Let God Be God

1 Kings 8:54-61

Here we come in on an momentous day, where the temple is done, the altar has been placed back in the Holiest of Holies and meeting with God at Jerusalem was restored!

They were to be completely finished the next day, but Solomon offered a dedication on this day.

After Solomon prayed he spoke to the people......listen to what he says and I believe that will give us meat for what we will be discussing today.......

1 Kings 8:54-61...........

Verse 58 would be key in the heart of today’s message........1 Kings 8:58 “That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.”

And then in 1 Kings 8:61 “Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.”

Verse 58 is asking God to help us to incline our hearts to Him, to follow after all His ways!

Verse 61 comes in and declares for us let our hearts be perfect.....

Perfect meaning wholly devoted to God!

I just brought you here to start a conversation about our lives and what is going on them........you heard the phrase “Let go and let God”?

That began I believe back in the 1700’s or so......but the idea is that you stop let God do the work..........

I am not saying that that idea is total wrong, but there is a greater truth to this and I just wanted to touch on this for a few moments!

Just Let God Be God!

I think the 2 thoughts come to the same heart, but there are some that disagree.

Back when the letting go part came to be is called quietism and they would say don’t do anything and let God do the work.

I do not mind that idea, but it became where some wouldn’t even worry about they responded to trouble or circumstances they would just let God.

Turn with me to Philippians 2:12-13........

You all have heard “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”............

This is to the believer and it has the same idea as verse 61 of 1 Kings 8.

Letting your heart be wholly devoted.

“To live on the outside what God has done on the inside..........

Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11–12 “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

This life of faith is a fight! You could call our life of faith is our life of salvation!

Somebody may ask .....“Well, tell me about spiritual living.  Tell me about holiness.  How does it happen?  Is it something that we do or something that God does?”  You’d say, “Yes, yes.”  We pray, “O God, incline our hearts to You.”  And then, we exhort, “You better wholly devote your heart toward God.”

God is working in us, we trust that and wholly devote our living to His Way!

Just Let God Be God........and live out the way that He is already established through His Son Jesus Christ!

In my little mind, the idea of letting God be God is more focus on Him and less focus on circumstances!

The worse or better things get is irrelevant, God is at issue here!

Hence, “with fear and trembling”! That whole thought there is our life of faith is worked out unto God, not unto some idea of how things should go!

There is a greater truth in that, because follow after Jesus is ultimate of all ultimates, there is no better for us than what has been given to us through Jesus Christ!

God is at work in our lives for his good pleasure!!!

If our hearts are wholly devoted to God, this truth will be realized

Paul spoke of those Philippians obeying, that is the heart of this message

Keep working out your salvation, for God is working you for His good pleasure!

Which is the best for us anyway!

This is the truth of it, that He is working in us for His good pleasure, so our hearts should desire the same.......wholly devote your hearts to the Lord.

This is a true fight of faith..........When things are difficult and we do not understand why, what we have to do is let God be God!

Trying to understand why these things are happening , is most of our problem.

We would even try and redefine God to suit our situation/circumstance.

Or even try to make the fight of faith about the “WHY” of our problem.

None of this is about the “why”, our lives of faith are about God.

The “fight of faith” is about wholly devoting our lives unto God.

“Fear and Trembling”

Read the verses prior.........5-11

We can in our hearts and minds make the why of any of our circumstances, Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God!

Job 38:1-6........

There is 2 overwhelming ideas here......

Job asking why

God’s answer......

God tells Job, who was struggling in his flesh greatly on a multitude of levels and still worshipping God, but asking why......

Some say there is legitimacy in asking why to God....by this account I would say that it should never been done in an accusatory manner......it seems if there is any reason the heart should desire to know God in the “WHY”.

EL Shaddai is used is used in Job over 30 times and has been defined in many ways over the years......but the idea of this description of God is “POWER” or mores specifically “One Who Overpowers”....... “The One Who possesses all power”

Nothing can over power.......No opposition! This is very comforting who is fighting the fight of faith!

God never answers Job’s question of “why”, specifically......what He did to answer the question is revealed Himself to Job in a series of “where you s” and “can you s”

Look at some of these questions........

Job’s answers was

I wasn’t there

I can’t

Nope

This goes back to our title “Let God Be God”

In our living.....live unto God.....work out our lives unto God through Jesus Christ!

Follow Jesus in our living!

And then let God be God.

Romans 11:33–36“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”