SundaySermon - Prince - What is your history with God?
What is your History with God?
God accomplished many things through Jonah. Jonah was the prophet and he spoke on God's behalf. But he was unwilling to take up the Nineveh assignment. This walking away from God caused him to walk away and in his low time, Jonah remembered God.
Verse: Jonah 2:7
As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.
Our lives have ups an downs. In our history with God, we know that God has been good. The prodigal son came back to the Father's house because he remembered the time at this father's house.
Enoch lived for around 300 years. His story was one who walked with God. And this was a story that was noteworthy!!!
How are we building our story with God? Five points as we build our life story
- Remember His Ways
- Remember His Acts
- Remember His Voice
- Remember His Power
- Remember His Purposes
Remember His Ways
The disciples were discouraged and their hopes broken. They walked back and Jesus brought back their memory of how they were called. It was the huge catch of fish that was the turning point. And Jesus did it again..... for them to remember.
Verse: John 21:3-7
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.
5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.
Remembering what God did for us will help us find out way in difficult times. God is asking us to remember
Verse: Deuteronomy 8:2
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.
Difficult times could bring you to even questioning God.
Verse: Exodus 17:7
Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”
But God is drawing us to him through all these experiences. This is so that God can be intimate with us
Verse: Hosea 2:14
“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.
Remember His Acts
There is a difference between Acts and Ways. The ways of God could lead you through difficult times, to build intimacy. But the acts of God are display of God's power
He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.
Celebrating the acts of God will encourage you
Verse: Psalms 77:11
But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
Remember His Voice
There may be a situation where you are desparate to hear from God. And God is supposedly silent. But God is silently talking to us.
Verse: John 20:15-16
15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
When Jesus called her name, she remembered and this memory helped her recognise God.
Remember His Power
The power of God transforms your life to face giants. The transformation is a personal transformation because the biggest giants are within you.
34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock,
35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.
36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!
The personal victories will help you take on bigger challenges
Remember His purposes
God's purpose for your life will happen no matter what. You will come across difficult situations. The nation of Israel were facing giants .... the descendants of Anak.... possibly bigger than Goliath. But the young man Caleb was clear on the purpose that God set for him.
Verse: Numbers 13:30
But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
Caleb spoke the purposes of God inspite of difficulty
Conclusion
When you remember God, you will be able to script your life story according to the abundant life God has called you to. And you will be able to say everyday of your life ..... Up to this point the Lord has helped us!
Verse: 1 Samuel 7:12
Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”