No Filter Session 1: Seeing God Clearly

Psalm 103:1-19

The theme for our weekend is living with, “No Filter,” as believers. This could be said another way, living unashamed lives as believers; in fact Scripture mentions living unashamed of and for the gospel

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Philippians 1:20 “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

If you know anything about the Christian life, living unashamed is anything but easy.

We struggle with trials/temptations

We are exposed to the brokenness and pressures of this world

We struggle against our own sinful nature, often fall into personal sin

And while the Bible promises time and again that God is with us and provides for us, how can we better step into living unashamed, unfiltered lives for Christ

***IT BEGINS WITH SEEING GOD CLEARLY***

(TWO QUESTIONS)

What purpose do eyeglasses serve?

What happens if you have the wrong RX or lens?

There are many lenses by which God is seen (as you listen to these, be honest with yourself and admit if you tend to see God these ways):

Maybe you see Him as a “vending machine,” or genie—someone who just gives you what you want (do you treat God’s Word like a genie’s lamp? If so, this could be you)

Maybe your see Him as a far-off dictator/tyrant—someone sitting in heaven just waiting for you to mess up (if you feel like you are walking egg shells with God, this could be you)

Maybe you see Him as a doting grandparent (one who just smiles and affirms everything you do—is this you?)

Maybe you see Him as the “chance” card in the game of Monopoly—a Get out of jail free card (kinda like a golden ticket to heaven that allows you to do whatever you want in this life—is this you?)

Maybe you see Him as a puzzle that can’t be solved

Maybe, and I feel this one is very true, though few admit it—you see Him through the lens of your own father (this can be both good and bad)

Maybe you see God through the lens of religion—which leads to transactional living and obedience

“If I do good then God will love me…”

“If I work hard enough, God will accept me…”

“If I follow the rules, God will accept me…”

However, these ways, don’t give a truthful, Biblical view of God. Before we can ever start to live unashamed lives, we must see God clearly—thru the lens of Scripture

For our time today, please turn to Psalm 103. Taking this Psalm slowly, we see a wonderful picture of God and His character. thru the eyes of King David:

(TO START READ PSALM 103:1-5)

The context of this theme is God’s mercy, something David knew too well.

David was deeply aware of God’s great mercy on his life—God had forgiven and restored David after his terrible sins of adultery and murder (explain briefly); and though there were devastating consequences, David repented and God assured him of this, “The Lord has surely put away your sin, you shall not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13)

After all that David had done in sinning against the Lord—in repentance He was forgiven and in experiencing God’s forgiveness, He experienced God’s mercy—David was seeing God clearly, maybe even better than before

This is the backdrop of Psalm 103 and David’s praise

I. (v.1) David opens Psalm 103 pouring out his heart in thankfulness for the Lord and His holy name;

Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

“Bless the Lord”—to delight God’s heart by expressing love and gratitude for all He is all He does (worship); think of telling you parents “thank you,” or “I love you,” without being asked or asking for anything—this is the idea

This was neither simple or superficial worship

It was “unfiltered & unashamed” worship

“All that is within me,” means that David’s inner being was focused on the Lord (heart, mind, soul, and strenght)

Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”

This was worship for the name of the Lord. God’s holy name:

Is Yahweh/Jehovah: “JEHOVAH” this name of God carries two wonderful facts related to it’s meaning:

JEHOVAH is the God who is personal and who reveals Himself

The Hebrew equivalent (YAHWEH) indicates He is immediate and personal

He’s not a God who’s far off and left us alone to fend for ourselves, to fight our own battles

He’s not ignorant of your struggles, your weakness, of the bondage of sin that weight us us; of the afflictions that bind us, or the circumstances that burden us

He IS THE GOD who intentionally stepped out of heaven to come into your brokenness, into your mess, and to do something about it

JEHOVAH is the God who established the means for a personal relationship with you—

The One Who supplies every need

JEHOVAH is the redemptive name of God:

He is the God of redemption, deliverance, and salvation

JEHOVAH is the covenant name of God

This shows us there’s more to God’s name than we think—it’s a representation of who He is; David knew this well and was praising God for what His name meant.

***As we discuss the reasons behind David’s praise, pay special attention to the character and nature of God, as this is the lens of how we should see God***

II. (v.2-5) David’s praise focused on six special blessings/benefits of God.

Psalm 103:2–5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Let me make sure we all understand something as we get into these;

God loves each and every one of you here. You have been created in the Triune image of God Himself—fearfully and wonderfully by His hands. He desires you, He has compassion for you, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His love fights for you

The benefits and works of God which we are about to discuss are available to ANY one who has or would entrust their lives to Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10)—in other words, a person must be a believer, must be born again (if you have questions about this tonight or at anytime during this retreat, please come talk to Joe, John, myself, Missy, Tabitha, or anyone of the leaders here—we would love to have this discussion with you—so you might partake of God’s blessings and His works in your life

As we list these, we will touch on a few of them

Forgiveness our iniquities—He forgives ALL our sin:

Forgiveness is the Hebrew word “calach” (saw-lakh); and means “to pardon” or “to spare”

The use of this word is reserved (only used) to mark the forgiveness extended to the sinner by God

It speaks to God restoring an offender (the sinner—thats us) into favor with God through the means of repentance

Iniquities is the Hebrew word “avone’” and translates out as “fault,” “mischief,” or what we know as “sin.”

Iniquity means

To be bent

To be bowed down,

Twisted or perverted

As a verb, “to twist,” or “to pervert”

Iniquity portrays sin as a

Perversion of life, or a twisting out of the right way

Perversion of the truth, a twisting into error

Perversion of intent, a twisting/bending into willful disobedience

So together, this first benefit say this about God:

God, “spares, pardons, restores, forgives,” our “fault, mischief, and “sin” in twisting our the right way, into error, twisting into willful disobedience

Now, the “How we are redeemed and by what means are we forgiven ALL our sin, and our responsibility in this, we will discuss at the close of this session (Ephesians 1:7, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:9-10)

Healing of our diseases

Redemption comes from the Hebrew “Ga’al” and means “to deliver, avenge, or act” through the means of “buying back,” in other words we are delivered (bought back) at a price

As our Redeemer, God bought us back/paid the price to deliver us from death (separation). How?

Through sending His only begotten Son to the cross to die in your (our) place

The purpose God had in redeeming us from death is two-foldto be the next of kin

Redemption, therefore, is God not only delivering us from death (separation), but also delivering into a relationship with Him

Crowns His people with steadfast love and mercy. (A crown implies honor or status)

We are given the honor of God’s steadfast love & mercy

There is no one else who can love you the way God loves you

There is no mercy compared to the mercy that God

His mercy withhold what we rightly deserve—condemnation from sins (there are consequences for sin—but not condemnation for sin—there’s a difference)

His mercy also means that He gives up the right to condemn us for sin, b/c Jesus freed you from that

We are granted the status of being loved as God’s children

Satisfies our desires—our spiritual longings

Spiritual renewal—restores our strength in the times we get weary/tired/worn out

Seeing the benefits of God, help us to see all that we have in Christ, that even on your worst day—if you have entrusted your life to Christ—

You are forgiven and redeemed,

Still and always a child of God, still and always a recipient of His unfailing and unending love/mercy

II. (v.6-18) Like David, we also can begin to see God and His character more clearly, as we remember and praise Him for the work He’s accomplished in our lives

(READ 6-18)

(v.6) God’s justice is for His people

The greatest promise we have from God is that no matter what we face or encounter as believers, no matter who persecutes us, disowns us for our faith, or rejects us b/c of our faith—we can NEVER be separated from God’s love

(Romans gives a wonderful picture of this):

Romans 8:33–39 “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(v.7 ) God did not keep Moses in the dark about who He was and the works He was to do, nor does He do it with us:

Moses asked of the Lord:

Exodus 33:13 “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.””

God’s response to Moses:

Exodus 33:14 “And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””

Exodus 33:21–23 “And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.””

God has done the same with us:

He has revealed Himself through creation

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

He has revealed Himself thru His Word

2 Timothy 3:15–17 “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

He has revealed Himself thru His Son

Hebrews 1:1–3 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

(v.8-9) God’s nature of mercy and grace is seen here: These versus remind us of God’s mercy—In His mercy:

God is “slow to anger;” He does not constantly accuse us—nor does He harbor anger when we do wrong

(v.10) ***THIS*** God does not deal with us (believers) according to our sin—He deals with us according to Christ

Being “in Christ,” means the blood of Jesus has cleansed and washed you of your sins (past, present, and future)

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.””

Being “in Christ,” means you are hidden in Christ—you have your movements in Christ, you life is “in Christ,”

Colossians 3:3 states “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Being, “in Christ,” means that God when He looks upon a believer’s heart, sees you thru the lens of His Son

(v.11-12) ***THIS ALSO*** God casts your sin/removes your sins, completely forgives your sins—as far as the east is from the west

Why is east and west significant?

Because North and South eventually meet. You can travel only so far north, until you reach the north pole then you move south

Traveling east will go on infinitely. You could circle and circle the earth again and again and East will never meet west

What does this mean?

Those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ, will never again be met with condemnation for our sins (we will never again meet with our sins)

(v.13-14) God knows us, knows our very frame, knows we are but dust, and yet He deals with us with compassion

How many of you think this about God:

“If God really knew what I was struggling with, He wouldn’t love me?”

“If God really loves me, then why is my life so hard?”

“If God really knows be, then He could never love me b/c I’ve ______”

How many of you need to know:

That God does know you—-He created you and you are created:

Fearfully and wonderfully in His image

As a potter molds clay—with intentionality, care, love, artistry, and love—He has created you

God knows

Your exact nature and understands we are mere dust

Your weaknesses and struggles

Your hurts, habits, and hangups

The hidden idols you keep/or the lies you are believing about yourself

God, because He knows all of this, knows the sins/burdens you have, knows the ways you’ve been searching for acceptance and approval

He—in His compassion and mercy, sent His only begotten Son to lift your burdens, make you strong, and cleanse your hearts from sin

(WORSHIP/CLOSING)

Remember, the aim of this weekend is to live unashamed/unfiltered lives as Christians—but this HAS to begin with seeing God clearly. One of the lenses we often see people through is through the lens of first impressions:

Our acceptance of someone is often determined by first impressions.

We pass judgments on a person’s trustworthiness or competence in a fraction of a second, using “clues” like physical appearances, facial characteristics, their postures and gestures.

We also judge intentions. “What do they really want or need from me,” “Can I trust their intentions,” “Is what they are saying actually true and how do I know it’s true?”

Sadly, when it comes to a person’s first impressions with God, many people stumble and end up with a distorted view of Him. Why? Because they look through wrong lenses (go back to our opening question about glasses)

Maybe you’ve never seen God clearly tonight, or maybe you’ve been struggling in seeing God clearly.

Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re struggling to see Him clearly, because you’ve been focused on worldly things, trying to bear a worldly image

Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re struggling to see Him clearly, because you’re struggling with sin

Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re struggling to see Him clearly, because everyone else in the world has rejected you, so therefore God has

Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re struggling to see Him clearly, because you’re too consumed with guilt and shame

Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re struggling to see Him clearly, because you’re too consumed with finding acceptance in horizontal relationships.

The beginning to a life of living unashamed, or with “No Filter” begins with seeing both God and Jesus Christ clearly through His Word

GOD

God created you fearfully and wonderfully in His image (you are the capstone of all He’s created)—to be His image bearer

God created you with a purpose

God is full of grace, mercy, and love

God is just, He hates sin b/c He knows what sin has caused you—but He hasn’t just left you to figure it out, He made a way out

God’s love is for you—NEVER AGAINST YOU

Jesus Christ

The only begotten Son of God

The express image of the Father

The author and finisher of the faith, who went to the cross for YOU

Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Came to be the sin bearer, so you might be His image bearer

Came to save you from your sins

Came to show you how much you are loved

Came to show tell you, you haven’t been rejected

As we close tonight—

What lens are you seeing God thru? Do you need to “change the lens,” or “clean-up the lens?”

In order to live unashamed/unfiltered, we must have no doubt about Who God is and His love and grace towards us