The Rock San Diego – 6/8/08 sermon

• How do you go from being a person who is lead by man, to a person being led by God?
• Distinguish between man’s sin and God’s patience
• Men make mistakes – God doesn’t
• God doesn’t want a formal relationship with you, He wants to have an intimate relationship with you
• He knows your pain better than you – He knows why you’re hurting better than you do
• Good morning Lord…  What do you want me to do today God… (let’s spend some time together – first – and just talk – tell me about your life and what you’re worried about and what you’re going to do today)… What do you want me to do today God…
• Faith comes by hearing the word of God
• A measure of faith (and love) is: how fast and thoroughly do you do what God asks?
• You don’t have to understand all the facts
• God wants immediate obedience in order to experience the moment-to-moment relationship
• You must investigate the actual benefits of being like everyone else
• God forgives but He doesn’t remove the already-experienced consequences of your disobedience or sin
• We’re all “messed up” and come to Jesus as spiritual beggars
• If He tells you to jump, then jump – and ask Him permission to come down
• Don’t just sit there – in a pew or seat

Test of Obedience

I missed prayer time at lunch.  I prayed at night and was struck by how silent I felt God was.  When I pressed to hear His voice, I got the impression like:

‘what do you want me to say?’

 Now, looking back, I realize this is probably in response to me missing my appointment with Him.  He needs to be my #1 priority.  If He’s #1, then I will not miss my time with Him.

Then I felt He gave me a test of obedience.  The impression I got, which came completely out of nowhere (again I get the feeling that unexpected thoughts are a sign of His word in prayer) was that I am to grow my mustache back in – completely random – and ‘see what happens’.  I have no idea why I feel He asked me to do this, I somewhat honestly question this is from Him, but if it is Him, and He wants me to ‘see what happens’, I need to obey and let Him show me how my obedience will translate into a more personal relationship with Him.  I also got the impression about the mustache that it was a subtle outward expression of my obedience, rather than an inward one.