VBS Wednesday

Prayer and Introduction Opening prayer expressing gratitude and seeking wisdom, discernment, and a joyful pursuit of God. Focus on the universal presence of God (omnipresence). God is everywhere, filling everything. Encouragement to seek God with one’s whole heart. Experiencing spiritual joys by moving in and out of the spiritual world, which exists parallel to the physical world. Constant pursuit of God, trying to apprehend Him. Hearing Him The Speaking Voice John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The voice of God is a crucial reality. God’s voice is more than just the Bible; it’s the expression of His will spoken into all things. God’s word is the breath of God, filling the world with living potential. The voice of God is the most powerful force in nature. Example: God spoke, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The Bible is the inerrant word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The voice of God is not limited to the printed word. The greatest joy is hearing God’s voice. Adam heard God’s voice even after running from Him. Elijah heard God in a still, small voice after wind, fire, and earthquake. The importance of hearing God’s voice for believers. The Bible is confined to ink, paper, and leather, but God’s voice is not limited. Experiencing times of clearly hearing God and times when it’s difficult. The soul is moved by the truth that God speaks to individuals. Some wake up hearing God speak. If one has never heard God’s voice, they may not be saved. The drawing power of the Holy Spirit opens ears to hear God’s voice. “You will know Him when He speaks.” Sometimes God’s voice booms, sometimes it’s still and small. Preaching is near to hearing God speak. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. John 6:63 – “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The unique power of God’s voice. “My sheep hear My voice.” God is not silent today; He has always spoken. Encouragement to trust that you will recognize God’s voice when He speaks. The present voice of God makes the written word powerful. God speaks a book and lives in His spoken words. Even those who haven’t heard of the Bible have been preached to sufficiently. Hearing Him is a necessity in the pursuit of God. The joy in the journey is hearing Him speak. Battles fought and the difficulty of overcoming the veil over hearts. Seeing Him: The Gaze of the Soul Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Seeing God is not with physical eyes but spiritually. To see God, one must worship Him in spirit and in truth. One must be born again to have the spirit of Christ and see Him. Faith is essential for seeing God. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God, approach God, or have forgiveness, deliverance, salvation, communion, or spiritual life. Faith is a gift from God and comes by hearing the Word of God. Numbers 21:8 – “Everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live.” John 3:14-15 – “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Looking and believing are synonymous. Faith is the gaze of the soul upon God. The danger of creating graven images of Jesus. Example: Being spooked by seeing the actor who played Jesus in “The Chosen” when closing eyes to sleep. The commandment against making graven images. When gazing upon God, no image comes back, but a bit of glory is seen. Faith causes us to take our eyes off the world and look into the spiritual realm. Believing is directing the heart’s attention to Jesus. Faith is lifting the mind to behold the Lamb of God. At first, gazing upon God may be difficult, but it becomes easier with practice. Distractions may hinder, but the heart will return to Him. Constant pursuit of God trains souls to gaze upon His person. The volitional act of gazing upon God becomes a spiritual reflex. Some are not spiritually exercised in gazing upon God. When gazing upon God, He mutes distractions. Like the eye that sees everything but itself, faith is occupied with God and pays no attention to itself. The man who has struggled to purify himself will find relief in looking to Christ. While looking at Christ, the things one has been trying to do will get done within him. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, getting out of focus on ourselves and focusing on God. Sin has twisted our vision inward. Focusing on God solves problems because the Holy Spirit does what needs to be done. It is grievous to see Christians bound and unable to gaze upon Him and hear Him. The joy of the journey is chasing after Him and seeking Him every day. Even in unconsciousness, the mind tries to gaze on Him. Knowing Him Psalms 57:5 – “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let thy glory be above all the earth.” Order in nature depends on right relationships. Human miseries stem from a moral dislocation in our relation to God. Salvation is the restoration of a right relation between man and his creator. A satisfactory spiritual life begins with a complete change in relation between God and the sinner. The pursuit of God involves bringing our total personality into conformity to Him. Voluntary exalting of God. Begin prayers with praise, exalting God until He’s on the throne. When the relationship is aligned, prayer happens. It is necessary to exalt Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We often bring God down and try to make Him like us. Determining to exalt God over all means stepping out of the world’s parade. Prayer is loved because it allows one to leave the world for a while. Every prayer should start with praise to put God back on the throne. The problem is not that God’s not on His throne, but that He’s not on His throne in your heart. Engaging in the act of exalting God creates a connection with the spiritual. The pursuit of God is where the glory and joy of the soul are experienced. The right relationship is where it begins. A break with the world results from a changed relation to God. The world of fallen men does not honor God. A simple test shows how little God is honored: choices between God and money, men, ambition, self, or human love. Those who seek God will find Him because they will get Him on the throne. The proof is in the choices made day after day. Meekness and Rest Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” The burden is an interior one, attacking the heart and mind. The burden of pride is a heavy load. Much sorrow arises from others speaking slightingly of you. The heart’s effort to protect itself from every slight never lets the mind have rest. The sons of earth carry this burden continually, challenging every word, cringing under criticism. The meek man is not a human mouse with a sense of inferiority. The meek man has stopped being fooled about himself. He knows he is weak and helpless as God has declared him to be. He knows he is of more importance than angels in the sight of God. He knows the world will never see him as God sees him, and he has stopped caring. The Sacrament of Living 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” A major hindrance to internal peace is dividing life into sacred and secular areas. Do not compartmentalize the simple, normal, secular things. Make a sacrament out of your life. Turn all hours into opportunities to glorify God. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Don’t compartmentalize and leave God out of parts of your life. He wants to be a part of folding your drawers. Do all to the glory of God. Inhabit two worlds: the spiritual and the natural. The sacred-secular mentality has no foundation in the New Testament. Jesus knew no divided life; He always did the things that pleased the Father. Paul’s exhortation opens the possibility of making every act contribute to God’s glory. Even menial tasks like eating and drinking can honor God. There is nothing in your life that you cannot include God in. A real pursuit of Christ will not involve a compartmentalized life. Learn to pursue Him always. Do everything as to the glory of God. Practice living to the glory of God. Meditate upon this truth and talk it over with God in prayers. Recall it to mind frequently. The old duality will give way to a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred. Offer all acts to God and believe that He accepts them. Remind God in private prayer that we need every act for His glory. Supplement those times with a thousand thought prayers. If we could get this right, our neighbor would see Jesus more. It’s not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it. The motive is everything. Sanctify the Lord God in your heart, and you can do no common act. Living itself will be sacramental. The whole world becomes a sanctuary. The entire life will be a priestly ministration. As simple tasks are performed, one will hear the voice of the seraphim saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.” Make every part of life an offering to God. Pursue God constantly and follow hard after Him. Wake out of sleep and go deeper. Seek to know Him and the power of His resurrection. See His glory and apprehend the One who has apprehended us. Do everything unto Him and pursue God with all your heart.