Mlworship#15 God and the 4 Ws

God and the 4 Ws


‘ I believe, help me to overcome my unbelief’
Mark 9:19


1. At some stage in our lives, all of us have to believe or try to believe in something
For many, it is at the point when the reality of the fact that their soul will have to leave their physical body and enter into a realm, that truly only the dead is privy to.


2. As Christians, God has provided in His Word, a vivid description of


- what His Kingdom will be like: a land of milk and honey and peace and joy



- His promise of eternal life for those who believe, repent and response in obedience



‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have enternal life.’
John 3:16



- the reassurance that Jesus will walk with us as we take our place in God’s kingdom.

‘For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world , but to save the world through Him’
John 3:17





3. Christianity is not a religion. It is a daily living relationship with God.

As one who has like many, experienced God’s wonderful and loving grace many times over, GOD EXISTS.

4. BUT WHY DOES THE 4 Ws CONTINUE TO HAUNT ME???

a) WHAT if God does not fulfill His promise?

The Word of God says:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord….
Jeremiah 29:13-14

b) WHYmust I continue to experience the pain of this world be it sadness, insecurity, deprivation, inequitability……?

The Word of God says:

‘It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes’
Psalm 119:71

‘Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

c) WHO is to stop me from enjoying the things of this world and repent at the last moment??

The Word of God says:

‘it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God allover again and subjecting him to public disgrace’
Hebrews 6:4-6


d) WHEN will I see actual proof of God’s existence ???

The Word of God says:


‘They shall never enter my rest. See to it brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.’
Hebrews 3:12-13


5. THE INDIVIDUAL SELF is a very illusive and sinful entity

- God knows us, we do not know ourselves

- God knows and understand our weakness, as Jesus himself has been tempted, but without sin.

‘…..but God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.’
1 Corinthians 10:13

- God allows us to fail, stumble or sin, so that we will lose hope in ourselves completely and surrender to His Spirit fully.

‘…But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.’
1 Corinthians 10:13

ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE VICTORIOUS


6. IN THIS JOURNEY, we are not alone.

Jesus will walk with us. His outstretched, loving hands are always there for us.

He only wants us to respond by:

a) Learning to let go totally and trust in God, don’t let our sinful self dominate

‘….but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.’
Mark 4:19
b) Seeking God always

‘others like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it and produce a crop – thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown’
Mark 4:20

c) Responding in total obedience to God’s guidance


‘I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’
Mark 10:15




7. GOD’S REASSURANCE



‘No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly’
Psalm 84:11



‘The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hand, He has rewarded me.’
Psalm 18:20-21