Divine Mission Unveiled

 Let not your heart be troubled, I hear, I see, and I know, just believe in Me. I Am with you always, I will help you, trouble not yourself over anything‼️

Jesus said the same thing to the disciples
* John 14:1-4 - Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Are you in that state - distressed, discouraged?
* Are you troubled in your hearts?
What is troubling you?
• Where does trouble come from?
• Jesus said;
• John 16:33 - I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world
• What is in the world that troubles the heart?

Many things in the world trouble the heart
• Trials, tribulations, hardship
• Your environment, your government
• The cares of the world (Matt 13:22)
• What to eat, what to wear, where to live (Matt 6:31)
• No job, no business or business not going well?
• With all of these, the Lord is saying
• Let not your heart be troubled
• Means being troubled is a choice, and not to be troubled is also a choice

It is what you allow to trouble you that will trouble you
• John 16:33b - In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world
• That is rejoice in the midst of trouble
• If you choose to trouble yourself, there are inherent dangers that come with it

The danger of a troubled heart
• A troubled heart is a sorrowful heart
• A troubled heart is a restless heart - no peace, no joy
• Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God
• That means, a troubled heart is an unbelieving heart
• It is a sign of unbelief, and demonstration of lack of faith
• Worrying about something will deprive you of the thing
• (Matt 6:25-31)

• When you worry, you loose faith in God, and that will deprive you of His promise
• Our life's journey is like that of the Israelites journey to the promised land
• Though God promised them but there were challenges
• But God was with them
• Those that did not believe did not get there - Num
14:11-12,22-24

Cure for your troubles
• Psa 34:19 - Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all
• Means being in Christ does not exempt you from troubles
• Psa 42:3-5 - Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for l shall yet praise Him Forthe help of His countenance.
• He felt separated lonely and overwhelmed by life's storms
• But he Chose to trust and hope in God
• Understanding will give you the freedom you seek
• Worrying is 'lack of faith' due to lack of understanding

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Faith in God is your weapon against a troubled heart
• Psalm 121:1 - I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
• Trusting in God is your cure for your heart troubles
• Your faith is your victory
• Without faith there is no victory because 'what you fear overcomes you'
• The heart is troubled when fear overwhelm the heart
Caste your burden on Jesus
• Psa 55:22 - Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
• Putting your faith in God is transferring your burden to God
• Hab 3:17-18 - Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls- 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
• Faith in God is your joy in trouble

[Bigger than all my problems
Bigger than all my fears
God is bigger than any mountain
That I can or cannot see
Bigger than all my questions
Bigger than anything
God is bigger than any mountain
That I can or cannot see]

Abraham hoped against hope (Rom 4:18-21)
• Contrary to Hope, he believed in hope
• Their situation seem irreversible, totally impossible
• Hope against hope is hoping when there is nothing to hope, when there is no reason to hope

Given God's demonstrated faithfulness and ability
• You also can 'hope against hope' in Him
• The case of Lazarus (John 11:1- 44)
• First, they sent a word to Him,
• Your friend whom you love is sick,
• But He didn't come - it seems God did not answer
• He came when the situation seemed irreversible
• They already lost hope by their expression
• I know he will rise up in the resurrection on the last day
• I Am that resurrection and I Am here, he can rise now

Know that the Lord is available when you need Him
• Psa 46:1-2 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear
• The time of trouble is the time of need
• Lack and want is not a need - it is part of living
• Inside the water, and in the fire, He is with you - Isa 43:1-2
• Water and fire are two extreme life situations
• In such impossible situation, God is with you

You are not alone. But you can be alone
• God will despise those that despise Him
• Your worrying is despising Him
• He gave the children of Israel to their enemies
• The Lord was with Saul, The Lord left Saul - 1Sam 16:14
• The Lord was with Samson, and left Samson - Judg 16:20
• God does not chase man away; it is man that distance themselves from God

Prayer:
• Father, I come to you, please pardon my transgressions, my complaining and murmuring
• Lord, help my faith in you, help me to trust in you
• I rebuke and reject doubt and fear and disbelief in me
• May I not disregard you in my heart and my actions

* 1 Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ"

What is spiritual growth?
•   Spiritual growth is the process of knowing
God for oneself and going deeper with Him in relationship.
•   It is also the solidifying of once personal relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
•   There is room for growth in every relationship, the same applies to our relationship with God the Father.

What are the characteristics of spiritual growth?
•   Spiritual growth can be characterized as follows;
•   To have the right understanding of scriptures
•   To have the right understanding of who God is
To have the right understanding of the Son of God and His deity
•   And, to have the right understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit, and his attributes

To have the right understanding of the scriptures.
•   Acts 8:30 "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest what thou readest?
•   Luke 10:25-37 "What is written in the Law?" Jesus replied. "How do you read it?
•   John 5:39-40 "39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
•   40But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
•   John 10:34-36 "34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the
Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

  In these verses, Jesus lamented their lack of understanding of the scripture which they ignorantly claimed they understood, whereas they do not.
•   Spiritual growth is totally impossible without the right understanding of the scriptures and the gospel.
That is why many yet struggle with it.
•   2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (Acts 8:26-40)
•   2 Timothy 2:15 implies that (followers of Jesus Christ should do due diligence by studying the scriptures thoroughly, and that, not without the help of the author "holy spirit" in other that they might have the right understanding of scriptures).

The Danger
• Lack of the right understanding of scriptures could lead to both spiritual and physical possible death.
• Some of which are in record. Examples; some have tried to replicate Christ 40 days fasting and died in the process. Some have been eating by lions for trying to replicate Daniel's loins den experience and were eating alive. Just to mentioned a few. (2Tim 4)

• Hosea 4:6b "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Prayer:
•   Thank you, Lord for your word today
•   Dear Holy Spirit, I ask for the right understanding of your word, as I study the scripture from now onward.
•   Lord take away from me every weakness, excuses and laziness that hinders me from deepening my relationship with you.

From time immemorial, people have been worshipping the UNKNOWN GOD
• Even today
• Acts 17:23 "for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
• People are worshipping the God they don't know
• The unseen God is the unknown God
• We see Him as a far away God - sitting in heaven
• Do you know the God you worship?That is why we started on the spiritual growth and maturity
Last week, we described spiritual growth
• As the process of knowing God for oneself
• Knowing God is growing in the spirit
• It is going deeper and solidifying your relationship with God
• That is, growing in God is developing your relationship with GodTo grow spiritually, we must have;
• The right understanding of scriptures
• The right understanding of who God is
• The right understanding of the Son of God and His deity
• And, to have the right understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit, and his attributesToday, we will look at having the right understanding of
God
• To grow and be matured in the spirit, you must know God for yourself
• Since the time man was cut off from God, man has little or no knowledge of God
Who then is GOD?The Nature of God
• God is Spirit, as such intangible (John 4:24)
• You cannot see Him, but He is there - everywhere
• 2Cor 4:18 - We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
• Because He is Spirit - He is infinite, unending, unchanging, and eternal
• IAM the Lord, I change not (Mal 3:6)God is super intelligent. He is Omniscience
• Psalm 147:5 (His understanding has no limit), 1 John 3:20
("'God knows everything")
• Omnipresence (Everywhere): Psalm 139:7-10 ("Where can I go from your Spirit?"), Matthew 18:20 (present where two or three are gathered).
• Omnipotence (All-Powerful): Psalm 115:3 (He does whatever pleases Him)
He told Abraham - I AM God the Almighty - Gen 17:1, 35:11 The mighty things are done by the mighty hands of the mighty God
He told Moses - I AM that I AM - Exo 3:7
• Who should I say sent me
• He is already God, He does not need to prove Himself to anybody
• The plan of God always come to pass - No one can stop
HimThe Character of God
• God is Righteous - perfect, does right in all circumstances
• Psa 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Mercy and truth go before Your face.
• God is Just: Fair and kind, truthful
• God is Love, Merciful and compassionate - 1 John 4:8
• - Eph 2:4-5, Rom 9:15
• God is Holy - 1John 1:5, - Psa 24:3-6 Lev 19:2, 1Pet 1:15-16
• God is faithful, His word is true - 2 Tim 2:13The Works of God
• The works of God speaks for itself
• Psalm 19:1-4 - The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

• His creation reveals His creative mind
• He created the world and sustains the world
• Col 1:17 - And He is before all things, and in Him all things consistSee how Paul introduced God to them in Athens (Act 17:22-28)
* He talked about His works - His creation - VS 25,26
He talked about His nature - He is not confined to the temple, He is spirit - vs 26
• He talked about His Character - His love and compassion -
He give all things to everyone - vs 26
• He talked about His supremacy over all - vs 26
• And that God is not far - Vs 27
• We relate with God as if He is one god in a distance - He is with you alwaysHow can we know God Better?
• You must know His nature, His Character and His works
• All of these are summed up in His ways
• And you can't know His ways if you don't make efforts because, His ways are not our ways
• Isa 58:8 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD
• We don't think the way God thinks, and we don't do things the way God do thingsGod has been revealed to us;
• Through His word - The word of God is the power of God
• By Jesus Christ - The visible image of the invisible God (Col 1:15)
• And By the Holy Spirit - He reveals the mind of God to us
Knowledge of the Holy Spirit and right understanding of scriptures are required to know God better
• Ephesians 1:17 " keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."
• When your knowledge of scripture shallow, your understanding of God will be shallowThe mind of God as stated in the scripture
• Is to acknowledge Him, putting Him at the center of our lives
• Prov 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
• Which means, we ask Him before we do things
• Asking Him is letting Him lead us, but we want to lead God
• We will conceive things, and do the things we conceived, and when it is not going well, we will now bring God into itAlso, to know God Better;
• You must improve your relationship with God
• To improve your relationship, you must improve your communication
• To improve your communication, you must remove the barrier and the gap
• Psa 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
• Relationship with God demands holiness, do away with the things that makes you unclean(1Cor 3:2-4) I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
• By these behaviors, lack of spiritual understanding is evident in many of us
• Many have refused to grow
• And to close the gap, you must speak to God and listen to GodPrayer:
* Phil 3:10 - That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death