O U I
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thanks and welcome. a bit about me, my family and my life.
today I am going to take you on a journey. I will bring you to a place and let you know when I can go no further with you. the title OUI might sound strange because of how we reference it here is a driving violation. that is not what I will be talking about today and next week, but we will explode each letter, this week we will look at just the O. In the past, I loved researching the Hebrew language, and their alphabet or alef bet, was a pictoral language. each letter represented alot of different meanings. the alef for instance had to do with strength and was first pictured as an ox, but was also the number 1 and along with the next letter which was bet that pictured a door of a house, it created ab, or father, or the strength of the house. very cool language to discover.
the next two weeks, I will use these three letters to give a picture for us to look at and use to understand more about God and us.
what do you see? an O, a circle? actually it is a circle within a circle. these two circles will mean a lot by the end of this message.
lets do this. this journey we are on begins now.... with the beginning.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
In this verse we get to understand where everything came from. God. His creating power. God did something here. and this action will go in the inner circle.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
in this text we see actions that disrupted all of creation. Adam and Eve did it. this we will place in the outer circle.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
this text shows us something very important about God. It shows He is the one who creates limits on others. He gave Satan a limit of what he could do. This power of limit is only in the hands of a sovereign God and no one else. Satan wanted to do his own will against Job and God allowed it but didn’t allow Satan to take Jobs life.
Satan in this situation goes in the outer circle and Gods actions go in the inner circle.
the next portion of scripture will be more description of who God truly is.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
If we take this as it says, we see just how much God knows..... He knows everything. this is an important fact when I reveal what the two circles stand for.
for the sake of time, I will just reference some common stories in the bible that you can go back and look at if you would like.
When Moses killed the Egyptian - outer circle
When Moses led the Israelites - inner circle
Abraham fathered Ishmael - outer circle
Abraham fathered Isaac - inner circle
Davids adultery and murder - outer circle
Davids confession - inner circle
lets look at some NT examples
the birth and life of Jesus - inner circle
but check this out in a moment in Jesus’s life.
After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
this event is interesting because what Judas did would fall into the outer circle but what Jesus did would fall into the inner circle
DId Jesus know and allow Judas to do this? Yes. He knew and He allowed it.
is it clear to you yet what the circle represents? all of it is Gods will, but it is in parts. the outer circle is God’s permissive/allowable will and the inner circle is God’s perfect will. the outer circle is where evil exists. it is where sin, pride, selfishness are in full operation. this is where darkness and hiding are.
the inner circle is light. it is where God and Jesus operate. It is righteous behavior. the fruit of the Spirit actions are here. This is where every believer desires to be, because it is abiding with Christ.
The true believers are in the inner circle for a few different reasons. they are in complete surrender to God and they are being purified.
take your time as you read through scripture in the future and use this picture of two circles to be a framework to see where each persons action fits into which circle.
Now, does anything happen outside of these circles?
beyond the knowledge of God? not if we believe the bible. Psalm 139 was pretty clear.
if God is Sovereign, truly...... then no.
So, what does that mean for you and I?
Let’s look at the implications for this truth....
We can’t run, hide or be anywhere that God doesn’t know. Our lives are completely seen by God. Remember Adam and Eve hiding after sin? God knew where they were the entire time.
If God knows where you are, then you just have to ask yourself..... where do I find myself in these circles? am I in the outer or inner circle?
Let me make this clear. Unbelievers are in the outer circle all the time. they have no choice, they are in continual sin. if you are a believer, you are in one of two places. either you are surrendered to God, in the inner circle and walking and abiding with Him or you are in both. Believers have a choice of where to be. but I will warn you, after being one that has strattled the line, wanting my own sin and wanting the Christian life, it is no where that you want to stay. your sin will find you out.
Remember, God knows everything? that means He knows every sin you and I have ever done. Coming to that truth is the first step in coming to God. You are realizing who He is. You are turning your gaze to Him. You are becoming transparent to Him. The great exchange is about to happen for you at this point.
This is between you and God right now
I don’t know where you are, only you and God know. I am not your judge and neither is anyone else so you don’t answer to us, but only to God. Talk to God about where you are..... right in your seat or up at the altar. take the time that you need. this I will tell you when the word says....
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
being before God with your entire life, all the good, bad and ugly, sets you free because you are coming into agreement with what is true, God has always known it. Remember, darkness is as light to God. He sees everything.
One more verse I will share to fully prove He sees it all.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
the more transparent we are with God, the more free we become. Do you want to be set free? this is the way. I have brought you to the door, this is as far as I can take you, and you got this. the Lord is here and He has been waiting to transform everything in you, to make you new, to cleanse you and make you pure and holy. He does the work, we simply bring it before Him.
Are you willing?
Take your life, place it all in front of you, in the light of God. let me tell you what He will do with it. He will say, yes, I knew you did that, I will take that and place it on my Son. In exchange, I will give you my Son to cover you. He says, give me everything, and I will give you all of My Son to cover all that you have given me. this is the great exchange. innocent human life for the guilty, but transforming you to be innocent. Remember Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with figs, trying to hide their areas of weakness, but God gave them a covering..... and it was skin from an animal, which God had to sacrifice for the sin of humans, but animals were only a temporary covering because humans needed another human that was perfect and innocent to be the sacrifice and covering. innocent for the guilty, to make right. to restore. All this done by God and Jesus. All for us. Just like 2 Corinthians 5:21 says.
So what are you going to do with this? I don’t want you to leave here if you have something to work through with God. there are some who could pray with you, I am here to talk if you have questions, but please don’t walk out of here thinking, good sermon and then forget where God has you right now. now is the time to find where you are, and if you have anything to place before God to become pure. let Gods great exchange take place. be renewed, be regenerated, be transformed. Let Jesus become your covering.