Grace Church Metropolis
Experincing God Lesson 4 Part 2
  • Experiencing God Lesson 4
    Week 2 Part 2

    Testimony

    What spoke to you?
    How have your daily devotions been going? (repeat)
    Any personal testimonies?
    Messenger group

    Memory verse

    Psalm 20:7 (NIV) — 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
    Psalm 20:7 NIV
    Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
    How would apply this to your daily life?
    How should a church apply this to the way operate.

    Review the Seven Realties

    God is always at work around you.
    God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
    God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
    God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
    God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
    You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
    You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

    Show Video

    Powerful
    Brought tears to my eyes.

    Teaching Notes 1

    If the Christian life is radically God-centered, then it is important that we constantly look to God, listen to God, and watch to see what His directives are going to be.
    Most believers ask:
    “God, what do You want me to do?”
    But the better question is:
    “God, where are You already at work—and how do I align my life with that?”
    That moves the focus from control → surrender
    From plans → participation
    From performance → relationship
    John 5:19 (NLT) — 19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing.Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
    John 5:19 NLT
    So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
    Even Jesus didn’t operate independently—He watched, listened, and joined the Father.
    Illustration

    The Construction Site

    Imagine showing up to a construction site with your own blueprint.
    You start building—walls going up, materials moving.
    Then the foreman walks over and says:
    “What are you doing? That’s not the plan.”
    You respond: “Well, I wanted to help.”
    He says: “Helping isn’t doing your own thing—it’s joining the plan that’s already in motion.”

    Teaching Note 2

    Our tendency is to start our story with ourselves, but the Bible starts with God.
    Start where the Bible starts
    Think about Genesis 1:1
    It doesn’t say: “In the beginning… our needs”
    Our calling
    Our struggles
    It begins with God—His existence, His authority, His initiative
    “Before there was a you, there was God—and He was already at work.”
    I’ve thought about some of the things I have said preaching and I’m almost embarrassed by them and how self-centered they were.
    This week, before making decisions—big or small—pause and ask:
    “God, what are You doing here?”
    “God, align me with what You’re already doing”
    Colossians 1:16“Everything was created through him and for him.”
    Colossians 1:16 NLT
    Everything was created through him and for him.

    Teaching Note 3

    When we turn our eyes to ourselves, we see all of the reasons why we can’t. But when we start with God, we open ourselves up to His power. It’s no longer a question of what we can do, but what He can do.
    When I focus on myself, I see limitations.
    When I focus on God, I see possibilities.
    Faith begins when I shift the question from “Can I?” to “Can God?”
    2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness”
    2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
    “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

    Flashlight

    Here’s the challenge:
    “What if that ‘I can’t’ is the very place God wants to show ‘I can’?”
    “What step of obedience have you been avoiding because you feel unqualified?”
    The goal isn’t agreement – it’s movement.

    Teaching Note 4

    What God initiates, He also completes. He never purposes anything He doesn’t bring to pass.
    God never abandons what He authors—but He often completes it differently than we expect.
    Philippians 1:6 (NLT) — 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
    Philippians 1:6 NLT
    And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
    However, not everything we start is something God initiated.
    "The burden is lighter when you realize it's God's work, not yours."

    Practical Question?

    What in your life are you trying to sustain in your own strength?
    Did God actually initiate it—or did you?
    Where do you need to trust God’s process instead of controlling the outcome?

    Teaching Note 5

    God began a work before us that will continue after us and we are just part of the journey.

      • Psalm 20:7NIV2011

      • John 5:19NIV2011

      • Colossians 1:16NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 12:9NIV2011

      • Philippians 1:6NIV2011

Grace Church Metropolis
sielbeck@gmail.com
http://www.gracechurchmetropolis.com
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