What do you Think about God?

Scott

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New Living Translation Chapter 31

7 Now this is what the LORD says:

“Sing with joy for Israel.

Shout for the greatest of nations!

Shout out with praise and joy:

‘Save your people, O LORD,

the remnant of Israel!’

8 For I will bring them from the north

and from the distant corners of the earth.

I will not forget the blind and lame,

the expectant mothers and women in labor.

A great company will return!

9 Tears of joy will stream down their faces,

and I will lead them home with great care.

They will walk beside quiet streams

and on smooth paths where they will not stumble.

For I am Israel’s father,

and Ephraim is my oldest child.

10 “Listen to this message from the LORD,

you nations of the world;

proclaim it in distant coastlands:

The LORD, who scattered his people,

will gather them and watch over them

as a shepherd does his flock.

11 For the LORD has redeemed Israel

from those too strong for them.

12 They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem.

They will be radiant because of the LORD’s good gifts—

the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil,

and the healthy flocks and herds.

Their life will be like a watered garden,

and all their sorrows will be gone.

13 The young women will dance for joy,

and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration.

I will turn their mourning into joy.

I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.

14 The priests will enjoy abundance,

and my people will feast on my good gifts.

I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Welcome to the first Sunday of a new Decade! If you are here today then you have started out this year and this decade in the right way.

This is the day that many people use to start over again. People have taken stock of their lives and they pledge that this year will be better than last. I do the same thing.

Every year I take time to look at where I am and where I want to be. I always want the new year to be better the the previous year.

I want to be a better husband

I want to be a better father

This is the day that many people use to start over again. People have taken stock of their lives and they pledge that this year will be better than they last.

I want to be a better Pastor

I know that whether or not you will admit it during this time of year many if not all of you have the same ideas about he new year. We want it to be better than the previous.

I want the country to do well

I want people to be nicer to one another....you name it I want it to be better.

I know that whether or not you will admit it during this time of year many if not all of you have the same ideas about he new year. We want it to be better than the previous.

I want

The problems I have as an individual is not in my desire but in my thinking. If I am honest even though I want things to be better the truth is in the back of my mind I don’t always believe that it will be.

Thats why resolutions most generally never work.

Resolutions most often center around a change in behaviour…

Spiritual Behaviors....Ask for examples

Health behaviors ....Ask for example

Relational behaviors…Ask for examples

We believe if we change our behaviour we will change our life and that is exactly why we fail…WE focus on changing behaviour instead of changing the way we think.

The new year or the new decade will look exactly like the last one unless we change the way we think about God, People, and our Circumstance.

This was true also of the people Jeremiah was talking to in our passage this morning.

Chapter 29 Jeremiah is telling those who have been taken captive to basically make the best of their situation because all of this has happened as a result of their disobedience. He had been preaching for 20 years that if they did not change their thinking about God thus changing their habits there would be extreme consequences.

They had been given every chance in the world by God to avoid exile but now that is happening they had to learn how to live with the consequences.

Jeremiah is telling those who have been taken captive to basically make the best of their situation because all of this has happened as a result of their disobedience. They had been given every chance in the world by God to avoid exile but now that is happening they had to learn how to live with the consequences.

However after this message we see in Chapter 30 and 31 that Jeremiah still wants to offer hope.

However after this message we see in this chapter that Jeremiah still wants to offer hope.

Jeremiah 31:7–14 NLT

7 Now this is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Israel. Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout out with praise and joy: ‘Save your people, O Lord, the remnant of Israel!’ 8 For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return! 9 Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child. 10 “Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. 11 For the Lord has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them. 12 They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. 13 The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. 14 The priests will enjoy abundance, and my people will feast on my good gifts. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

(NLT)

As we read this in hindsight we may think that this would be an encouragement to the people…and for some it was…but many are like me with my thoughts of the new year…they want this to be true but in the back of their minds they did not believe it.

We have been defeated, carted away to another region, we are poor, we are second class citizens, we are alone, God is punishing us, God has left us.

In this instance they are not thinking of God as one that Loves them and is with them. They believe that God is a punisher and has left them.

This could not be farther from the truth. God was telling them the He is with them even though they are suffering the consequences of their disobedience.

Their circumstance is overshadowing their faith. Their Faith is directly connected to how the people are thinking about God.

When things are at there worst we still have the choice to either let circumstance destroy us or we can allow God to lead us though it.

It was to late to change their behaviour now they would need to change their thinking about life and God in the midst of their circusmstance.

When things are at there worst we still have the choice to let the consequence destroy us or e can allow God to lead ut though it.

In other words…Listen this....What we think about God will determine how close we follow God not the other way around.

Like the people of Israel we must think more of God and less of self and circumstance in order to feel the presence of God....This is what Faith is all about.

Hebrews 11:1-2

New Living Translation Chapter 11

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

This is what it means to live the gospel as well…if we begin to believe that God has our best interest at heart…if we believe that God has the best interest of our country and our world at heart....our behaviors will follow our thinking and our reputation will be that of an authentic Women and Man of God.

Too much of what we have accepted as signs of being Christian can be and is better described as behaviour modification.

We do these things to become acceptable to God and others…when in reality what needs to change is our hearts and our minds.

Faith or what we think about God determines our confidence in who God is despite the circumstances we see in our world and in our life.

Ephesians 1:14

New Living Translation Chapter 1

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

To be filled with the Spirit of God is to be led by the spirit of God.

John 1:14

New Living Translation Chapter 1

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

New Living Translation Chapter 1

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

I have to confess that this is a hard truth for me to internalize sometimes…Maybe this is something that you have a hard time with as well…if it is I would like to take some time before we come to the table to invite the Holy Spirit to come into your and our present situations and help us to think differently about who God is.....James come here

In order for us to Change our thinking we have to allow the Spirit of God to point out where our thinking has drifted and confess that to God…and ask Holy Spirit to lead us into a right mindset.

Romans 12:2 NLT

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Close your eyes with me and repeat this prayer after me....Lord Speak.....Your Servant is listening

Take just a few moments as ask God these Question....

In what ways have I held onto a pattern of of thinking that keeps me a slave to negativity?

In what ways do I need to change my thinking about my relationships with other people?

In what ways do I need to change my thinking about my Church?

How does my thinking need to change about who you are?

In what ways do I need to change my thinking about my health?

In what ways do I need to change my thinking about my wealth or lack of wealth?

How does my thinking need to change about who God is?

How does my thinking need to change about who you are?

God show me the ways in which I will know that my mindset has indeed changed for the better about you.

What behaviors will I see changed as a result of what I think about you and them not how well I do them?

As we prepare for communion we also need to take some time to ask the question what needs to change about my thinking about coming to the Table of God?

Absolutely everyone is invited and welcome to the the table. Whosoever desires to loose their life, submit to the mysterious presence and power of Christ at this table – is wanted and is welcome.