Approaching God Series

Family Worship May 16, 2010

Bel Aire Baptist Church

Series: Conversations With God [#5]

APPROACHING GOD

Habakkuk 3:1-3

Introduction:

Who do you think you are? You think that you can just go to God because you want to? Do you think God owes you something? He created you! He died for you! He arose from the dead on the 3rd day for you! He doesn’t owe you a thing!

We walk around as Christians telling God what we don’t like about His creations, His people, His Church, His stuff, etc… Why God? Why put up with us? Why die for us? We have the audacity to believe that we can just walk up to God and do our thing. We are spoiled brats, acting as if we don’t belong to God but that He belongs to us on our terms.

[Song: “Now I Belong To Jesus”]

[Song: “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” (Vs.1/Ch/Ch)]

Maybe God hasn’t heard you because you don’t belong to Him. The only prayer that God hears from a lost person is, “God forgive me for I am a sinner.” As sinful people, we cannot approach a perfect God on our own. God cannot look upon sin.

Habakkuk 3:1-2a (NIV)

“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.”

This prayer was on “shigionoth”. The best definition I could find of “shigionoth” is that it was a song of triumph based on ignorance- “I don’t understand, but I will praise anyway.”

In order to approach God, you must be…

1. Humble.

Do you realize Who you are going up to? You are approaching the Creator of all things and the Savior of the world. Until you realize how dirty and terrible you are in the presence of a perfect God, He can’t do anything with you. You must be humble and realize that you can’t do it on your own. You must have God taking care of things for you.

Once you have humbled yourself before God, then you must…

2. Focus.

Have you heard about what the Lord has done? Have you heard how He changes people’s lives? I stand in awe and amazement of what God does. That’s what worship is- Focusing on Who God is and what He has done.

[Start Invitation: “Because Of Who You Are”]

Once you have humbled yourself before God, focused on Him, then you can…

3. Pray.

Habakkuk 3:2b-3a (NIV)

“Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah”

As we stand for our Invitation time, you may be wondering what is really supposed to happen during this time. What should we be talking to God about? Habakkuk helps us get started.

Pray for…

> Renewal. Christians- Maybe you haven’t been spending time with the Lord like you should be. Maybe things aren’t right. Maybe you haven’t experienced the peace and joy of the Lord like you should be. You need renewal- Revival. You need to start fresh.

Pray for…

> Mercy. When God is angry with us, I pray that He shows mercy and grace to us. I’m so glad that He doesn’t give me what I deserve, (that’s mercy); and I’m so glad that He has given me what I don’t deserve, (that’s grace)- Through Jesus Christ.

Pray for…

> Salvation. God heard, God saw, and God came. He responds to the cries of His people. Temnan and Paran describe the campsite of the Israelites at the base of Mount Sinai, the mountain where they gathered after the Exodus from Egypt. This is where God met His people in all His glory. This is the God who descended on the mountain with fire, who covered it with thick smoke and a sky full of lighting. This is the God whom, when He spoke caused the mountains to shake and the people to tremble. This is the God of our salvation.

The word “Selah” is found at the end of this passage. It means to pause and consider. That’s what we are going to do this morning. Pause and consider what God is saying to you as you approach Him.

[Invitation: “Because Of Who You Are”]

As we continue in our worship, remember what God has done.

[Song: “When I Think About The Lord”]

[Song: “My Hope Is You”]

[Song: “The Whole Earth”]

[Offering Songs: “I’m So Glad That Jesus Lifted Me”]

[Offering Songs: “I’m So Glad That He Saved Me”]

[Closing Songs: “Can You Believe?”]

[Closing Songs: “Look What The Lord Has Done”]