Wednesday July 20^th at 6:30 pm.  This is a monthly gathering but anyone is welcome to come whenever they can come. The group is studying the Gospel of Mark.  You can start at any time.  Desserts are provided.

UPCOMING DATES

July 4^th              Independence Day

July 27-31         Aldersgate 2011 at

Dayton, Ohio

CHURCH CLEANING SCHEDULE

For July 3^rd                    Martha Neeley

For  July 10^th                 Open

For July 17^th                  Brenda & Tony 

For July 24^th                  Tim & Bev Garrett

For July 31^st                  Martha & Henry

COMMUNION

We will celebrate Communion on Sunday, July 3^rd.

MEMBER ADDRESSES NEEDED

The church is responsible for keeping up with its members’ addresses even if they move.  We are missing addresses for the following members:  Charlie Brown, Johnetta Brown, Mitch and Vickie Skelton.  If you can get an address and phone number for any of these people please write it down and give it to the pastor. 

 WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY

A gift to your church in your will is a testimony to your faith and the confidence you have in the ministry of your church. 

ARE YOU HAVING DIFFICULTY HEARING DURING WORSHIP?

Our damaged hearing assistance system has been replaced.  This system allows you to sit anywhere you want to in the sanctuary and hear anything that is being broadcast over the microphones through the use of special receivers and earphones.  If you would like to try one, ask the pastor. 

WHO SHOULD YOU TALK TO?

 There are times when you might have an idea for improving the ministry of our church, you might see something that needs to be fixed, or you might have an idea for a new program for our church or a new outreach project idea.  Who should you talk to?

If it has to do with the physical property of the church—the building, the contents, the grounds around the church, or the cemetery across the street, you should talk to a Trustee.  The Trustees are:  Doug Baxter, Steve Lain, Henry Procopio, Tim Garrett, Sandra Robinson, Patsy Clark, Martha Neeley, Charles Powell, and Grady Garton. 

If you have an idea for a program for our children, youth or adults you want to get your idea to the Nurture Committee.  Brenda Alcorn is the head of that committee.

If you have an idea for reaching our community in a new way, a way to reach more people for Christ, an new outreach or mission project, you want to get your idea to the Outreach Committee.  Martha Neeley is the head of that committee.  

If you have an idea to support and encourage our pastor, or an idea for the general ministry of all of our members you want to get your idea to the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee.  Henry Procopio is the head of that Committee. 

If you have an idea to raise more funds for the church you want to get your idea to the Finance Committee.  Teresa Shepherd is head of the that committee. 

 JOELTON HOPE CENTER –Neighbors Helping Neighbors

The Hope Center is located 212 Gifford Place, between Curves and the Laundromat.  There are now over 115 client families being helped by our center.  In January 36 families [138 individuals] received food boxes. 

A barrel is in the entryway of the church to receive donations for the Joelton Hope Center.  [You can also take them directly to the Hope Center.]  There is always a need for cooking oil, sugar, corn meal and flour.  These are items that the center has to buy most often.  There is also a need for diapers size 4 and 5. 

The Hope Center is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10-4 and 10-2 Saturday.  The Hope Center Board set a goal of being open 6 days a week in 2011 so additional volunteers are needed any day Monday-Saturday.   Call the Hope Center at 876-1778 if you can help.

The Joelton Hope Center was highlighted at the Tennessee Annual Conference session last month as a good example of risk taking mission and it was granted Advance Special Status. 

CHURCH BLOG SITE

 If you haven’t visited the church blog site, go to www.forestgroveumctn.blogspot.com. Each sermon is posted there as they are delivered and most times there will be a link to an audio of that sermon. You can post comments, questions and even things you have for sale.

If you want to post something other than a comment on that particular sermon, just email Peg and she’ll post it for you (pegbillman@yahoo.com). If you want to be notified when something new is posted, become a follower of the blog. Soon I hope to have a Facebook page for Forest Grove, too so keep checking for that on the blog or in this newsletter.

 SHORES OF GRACE

 On July 16^th the Shores of Grace worship team (Nic and Rachael Billman along with 4 or 5 others) will lead a night of worship at the Gateway Christian Center (120 East Avenue, Goodlettsillve) at 7 PM.

Shores of Grace is a worship and missionary ministry headquartered in Curitiba Brazil, led by Nic and Rachael Billman. They will be on a summer tour raising awareness of their ministry there. The focus of their ministry is setting prostitutes free and walking them through restoration; taking the love of the Father into the favela's and helping them see their true value, and equipping and serving the church in Brazil.

“The goal of our staff is to reveal Father God in all that we do. Whether we're leading worship in a church, walking the streets of Brazil or shopping at the local grocery store, we want to reveal the Father. This is the calling that God has placed on our lives and we believe it's a calling for the whole church, for all of the sons and daughters of the living God. To live a life of compassion and power where miracles and healing follow us everywhere we go, just as they did with Jesus”. For more info go to www.shoresofgrace.com.

DEVOTIONAL CORNER

"Who has brought this disaster on Tyre,
     that great creator of kingdoms?
Her traders were all princes,
     her merchants were nobles.
The LORD of Heaven's Armies has done it
     to destroy your pride
     and bring low all earth's nobility."

What God hates is human pride—the kind of pride that says, "I don't need God." The kind of pride that seeks to be great apart from God. Again and again in Scripture, God says he opposes the proud. He wants us to be like trusting children, looking to him for every need, every breath we take. That kind of attitude goes against the world … but reaches God's heart every time.

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Prayer: Father, show me where I have a prideful heart. Convict me when I think I don’t need You or can do it all myself. Show me your heart of compassion and replace my pride with that! Help me see others more than myself and to reach out to them with the Love you’ve so lavishly poured into my life.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

June 26th Sermon - Can God Be Trusted?

Today's sermon was not recorded. I apologize for any inconvenience but here is the transcript.

CAN GOD BE TRUSTED?

Getting to Know God—Part 7 of 8 06-26-11 Sermon Psalm 33:4

Maybe someone prayed for something and they didn’t get what they asked for – maybe they prayed to win the lottery and they didn’t win it and they felt disappointed. Maybe they had an experience of a tragedy and they didn’t understand – “Why God, why did You allow that?” Or maybe they were disappointed by someone who claimed to be a Christian or a pastor or represent God to them – so they were disappointed.

How much can you trust a person? How much trust in his Father do you think it took for Jesus to enter Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday knowing that the cries of Hosanna, Hosanna, would turn to cries of Crucify him, Crucify him, knowing that he was entering that city to be beaten and whipped and to die there on a cross?

You can trust a person only to the degree that you know that person. That’s why we’ve spent seven weeks talking about “Knowing God”. The more you know God the easier it is for you to trust Him. In order for you to trust somebody you must have three things in that relationship:

1.    That person you’re going to trust must tell you the truth.

2.    That person must be fair, they must do what’s right and just.

3.    The person must be reliable and dependable if you’re going to develop a relationship of trust with them.

Pslam 33:4 says that those three characteristics are actually attributes of God. “For the word of the Lord is right and true. He is faithful in all He does.” Circle those three characteristics: “right. . .true. . .faithful”. Last week we looked at the sovereignty of God. God can do anything. This morning the question is: Is there anything God can’t do? Yes, there are three things God cannot do:

1.    God cannot do wrong. The Bible says He is just. He always does what is right. He always does what is fair.

2.    God cannot lie. He always tells the truth. The Bible says He is holy.

3.    God cannot break a promise. What He says He’ll do, He does. The Bible calls that His faithfulness

If you’ll learn to grasp these three characteristics of God – God is holy, just, and faithful – you’ll have no problem trusting God even when you don’t understand, even when things seem difficult.

The greatest example of God’s faithfulness is, without a doubt, with the nation of Israel. God continually made promises to Israel and He fulfilled them. Joshua 21:45 “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” To Israel, faithfulness was one of God’s most important qualities. It’s talked about almost more than any other quality in the Old Testament. God is a faithful God. What He says, He does. He made all kinds of promises to the nation of Israel. He promised Abraham a son. He promised the Israelites a land of their own. He promised to send the Messiah. He promised harvest, blessing, protection, deliverance from Egypt, restoration after captivity. All through the Old Testament God made promises over and over. Notice what it says about God’s track record. Not one of those promises failed. He had 100% accuracy. God proved Himself reliable time after time. He was consistent.

Deut. 7:9 “He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant to a thousand generations.”He has been faithful to Israel over and over. He keeps His word. He doesn’t play games with His promises.

What about today. Psalm 145:13 “The Lord is faithful to all his promises.” There are over 7000 promises in the Bible. They are like blank checks waiting to be called on, waiting. God wants to fulfill His promises. But you’ve got to claim them! God has made some incredible guarantees to you. He has put them in writing. So, looking at God’s faithfulness, I want to look at five wonderful guarantees that God has promised you can count on. You can count on these five things.

1.    I CAN DEPEND ON GOD TO FORGIVE MY SINS

I John 1:9 “If we freely admit that we have sinned, we find him reliable and just. He forgives us and makes us thoroughly clean from all that is evil.”Circle “reliable” and “just” – the two characteristics of God that guarantee your forgiveness. God says, My forgiveness is based on who I am not on who you are.

In many promises there’s a premise, there’s a condition. God says if you do this, I will do this. In this verse it is admit. Admit your sin, confess it to God. The promise is God will forgive. I admit it and God forgives.

2.    I CAN DEPEND ON GOD TO GIVE ME GUIDANCE

When I don’t know what to do, He’ll give me guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.” Circle “he will show” There’s the promise. The premise: “trust in the Lord”.

Many times in life you’ll be facing the question, What am I going to do? It may be a big crisis or a minor decision, but you’ll ask yourself, What am I going to do? When you have a question like that and you’re facing a need or need some guidance who do you look to? It’s comical some of the things people look to for guidance: fortune cookies, reading tea leaves, horoscopes, astrology, calling up some psychic hotline. There is only one completely reliable source for guidance. That’s God. He’s the only one who can really see into the future. He has perspective. He can help you out.

How do you get guidance from God? How does God give guidance? Three ways:

1.    Through the Bible.  As you read the Bible and study principles you become more and more acquainted with the ways of God. God’s will is found in God’s word. If you’re not reading the Bible don’t expect to get much guidance. That’s His guidebook.

2.    Through godly counsel. Christians who know the Bible, who know those principles, where those verses are that you don’t know where they are, they can say, “The Bible says. . .” and bring light to your life.

3.    God can speak to you directly.  Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice. You can expect to hear from God. Why would Jesus say Ask, seek and knock, if we couldn’t expect an answer to our asking?

God says “you can count on Me to forgive your sins and to give you guidance.”

3.    I CAN DEPEND ON GOD TO SETTLE THE SCORE.

When you read the newspaper do you ever feel like, “It’s just not fair!” You read about a criminal who’s done all sorts of things and he gets off scott-free on some technicality. Or you read about a scandal where somebody has been dishonest and yet he’s prospering and he skips the country with millions of dollars. And you’re working hard and barely making it. It’s just not fair!

My response to that is, You are exactly right. Life is not fair. God never said life here on earth would be fair. Because we live in an imperfect world, because there is sin in this world, people do wrong things and innocent people get hurt and life is not fair.

That’s why one day God is going to settle the score. There is a heaven and there is a hell. One day there is going to be a judgment time when God is going to clear the slates, settle the score. There are going to be rewards and punishments.

When you face a hurt do you ever find yourself wanting to get even with that person? Get even. Revenge. That’s a lousy way to live. That’s a lousy philosophy of life.

Romans 12:19 (Living Bible) “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said he will repay those who deserve it.” Don’t try to get revenge yourself, to get even yourself, let God do it and He will repay those who deserve it. The premise to this promise is to leave it in the Lord’s hands.

Notice that one day God is going to settle the score. That means that God is very much aware of what people do to you. When you’re put down, hurt, stabbed in the back, maligned, people spread rumors about you that just aren’t true - - how do you respond to that? You let God settle the score. God is very much aware of what everybody does to you. If you’ve been hurt in the past, God understands, He knows.

The Bible says let God handle it. He gives you two options when you’re hurt. You can defend yourself or you can let God defend you. Who do you think could do a better job at that? Who has better resources to get even? Who has more things at His disposal? God says if you want to get even on your own, if you want to defend yourself, go ahead. He steps back and watches you. He will not lift a finger against your enemy. But if you say, “I’m going to let God defend me,” that person better watch out! The Bible says we reap what we sow.  If people hurt you or malign you, they will reap what they sow.  It’s inevitable. But you’ve got to trust God and His faithfulness and let Him settle the score.

The greatest example of this is Jesus. I Peter 2:23 (Living Bible) “Jesus never answered back when insulted; when he suffered he did not threaten to get even; he left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly.” That’s God’s justice. He judges fairly. Jesus says, I’m not going to defend myself. I’m going to leave that in the hands of the Father. Because God is faithful to settle the score.

4.     I CAN DEPEND ON GOD TO REWARD MY GENEROSITY

Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  That is not positive thinking, prosperity doctrine, or some fund raising technique. Jesus said this, not some TV evangelist. Jesus said, Give and it will be given to you. Jesus does not lie. The premise is I have to give.  I have to give in order to receive.

I can be confident that when I’m generous, God will reward my generosity. There are more promises in the Bible related to giving than any other topic. If you are not tithing ten percent of your income to God you are only hurting yourself. You’re not hurting God. God doesn’t need your money. You are only hurting yourself. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, honor the Lord with the first part of your income. Right off the top I give some back to Him, in gratitude for what He’s done, in faithfulness, in thanksgiving, in faith to the future. It says, He will bless your life.

You cannot out give God. There are only two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. Misers are miserable people. The generous giving person is the happiest person in the world. When you give your life away, your time away, your energy away, your money away, when you’re generous and giving to others you are blessed. The Bible says in Proverbs that “He who gives to the poor is like lending to the Lord” and He repays. Proverbs 22 says, “The generous man will himself be blessed.” I can be faithful, counting on God to reward my generosity. As we are faithful to God He is faithful to us and blesses us abundantly.

God is faithful. He keeps his promise. When he says “Give and it will be given unto you” it’s not a fund raising technique. That is a promise of God just like every other promise in the Bible. Count on it! If you haven’t learned to be a generous person you are just cheating yourself.

5.     I CAN DEPEND ON GOD TO REMEMBER MY SERVICE.

Whenever you’re doing something that you know is right and you know it’s a good thing to do but you don’t feel like anybody is noticing, do you ever feel like saying, “What is the use? Why even try? I know the right thing to do in my family/at work but I don’t see any different. Nobody notices. People don’t care if I do the right thing or not so why even bother.” Some of you women might say, “My husband and kids don’t even notice the work that I do. I’m taken for granted at home and they don’t even notice.” Some of you say, “When I go to work, I’m a conscientious worker. I’m productive. I have integrity. I don’t steal. I’m honest. I work hard. I don’t abuse my relationships. But my boss couldn’t care less. He/She never gives me strokes. I’m not appreciated. I don’t even think they notice the things I do. Why bother?”

Because God notices. The Bible says He takes notice and He remembers every good thing you do. He’s faithful to do that. Heb. 6:10 (Phillips translation) “God is not unfair; He will not forget all that you have done, nor the loving labor which you have shown for his sake in looking after fellow Christians.” Circle “not forget”. The premise of this promise is that I have to serve.

I think of some of you who minister here at this church. You are not just spectators, you are participators. You work in many different areas. You volunteer. Sometimes you may think you don’t have the time to do this, that your schedule is so busy that you don’t have time to give an hour a week to your church. You’re just too busy. But you do it anyway. I want you to know that God takes notice. And God is remembering, and He is going to reward you generously because He is a faithful God. He rewards our good when we serve Him.

So the natural question becomes: How are you using your talent for God? He didn’t give you your talent just to make money. He gave you your talent to minister, to serve others. How much time are you giving to the Lord or is it all time spent on yourself? Do you do anything of community service, service to your church, or some other way? If you’re not serving in any capacity what kind of reward do you think you’re going to get? The Bible says He rewards us for our service. 

There are hundreds and hundreds of promises in the Bible. They are there for claiming. I’ve picked five of them today. There are hundreds of promises you can claim. But they are not for everyone. They are only for those who have a relationship to Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” Christ is the key to the promises of God. It’s our relationship to Him that unlocks all of these promises. If you do not have a relationship with Christ you cannot claim all of these promises for forgiveness, for blessing, etc. They are “Yes” in Christ. That’s the starting point.

I ask the question we started with: Can God be trusted? Can I trust God with my life? Definitely yes, you can. It’s the smartest, wisest decision you’ll ever make to give your life to God. Because God is holy, He will never lie to me. Because God is just, He always does what is right and fair. Because He is faithful, He never breaks a promise.

One more promise: Romans 10:11 & 13 (Living Bible) “For the Scripture tells us that no one who believes in Christ will be disappointed. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Have you done that? Why don’t you do it today? Call on the name of the Lord. He has promised you will be saved. He says, Whoever does this will not be disappointed. I’m living proof of that, other people here are living proof of that. You will not be disappointed. It’s the greatest decision you can ever make. If you haven’t done it do it today.

Those of you who have already made that decision to become Christians, one of the greatest lessons you will need to learn in life is to understand and put your trust completely in the faithfulness of God. God is faithful! You say, “I’ve been claiming a promise. I’ve not seen the result yet.” Hang on. Never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light. Hang on. Just like Joshua could say, “not one of His promises have failed.” One of the marks of a mature Christian is to trust the faithfulness of God.

The next step is He wants you to become a faithful person. We’re to be like God, to be Christ-like, like Father like son. He wants folks to see the family resemblance in us. God is faithful, He wants you to be faithful. He wants you to be faithful in your family. He wants you to be a faithful worker. He wants you to be faithful to your church. He wants you to be faithful in your giving, in disciplining your children. The commitments you make, He wants you to keep them because it pleases Him when you are like Him.

Prayer:

I invite you to follow me in a prayer of commitment right now. Would you pray, “God, I know I could never earn Your forgiveness. Because You are reliable and just, because You have promised it, I ask You to forgive the things that I have done wrong.” If He brings something specific to mind, just mention it. He can read your mind. “It was wrong. I’m sorry. I want to turn away from it.” I can depend on God to forgive my sins. There is no need for anybody to walk out of here under a load of guilt. It is unnecessary. Some of your area facing major decisions. I can depend on God to give me guidance. “I’m going to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I’m not going to rely on what I think I know. I’m going to remember You in everything I do and I’m going to trust You to show me the way.” As you read God’s word and as you get godly counsel it will become clearer to you.

Some of your have been hurt in the past and you need to say to God, “I depend on You to settle the score. I’ve been trying to get even, maybe just by being resentful.” Resentment never hurts them it only hurts you. Let it go and let God settle the score. Don’t take matters into your own hands. Jesus never answered back when He was insulted. He left His case in the hands of God. The Bible says you can depend on God to reward your generosity.

Some of you need to say, “I’ve been unfaithful in m giving and I want to be faithful.” For your own sake, commit yourself to tithing, giving back to God 10% of your income as the Bible teaches. “Help me to become, not a taker in this world, but a giver of my time, my life, myself, my money and be a generous, giving person.” The Bible says, “Give and it will be given to you.” If you have financial needs right now the first thing you need to do is to start giving. How can you expect God to help you with a financial need if you’re not obeying what He’s already promised is the key?

You can depend on God to remember your service. Would you offer yourself? “Lord, I’m available. I want to give myself to You and I want to serve You because I know You’re not going to forget the things I’m doing. You see the things I’m doing. Help me to remember that if no one else notices, You do.”

All of these promises are “Yes” in Jesus Christ. If you’ve never opened your life to Him do it right now. Say, “You’ve promised to come in so I invite You into my life. You’ve promised that if I call on your name You’ll save me, so I do that right now.”

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are a faithful God, that the story of  Forest Grove United Methodist Church is a testimony to Your faithfulness and how You have guided us along, step by step, all the way. We trust You implicitly and completely to guide us in the future. Guide each of us personally this week. In Jesus’ name. Amen