REVERE GOD IN YOUR HEART
We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!
Sermon Title: Revere God in Your Heart
Scripture: John 5:44, 1 Peter 3:13-15, Luke 6:46, 1 Samuel 15:20-24, 2 Corinthians 10:12-13, Luke 14:25, Matthew 6:31-33, Proverbs 4:20-23, Jeremiah 29:11-14, Ezekiel 36:26
Summary:
Pastor Cornelius talked about the importance of revering God in our hearts. He used a quote from A.W. Tozer’s book “Pursuit of God” to draw emphasis that wanting praise from people instead of God can be a stumbling block for believers as it was for the Pharisees. Pastor Cornelius discussed that not revering God in our hearts could affect our obedience to God and our belief in God. We discussed three ways to help us revere God in heart; Seek the Lord, Use the Word as a ballast, and Trust the Lord and know that he is good. Pastor Cornelius concluded the message by praying for the congregation using Ezekiel 36:26 where God promised to give his people a new heart and new spirit.
Notes:
A.W. Tozer makes this statement about John 5:44, “If I understand this correctly, Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible. Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief? Could it be that those “Intellectual difficulties” which men blame for their inability to believe are but smoke screens to conceal the real cause that lies behind them? Was it this greedy desire for honor from man that made men into Pharisees and Pharisees into those who killed God? Is this the secret behind religious self-righteousness and empty worship? I believe it may be. The whole course of life is upset by the failure to put God where He belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God, and the curse follow.”
The question for us today is, do we have God where he belongs in our hearts? Are there things in our lives that we put before God?
When Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees he told them they sought the glory (opinion, praise, honor) of people and didn’t seek the glory of God.
If we do not revere Christ as Lord in our hearts it will affect our obedience to God
How can we do what God has called us to do if he is not Lord of our life? Jesus says it this way in Luke 6:46 NIV, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
King Saul is an example of not revering God in our heart. King Saul wanted glory from people instead of seeking the glory of God. 1 Samuel 15:20-24 Saul cared more about what the people thought of him then the Lord. When he was confronted with his sin he tried to justify that it was for the Lord. We can move God out of the proper place of our hearts because of wanting the praise of people instead of giving praise to God. We can desire to be favored by people instead of seeking the favor of God.
Not revering God as Lord can keep us from doing what we know he is asking us to do:
The Pharisees had difficulty believing in Jesus because they wanted praise from men.
We must put our trust in God and not in people. If we are putting our trust in people we are selling ourselves short.
And why is that? Because God alone is worthy of honor and glory. He alone is mighty to save. He alone is the redeemer. He alone is the giver of life. No one else can feel that role. And if we depend on anyone else to feel that role we are setting ourselves up for failure.
We should not compare ourselves with anyone else. We should seek to find our identity, our hope, and put our confidence in the Lord alone.
We are grateful for the people in our lives but the people in our life are not our life, our life is in the Lord.
For most of us, if we decide to follow Christ we don’t have to leave our family. There will be adjustments and changes in the family but we don’t often get kicked out of our homes.
That’s not true for every place in the world. This isn’t a Gospel just for America. The Gospel is for every nation. This is the Gospel for the believers in the Muslim nations, Buddhist regions, and Atheist regions. Your brothers and sisters are going through these struggles. That’s why we need to pray for the body of Christ.
For most of us in America, our pressure may come in form of peer pressure to belong to a group. Or be subject to ridicule.
God does not want us to separate from our families. He gave us our families. God is love. However, those pressures can move God out of his rightful place in our hearts and have an impact on how we believe.
How can we revere Christ as Lord in our hearts?
Seek the Lord, God wants to hear from us, Matt 6:31-33 NIV
God our a counselor
God our a healer
God our a provider
Use the Word of God as a ballast for our life, Prov 4:20-23 NIV
Ballast = a heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control
Measure opinions on the truth of God’s Word
Take God at his Word, Believe God’s word is inerrant
Act on the Word
Trust the Lord, know that the Lord is good, Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
He works all things for our good
He knows what we need before we ask
Know that our relationship with God is being forged
Waiting time is not wasted time
Discussion:
What lessons stuck out to you from John 5:44?
Overall, what stuck out to you from this sermon?
How would you respond to the question, are there things in your life you put before God?
What’s your response to the statement “Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves if Jesus is all we have is he enough”?
What steps will you take to apply the scripture and sermon presented, today?
Pray Together!
We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!