"How to Have A Big God"

Hi there this is Lon Solomon and not like to thank you for joining us today. You know, God has blessed us and allowed us to be on hundreds of stations around the nation, declaring the uncompromising truth of his work, wonderful privilege and honor it is to do that. I want to thank you for your generosity because only with your help. Are we able to stay on these stations and hopefully go on more stations with enough giving by our partners and our friends. So go to Lon Solomon ministries.com and everything there. You need to know is on that website and now let's get to the word of God now wearing the life of the apostle Paul was just finishing up his first missionary journey and what I want to show you today is that Paul's entire first missionary journey was predicated on the fact that the apostle Paul had a big view of God. He had an enlarged concept of God and that's what lay at the heart of the whole first missionary journey. Once we finished doing that then it will going to come want to talk about your life and my life and how you and I can have a big view of God to so that's our plan. Let's dig in here in acts chapter 13.

Remember, as we pick up the story. Here the apostle Paul was serving as the associate pastor of the church in Antioch in Syria. Everything was going great. He was happy as happy could be when God suddenly interjected himself into Paul's very comfortable little life and said this verse to.

He said, set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called.

He said hey Paul I got a special job.

I want you to go do for me. It involves you stepping out by faith. It involves you moving outside your comfort zone.

It involves your taking a risk. At my request. We do it now. What was this risk that God was asking the apostle Paul to take well the Lord was asking Paul to set off into totally unknown territory without anything but the clothes on his back. Without any means of visible support without any advance itinerary is the worry was going without any bodyguards without any security people to leave that little tiny speck call the Middle East and to invade the massive Roman empire with the message of Jesus Christ infected showing a map to give you an idea how massive the Roman Empire really was. Here's where Paul was stationed right over here in Antioch in Syria, and all that you see colored here represents the Roman Empire at the time of the apostle Paul. It was a massive lot size empire. It was a colossal Empire and God asked the apostle Paul to invade this empire with a message that was guaranteed to make every body mad. Everywhere he went and this was his job.

Is that when a lot of everything you say is true, why in the world with the apostle Paul had ever accepted an assignment like this. I mean this assignment likely to sound like Gilligan taken on the U.S. Navy in the SS minnow. I mean why would anybody do that for the answer paren is that the apostle Paul agreed to accept this assignment because he understood the size the majesty the power and the awesomeness of God. Paul understood that one plus God is a majority.

Paul understood that what Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel four was right all the peoples of the earth, including the Roman Empire are inconsequential when compared to God.

God does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and with the peoples of the earth and nobody, not even Caesar himself can hold back God's hand. Focus bars human logic was concerned, the apostle Paul was hopelessly outnumbered but actually the exact opposite was the truth. Caesar and the Roman Empire were the ones that were outnumbered and it and it was because of what the apostle Paul did that God was able to demonstrate that the whole world to see, because what the apostle Paul did Christianity spread through the Roman Empire like wildfire because of what the apostle Paul did tens of thousands of people gave their life to Christ in the Roman Empire because what the apostle Paul, the churches sprang up all over the Roman world and because of the process of the apostle Paul put in motion a century and 1/2 later to Emperor Constantine himself, the Roman Emperor would come to Christ and the history of the entire world would radically shift all because one man one man was willing to step out in faith and take risk for God. Why because his view of God was big enough that he could handle this on now that's the end of our passage for the day because we have a really important question we need and I know everybody knows the question.

So let's honor the question with our best effort here, here we go ready 123 that was good is Alonso. What I mean, I think Paul's great guy and I really like what he did not really respecting but I'm not Paul. I could never do something like this. I mean he was a special guy, please don't you even kid yourself like that. There was nothing special about Paul. Hemoglobin just like you. He had a blood type just like you. His organs work just like your organs work. There was nothing special about him except his view of God. That was the only thing special about this guy, and it's a view of God, the God wants you and me to have in the 21st century. A big view of God. That's what was special about Paul.

You and I can have that to talk about how you know several years ago I should know why the trips to Israel every year, sometimes couple times a year and a number of years ago.

The guy who runs my tours over there for me organizes all suggested we all go to a new place I've never been before. It was called Mensa Christie which in Latin means.

The table of the Lord. It's a little Franciscan monastery in church right down on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It commemorates John chapter 21 where Jesus met with Peter after he come back fishing and they have breakfast together and he says, feed my lamb feed my sheep. So we went there. That's a serene it's a beautiful little place and as I was walking down the sidewalk and we were walking in. There were two stone wall on either side it in the stone wall was this really dull brown placket was mortared in the wall and I stopped reading in this plaque change my life because here's what was written on the deeds and miracles of Jesus are not actions of the past, Jesus is waiting for those who are still prepared to take risks at his word, because they trust his power utterly. I'm telling you that quote blew me away.

The people in the 21st century that God is looking for our people who are willing to see obstacles or willing to see problems through the lens of God's unlimited power and through the lens of God's boundless authority. This is what God is looking for in you and in many people who have a big view of God to the point that like Paul Bill step out and accept an assignment that even looks crazy to the world, but they trust the power of God utterly paid was because Daniel had a big view of God that he could go into the lines. That is because his three friends at a big view of God.

They went in the fiery furnace because Ruth had a big view of God that she was willing to follow her mother-in-law to a strange land is because David had a big view of God that he went out there and face Goliath listen what he said. He said Goliath you come against me with a sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, whom you have defined and this day the Lord is going to hand you over to me and I'm gonna strike you down and I'm going to cut your head off on so that all the world will know that there is a God in Israel is a man was he a courageous young man. Courage had nothing to do with what about courage.

This was about a person's view of God. David's view of God was so big that Goliath even though it was 9 1/2 feet tall look like a midget and that was the basis on which David went out they are not his personal courage, but his view of God and if you look in the New Testament, you'll find that Jesus spent three years trying to teach the disciples.

One lesson and that lesson was the size of the power and the awesomeness of God because he knew that the most important training he could ever give these future leaders of Christendom was to train them to have a big view of God and folks, if that's what Jesus felt they needed and that's certainly what we need in the 21st century so it leads us to the million-dollar question. How long and how can I get a big view of God like this. How can I enlarge how can I expand my understanding of who God is.

How can I increase my concept of the power of God, willing to give you for suggestions that will help. Let me just say before I give them to you that we need to remind ourselves that this is a spiritual endeavor.

This is a supernatural endeavor.

Only the Holy Spirit can open our hearts and open our minds and help us really understand who God is. So when we can do all the natural things in the world we want, we can't make this happen.

God has to do this for us, but the four steps I'm going to give you are four things that will speed the process up for things that will accelerate and facilitate the spirit of God doing this in our lives. Okay, so what are the number one number one if you want a bigger view of God saturate your life with the word of God.

These have a lot already read my Bible and my Bible reading is not expanding my view of God, the way you're talking about. Well friend may be reading your Bible role so we talk back and read by the wrong book which you can read the Bible role. Jesus said, Luke 24 he said, and beginning with Moses and all the prophets. The Bible says that means going all the way back to Genesis chapter 1 and going all the way through the Old Testament. Look what it says here Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures about theology. No doctrine, no prophecy, no Christian life, truth, no what was said in the Scriptures about himself see friends. Every piece of history in the Bible every piece of doctrine in the Bible every piece of church teaching in the Bible every piece of prophecy in the Bible every piece of Christian life truth in the Bible. Every miracle Jesus did every word he spoke every action he's talk is all aimed at one thing and that is revealing to us who God is revealing to us the power of God because the attributes of God, the person of God how God ticks the way God thinks why God does what God does in the correct way to read the Bible is on every single page to say to ourselves now what does this passage teach me about God is nothing wrong with theology.

There's nothing wrong with church.

Truth is nothing wrong with Christian life truth, but that is not the highest reason why God wrote the Bible is not why he picked the passages he needed to be in there every single page is meant to teach us something about God himself. And when we asked that question that's the right way to read the Bible we asked that question about every page we read.

That's when God will reveal himself enhance our understanding of who we is and expand our conception of his great read the Bible correctly saturate ourselves with it and let God show us who we number two is we, if we want a bigger view of God number two. We can pray for a bigger view of God. We can pray for God to give this to you see many of us when we come to God in prayer as followers of Christ we are so consumed so caught up with all of our problems that we never get beyond all our problems so to really doing prayer what is the highest purpose of prayer and that is to create a link where we get to know God better things a lot is anything wrong with praying about our problems will anything wrong with praying about other things were dealing with life. Of course not. I'm just saying that's not the highest per purpose for prayer and some of us get so bogged down there.

We never get to the highest purpose for prayer. Listen to what David prayed Psalm 25 he said Lord, show me your way teach me your path. Let me see who you really are God, Moses Exodus 33 Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. I want to know who you are. Moses didn't come to God and the first thing out of his mouth was God what to do about all these legit Israelites down there to build all these golden things and they all want to go back to Egypt and do it all the people are murmuring and complaining and grumbling to make my life and what he said. He said Lord I want to know you. That's the first reason that I'm here to meet with you not, problems but you and frankly friends, God was honored by these requests, God, God did with these guys asked for anything.

David knew enough about God that he could write the 23rd Psalm was because he prayed the 25th all and said God show me who you are, God did any wrote the 23rd Psalm because God showed him who God was and listen you want to know God bigger and better than you know God now. My advice to you is asking asking. Make it your number one priority in prayer not to talk to God about your problems, but to let God really reveal who he is to you is that will on how does God do that.

What the mechanism God uses to do that. I don't have the slightest idea and what difference does it make anyway. I don't care what the mechanism is okay.

Here's how God does it. As long as God doesn't. That's all we care about right and he will now take a break here for just a minute and say if you're here and you've never trusted Christ as your real and personal Savior that there's a wonderful message here for you. You see, when we come to Christ. There's a lot more benefits than just having our wrongdoings forgiven and get to go to heaven. One of those wonderful benefits is that God himself invites us to come into a personal relationship or personal intimacy where he's happy to show us and teach us who he really is to let us get to know the living God of the universe. You know if the president United States invited us down to the White House invited us impersonally to medium wanted to shake our hand, we'd all be so nervous when he stated, are going home home, we would know would save man and then if he said was you know every Wednesday what I'd love to do. Can we have lunch every Wednesday you and the I love you to get to know me. I'd like to get to know you like to really show you who I am and how I really think you let you become my friend we be so excited. We rush out of it we go call every friend we got Cody what does happen we call our enemies, we can call our mother and say do you know what just happened while friends living God of the universe.

When we come to Christ is inviting us to meet with him, not just every Wednesday to meet with him every moment of every day and let him show us who he is. I mean, had been getting better not go call your father and tell your mother that God just invited you in the back, special relationship and it's all waiting for you right on the other side of the decision to accept Jesus Christ you want to know God friend.

He's happy to let you know who is.

But you gotta do it. Through Jesus Christ. Think about pinnacle on number three got two more to go. How we going to get to know God better and appreciate God better.

Number three.

Read the biographies of the great men and women of God.

Down through history, you know, it's very interesting. The first thing God said to Moses from the burning bush. Remember that he didn't say to Moses first thing out of his mouth was not Moses. I want you to go SWAC you will Brenner that is not the first thing he said the first thing he said was I am the God of your fathers on the God of Abraham, I am the God of Isaac, I am the God of Jacob. Now why would that be the very first thing he says to Moses well because friends he wanted Moses to understand that the very same God who brought who preserved Abraham through to uncharted territory. The very same God who gave Abraham and Sarah their miracles on the very same God who sent down fire from heaven to search was destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The very same God who protected Isaac and preserve Jacob and brought Joseph out of jail to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. That same God was the God was going to walk with Moses and you see when we become students of what God is done in the past. It charges us up for what God can do in the present as we look at what God is done for these great men and women of God of the past and then we hear God say to what you know what, I'm the very same God. You've got the very same God that they had and if I can do that for them. Guess what, I can still do it for you as followers of Christ. We owe it to ourselves to read the biographies of Hudson Taylor and William Carey of George Whitfield and John Wesley of George Mueller and Mother Teresa not allowing Judson and Fanny Crosby and Dwight L. Moody, you salon everyone heard of some of these people will love. That's part of the issue here. Not only should we know these people's names, we ought to know what God did for them, the way God revealed his power through these people because you and I have the very same God. They have anything to do it for them. He can do it for us. We got all these books in our bookstore you go down there and get some of these and make yourself a student of what God did in the lives of these people forth and finally we really want to see God revealed to us and show us how large he is working. Finally, we need to give God the chance to demonstrate his greatness to us in our everyday experience. You and Armin can drill an army can practice an army can train all at once, but an army never knows how great it is to those in the combat till it's proven in combat and friends we can read the Bible, we can with what we can pray we can read about all the great things God did for these wonderful other people in the past, but we will never really gain an understanding of the greatness of God until we tested in our own everyday experience and every time you and are willing to step out in faith every time were willing to take a little bit of risk every time are willing to trust God for something and every time God comes through, and God does what we asked for it, even beyond what we asked for. That's another little brick in the wall of building a big view of God building a big view of God is a process a lot is born like this is built one brick at a time and those bricks come from allowing God in our everyday experience to show us. We gotta given the chance to do that friends the problem. We don't see enough of that is simply because we don't give God a chance were so worried about protecting God for maybe not being able to be up to what we ask you to do you. Please advise.

Don't you worry about protecting God's got plenty big enough to protect himself. He don't need you to run interference for him.

What God needs is for you and me to have enough confidence in him. That will give them the opportunity to show that's what he needs and maybe you're not ready.

Your view of God isn't big enough right now that you can trust God (okay fine but is your view of God big enough that maybe you could trust in defiance of lost keys, or that you could trust him to find lost sneakers for your kids, or that you could trust him to open up an opportunity to share Christ with somebody at your school or somebody at work for the two could on a trusting that is big enough to help you find that new job or help you find that house that you need. What about parking spaces. Can you trust in these big enough to give your parking space. Is that what are you not talk about hey, I never going to wash it without praying for parking space went on with the family. We stop the whole family prays for parking space so you must be crazy. I'm not crazy. I got a God who owns every single parking space in Washington DC and all I've got to do with estimating clear any space for me and you would not believe some of the parking spaces we find in Washington DC. He said why God then do that for me have your asking your asking Jeff open your mouth wide so we could fill it. I mean God can fill them out. The shot got open it getting the chance and when you do, God will show you how great he is.

Trust me, and your conception of God will start to grow one brick at a time. If you just give him a chance but summarize God wants you to be like the apostle Paul he want you and me to be like Caleb and Moses and Abraham and Daniel and Ruth and Elijah. These people were nothing special except that they had a special understanding of the power of God and God wants you and me to have the same thing he wants us to see the obstacles of life through the unlimited power and the boundless authority of God.

How do we get there while the spirit of God's gotta do it. But here for things we can do to help. Number one, we can read and saturate our lives with the word of God and read it properly.

Looking for God on every page number two.

We can ask God in prayer to expand our understanding of who we is third, we can become students of the great men and women of God in the past and let God say to us on the same God who did it for them in number four and finally we can give God a chance in our everyday experience to demonstrate his power, we can open mouth.

Why so he can fill it and friends remember God is looking for people today who are still willing like Paul to step out and take risk at his word, because they trust his power utterly that's working to try to do in your life when you leave here after attending McLean Bible Church six months six years or 60 years, we don't care. I want you to walk away and say will one thing that church did for me.

Men that church taught me how to have a big God. If we do that we have hit the ball out of the park spring for Jesus. Thanks for talking to us today about write down where we live and Lord remind us that you are still looking for apostle Paul's you are still looking for men and women who are willing to step out and take risk at your word because they know how big you are.

They understand the power of God.

Lord expand our view of God enlarge our concept of God as we follow the little simple steps.

God made the spirit of God take us and give us such a concept of God that a matter what he ever asked us to do. We will be willing to do it because we trust his power utterly change our lives because we were here today.

Lord, we pray in Jesus name amen need to say 11 Dr. Lon Solomon said land is an outrage in the Milan found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our website. Lon Solomon ministries.org. Thank you for your support. If you would like to contact us, please visit our website or call us at 866788777 we had people join us next time in line to answer one of life must end