Open Up: Open God

Intro

We are starting a new series called Open Up. This series is going to move us towards the AGM and some plans and dreams we have for this year. But after 2020, and one of the big themes and keywords was lockdown. We had to isolate, we had to reduce group sizes, and were met with a number of other restrictions.

Well, our response as a church is to open up. When I say that, I’m not saying we’re going to go against the gov’t and risk any fines, and we are not going to tell you to do that. What we are saying is that, there may be things in life that, for whatever reason, may be restricted, there are other aspects of life and faith that we can open up, and I would say need to be opened up. There are areas of life, and no one is exempt from this, that we have closed off, and God is calling us to open them up. So we’re going to take the next four weeks to open up some closed doors, and see where God wants to move

which brings me to our first question

Question #1: Have you ever been around someone who was hiding something from you? How did you handle it?

I actually get a kick of out being around someone who is trying to hide something from me. I had a mentor in youth ministry who used to say anyone in youth ministry comes with a built in lie detector. Well mine still works, and I think part of the reason I pick it up so well is because I don’t hide things well, especially my emotions. My wife knows when I’m having a conversation that is causing frustration because it is all over my face and body language.

I remember one time I was having a conversation with another pastor about a mutual friend, and I was trying to play dumb about the details. The other pastor, halfway through the conversation, leaned over the table and said, “I invented playing dumb, and you’re pretty good at it.” I wasn’t sure if I was just complimented or called out. Definitely both.

I start with this question because sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking God is holding out on us. This is not new. We go back to Genesis 3

Scripture:

Genesis 3:1–5 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The serpent accuses God of holding out on the man and the woman. There is wisdom to be had and for some reason God isn’t giving it the man and woman. So the woman takes matters into her own hands, and the man follows suit.

This is where the belief that God only gives us what we need can be so dangerous. If God only gives us what we need, does that mean he is holding out on us? Is there more to give? Why isn’t God giving us more?

This can actually make being open hard. If God isn’t being competely open with me, why should I be open with Him, or with anyone for that matter?

Question #2: Have you ever felt like God was holding out? What caused you to feel that?

maybe you were looking for healing. Maybe you were looking for answers. Maybe you were being treated unfairly and wanted God’s justice in your life. There are all kinds of scenarios where we are looking for something from God, and when we don’t see it or find it, we can’t help but ask why

I want to read something to you. This is a portion of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada’s statement of Fundamental and Essential truths. This is the document that lays out everything we believe as a church and as a fellowship. The PAOC is the group that we belong to and provides leadership for us.

here is what that document says about scripture

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God by which we understand the whole Bible to be inspired in the sense that holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the very words of Scripture. Divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the original writings. The whole Bible in the original is, therefore, without error and, as such, is infallible, absolutely supreme and sufficient in authority in all matters of faith and practice.

The Bible does not simply contain the Word of God, but is, in reality, the complete revelation and very Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. Christian believers today receive spiritual illumination to enable them to understand the Scriptures, but God does not grant new revelations that are contrary or additional to inspired biblical truth.

there are a bunch of scripture that supports this position and if you want to see this document, we have a link to it on our website.

the big thing I wanted you to see is the fact that this is the complete revelation and very word of God.

When I say that everything we need to live life to full is found right here, I mean it, and here’s why.

So as I have said a few times, I have a degree in biblical studies. What that means is I took 4 years of college, and this was my primary textbook and field of study. I mentioned last week that it is always a temptation to fall back into the habit of treating this like a textbook.

After my first year, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I was so smart. But by the time I hit my fourth year. Things changed. I remember sitting in my Bible Synthesis class, which was the most advanced bible study class I could take, and I needed to take to graduate, and I was listening to my prof who was flexing his unbelievable amount of knowledge in scripture.

All I could think was how little I actually knew about this book. I found out the more I studied, the deeper I went, there were layers of knowledge and wisdom in this book. I realized I could spend my entire life studying this book and never run out of things to learn. My prof, who had taught at Briercrest for years, had spent most of his time researching a single book of the bible, and was still finding new things, new connections.

The reality is that this is not like any other book; it is a spiritual book that requires the Holy Spirit to interpret, and so its not like any other book. It speaks and endures in ways that no other book can.

The reason I say this is because God doesn’t hold out on us; he’s given us more than we can handle. The problem is that we want low hanging fruit, like in the garden. We don’t like having to work for the knowledge. We don’t like waiting on the Holy Spirit to reveal things. We get caught reading this book like every other book or to just get the checkmark that we did our part in the reading plan.

If we treat God’s holy word as the complete revelation, straight from God’s mouth, we would read this differently. We would realize that God is not holding out on us, he has given us an over abundance of truth, wisdom, guidance. We just need to look for it.

If this is the compete revelation, then God has been open with us. In the same way God has opened his wisdom, character, and truth to us, we follow suit and open ourselves up to Him.

Now I do need to point something out before someone calls me out on it. God does hide something from us. We can’t see God with our physical eyes. Moses asked to see God, and we discover that because of our sinfulness and his holiness, if we were to see God we would die. In that case, I’m good. I will see God one day,

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

This week, open up God’s word. But don’t open it because you have or you’re supposed to. Don’t open it because you need to get the check on your reading plan. Don’t even open it to pad your social media post. Open it because of the knowledge found in it. Open it because this is good for you and has good things in store for you. Open it because God has revealed his will, his love, and his heart to you in these pages. God filled a book about his love and affection for you. Why wouldn’t you want to open it and read it?

As you open this book, as you discover the ways God has opened himself to you, allow yourself to open up to God and what he wants to speak into your life today and this week.

Question #3: What are you going to get out of God’s word this week? How can you approach God’s word differently this week?

Let’s Pray!