I Believe In God
I Believe: Finding My Purpose in Life • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 52:01
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Over the summer we have been looking at Life is a Journey of Faith.
On Wednesday nights we have been looking at Summer to Remember focusing on a relationship with God.
All of this has culminated into a radical refocusing, rededication and recommitment in my life and my ministry.
After deep soul searching and prayer, I have to admit that I have developed the habit of building and developing sermons and trying to build a church.
With very deep conviction, I have determined that it is not my job as a pastor to build sermons or build a church.
I have discovered, after being asked to preach a marriage conference in Mexico, and much prayer and study, that as a Pastor, my responsibility is to build families.
I want to admit to you this morning, that I have become good at outlining and developing sermons, and fairly descent at building a church, but have discovered both of these are inferior and therefore out of the boundaries of God’s call upon my life and my call to ministry.
As a matter of fact and reference, Jesus promised,
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I, (Jesus Christ) will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me (Jesus Christ) in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing (immersing) them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The Apostle Paul admitted
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
This also lead the Apostle Paul to instruct Timothy
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
In this area, I have failed you as a pastor. I failed my wife as a husband, and I have failed my children as a father.
However, as we have studied in Life is a Journey of Faith, it is not what we have done in the past, but rather that we are humble and willing to repent and come back to God when God reveals the problem in our life.
With all that being said, I have personally asked my wife’s forgiveness for not leading her as a husband should.
I have also sat down with my family and asked for my children’s forgiveness for not leading as Christ with a balance of grace and mercy.
This morning I now ask your forgiveness.
If you will accept my apology, I would like to begin today leading you on a journey, not through the eyes and examples of others, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but I would like to be your leader in a life of faith as Paul instructed the church at Philippi.
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
What exactly is does we mean the faith of the gospel?
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
As I lead you in the walk of Faith I want to announce as a public confession,
I believe in God!
I believe God is a Rewarder of them seek HIm!
I believe God wants to bless me and bless you.
I believe God has forgiven me.
Hopefully, you will forgive me also.
With that being said, I can’t undo the past but I want to attack the future.
I want to begin this Sunday laying a foundation of Faith that we can stand firm and travel forward in this life.
I want to invite you on this journey beginning with me, your spiritual leader in the walk of faith.
Paul told the church at Corinth that was not perfect, that he was not perfect but he was seeking the perfect one.
Therefore, he could confidently say:
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
For the first time in my life and ministry, I understand what it means to not prepare pr build a message but Prepare yourself and God will give you a message.
Expositional preaching is the foundational way to preach. However, when preaching expositionally, a preacher is required to assume his listeners have a basic knowledge and foundation of the whole Bible and not just the book being preached.
Beginning today, we are going to stop Assuming that everyone knows about the Bible and that everyone understands the God of this Bible and how to make proper Application of the Bible just because we were raised in church or even born into a Christian family.
I am going to begin to try to be very simple and straight forward with you in order to make sure we all KNOW based on Declaration of the Truth in a clear and precise manner.
And just like the famous Vince Lombardi, in July 1961, when he strode to the front of the meeting room, a football under his arm. Thirty-eight Green Bay Packers players sat waiting to hear what he had to say because the previous December the Green Bay Packers had finally made the NFL championship game only to lose in the last minutes to their rival Philadelphia Eagles, and they were still feeling the pain. But Coach Lombardi had a plan for the 1961 season—go back to the fundamentals.
“Gentlemen,” he growled, gripping the football in front of him, “this is a football.”
“Gentlemen,” he growled, gripping the football in front of him, “this is a football.”
This morning, with pain and with a tremendous amount of passion in my heart from watching families being broke down and tore apart and young people leaving the church and churches everywhere, everyday closing their doors
I am going to hold up this Bible, gripping it tightly, and say,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
“This is a Bible!
God wrote this Book.”
The first most basic truth of life is the intuitive knowledge that there is a God.
An INTUITIVE Knowledge of God!
An INTUITIVE Knowledge of God!
God is Intuitively known!
By intuition, I mean that you do not have to be told or shown proof of the existence of God.
Whether humans would like to admit it or not, an understanding of the existence of God begins from the moment of birth because it is already instilled.
Go read Psalm 139 this week.
Secondly,
God Consciousness is Unique only to Man.
God Consciousness is Unique only to Man.
because we are the only spiritual being in God’s creation possessing a conscious realization of the existence of God.
God Consciousness is Universal to Men.
God Consciousness is Universal to Men.
Therefore, it is universal, all men manifest a belief in some “god”.
It is this knowledge of God that makes man religious.
A God consciousness is supported in the mind of man as we view the nature around us everyday..
Thirdly,
God Consciousness is Prime (No common deviser but unity)
God Consciousness is Prime (No common deviser but unity)
because this knowledge cannot be broken down into more basic forms.
In other words, it does not need to be proved by other facts.
This basic Consciousness of God, however, can and does get developed, supported, and established by observation, reflection, reason, and revelation.
28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
We have a misunderstanding and lose connection with God and have so many build there own god based on their consciousness of God.
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
This is the very first truth presented in the Bible.
The first truth we must accept in life, is “God is”.
Ironically, the Bible presents this in the first 4 words written in our Bible.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The acceptance of this truth is confirmed as an act of Faith in the New Testament scripture of Hebrews 11:6.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
In other words, This faith is not a Blind Faith as many want to believe, but a Faith that is developed from initial intuition into a firm belief to become a factual presentation in the life we live.
Therefore, I do not want to assume, but I want to know from you this morning.
This is your opportunity to publically testify.
Very basically,
Do you believe in a god, some kind of God that created this world and you?
Raise you hand or say Amen! We are testifying to one another.
Do you believe that God wants to bless you and reward you with a deeper knowledge of Him?
Raise you hand or say Amen! We are testifying to one another.
If you said yes to these questions, then I am going to spend the rest of this message and my ministry trying fulfill this desire in heart. I want you to see and understand the blessings that God graces us with every single day.
The most fundamental truth of the Bible is to take this Consciousness of God and develop a true Concept of God.
Through 3 Steps, I want us to develop that consciousness of god into a knowledge of God that you can exhibit in your life this week as you encounter others.
A CONCEPTUAL Knowledge of God.
A CONCEPTUAL Knowledge of God.
Step 1: Theism.
Step 1: Theism.
We believe God is INFINITE.
We believe God is INFINITE.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God existed before creation and is above creation.
God already existed before He began creation.
This concept of Theism eliminates
Atheism, {No God} and
Agnosticism, (Not knowing) if there is a God.
We Believe there is a God! Theism, God is personal and infinite.
We believe that God is PERSONAL.
We believe that God is PERSONAL.
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God created. He added His touch.
God is personal.
Isaiah 45:18 declares this personal aspect of God.
18 For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.
John writing in Revelation 4:11
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God is a personal God.
God created this universe, God is interested in this universe. God wants a relationship with us.
Theism - the belief in God not only believes in the personal nature of God but also
Step 2: Monotheism.
Step 2: Monotheism.
There is only one personal, infinite God.
Mono = One!
Now, Monotheism, the One God brings us into the establishment of religions.
One God is a Christian belief.
One God is a Jewish belief.
One God is an Islamic belief.
One God is an Unitarian belief. An Unitarian is someone who believes in One God but rejects the Trinity., we will look at this concept next but understand
Jehovah Witnesses are Unitarian in belief.
Any form of Christianity with an Universal practice.
WOW! Not only does everyone on earth have concept of a God, but the majority of all religious organizations believe that that One God is a personal and Infinite God.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good.
You see, in order to even approach the Word of God, you must believe in God and you must believe that he is the rewarder of them that seek Him. If you don’t believe in God, then you will have problems with the entire Bible, in understanding, belief, and exhibition.
There is no attempt in the Bible to prove that God exists. This is received entirely by faith!
However, the third Concept or Understanding of God is only believed by a very limited organizations but declares the full, Biblical Revelation of God.
That step is the step we are going to begin pursing at at Kentucky MBC.
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
We are not just pursuing God, but we are going to pursue not just God but, the Godhead.
This Godhead leads us to the third step.
Step 3: Triune Monotheism.
Step 3: Triune Monotheism.
Triune Monotheism believes there is a God that is personal. He created us to interact with us, and that he is infinite, He was before us and has no beginning and end. That is Monotheism.
But, Trine Monotheism goes one more step forward.
Tri = 3 and Uni = 1 the two words together form 3 in 1 with monotheirm = Single God.
Therefore, we have the 3 in 1 Single God.
We at Kentucky MBC believe that
God exists
Co-equally,
Co-eternally, and
Co-essentially,
as 3 persons.
Although we Believe this about God this morning.
It is of tremendous importance that we establish, develop, and understand this very fundamental concept of God.
We will accomplish this next week.
3 Areas in which this
A DEMONSTRATIVE Knowledge of God:
A DEMONSTRATIVE Knowledge of God:
1. By Reason.
1. By Reason.
This morning, I have begun by establishing the existence of God. I have shown you how that God has given you a Conscious knowledge of God.
2. By Revelation.
2. By Revelation.
We will continue to develop this existence of God through the Word of God. What does the Bible say about God.
But for now on, I will be reasoning with you with the revelation of the Word of God so we can establish the third thing.
3. By Reality.
3. By Reality.
This is my prayer! I pray that from today forward my life and your life will CONFIRM the existence of God.
As we focus on GOD this morning, let me start by saying, there is
No DEFINITION is given for God.
No DEFINITION is given for God.
Only DESCRIPTIONS are given of God.
Only DESCRIPTIONS are given of God.
God is a Spirit.
God is a Spirit.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The essence of this Spiritual God is given in the contrast that
God is not Man.
God is not Man.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
God is not like us, we cannot understand God by looking at us.
We only can understand God by faith looking at God.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
The essence of speaking of light is that light is the opposite of darkness.
This contrast shows the holiness of God.
God is Holy.
God is Holy.
We are not holy, but God is holy. We learn of holiness by looking at God.
However, the Bible says
God is Love.
God is Love.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
This is a declaration of His love.
Again, we are not love or know of love, but God is the definition and demonstration of love.
If we are going to understand love, we have to look at God.
Lastly,
God is a Consuming Fire.
God is a Consuming Fire.
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Fire is symbolic of judgment. The essence of this is righteousness and justice of God. Because God is Holy, He cannot look or tolerate sin.
This also is expressed in jealousy.
God is a Jealous God.
God is a Jealous God.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Even though we do not have a definition of God, through the descriptions of God, we have a tremendous understanding of God.
God is not human, God is holy, God is love, God is righteous and just making him jealous when we our unrighteousness and unjust.
If God is a Spirit, and not a man.
As a matter of fact,
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful.
If God cannot lie and if God is Holy and Just, the opposite of who I am, a sinner who can only have a relationship with him because of His giving grace and with holding of judgment in mercy.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Because God is love, gracious, and merciful I want to Know God.
I want to Receive God, an infinite and personal God, as My God, therefore, I am beginning today to Seek Him with all my heart and I want to invite you to join with me here at this alter today, as we make the commitment that as we learn and experience this God that we will share Him with whoever will give us an opportunity to share.
Let’s go into the world and Make Disciples.
