Download Transcript - Downey Seventh

All The Time God is Great
Praise God! Praise God! So today my sermon is inspired by Pastor Mitch and Von, where we
say God is good. God is great, all the time or all the time God is great! So we hear this. God is
good. God is great! And we spend that time thinking about this. God is good. God is great!
Today I want to focus on the word, “All the Time or the words All the Time and what that
means. Let us pray.
Dear God, thank you, Lord, for this great day. Thank you for the Sabbath. Thank you for the
fellowship that we have as we come together and as we come together and worship you. Thank
you for being who you are. Thank you for the love that you have for us. Thank you for the
purpose that you give us. Lead us now as we open your word, as we reflect on you, and reflect
on how truly great you are. We pray these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
This sermon might not seem to fit the title as we’ll go on but the part I want to focus on is the
words again “All the Time.” All the time God is good. All the time God is great. Right? Let
me when we say all the time, what does all the time mean? That means 5:00 in the morning when
my dog is barking to get out. All the time, God is great. 5:00 in the evening, something is
wrong with 5:00, we should just take that out of the clock. We should just take that out of the
clock. 5:00 in the evening driving down the street. God is good, all the time, right? God is good
all the time when you open up the mail and you see the bills and the second notices. All the time
God is great. God is great when you go to the doctor’s appointments and you know something is
wrong. All the time he is good. He is great. All the time when your favorite team loses. God is
good all the time. And then you have to walk out of that stadium, all the time God is good. All
the time when you’re at your job and your boss is yelling at you. Right? Of course life has its
challenges but life has its good things.
God was there at the birth of my children. Amen all the time. God is there when you need the
person you fall in love with and you go goggle eyes. He is there all the time in every aspect of
your life. He is always there with you. You get it? The good times, the bad times, God is always
there. It’s for us to acknowledge that he is always there. And what kind of encouraged me to
write up this sermon idea is the thought of when we at times we go from here. We worship God
and we go from here. Are we living out lives like God is there all the time? Or are we living our
lives like we come here we worship. We recognize God is here. We come with our Sabbath
best. And we’re dressed up and we’re ready and we have this presentation that God is there in
our lives but then we go home and we talk to the people around us and we do the things that we
do. Do we recognize that God is there all the time, always with us?
So we’re going to kind of revisit Ephesians here. Ephesians 4:17 says So I tell you this, and
insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
thinking. So the Ephesians, the people of Ephesus, the Christians of Ephesus have given their
lives to God. They were Gentiles. Before they knew Jesus, they lived a certain way of life.
What way of life is? Like everybody else did. Like everybody else did. And Paul is saying,
“Hey, now you’ve given your life to Christ, there ought to be a distinction between the way you
live and the way the others live. Because you’ve given your life to Christ there ought to be a
change in you.” And so my question to us is there a distinction between the way we live and the
way the rest of the world is? Can people sense or know that you are a follower of God, that you
live Jesus? Or are you just kind of blending in with everybody else?
Here is the next part kind of an example of what is means to live like Gentiles according to Paul Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in
every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. They are pleasure seekers, pleasure seekers,
seeking for pleasure. Freud had this thought. You know who Freud is? Sigmund Freud is a
psychiatrist, psychologist, famous guy. He thought the basic purpose of the gain of happiness
comes from seeking, from pleasure. As you seek pleasure you will experience happiness and
that’s what motivates man. That’s what keeps them going. That’s how they get pure happiness
by seeking pleasure. I see around and I feel like the world has adopted Freud’s understanding.
Let’s just all just seek pleasure because that is what brings us happiness.
Then I think about it. We spend our days, you know, I’m part of this world so I have my own
weaknesses. You look at it and you look at your life and you see what are the choices that you
make? What do you do and think about what you’ve done this week. And what kind of choices
did you make? I don’t know if you’re like me, I could assess a lot of my choices were to seek
pleasure. Sit there turn on the TV and decide on the type of good I would eat. Whether it’s good
for me or whether it’s just because I want that chemical spontaneous combustion happening
when I get whatever I’m eating. Our caffeine highs or you see the things that are being debated
in society right now. You see a lot of this is because we have the right to pursue happiness.
People have the right to pursue happiness. Have you heard that before? Where did you hear that
before? Yes, it’s on the Statue of Liberty too, right. You come to America and you have the
right to pursue happiness and if we take in Freud’s understanding of happiness, guess what we
have the right to pleasure and we live in this country all seeking pleasure and that’s the way we
live and if you want to identify whether you are living in this world or being different as Paul is
saying. You can look at it as our choices. Are you constantly seeking pleasure?
According to Freud that is the right to persue happiness. There was a different psychiatrist,
Viktor Frankl had a different point of view. It says when a person can’t find deep sense of
meaning they distract themselves with pleasure. He believed that man wasn’t seeking pleasure
but man is seeking deeper meaning. He’s a wise man. Counteract what Sigmund Freud had
said. The pursuit of happiness to Freud was pleasure. You come home. You take off your
shoes. You sit down. Get on your couch. Turn on the TV. Eat that food, yeah, that’s
happiness. That’s Sigmund Freud. Viktor Frankl says, no, there is something deeper than that.
Man’s happiness comes from seeking for deeper meaning. I would like to define what that
deeper meaning is. Ultimately that deeper meaning is God. As we seek God, he gives us
purpose. And as he gives us purpose we have meaning for our lives.
So it’s hard like if I was to go back and say - So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that
you must no longer live as the Gentiles do. Ok, what do we do that’s different than what
Gentiles do? Okay, this is what they do. Gentiles seek pleasure. They seek self indulgence.
They focus on themselves. That’s what they did. The opposite of that is seek purpose. Seek
meaning. Make your life useful. We’ll actually get into that. So Ephesians 4:20-21 says - That,
however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him
in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. Alright, so Paul is saying here that that is not as you
should live as the Gentiles do. You have learned what Christ has taught you and to live
according to the truth that Jesus has taught you or the truth of Jesus. Which means, okay, God is
good all the time. We’re here worshipping God. All the time our focus is on God and we’re
spending our time contemplating in prayer over how good God is. But he is also good, great all
the time, everywhere you go.
And we should be able to, can be able to, only through Christ Jesus, to live our life consistent as
we are here today worshipping God as we are outside in the world. There should be something
different about us because Christ is in our lives. Amen? If we just are blending into the rest of
the world making the same decisions and living the same life as everybody around us, there’s
something missing, right? And you have to realize there is this trap. You know the devil is real.
We do believe in the devil and he’s trying to deceive us. This is a perfect way to deceive us.
This is the way to happiness. Pleasure! Yeah! Get what I can get, right? That is the way to
happiness for us to seek pleasure to do what I want to do all the time. No! You’re missing it!
It’s meaning. It’s purpose, living our lives with purpose.
There’s a difference between someone okay you might have someone who is motivated like if
you know someone who is working on a PHD or trying to graduate from college. And there’s the
person that is content on working at McDonalds, not that there’s anything wrong with that but
just content on just living life. Doing what they have to do. Going back home and just vegging
out and coming back going to go to work doing what they have to. Then there is someone who
is intrinsically motivated to accomplish some huge task in life like get there PHD or go and train
for the Olympics or become something much more than the rest of us. You know that’s noble
and inspirational but God should do that. Our experience with God should give us that
motivation to serve him, to follow him, to seek purpose in our lives constantly no matter what all
the time, striving to be a better person. Striving to do more than what we’re doing today. Am I
making any sense? Amen! God IS good. Praise God for that.
All right, now. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy; - okay this is
the antidote to this. What do we do with this? How do we change? I’m the same person I’ve
been over and over and over again. Every New Year’s I have the same resolution. I’m never
changing. I’m never going to change! I am just who this person is. Take it or leave it. But
here is says - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your
bodies as a living sacrifice, - what is this? Turn to God, right? - Living sacrifices holy and
pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. It isn’t singing the songs. It isn’t the
praising. It’s the giving of yourself fully to God.
You know, we have a wonderful praise team. It’s great to listen to. Unfortunately, I have to sing
and I have to listen to myself, which isn’t so great but right it’s peaceful or it’s motivating. But in
itself it’s meaningful but it can comfort us. But that’s not what this is. Worship is giving full of
yourself. Not just singing a nice song in worship, not just praying but sacrificing yourself.
Which means…we’ll get into that part later. But then it says - Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed – right, when we give our lives to God. When we make him our
bodies become living sacrifices. What do we do? We do not conform to the pattern of this
world. We are transformed - by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You know it’s tough to even know what this looks like, to be transformed. We want to identify,
define what this means to be transformed. Okay, so it’s like doing this and not doing this.
Don’t’ worry about what it looks like. Just give your life to God and let him do the changing.
He will speak to you and he will teach you and show you. Oh man, I did this all my life but I’m
starting to realize this isn’t God’s will. It will be real in context to what’s going on in your life.
You might be a college kid right now or high school kid and all you friends are doing what
they’re doing and you know it’s bad for you and you shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.
And all of a sudden you’re like praying and you’re having God come into your life and God is
like teaching you.
Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m different because I’m a Christian. I’ve given my life to
Jesus. I’m different. That’s exactly what Paul was telling the people of Ephesus. You are
different. Don’t do everything everybody else has done. They’re just seeking pleasure and
that’s the meaning of life, the meaning of happiness but you have purpose. You are a child of
God. You’re here for a different reason than just self serving.
So we go on Ephesians 4:22-24, it says - You were taught, with regard to your former way of
life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; - you know I had
the experience not too long ago where I was like there’s my usual things that I like to do, like
I’m a big sports fan. You know that. All my teams lost that day. I was kind of in a bad mood
after that. And I was like you know I put a lot of my happiness in stake of something that I have
no control over. And I felt like really empty for a second. In the things that we think give us
pleasure it doesn’t last. It’s not truly fulfilling. You can see like a drug addict how he exists. He
starts with a drug that makes him feel good for a little bit. And then it wears off and then he
takes it again or I should say she, too, it could be right? They take it again and makes them feel
good and it wears off and then you start to realize this feeling is really good for a little bit but the
more you take it the more it wears off quicker. And before you know it you’re needing it all the
time and it controls you. It says - You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; -deceitful, desires. It deceives
you. Thinking that this is what gives you meaning. It gives you happiness or pleasure but it’s
only temporary. -You are to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new
self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
God is good all the time, all the time not just here in the sanctuary. But he is with you as you go
out. We are to be new creatures, a new creation when we give our lives to Christ. Ask
ourselves, “Are you new? Have you been made new?” Or are we just following and being led
by our own pleasures and being corrupted by our deceitful desires? Ephesians 4:25 - Therefore
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members
of one body. Now it kind of leads us into a different direction here. One is the focus of
ourselves, fulfilling pleasure whether we’re just living for ourselves. Also how are we towards
other people? Do you talk to other people like you are a Christian who God has forgiven you
and who loves you and has totally died for you for all your mistakes that you have made? Or do
you punish the people around you who get in your way? Or do something to cross you? God is
good all the time, right? We can come ask you how you’re doing. You’re going to say, “Fine.
Nice to see you Pastor Cary!” As we should right, we need to be hospitable to each other. We
should be. But at home or at your work place or your neighborhood, do you have that same
hospitality? Do you speak in the same way as you do here?
So it says - Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor,
for we are all members of one body. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but
must work, doing something useful with their own hands, - I think Viktor Frankl must have read
the Bible with this. He says like you must be useful. You have a purpose in your life. You know
seeking pleasure, you’re playing with your Ipad or your watching TV and what have you
accomplished? 4 hours of that, what have you accomplished? Nothing! Make your life useful.
I think about that a lot like when I die, however old I die, what have I accomplished? What have
I done with my life? God has given us life for a purpose. Let’s fulfill that purpose. Let’s make
our lives useful. - that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
In fact here this is Viktor Frankl’s search for meaning. It says have a project you are working on
that requires your unique skills and abilities and preferably a project that helps others. Look at
this. It says but must work doing something useful with your own hands that they may have
something to share with those in need. Do you get it? Are you following me? Have a project.
Often it’s for helping others. Share your experience with the context of safe loving relationships.
Find a redemptor perspective on your suffering and challenges. Your life is real. It’s important.
It’s meaningful. You give your life. You make your life. You give you life to God. He
transforms you and he’s given you purpose. Let us not subdue it. So we can just have pleasure in
life, to just medicate us, to make us not have any purpose.
All right - Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and
of one mind. Okay, God is good. Let’s go back to this. When? All the time! He’s with us all
the time. He’s with us here in our sanctuary. He’s with us in our work place and our homes.
And we talk about not seeking pleasure but let us be transformed. Here’s another indication of
being transformed. How do we treat others? We don’t make the same choices as the Gentiles as
Paul was talking about and we treat others with love. Not just here in church, everywhere.
Why? Because God is with us! When? All the time! He‘s always with us.
Finally - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others
above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
What did I just say? That’s a good question. What did I just say? Again not to be redundant
and repeat myself, God is with us all the time, every day, every minute of the day, every second
of the day. He is with us. We live our lives. Look at your life. Are you different then the
people around you? Are you recognizing that God is with you every step of the day? At school,
kids, making your choices around your friends, are you acknowledging that God is there all the
time? Stuck in traffic, so easy to play that one. Someone cuts you off. Are you recognizing that
God is there right there with you? With the choices you make, with how you treat people. Are
you recognizing that God is with you?
Let us pray. Father Lord, thank you so much for who you are. Thank you for the love you have
for us. Thank you for the power that you have for us, that you’re able to transform us and make
us new. Nothing that we can do on ourselves, all this should tell us that we just need to come to
you and change us not anything that we can do for ourselves. But, Lord, we look around. We
look at our lives and we see how we’ve fallen short of your glory. We see how we are making
the choices that the rest of the world is making. It’s causing us to go further into a deceitful trap
to keep us from being the person that you want us to be, a person that has love for the people
around us, a person that has purpose, a reason for being here. Father, guide us now, Lord. Cause
you truly are great all the time. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen