Experiencing God Part 1: Introduction
Recap
1. Accurate self awareness
2. Life = Message
3. Fear of man
a. Know how you struggle with it so you can kill it
4. Fear of God
a. What it is. How you grow in it, or learn it.
5. You can’t properly fear what you don’t know
6. You’ve got to know God and yourself accurately, in order to fear Him properly
Intro
1. So we’re going to talk extensively about how to know and experience God
a. Information AND Experience
b. It has to be both, or your “knowing” will be out of balance
2. I’m gonna tell you how to know and experience God
3. 4 things you’ve got to know before we start this series
a. It will require your body
b. It will require doing
c. It will require intensity
d. It will require discipline
It Will Require Your Body
1. The things we will talk about in coming weeks will have great spiritual ramifications
2. But what you will be doing will be primarily physical
3. When we talk about God’s kingdom and our kingdom
a. This is all stuff in our kingdom
4. We are, within limits, able to command it to do things that will transform our habits
5. And if we can transform a few of our physical habits, it will actually transform us spiritually
It Will Require Doing
1. James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves
2. I will tell you everything you need to do to know and experience God
a. But you have to do it, or it won’t matter
b. You will not experience God by listening to me tell you how to experience God
It Will Require Intensity
1. Intensity is crucial for any significant progress
2. To half-heartedly engage with the things that deepen your relationship with God will likely have a
half-hearted effect
3. The depth of your relationship with God is directly proportionate to your investment in it
a. If you don’t “feel” close to God, it’s not because He’s hiding from you, it’s usually the other way
around
It Will Require Discipline
1.
2.
3.
4.
1 Timothy 4:7 …exercise yourself toward godliness
Anyone who’s ever played an instrument, played a sport, had homework…can relate to this
You must have discipline to improve whatever the thing is
Dallas Willard – “a discipline is any activity within our power that we engage in to enable us to do
what we cannot do by direct effort”
5. Practice can be a discipline
a. Singing, playing a musical instrument, sports
6. But not all discipline is practice
a. Sleep and rest are disciplines
b. But you are likely not practicing resting, but resting to prepare for something unrelated to
resting
Close
1. The things we will talk about are not related to your salvation
a. You are not earning salvation
b. They are also not a set of rules
c. They are not legalistic
i. And actually, if you do these things, they will help you not be legalistic (because we all
struggle with that)
2. These things will cultivate and environment around you that promotes relationship
3. Body. Doing. Intensity. Discipline.