Pessimistic, Optimistic or Realistic? Living with an Authentic Spirit
Which of these words would you use to describe yourself?
Pessimist / Optimist / Realist
Which would you use to describe yourself?
The pessimist says the glass is half empty.
The optimist says the glass is half full.
The realist knows there is water in the glass.
Who are you?
The pessimist complains about the rain.
The optimist expects it to dry up later change.
The realist knows to takes an umbrella in case.
Who are you?
The pessimist says God won’t answer my prayer.
The optimist says God may answer my prayer.
The realist knows God always answers prayer according to His will.
Who are you?
Ok so you know who you think you are.
Would others agree?
Are you Authentic?
Is there unquestionable evidence that you are who you say you are?
Or is the real you hidden behind a false attitude?
Is the real you hidden behind a mask?
Is the real you hidden so deep that you don’t even remember when you last saw him or her?
Are you Authentic?
--------------------------------------------------------
Tonight is Encouragement Night and God has laid a message in my heart that I believe will speak to all of us, whoever we are.
It’s a message for the pessimist – for those who look at the worst – and expect the future to be no better.
It’s a message for the optimist who expects things to get better - who expects the future to be brighter.
It’s a message for realists – people who are willing to adjust their thinking about life and about God.
And it is a message for those of us who want to be Authentic.
Authentic People who do not want to hide behind false labels, attitudes or masks.
People who are Authentic with God and Authentic with each other.
How well do you know yourself?
Do you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real you to your family?
Do you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real you to your friends?
Do you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real you to your colleagues?
Do you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the real you to you?
--------
God knows us better than we know ourselves.
And if each of us could know God better than we do, it would help us more than we can imagine.
Knowing God better, having a deeper personal relationship with Him, removes fear and gives us hope.
When we know God, when we are in an authentic relationship with Him, we have authentic hope, we have authentic peace, we have authentic joy, we have authentic faith!
===============================
What is God really like?
Even amongst Christians there seems to be some confusion about what God is really like - about who He really is.
Some people focus on His justice.
Some focus on His love.
Others say that the God of the Bible and the gods of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam are basically the same.
When we let God speak for Himself - we discover who the Authentic God really is!
In the book of Isaiah, the Authentic God introduces Himself with the words:
“I am the Lord and there is no other.”
We all need to know God better,
J. I. Packer wrote, “Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold as it were with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life.”
We all need to build our relationship with Him,
We all need to draw closer to Him in love.
We need to be in an authentic relationship with the authentic God.
We all need to learn how to trust Him more.
We need to learn to be thirsty for God.
Lets look at a passage from Isaiah, that speaks of thirsting for God and what that brings ......
Isaiah 44:3-44:8 (NLT)
3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.
4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’
Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’
Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.”
6 This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:
“I am the First and the Last;
there is no other God.
7 Who is like me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient times
when I established a people and explained its future.
8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?
You are my witnesses—is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
Water will be poured on those who are thirsty.
Water is a symbol for the Spirit of God.
If you are thirsty for God,
God will pour out His Spirit on you
What does that mean - it means a personal revival,
it means the manifest presence of God,
it brings blessings, power and anointing.
Matthew 5:6 reminds us that Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled.
Are you thirsty tonight?
Are you thirsty for God?
Are you thirsty for worship?
Are you thirsty for prayer?
Are you thirsty for SEEKING THE LORD?
Are you thirsty for SERVING THE LORD?
Are you thirsty for THE WORD OF GOD?
Are you thirsty for an authentic relationship with God?
Let me remind you of John 7:37-39 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
When the Holy Spirit is poured out on you the overflow brings floods to those around you!
In verse 8 it says “You are My witnesses.”
The promises of this passage are for people who talk to others about God.
People who speak about His nature, His character, His attributes.
Biblically speaking, the difference between a person who sees and has a bright future and the person who sees and has a bleak future is what we believe about God.
The person filled with Authentic hope knows God.
The promises of this passage are for witnesses, for people who will talk about God.
Are you witnessing?
The word “witness” comes from a root word that means “return,” “repeat,” “do again.”
A witness is someone who emphatically repeats a testimony.
A witness is someone who talks about what they have experienced to be true.
What is it that we are to be witnesses about?
What is it about God that we are to talk about?
We are to speak Authentic Truth about God and our relationship with Him?
We can talk about the supremacy of God. v6a
Many in this world look at God through the wrong end of a telescope.
They reduce Him, they belittle the infinite God or they ignore Him.
In Psalm 50:21, God says, “You thought I was just like you…”
Martin Luther once said, “Your thoughts about God are too human.”
This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:
“I am the First and the Last; there is no other God
He is King. He’s King of kings.
Whether they know it or not, whether they like it or not, whether they know Him or not, all the people in this world are under God’s sovereign rule.
English, French, Americans, Israelis, Syrians, Koreans, Australian - All are ruled by the King of kings.
God is on the throne!
In a world in turmoil with leaders and politicians seeking to pursue their own agendas, even taking their stand against God.
Psalm 2:4 reminds us that God is King and is enthroned in the heavens and He simply laughs at the plans of earthly kings.
Compared to God, kings, prime ministers and presidents are like ants.
Our Lord’s prayer ends this way: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever…” He is king.
AND He is Lord…
God has universal authority.
God does not need to request permission to act.
People may rebel against God’s authority.
But that does not thwart or stop His plans and wise purposes. -- God is supreme.
He is able to carry out His eternal purpose in every single detail without interference.
He is king and He is Lord.
God is supreme - this is a truth we can trust.
Our lives are not the product of fate or luck.
Every detail of our lives has been planned by God from eternity.
Every event – even the difficult ones, are part of a perfect plan by a redeeming Ruler who is supreme over all!
We can talk about the supremacy of God.
We can talk about the eternity of God v. 6b
We live linear lives. We live in time.
Life for us is a succession of moments and events,
so because we live in the now, we tend to worry about the future.
The fact that we exist in time means that we do not know what tomorrow may bring.
For us the future is uncertain.
God does not have that problem -
God says “I am the First and the Last”
God says He is eternal.
He is before everything else
He is after everything else.
God is the One who always is.
Everything is present tense to God.
For God, its like, everything that will happen has already happened. He was, He is, and He will be.
Psalm 90:2 says, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.”
What happened when you were five; what happened to you today, what will happen to you tomorrow, what will happen when you are 85 is all known to God.
Time doesn’t apply to God.
He existed before time began.
Over and over, the scriptures repeat this truth about God.
In Revelation 22:13, Jesus makes an audacious claim. He identifies Himself as the God of Isaiah 44 when He says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” God is eternal. It’s true of God the Father, God the Son – Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit.
Someone once said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”
God is eternal and already knows your tomorrows just as He knows all your yesterdays.
God is eternal.
Supremacy, eternity, we can talk about the uniqueness of God. v. 6c-7a
There are lots of “gods” being talked about in the world today.
Some people think of a god who is like a celestial policeman looking for opportunities to pounce on anyone who strays.
Others think of a god who is like grandfather – an indulgent, kindly old gentleman who would never want to stop people from enjoying themselves.
The Authentic God of the Bible is both a Judge who calls us to live holy lives and a Saviour who provides us with forgiveness when we sin.
Look at what God says about Himself
there is no other God. Who is like me?
There’s no god like the God of the Bible.
In all the major religions of the world - there is no god like the God of the Bible.
Some religions present a god who is transcendent – separate and removed from creation – uninterested in the details of our lives.
Some religions paint a picture of a god who is everywhere and in everything – virtually indistinguishable from creation – and unable to do anything to care for the details of our lives.
But the Authentic God of the Bible is both above all – and “with” us.
Our God takes an intimate interest in the details of our lives and He is powerful.
All the other so-called gods in this world are gods in name only.
They are pseudo-deities, not real ones.
The God of the Bible cares about your future.
The God of the Bible powerfully works in your life for His glory and your good. -----------------------
Supremacy, eternity, uniqueness, we can talk about the foreknowledge of God. v. 7
Nothing takes God by surprise.
Who is like me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient times
when I established a people and explained its future.
God is always fully aware of everything.
He never has to learn. He never forgets anything.
God knows the smallest detail of your life.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:8 “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him”
He knows the words that we will say even before they are spoken: Psalm 139:4 says “You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”
And He knows the days of our lives even before we are born Psalm 139:16: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
Because of the foreknowledge of God, He can never make a mistake when it comes to your life.
He can never fail to plan ahead for you.
He can never fail to take into account all the things that will occur – all the eventualities that will play a part in the journey that is your life.
God knew that you would be sitting right here, right now, today, worshipping in this service.
God in His goodness wants the best for your future
God in His wisdom plans the best for your future.
God in His foreknowledge sees the best in your future.
God in His power secure your future.
Supremacy, eternity, uniqueness, foreknowledge, we can talk about the unchangeableness of God. v. 8
What would our future be like if God were unpredictable?
How could we trust our future to a God who could change?
What if His purposes changed – that Jesus isn’t going to come back and set up His kingdom?
What if His promises changed – that we couldn’t count on Him to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us, that our sins aren’t forgiven, The Authentic God doesn’t change.
You are my witnesses—is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
He’s a rock. This is why we can say with David in Psalm 18:1-2
I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
God is a Rock who is infinitely worthy of our trust. Our future depends on One who is worthy of trust.
God is absolutely and eternally unchanging in His being, His purposes, and His promises.
Are you witnessing?
There is so much more you can speak of:
His power, His wisdom, His love, His sovereignty, His creativity, His righteousness.
And so much more - the list goes on and on.
He is supreme, eternal, unique, unchangeable, and has all knowing.
Every attribute of God is authentic.
-----------------------------------------------------
In closing, let me ask you:
Do you authentically show God in your life?
Does God cause you to shine like a diamond? Reflecting His presence and Power and personality.
Sometimes, life is hard and difficulties come so often that our souls just feel dry.
When we come to know God and experience Him as supreme over the events in our lives,
eternal in His plan for our lives,
unique in His ability to bless our lives, unchangeable in His desire to do good in our lives, then we find our thirst quenched.
Because of who He is, God gives us springs in the desert.
God promises to pour out His Spirit.
When we say, “It’s pouring outside” we don’t mean “It’s raining a little.”
We mean, “If you go out, you’ll get drenched.”
God has promised his people will be drenched with the Spirit.
The impact of the outpouring of the Spirit is not supposed to be a one-time thing, but continual.
The Spirit can be a source of constant refreshment the way a tree by a river continually drinks up water.
Our lives may be surrounded by desert, but if your roots go down by the river of the Spirit we will always flourish.
Pessimist / Optimist / Realist or Authentic Christian?
Give your fears about the future to the Lord.
He will see to it that your needs will be met.
See Him as the Authentic Rock to build on.
Have faith for your future.
