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Democratic and the Republican conventions are behind us now. And depending
on who you are talking to will decide whether the convention was a success or
What fascinates me is how people regard the speeches. They talk about
was warm or a cold fish (again, depending on who you talk to). We watch the
reality. We know that the words coming out of the mouth of the candidates are
the words of a speech writer and that his seeming engagement is produced by
Now that’s not to say that the candidates have no input into their speeches
– they certainly do. But the illusion of eloquence is created by the speech-writer.
And the eye-contact, which leads us to believe the candidate is speaking directly
These allow the speaker to read his speech while maintaining the illusion of
Why, even I could preach like Billy Sunday if I had such resources at my beck
and call. The point is we tend to focus on the appearance rather than giving the
We see a great work being done and we tend to think about how great the
man or woman is doing the work. We marvel at the ability of a Bill Hybels or the
dedication of a Billy Graham – we focus in on the person and forget all about the
big picture. And as a result, we often miss the hand of God in the midst of it all,
Let me ask you a question. How busy is God in our world today? Is God
as active in the world today as he was during the reign of David? Does God
work in your life and in my life as often as he did in the life of Abraham? I don’t
know about you, but I wonder sometimes. I read the conversations – literal
conversations – between God and Abraham and I think to myself, “Faith must
have been easier then. Abraham could really see God working.”
The reality is, faith was probably a bit more unsettling then. Always
remember that the Scriptures do not necessarily record the times of silence – the
Mt. Moriah and the angel commanding Abraham to drop the knife.
The relationship he had with the Creator redefined his life, gave him new
direction and purpose. Can we say the same of our relationship with God? How
called the Seven Realities for Experiencing God. Over the next 8 or 9 weeks we
you get caught up in the appearance, the action of the scene you will miss it sure
as the world. I know that until I started preparing for this message, I missed it.
Of the uncounted number of times I have read this passage, it never dawned on
In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from
birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking.
Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and
called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and
began to walk.
What is the image that overwhelms this passage? The lame guy getting
healed, right? And that image gets lost in what happens next. Paul heals the
man with crippled feet and so wows the crowd, they begin calling him Hermes,
the messenger of Zeus. Before long, the high priest of the Zeus cult shows up
with bulls and wreaths and begins setting up to start offering sacrifices at the feet
of Paul and Barnabas. The crowd took them gods coming in human form.
But there is something that happens prior to the healing that is truly
amazing, something that goes unnoticed by all but the author. Go back again to
v. 9, “He [the lame man] listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked
directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed….” How in the world did
Paul see that the man had faith to be healed? Did the man have certain look on
No. What you see here is Paul’s words to the Corinthians in action. In 1
Corinthians 2:9-16, Paul speaks of those in Christ being indwelt by the Spirit. As
such, the Spirit who searches all things, including the deep things of God,
Paul where he was already at work. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul discerned that
the lame man was receptive to the message of the Gospel, that God had
endowed him with the gift of faith. Paul could see God at work because the Spirit
had given him eyes to see. And since he could see where God was at work,
Paul could join him in the work God was already doing.
So how did Paul know to be looking for God at work? Because Paul
understood what is our first reality for experiencing God. He realized that God is
always at work.
creation, guarding against the complete breakdown into chaos. But most
Ephesians 1:11-12, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with
the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ,
What that means for us is that as his people we need to be on the look out
for where he is working. We know that God is at work around us, he is actively
profound and life-changing ways we need to join him in his work. Now, this is not
as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, Jesus modeled this for us and then promised
So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews
persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work
to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews
tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath,
but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal
with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son
can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father
doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the
Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your
amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
Do you see what’s going on? The religious leaders of the day were bent
out of shape because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. A violation of the Law, in
understanding.
You see, they were treating Jesus as some sort of magic man – some
freak of nature who could heal people at will. They were treating Jesus as if he
were a healer by trade and he plied that trade on the day of rest. But Jesus
paints a different picture. He tries to clarify for the religious leaders that it wasn’t
initiative to him. I only do what I see the Father doing. Because he loves me, he
Did you catch the key Jesus gave for his knowing the Father’s will – where
he was working? “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”
It begins with the love relationship. The reason Jesus is able to know where the
Father is at work is because the Father includes him in his counsels out of love.
Never forget, that when Christ walked this earth he laid aside the prerogatives of
his deity. All the miracles, all the wisdom – the entire sum of his ministry on earth
– was by way of the Spirit of God working through him at the direction of the
Father. As Peter says in Acts 2:22, “Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God
to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in your
midst.”
The point is this, before all else must come the love relationship. We must
pursue God, even as he has pursued us. The Scriptures make it clear that God
rewards those who seek him. He reveals, he discloses himself and his ways to
all those who seek him earnestly. If we are to see where the Father is working
that we join him in his work, we must first focus on the love relationship.
Why is that? Because that is what God created you for – for the love
relationship between creature and Creator. God’s involving you in his work is an
extension of that relationship. So rather than seeking the big assignment from
God – an accomplishment which distinguishes us – we should seek God with all
our heart.
my best to avoid being a pastor – you know, a guy who preaches every Sunday.
I just didn’t see myself as a “preachy” sort of guy. Besides that, I hated speaking
in front of people.
So I tried to appease God by going into youth ministry. I thought for sure
that one form of ministry was as good as another. Why would it matter to God? I
was still serving the Kingdom, I was just doing it in a way I was more comfortable
with – a way that seemed more suited to my gifts. Besides, God had the wrong
guy for preaching – I was slow of speech. All nervous and fidgety when I had to
speak to a crowd – and I mumbled. Not really a good candidate for preaching.
So, I figured I would save God the embarrassment of having me speak for him
You see, I had real problem. I was putting the cart before the horse.
Rather than loving God and seeking his face, his will, I was trying to obey him by
through me by focusing on my gifts. I failed to realize that the gift God gives is
himself and through him all things are possible, even me preaching.
So, it is because of the love relationship that the Father reveals what he is
doing. Christ, in turn, reveals the Father’s work to us. Look with me at John
15:9-16.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in
my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his
love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that
your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each
other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if
you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because
a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have
called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I
have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose
you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
This is my command: Love each other.
There are two things to note about this passage. First, look at the
motivation for including the disciples in the “master’s business.” Love. As the
Father loved me, he says, I love you. Just as the Father showed me what he
was doing so that I could work along side him, I now show you. It is a mark of
my love.
Second, what is the mark of our love for Christ? That we obey him. In
other words, that we join him in his work. That we accept the appointment to go
and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. Then, he says, the Father will give you
You see the key to experiencing God in the work-a-day world is to realize
that he is already at work around you and he invited you to tag along. God wants
us to be involved. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, Paul tells us that God is at work
reconciling the world to himself through Jesus Christ and that he commits that
ministry to us – his church. We are to carry out that ministry by proclaiming the
Gospel. As Paul puts it, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were
But in order for us to see where he is at work – we must know what the
work is and then we must trust God to gift us through the Holy Spirit to carry it
out. How do we know what the work is? We focus on the love relationship. We
seek God in prayer and in his Word to learn the Father’s heart. As we grow to
know the Father’s heart, our hearts become tender, sensitive to plucking of the
Henry Blackaby, whose book Experiencing God provides the structure for
this sermon series, writes about trying to get a Bible study started at a local
college. After consulting with experts, they tried to get something started in the
dorms. For two years, they failed to get anything off the ground. One day he
called aside the students who were part of this effort and told them to start
looking for where God was already at work. He reminded them from the
Scriptures that there are none who are righteous and seek after God, and no one
comes to Jesus unless the Father draws them. He advised his students to keep
been in class with for two years came up to her and started asking questions
about the Bible. It turns out that she and some other girls got curious and started
studying it on their own, but they wanted someone who knew a little bit about it to
People of God, the Father is always at work around us, he is “blue collar”
collar” church. It begins with the love relationship. Working hard to develop our
know the Father’s heart, we must begin looking for where he is at work. He will
show us, if we are willing. And then, once we know where he is at work, we must
join him, trusting him to enable us by the Spirit to do all he asks. When we do,