“The Good & Beautiful God:
A Heart At Peace With God”
John 14:6
January 16th 2011
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6 (NIV)
Introduction:
> Two years ago, I was given a book entitled, The Good and Beautiful God. It was a powerful book that has impacted my life.
> I have been struggling with what direction we need to go between now and the Lent season. It seems that God has continued to bring me back to this book. It contains a valuable message that needs to be shared.
> If you would like to purchase the book, it is entitled, The Good and Beautiful God, by James Bryan Smith.
> The question we all face is the question, “Is God good?”
Do I want to know God? Is God a good and beautiful God? Or, is God harsh, demanding, judgmental, unfair, or absent?
> The world has been asking this question throughout the millennia.
> What is God like? Is God a God of relationship? If so, why do I feel so far from Him? Why do I feel inadequate? Why am I not at peace with God?
> If you have asked these questions, you are not alone. I am with you—I struggle to feel at peace with God. I struggle in my personal relationship with Him. God often feels distant and aloof. Sometimes God feels like an overbearing Judge. It can seem that God ignores me when I speak with Him. Often I feel like a failure in my walk with God.
> So, are we destined to feel this way? Or, is there a better way?
Is there a way to be at peace with God and therefore, with the world around us?
> In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul writes…
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7 (NIV)
> Is there truly a peace like this?
Can we truly overcome anxiety?
Is there a way to live that transcends the craziness of this world?
> Can we truly live in such a way that our hearts and minds are “in Christ Jesus?”
> For years, we have seen all kinds of merchandise with the emblem “WWJD” on it. This represents the question, “What would Jesus do?”
> Can we live in such a way that we always act as Jesus would act and do what Jesus would do?
> And if we don’t live that way all of the time, are we not a Christian? Is God angry with us and is that why He seems to not listen to our prayers or answer?
> James Bryan Smith starts with the pronouncement, “God is good.” Jesus, when the rich young man approached him and fell on his knees and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responded, “ "Why do you call me good? No one is good--except God alone." (Mark 10:17-18 (NIV))
> Over the next few weeks, I want us to explore the goodness of God. I want us to examine some of our own preconceptions about God and about what He expects of us.
> I want us to work together to change the false narratives we have that strongly impact our relationship with God.
> You see, I believe that the reason I feel such a struggle with God is because I have been taught a false narrative about God. Let me give you an example…
> When the disciples saw a man that was blind, they asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?”
> You see, they were taught that God would punish children for their parents sins. They were also taught that a baby could sin in its mother’s womb—and that God would punish the baby by making him be born blind.
> We look at that and think, “How absurd! What a terrible idea about God! Babies can’t sin in their mother’s womb!”
> But we have some of our own messed-up narratives. For example...
We think that if we try hard enough, we can live a Holy life. And if we sin, it is because we just aren’t trying hard enough.
Or, We think to ourselves that God is displeased with me, that is why I didn’t get the promotion, or I lost my house, or I got sick, or my marriage ended in divorce, or some other bad thing happened to me.
Or, We buy into the idea that we didn’t have enough faith in God, and that is the reason why God didn’t heal my mother, my spouse, my friend, etc.
> These are just three of the many false narratives that have become accepted in Christianity and that affect our relationship with God.
> Jesus came to correct Satan’s false narrative about God.
John’s Gospel begins…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:1-5 (NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NIV)
No one has ever seen God, but [the only Begotten] God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
John 1:18 (NIV)
> And our scripture today says…
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 (NIV)
> How do we see God?
How do we know about God?
How do we come to God?
The Answer: JESUS!
Jesus is the light the reveals God to us!
Jesus is the truth about God and who God is!
Jesus is the way and the life that leads us to God!
> The only way we can overcome the false narratives (rumors) about God that Satan has spread is to look to Jesus and His narrative!
> So how do we overcome the false narratives we have learned from childhood?
> How do we develop a heart that is at peace with God?
The title of today’s message is “A Heart At Peace With God?” How do we move from spiritual tension & an attitude of defeatism, and enter a spiritual heart that is at peace with God?
First,
I. Begin to Change Our Narratives
> We have already recognized that many of our narratives about God may be false and more importantly harmful to our spiritual life.
> The question is, How do we change them? How do you change something that you have been taught since you were a child? How do you undo the wrong teaching that has been done in your life?
> For example, many abused children grow up to be abusive parents. In our house, we have a saying, “it is the responsibility of each generation to try to improve on the generation before us.” My parents made some mistakes in how they disciplined their children. I have made some of the same mistakes, however, I have tried to improve upon what they taught me.
> We have deep seeded narratives that can only be change when we decide to change them!
> James Bryan Smith writes…
We are shaped by our stories. In fact, our stories, once in place, determine much of our behavior without regard to their accuracy or helpfulness. Once these stories are stored in our minds, they stay there largely unchallenged until we die. And here is the main point: these narratives are running (and often ruining) our lives. That is why it is crucial to get the right narratives. (pg. 25)
> I once had a lady say to me, “you know what it says in the good book, God helps those who help themselves.” The fact is, it doesn’t say that anywhere in the Bible! She was taught a false narrative that formulated how she went about her daily walk with God.
> We must ask ourselves, what is the narrative I am operating from and then we must compare it to Jesus’ narratives. You see, Jesus knows God better than all of us and He can help us to see where our narratives are false and destructive.
> Once we recognize that our narrative is incorrect, we must repent of our old narrative and begin to practice the Jesus narrative. The word “repent” is the Greek word Metanoia. Metanoia refers to the changing of one’s mind. Transformation begins with a changed mind.
> Paul wrote…
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
> The first step to developing a heart that is at peace with God is to begin to change our narrative by adopting Jesus’ narrative about God.
> As you can imagine, this does not happen over night. We must practice living in the new narrative of Christ.
Second,
II. Practice Soul-training exercises
> Peyton Manning was the winning quarterback of Super Bowl Forty-one. It was a rainy night, and the ball was slippery. Rex Grossman, the quarterback of the Bears, fumbled the ball several times. But Peyton Manning never fumbled.
> A few weeks after the Super Bowl a reporter discovered that regularly during the year Peyton Manning had his center, Jeff Saturday, snap him water-soaked footballs. He practiced handling wet footballs so he could be ready in case it rained.
> We cannot change simply by saying, “I want to change.” We have to regularly practice soul-training exercises.
> For example, if a person struggles with addiction, he/she cannot change simply by saying, “I don’t want to be addicted anymore.” No, they will need to replace their addiction with a new narrative. This will require regular soul-training.
> What are some soul-training exercises?
Daily Scripture Reading—this reveals Jesus’ narrative to help bring about change. For the addict, a great narrative would be, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome [every evil spirit], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NKJV) God is more powerful than anything that would hold power over you!
Prayer & Meditation—helps to focus our hearts and minds on God, His will for our lives and His kingdom. What would be part of Jesus’ narrative regarding prayer? How about the Lord’s prayer. Use the tools I gave in my sermon series about the Lord’s Prayer. If you need to review, go to the internet @ www.fairfieldnewhope.org and listen to the messages again.
Fasting—this helps to train our souls to overcome the flesh. What is Jesus’ narrative for us regarding God’s care for us?... “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matt. 6:26 (NKJV) We don’t need to worry about the flesh—we could afford to miss a meal, skip a TV show, or some other fleshly desire, in order to train our souls.
Giving—frees us from the control money has over us. Jesus’ narrative would be, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matt. 6:24 (NIV)
> This is just four of the many soul-training exercises that help us to change our narrative and move in the direction of a heart at peace with God.
Third,
III. Participate In Community
> We learned our incorrect narratives within community. For example, our parents taught us that if we are bad, we will be severely punished—and to an extent, this is true of God as well. There is an eternal punishment for the unrepentant sinner. However, the narrative we learn through Christ is how much God has done to forgive us (the cross!). Through a community of faith, we can learn about the abundant mercy and forgiveness of God.
> In seminary, I had a professor who showed me abundant grace. In church, I have friends who have shown me abundant forgiveness. It is in the context of the body of Christ where the most profound spiritual formation occurs.
> Participating in a group allows the influence of others to spur us on and encourages us.
Finally,
IV. Allow For The Work Of The Holy Spirit
> The Holy Spirit must be allowed free reign in our lives to move us, guide us, teach us, and empower us.
The Holy Spirit must be free to change our narratives— John 16:13 says…
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13 (NIV)
Often, the Spirit will subtly inform us that we have a wrong narrative about God. We must be listening and allowing Him to lead us into the truth.
The Holy Spirit must be active in our Soul-training exercises—Every soul-training exercise we engage in would be useless without the work of the Holy Spirit. When we open the Bible and begin to read slowly and listen for God, the Spirit illumines our mind and gives us a direct word from God. When we pray and meditate, Paul wrote…
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Romans 8:26 (NIV)
When we practice solitude, when we engage in acts of service, when we give, when we fast, it is the Spirit who is aiding us and encouraging us. If we do these things simply to earn points with God, we gain nothing and these activities would be pointless. Only as the Holy Spirit shapes our soul, do these soul-training activities have any value.
Finally, The Holy Spirit speaks and works through Community—Sometimes subtly and sometimes bluntly the Holy Spirit uses our brothers and sisters in Christ to help shape us into what He wants us to become. The scripture instructs us to forebear with one another in love. We must deal with one another in love as weaker vessels. Recently, I encountered a transformational moment through community.
Illustrate: Ronda & I at Target. Tell the story…
Light bulb was hanging on peg marked $4.99
Rang up as $15.00
I went with floor manager to show where I got light.
She informed me it was in wrong place.
Returned to checkout stand where things got a little more heated. I informed her I didn't appreciate how I, as a customer, was being treated.
We left, Ronda was upset at me, we had a conflict, I didn’t like what Ronda was saying to me.
Dropped Ronda off at home and left to be by myself in the car.
The Holy Spirit had a long discussion with me. Instructed me to go back to Target and apologize to cashier and floor manager.
This happened in the context of the community of believers—namely, my wife.
> As I stated at the start of this point—the Holy Spirit must be given free reign in our lives to move us, guide us, teach us, and empower us.
> The fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-control.
> It will take a lifetime of work for the Holy Spirit to produce all of that in me!
Conclusion:
> In John 1, John closes the first chapter of His gospel with Jesus’ invitation for the disciples to follow Him.
> Look at John 1:35-39…
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
John 1:35-39 (NIV)
> Notice what Jesus asked the two, “What do you want?”
There answer doesn’t really tell the full story. They respond, “Where are you staying?” Jesus knows that what we want, what we are passionate about, what we desire will determine how we organize our lives.
> He is asking us to follow Him, be His disciples, come to know the good and beautiful God that He knows.
> Are you willing to come along. Jesus said to the disciples, “Come, and you will see?” What about you today? Will you come and see what Jesus wants to do in you?
Closing Song:
Closing Prayer:
