With

Life over God

Main Idea: We might think that right outcomes are most important, but God would rather us enjoy a relationship with him.

People tend to approach life (and games) in one of two ways: rules are meant to be followed, or rules are mere suggestions. When it comes to how we view God and his Word, similar variations exist. The “Life Over God” position considers the Bible a rule book, which some love to follow and others don’t. But did God intend for his Word to serve as a list of dos and don’ts? Skye Jethani explores why “Life Over God” is so appealing yet flawed in this session.

A few questions to think about before we watch the video.

Why did Moses disobey God’s command to speak to—not strike—the rock?

What relationship do we have with the Bible when we see life through an “over God” posture?

-Place holder for video-

What did you hear in this video? Let’s look at what Skye talked about.

Did you hear any issues with control? anything about fear?

the story of Moses doing something that caused him to not be allowed into the promised land???

Moses was challenged with needing to be effective.

Do we want to be effective, or faithful?

Do we operate out of fear of others? what about principles we have learned in life?

Going back to the story of Moses, we can see both fear and principles were part of his struggle.

He feared the people, and also knew that his staff worked in the past (principle) so he followed what worked.....

Instead of listening to the very voice of God.

Moses was told to speak to the rock.

the water still flowed, the people could drink, yet Moses was told that he would not enter the promise land due to this event.

Did this event matter to Moses?

Why did Moses choose to hit the rock with his staff when he was told to speak to it?

Numbers 20:2–5 ESV

2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

The people are angry, all of them against Moses! they want results, they need results. without water, they will die!

Moses did it before with his staff.

Numbers 20:6–9 ESV

6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Did he have too much confidence in his staff because it had worked so many times before?

Does anyone remember what was the weakness of Moses?

Exodus 4:10 ESV

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

God asked Moses to use what Moses thought was his weakness. God wanted him to use it for Gods glory. Moses chose not to, but to go with what worked before, using his staff, the thing he thought was his strength, instead of using what he saw as his weakness.

what about us? We all have strengths and weaknesses. would God ask us to use our weakness for His glory? would we do it?

Or,

If God worked a certain way in the past, do we rely on that pattern? that principle?

What could be a principle?

think of the books that are out there right now.

7 ways to do this, 5 ways to do that, or 3 ways to be your best self! Wouldn’t it be nice if it were like that?

a principle we can feel confident in instead of a real time relationship with God Almighty, who we can’t control.

Is there anything we could have confidence in that we might use in a challenging situation instead of hearing from God in that moment?

what do we use as our advantage other than God?

money? position? family prestige? speech? influence? things?

If the bible points us to Jesus, to have a relationship with Him, we see all our strengths as less than our relationship with Jesus.

the bible is meant to point us to relationship, like Jesus said.

John 5:39–40 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Is the bible just simply a manual to live or is it a way to meet Jesus and to get to know Him for who He truly is? creating a relationship instead of simply living by Godly principles, without relationship with God?

this entire concept that Skye is working out is that humans try to find a way to have control in their lives so we find some people trying to live only by biblical principles which in turn could cause them to think that God owes them because they are doing good. they are living over God.

Just another form of control, trying to control God!

I need to be honest here, I have found times in my life while walking this Christian walk where I wanted to control God. I thought because I did this or that, that God owed me or was supposed to bless me.

Do we earn anything from God? Does He owe us anything if we obey Him?

To say it out loud, it sounds funny. Yet we can live this way internally, can’t we?

Skye even talks about atheists and deists that live by principles yet don’t know God.

As a Christian, could we live like God didn’t exist? Or that God doesn’t matter?

Life over God posture looks like and truly is idolatry, and we are our own idol. If we live like this, we think we don’t need God.

Remember Adam and Eve? Was this their first step away from God?

they didn’t need Him? They wanted to rule? They wanted to be God.

Skye says something in the video that makes me think.

It is possible to live your entire life diligently obeying all the commands of the scriptures, yet not be faithful to God.

The verse that was shared, Matt 7:21-23 is a verse we should all look at and ponder with our life.

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Ouch!

What is it that we are getting from these verses?

Do we hear a list of works?

What do we hear about relationship?

these people were doing, but were they in a relationship with Jesus?

We sadly find Jesus saying I never knew you!

What I find truly amazing is this. Some people in this world live really well, giving lots of help in time and money.... they are called philanthropists, and can look really good, yet not know God.

If what we do is only lived out by principles and not from relationship, we miss the mark just like philanthropists, or just like the ones in the verse!

this study is pointing to the title of the book. WITH. living with God.

Can we all ask ourselves the question, are we living over God or with God?

If we are living over God, maybe we will take time to look at any control issues or fears we may have and to seek a real, present relationship with Him.

If we are living with God, we find ourselves right where we are supposed to be in close, loving relationship with God. What else matters?

My prayer is this, that we seek the Lord when He can be found, that we know Him and He knows us. That if we are struggling with our relationship with Him, we surrender to Him and find connection. And then we live with Him forever.