“God Is Active In Our Lives”
February 4, 2007
Sermon Series on Friendship
Two weeks ago: Friendship
with the family of God/ the Church
Last week: I wanted to help you change your perspective on God. Instead
of
experiencing God at a distance,
I challenged you to let God be your best friend. To make Him the biggest priority
in your life.
Today: a reinforcement
of last week. I hope to address questions like…
-
Is it possible to be friends with God?
-
What is it like to have God as our best friend?
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What does He think about us?
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How is He involved in our everyday lives.
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Can we see evidence that God is near to us and not far away?
Some of us think
that the world revolves around us. Some of us think that the universe revolves
around the Earth. The truth is that the universe is a big place.
SHOW THE PICTURE
OF THE UNIVERSE
If we stop to think,
we find ourselves realizing how small and insignificant we could be.
The Truth is that
God is so big and powerful that the universe is nothing to him. It is beyond
what our minds could ever comprehend, (We can’t barely handle the schedules in our own lives) but it is not beyond what
God can handle. God is in control of every aspect of everything. It’s no big deal to Him.
EXAMPLE: There are
about 300 million people in the United States and 6.5 billion people on the earth.
Right now millions
of people are in church and millions of people are in prayer.
Many ask. “Can
God have a one on one relationship with each and every person that walks the earth and somehow manage to keep the universe
in order?”
From
the world’s way of thinking, this would be an impossible task for any one “god” to handle. I am here to tell you that the world’s way of thinking is always wrong.
God can handle all
of it. 1. God is all powerful.
Luke 1:37. “…nothing is impossible with God.”
When talking about salvation, Jesus says in
Matthew 19:26 "…With
man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
God
is powerful enough to manage the universe, Heaven, Hell, the earth, the people of the earth, and whatever else is out there
beyond what our puny minds can handle.
Psalm 33:6-7.
By the word of the LORD
were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.
Doubt the awesomeness
of God? Read Genesis 1-3. He created
the Heavens and the earth in 6 days.
He
can do all that and He still has plenty in “reserve” to be involved in the intimate details of our lives.
2. God is interested in you.
Luke 12:6-8. Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge him before the angels of God.
-
Pluck your hair, and God does not lose count.
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Brush your hair, He knows how many hairs are in the brush and how many
are still on your head!
-
He knows more about you that you know about you!
Psalm 139:1-18.
God knows everything about us
(1) “Lord, You have searched me”
- Hebrew word originally
meant to dig/ search for precious metal (to examine intimately)
- God does not know
you 2nd hand, after the fact, or only what you tell Him
- He has already
searched you out and knows everything about you.
nothing is hidden
from Him
Here are some of
the things He knows about you:
(2) “when I sit and when I rise”
-
Actually means sitting and standing
i. any act the requires movement
ii. such a meaningless task for God to know about
(2) “You perceive my thoughts”
-
Maybe you’re one of those people that don’t move around a whole
lot...
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He knows what your thinking
(3) “You are familiar with all my ways”
-
Like you know your kids
i. certain cry means: toy taken away, hungry, angry
ii. Know what they are going to do before the do it
iii. Needs, wants, likes, dislikes
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He knows us the same way
i. corner store, chomping, how our pillow needs to be, style of driving, toilet paper, toothpaste
(4) “Before a word is on my tongue”
-
before we even think a thought, God knows them.
-
Before we say it, God has already heard it
(13) “created my inmost being”
-
feelings, desires, longings, your personality
o We are who we really are because of who God made us to be
Who we really
are- what makes us unique from everyone else
It is the
you only you and God really know
Inner struggles,
inner fears, hopes, dreams, heartaches
there are
no geeks or weirdoes. God created your personality
(13-15) “you nit me together”
-
God hand crafted each one of us
-
He personally created us within our mother’s wombs
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He designed our bodies the way we are
o we may altar how we look but we will always have a hand stamped look from God
o God broke the mold for each of us
o Not just the intricate workings of the human body, but the specific size, shape, color, height of you
3. God is involved in your life.
(3) “discern my going out...”
-
discern literally means to sift or winnow.
i. God is so intimately aware of all our ways that He has literally sifted
our seconds
ii. New Living translates it as: “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.”
1.
As we move about, He knows where and when we will need a rest. Bathroom break. Shade tree.
Bench at the mall. chair at changing room of Sears. Tough day at work,
no end in site, God provides a break.
2.
Every moment He knows where you are.
3.
If we let Him, He will guide us every second of every day.
4.
If we look around us, we can see where he was already ahead of us, preparing
the way for us.
(16) “...my unformed body. All the days ordained...”
-
Before you started to develop, God knew all the moments of your life
-
Before you were ever born, God had a great plan for your life
o God wants to do great things through you!
-
Every day of your life has been planned out by God
o (Are you living by your plans or God’s plans?)
Don’t keep
Him at a distance. Let Him walk with you, lead you, be in control of your life!
Closing
Remember that God
is intimately involved in your life. He knows everything about you and He still
cares for you.
Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God already knows
what you have done and what you will do in the future to mess up, and He still chose to send His Son Jesus to die for you. Knowing everything He knows about you, He wants you to give your life to Him. He wants to be your friend.
Invite God to lead
you through life
Take some time this
week to see the many ways God is involved in your life personally.
