"You Are The God Who Sees
Me (Gen 16:13)
1/21/08 AM R. Sams BIG IDEA: There are
some things ONLY the God who sees me can reveal to me and show me the path to
true life. First get rid of the obstacles.
SCRIPTURES TO
VIDEOPROJECT (coded with P ):
OTHER SCRIPTURES:
OTHER ITEMS TO
VIDEOPROJECT: a window with four panes (squares and each one numbered 1-4, like
bulletin bottom CALL TO WORSHIP: Psa 139:23-24 THEMES/SONGS/STORIES:
GOSPEL/MISSION:
VISION/PRIORITIES:
ASSIGNMENTS/TESTIMONIES:
PASTOR�S
MINI-LESSON/PROMO/BIG QUESTION:
BULLETIN BOTTOM, p. 1 ___________
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1 1 1 2 1
1 1 1 Fig 1
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1 4 1 3 1
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I. It was social psychology class, one of my favorite subjects in college,
we were studying a window. Not one you could look through and see out, but
one that you could look through and see ininto the human heart. It was
called the "Johari Window."(Fig. 1).
A. The first pane
represents all the things that you know about yourself AND everyone else
knows. Ill: I have red (reddish, Swedish blonde, ok it�s gray) hair.
I like basketball. This is what�s public and out there for all to see,
including you.
B. Pane 2 is all the things others know about you,
but are blind spots to you. It�s all the things WE know that Romeo
Crennel, Mike Brown or Eric Wedge should obviously see, but don�t. Why
can�t they? I have a little convex mirror on my rear view mirror to take
care of blind spots when I�m driving. Blessed is the man who has a mirror
for the blind spots in his life. We do if we have a wife OR good friends:
"As iron sharpens iron… (Pr 27:17).
C. Pane 3 represents all
the things you know about yourself, but no one else knows. You know how
good looking (great musician, athlete) you are, why can�t everyone else see
that? Seriously this is the private self. These are the things you
know and no one else does unless you tell.
D. Window four
represents those things our lives known only to God. We don�t know them
and neither does anyone else. The subconscious might describe it.
It�s the things the psalmwriter was praying to God to reveal to Him in (Ps
139:22-23). Or lead me into the way of true life, what real life is all
about.
II. How many know that if I asked 100 people what real
living is all about we�d get a lot of different answers, depending on values,
their faith, their age, maybe even their race or economic
condition.
A. David knows that ONLY God can lead him there and he
knows there are some hidden things that are getting in the way.
1.
How many of you think there are some things getting in the way of experiencing
life as God meant for you to live? 2. How many know what those
barriers/obstacles are? How many would be willing to confess it as
sin?
3. I also know, from this prayer of David, that some of the
things that get in our way of living as God intended aren�t known to us or to
anyone.
So HE must reveal them and show us how to get on the way to real
living. Because they are behind window 4: hidden to you and everyone else.
4. Will you pray this prayer of David today?
B.
Hagar was comforted by the fact she had run into the God who saw her. She
found Him in one of the roughest spots of her life. That�s often when
we�re willing to get serious about the stuff that�s keeping us from the life God
intended for us.
C. My Bible tells me (Ps 34:15, 18). Hagar
qualified as crushed in spirit and brokenhearted. How righteous she was we
don�t know. But we know the Lord God came close to her. He provided
a son, a well, and a promise for her. Guess which was the most valuable to
her? God and His promises.
D. Let�s review. Abram was
promised he would be the father of many nations (15:5). God promised him
that he would see to it and see him through it. The way this would be done
would be a way that would be happy, healthy and holy.
1. When God
makes a promise to provide for us, He will enable us to fulfill it in a way that
is holy, happy and healthy. There�s no need to push the panic button and
try to get our needs met in unhealthy, unholy ways. God can do it in a way
that pleases us and Him.
2. But we get impatient. Our faith
starts to falter, and we force it in the flesh. That was the Hagar
solution. For that fleshly, sinful solution to their problem the whole
world is still paying in the conflict between the Jews and Arabs. Are you
still paying for sinful solutions you sought in your flesh?
3.
Abram and his wife thought God needed some help. So he slept with Sarai�s
slave girl to father a child (16:2-4a).
4. No problem. The
baby would be given to Abram and Sarai. Abram would have his heir, huge in
that culture. Also according to custom it was legal. But God never
said it was ok or His way. It was their plan, not His. It was
according to the flesh, not the Spirit.
5. Be careful if you�re
tempted to help God out to meet your needs working in the power of your flesh
instead of the power of the Spirit. We justify saying: "It�s legal, it�s
custom (everyone is doing it). Will you take your cues from the world or
God�s Word?
E. We don�t know how righteous Hagar was, but she
seemed to go more on God�s promises than her own plans, unlike Abram and Sarai
at this point in their lives.
F. Are you going on God�s promise or
are you making your own plans? When we go with our plans, sin will soon
block our path to real life.
G. Hagar is the one who drew comfort
from "the One who sees me (16:13).
H. Do you? Or does
that scare you? Wise men have always said that happy is the man who has
nothing to hide. The question: "What sin has plagued you this past
week? came up recently in one of our men�s accountability groups.
One brother confessed how bad he felt about a half truth, then went on to
confess what all of us could: he wasn�t smart enough to lie (you have to
remember too much). Too much pressure. That�s not real
living!
III. Happy is the man who always tells the truth.
Happy is the man who has nothing to hide, whose sins are all
confessed.
A. Plato, the great and wise philosopher, though not a
Christian, showed he had timeless wisdom, keen observation skills, and he knew
something of what real life was all about. He said: "Happy is the man who
has nothing to hide. B. Once an architect offered to build him a
house in which every room would be hidden from public view. He instead
told the architect: "I will pay you twice the money if you build me a house into
every room of which all men�s eyes can see. WOW! Why is that the
path to real life? Because hidden things blow up on youBOTH the ones we
KNOW about and the ones we DON�T know about.
C. God sees
both…ALL!. I want this to comfort us, not just convict us. If He
needs to convict us, fine, if that leads to confession and repentance, turning
away from what we�d like to hide.
1. One way this name for God
comforts us is when we acknowledge that He is the God who sees us and confess
any KNOWN sin. For the UNKNOWN ones we pray like David prayed (Ps.
139:23-24).
2. When�s the last time you really pled that prayer,
and believed He would show you the hidden things that were messing up your life
that you didn�t even know about? You know something isn�t right, but
you�re having a hard time putting your finger on just what it is.
D. I�m convinced the way this name for God can BOTH convict AND
comfort us is when we pray this prayer of David�s because we want the hidden
stuff out in the healing light of Christ, because we know it�s messing up our
lives. But we�re not sure of all the junk that�s buried inside us.
1. Sin keeps popping up that hurts us and others, and doesn�t make
sense, because we know it will hurt, and we know it�s really not delivering on
its promise (to be happy, to feel good). It doesn�t make sense we do the
things we do because we know will get found out.
2. EXAMPLE.
The newspaper continually talks about sting operations at BR Park, BUT men still
go there to do the things the police have advertised they�re watching for.
How much of a stronghold does that show? What a prison he is in before
he�s even arrested. The police advertise exactly where and when they will
be doing roadside checks for drunk driving, and people still drink and drive
right into those. Does that make sense?
3. Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle was not only the creator of Sherlock Holmes, he was a practical
joker. Once he played a cruel, though clever, practical joke by writing
unsigned telegram to 12 of the best-known men in England. The anonymous
message was the same, only 6 scary words: "All is discovered. Flee at
once." The story says, within 24 hours not one of those men could be
found. They became fugitives, not because of things others knew they had
done, but because of things THEY and God knew they had done.
4. It
reminds me of the penetrating words of (Proverbs 28:1): "The wicked man flees
though no one pursues." (I use to tease fellow joggers).
IV. Going
back to what ONLY God sees. If we pray the Ps 139:23-24 prayer, how does
God bring the hidden things to light? Sometimes he uses talented
COUNSELORS (lay and professional). Sometimes he does it through keeping a
JOURNAL. Those can be the little mirrors God uses to show us our blind
spots. I�m working to make this a habit, because so many saints have
testified to its power, including our founder, George Fox and his theological
comrade, John Woolman, and John Wesley, another of our spiritual heroes.
He journal led and encouraged all his ministers to do the same. He also
encouraged CONFESSION in SMALL GROUPS; complete openness and honesty with a
small group who loves you and who are committed to do the same. QUOTE
WESLEY A. There are some things ONLY the God who sees me can reveal to me
and show me the path to true life. Will you ask Him to reveal what has
been concealed and causing you and others a whole lot of pain. Don�t you
want it out so you can get on this pathway to real living David
wanted?