"Be Still and Know God"

Service Times

Sunday Worship and Bible Studies @ 9am & 10:45am

Wednesday Family Night @ 6:30pm

Tuesday Night Celebrate Recovery @ 6:30pm

Small Groups meet at various times

“Be Still and Know God”

	If there is one thing that seems to drive us crazy... one thing that we feel uncomfortable about...
	If there is one thing that we have a hard time enduring – its... Silence

	We live is such a fast paced world... running in the fast lane of life... the age of one minute sound bites
	We don’t like silence, and when it comes we grope in handling it. God tells us & our sign says...

Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

	Be still and know God... difficult with our active, restless lifestyles. Huge benefits in “knowing” God!
	Turn to 1Kings 19... We see Elijah calling fire down from heaven – what a high water mark! The he kills 950 false prophets of God infuriating wicked Jezebel who threatens to hunt down and kill Elijah... He flees for his life running to Beersheba (70 miles away) then another 15 miles alone... he is a broken man – all alone, defenseless, discouraged, paralyzing fear... Elijah after coming off a mountaintop experience with the Lord now is so depressed, thinks of himself as a failure, worn out all he sees is the negative dark side of things then he told the Lord in prayer “I’ve had enough, I quit, take my life”... He came to the end of his rope... God sent an angel to strengthen him and then sent him on a 40 day journey across the desert to the mountain of God, Mt Horeb...
	God asks Elijah the question, “What are you doing here?” Elijah’s life was going great... calling fire down from heaven... now it seemed like everything was going wrong... can you relate to this???
	To some here this morning – your life may be a tangled web of one problem to another problem...
	Like Elijah worry floods the mind, depression sneaks in, all the while God becomes more/more distant.

1 Kings 19:11-13 ¹¹ The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

	Great blessings bring great testings... please get the picture... the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, the fire... Even though God could reveal Himself in these ways... He spoke in a whisper.
	How can we become intimate with God? How do we stand in His presence? Practicing His presence!

To Intimately Know God...

1. Be Still before Him.

Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."

Psalms 37:7a “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...”

	Our Sovereign God reigns – stand in silent awe and worship Him! Become overwhelmed in His presence.
	Be still before the Lord... waiting upon Him... Intimately in prayer/fellowship/oneness with your Creator!
	You get saved THEN rest of your life knowing Him in a deeper, deeper way than ever imagined
	Lu 10:38-42 we see Mary & Martha – Martha was busy doing, Mary busy being in the Lord’s presence.
	Martha was caught up in busyness, worried, distracted, upset and angry – Mary sat still at Jesus feet.
	Mary was being still before Him... she “CHOOSE” what is better... It’s all about a choice we make.
	I believe we can become frustrated with our lives, God ask us, “What are you doing here?”
	To intimately know God we must make a choice to be still before Him but also a choice to...

2. Be Smashing Barriers...

	Put a sledge hammer in Vern’s hands and watch out... he loves smashing things!
	We have two rooms in the Youth Center and a supporting wall needed to be removed...
	Smashing the barrier wall we now have a beautiful BIG room for Awana & Celebrate Recovery to meet!
	To intimately know God we must be ruthless in taking action, in smashing barrier that stand in the way

Sin (Self - Deception)

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

	God tells us to clean house, throw off the hindrances & the sin that so easily trips us up.
	We can become deceived and blinded to sin in our lives... Pride/self centeredness is the biggy
	Sin always blocks intimacy in knowing God, communing with Him... clean out the heart of sin

Snares (Devil - Devices)

2 Timothy 2:25-26 ²⁵ Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

	Another barrier we must be aware of is that of snares of the Devil we fall prey to. He sets traps
	We are engaged in an invisible war... the demonic forces of hell has access to your mind.
	The battle is won or lost in your mind... we don’t fight for victory but from victory in Christ.
	Believing then acting out the lies of the enemy... thoughts go to feelings... feeling to actions.
	In Christ tear down the strongholds the enemy has built in your life - Be guarding your minds...

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Shackles (World’s - Enticements)

James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

	This is a powerful verse we must understand... friendship with the world = enemy of God.
	Many people struggle with intimacy with God because you’re actually at war with Him.
	I’m not God’s enemy, I’m His child. Ask yourself – “Does my lifestyle match up with the worlds?”

	The more connected we get the more disconnected we actually become both to God & one another
	Internet, movies, television, computers, time saving devices, cell phones, I pods, video games...
	Some here this morning may be shackled by the world... smash this barrier to God’s presence
	Getting drunk, sleeping around, cursing, anger/temper, dirty jokes, a little porn... Unfaithful Christians look, act and smell like the world... don’t be at war with God.

	We also can become shackled by my job... placing my boss high up on my list to please... ahead of family & church... work – work – work till you’re shackled with no time for nothing else
	We become so busy running the kids to every activity & running up debt... it’s tough... GOTTA!

PPT - Feel like you can’t get a handle on your “time”?

PPT - Feel like you’re carrying around a “ball & chain”?

PPT - Feel like you’re living in a “fog” where God seems so “distant”?

	Do you feel the shackles getting tighter around your neck? God says to return to me... find rest
	Like Elijah, the circumstances & pressures of life can whip us so bad we just want to run away... we must learn to deal with issues or be on the run your entire life.
	The world squeezes us into its mold where we become stressed to the max, grumpy, uptight, angry, depressed, negative, down, doubts, despair, fears, physical problems, anxiety, fatigue, one bad relationship to another, often living in denial, etc, etc

	Sin, Snares & Shackles all overlap with each other in our lives... WE MUST SMASH THEM!
	Allow Christ to Control your life... yielding yourself to Him as a living sacrifice – Rom 12:1-3
	Staying spiritually clean and pure mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually...break the shackles
	The law of replacement says – when you remove a sin / bad habit replace it with Godly pursuits
	God asks us the same question today, “What are you doing here?”... wake up & return to me.
	In Christ, when we smash the barriers of sin, snare, shackles of the world... begin to...

3. Be Passionately Seeking Him...

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

	God has great plans for your life... what an awesome life / future!
	God is calling you, God is waiting for you to passionately seek Him with your entire being... fall in love
	Passionately seek the Lord more than the Pittsburg Steelers... where does your passion lie?

Proverbs 2:7-8 ⁷ He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, ⁸for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Bowing Before God... (PPT16 - M51 Galaxy w/Cross)

Ø Refocuses my Thoughts

§ Remember it all begins in the mind... choose to refocus my thoughts

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Ø Clarifies my Priorities

§ God – Family – Church – Everything else. How are you doing? Clarify your priorities

§ Mediating upon the Lord... barriers broken... heart filling with His love

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

Ø Opens up Communication

§ I cannot emphasis enough – prayer and God’s Word goes hand-in-hand in knowing Him

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

PPT 17 - Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

PPT 18 – There is nothing sweeter than intimately “Knowing God”!

Better is one day with the Lord than a thousand elsewhere!

When the chapter of your life is written... will you hear the Lord say “well done my good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of my presence”?

I hope this morning you learned a little more about “Being still and know that I am God!”

Get to know him better! Get ready for eternity – Jesus is coming soon!

Lord help me to intimate know you!