The Secret Everyone Knows
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02-10-2019
Intro
The Secret We all Know
Intro -
This morning by the title hopefully you know we are going to talk about a secret that you already know
The title insinuates that you and I know the secret but that others don’t know the secret and that may not be entirely true
Last week we talked about Moses call and some of the conversation between Moses and God
If you have been in church then you know the rest of the story the nation of Israel has set out and because of some disobedience they are forced to wonder the desert for 40 years
They choose to have a king for themselves rather then to have God as their king
If you have read any of the Old Testament then you have probably noticed that it is a back and forth type of relationship,
The nation does real good and walks with God and obeys all of his commands and then at times they want nothing to do with God
Some of that is a relationship but most of the times if we read the story it is willful disobedience
I think just like last week you and I relate very well to the nation of Israel
God will tell us what we need to be doing and you and I if we are being honest are just to lazy to be doing it
If you will permit me this morning I am going to set up this mornings message and then our message will be from
First I want us to see how though we relate to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament
8 “They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.
See the nation had just come out of Egypt and had been celebrating their freedom from slavery
This is the first time this people had every expeirenced freedom
But we know the story, they get restless while Moses is on the mountain with God
notice in vs 8 what it says,
They have quickly turned away from the way in which I commanded them
See how it starts those church
They didn’t come out of Egypt and go ok well no need for God anymore
It came about because they stoped doing what God had told them
It came about they stopped listening to those God put in charge
Now we know if we take that to its logical end that broken men will use that power for their own good
But to start it God has put people in position of authority, God put Moses and Aaron in positions of authority and the people stopped doing what God was telling them
You and I are very similar to that, you and I are told to read our Bibles, you and I are told to pray, you and I are told to give, you and I are told serve, you and I are told be humble
but some reason we get lazy and quickly stop doing what God tells us to be doing
Just like the nation we have become hard neck, we have become obstinate
We have become stubborn to changing our thoughts and opinions to that of Gods
51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
Church this is the message for us
Just like the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, it seems things haven’t changed
We still struggle to do what the Holy Spirit calls us to do
Moses still struggled to do what God was calling him to do
Church I believe this has been us at times
I believe we have heard a calling from God and sometimes for whatever reason we simple don’t do it
You can say its laziness, you can say but ultimately we have lost our first love and some how we have to get it back
See God understands us
2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
We have done some good things, we have done some Godly things
We have experienced God and we sometimes are obedient
But like I said earlier it would seem that we have lost our first love, it would seem that the nation of Israel
The church in question here as lost their first love
I would venture to say that the nation of Israel had lost their first love when they began to turn quickly from the things of the Lord
In Acts the church was no different, and then John begins to write about the Church of Ephesus, that had lost their first love
Do you understand that you and I have lost our first love it would seem, because we don’t do the things God is calling us to
If you are here today and you are doing what God is calling you to that is great, then I would encourage you to speak truth to others
I would encouraged you to share what you are doing with others to encourage them to seek after God
5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
See God is calling them to return to what they used to do
The things they did at first when they were saved
When they first came to a relationship with Jesus that excitement
I told you today would we would get to
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Church if we are to return to our first Love
This is what we are to do
This is the secret thats not so secret
The reason it isn't so secret is because it is written so that you and I would read it and do it
The other reason it isn't so secret is because some of you are doing just that
You are doing exactly what this is calling you to do, you are not struggling to do what God calls you to do
You are doing the secret out loud for all to see
So what does it look like to humble ourselves, and repent and seek the Lord
I am very glad you asked
To humble ones self
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
to come under the Lord’s authority
To understand that it is not about you or I but it is all about the Lord
To understand that He is God you and I are not
Submitting to the Lord is to humble yourself
Understanding that you and I need Him all the time just just part of the time
another picture of humility
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
This is a good picture of going to God with humility
I am sure you understand the story here but to go to God with humility
It is understanding that our sin separates us from God and that only God is the answer for the sin problem in our lives
The other part of the secret is to repent
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 31 “Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
To repent is to cast off
to completely turn from
We have this habit in todays world to preach forgiveness and grace rather then repentance and grace
See this world is in love with cheap grace, because it is grace without the required repentance
The grace of God requires that there is repentance to receive that grace,
It is part of the secret to living in fellowship with God, we are to repent, turn away from teh sin in our lives, yes we are to seek forgiveness for our sin but we are to cast them up and run the other way
You want to know where the rub is with this secret its here
We like cheap grace, but the secret to living in fellowship with God what we are talking about in that grace requires repentance
Finally you want to know what it is to seek Jesus
29 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
To seek the Lord is not done half heartedly
To seek the Lord is to seek the Lord with your entire being
It is searching the scriptures to know more and more of who Jesus is
It is asking God to show you where he is at work and then doing everything you can to get to that place
You have to be reading and praying if you expect to be searching for God
13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
See when you search for the Lord with your entire being
The promise of scripture is that you find Him
Praise the Lord that we serve a God who is found when we search for Him
Praise the Lord he give us the secret to finding Him
Church I pray that you understand this is not a simple formally to a better life
This is however the secret to living in fellowship with the Lord
Although it is not a secret at all because the scripture is clear
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Some of you here today are going it
Others are not and you need to know what it is you need to be doing
So as we move into a time of invitation
The band will come up and begin to play
Maybe you are here today and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus
There will be people down front who can walk with you through scripture on how to begin a personal relationship with Jesus
Maybe you are here today and are walking with God and doing what He has been saying to you that is great
Or maybe you are here today and if you were to be honest you have lost your first love
Church today can be the day you begin to regain your first Love if you will simple humble yourself, repent and seek the Lord