How to See God

My Notes from a message preached 10/9/2011*
By Pastor Bruce Wright
Greater Grace Church of The Chesapeake
Scripture reading:
Ephesians 1:16-20
Zephaniah 3:20
What is God doing?  He is gathering His people together.  "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me".  My personal needs in life are very important to Jesus Christ. But I want to come to know what His needs are. He has needs? Yes, there is a need that God has with His people. Zephaniah 3:20 God is drawing all men to Him.
Many things I desire don't happen because I am living my life selfishly, looking only for my own needs.
What God brings draws me out of myself, my weakness, my self-consciousness.
The world exalts human achievement.  When a person reaches the pinnacle of success, it probably cost them something.
We're not going to be successful in the wold's terms. That's not what we are about. Before Christ:  I am the lord of my life. But then Jesus says "I will gather you".
You cannot "join" the Body of Christ, you cannot sign up.  Occupy yourself with Jesus Christ. You'll see others that are occupied with Him and as they are, their life is changing. As He draws us, He will turn back our captivity.
We've fought the battle of sin, failure, unfaithfulness, etc., felt our flesh and felt defeated, captive to ourselves.  Zephaniah 3:20 says "I will turn back your captivity".  The very thing that captivated you will be turned into captivity.
The Word of God says that we are to know no man after the flesh, after their natural dispositions. We often think of ourselves after the flesh. We boast in our natural disposition.  We can have the mind of Jesus Christ as a basis for our relationships and conversations.
I see that Jesus died for you:  Therein lies your value.
Job 5:7 Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward.  We're not to be occupied with people. Let's see Him and behold Him.  The greatest among you has the ability to serve anybody. It's not our job to change others or to be occupied with whether anyone is being changed.
Romans 12:1,2 the doorway is humility. Present yourself to an exalted Christ.  I'm not the head.  If I'm not the head, I don't get the headaches.
The natural man, the unsaved man has a viewpoint toward life. Man seeks instant promotion without a provision.  In Genesis, Eve was told by the serpent "you will be as God."  Eve and Adam fell up to be god of their lives but with no provision.
We can't do it when we try to be God. We can when we see God. Pay attention to Him and He will change you. 
The natural man is only two dimensional. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil had two dimensions. If I just have a good and evil viewpoint I will be confused. We get the thinking of God through His word, the open book, open heart, life poured out.
We don't compare ourselves among ourselves.  When I order my steps in His word my feet won't slide. We don't know anything outside of what God has revealed - we begin to realize that.
Isaiah 30:15 He is waiting to be gracious to us.  Luke 24 The disciples were on the road to Emmaus. In vers 25-32 they were walking with the very one they were talking about but they didn't know Him. Then their eyes opened. Verse 32 says "Do not our hearts burn within us?"   Let the scriputres speak.
My problems are not my priority. They will come and go but He will remain.  His victor becomes my victory. The disciples in Luke 24 suddenly had a testimony - something to say.
The name of Emmaus means wandering. Jerusalem means city of peace.  He is doing the drawing. All we're asked to do is to be occupied with Him.

*Disclaimer: These are just my notes and I may have heard something wrong or given an over-emphasis to something that spoke to me and missed a larger point.

More notes from Pastor Love's Bible Study (this time 8/24)

Thanks to Crystal for forwarding these to me and to Sue who typed them up.

The apostle Paul’s intention was to go and preach the gospel in Spain but instead he ended up in prison.

He said, Phil. 1:12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.

Paul wrote the prison epistles.

Certainly Paul wasn’t thinking how wonderful this is, that he gets to write these epistles, that he will bless people down through the ages with his words.

When we go through our most difficult moments we don’t think about what a blessing it will be when we can minister to others through this.

Just know that God is up to something.

He wants us to understand that He is in control (not us).

Gen. 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers, “you meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” Joseph, Job, David all learned that.

Understanding it may be bad now but God means it for good.

Do I believe that nothing comes my way without first going through God’s loving, compassionate hands?

The things that happen to us happen to strengthen our dependence on God.

2 Cor. 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead.

You’re not really calling the shots. You can’t have it both ways. If you’re in control then you’re not allowing God to be in control.

Psa. 42:11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance.

When the heat is turned up, all the impurities and dross rise to the surface so that it can be removed.

We’d never have known these things were in us if He hadn’t turned the heat up.

God’s goal is not to make us happy but to make us holy.

He wants to toughen us up so we are prepared for each trial that comes.

Every time you dodge a trial that God sends, you are less prepared for the next one.

God is very patient. He will wait a lifetime to do what He wants to do.

We need every trial that comes our way.

He always means it for good.

Faith

Thanks once again to the amazing Crystal for passing on notes from Pastor Love's Bible Study

Here are the notes from Pastor Love's Lunch Study-

He preached from Hebrews 11

Faith is able to withstand in the face of potential fear.

Sometimes we are afraid to stand up for what we believe due to the repercussions from the world.

 

Pastor Love spoke about Moses's parents great & unwavering faith that God would provide & bless them despite what was going around them w/the law regarding baby males- look how faithful God is ! He preserved Moses's life and allowed him to grow up in the house of the Pharaoh , Moses Mother gets to be his Nanny, yes Moses does commit murder and God deals w/him but look how God prepared him in the desert after all those years- to lead the people out of Egypt !!

 

Every time we make a step of faith-it is challenged because it does not make sense.

That is why it is by faith because God knows , His thoughts are not our Thoughts, neither are His ways, our ways.

When we gout on a limb- it is God who holds up the limb !!

 

Pastor Love quoted Genesis 15:6

Also, Genesis 18:14-There is nothing too hard for the Lord(paraphrase)

** Why do we get so consumed w/details and trying to figure out everything ourselves?**

There is NOTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD!!!

 

In our darkest hour- GOD can be TRUSTED !!!

 

GOD says it is NEVER TOO LATE !!

 

He asks that We Humble ourselves before Him and to put our faith and trust in Him.

The Unlikely Preachers

From a message by Pastor Love
GGWO Sunday Evening 5/30/2010
The Gospel was preached, not just by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John but by many, some of whom we would find least likely.

John 11.  Gospel according to Caiaphas.   The chief priests and pharisees said "what are we to do?  If we let him alone everyone will believe in Him and everything will be taken away form us..."  They were very concerned about the popularity of Jesus.  All they could think about was "job security" if the popularity of Jesus continued to grow.  Caiaphas said "it's better that one man should die so that the whole nation doesn't perish."   John 11:50.  He wasn't thinking about preaching the Gospel but that is what he was doing.  Verse 51 "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,".  

John 19  Pilate said Jesus was their king.  But they crucified Him.  Pilate wrote an inscription "Jesus the Nazarene - the King of The Jews".    John 19:19-22: "Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”   

Pilate is in essence saying "it is written".  Pilate writes the first Gospel tract. 

Matthew 27: 3-4  When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

Judas said that Jesus blood was innocent.  That is the truth.

Three things were spoken by these men and they are The Gospel

1.  One man must die  (Caiaphas)

2.  He is the King of The Jews and it is written (Pilate)

3.  His blood was not like ours which is sinful.  His blood was sinless and incorruptible.  (Judas)

These individuals proclaimed God's message.  How much more for us whose hearts have been redeemed.  We go wherever we have the opportunity.  We preach the message with the time that we have left.

We number our days.  Let's go preach the gospel that Caiaphas, Pilate, and Judas preached.  If God used them, He can use us.

Clothing Ourselves

Notes from trip home and visit to DCPM church, Pastor J. Parry (Sunday May 2, 2010)
Colossians 3:12 - "Therefore as God's chosen people, holy an dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
God makes us a family, with brothers and sisters in Christ. We don't choose them, God does, but it is left to us to live with them as one. We can do that only by clothing ourselves in
Compassion - Mental compassion is willingness to look past faults and not hold a person to a strict standard. Emotional compassion is to suffer with someone. Job's friends showed emotional compassion but not mental compassion.

To show compassion, meditate on the cross. We all fall and fail. The only way to get through it is by grace.

Kindness - Do what is best for someone, what makes them most like Jesus. It doesn't necessarily make the person feel good. Kindness makes us grow. For example? He upholds and sustains us with His mighty arms. It's Hebrews 10:24 - spur one another on.

Humility happens when we don't push out our own agenda, when we don't have a sense of entitlement. How can I benefit others? Sacrifice seen through the lens of self-interest makes absolutely no sense. If we expect something greater than suffering than we expect something better than the perfect Lamb of God. The church is a corporate body, not a competitive business.

Gentleness does not mean wearing kid gloves, but we are only as hard as we need to be. Like pulling a child out of traffic, it may mean a firm touch. Jesus broke people down so He could rebuild them. Gentleness brings the truth in love. We cannot beat ourselves up and expect to be helpful. Churches should be gentle. Some churches have the spiritual equivalent of lupus, where the body attacks itself.

Patience is long-suffering or long burning. It is bearing with hardship and sometimes indignity for a long time. James says it's only because of God's patience that we are saved.

Battleground or Playground?

Crystal passed on these notes from a Bible Study with Pastor Love.

Pastor Love
May 4, 2010

We as believers are in a constant battlefield. The devil is going especially after the young people because the devil knows that whatever a young person decides to go forward with- they are the future and the devil is keeping a close watch because he knows if a young people decided for the Lord- then he knows that his future/fate is even closer.
We are literally in a battlefied and it is only by the grace of God that we will make it and those kids/teens will make it,
1 Peter 5:8- Devil is our adversary- Don't ever forget the devil's main goal 24/7 is to destroy us.
Our life is a battleground/field- however if we view our life as a playground- we will become a victim rather quickly.
We must acknowledge that we are in a battle.
However, remember that God always goes before us and we will have victory.
Next, there are 3 Fighting Positions that we as believers must have/do:
1. Sweeping aside- The past is the past. Stop questioning about what you could have done. Put the past behind you. Hebrews 10:17
2. Gritting your teeth gesture- "Whatever it takes- stepping outside of your comfort zone. Taking a step of faith.
3. Ultimate Power Stance- On our knees -we have got to pray.
It does not matter to God how we pray but rather that we pray & talk to him.
Luke 11:1
**Remember- Prayer is talking to God, pouring out your heart to Him.
Fellowship with Him. There is no certain or perfect way to do it but We NEED to DO IT.
We can't do it by ourselves.**

Don't Limit The Almighty

I'm pasting below the text of an email someone sent me a few weeks back.

Just wanted to share some notes from Pastor Love's Bible study- he preached from John chapter 5. The man who had been afflicted for over 38 years and he was down at the pool of Bethesda which means: "House of Grace" . Just to wrap up this is where Jesus says to him"Rise up and walk" He did after 38 long afflicting years!!

No matter what the condition a person is in or what they have gone through- Anything can happen and is possible w/GOD.

However, we seem to limit GOD when we judge things based upon the past either with ourselves or others.
We need to keep believing God

The presence of Jesus keeps changing everything /everyday- we really need to STOP limiting GOD.

The man in John , chapter 5 was only looking at his problem which he had been doing for 38 years. (Pastor Love joked most of us- himself included- would be frealing out after 38 minutes let alone 38 years !!!)
Stop putting GOD in a box and Start believing HIM.

Don't make an evaluation of God based upon past experiences (Pastor Love was sharing about an Outreach experience recently at the Inner Harbor- A man's former father-in-law who is a Pastor was very legalistic and the guy never heard about God's grace & mercy therefore his evaluation of GOD was extremely negative because he thought he could never measure up but toward the end of the conversation- his attitude change and now he wants to know more- Praise GOD!!-this is short version)

None of us are perfect-only GOD is
By faith we need to start seeing opportunities instead of seeing/confessing the obstacles.

We say 'I can't" but God says "I can"

We need to tell GOD our requests- be forthcoming , don't tell GOD well I don't think this is possible because of this past issue, etc- Don't limit GOD. He is ALL POWERFUL & ALL KNOWING.

When GOD is present-anything can happen-don't limit Him or put Him in a box.

The presence of GOD changes everything.