Fr Anthony Messeh - Faith In Action Part 4 I Believe In God, But I Don't Know Him

I don't even have a personal relationship with my wife is he really gonna be there for me when I need them yeah I've read the Bible parts of it I believe somewhat what the Bible says I still want to go out and have a good time just cuz I believe in Jesus doesn't mean I'm gonna stop sticking with my girlfriend yeah I'm a Christian I'm a Christian yeah I'm Christian but I don't want to be a freak about it I pray to God I'm really eager to get started here so we're okay we are at the conclusion of our outreach nights here in the final session and as we've been talking about the past couple yesterday and today we're asking some serious questions and we're trying to dig deep and I like very much would father be sure he said just before I came up here about the next step I gotta be honest with you I played a little trick on you guys okay I kind of set you up here for tonight for this last session because everything that I've been saying for the first three sessions last night I believe in God I don't fear God I believe in God but I don't go overboard I believe in God but I still trust in earthly things like money if you are honest and you are serious and you are examining yourself the answer to all three of those is those all exist inside you there's no one here today that can say without without any percent without any exception that I do not have areas in my life where I'm a practical atheist where I believe in God but I live as if he doesn't exist where I believe and I say I believe but if you ask the people who just followed if my life was on the real world was on a reality TV show and they didn't say that I was a Christian then it wasn't areas in my life people wouldn't say this person is nay theist he's not a Christian he's lazy not a Christian that the Bible talks about kind of a Christian I set you up but now tonight last session I want to bring you home our last topic is I believe in God but I don't know him and the truth of the matter is is that if you don't get this one right you'll never be able to fix the other ones because the real reason why we don't trust God while we're not on fire for God the real reason that we don't fear God where he's meant to be feared is because we don't know him the way we should know him what I want to talk about tonight is the conclusion is the summary is the answer to everything and if you don't get this one right you got no shot at trusting in God because if you don't know him you won't trust him if you don't know him you won't fear him if you don't know him you'll never be overboard for him Titus chapter 1 verse 16 they claim to know God but they're at but by their actions they deny him they are detestable disobedient and unfit for doing anything good would anyone say that about your life that's the question we've been talking about here would anyone look at your life and say they claim to know God but by their actions they deny him they are detestable I said no no I'm a good person none of their detestable the disobedient and they are unfit for doing anything good we're gonna solve that problem here tonight and the solution is to know God and to really know him deeply and intimately the concept of knowing God just like this little young man tells us it's a difficult concept to understand because when I say knowing God like the word know to know someone is like the word love it has different meanings or different people I love my dog I love my cat I love Michael Jordan I love my wife like I love my wife I love Michael Jordan like yeah I love them both but it's it's a different kind of love okay I love pizza you know like whatever knowing is the same way and knowing there's like degrees of knowing a person for example about 25 years ago I knew a young girl named Mary Ann and I knew young girl named Mary Ann from when we were just very kids very like very little kids and the reason why I mean Mary Ann's life is you don't know okay our lives have always been connected our dads went to college together in Egypt okay and they were like best friends in Egypt even though there's different it's night and day they both immigrated together to the States one in Washington one in Los Angeles they both ended up I'm sorry one in New Jersey one in Los Angeles they both ended up in Washington DC and they both had kids 13 days apart me Mary Ann families were always friends and I knew Mary Ann from 20 something years ago but clearly I know her much different today that I knew her back neck like my whole like me and Mary Ann like I said we grew up in the same church our families were friends together we went to the same grade school we went to rival Catholic high schools in the same town we went to the same university spent four years together the same University but the weird thing is even though we were together that whole time in the same place we were never friends in fact when four years of college or university we spoke maybe two times same church we never really knew each other even though we knew each other if you wonder why the reason why we didn't hang out and stuff like that well obviously I was with the popular kids of course I'm gonna make her regret not coming with me on this trip okay I'll make her regret that comes true the main reason I knew about Mary Ann from when I was younger especially when I was in those university years is through my mom because my mom was always annoying me and saying you should marry Mary Ann you should marry man you should marry I tell Mary entered this day that we've been married much sooner if it wasn't for my mom a lot of us know God like I used to know Mary and we hear about him from my mom she tells us he's a good guy we're not really interested we know God but it's nothing really personal there it's just someone that we hear about and then a day came along November 2nd in the year 2000 I had mercy on in my heart for this young not joke November 2nd 2000 first date with me and Marianne and at that point in time we began dating began to know each other at a much deeper level but clearly still different than I know her now a lot of us are that way with God we're like flirting with God dating God but we don't want anything exclusive no commitment we just kind of want to you know hang out every now and then and enjoy each other's company but we don't really want to like being an exclusive relationship where I have to stop doing certain things or hanging out with Sir I'm just testing the waters which is kind of dating God then me and Marianne eventually got married and when we got married we got to know each other in a much deeper and more intimate way on many different levels and after 10 years of marriage nine and a half years of marriage I can honestly say with all my heart that I know my wife better than she knows herself and I can call her today and from her hello I know how her day was how do you think I'm joking but I'm not I know my wife very deeply and very intimately like the barf thing last night okay like we held each other's barf okay so what could be closer than that and the thought listen I'll get you all the ladies in the room and the thought the greatest thing in my mind is the thought of knowing her more as we grow older together knowing her more deeply and intimately for the rest of our lives together thank you very much thank you very much thank you it'll hopefully make up for the earlier one okay where are you at with God in that spectrum where are you at with God you're like just you know about God because your mama told you about God you read some books about him you kind of see him every now and then or you began dating God and you want to see him every so often but it was still with limits maybe you're ready to get married to God or are you at the point where you can say like I'm saying like I hope you're saying to God I want to know you so deeply I want to know you so intimately I want to grow the rest of my life old with you and my greatest desire is every single day to know you more that's the desire of my heart that's my number one priority is to know you - no you - no you deeply intimately personally not just on a names but on a real Jeff that's where you want to get to tonight I want to break down this idea of knowing God some people three levels and again I need you to be honest cake because you can lie to yourself all day and all night and all those lies would you be telling yourself or gonna do you no good would you have to stand before your judge three levels be honest some people believe in God and don't know him that's what I've been talking about now the first thing that some people are gonna say is wait a minute isn't believing in God enough isn't it like the Bible talks about faith and and Andrew and believe and you'll be say or Never the Bible says listen the Bible says that believing in God is the first step but it is not the last step it is the beginning of your relationship with God and the beginning of your salvation story but it is not the last step like father Bishoy was just telling us it doesn't end with believing it begins with believing you know who believes in God the Bible says that demons believe in God and the demons at least believe in God and about the Bible says the demons fall down in front of God the demons tremble and shudder which is a lot more than a lot of us to in front of God don't tell me believing in God is enough a lot of us are Christians in name only like let's be honest we're Christians because our mama told us to be Christians we go to church because our parents make us feel guilty if we don't or we go to church because because we it's like what we do it's like we go to church then we go out to eat that's like what we do on Sundays and I never does anything much past that true knowledge of God is deeper than just believing true knowledge of God first John chapter 2 verse 3 and 4 now by this we know that we know him by this we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments he who says I know him and does not keep his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him the key to knowing your your knowledge of God is in obedience and the Bible says very clearly how many of you say you believe in God but your actions say otherwise the Bible says about you you're a liar I'm not saying it the Bible's saying it you say you believe but your actions say different you're a liar you know what I'll tell you something it's sad that some people don't know God that's sad but you know what's tragic if you don't know God it's sad that some people don't know God it's tragic if you don't know God you know what think about this if you hear a boy in Africa the middle of nowhere dies of starvation that's sad that's sad but you know be much more sad if a boy in America Canada lives in a house full of food with a rich father and that boy dies of starvation that's tragic agree that's you some people don't know God some people don't know God some people are in places where they don't have access to people to teach them about God some people don't have the means by which they can learn about God some people don't have the free sermons the free books outside and some people don't come to the outreach nights but you you've been given everything you're here you know you grew up in the church or you were in a place where someone cared about you enough and loved you enough to tell you about God that's why you're here and if you don't know God it's tragic I'm gonna give you a scary verse okay this verse I hate this verse this is the verse in the Bible that I hate the most and I always try to skip it else which is like a bypass around this verse it's in Matthew chapter 7 the Sermon on the Mount Lord Jesus Christ Sermon on the mountain most important passage in Christianity is Sermon on the Mount how does the Sermon on the Mount end after giving all those beautiful teachings he says the following says not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father in heaven many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and done many wonders wonders in your name what the Bible to say what Jesus is saying right here is is just believing in me I believe I believe I believe I believe I believe I believe look I prophesied in your name I cast out demons you know what - how you translate that modern I believe I believe I went to church every Sunday on air I taught Sunday School whoa look at me I went and when it was Christmas and the little guy was ringing the bell outside of the grocery store I put a little nickel in oh no no no you know me I believe look oh look at my life verse 23 I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness he didn't say depart from me you don't believe in me I know you believe I'm not asking you if you believe I'm asking you know me Jesus is saying it's time to get past the level of yeah I heard about you my momma told me about you it's time to get personal and into me I want you to know me it's scary to admit but some of us got we've got to be honest okay we got to be honest because the first step to fixing the problem is admitting there's a problem and someone's gotta be honest here tonight and say I believe but I don't know God I don't know God be honest admit it and I promise you this listen to me carefully if this is you look at me in the eyes I promise you if this is you God can change your life tonight I promise you I've been praying about it all day I promise you if this is you admit it be honest and I promise you God could change it like tonight and just stay tuned and we'll get to that but you gotta admit it second level some people say I believe and I kind of sort of know him but I don't really know him well I kind of sort of know him better know him well it was funny that our wonderful MCS here mentioned the Chicago Bulls mr. Michael Jordan I'd like to speak about mr. Michael Jordan here for a few minutes if you don't mind okay for those you don't know Michael Jordan greatest basketball player ever yes thank you very much six championship rings with the Bulls two three piece 91 92 93 96 97 98 five League MVPs highest scoring average in history of basketball thirty point one two points eat your heart out LeBron James you stink I'm what you would call a sired a kind of little Michael Jordan van my name used to be Michael before I was a priest y'all remember she how old you I remember the Gatorade commercials want to be like Mike that was like my theme song okay like I entered the gym with that song mainly singing it to myself I mean it doesn't matter I'm a big Michael Jordan fan well spring in 2004 Michael Jordan had retired from basketball and I was at a basketball game at the University of Maryland was a high school all-american game and the rumor was Michael Jordan's gonna be there it was the game where we were actually going to meet Dwight Howard I got a chance to meet Dwight Howard before he had gone to the pros I wanted to meet him cuz we heard he was Christian guy and stuff anyway Mike the turns gonna be at the game I'm like I'm not a weirdo but like like as Michael George rumored as Michael Jordan's gonna be this so we're there and we're checking out the game and then all of a sudden is a lot of commotion up there you know up in those expensive box seats and all of a sudden see MJ's there I'm telling about lost my mind I say a short prayer and then I say you know what this isn't this is like my one shining moment this is like my moment in glory I'm going for it I'm gonna meet Michael Jordan and I didn't just go have pass away I had a plan look at the way I'm dressed there's got to be some benefit to being dressed like this I'm a little golf there I'm gonna look like a weirdo imma catch his attention I don't have a go meet Michael George I go I go and we bought into finding where the place is and you could tell cuz we're walking the hallway around his area all the bodyguards outside it so of course we tried to pretend like we're smooth try to tell agree walk I don't know how they like recognized me and like I didn't slip in so we come around the front where the seats are alright and there is like I don't know how many people out there like Pete everyone who sees him is like and he is like a rock like he is not even like flinching everyone is trying to get his attention and he will not budge he's looking watching the game talking his boys in the suite but again I got a plan what's my plan how am I gonna stick out funny outfit so me and my brother cheer story me and my brother we get out there okay we see him and I try to like kinda like nudge the other guy out the way and you know like you know like and then I see him okay and I'm like okay right now I know he can see me okay I'm just like this and I stick out like a sore thumb and then what's this you're not gonna believe this makes eye contact and he gives me a so I give him a and then it gets better and then he kind of doesn't one of these like like that's something so like I feel like I can go for it so I walk up to the suite I shake his hand I sit down next to him we have a three-minute conversation the best three minutes of my life and you know what would have made the story even more remarkable and more amazing if it was actually true it's true that I was at the game he was at the game and that I scream like a crazy person in front of him but one thing I did learn about mr. Michael Jordan that day is even with the funny outfit he didn't flinch but let's assume for a second that I had actually spoken him had I actually spoken to him I would have gone from knowing about him to like knowing him kinda sorta knowing about him but if I had like a three minute conversation with him and you know maybe he just shared something about you know 97 the flu game we had the 33 points we had the stomach virus what was like play against the bad boys that he pushed off in Russell and get in game 698 anything like that okay I had a kind of sort of known him but not really known him a lot of us are that way with God we went to a retreat we heard a sermon we like really like had a near-death experience and we like repented and at that moment in time we like prayed we like confess we repented we said whatever we made promises and we kind of sorted had some time with God there was quality but then nothing much came after that yeah I remember that time where yeah and we had an experience with you with God and we have been like informed about God but not transformed by God we kind of sorta know him but not enough when he's like leading my life he's like the driver of my life he's just like oh yeah I can always refer back to oh yeah whoo that day I met God that day that I repent whoof oh yeah we met him but he didn't change us we didn't give him a chance to change us in the book of Galatians in the Bible st. Paul is speaking to a group of people who used to be in in like a very legalistic lifestyle legalistic ways then they met Christ but unfortunately they didn't get to the point of knowing him enough to transform their legalistic ways he started to go back to some of their legalistic ways the Bible says in Galatians chapter 4 verse 8 and 9 but then indeed when you did not know God you serve those by nature which are not gods but now after you have known God or rather are known by God how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage I understand that you used to live this lifestyle before you knew God but then you let God you had that experience how is it that you turning back to those weak and beggarly elements why because you met but you didn't continue you met you learned a little bit more about him but you still can't say that you know him deeply and intimately plug yourself in here you met God but you returned again to those choices those habits those relationships those lifestyle decisions how because you didn't know you knew him but you don't know him you know him but you don't know him deeply and intimately in person again grade yourself judge yourself is this you that you met him and you can refer back to experience and third grade and in the summer camp of third grade or you know him judge yourself I want us to get to the third level where I know him intimately and I seek him whole heartedly and this is my prayer for you today that you would know God so deeply and intimately that I would change your life that you would seek Him wholeheartedly with all that you got and all your passion and just like my man was saying up here about a hockey and you would take that same passion they use it hockey and I use it football and that same passion some you use it your work that same passion that you may use about your wife or your husband that same passion and you unleash that passion on God and you seek him with all your heart and you serve Him wholeheartedly and I know it sounds like I'm being a fanatic and I'm being a weirdo but man when you chaste and you see you got no choice how how to seek God wholeheartedly what does that mean like practically what does this mean well first thing let me tell you I'll tell you two things number one this is what I tell you is that when it comes to seeking God we have this misconception seeking God has two components desire and technique desired and Technic desire is 90% of it technique is only 10 we do the opposite we focus 90% of the technique well I needed you to see God to read this or to read that don't go here to go there do I say this let's say that what do I do to seek God time go - which book do I read during this give me the desire and make the desire good and the technique is easy Technic do whatever you want I don't care what you do open your Bible read whatever open a book read whatever close your eyes say whatever give me the desire and God will take care of the technique the technique isn't that important whether you attend part 1 in this series or part 4 in this series or you're attending next year that that doesn't matter what matters is the desire of your heart you give God desired and you'll figure it out it's not rocket science people have been seeking God their entire history it's not rocket science where you need a degree or you need the 7 easy steps - it's fine God it's not like that gave him passion you'll find him Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13 says that says you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart you will find me when you search for me with all your heart and the reason why a lot of us are embittered towards seeking God and we think it doesn't work it's as we go half-hearted at it hey I went to church it didn't work seed hey I read this book didn't change my life you don't know what he's talking about why is that I can stand up here and babble and say a whole bunch of words and someone could come up to me and say you changed my life and someone could say what's your name again because someone inside their heart is seeking out anytime someone comin up says find anything you're the best you gave the back it's not I'm the best it's you're the best it's you're the best is that you have good soil seek with all your heart don't worry about the technique again I know that's intangible so let me explain to you what that means for me seeking God wholeheartedly for those who are at the retreat this past weekend Saturday or Sunday Monday okay the theme of that retreat was the invisible hand of God and what God's been working my life recently is this invisible hand of God what I mean by that is to me seeking God wholeheartedly is understanding that God is in my every single second of every single day and even though I may not see him he is there and God is not just there like you know chilling out and the shotgun like falling asleep and I don't wake him up so he got fixed this god is like driving God is like orchestrating events God is orchestrating stuff and because my spirit is connected to his spirit and because his Spirit dwells inside mine is connected that he has speaking to me throughout the day and he is guiding me throughout my day in ways that I don't even recognize and the goal of my day now to seek Him wholeheartedly like I say that the retreat is finding the finger prints is to find the finger prints of God not just look at that circumstance and say oh that was just rain I don't believe nothing random that wasn't random then maybe God was trying to give me a message and when this person speaks me I believe God speaks through people even the Bible says in number 72 God even spoke through a donkey one time so anytime someone comes up to me and is even I'm saying God can speak to a donkey you're like a donkey maybe God speak to you as well what I'm trying to say is I'm not reaching out to God throughout my day I feel like I'm connected to God and I'm trying to see God and hear God and I'm seeking Him in everything that happens that's what it means to me to seek God wholeheartedly not half-heartedly what this means to me it's like me and God are married and like every decision every word every everything like we're doing life together how about that we're doing life together I'm not on my own he's not up in there and I'm doc we are together on a minute-by-minute second-by-second basis King David talks about seeking God wholeheartedly and he says the following in Psalm 63 god you are my god earnestly I seek you I love how he starts that god you are my god you are not someone else's God you are not God of the Bible man you are my god earnestly I seek you my soul thirsts for you my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water I yearn for you God you are my god you are not somebody else's God I did not just hear about you I don't want to just date you you are mine and my heart aches for you so much so that I've seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory I've seen you I've tasted of you I know how great you are God I'm in all you God because your love is better than life my lips will glorify you oh my goodness your love God my life today your love is better than living today your love God is better than being alive today because of that I can't stop praising I'll praise you as long as I live in your name I will lift up my hands God I know who you are I have seen you and I want you more than anything else and I will seek you every single second of the day God I want you to realize that I know tonight I'm saying like big stuff okay and you may say like like that's impossible that's not practical do me a favor let's do this let's not be practical for the next few minutes let's be impractical and let's be impossible thinking and let's dream of the impossible yeah we can't live our whole life unpractical but let's for a few minutes not limit God towards practical let's not say god I can't do this because I've never done it let's give God a chance to say maybe you can grow and maybe I can change you and maybe I can show you stuff you never seen before maybe you can live like you never lived before Givens got a chance we'll deal with the practical like we'll deal with that later but for now let's be in front let's just like the King David Lord I want to seek you and everything I love you my heart aches for you give you another thing King David said Psalm chapter 9 verse 10 so those who know your name will trust in you for you lord have never forsaken those who seek me ask you a question how well do you know God I can answer the question for you how well you know God by asking you do you know his name how well you know God lies in the name that you call him because the name that you call a person reveals the level of intimacy and depth in your relationship for example let's say I'm at home and there's a salesman who calls my house she's my first name she's my last name on his the list and he because he doesn't know me at all will call up and say hello this is you know Joe Schmo from you know whatever Bank I like to speak to mr. Messer please and because I don't want to talk to him I'll say up sorry mr. mess is not here he didn't say father haha there's no mr. Mazzy there's a father but I didn't know mr. so I hang up on the guy why he called me mr. kiddin owe me the name he calls me shows the level of intimacy in our relation you know me a mr. messed up leads someone who may know me a little bit better may call and say hello is father Anthony there that person clearly knows me a little bit better but he's still not the level of intimacy as if my wife called and the name that she called me which I'm not gonna tell you what she calls me but I will tell you about two short little people who live in my house who call me daddy they don't ever say it's father Anthony they're running my lap and they call me daddy because we're close we're into me we know each other well we like have that level of knowledge of one another remember when Christ asked the disciples who do you say that I am who do you say that he is what do you call um dear um holy thou um big guy in the sky some of you when you pray you call him healer because you've experienced his healing touch in your life some of you call him comfort her as he comforts you some of you know him as my rock my fortress who's your God do you know him as comforter do you know him as he look you know him as rock and forged and defender you know him as the horn of my salvation I know that you know him as God cuz you wouldn't be here I know you believe in him as God and I know that you know him as Savior do you know him as Lord do you know him has daddy I know some women who have no husband who know God is their husband and they pray say God you're my husband I know kids who have no father say god you're my father you're my best friend how well do you know him Bible says those who know your name will trust in you those who know your name will trust in you if you believe but you don't trust it's cuz you don't know if you believe but you don't fear it's because you don't know if you believe but you were scared to go overboard is because you don't know him and what you do know him everything changes I'm done I'm done my talks are done my speech is done I'm done I just want to tell you like like if I could pull it out of my heart right now and give it to you I know what it's like to be a practical atheist I know what it's like to believe but not really believe I shared with you last night some of the stuff that God had put me through there's a point in time my life I shared this also at the retreat where God had told me like where God had told me that I know that you say many prayers in life but I'm not sure if you ever prayed I know that you take communion all the time but I'm not really convinced that you ever had communion with me it is the scariest feeling in the world to believe but not know God and I don't want anyone to have that feel Psalm 34 verse 8 what do I need to do practically well I told you I'm not gonna be practical well you need to do is this taste and see taste and see taste and see that the Lord is good that's what you need to do how man close your eyes and open your heart man pour yourself before God break yourself before God say God I want everyone close your eyes right now everyone close your eyes everyone close your eyes and say inside your heart god I want to taste you God I don't want to be a practical atheist God I want to trust in you with all my heart God I want to seek you wholeheartedly God you are the only thing that has any value everything else in this world Lord shrivels up and burns up Lord you're the only thing that has value Lord you brought each and every single one of us here tonight Lord because you want to know us and you want us to know you not on the surface not not not like because her mom's told us about you but like really know you Lord and I'm praying Lord all my heart she would please take me deeper into the knowledge of you I want to have intimacy with you Lord and I want to know you when I pray Lord you touch each and every single heart that's saying the same thing every heart that's crying to you now Lord saying please Lord I want to know you I want to reach you afraid this is my prayer for you it comes from Ephesians chapter one says that the god of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him but the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his powered towards us who believe 90% of knowing God is desired and I pray and no one leaves here tonight without that desire glory be to God forever

Channel: mauricecyril

Views: 14,317

Rating: 4.8347106 out of 5

Keywords: Fr Anthony Messeh, SMSV, Faith in Action, Coptic Orthodox Church, Practical Christianity

Id: Nis-KG2935k

Length: 42min 16sec (2536 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 02 2011