Thinking That Changes Your Life Thinking About God (Part 1) Intro: Have you ever had a first impression about someone only later to discover that your first impression was completely wrong? (share) Our thinking impacts relationships. Our thinking impacts our relationships with each other but our thinking also impacts our relationship with God. If we think incorrectly about God it will negatively affect our relationship with God and therefore, negatively affect our life. It is absolutely imperative we think correctly about God. Not what we think God is like, but how the Bible reveals Him. Today I want to challenge you to think correctly about God and how this will impact your life. I. God Is The All Powerful Creator Of All Things Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NLT) A. We must believe in the enormity of God 1. We have downsized God over the years. We have tried to bring Him down to our level. We want a God we can fully understand and fully comprehend. We want a God we can manage and explain. It s time to see God for who He really is. 2. God is the All-Powerful Creator of All things. Like what? God created all the galaxies How many? Scientist don t know. In one picture alone from the Hubble telescope, there are approx. 10,000 galaxies. Some believe there may be 100 s of billions of galaxies! Our galaxy alone Milky way 100-300 billion stars! Ps. 147:4 He counts the stars and calls them all by name. (NLT) Is. 40:26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. (NLT) The size of our galaxy alone Approx. 100,000 light years across. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. What about earth itself? 72% of the earth s surface is water. 326 million trillion gallons. Is. 40:12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? (NLT) 3. Why is this such a big deal? Why do I need to be aware of how big and powerful God is? What difference does this make? B. If God is not big enough your problems will be too much 1. How big is your God? Is there anything that is happening on this planet that is Page 1
stressing Him out? Is there anything in your life that God can t handle? If God can manage an infinite number of galaxies and stars, do you think He can manage your life? 2. If we make God too small in our eyes than our problems and stresses will be too much for us to handle. We will live stressed out, anxiety filled lives because our thinking about God is too small. 3. I see believers today filled with anxiety over their circumstances, over world events, over things they can t control. They act as if they are on their own in this life. 4. Some of the greatest comfort there is in life is knowing that the God who created the universe is with me! Josh. 1:9 This is my command be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (NLT) 5. God is bigger than my financial crisis; God is bigger than my work stress; God is bigger than the economy; God is bigger than my marriage problems; and HE IS WITH ME! 6. If God can speak into existence 100 s of billions of galaxies, don t you think He has enough power to make a difference in your life and circumstances? How big is your God today? Maybe it s time to resize who you believe in? Supersize! II. God Is The All Loving Father Of All People John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NLT) Jer. 31:3 I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. (NLT) A. We must believe in God s unconditional love toward us 1. Once again we have made God out to act more like mankind then like the perfect, all powerful Creator He is. We ve used our fallen experience of relationships to be the standard for God relating to us. 2. We ve used our imperfect experiences with relationships to be the grid we understand our relationship with God. Since we love imperfectly and inconsistently, we think God does as well. We think God loves like us! 3. Because of this we see God getting misrepresented in the world today. There is a Baptist church in Kansas They picket funerals, anti gay demonstrations, military; with signs that say; God hates There are people who feel as if they have to earn God s love. God will love me if I, serve, give money, sacrifice time, go on a mission trip, be more obedient. They are convinced God s love is conditional based upon performance. 4. God s love for us is as big and as infinite as He is. God doesn t love all the wrong behavior on this planet. BUT He does unconditionally love all the people on it. AND, He wants us to put our trust in this love. Page 2
I John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love (NLT) 5. If we had to boil who God is into one word this is it. God is LOVE. To not trust in God s love will negatively impact our relationship with Him. HOW? B. If we make God s love conditional we will be insecure followers 1. It is a relational fact that if you question someone s love for you it makes the relationship insecure. There are a lot of insecure believers out there because they have yet to truly trust in God s love for them. 2. Let me ask you a question. How does God feel about you right now? How would you answer that question? Is He disappointed disgusted angry fed up worn out irritated tolerating you? How would you answer? 3. What are signs of spiritual insecurity? People who have never really trusted in God s love will manifest these behaviors. Some people give up trying because they are convinced they will never be good enough. No motivation to learn, grow, serve, etc. Others over compensate by trying so hard they try to earn God s approval. They serve too much, can t ever say NO, burn themselves out. Some people never can forgive themselves for past mistakes. They continually beat themselves up. Their relationship with God is controlled by guilt. Some people become overly critical of others. Critical people are insecure people. The more secure you are the less critical you become. Many people simply experience no joy in their relationship with God. How can they if they are not convinced they are loved. Many people struggle with prayer because of this. Insecurity negatively effects communication. Insecurity impacts intimacy. No intimacy with God. 4. Believing that God unconditionally loves you is a choice not a feeling. You must finally believe and trust what the word of God says not what you feel. 5. If you are struggling believing that God loves you today, then it is time for you to move past calling God a liar. He loves you. It s time to stop questioning this and start thanking Him for it! III. God Is The All Sacrificing Savior For All Willing John 1:10-14 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So, the Word became human and made his home among us (NLT) A. We need to be in awe over His sacrifice Page 3
1. Just as we need to be in awe over the might, power, and enormity of God, we need to be equally in awe over His sacrifice. So now think with me about the God who has all power and can speak into existence the 100 s of billion of galaxies. The God who has infinite power beyond comprehension. 2. This All-powerful God; because of His great love for you; chooses to limit Himself and hide His divine power in flesh and blood by being born as a baby in a manger to peasants. 3. Then, as an adult, He allows the very ones He created finite puny man, to beat, mock, and crucify Him. WHY? So that the price of sin could be paid for by God Himself. The Creator paid the price for His created. 4. The All-Powerful Creator Himself made a way possible for the ones He created and loves to have a relationship with Him. Anyone willing can receive the forgiveness and relationship He offers. What a story! What an amazing sacrifice. 5. It would be like me trying to save an ant colony. Let s say I just love ants. Let s pretend there was an ant colony behind my house that was going to be destroyed by a housing development going in. Let s imagine I have the power to become an ant so that I can invade their ant world and communicate in ant language the dangers ahead. How much would I have to give up becoming an ant? 6. Now multiply that by infinity when it comes to God becoming a man and stepping into our world. We are just not in awe over what He did for us. Why is this a big deal? B. Lack of appreciation results in a lack of commitment 1. There have been battle cries throughout the centuries that reminded people of other s sacrifice and cost that resulted in great commitment. 480 BC 300 Spartans fought the Persians Remember the brave 300! 1836 Battle for Texas / approx 200 Remember the Alamo! Dec 7 th, 1941, A day that will live in infamy Remember Pearl Harbor. 2. Remembering the sacrifice of others has always been a rallying cry to evoke allegiance and commitment from others. What do we remember when it comes to our relationship with God that evokes commitment? 3. If we are not moved by the sacrifice of an all-powerful God who laid aside His divine privileges to become a man and die on a cross for people like us, then we will always struggle with commitment! 4. The very least I can do in response to such amazing sacrifice from the God of the Universe is to give my life to Jesus! The very least I can do is let my life serve Him and His purposes. In fact, this is exactly what Scripture says! Rom. 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (NLT) Page 4
5. Because of all He has done, let our lives be a living sacrifice to Him! When we are no longer moved by what He has done, we will we no longer look at things like sacrifice and commitment as an honor and a privilege. We will look at it as a burden and a bother! 6. Why do so many believers avoid sacrifice? Why do they avoid the sacrifice of their time sacrifice of their money sacrifice of their possession? Because they have never been impacted by the enormity of the sacrifice God made for them! How we think about God profoundly impacts our relationship with God! IV. God Is The Ever Present Power For All Following Matt. 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (NLT) A. We need to believe in God s presence with us 1. Jesus is called Emmanuel. WHY? It means God with us. One of the most amazing truths in Scripture is that God does not watch is from a distance He is up close and personal. He is with us. In fact, He is in us! 2. To embrace the spiritual truth that the presence of God is with me wherever I go has profound impact on my mind and emotions. The All-Power, all-loving, all sacrificing God is with me, at all times! Wow! 3. It is our belief in the presence of God that alleviates fear and stress. It is our belief in God with us that gives us courage and confidence. I m not living this life alone! I have the all powerful God walking with me! Jer. 20:11 But the LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail (NASB) 4. I love t his verse! It is a biblical fact if you mess with me, you will mess with Him! If I am walking in obedience with Jesus if I am following Jesus His presence will be a reality in my life. 5. I can sense His presence I can feel His presence. I visualize His presence. Anytime I experience fear, I visualize Jesus presence. (When I preach when I m stressed when I m overwhelmed 6. How often are you conscious of God with you? B. Trusting in God s presence we experience more power II Cor. 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. (NLT) Phil. 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT) 1. Because God is with us and in us His power is in us. The power that spoke the worlds into existence is IN US! It s not our power it s His power. When you start believing that God s power is in you, you will begin to experience this power in Page 5
your life. 2. HOW? When you start attempting things that only God can do. When you believe in God s power in you, you will finally start letting God use your life to do great things. God wants to do great things through ordinary people. His power is not reserved for your agenda. It is reserved for His agenda. 3. This will result in ordinary people Serving more / risking more / praying more / attempting more for the Kingdom of God than humanly possible. WHY? So others look at our lives and church and say; How can all that be accomplished? It must be the power of God. 4. Sometimes people want to know where my confidence and passion comes from as I talk about the vision of Foothills and all that God has yet to do. It comes from an unshakeable belief in the presence and power of God with me. Why will I attempt great things for God? Because as I choose to follow Him, the all powerful ever present God is with me. I can t fail! What do you believe about God? Is He the all-powerful creator of all things? / the all loving Father of all people / the all sacrificing Savior of all people / the ever present power for all willing? What you choose to believe about God will impact your life more than any other single belief. Will you slow down and contemplate God this week? Page 6