God is Always With Us, Even if...
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
ASK:
How many of you would say that you are pretty excited to grow up?
TELL:
I remember when I was in High School, I would be so excited about all the grown up things I was learning how to do.
I learned how to drive a car
I learned how to work by getting a job
I went to college for a little bit and learned how to live individually
These things I thought were so awesome because they were preparing me to be an adult!
However, one thing changed, I became an adult and things were not as great as I thought they would be.
I had to learn how to pay for car insurance
I had to learn about credit
I had to learn about loans and how to pay off debt
I had to learn that laundry does not do itself and dishes don’t clean themselves
and now, I have to learn how to raise a baby!
What I thought was going to be this awesome and exciting change ended up being a change that was a lot of work.
The truth of the matter is, you can’t change the change that happens to you
EXPLAIN:
Change happens in ways that we don’t want it to and it feels like something has broken in our lives and we don’t know how to fix it.
Haven’t you just ever wondered Why hasn’t God stepped in to fix the things in our lives that feel as though they are broken?
You have the right to ask this - so let’s get into this topic today.
BIBLE
BIBLE
The Bible is split up in two parts - the Old and New Testament.
We will be looking at both today.
But in the Old Testament, God chose a people group starting with a dude named Abraham. The reason He called a specific group was to show the world the true way to live. A way that proved that being in a relationship with a loving God was the best way to live. It was through this nation that Jesus, God’s Son, would be born to then create the opportunity for everyone in the world to have a relationship with God.
BUT,
this group had a lot of issues, and one of them was that they wanted to be just like every other nation around them. Every time they broke their promises to God, they asked God to fix it.
Sometimes he fixed it.
Sometimes he did not fix it the way they wanted it to be fixed.
One thing that was always true for this group of people, was an amazing promise that he made through a prophet named Isaiah which is a promise that has also opened up to us because of having a relationship with Jesus.
Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
One thing we have to note is that there is no “if” statements. These are “when statements”
in other words, We will face change that is too hard to handle
There is no promise anywhere that things will be easy in life, but the best promise that we can hold on to in this passage is right there at the beginning:
I Will Be With You
There’s something amazing to note here and that is...
You Are Never Alone
You Are Never Alone
When we are by ourselves, that’s when the most doubt and fear begin to settle in which produces anxiety and confusion.
Right now you might feel alone with something going on in your life.
maybe your family is breaking a part - talk of divorce is happening
maybe school is overwhelming for you
maybe someone has put these huge expectations on you, and you feel like you’re not good enough.
maybe you are struggling with temptation and you feel like you don’t want to open up about it because you’re afraid of being judged.
These are normal things to feel, but we also have to realize that God does not leave you by yourself to deal with it alone.
God gives us everything we need to go through all of the worst parts of our lives and that is Himself.
NEW TESTAMENT:
Hundreds of years after Isaiah writes this down to the nation of Israel, Jesus comes, and chooses 12 disciples to be with. He does miracles, He teaches them the most amazing truths, He tells them about heaven, He teaches them how to pray, then all of a sudden He tells them, I am going to be leaving you.
Imagine spending three years with Jesus, God in flesh, and then He tells you that He’s about to dip and be with God the father in heaven.
Why would He promise to His people that He would always be with them, and then He actually physically comes only to say, I’m going to be leaving you?
There’s an amazing reason why!
John 16:7 (ESV)
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
I don’t know if you caught it, but Jesus literally said, it’s to your advantage that I go away
This means that its better that He leaves rather than stay.
I don’t know about you, but i’d love to have me some Jesus when I’m struggling literally right next to me.
But Jesus disagrees because He says that He would actually send a Helper to come into them.
This is the Holy Spirit.
The Father is God over us
Jesus The Son is God who is with us
The Holy Spirit is God who is in us.
So the circumstances were about to change for the disciples, but the promise was always the same.
We should actually say the promise got better.
Rather than God just being with us, God is now within us
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we become filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible even says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
We are a placing for His dwelling.
The purpose for the Holy Spirit being within us, is to keep us close to God in everything that we do by showing us the truth about who Jesus is.
This Spirit is God’s power within us, to overcome the things that are in this world, and to be strengthened when the hardest changes happen to us.
God is in you to show you that He is bigger than any situation that you might face in your life
Apply
So what’s your role in this?
What part do you play in knowing that God is always with you?
1. Be Honest
1. Be Honest
God is a big God and He is with u and in us, but we also have to realize that there is a real enemy who wants to destroy us.
This enemy we cannot defeat on our own strength, we need God and we need to be honest about that.
Not only with Him, but with others.
God has given you people to share your life with, to share your struggles and hardships so that you can be encouraged in the hardest times of your life.
Do you have the right people in your life supporting you? Or do you have people who will just say, “oh that sucks,” and then do nothing or say nothing to help?
Be honest with people you trust, and be honest with yourself that there are some people you might have in your life that don’t need to be there.
2. Run Toward God, Not Away From Him
2. Run Toward God, Not Away From Him
Maybe your reaction to change is to run away and blame God.
this is a reaction that does tend to happen, but my question to you is this:
Why would you want to run away from God when He promises to strengthen you when we need it?
We need to trust that He is within us, strengthening us when things go bad.
If you are in Christ, you have God the Holy Spirit in you to strengthen you, to comfort you, and to guide you when you need it the most.
He is working in you and through you in the hardest times of your life and we have to run to Him when we need it because He is faithful to answer our call.
conclude
Ending with opportunity to receive Christ
Today I want you to ask you, do you know if you are filled with the Holy Spirit? Have you truly believed that Jesus Christ is God and He died to take your place on the cross and rose 3 days later to take away your sins and make a way for you to be with God the Father for eternity?
The way to tell if you are in Christ , is by what you communicate with your life, not just with your mouth. You might say you know Jesus, but if you don’t live like it, I can guarantee you that you don’t know Jesus.
God gives us the power to live for Him and to depend on Him in our time of need. But the first thing we have to realize that we do need is a savior.
We are great sinners, but Jesus is a great savior.
All you need to do is believe, and if you have come to believe today and want to make it known, we have the I HAVE DECIDED cards for you to fill out.
PRAY