Where are you God?
Problem:
1. Failure
2. National recession (financial and energy sector)
3. Slow motion business failure
4. Depression/ Identity Crisis
5. Defining moment at a cross road. (defining
weakness of faith)
6. Feeling of no plan, no purpose, professional failure,
personal failure, and failure as a husband…
Lost
identity
Returned home and sat down - numb…for weeks. I
was Broken!
Retrospect: God had me where he wanted me –
broken
II. The Change
“If you love me, keep my commands.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another
advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of
truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees
Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for he lives with
you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will
come to you. Before long, the world will not see me
anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will
live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and
you are in me, and I am in you. —John 14: 15-20
“All this I have spoken while still with
you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you. —John 14:25-26
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that
I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. —John 16:7
"I have much more to say to you,
more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of
truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not
speak on his own; He will speak only what he hears, and
He will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me
because it is from me that He will receive what He will
make known to you. —John 16: 12-14
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they
were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came
from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it
filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And
divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on
each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit
gave them utterance. —Acts 2: 1-4
My Pentecost.!! The beginning of 6 months of intense
study. 6 months of hearing from the Lord
The Power and Purpose of the Holy Spirit
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Supernatural act of
God) —John 3:6
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truthfulness.” (Signal) —John 4:24
“The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit
that we are children of God.” (If I die tonight) —Romans 8:16
But whoever is united with the Lord is
one with him in spirit. (Conjoined) —1 Corinthians 6:17
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in
step with the Spirit. (fellowship) —Galatians 5:2
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the flesh. (moral guidance) —Galatians 5:16
1 The natural person does not accept
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he
is not able to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned. (Rebellion separates an unbeliever from God) —Corinthians 2:14
Question #1: How did I get this far away from Jesus for so long?
Christian at 9 yrs old, in church 3 days a week, 2 yrs college Bible,
attended church and wrote my check.
To answer that question requires an explanation of 3 terms unique to
Christianity – stages of Salvation: Justification, Sanctification, and
Glorification
Three Stages of Salvation
Justification
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1
Justification is an act of God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be
righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Christ. We are justified, or
declared righteous, at the moment of our salvation.
Supernatural Changes:
Saved (justified)
Indwelled by the Holy Spirit
Become a New Creation:
Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come.
(Not improved, not new as in version, but new as in never
before)
(Capacity to love with the love of God, exercise the gifts of the
spirit, worship God in truth, and produce the fruit of the spirit) —2 Corinthians 5:17
Sanctification
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the
Lord who is the Spirit. —2 Corinthians 3:18
Sanctification is the life-long process by which Christians are set apart for
God to become like Christ through obedience to the Word of God by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good
work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. —Philippians 1:6
Glorification
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it
we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform
our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that
enables him even to subject all things to himself. —Philippians 3:20-21
Glorification is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints so that
they stand faultless before Him in glory in eternity.
Stuck in Justification
You have been believers so long now that you
ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you
again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who
need milk and cannot eat solid food. —Hebrews 5:12
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those
he loves, as a father the son he delights in. —Proverbs 3:11-12
Period of Discovery God’s Discipline
A performance review– an exercise in discipline – revealing,
embarrassing, convicting, painful, and enlightening,
Wife partnership = ignored
My plan vs God’s plan = reversed priorities
“Crediting” God = false humility/ manipulation
My idol = achievement (respect, recognition, attention)
Father’s approval = wrong father
Worship = sit and soak, entertained, obligated giver
Self-confidence = pride shrouded in humility
I Did It My Way
Regrets, I've had a few
I did what I had to do
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall
And did it my way
In reflection, I can see the ways the Holy Spirit works through brokenness.
Slide
Lessons learned
• Holy Spirit will surface strongholds of self will (pride,
anger, envy, ambition)
• God will discipline our areas of “stiff-neckedness.”
• The worldly things we are most proud of can be the
hardest to break. (success, reputation, power, education,
vanity, talent)
• The Christian life is not what we do… it is the daily process
of BECOMING.
• Revival follows brokenness… it doesn’t proceed it.
Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he
who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
6 months later: a period of hibernation, orientation, renewal, preparation,
and empowerment…now time to move on.
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings
about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith in God, —Hebrews 6:1
Billy Graham: “If we are ignorant of God’s Word, we will always be
ignorant of God’s Will.”
Question: God, what does the future hold for me!
Answer: That’s for me to know and you to discover.
The right question: What is your Will for my life?
Answer: Obedience! Obedience is the path of sanctification, of spiritual
growth, of transformation.
Slide
Obedience
Whoever has my commandments and keeps
them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved
by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. —John 14:21
Question: What are your commandments?
Love God with heart, soul, will, and strength. And love your neighbor.
Confession: Jesus, my feelings of love seems so inadequate for the price
you have paid. Teach me to love with the love you deserve.
Not an immediate answer: a learned answer, a growing answer, … one
directly related to “dying to self.”
John 21: Jesus and Peter
Romanic Love: Eros (Heb: Yada),
Family love: Storg
Brotherly love: Phileo
God’s love : Agape
Agape Love is the core essence of His character. It is self-sacrificing,
unselfish, unconditional, all-giving, uncaused love.
Peter’s story
God’s love is perfect:
We love because he first loved us. —1 John 4:19
God 's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. —Romans 5:5
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist
on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not
rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. —1 Corinthians 13: 4-6
So we have come to know and to believe the
love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in
love abides in God, and God abides in him. —1 John 4:16
By the power of the Holy Spirit we have the capacity to give and
receive agape love. If we live a life guided by God’s agape love, we will
fulfill His Will for our lives.
So, if loving God is not a feeling, what is it? How do I love with all my
heart?
Loving God requires action:
- Through Spending Time In Prayer
- Through Spending Time in Reading and Meditation On His
Words - Through Obeying God About Everything
- Through Self-Denial Service to Him
- Through Testimony and Witnessing
- Through Fellowship with Other Believers
- Through Leading of The Holy Spirit
This is what Jesus means when He says we will have life more abundantly.
This is how we know and share in His joy.
The time I spent in recovery was a marvelous time, but it was time for a
new chapter. During this period, I was searching for work and finding no
opportunities. At this point I was open to anything.
Question: Where do I go from here?
Answer: Have faith that I am in control.
We can make our plans, but the Lord
determines our steps. —Proverbs 16: 9
Commit your actions to the Lord, and your
plans will succeed. —Proverbs 16:3
The end of the beginning of my story: The phone call that changed my life.
Elder
I am humbled by your decision. I realize I can only fulfill this responsibility
by the power of the Holy Spirit. I hope you keep me in your prayers for
wisdom, discernment, and good judgement.
We are blessed to be a small church. Small enough that we can know
each other and love each other at a personal level. Small enough that
every member has an opportunity to exercise their spirit-given gift.
In the short time ML and I have been here we’ve made many friends.
Please know it is my heart’s desire to know you everyone. Not just at a
casual level, but a meaningful level. We have a common connection –
Jesus. Nothing excites me more than to hear how believers have come to
know the Lord. I’ve shared my story with you, I hope you feel free to share
yours with me. If we haven’t met, please help me connect with you.