S E E I N G   G O D

SERMON STARTER

          I'd like to ask you a question. "Can you see God in everything?"

What about the tire that shredded Friday night and had to be replaced yesterday?

What about the basement leak that flooded the basement?

What about our Polar Vortex that produced -8F. temperatures?

What about the 14" of icy snow dumped on our driveway January 20th?

Can you see God in trials, setbacks, disappointments, heartaches and loss?

Just because you don't see Him doesn't mean He isn't there. Most of the times what we see as a catastrophe is God's chance to show himself in our behalf.

My flooded basement was a chance to re-connect with an old friend whose fiancé is a building contractor. It took him less than ten minutes to spot the problem and diagnose it. Problem solved. 

          Often our strong emotive reaction cancels out our ability to sense or see the Presence of God in our lives. Adrenalin is like that. It produces temporary blindness to spiritual things.

When I drove to the site where the Mercury tire was ruined, my Auto Club Emergency man was there on the spot. He was positive, uplifting and full of encouragement. Was God in that? Only if you have eyes to see and a heart to accept it.

          The Apostle Paul wrote these stirring words of promise in Romans 8:28:

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

My sermon this morning is one of the hundreds of narratives in the Bible that encourage us to Faith in God. This morning we are encouraged by one of Abraham's faith stories. The only problem is that both Abraham and Sarah LACKED faith to see what God was doing.

Pastor Phil  <><<

 

February 3, 2019 - Sheepfold Ministries

Pastor Phil Roland  <><<

 

S E E I N G   G O D

GENESIS 16:1-13 - HEBREWS 11:1-12

 

"Seeing God in the extremities of our lives, finding His opportunities in the midst of our disillusionment, pain and sorrow is what faith is all about."                                                                                                     Pastor Phil Roland

 

13 Then she (Hagar) called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"

 

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.   Hebrews 11:6

BACKGROUND:

When Abraham is 99 and Sarah is 89, the Lord promises a flesh and blood heir. Abraham is promised Land and Descendants. He and Sarah lacked the faith to believe God's Promise. Sarah gives her much younger handmaid, Hagar to Abraham to produce a son. She conceives and bears a son, Ishmael who becomes the father of twelve sons. Their descendants were Ishmaelites. Before Hagar gave birth, there was bad blood between her and Sarah. Hagar ran away into the desert and there met an angel (God's Messenger) with a promise. Hagar felt she had seen God.

Hagar demonstrates Three Truths about Seeing God:

I.   MAN'S HOPELESSNESS - Verses 4,6,7

6 So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. 7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

          A. The Lord's Angelic Messenger Promises a son - Genesis 18:10

                    10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,

              and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the

              entrance to the tent, which was behind him. NIV

                    1. Both Abraham and Sarah lacked Faith - Genesis 18:11

                                        11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years,

                          and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. NIV

                    2. Sarah laughed bitterly - Genesis 18:12-13

                                        12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out

                          and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 Then the

                          LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really

                          have a child, now that I am old?'

                    3. The angel of the Lord asks a Faith question - Gen. 18:14

SEEING GOD, cont. p.2

 

                                        14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will

                   return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

          B. Without Faith in God's Promise, they decide to help God out

                    2 So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from

              bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children                    by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
                        1. Jealous, Sarah mistreats Hagar

                    2. Think of it as a quarrel between a wife and a mistress

          B. Mistreated, Hagar Flees to a Spring in the Desert

                    1. Blinded, she sees only her own Hopelessness

                    2. Hagar only sees her own failures, not God's purposes

          C. God's eye, ever-present, sees her in her Extremity - 2 Chron. 16:9a

9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to

              show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. . .

                    1. What about it? Do you have spiritual eyes to see God?

                    2. Feel hopeless? God is the champion of hopeless causes

                    3. Your extremity is His opportunity

 

Hagar demonstrates a Second Truth about Seeing God:

II.  HOW TO RECEIVE GOD'S PROMISE - Vs. 9-11

9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand." 10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." 11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction.
          A. God's Angel Delivered His Promise to Hagar

                    1. Remember, the angel is only a Messenger for God

                    2. Hagar perceives the spiritual being as God, but he isn't

          B. God knew what was in Hagar's heart

                    1. Experienced Injustice?  Mistreated?  Victimized?

                    2. Ever felt guilty for doing the right thing?

          C. Remember, the Prophet said Obedience is better than Sacrifice

                    22 So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and

              sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better

              than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.    1 Samuel 15:22

                    1. Hagar heard and believed the angelic Messenger

                    2. She went back to the camp of Abraham and Sarah

                    3. Even though their feud was never resolved

                    4. Their feud extends even to today

Hagar demonstrates a Third Truth about Seeing God:

III. RECEIVING GOD'S GIFT OF SPIRITUAL SIGHT - V. 13

     13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"

         

SEEING GOD, cont. p.3

 

          Two Views of Spiritual Sight:

          A. How man THINKS God looks at him

                    1. God is Angry and Unjust causing my problems

                    2. He is Inconsistent, and doesn't keep His Promises

                    3. God is Stingy with His approval and Blessings

                    4. He is Stern and Judgmental

          B. How God ACTUALLY looks at us

                    1. We are Lost, Guilty and Alone

                    2. He sees us with His Incredible Love - Deut. 32:10

                                        10 "He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling

                          wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as

                          the apple of His eye.   Deuteronomy 32:10

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

How am I seeing God today?

What is the condition of my heart?

What is He seeing when He sees me?

 

 

SEEING GOD IN ALL LIFE'S CIRCUMSTANCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEEING GOD, Text:

Genesis 16:1-13
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.
2 So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
3 Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.
4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me."
6 So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
8 And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."
10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be

 

SEEING GOD, cont., p.2

 

counted for multitude."

 11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"

 

 

IN HER DESPAIR SHE CRIED OUT TO THE GOD WHO SEES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEEING GOD, Text, cont.

Hebrews 11:1-12
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past SEEING GOD, cont., p.2

 

the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

 

 

YOU'RE THE GOD WHO SEES ME

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eg. SEEING GOD IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

"In the summer of 1876, grasshoppers nearly destroyed the crops in Minnesota. SO in the spring of 1877, farmers were worried. They believed that the dreadful plague would once again visit them and again destroy the rich wheat crop, bringing ruin to thousands of people.

        The situation was so serious that Governor John S. Pillsbury proclaimed April 26 as a day of prayer and fasting He urged every man, woman and child to ask God to prevent the terrible scourge. On that April day all schools, shops, stores and offices were closed. There was a reverent, quite hush over all the state.The next day dawned bright and clear. Temperature soared to what they ordinary were in midsummer, which was very unusual for April.

        Minnesotans were devastated as they discovered billions of grasshopper larvae wiggling to life. For 3 days the unusual heat persisted, and the larvae hatched. It appeared that it wouldn’t be long before they started feeding and destroying the wheat crop. On the fourth day, however the temperature suddenly dropped, and that night frost covered the entire state. Result - it killed every one of those creeping, crawling pests as surely as if poison or fire had been used, It went down in the history of Minnesota as the day God answered the prayers of the people."

What prayers do you need answered?

Catch a vision,

        a glimpse of the God who is ALMIGHTY!

 

 

 

 

 

S E E I N G   G O D

          In 1976, my step-dad, Pop Hutson was sitting in his easy chair body wracked with pain, sleeping. The Lord showed up, he awakens and senses God's Presence, but refuses to open his eyes. It is a sacred time and he wrongly believed God had come to take him home.

"Why are you here, Lord?"  he asked.

He received a one word answer, "Comfort."

The Lord touched him and his pain left his body. He died with his family around him six weeks later, completely pain free. 

Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

It's not OUR sight that's important, it's God's sight! 

Whether or not YOU See God isn't important!

What's important is,

Does He SEE YOU and DOES HE KNOW YOU?  

Pastor Phil  <><<

 

Job 19:25-27
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!