Faith Like a Child - 1
MY GOD IS FOR ME
December 1, 2013
Today were starting a Christmas series called “Faith Like a Child.” I want to use a foundational verse which comes from a very important story in Mark 10.
Jesus was talking to some children and there were a lot of parents who wanted Jesus to bless their kids or just touch them. But the disciples became really upset about this. They were like, ‘Hey, wait a minute; this is the Son of God! He’s way too important; so get your kids away from Him!’
And Jesus didn’t like that at all. In fact, Mark said Jesus was indignant, He was really upset and He said, ‘No, no, no, no, no; let the little children come to me!’
And then Jesus said something I believe is really important for us. In Mark 10:15, Jesus said ~
15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
We must receive the Kingdom of God like a child. Jesus was implying we should have a very child-like faith and trust in God.
And so, for the next four weeks, I want to look at four of the different attributes of God from the perspective of a child. Today, we’re going to talk about the goodness of God. A child might say, “My God is for me.”
Over the next weeks, we’re going to look at the fact that ~
“My God is with me.”
“My God forgives me.”
And in week 4, we’ll look at the Omnipotence of God, as a child would say, “My God can do anything!”
Unless you have faith like a child you can’t experience all that God wants us to experience.
So, today we’re looking at the fact that a child might say, “My God is for me.”
Most children who grow up in the church world, and hear the stories of the Bible, usually have a very simple faith, which is good, in the goodness of God. We teach them songs like, “Jesus loves me this I know... ... for the Bible tells me so!” Or “Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight!” And the little children, they just take on this real simple child-like faith, “My God is good and my God loves me and my God is for me!” And they have this great, simply child-like faith . . . until — one day something happens, something they didn’t want and didn’t expect.
I’ve known kids who believed in the goodness of God and then their parent’s start to always argue . . . so the child kneels down by his or her bed and prays, “God please help my mommy and daddy to get along, to stay married.” And then, mom and dad divorce and the child starts to wonder, “Where was God in that? If God was for me why did that happen?”
Or, the kid has a really special relationship with her grandma, Nana, Mimi or Granny or whatever she calls her – goes into the hospital. And she prays and prays and prays and knows God is going to heal her, but Nana doesn’t come home. And she starts to wonder, “Where’s God in this?”
And sometimes the child gets sick or injured and it rocks their world. They can’t do what they always wanted to do, and they pray, and the church prays, but their sickness stays, or they realize they can’t do what they wanted to do, and they wonder, “Where’s God? What did I do?”
And tragically, sometimes some people conclude, “If God is good and if God is for me, why are all of these things happening? So, God just isn’t for me,” or “I suppose God isn’t really good.”
And the reality is this — some of you are there right now! You grew up and you called yourself a Christian and some things happened and now you say, “I’m not really sure what I believe.”
Or some of you, you may just kind of be here today, but you’re really not sure where you stand on all of the religious stuff and is God there? Is He real and if God is real, is He good?
I watched a video which may speak to many of you. It was written and presented by a teenager. Let’s look at it . . .
VIDEO
So, that’s just to bring encouragement to you on the first Sunday of Advent! Do you feel better? But — here’s the reality — this is where a lot of people are at right now! How can I presume God is really for me and loves me?
I want to read you a couple of different verses which I hope will help us hear, believe and trust that God is for you. But just reading Bible verses and preaching to you isn’t going to change your mind, I believe that’s something God will do.
I want you to believe God is for you. And then what I want to do is show you how believing in that actually transforms your life. And when you believe God is for you it makes a huge difference in how you live and interpret the things in your life.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the greatest verses in Scripture that clearly shows God is for us. God declares to us ~
For I know the plans I have for you ...
What kind of plans does God have? Say it aloud, He’s got plans to:
...prosper you ...
And what is God not going to do to you? He’s not going to
... harm you . . .
And then God has plans to give you what?
plans to give you . . . hope and a...
What else?
. . . a future.
I believe with all of my heart that our God has plans for every single one of you and He has plans to prosper you and to bless you, not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Don’t just hear these words and shake your head. Let them rest deep in your heart and soul. Let your Heavenly Father tell you about His love for you through His plans for you. Even if you’re not getting what you think you should. God has plans for you, and they aren’t for harm, but for good and a future.
In Romans 8:31, Paul wrote ~ If God is for us, who can be against us?
That’s a great verse! I love the power of this. If my OMNI God who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing and Ever-Present, if He is for us, then who can be against us? Now, how do we know God is for us? Verse 32 tells us ~
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all,
God loves us and is so much for us that He sent Jesus to give His life for us:
how will He not also, with Him (Christ), graciously give us all things?
When you realize God is for you, it changes the way you look at your life. If God is for you who can be against you? Our God has plans to bless you and to prosper you, to give you hope and a future. Turn to the person sitting next to you and say, “I don’t know about you, but God is definitely for me!” Say it like you mean it, our God is for us and when we realize that and when we believe that truth it changes the way we do life.
Let me give you a few prospective changes ~
1. When I realize God is for me, I don’t hide from God, but I run to God.
Unfortunately when you don’t trust God your nature is to run and hide.
It’s kind of like a little kid who sneaks some Christmas candy and eats some, but doesn’t stop. So they hide behind the curtains to eat all of the chocolate and hide all of the wrappers, too. But mom and dad find them. You know how that goes. But it’s this sin that, “Oh my goodness I don’t want to get caught!” or “I’m not sure where I stand!” So we hide from God which is what so many of us do.
And we need to realize this, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve been adopted into the family of God through Christ, you are God’s son, you are God’s daughter; and when you realize that, you won’t hide from Him because He is for you.
And some of you have been hiding from God, whether you realize it or not, you’ve been disconnected from church or disconnected from God’s Word, or feeling bad about yourself, not talking to God or acknowledging God. The reality is, in your own way you’ve been hiding, but when you realize God is for you, you won’t hide from Him but you will run to Him.
Proverbs 18:10 says ~ The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.
When you realize God is for you, you don’t hide from Him, you run to Him.
The second thing is ~
2. When I realize God is for me, I don’t live for God’s approval but I live from God’s approval.
This is huge! When I realize my God is for me, then, I don’t have to live for His approval, but I live from His approval. In fact, Romans 5:8 says this ~
God demonstrates His own love for us in this: That while we were still sinners...
Long before we did anything right, in fact, when we were just sinning against our God:
...Christ died for us.
He is so much for us and loves us so much that when we didn’t deserve anything from Him, He showed us His love through the ultimate sacrifice — the death and the resurrection of His Son. That’s how much God is for us. And so, for those of you that walk around always afraid, “Well I did good now, so does God love me?”
“Oops, I did bad is God upset at me?”
“Oh, I helped someone, now God loves me!”
“Oh, I just did a double take at that really good looking guy, but I told God He did good when He made him, but oh I shouldn’t have done that! Now I’m bad!”
You know, when you realize God is for you, you don’t live for His approval, but you live from His approval. Like a little child who recognizes that their parents love them just for who they are not for what they do.
Too many people have lived for the approval of their parents. They believe if they perform perfectly, then mom or dad will love them. So, they work for mom and dad’s approval, but what should already be conveyed to the kids is the fact that win or lose . . . mom and dad already love you.
And some of you are such performance addicts that you live in constant tension because you don’t recognize your God is for you. When you realize He’s for you, you’ll stop living under the tension and legalism and instead you’ll live from His approval.
And that is good news because if God is for you who can be against you. When you realize God is for you, you won’t hide from Him you’re going to run to Him and pursue Him. You’re not going to try to live for His approval, He already approves of you through Christ, after all . . . He died for you.
And number three is a massive game changer:
3. When you realize God is for you, you won’t fear what happens to you because you know / trust God is working in you.
When I realize God is for me, I don’t fear something I don’t understand that’s happening to me because I understand God is working in me.
We serve a God who is so much for us and He is so good that He works in all things to bring about good. Philippians 2:13 says ~
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
When you realize God is for you, you don’t freak out when something bad happens to you, because you realize God is working in you to bring about good. And this is a massive game changer, because some of you right now are asking – “Why is this happening to me? God, you could do something for me!” One day you’ll realize God is actually working in you so He can do something through you.
And I want you to understand if God is for you, who can be against you? There is nobody, there is nothing that can stop the purposes and promises of God. And if you’re facing something right now that you don’t like — — I understand that. I understand the setbacks; but what I realize is sometimes setbacks are setups for what God wants to do. We often have to go through the tough times and grow in our faith in order to realize the good which is to come.
I hope somebody is encouraged today and you believe God is for you and when you realize that He is for you, you don’t worry about what happens to you because He’s working in you and one day He’s going to work through you. That’s how good our God is!
When I look back, I realize, God has been with me in my yesterdays, and since God has been with me in my yesterdays, I can trust Him with my tomorrows . . . because my God is good and He is for me and He is for you and He has plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. If God is for you who can be against you? When you realize He is for you, you don’t hide from Him, you run to Him. You don’t live for His approval you live from His approval. You don’t worry what happens to you because you know He’s working in you.
Well, let’s go back and finish watching that video ~
VIDEO
If God is for you who can be against you? He who did not even spare His own Son, how much more will He graciously give you all things. Our God is good; He has plans to prosper you, to bless you not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.
Father thank you for your Word, I pray that your Spirit would land deep within our hearts God, that we would truly believe in your goodness, that you are for us and when you are for us nothing can be against us.
Maybe right now you’re facing significant trials or challenges, or maybe everything’s even kind of okay, but there’s something in you that’s not okay and you really need spiritual encouragement. You need to feel and believe deep within that God is good and that He is for you.
