May 25, 2014 "When You Can't Find God" Pastor Howard-John Wesley

[Music] though we live long enough and try to know things to know that there's nothing like you the hymn writer was so right when he said there's not a friend like the lowly Jesus no one understands us like you no one loves us like you no one cares for us like you do I thank you that you care enough not only to have given us the gift of our Lord and our Savior and the gift of your spirit but God you give us the gift of your Holy Word the lamp unto our feet the light unto our path our GPS to guide us to your destiny for our who you've created and shaped us to be pray now God that as we go into your word you would touch my head in my heart used my mind and my mouth allowed there to be no gap between your will in my words speak Lord for your servants are listening in the name of our Jesus and our Christ we do pray amen amen I invite you as you would to share with me in a reading from the book of Job and the Old Testament right before the Book of Psalms you'll find job and we navigate ourselves to the 23rd chapter of the book of Job as you're turning there allow me just to recognize and thank God as as Rhonda lettuce and our praise and worship her mother and her first pastor and his wife right here pastor Williams who welcome you to Alpha Street on today thank Lord our God for you being with us that's where she learned the Word of God with him she's so funny she said this was my first pastor I say yeah but I'm your pastor now praise the Lord praises name job chapter 23 as we seek to hear what God would say to us on today the 23rd chapter job if you're physically able we ask that you join us as we stand to reference the reading of God's Word those who are able job chapter 23 reading the first 10 verses out of the New King James Version of God's Holy Word prayerfully you can keep along with every version God has presented with you on this morning job chapter 23 beginning verse number 1 then job answered and said even today my complaint is bitter my hand is listless because of my groaning oh that I knew where I might find him that I might come to his seat I would present my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say to me would he contend with me and his great power no but he would take note of me there the upright could reason with him and I would be delivered for ever from my judge look I go forward but he is not there and backward I cannot perceive him when he works on the left hand I cannot behold him when he turns to the right hand I can't even see him but he knows the way that I take and when he has tested me I shall come forth as gold stay for the time that is ours I want to talk and teach from the subject when you can't find God he may be seated in the presence of our Lord I want you for just a moment to use the gift of imagination and memory that God has given you I want you to rewind the pages and years of your life back to that stage in place when you were a child I would just roll back in your mind's eye to that precious time in life when you were young and tender no matter how long it takes you to get there and how many chapters you got to rewind what you to go back in time to that place in your life where there were no bills there were no pressures there was no job to go to no co-workers to deal with no kids no stress no worry go back to that time if you would just take a page from the Gospel of Stevie Wonder for a moment thinking back on when I was a little nappy-headed boy y'all are saved I know you don't know those words Lee then my only worry was for Christmas what would be my toy y'all oh holy you want the sanctified version that's verse number three mama gave you money for sunday-school you traded for candy after churches through I wish those days would come back again go back to that time and that placing a stage in your life I want to ask you a question what was I what were some of your favorite games back then before there was an xbox before there was a PlayStation where there was no iPad iPhone iPod when we play games didn't require electricity what was some of your favorite games some of you may remember games like red light green light freeze tag Red Rover Red Rover send Keesha over [Applause] remember that deep complicated game we play call it you were it if you touch somebody else they were in and then they tried to touch somebody else to make them it it was a complicated game one of my favorite games growing up as a child and I've tried to teach my kids how to play its hide-and-go-seek one of my favorite games all the time well you know how it is one person closes their eyes and counts and everybody else goes to hide and the one who's counting then has to seek those who have hidden themselves the other day I decided to play hide-and-go-seek with my sons we said no TV no Xbox let's let's go old school we're gonna play hide and go seek my youngest son's seven year old Cooper he decided he was gonna count and do tonight we're gonna hide now the problem is that deuce is not a good hider he doesn't pick good spots he thinks that if he stands behind a curtain and his feet are out there nobody sees him he just not a good hider but but me I'm proficient in hiding I got a PhD in hide-and-go-seek I went to school to learn how to hide correctly so Cooper went to count and do stood behind the door I went up in the closet though I Elijah I got behind the baggage in my closet and pulled a blanket over my head I am hitting really good Cooper comes upstairs opens up the door finds his brother within three seconds cuz deuce is not a good hider but then he walks in the closet and walks right by me and doesn't see me and I say I got him I'm hidden and he can't find me the game was pretty good for a few moments until I heard Cooper began to cry came out from my hiding place I thought his brother had done something to him I wanna go downstairs and ask him Cooper why are you crying and this what he said he said daddy I couldn't find you and it bothered me now you're saying oh but that's the reality sometimes of our walk with God that there are times in life when it seems that you just can't find or feel God the way you want - have you ever been in that place where you just felt distant and disconnected from God that you didn't feel God move on your spirit you didn't hear God speaking in your ear you didn't sense God at work in your surroundings and in your life now I know this sermon isn't for everybody because some of you you're real close with God like that and you were born saved and sanctified and you read your Bible and have perfect understanding and when you pray God speaks to you immediately you're you're the fourth person of the Trinity that's how close you are with God but there's some of us who know what it feels like to wind up in a place where you just feel like your light has strayed from the presence of God you don't feel God like you want to you don't see God like you should you don't hear God like you wish you could matter of fact somebody you're in church today you got on your Baptist best your Bible is big but the truth be told you're sitting in church going through the motions the thrill is gone you here because you're supposed to be but you haven't heard God all week long you haven't felt God moving your world you notice I could be dissin have you have you ever been there where he just feel empty weak detached you wonder where God is somebody that you know that feeling if you've ever come to church and from the call to worship to the benediction nothing moved you you know what it's like to be distant and disconnected from God if you've ever if we can be real here in a place where you were praying and somewhere in the midst of your prayer you stopped talking to God and start worrying about something else and you didn't even say a man yet do you know what it's like to be distant from God have you ever thought you were doing right with the Lord that you were strong in spirit you were walking in God's Way and one day you woke up and you found yourself in such a messed up sinful situation and you have to ask yourself how in the world did I get here you know what it's like to be distant from God tonight sense God to not feel God to not hear God as you want my busted my sisters you're not alone in that journey that's where Joe blinds up job is good brother according to our own God's own definition of job in chapter 1 verse 4 job is blameless job is upright Joe fears God job shuns evil job is a good church man job walks closely with the Lord job as a brother whom the Lord can brag on and yet at the end of all he's going through job cries out in chapter 23 hear the divine disorientation of job when he says in verse number 3 oh how I wish I could find God I just want to feel God I just want to talk to God I just want to hear God but so many things have gone on in my life that I woke up and I found myself in a place where I was distant and disconnected and could not sense or see or hear or feel God like I wish I could job goes on to testify here and he says listen I know God is real I just can't perceive him I know God is still in the throne I just can't believe I just can't feel him the way I want to the question is not about the reality of God it's about intimacy with God and somebody I just pulled up in your driveway it's not that you wonder if God is real you know God is real you know the Lord is in control you know God is on the throne of your life but you just don't feel God moving you don't sense God at work you don't hear God speak you don't see God's hand and you're wondering where is God aw Tozer a great spiritual writer says that if you ever feel distant from God guess who moved so the Lord does not distance himself from us but whether there are things that happen in our lives that calls us to be distant and disconnected from God to help you understand why I liken it to little while ago I had problems with Verizon FiOS at my house I've got files and I went upstairs to the flatscreen dusting and turned it on and I just got static I couldn't get a broadcast couldn't get a sound couldn't see what I want to see couldn't hear what I want to hear couldn't pull up the programs I had recording it and now I'm mad because I want my Verizon service I'll call Verizon they sent out a technician technician showed up at the house he said well let's see what we got going on let's find out why you're not getting a broadcast and I came by today to be a Verizon technician in your world and help you understand why sometimes you don't get the broadcast from God that you want to get why you don't hear God like you want to why you don't feel the Lord the way you think you should why you can sit in worship and just go through the motions and never since God work things out in your life what is it that causes us to be distant and disconnected from God allow me to tell you that technician did he showed up to my house he asked me where the horizon box was I took him to my entertainment stand and it took him a while to move it because I got a lot of things on my entertainment stand I've got the router for the wireless in the house brother Nash I've got the receiver for the sound I've got the Sonos system because I've got Wireless speakers around the house so I can play music in every room it's just hooked up like that [Applause] I've got the DVD player I've got the Xbox 360 and the Xbox one don't ask noneya business and and I've got the satellite box for the variety I've got the Verizon cable box I've got all that so when he moved the entertainment system all the wires from all the different components were jumbled all together in the back and he says here's your first problem you got too much going on that part of the reason part of the reason you're not getting your broadcast far the reason you can't see what you want to see part of the reason you can't hear what you want to hear is that you got too much going on and I come by to tell you what your active self in this Baptist Church today that part of the reason sometimes you don't hear God the way you want to you don't see God the way you think you should you don't feel God moved through your life it's because number one you are burdened with busyness you've got too many cables connecting you to too many things trying to get too much done I know I'm in Scripture right now in Luke chapter 10 Jesus shows up at the home of Mary and Martha two sisters who are responsible for hosting Jesus and Martha takes seriously her responsibility to get the house ready and in order for Jesus she's got to make sure the guest bedroom is clean she got make sure the bathrooms are Clorox she got to make sure the laundry and the linen has been done that the food has been prepared that the dinner table has been sent that the floors have been wiped that the grass has been cut and while she's busy trying to take care of all the things necessary to get the house in order she pauses and sees her trifling system married is just sitting at the feet of Jesus doing nothing and Martha like many of us gets mad how in the world am I gonna be doing all of this and you got the unmitigated gall to sit at the feet of Jesus when I got all of this I got to get done and Jesus looks at Martha and says you need to be more like Mary Martha you're concerned and worried about too many things and the reason you're not learning for me the reason you're not hearing me the reason you're not growing in me is because you are moving and always doing and you're never sitting and being you're connected and you're active but you're never sitting and learning you're trying to do too much and how come I tell you that when you are burdened with busyness it will always prevent you being close with the Lord one of the ways you reestablish and maintain intimacy with God is to avoid the trappings of busyness now let me tell you why there was just a half of an Amen right there can I help you understand if you go home II read in mark chapter five you'll find that there's an occasion where Jesus encounters a man who is possessed by a demon the demons name is legion because he's many and when Jesus gets ready to cast the demon out the demon has a conversation with Jesus and makes a prayer request the demon speaks to Jesus and this is what he asked him he said listen I know you're gonna get me out I know you're gonna kick me out I know I got to go but don't cast me out of this region the demon says listen listen don't make me leave this region cuz this is my home this is where I set up my stronghold because different regions are affected by different demons and so when you travel around the world especially the United States you will find that there are different regions of our land that are affected by different demonic strongholds that are meant to prevent you from intimacy with God the same thing that affects the deep south does not affect this area or up in the north or out west there different demonic regions the reason I say that is that the demonic stronghold in the DMV in this DC area with all you movers and shakers with all the politicians and lawmakers with all you working up on the hill with all of you entrepreneurs with all of you military personnel with all of you government contractors when everybody's climbing up the corporate ladder everybody's trying to do something the demonic stronghold that affects this area that made people be quiet when I say avoid the trappings busyness is because what makes us who we are in this area is being busy and if you're not busy you're not important and so in order to prove that we are somebody we attach ourselves to this and join this organization and sit on this board and go to school and work a job and raise our kids and so we become addicted to being busy as if being busy means you are important so you join everything sitting on every board operating therefore this why are you in charge of three ministries at church and could it be that Jesus shows up in your life to say to you what Jesus said to Martha you are worried about too you got too much going on and I want to challenge you this morning if you really want to be intimate with God you want to feel God you want to hear God you want to see the broadcast you want to hear the programming you want to get close to the Lord I want to challenge you to do three things number one I want to challenge you to learn to say no somebody give me this tape I'm preaching to myself you you have to learn to say no hear me my brother my sister every open door is not an ordained opportunity and one of the ways the devil brings us out of the intimacy with God is if I open up a new door that you and your ego decide you want to add to your resume and so you connect yourself into something else thinking it makes you something when all it does is pull you away from your relationship with the Lord because everything that comes your way God hasn't ordained you to do you got to learn to say no to things and people's mouth frak let's have a test run here it is look yeah I neighbor eyeball to eyeball you ready and just tell them no I'm just getting you ready I want I want you learn to say no number two I want you to learn to be disconnected at times I went through church this morning to to greet members and worshipers and nine out of ten of y'all in on future [Applause] yeah I come walking by you hey pastor [Applause] you're too connected I've got to be sometimes when you just disconnect yourself the third challenge I want to put forth you not only learn to say no not only be disconnected but learn how to rest now I know that's a four-letter word but you gotta learn how to rest notice as God shapes Israel as a people to worship Him he commands them to have a Sabbath now many of us when we hear about the commandment of Sabbath we automatically think worship oh the Lord created Sabbath because there must be a day with the Lord wants us to worship the Sabbath was not primarily about worship the Sabbath was about rest here's what the Lord knows you can worship me if you're not rested because you can't hear me when you're ripping and running all the time you can't devote yourself to me when you're joining everything and giving yourself to everything and everybody you can't give me the best of you when you're too connected and have too much going on you've gotta learn how to rest and there is something fundamentally wrong with the balance of your life if you fall asleep in church [Applause] don't blame the preacher if you are not rested you cannot worship and what's the point of trying to worship if you're too tired because you're trying to do too much cuz you are burdened with busyness and it will keep you from feeling intimate with God so he pulls out my entertainment stand he untangles all the chords and he says oh here's your second problem your cable box is not plugged into the outlet in the wall how do you expect to get a broadcast if you're not plugged into the power source how do you expect to hear if you're not plugged in how do you expect to get anything if you're not connected to the source and could the problem be if it's not that you're burdened with busyness could the problem be number two you just have a poor prayer life you will never hear sense feel God closed in your world if you do not know how to spend time in prayer prayer is what plugs you up to God prayer is what keeps you connected to God prayer is what allows you to receive the power of God and could it be that you don't feel God here God our sense God because your prayer life is poor that you've got to learn how to pray my brother my sisters Christianity today a magazine about Christian Living has an article out a little while back and they noted that most church-going Christians pray less than 15 minutes a day no wonder your life is so messed up 15 minutes a day problems up to here 15 minutes a day enemies all around 15 minutes a day children driving you crazy co-workers getting on your nerves and you pray less than 15 minutes a day now the problem with that is that some of us are very dedicated and devoted to our scandal on Thursday night you got your TV set your friends come over y'all sit don't nobody move for a whole hour as a matter of fact you're so dedicated to scandal folk in your world no don't call me between ten o'clock and 11:00 on Thursday cuz I'm watching scandal and you are dedicated and devoted and motionless for an hour of commitment to Olivia Pope and the Lord says I only get 15 minutes of your day how can you expect to be close to God if you can't give dedicated time to God in prayer there ought to be some moments in your life where everybody connected to you knows don't call me at this hour in the morning don't bother me at this hour and night because this is when the Lord and I are plugged in and I want to challenge you to increase the quality and the quantity of your prayer life you will never hear sense feel God move the way God wants to when you got a poor prayer life when you're burdened with busyness so your untangles mccords plugs it into the wall turns on my TV and says oh here's your third problem your TV's on the wrong input now if you got a good TV it ought to have several inputs because there are different components that want to be on your screen there are different things that want to have your attention there are different things that want to speak to you but you've got to choose the input that gets you what you really need and not what they want you to have and the problem with some of us is your life is on the wrong input so watch it if it's not that your burden with busyness if it's not that you have a poor prayer life maybe be number three that you have issues with idolatry gonna use biblical words pastor you know what an idol is an idol is not just some statue you bow down to and worship no no no an idol is anything or anyone you're connected to who has a greater priority in your life than God Paul stop rewind define it again an idol is anything or anyone you're connected to who has a greater priority in your life than God somebody saying I don't I'll get that well that certainly means that it XI him can become an idol if they get more time energy and priority from you than God so your boo can be an item your children can be an item your commitment to your television show can be an idol your membership at Planet Fitness can be an idol because they get more from us than the Lord does and we prioritize them over our relationship with God and let me tell you something God doesn't take second place well he tells Israel I am a jealous God and if you want something other than me you can have it but don't expect me to be close to you don't expect to hear me don't expect this sense me don't expect to feel me if everything and everyone gets greater priority in your life than I do some say we're every night how do I know if I have an idol here I'm give you two questions to questions till you identify if you have an idol you ready number one what's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning the first thing you do is jump out of bed so you get your way to work got an idol first thing you do is run upstairs and get the kids ready you have an idol and first thought on your mind is getting up early so you get to the gym before you go to work you have an idol because the very first thing you ought to do when you wake up in the morning it's to kneel down and invoke and invite the presence of God to guide you to comfort you to shield you to walk with you listen I don't mean to make an indictment but I declare that there is something wrong about a Christian who wakes up without prayer there's something wrong with a disciple of Jesus Christ that would dare get the day started and not invited and invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide them throughout the day when you wake up in the morning before your feet touch the side of your bed before you wipe the sleep out of your eye before you brush the funk out of your mouth the very first thing that ought to come out of your heart is lord I thank you for another brand new day and god I need you today more than I needed you yesterday god I'm grateful that you loved me to see today come and God just walk with me today talk with me today fill my heart today God tell me what you want me to do when you wake up in the morning the first thing you ought to do it's called on the name of God that's first course what do you do first thing in the morning your second thing active you have an item when things go wrong who's the first person you call so you got a friend so closer they go wrong you calling him you calling her maybe you want to share your day with your romantic interests of the time maybe you got to call your mama your daddy but when things go wrong if your first call is not to God that shows where you go to for your strength that's where you run to for your help and maybe the problem is that your life is not prioritized correctly you've got some issues with idolatry burdened with busyness poor prayer life issues with our dollar tree so your untangles my core it's plugs me in puts me on the right input Dean looks down at my box and says here's your thirty or fourth problem your box needs updating I said what'd he mean he said well we're broadcasting in HD but you haven't updated the box yet and so the signal we're trying to send you is greater than the box will allow you have a limited what the signal can be based upon the box that you have that the signal is great and we want to show you more we want to do more we got some brand-new stuff that we are able to do on your TV we can show you the weather we can help MapQuest your directions we can help you watch movies on demand but your box has limited what signal it can receive because it's not been updated and because your box is limited your broadcast is hindered can I help you real quick the fourth thing that will keep you from sensing God feeling God hearing God is when you are distanced by doubt hear me my brothers and my sisters your doubt your unbelief your lack of faith will limit your ability to experience all the great and the glorious things that God wants to perform in your life your doubt will hinder the hand of God your doubt will limit the vision of God your doubt will hold back what God wants to do in your life I know I'm in the Bible now because the Bible says in mark chapter 6 that when Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth that the people doubted him they did not believe him they didn't think he was who he said he was and in Mark chapter 6 verse number 5 the Bible says that Jesus could do no great work because of their unbelief certainly means that in Nazareth their doubt hindered their ability to see the miraculous hand of Jesus work in their town Jesus said I wanted to do more I wanted to show y'all my glory I wanted to heal diseases I wanted to make ways in your situation but because you've doubted me I could not do it because I will never do more than your faith believes I am able to do can i push it and so after that whenever Jesus encountered somebody he did a faith test before he blessed them I need to know if you believe I can do it because if you don't believe I can do it then I will not do it so he asked Martha do you believe your brother can get up from the dead cuz if you believe it then I'll do it he asked the man at the Pool of Bethesda do you want to be made well cuz if you believe you can be made well then I will make you well I need to know what do you believe and I don't know who I came to preach to right here but I came by to challenge you to take the limits of your faith off of God and just believe that God is able to do whatever needs to be done if it's a miracle God can do it if it's an enemy God can handle it if it's sickness God can't heal it you just gotta believe that God is able I don't know what kind of God you serve but I came by to declare some scripture now unto Him who is able now unto Him who is able to do now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think you've got to believe that God is able to do it if if you're doubting it'll block the broadcast if you've got issues with idolatry it'll block the broadcast if you got a poor prayer life and to block the broadcast if you're burdened with busyness it'll block the broadcast and so he untangled my wires plugged me up put me on the right input and started the update on my cable box and he says where's your phone I said why he said I need to call the Home Office I said wait wait wait if we run tango were plugged up on the right inputting an update why you got to call the office he said well cuz we may have one more problem I said what's their problem he said well I need to make sure your bill is paid [Applause] because because because if you bill any page you won't get the signal if you have a debt that's not been paid you won't hear if you've got a price that hasn't been paid you won't see it could it be - one of the greatest things that hinders our ability to sense feel hear God in our lives is when we have a sinful situation a sin that we have not confessed and have not repented of will block your closeness with God I believe I'm in biblical ground the bible says in psalm 66:18 if i regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayers then when I've got sin that's not been dealt with it affects my prayer life and listen that's why the devil wants you to become comfortable in a sinful situation and not confess and repent because he knows that the end result of you living in a sinful situation will cause you lose intimacy with God so watch watch this watch this sense so you could be coming to church you can be reading your Bible you can be trying to be nice to folk you don't even like on general Christian principle but if there's one area of sin that you and God don't deal with it messes all that up watch me watch me because the devil knows that when I've got an area of sin that I won't confess and won't repent of the ultimate result is that it will ruin my prayer life can I teach for a moment because when you pray Stan prayer is the one place you can't pretend to be something you ain't now in church you can act holy man fact your neighbor thinks you are sin free but when you bow before God you know that God knows and so how can I go to God and beg God to bless me on my job when God knows what I'm doing at home is wrong and so you're aware of that but since you won't confess and won't repent and stay in the sinful situation the end result has to be that your prayer life is affected because you know you can't really pray authentically and not deal with sin here's what David said I want to close this David when he commits adultery with Bathsheba and he writes his psalm of repentance in Psalm 51 and verse number three here's what David said he said Lord my sin is ever before me here's literally what he says theron he says my sin is always in front of me and there's nowhere I can go where my sin isn't in front of my vision so even though I did it at home when I get to church it's right here even though I did it on my job when I bow in prayer it's right here because the Lord says you gonna have to see this thing until you want to confess it you can't go anywhere and pretend to be righteous and not see the sin it can fix your heart the Lord has a way of making realize this ain't been dealt with yet you'd be sitting in church trying to worship and you'll X sin walk in the door he says you got you got a gonna deal with this and if there's sin that's not been dealt with there's a debt that hasn't been paid and it's gonna interfere with what God wants to do but here's the good news first John chapter 1 verse 9 said if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness I looked up that word all in Greek II knew it all and Greek means all everything that there is nothing I do that cannot be paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ then all I have to do is confess and repent so he entangled my wires plugged me in put me on the right input updated my box and while he was calling for eyes and I looked at him say hey my bill is paid is your bill paid [Music] you

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

Views: 66,070

Rating: 4.8033633 out of 5

Keywords: ASBC

Id: CdKRV_6EfFs

Length: 42min 37sec (2557 seconds)

Published: Wed May 28 2014