Getting to Know the Father with Kingdom Eyes
- Getting to know God and His purpose for our lives can only happen when we are spiritually awakened to understand what the Kingdom of God is to a believer.
Turn to John 3: There was a story of a man called Nicodemus: 3) Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The kingdom of God is within the believer. Understanding that God is within you is a truly liberating and a very special part of experiencing God.
How many of you have had a true experience with God? Would anyone like to share something?
- Realizing the true meaning of the Lord’s Prayer – (Thy Kingdom Come) places you in relationship with Him and by knowing He is with us it shuts out all fear, loneliness, etc.
– When we understand that the Father is now in the house (us) there’s peace, there is security, there’s freedom, there’s perfect love.
- You see, God never looks at the out ward of man but the inward. 1 Samuel 16:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [b]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Another instance in the new Testament Jesus being questioned by the coming of the Kingdom of God by the religious church folks, said in Luke 17:20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with [n]signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is [o]in your midst.”
As Christian’s we have to be drawn by the Spirit and the understanding that God made a way for all to come to the knowledge through Christ and it is through Him alone that we find the Kingdom Of God…. Jesus was the and still is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Jesus is the way the truth and the Life and there is no other way to be in relationship with the Father….
- By getting to know God we need to understand that, It’s not as important to figure out, or imagine, what God is like. Instead, simply believe in His presence, believe that He is real and He is who He says He is, like He told Moses to tell the children of Israel! “ I AM that I AM!!
- Never try to imagine what God will do. There is no way God will ever fit into your concepts. He’s too Big !
– What should we do then? Seek to know God through Jesus Christ by looking to Him in your innermost being, in your Spirit. Set your mind on the Spirit. - Turn your heart to the presence of God. How? By turning to Him by faith. By faith you believe you have come into the presence of God.
Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
A.) The Bible is the first most resource to know God! And by reading the scriptures we begin to understand who God is and who we are as his creation. (praying the scriptures), beholding the Lord (waiting on the Lord)
- Just as a new convert, to encounter Christ sometimes we should pray through the scriptures. What does that mean?
– Example – If we read the scripture quickly, it does not benefit but a little.
– We become like the bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead, when we slow down and pray as we read, we become like the bee that penetrates into the depth of the flower. We plunge deeply within to extract it’s deepest nectar.
- In beholding the Lord, or waiting in His presence, you can come to Him in a totally different way. This way takes discipline of the mind.
– Quite our mind. Listening
– Example – We now are focusing on the inward presence of the Lord
– This helps us to experience His presence, not to gain understanding. By faith we can hold our heart before the Lord.
NOTE: If your mind begins to wander, just turn your attention back again to the inward parts of your being (spirit).
– John 14:23 says The Lord promises to come and make His home within us. The Lord will meet you in your spirit.
St. Augustine once said “that he had lost much time in the beginning of his Christian experience by trying to find the Lord outwardly rather than by turning inwardly.”
– Example – Feeding – slow down and enjoy the meal.
– Now that you have set your mind on Him, and slowed down your meal (feeding), you can swallow what you have tasted.
– Enjoying the taste of the food and it’s flavor is good and pleasing. But the benefit comes when you swallow the food and receive its nourishment.
- Abandonment – What is abandoned to God mean? Oswald Chambers Book
It’s casting off all your cares. Abandonment is dropping all your needs, including physical and spiritual needs, laying them aside, trusting God no matter what. This is a forever, Surrender….
– All Christians have spiritual needs; but the believer who has abandoned himself or herself to the Lord no longer indulges in the luxury of being aware of spiritual needs. But rather, they give themselves over completely to the disposal of God.
Jesus take the wheel!! I can’t do this on my own… I’m letting go. Jesus take the wheel!
– Christ exhorted us to abandonment. Matthew 6:32, 34 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [a]care for itself. [b]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Penny taught the last 3 weeks on Faith, Hope, Love. When we are totally relying on God we have all the fruit of the Spirit which empowers us to be like God… and fulfill His purpose for us and the world.
– Again in scripture, Proverbs 3:6 says, In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
and Proverbs 16:3 says, Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established.
Psalms 37: 5 says” Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
- So what is the purpose that God has for man?
The Eternal purpose of God is that we come to know Him and then grow to understand His kingdom purposes, become a disciple for Him. [make disciples], lead others to His purpose. And that we someday have Eternal Life with Him in His Kingdom!
Right now we are To be the church not just go to church.
God fulfills our needs and wants by answering and following His calling for our lives.
* It’s impossible to out give God.
- By knowing God and answering the calling, we find satisfaction in life and fulfillment.
– Example – Paul, in prison, said, “Don’t be ashamed because I am in jail”. He was holy perfect, complete in Christ! He had no other need. He was so in tune with God and God’s purpose, he stated he was caught between the decision of whether to continue here on earth or to go home to be with the Lord.
– Example – TV Show: I almost got away with it…. I heard the man describe a place called King’s Canyon in this mountain area where it was so beautiful, but desolate. Mountainous beauty! Peaceful and serene.
His quote was “Once you get the high country life into your soul you’ll never want to live no where else.”
– When we begin to understand God and have spiritual understanding, our faith, trust and hope are secure and we then have liberty to enjoy life. WE never will want anything else!
2 Cor 3:17 says17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ,
Being Lead by the Spirit is the key to wisdom and understanding who God is and the purpose God for our lives and His plan.
1 Cor 2:9-13
9 but just as it is written,“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”10 [a]For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [b]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
– If we are reliant on the spirit, the Spirit (v. 10) searches all things, even to the depths of God.
No one knows or has the wisdom to know God or the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him.
No one can know or do the things of God without the Spirit.
– Our experiences in life are all linked to His purpose. Then we find that our plans and His plans link together.
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
God has a perfect plan ans want us to walk in our Calling and destiny. He desires that we are blessed and have a full and meaningful life right now!
(Romans 8:28) 28 And we know that [a]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Closing:
Ephesians 1:4-54 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [a]Him. In love 5 [b]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the [c]kind intention of His will,
Vs. 4: syas: God choose us. God’s own decision was that He chose us.