Sermon Central
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Sometimes He Hides
Contributed by Ian Johnson on May 30, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Walking in faith knowing that weither we feel him near or not. He is at work in our life.
God’s will for us is to lead us into the Promised Land! And into our inheritance.
We’ll only relax and enjoy the journey if we understand, his plan for getting us there.
God doesn’t think the way we do: But we try to relate to Him according to the way we think.
God would rather we understand the way he thinks so we can enjoy fellowship with him.
We are processes orientated (How we get there)
He is cycle orientated (He sees the whole journey)
He is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end of every thing.
We set goals and measure progress by our productivity:
For example we start and finish a book. Or start and finish our days work, and measure the success by what we achieved within that time frame.
Time and space don’t restrict God
For instance: when we travel we think of a starting point and a point of arrival:
God Knows the beginning from the end and is concerned about the Journey and the things we can enjoy together on the way.
Lets look to the word for Gods thinking: notice the cycles
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
So How do we learn God’s way??/
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
KEYS:
The comforter supports us on the journey:
The Spirit of truth opens our eyes to Gods ways
He Dwelleth with us and in us: Need to constantly communicate with Him:
We enter in with Striving and frustration: and a Performance mindset
God wants to draw us into His presence by His Spirit. Resting in His ability to take us to the destination.
Story of Horse and Cart: Holy Spirit wants the reigns.
We often want to hurry the journey: The Holy Spirit wants the Journey to help build you, to refine our faith, to work out our salvation.
Look at it like this:
We want to get to our destination by concord:
God wants to go by camel and take 3 months:
It is pointless for us to be waiting in the terminal when God has a camel waiting for us in the carpark:
WE NEED TO LEARN THAT THE MORE PAIENT WE ARE THE FASTER GOD MOVES
LOOK SOMETIME GOD REVEALS HIMSELF SOMETIME GOD HIDES
ISAIAH 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
I form the light, and create darkness:
Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
Remember God thinks in terms of Cycles: Blessing cycle leads to Building cycle
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When God reveals He is blessing us:
When He hides He is building us
I used to play hide and seek with my Children: Part of the fun was hiding where they could easily find me:
GOD IS LIKE THAT HE HIDES IN PLAIN SIGHT: SO THAT WHEN WE LOOK FOR HIM WE FIND HIM:
In doing this He is trying to develop spiritual sight rather than natural sight:
MY TESTIMONY OF YOUNG CHRISTIAN
I don’t know what cycle you and God are in right now, but I do know that every cycle Involves WORSHIP SURRENDER PLEASURE PAIN SUFFERING WEAKNESS & POWER
KEY POINT: Each cycle is based on relationship and involves intimacy with God
Someone described intimacy as IN_TO_ME_SEE.
Because In intimacy we allow God to look into our heart: And He allows us to look into HIS.
The mistake we make as Christians is this:
When we sense God is distant we feel we have lost our first love so go about trying to perform for Him to gain His attention:
