Do you have an awe of God?
Video Clip: Awed by God? - Does – “His Amazing love” video clip – Does His amazing love awe you?
Thesis: Are you in awe of God? Does he awaken you from you apathy, does He wow you daily? Does His presence and Word amaze you? Or does God bore you?
As believers in Jesus Christ we should be awed at God’s wonder. We should be awakened out of our blindness to God. We should be committed in our life to be wowed by God every day. Really in response to His presence, power and passion we should be awed by God and motivated to exalt His holy name.
Scripture Texts:
Ex. 15:11: “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.”
Job 25:2: “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.”
Psalm 119:120: “My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.”
Ecc. 5:7: “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.”
Luke 7:16: “They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”
Acts 2:43: “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.”
Introduction:
As I am working on this sermon I am riding in an airplane coming back from the FCA convention – I gaze out my window 1,000’s of feet above the ground. I see a clear blue sky, clouds, amazing sunshine and house’s the size of a pen tips below, roads which look like I am looking at a map. I sit there and ponder – This is a pretty amazing view from above. Then I read a few of my Bible texts which speak of God’s amazing power, his pure holiness, and His marvelous wonders.
WOW! This is amazing and I feel once again awed at God.
His wonders dwarf the wonders of men – yes men created this air craft but God does not even need one.
He can travel through space, time and even in and out of our minds. He knows my thoughts, my sins, my fears, my self-talk, my heart, and even my personal thoughts.
He can read my mind – see my heart and look into my soul.
My wife does not even have that ability. Only God!
I find this simply amazing! I become awed by God!
We were at the ocean last week and I thought wow – how amazing!
It has great power – it is massive but it does not even compare to God’s majesty.
The ocean is vast and deep and is filled with amazing creatures – all created by God.
Just looking at nature can awe us about the creative ability and brilliance of God.
But this week I had three other God moments – or times when God wowed me. Let me share these three scenarios with you.
God Stories – God’s awesomeness – God’s amazing protection and provision!
Story1: The ride home from Cocoa Beach (Monday).
We were driving back to the hotel at 70 miles an hour on the interstate when a major rain storm hit, we could hardly see and then it happened. It was like something right out of Nascar - cars going airborne spinning and crashing into each other. I watched cars right in front me plowing into the guard rail and into each other – I saw a blue mustang leap into the air spin and land in the center ditch. I saw parts of cars flying into the air out of control. All of this was happening 10 yards -directly in front of me. I heard a calm voice in my mind say Mike drive to the left up through the median - through the water and stop up on the side of grass of the median – don’t go too far or you will plow into oncoming traffic. It seemed easy and even as if someone took the wheel and guided me through all of the spinning cars and crashed vehicles. We came to a stop. Kathy complimented me on my driving. I thought wow! Immediately Kathy and I got out too assist all the others trapped in wrecked in vehicles. One lady was wondering around in shock – her car was still running and smoking. I asked her if I could shut her car off – she said sure. So I climbed in to the smoking car and turned off the engine. I must admit I was concerned about it blowing up. But I knew in my heart I needed to shut off the car or it would catch fire. We then assisted others – everyone seemed stunned and thankful that there were no life and death situations. The two in the mustang were hurt the worse. I went over to talk to the driver who was the mom and her young daughter. They were in pain – in their necks – so me and another man told them not to move. We called 911 and then turned around to witness another pile up behind us about 100 yards another car had plowed into the back of the stopped cars. It hit one and was launched into the air it came down nose first into the middle of the median strip down into the standing water.
Within 5 minutes the fire men showed on the accident scene. They blocked 1 lane off on the other side of the highway and started treating the injured.
As we were there waiting to be allowed to go another man form the other side of road ran over. He said my dad is having a heart attack in the van right now. So they immediately went and helped him. Three people that evening were placed into ambulances and rushed to the hospital.
The highway patrol man came up to me and said. Did you hit anyone I smiled and said “No sir!’ He looked at our car and all the accidents around it and said – “You did a good job getting out of the way.” But I thought, “I really followed the inner voice of the Lord and He protected us this day – thank you Lord!”
He then helped us to get out of the traffic snare and we proceed back to the Convention. We drove with thank full hearts and we thought “Wow – the awesome protection of God.” We knew that it could have only been His divine protection and guidance!
We were both once again awed by God.
Story 2: Chilly Chilton’s story at the FCA Convention (Tuesday –Thursday).
Chilly Chilton is the Sr. Pastor of Real Church in the inner city of Detroit. His church people have to listen 3 times a day to the Muslims call to prayer as it is broadcasted through the air waves. Chilly founded Real Church in June 2004. His community is called Hamtramck. Their church has seen people saved every single Sunday since its conception.
They even prior to opening their doors had a Muslim man knock on the church door and ask to be saved. In the midst of remodeling they were able to lead this man to Christ.
Chilly spoke three times at our convention and did an awesome job communicating the awesome power of the Lord through his church plant. He shared many stories of God’s provision. He shared prior to his third message a wow moment from God. He had received a call that morning from man he had never meet who said that he heard he was in Florida and he wanted to meet with him. The man was going to drive two hours to meet with Chilly. First thing Chilly noted was, “Why would anyone want to drive two hours to meet with me?” So this man drives up from southern Florida – he is a catholic and a wealthy business man. So Chilly meets with him and this man offers to buy him a new building in another part of Detroit to help him plant another Real Church in this depressed city. They set a time to meet in Detroit to go look at possible buildings. Then the man hands him $1,000 dollars only after meeting with him for 10 minutes. The man tells him that the Lord told him to give him this money and to get him another building in Detroit. The man gets up and says “Thanks for meeting with me! I have to drive back now to make more money.”
Before you think this is crazy – I want you to know that I saw this man come into the convention looking for Chilly – it’s another God moment with a wow impact.
Chilly even noted, “I think my jaw dropped in awe of God and His miraculous ways!”
It is moments like these that I get wowed by God – I stand with my jaw dropped thinking this is absolutely amazing! I stand back in awe of God.
Story 3: Lake City Church - Madison (Friday) – God does a financial wow miracle.
They were four days away from having to make their quarterly payment of $140,000 for their mortgage.
Pastor John Ruck meets with all the finance wizards - bankers, Cpa’s, business men. They asked him “How are you going to make this payment?” “You are $100,000 short?” He looks at them with no answers. But He feels God tell him to tell them that He will provide it –He replies “God will make the payment.” They all look at him in disbelief – “like are you nuts” – they ask him again “What is your plan?” – He admits, “I don’t have one figured out – but I know God has a plan,” – I believe God told me in prayer that He would provide.” They all get on his case – some angry –some are thinking – “He has lost his mind!”
So John calls the staff to prayer and others from the church and school to come help them pray through to a financial miracle.
People come and they pray, pray and pray.
Two teachers come to the prayer meeting as they walk into the prayer room they literally see God’s presence all through the room as in a cloud.
John told me that as he looked around you could feel and see God’s presence all over the room. He said others came and God touched them supernaturally and they received physical healings.
They prayed - they trusted God and the money came in little by little. Day after day. They did have a plan “The awesome wonder of God – it was His Spirit that moved on people’s hearts to give as they were prompted by the Holy Spirit.
So 4 days later – after praying as a staff, school and church, all the money came in – they had all the money within 5 minutes before it was due. It came in from 1,000’s of different people and resources. From kids giving their allowances – to teens giving their work wages – to people from other parts of country calling and saying God spoke to me in prayer to call and send you money – where do I send it?
When you hear a story like this does it not just awe you?
It awed me! It amazed me! It encouraged me! How – well it gave me the idea for this very sermon.
So I want to go back to my question: “What does it mean to have a holy awe for God?”
Points:
1. A = awakened
a. Psalm 17:15: And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
i. Many of us need to be awakened today if we truly want to see and experience the awesomeness of God.
ii. If we want to be awed by God we have to wake up spiritually.
b. Revelation 3:1-6:1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
i. Historical Background of the church in Sardis:
1. Sardis was located in West Central Asia Minor some 100 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 30 - 35 miles south east from the city of Thyatira.
2. The city rested on top of a plateau 1,500 feet high on the northern ridge of Mt. Tmolus. The city was an impregnable fortress because there was only one access up. It was a steep winding incline to the city. A small army could defend it easily. The other three sides of the city were sheer walls of stone. The city won all of its battles but two.
a. The two times it was defeated was a result of unexpected invaders who climbed the walls on the three sides that no guard watched.
i. The city fell in about 549-546 B.C. when Cyrus King of Persia took the city. Hailey states, "Tradition says that a soldier found a crevice in the rock on the cliff sides and he climbed up with a band of soldiers who took the city by surprise when they least expected it.
ii. The city had not learned its lesson and 330 years later the city was defeated again by Antioches the Great who took the city the same way. Climbed the sheer walls and caught the city by surprise.
iii. Many have noted how each time they fell it was a shock because the city had the reputation of being impregnable but they had dropped their guard and the winning armies came in quick like a thief in the night and defeated the city.
b. Staun makes this observation about the city and the church.
i. The sad fact was the church did not learn from the cities historical mistakes.
ii. Revelation of Jesus -- "The word of him who holds the seven spirits and seven stars."
1. Seven - was the number of fullness, completion, or perfection mentioned in 1:4.
a. Seven Spirits is explained by Thomas as: The identity of "the seven spirits of God" has been discussed in connection with 1:4 above. There the conclusion was that the title is a reference to the Holy Spirit against the background of Zechariah 4:1-10. That Christ holds the seven spirits is omniscient of the doctrine of the procession of the Spirit from Christ (John 15:26; Rom. 8:9). The identification of the seven eyes of Zechariah 4:10 with the seven spirits in Rev. 5:6 symbolized the Spirit’s omniscience. His further identification with the seven lamps of Zech. 4:2 (Rev. 4:5) is a picture of the testimony He bears. The author of this message is one who is represented among the churches by the Third person of the Trinity, who knows all and whose purpose is to testify through the seven lamp stands established in these seven cities (244).
i. The seven stars is reference to the seven churches and makes it clear to all who read this book who controls the churches.
2. Sardis is a church which had a reputation of being awake and alive but in reality it is was asleep and already dead.
a. The message from the Lord:
i. This church was perceived by the other Christians and the world as an alive church but Jesus saw its heart and said "YOUR DEAD"
ii. Reputation - Quote "Reputation is what others think us to be; character is what God knows us to be"(Taylor).
iii. The point of this message is very direct. It tells us that the church can have a good reputation among men and yet still be a spiritual desert with no spiritual life.
1. Hailey states, "Many churches today have a reputation of soundness and activity, but inwardly are decaying and dying."
b. Many church people talk of what they did yesterday and neglect what they are suppose to do today. They believe works of the past guarantees success for the future.
i. The Lord is not letting people ride into heaven on their past works. He wants to know where you are at today. What are you doing for the kingdom of God today?
ii. We need to quit keeping score of the past and focus on serving the Lord today.
iii. Scripture repeatedly warns about outward appearances being the measuring stick for spirituality. The Word tells us many will look saved until the last minute.
1. Ten Virgins in Mt 25 only 5 were saved.
2. Nicodemus John 3 outwardly he was spotless but Jesus told him he had to be Born Again.
3. Judas Iscariot looked great on the outside even to the other disciples but Jesus saw his heart.
4. Martin Luther - a monk, deeply religious, but lost until he discovered that the just shall live by faith not works.
iv. Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Mat 7:21 NIV)Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (Mat 7:22 NIV) Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Mat 7:23 NIV)
1. This warning is for Sardis to take a good look at their spiritual condition.
2. Trivett notes this about the church: "They had a label but no life. They had a reputation but no reality. It had a form but no force...Instead of being a temple of the Living God, they were the morgue of the lifeless group. They were more an organization rather than an organism. They were more of a skeleton than a sanctuary. They were more like bones than a body. Like Samson, they did not know that the spirit had departed."
c. William James of Harvard once said, "Reputation is what people think you are. Reality is what Jesus knows you are!"
3. How do you know a church is alive?
a. It will grow! When something is alive it’s growing.
b. Another sign of life is the hunger for food. If there is no hunger for the heavenly manna then there is no life.
i. Are people feeding on the Word?
ii. Do people have a desire to know more of God?
c. Another sign is there is a display of emotions - a dead person will not cry, laugh, smile, shout, cheer, clap, sing, dance, praise, etc (Trivett, pg.4).
d. Another sign is they will communicate with each other and with God.
e. Another sign of a spiritually alive person is God will communicate to them.
iii. Verse 12: WAKE UP - Stir this church out of walking in her sleep. The divine prescription to resurrect it was to yell at it to wake it up. The 1st word of correction. "Become Watchful" remember how the city fell twice nobody was watching the other 3 walls. The guards were asleep!
1. Eph. 5:6-14
a. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Eph 5:6 NIV) Therefore do not be partners with them. (Eph 5:7 NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Eph 5:8 NIV) (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) (Eph 5:9 NIV) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Eph 5:10 NIV) Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11 NIV) For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. (Eph 5:12 NIV) But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, (Eph 5:13 NIV) for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Eph 5:14 NIV)
b. Isa. 26:19: "Wake up, oh sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
iv. There is a word of exhortation in our text – these are the next steps they are to take to correct their situation - Rev. 3:3.
1. Remember - recall the past and remember what Christ has done.
2. What you have received and heard, obey it. Go back to the Gospel – go back to the foundation!
a. It is one thing to receive and hear it’s another matter to be willing to obey its commands and live it.
b. It’s one thing to say your Christian and not keep a watchful attitude to obey the truth.
c. Now repent and change your ways or else.
3. Verse 4 -- A word of encouragement not everyone was dead or walking in their sleep. There was a remnant that had life! These believers where not soiled. Their robes were without sin. These people were making a difference!
v. A promise is given to those who wake up in Rev. 3:5-6: “To be written in the Lamb’s book of life and the acknowledgement of the Jesus to the Father that you are pure and allowed entrance into Heaven.”
1. Church people hear this warning and wake up!
vi. Lessons learned from the text:
1. Deadness in the church starts with its members.
2. We have to ask ourselves are we walking in our sleep?
3. If we are, we have to wake up!
4. We need to remember where we came from.
5. We need to be receptive to God’s word of correction.
6. We need to obey the words in the Bible and live by them.
7. We need to repent and turn away from our soiled lifestyle to receive the promise of having our lives written in the book of life.
8. MOST IMPORTANT of all STAY AWAKE!
T.S. – We need to be awed by God today so we must awaken from our apathy and sleepiness toward God. When we do we will be wowed by God’s presence, power and provision.
2. W = wowed
a. Many of us today need to be wow-d by God again. Trust me he loves to wow us with his power and presence.
i. Psalm 89:5-8: The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
ii. Did you know that the angels are in awe of God and His abilities? When was the last time God wowed you?
1. How long has it been?
b. Do you wake in the morning expecting to be wowed by God?
i. Why are so many Christian’s not being wowed by God anymore?
1. Maybe because you take no risks for God!
a. You do not step out in faith.
2. Maybe because you live in a protected self-made bubble!
3. Maybe because you have become apathetic toward God?
4. Maybe because you are cynical?
5. Maybe because you are self-centered?
6. Maybe because you are afraid?
a. Christa’s Story in Asia
i. She is being wowed by God!
c. Here are a few more stories to wow you about God. The following are from the website: http://phaedrus72.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/08/1150068-and-in-him-all-things-hold-together-the-story-of-laminin
i. On the Chris Tomlin DVD, during the "How Great is our God" concert tour, Louie Giglio, a pastor/evangelist and founder of Choice Ministries and Passion Conferences, speaks wonderfully to the crowd about the glories of science and how the heavens proclaim his majesty.
1. The picture of the Black hole:
a. Want another wonderful and amazing photo?
i. The picture is a Hubble Telescope image of the center of the Whirlpool galaxy, a black hole. It is 31 million light years away from us on here on Earth.
ii. Just another coincidence?! As the recent title of a fellow viner’s seed said, "You can’t make this stuff up." Christians are not making this stuff up. You can go to Nasa’s own page and see this image.
b. God’s signature is written all over the world and in the universe.
2. Giglio also talks about the human body and how we are "wonderfully and fearfully" made, in the image and likeness of God.
a. Louie goes on to quote 1 Colossians 16 &17 which says, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.""
b. Isn’t that wonderful? I know there will be skeptics here, doubters, scoffers who will say so what? It could have been any shape! But it wasn’t. The Crucifixion of Jesus was only 2000 years ago. Mankind and the animals are many thousands of years older than that, millions if you believe the Evolutionists. So long before the crucifixion ever took place, there was laminin in our bodies, millions of little crosses holding our bodies together. I don’t know about you, but to me, it is just one more piece of the puzzle that is God. There are those who will call it coincidence, as they call everything that points to God, as they must, if they wish to remain an Atheist. But at what point, how many so called "coincidences" would it take for you to believe?
3. At one point he was talking about how at one conference he had happened to meet a guy who came up to him and introduced himself to Louie. They get to talking and Louie tells him about his upcoming series about the human body and how we are "wonderfully and fearfully" made. The guy says, "Well, that’s great, because I’m a molecular Biologist down the street at the University. Why don’t you show me your talk?" Louie says that he couldn’t believe it, but was very nervous, thinking, "Well, it’s not quite ready for a molecular Biologist to look over." But he shows him what he had, and the Biologist asks him, "Ok, where’s your left hook? You have to have a left hook, to slam dunk the speech." Louie said that he didn’t have one, so the Biologist tells him, "Oh man, your left hook has GOT to be Laminin." Louie was thinking, "Ok, Laminin, yea that’s it, I’m gonna go talk about Laminin, whatever that is, and that’s gonna start a revolution, a revival to sweep all across the land, yea, that’s it." ha ha.
a. But the Biologist says, "No, you must go home and google Laminin, look it up for yourself., you have to SEE Laminin" So excited, but not thinking it was going to be that big of a deal, he goes home and googles Laminin, and to his astonishment the first picture he sees, is the first one to the right. The molecular structure of Laminin. In the shape of a cross!!!
4. Now what is Laminin, you ask? According to wikipedia:
a. "Laminins are the major non-collagenous component of the basal lamina, such as those on which cells of an epithelium sit.[1] They are a family of glycoproteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue. Laminins are secreted and incorporated into cell-associated extracellular matrices. They are shaped like a cross." In essence, they are a certain type of protein, and they are the glue that holds us together. Without Laminin, there would be no cell adhesion.
T.S – We need to be wowed by God and then willingly choose to exalt His holy name in public and in private.
3. E = exalted
a. Psalm 118:28: You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
b. Psalm 108:5: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
c. Psalm 148:13: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
d. We all need to be willing to exalt God everyday!
i. We need to exalt God every morning – we need to lift His name on high.
1. Pastor Eric addresses this thought with the words below: Taken from http://ericbargerhuff.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-does-it-mean-to-glorify-god-part-2.html:
a. Ok, so what? How does this affect my everyday life? How does the command to glorify God impact my attitudes, actions, conversations, dreams, goals, and relationships?
i. I am reminded of the old hymn that we used to sing (and still do), which says “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” If a person is striving to glorify God in everything they do, and wants to commit themselves to that end, then as they rely upon the Holy Spirit to help them change, there will be noticeable attitudes and actions that will begin to emerge. The things of this world will hold less appeal in comparison to “seeing and savoring” God.
b. Our goal is to develop an all-consuming “God-centeredness” to our lives. It is a focus that will gradually lead us towards a mindset that seeks to abandon the focus on the self (self-centeredness, selfishness, and self-sufficiency). In some older theological writings, this is the idea of “self mortification,” or just plain “mortification.” It is dying to one’s self by putting to death the misdeeds of the body (Rom. 8:13), something we can only do with the help and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
i. So what is the lesson?
1. So the point is this: In order to glorify God in my life I must be committed to doing away with or putting aside the things in my life that put the focus on or feed the desires of the sinful self.
2. Those things are nothing but roadblocks that prevent others from seeing Christ in me. And how could God’s fame and reputation be enhanced by my life if I am involved in things that prevent others from seeing Christ in me?
Conclusion:
A = We need to be awakened to the Lord.
W = We need to be wowed by God and see what He is doing in this world.
E = We also need to be committed to exalting His name in public and private.
Partake of Communion:
