"Conversations With God."

I. Introduction

The greatest people who ever lived were people who had conversations with God.

Without a doubt!

We know that a conversation, is when two or more people talk together, exchanging news or ideas!

It is this back and forth situation where one person says something, the other listens and then provides feedback.

This continues in a cycle of communication in which it is as important to listen as it is to speak yourself.

And when it’s done right, everyone involved in a good conversation, should feel positive and cared for and respected.

And so I am amazed, absolutely amazed that the God of heaven, would spend so much of his time and effort in conversations with mere mortals, you and me!

There are those who have spent their entire lives, fortune, blood and treasure, trying to discover the secrets of life and happiness, when all they had to do was simply ask Jesus!

You can talk to God anywhere!!!! How great is that?

From inside a fish to inside a jail! From the courts of the temple to the confines of the home; from the bath tub to the bus stop; there is nowhere where God cannot be found or where we cannot talk to him!

Psalm 139:8–10 KJV 1900

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

As you travel through the Scriptures, we see that there are some recurring themes in these conversations with God.

In fact, there are four conversations that you will likely have with God, throughout the course of your relationship with Him.

And really the first is this:

“Forgive me.” "¡Por favor, perdóname Dios!"

When you ask God for forgiveness, you are in good company!

David prayed a model prayer of forgiveness in Psalm 51:1-17

He knew he had really messed up!

He knew that He had not only done wrong, that his actions had offended the very nature of God!

Shame and guilt would have swallowed him alive, only he knew he had to get right with God!

Get it out there, lay all your cards on the table before God and throw yourself on his mercy!

Here’s how he did it:

Psalm 51:1–17 KJV 1900

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Friend, there are times when we cannot do anything else but throw ourselves on the mercy of God!

“Forgive me Jesus!”

“Wash me Jesus!”

And in this age of grace, if you will come clean with Him, He promises to forgive!

1 John 1:5-9 is your proof that that is true!

The promise of forgiveness is the proof of forgiveness!

1 John 1:5-9

1 John 1:5–9 KJV 1900

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. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is a conversation we have with God when first we come to Him.

And again, as life happens, and the years pass, we find that we can go to Him and that he is willing to take your shame and trade it for gladness!

He is willing to remove the guilt and the shame and give us His righteousness!

What a miracle this is?

Greater than any physical healing, greater than any visible miracle, is this great Holy, merciful miracle when the God of creation, wipes your record clean!

And then there is another conversation that you will have with God

“Help me!”"¡Dios, por favor, ayúdame!"

I think of Peter, a disciple who was willing to do more than others!

He was willing to make sacrifice, willing to throw all in and He did!

He left all to follow Jesus.

There is so much that I admire about this man Peter, like when He and the others were out in a boat, the BIble says that night the winds were contrary, the boat was tossed by wind and waves.

Mt 14:22-31

Matthew 14:22–31 KJV 1900

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

If you are going to make it, you will have to learn this simple prayer: “Lord help me!”

Save me!!!

I need a God size solution to my situation!

Help me Jesus!

I need you Jesus!

“Not me!” “ Por Favor Dios, No Yo!”

Moses told God: Not me!

Please choose someone else!

“I’m not cut out for this! Im not the man for the job!

No soy el hombre para el trabajo

Ask someone more qualified than me!

“It’s not about me.” ”No se trate de mi.”

When John the baptist did what He had been called to do,

One he had declared the lamb of God, he began to fade away.

“He must increase, and I must. decrease.

This is a place that each of us must reach in God.

A place where we say what John did: It’s all about Jesus!