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February 2017 (Youth CG Sermon 10)

ENCOUNTERING GOD REQUIRES A RESPONSE
As Christians, we need to have a revelation that God is our loving Father who
has called us and chosen us for a life of great destiny.

1 Pet. 2:9 God has chosen us to be His own special people, a royal
priesthood.

However, when we look at our imperfections and failures, we can start to

doubt the promises of God.
- Did God make a mistake?
- Why would God use imperfect people like us?

Mark 1:16-18 Jesus called ordinary fishermen who were not Jewish
scholars or people of any exceptional talent.
- Jesus calls imperfect people.

The Jewish custom of the day required aspiring students to seek out their
own rabbis.
- But Jesus did the complete opposite by taking the initiative to seek them
out and disciple them.
- Jesus demonstrated that He calls every disciple deliberately.

God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross
for our sins.

God has done His part, and now it is time for us to do our part.
- All He expects from us in return is a willingness to respond to Him.
- As He calls us, who are so imperfect and unqualified, we must make a
choice to “follow Him.”

This decision involves a total surrender of our lives, where we consecrate and
set ourselves apart for Him.
 God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!

As we consecrate and respond to God, here are some ingredients needed to

daily encounter God:
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#1: ENCOUNTERING GOD REQUIRES OUR TIME

Ex. 3:2-3 Moses recognized the supernatural and “turned aside” to give
God time and meet Him.

We all have our own priorities and busy schedules.

- But like Moses, we must be willing to take a break from our busy routine
to meet God and set apart time for Him.
- We must have an appetite for the things of God.

John 1:45-46 In the natural, it is easy to find excuses and belittle our
encounters with Jesus.

Nathanael expressed his doubts by saying, “can anything good come out of
Nazareth?”
- Nazareth was not a growing town, neither was it a town rich in history.
- When Nathanael looked at things naturally, he had many reasons to
doubt that the Messiah will come from Nazareth.

Because Nathaniel responded to Philip’s invitation, he was able to encounter

the reality of Jesus Christ.

Matt. 5:6 We must be hungry for the things of God and make room for
Jesus in our lives.

#2: ENCOUNTERING GOD REQUIRES A PURE HEART

God is looking for a pure Church ― a people pure in their hearts.

- Believers need a visible change in their lifestyle.
- If we want to see God, we must desire to be like God … 1 Pet. 1:15-16.

Ps. 24:3-4 The psalmist paints a picture of a hill that is very difficult to
ascend physically.
- The change required is not a physical one, but a change
in our hearts ― God requires a pure heart.

Holiness requires us to be consecrated and set apart for our encounters with
Jesus.
- We need to change the way we speak and think, as we should no longer
conform to the world’s thinking … Rom. 12:1-2.
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Eph. 5:3-4 We are to flee from sexual immorality, greed, coarse talking
and live our lives fully for Jesus. .

We all have a past and we may find it difficult to break away from our old
lifestyles.
- To live a life of holiness, we have to evaluate the company we keep.

1 Cor. 15:33 The Word of God warns us about the company that we keep
and that bad company corrupts.
- If we want to lead a Spirit-filled life, we need to keep
close fellowship with Spirit-filled friends.

The Christian walk is never easy because we will face many temptations …
but we can be sure of victory.
- As the Holy Spirit lives within us and empowers us … all things are
possible … 1 John 4:4.

DISCUSSION: In groups of two or three, discuss:

- What are some changes that we can initiate, so that we can live a more
victorious life in God?

#3: ENCOUNTERING GOD REQUIRES FAITH

Faith is the not the absence of fear, but it is making a decision to trust in God
in spite of our fears.
- Very often, our response to God can be hindered by our fears.
- Fears result in convenient excuses to justify our disobedience.

Great men like Abraham, Moses and David all had similar fears, when they
responded to the call of God upon their lives.

Moses gave 5 common excuses when God called him:

1. Ex. 3:11-12 … Who Am I?

Moses used to be a prince but now, he was a lowly shepherd and was
rebuked by the very people that he was asked to lead (Ex. 2:14).
- He felt inadequate, incapable, and thought of himself as a nobody.
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Moses might have felt that the timing when God called him was off.
- He would have been better equipped to lead the people 40 years
earlier, when he was a prince of Egypt.

God’s timing is always right as He is omniscient.

- In our inadequacies and brokenness, our dependence on God enables
us to be mightily used by our Father.
- We need not be perfect or the most educated, in order to be called
by God … God calls us just as we are.

2. v13 … Who Are You?

Moses had his fears that the people may not accept him and that he had
no credibility in their eyes.
- He had been rejected 40 years earlier and he did not want to be
rejected again.

God reassures Moses and reveals Himself for the first time as the Great “I
AM WHO I AM” => He can be anything that we need Him to be!
- He can be our Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Provider, etc. … whenever we
need Him to be One for us.
 We need not be fearful when God calls us ― He is Almighty!

We all have our past, our failures and setbacks.

- When God sends us, we have the backing of an all-powerful, eternal
Father ... Phil. 4:13.

3. Ex. 4:1 … What If They Don’t Believe Me?

Initially, Moses doubted his calling but now he doubted God’s Word.
- God already told him that the elders of Israel will listen to him but
Moses did not believe God (Ex. 3:18).

When our prayers are unanswered, we start doubting the Word of God.
- God is sovereign and we must trust in the fact that He always has our
best interests at heart.
- We must put our faith in God’s faithfulness and that His promises will
prevail … 2 Pet. 3:9.

We should not limit our understanding of God to our experiences.

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- God is faithful and He always knows better, as He has seen the end of
our destiny … Is. 46:10.

4. Ex. 4:10 … I Am Not Eloquent.

Moses was hindered by his own physical shortcomings and felt that he
was not gifted enough to serve God.
- God reminded Moses that He is the Creator and in charge of all
physical abilities.
- If God had called Moses for this mission, He could provide whatever
Moses needed.

We should not focus on ourselves … we should focus on God!

5. Ex. 4:13 … Send Somebody Else.

Fear can paralyze us so much that we do not want to answer the call.
- Moses looked at the natural circumstances and did not want to obey
God … but He got Aaron to assist him.

Faith is not the absence of fear, but faith is the willingness to work with
one’s fears.
- Despite his many excuses, Moses was mightily used by the Lord and
talked to Him face to face, like a friend (Ex. 33:11).

We may struggle with our faith and resist the will of God.
- As long as we are willing to take a step of faith and work with our
unbelief, God can use us in our imperfections … Mark 9:24.

Our willingness to respond and consecrate our lives to God enables us to be

mightily used by Jesus.

BIBLE MEMORY VERSE

1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who
is in you is greater that he who is in the world.
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MINISTRY

Spend some time praying and worshipping God.

- Challenge the members to respond to the call of Jesus on their lives.
- Pray against the spirit of fear and pray that members will grow in loving
Jesus.