"Enthralled With God the Father"
June 19, 2011
Senior Pastor Dr.
David Craig
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Date: June 19, 2011 - WEFC
Sermon Title: "Enthralled With God the Father"
Text: Various Scriptures
Sermon Notes for
"Enthralled With God the Father"
( Click here to download or open the Word
document file for these notes. )
Enthralled With God the Father
Enthralled With God the Father
June 19, 2011 – Various Scriptures – Father’s Day –
Dr. David P. Craig
Why Should We Be Enthralled
With God as our Heavenly Father?
“Our God is in the
heaven; he does all that he pleases.” – Psalm 115:3
Doug Sherman, “If God is
not obligated to stick with us, then that means life with us is an essential
part of His idea of paradise. Paradise is not just paradise for us; it is
paradise for Him! He does only what pleases Him, and it clearly pleases Him
to be with us and to father us.” (All mentions of Doug Sherman are from his new
book entitled “More Than Ordinary: Enjoying Life With God published by
NavPress, 2011)
“If you then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (NASB)” – Matthew 7:11
1)
God Loves our Company
– Psalm 149:4, “For the LORD takes pleasure in His people.” (NASB)
2)
God Loves Planning
Every Detail of Our Days With Him
– “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your
name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect
faithfulness.” Isaiah 25:1 (NASB)
3)
God Loves to bring Joy
to His children
– “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness
of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11
- “The LORD your God is in your
midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he
will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” –
Zephaniah 3:17
4)
God Loves to Mentor
his children
– “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will
counsel you with My eye upon you” – Psalm 32:8
Question: Of all the
paradise God desires to give me today, how much will I actually enjoy?
What would change in your
response to God:
-if
you could live fully confident that He will never waver in His devotion to you,
-never
stop being loyal to you,
-or
never fail to do what is perfect for you?
“The game-changing truth
is that because God is good, wise, and perfect in all things, every proper
response to Him is a monumental trade up…Every time we choose to respond
to God, we make the best possible choice because He is infinitely wise and
abundantly loving.” – Doug Sherman
“For My people have
committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to
hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:13
“Deceived by Satan’s lies,
Adam and Eve exchanged a life of communing with God for competing
with God… We still have a pretty good shot at ruining our lives if we choose to
live as practical atheists with only nominal interest in God” – Doug Sherman
How Can We Grow in our Being Enthralled With God?
Jesus made it clear that
in this life what He offers immediately compels us, out of joy, to give up
everything else:
“The Kingdom of heaven
is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and
from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44
1)
We need to know Him personally.
“But to all who did
receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will
of man, but of God.” John
1:12-13 (NASB)
Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“Being a follower of Jesus
means that life is not about what we deserve but about what He deserves. This
is a fundamental shift in how we view our circumstances that brings so much
more joy, peace, and genuine rest than the turmoil of a self-led life.” – Doug Sherman
2)
We need to engage
Him daily.
“One thing I have asked
from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all
the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His
temple.” – Psalm 27:4 (NASB)
“I am convinced from my
experience and from the Scriptures that the most joyful people on earth are
those who enjoy a mental image of God’s greatness that expands over the course
of their lives. They are God-enthralled; they see Him in the Scriptures, in
their lives, and in creation…
Too many people miss
seeing God as friendly, active, relevant, and interested in their daily
circumstances…
God’s infinite desire for
you to engage Him every day in such a way that you enjoy a growing
companionship and a great adventure and are fundamentally changed from the
inside out by His incredible character…
Remind yourself daily of
His presence, His interest in you, and His loyalty to you…His goal is to take a
self-centered person like me and transform my heart and mind until I love to
please God more than myself.” –
Doug Sherman
3 Habits to Cultivate Walking With God Daily:
Habit #1: Press the Pause button before a
meeting, a project, or any activity and ask myself, What can I expect God to be
for me in this event? Or How has He promised to help me in this situation?
Habit #2: Read the Bible with a transformational
lens rather than an informational lens.
Habit #3: Memorize Scriptures relevant to your
real life situations and seek to apply them immediately.
3)
We need to show Him
off regularly.
“I have set the Lord
continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell
securely. You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is
fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” – Psalm
16:8-9(NASB),11
“If you are ever confused
about how to relate to God in any moment, just ask yourself, If I really
believed Jesus was right next to me, how would I treat Him? If He were to come
to my home and stay with me, how would I incorporate Him into my life?…
For me, the problem is
never that I am too busy to enjoy God, only that I am too self-absorbed. Or
sometimes I have such a low view of God in that moment that I find it a burden,
not a great privilege, to engage Him…
If in every circumstance
you face today, you were convinced that every good response to God was vastly
better than being indifferent or independent, how would that change the
frequency and quality of your response to Him?” – Doug Sherman
Jesus - “I am the vine,
you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is
thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into
the fire and they are burned” – John 15:5-6 (NASB)
“Not that I have
already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I
may lay hold of that for which also I laid hold of Christ Jesus… I do not
regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting
what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the
goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” –
Philippians 3:12-14 (NASB)
“How would you describe
your spiritual momentum today? Are you enjoying more or fewer moments with God
this month than last? Ask God what would have to change in order for you to
have positive momentum and then be quiet for a moment and see what He brings to
mind…
Before you start one or
two activities today—a drive to work, a project, a conversation—mentally invite
Jesus into the activity, thank Him that He is there, and welcome Him to
interact with you.” – Doug Sherman
“Ah Lord GOD! Behold,
You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your
outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” – Jeremiah 32:17
(NASB)
“Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it
will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a
loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a
snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to
those who ask him!” - Matthew
7:7-11 (NASB)
( Click here to download or open the Word
document file for these notes. )
Enthralled With God the Father
June 19, 2011 – Various Scriptures – Father’s Day – Dr. David P. Craig
Why Should We Be Enthralled
With God as our Heavenly Father?
“Our God is in the heaven; he does all that he pleases.” – Psalm 115:3
Doug Sherman, “If God is not obligated to stick with us, then that means life with us is an essential part of His idea of paradise. Paradise is not just paradise for us; it is paradise for Him! He does only what pleases Him, and it clearly pleases Him to be with us and to father us.” (All mentions of Doug Sherman are from his new book entitled “More Than Ordinary: Enjoying Life With God published by NavPress, 2011)
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (NASB)” – Matthew 7:11
1)
God Loves our Company
– Psalm 149:4, “For the LORD takes pleasure in His people.” (NASB)
2)
God Loves Planning
Every Detail of Our Days With Him
– “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your
name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect
faithfulness.” Isaiah 25:1 (NASB)
3)
God Loves to bring Joy
to His children
– “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness
of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11
- “The LORD your God is in your
midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he
will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” –
Zephaniah 3:17
4)
God Loves to Mentor
his children
– “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will
counsel you with My eye upon you” – Psalm 32:8
Question: Of all the paradise God desires to give me today, how much will I actually enjoy?
What would change in your response to God:
-if
you could live fully confident that He will never waver in His devotion to you,
-never
stop being loyal to you,
-or never fail to do what is perfect for you?
“The game-changing truth is that because God is good, wise, and perfect in all things, every proper response to Him is a monumental trade up…Every time we choose to respond to God, we make the best possible choice because He is infinitely wise and abundantly loving.” – Doug Sherman
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13
“Deceived by Satan’s lies, Adam and Eve exchanged a life of communing with God for competing with God… We still have a pretty good shot at ruining our lives if we choose to live as practical atheists with only nominal interest in God” – Doug Sherman
How Can We Grow in our Being Enthralled With God?
Jesus made it clear that in this life what He offers immediately compels us, out of joy, to give up everything else:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” – Matthew 13:44
1) We need to know Him personally.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 (NASB)
Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“Being a follower of Jesus means that life is not about what we deserve but about what He deserves. This is a fundamental shift in how we view our circumstances that brings so much more joy, peace, and genuine rest than the turmoil of a self-led life.” – Doug Sherman
2) We need to engage Him daily.
“One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4 (NASB)
“I am convinced from my experience and from the Scriptures that the most joyful people on earth are those who enjoy a mental image of God’s greatness that expands over the course of their lives. They are God-enthralled; they see Him in the Scriptures, in their lives, and in creation…
Too many people miss seeing God as friendly, active, relevant, and interested in their daily circumstances…
God’s infinite desire for you to engage Him every day in such a way that you enjoy a growing companionship and a great adventure and are fundamentally changed from the inside out by His incredible character…
Remind yourself daily of His presence, His interest in you, and His loyalty to you…His goal is to take a self-centered person like me and transform my heart and mind until I love to please God more than myself.” – Doug Sherman
3 Habits to Cultivate Walking With God Daily:
Habit #1: Press the Pause button before a meeting, a project, or any activity and ask myself, What can I expect God to be for me in this event? Or How has He promised to help me in this situation?
Habit #2: Read the Bible with a transformational lens rather than an informational lens.
Habit #3: Memorize Scriptures relevant to your real life situations and seek to apply them immediately.
3) We need to show Him off regularly.
“I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” – Psalm 16:8-9(NASB),11
“If you are ever confused about how to relate to God in any moment, just ask yourself, If I really believed Jesus was right next to me, how would I treat Him? If He were to come to my home and stay with me, how would I incorporate Him into my life?…
For me, the problem is never that I am too busy to enjoy God, only that I am too self-absorbed. Or sometimes I have such a low view of God in that moment that I find it a burden, not a great privilege, to engage Him…
If in every circumstance you face today, you were convinced that every good response to God was vastly better than being indifferent or independent, how would that change the frequency and quality of your response to Him?” – Doug Sherman
Jesus - “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned” – John 15:5-6 (NASB)
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I laid hold of Christ Jesus… I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 (NASB)
“How would you describe your spiritual momentum today? Are you enjoying more or fewer moments with God this month than last? Ask God what would have to change in order for you to have positive momentum and then be quiet for a moment and see what He brings to mind…
Before you start one or two activities today—a drive to work, a project, a conversation—mentally invite Jesus into the activity, thank Him that He is there, and welcome Him to interact with you.” – Doug Sherman
“Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” – Jeremiah 32:17 (NASB)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:7-11 (NASB)
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