A Pursuit to Know God and His Plans -- Olu Talabi -- October 25, 2020
http://rlcfchurch.org/pursuit-know-god-his-plans River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The central message is the profound desire and necessity to continually know God and His plans, drawing from John 17:3, which defines eternal life as knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ. The speaker encourages the audience to cultivate a present desire to learn more about God, viewing this pursuit as a spiritual privilege facilitated by the Holy Spirit. He warns that spiritual ignorance, often promoted by the devil, can blind us to the abundance of treasures God has prepared for us in Christ.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Taking time to slow down and listen to ScriptureWhen reading phrases in the Bible like "verily, verily," "take heed," or "let him who has ears hear," we must slow down and ask what the Holy Spirit is trying to say rather than rushing ahead.
Why does the Bible ask "Do you not know?"The question "do you not know" appears often because God has stated things clearly in His word, but His people have read it without letting the truth truly sink into their hearts.
The vastness of knowing GodEternal life, as Jesus describes in John 17, is knowing God and His Son, a journey of discovery that begins now and has no end because God is an infinite ocean.
Overcoming the devil's goal of ignoranceA primary tactic of the devil is to make believers ignorant of the abundance of treasures God has for them in Christ, blinding them to what is freely given.
The necessity of the Holy Spirit for understandingEven Jesus' closest disciples could not fully understand His words until the Holy Spirit fell upon them, proving that spiritual understanding requires the Spirit's power.
No successful Christian life without the SpiritFirst Corinthians 2 explains that just as a man's spirit knows his own thoughts, only the Spirit of God knows the things of God and reveals them to us.1 Corinthians 2:11–12
Marveling at words versus true spiritual transformationPeople can marvel at powerful preaching, but without the Spirit working in the heart, life quickly returns to normal and no lasting spiritual difference is made.
Do you not know the everlasting Creator is our Father?In Isaiah 40, when the Israelites felt forgotten by God, they were asked if they did not know that the everlasting Creator never faints and is in control of all things.Isaiah 40:27
Experiencing God as Father through the Spirit of the SonGod sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts so that, by experience rather than just theory, we cry out "Abba, Father" in both good times and difficulty.
Do you not know you have died to sin?Romans 6 asks if we do not know that being baptized into Christ means our old man died with Him, so that we should walk in newness of life with a distaste for sin.Romans 6:3–4
Reckoning yourself dead to sin and alive to GodBelievers must reckon themselves dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ, recognizing that identity has changed even though the flesh remains active.
Putting to death the deeds of the fleshUsing the illustration of a newly purchased bakery building that still needed weeks to clear out old ovens and supplies, the speaker explains how the flesh's instruments must be put to death by the Spirit.
Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?First Corinthians 6 warns believers not to defile their bodies—which are temples of the Holy Spirit—with sexual immorality or unrighteousness that forfeits the kingdom.
A concluding plea to take God's word seriouslyThe speaker concludes by urging believers to pause when encountering challenging scriptural questions, asking the Holy Spirit for help to understand and walk in all that God has provided.
