“How Big is Your God?”
Psalm 139:14-18
A little girl was feverishly working for hours at her little drawing table.
Her mother noticed and stopped her work and asked
"What are you doing that requires so much concentration?"
The little girl responded "I am drawing a picture of God."
Her mother smiled sweetly and said,
"Honey, no one really knows what God looks like."
To which the little girl responded,
"Well… they will when I get through!"
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Tonight I want to try and give you a picture of the God of the Bible, the God that I serve.
You see, because we cannot see God we are often prone to understate His power.
As Christians we walk by faith and not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
What follows are some things about God that I know from His word.
The first thing I want to share with you is that:
The God that I serve can see…
In Hebrews 4:13 we read “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all
things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
And in 1 Peter 3:12 the Bible says “ FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE
RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE
FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."
I need to pause here and explain “righteous” as it is used here.
“Righteous” does not mean perfect,
It means that one has the will to do right, only deity is absolutely righteous if it means
perfect…
I am made righteous by my obedience, and by God’s grace.
So in this context, the word does apply to me.
And so the God that I serve can see me
He can see my good qualities… my strengths and my virtues
And He also sees my weakness and my sin as well.
My God is big enough to see me every place I go
The God of the Bible
The God that I serve sees everything I do
The Psalmist says it this way: “Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or
where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are
there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.”
The God that I serve sees me… everywhere, all the time!
Number 2
The God of the Bible can Hear me.
Back to 1 Peter 3:12 “FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE
RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE
FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."
And 1John 5:14-15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
The God that I serve hears my prayers, He hears my concerns
He hears me when I cry, and He answers according to His will for me.
God sees me no matter where I go,
He hears each word I say…
And that knowledge encourages me to watch what I say
And to speak often with Him…because He listens.
The God that I serve can hear!
Number 3
The God that I serve Understands Me
When I open my heart to Him…
Before I can even make my requests to Him
My trials, my needs, my fears and hopes are known to Him
Psalm 139:1-5 “… O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.”
And in Psalm 37:39-40 “ we read … the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He
is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them, because they trust in Him.”
I can trust the God that I serve…
And He understands me.
No one has ever known me, loved me, and understood me like the God that I serve.
He sees me
He hears me
And He understands me
Number 4
The God of the Bible
The God that I serve…
Provides a way to escape the temptations that I face.
1Corinthians 10:13 says “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is
common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you
may be able to bear it.”
Because the God that I serve can see me
And hear me
And because He understands me…
He also knows what tempts me.
And God has promised me that He will provide way for me to escape those temptations!
Regardless of the odds…
Regardless of the difficulty
The God that I serve provides a way of escape for me,
Even if I do not look for it or take advantage of it!
No matter what Satan or the World throws at me,
The God of the Bible
The God that I serve
Promises me a way of escape!
Number 5
The God that I serve provides for my Physical needs:
Mathew 6:25-33 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more
than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin;
and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these.
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?'
For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added to you.”
From this text it is obvious that in order for me to have this promise I must seek God first.
But in doing that, I do not have to worry about my physical needs!
If I am seeking God… He will provide for my physical needs.
Not only will He provide for my needs, but He will see to it that I have excess to give for
His cause, and for the needs of others,
The God of the Bible provides for my every physical need.
Number 6
The God that I serve makes me capable
When I am doing my best
The God that I serve enables me to do even more
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God
loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written: "HE HAS DISPERSED ABROAD, HE HAS GIVEN TO THE POOR;
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER."
My God makes me not only capable
He enables me to do even more than I hoped…
When I allow Him the opportunity!
He takes the little bit that I have
He takes my feeble abilities and my miserable attempts
And HE makes it bigger!
He makes it better!
He can do so much with so little!
As a matter of fact… He can do anything with nothing!
The God of the Bible
This God of abounding grace
The God that I serve… makes me and my efforts
sufficient and capable!
Number 7
The God that I serve is able to give me strength for this world.
No matter what I might face
No matter what may happen to me
The God of the Bible gives me strength and grace and mercy.
Hebrews 4:14-16 “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.”
And Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The God of the Bible…The God that I serve
sees me
He hears me
He understands me
And provides for me
He enables me- And He makes me sufficient and capable.
He strengthens me
Number 8
The God that I serve is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than
I could ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”
Any activity that God has outlined for me can be done with the full assurance that it can be
done and that He will do His part.
When He tells me to go and teach the world,
I can do it, because He will do His part
The God that I serve is able to do more than I could imagine.
More than I could ever dream or ask.
Finally…
The God of the Bible will make everything turn out just right!
Rom 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose.”
The God that I serve will make everything turn out just right for me… everything WILL
work together for my good.
No matter what happens
The God that I serve has a plan for me…
And HE will cause it to turn out just right.
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Prayer: (time)
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Let me ask you… How big is your God?
Is your image of God one who sees and hears you?
Does He provide for you?
Does He understand and enable you?
The God of the Bible…
The God that I serve…
Loves me so much that He gave His only Son to take away my sins…
And He loves you so much that He did the same for you.
Tonight I have tried to give you a picture of the God of the Bible.
The God that I serve!
If you are not serving this God
I want you to know that
HE is the only God!
He sees you
And He understands you
He has a plan for you
The God of the Bible is waiting for you
He wants a relationship with you
Will you come in obedience to Jehovah God?
The Almighty, The Creator
If so, come now as we stand and as we sing?