Experiencing God's Love: The Heart of Faith

 

Summary

In our journey of faith, it is crucial to continually examine the foundation of our beliefs and our relationship with God. Knowledge and good deeds, while important, are insufficient without the love of God in our hearts. This love is the essence of our faith, and without it, our actions and knowledge are meaningless. We must be wary of reducing Christianity to mere moralism or social concern, as these can distract us from the true purpose of our faith, which is to know God intimately.

The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, emphasizes the experiential aspect of faith. The heroes of faith, like Abraham and Enoch, were distinguished by their deep, personal knowledge of God. This experiential knowledge is not opposed to intellectual understanding; rather, they complement each other. True Christian faith involves a living experience of God, characterized by a profound sense of His presence and glory.

The first essential characteristic of a Christian is an awareness of God. Salvation restores our communion with God, giving us a living sense of His presence. This awareness is not just intellectual but deeply experiential, as seen in Ezekiel's vision. The glory of God, though indescribable, is real and transformative. It humbles us, revealing our unworthiness and insignificance in the light of His majesty.

A true Christian is also aware of God's personal dealings in their life. This personal relationship with God is marked by His intervention and guidance, leading us to a deeper understanding of His will. This experience humbles us, making us aware of our sinfulness and dependence on God. It is through this humbling that we receive everything from God, including new life and strength to stand in His presence.

Ultimately, the Christian life is about knowing God and being transformed by His presence. This is the ultimate goal of our faith and the source of all true Christian activity. Without this experiential knowledge of God, our faith is empty and meaningless. Let us strive to know God more deeply, allowing His presence to transform us and guide our lives.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Essence of Love in Faith: True Christian faith is rooted in the love of God. Without this love, our knowledge and actions are meaningless. This love is the foundation of our relationship with God and the driving force behind our faith. [12:04]

2. Experiential Knowledge of God: The Bible emphasizes the importance of experiencing God personally. This experiential knowledge complements intellectual understanding and is essential for a vibrant faith. Heroes of faith, like Abraham and Enoch, exemplified this deep, personal knowledge of God. [14:00]

3. Awareness of God's Presence: A true Christian is characterized by an awareness of God's presence. This awareness is not just intellectual but deeply experiential, transforming our lives and restoring our communion with God. [17:08]

4. Humility in God's Presence: Experiencing God's glory humbles us, revealing our unworthiness and insignificance. This humility is a hallmark of true Christian faith, leading us to a deeper dependence on God. [28:05]

5. Receiving from God: A Christian is aware of receiving everything from God, including new life and strength. This awareness transforms us, enabling us to stand in God's presence and live according to His will. [32:36]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [12:04] - The Danger of Knowledge Without Love
- [12:17] - Moralism and Social Concern
- [13:12] - Examining Our Faith
- [14:00] - Experiential Faith in the Bible
- [15:21] - The Balance of Experience and Understanding
- [16:36] - Characteristics of Experiencing God
- [17:08] - Awareness of God's Presence
- [18:04] - Ezekiel's Vision and God's Glory
- [19:25] - The Glory of God
- [21:39] - The Light of God's Glory
- [23:30] - Mercy in God's Presence
- [24:20] - Personal Relationship with God
- [27:06] - Humility Before God
- [32:36] - Receiving Life and Strength from God
- [37:00] - The Ultimate Goal of Faith

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
2. Genesis 5:24
3. Ezekiel 1:28

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Observation Questions:

1. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, what does Paul say about the importance of love in relation to knowledge and actions? How does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on the love of God as the foundation of our faith? [12:04]

2. How is Enoch’s relationship with God described in Genesis 5:24, and how does this reflect the sermon’s point about the experiential knowledge of God? [14:37]

3. In Ezekiel 1:28, what is the significance of Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory, and how does this vision relate to the sermon’s discussion on the awareness of God’s presence? [19:25]

4. According to the sermon, what is the danger of reducing Christianity to moralism or social concern? [12:17]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon describe the relationship between intellectual understanding and experiential knowledge of God? Why are both necessary for a vibrant faith? [15:21]

2. What does the sermon suggest is the ultimate goal of the Christian faith, and how does this goal influence the way Christians live their lives? [37:00]

3. How does the sermon explain the role of humility in the Christian experience, especially in light of God’s glory? [28:05]

4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that a Christian is aware of receiving everything from God, and how does this awareness transform their life? [32:36]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own faith journey. How have you experienced the love of God as the foundation of your faith? What steps can you take to deepen this love in your daily life? [12:04]

2. Consider the balance between intellectual understanding and experiential knowledge in your faith. How can you cultivate a deeper personal experience of God this week? [15:21]

3. Think about a time when you felt a profound awareness of God’s presence. How did this experience impact your faith, and how can you seek more of these moments? [17:08]

4. In what ways can you guard against reducing your faith to mere moralism or social concern? How can you ensure that your actions are rooted in a genuine relationship with God? [12:17]

5. Reflect on a recent experience where you felt humbled in God’s presence. How did this humility affect your relationship with God and others? [28:05]

6. Identify an area in your life where you need to rely more on God’s strength and provision. What practical steps can you take to acknowledge and receive everything from God? [32:36]

7. How can you actively pursue the ultimate goal of knowing God more deeply in your daily routine? What changes might you need to make to prioritize this pursuit? [37:00]

Devotional

Day 1: Love as the Foundation of Faith
True Christian faith is rooted in the love of God, which is the essence of our beliefs and actions. Without this love, our knowledge and deeds become hollow and meaningless. The love of God is not just an emotion but a transformative force that shapes our relationship with Him and others. It is the driving force behind our faith, compelling us to live out our beliefs in a way that reflects His love to the world. This love is what distinguishes genuine faith from mere moralism or social concern, as it centers our focus on knowing God intimately and allowing His love to guide our lives. [12:04]

1 John 4:7-8 (ESV): "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you acted out of obligation rather than love. How can you invite God's love into similar situations in the future to transform your actions?


Day 2: Experiencing God Personally
The Bible highlights the importance of experiencing God on a personal level, as seen in the lives of faith heroes like Abraham and Enoch. This experiential knowledge of God complements intellectual understanding and is essential for a vibrant faith. It involves a deep, personal relationship with God, characterized by a profound sense of His presence and glory. This experience is not just about knowing facts about God but about encountering Him in a way that transforms our lives and deepens our faith. [14:00]

Psalm 34:8 (ESV): "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

Reflection: Recall a moment when you felt God's presence in your life. How can you create space in your daily routine to seek and experience His presence more intentionally?


Day 3: Awareness of God's Presence
A true Christian is marked by an awareness of God's presence, which is not merely intellectual but deeply experiential. This awareness transforms our lives, restoring our communion with God and giving us a living sense of His presence. It is through this awareness that we come to understand our unworthiness and insignificance in the light of His majesty, leading us to a deeper dependence on Him. This awareness is a gift of salvation, allowing us to stand in His presence and live according to His will. [17:08]

Isaiah 6:3-5 (ESV): "And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'"

Reflection: In what ways do you sense God's presence in your daily life? How can you cultivate a greater awareness of His presence throughout your day?


Day 4: Humility in the Light of God's Glory
Experiencing God's glory humbles us, revealing our unworthiness and insignificance. This humility is a hallmark of true Christian faith, leading us to a deeper dependence on God. It is through this humbling experience that we recognize our need for His grace and mercy, allowing us to receive everything from Him, including new life and strength. This humility transforms our perspective, helping us to see ourselves and others through the lens of God's love and grace. [28:05]

Micah 6:8 (ESV): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt humbled by God's presence. How can this humility shape your interactions with others and your approach to challenges?


Day 5: Receiving Life and Strength from God
A Christian is aware of receiving everything from God, including new life and strength. This awareness transforms us, enabling us to stand in God's presence and live according to His will. It is through this dependence on God that we find the strength to face life's challenges and the grace to live out our faith authentically. This awareness is a reminder of our need for God in every aspect of our lives, encouraging us to rely on Him for guidance, strength, and sustenance. [32:36]

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you feel weak or inadequate. How can you invite God's strength into this area and rely on Him for support and guidance?

Quotes


13 you can have all knowledge and all this understanding and so forth but if you lack this love with Prophets you nothing speak with the tongues of men and of angels no good there's nothing in it well now these are some of the horrible and the terrible dangers that afflict us and that is why it seems to me that from time to time we should take occasion to examine the very center the whole Foundation to discover where we are then you can add the danger of a kind of moralism doing good that passing us Christianity that's very popular at the present time they say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you do good as long as you show the spirit of Christ and self- sacrifice and so on that's it [00:11:51]

you can have a very great social concern but it's of no value you can give all your goods to feed the poor you can go beyond it and give your body to be burned but if you haven't love this love of God in your heart and love to God it's of no value it's useless well here then are some of the things which we see can so easily absorb us and we can go on year by year God knows a man can stand In a Pulpit and preach and still his own soul may be ignorant of these things we all must needs examine ourselves we are victims of habits and Customs Traditions practices and on and on we go the wheel to turns year after year but I ask in the name of God what's it leading to where's it bringing us are we nearer to God than we were this time last year do we know him better than we did 10 years ago [00:12:47]

the whole emphasis here is upon what I would call the experimental or if you prefer it the experiential oh indeed I venture to use the term the mystical element in the Christian faith and in the life and the condition of the Soul now I argue that this is the great thing taught everywhere in the Bible in the Old Testament and in the new you go through your Old Testament pick out your great heers of the faith and invariably you will find that their chiefest characteristic was this they were men that knew God Abram was a friend of God Enoch walked with God Isaiah had that knowledge of God so had this man so they all had and it's exactly the same in the New Testament the essential experience is exactly the same in the Old Testament and in the new [00:13:52]

the ultimate end and object of the Christian faith is to bring us into a living experience of God now then what are the characteristics of this experience well they're here laid open before us I simply want to hold them before you briefly this morning ex examine yourself in the light of them go on doing so what is the first thing what is the First Essential in other words before any man has a right to call himself a Christian I wouldn't hesitate to answer that it's this it is a sense of God an awareness of God this I say is the whole object of Salvation man was made in the image of God in correspondence with God and was in communion with God sin was that which cut off the communion and caused the separation so that men became a stranger from God and no longer enjoyed fellowship with God [00:16:36]

what's the object of Salvation well to restore them to reconcile men unto God and that I say means something in the realm of experience so that it restores to men this living sense of God this awareness of God that's what happened to Ezekiel here I say it's in a very intense form he saw these appearances these beasts the wheels and these extraordinary colors that's all right it's given us in a pictorial form in order that it may direct our attention to it these things are not Essentials but thing itself of course is the thing that matters of course the imagery is used because there is a sense in which such an experience cannot be described it baffles description and yet it is real it is always known any man who's ever had a sense of God and an awareness of God he knows it and he'll never forget it he knows exactly what it means [00:18:04]

the glory of God this is a great account of a manifestation of the glory of God you notice the terms he uses this he says was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord no man can see God and live Ezekiel didn't see God he couldn't have stood of the test of of the sight more than anybody else but what he was given was an appearance of the likeness of the glory he didn't see the glory itself that's ineffable but there is a likeness of the glory and he was given to see an appearance of that likeness you see how distant it is and you see how the Old Testament and the new go together we see as in a glass Darkly as the great Apostle I see as in a riddle in an enigma that's all because we can't stand anymore while we're in this life and in this world he only saw the appearance of the likeness but oh what an appearance it was [00:19:25]

the tragedy today is is it not that we're all so healthy we are all so glied we're all so assured we're all so busy I'm not advocating clear dull solity or some kind of artificial humility of the UAH Heap type no no that's not what I'm talking about the thing that I'm discussing with you it doesn't need any demonst ation it needs no argument my dear friend any man who has some glimpse of the glory of God inevitably is humbled I fell upon my face why well an utter sense of unworthiness you can't behold Purity without feeling unclean you can't look at light without being aware of the darkness you can't look at greatness and majesty and might without feeling yourself shrinking to nothing your smallness your weakness your are nothingness there is no more characteristic Mark of the true Christian than just this very thing humbleness the sense of being humbled [00:28:05]

the Christian is a man who is conscious of having received everything from God stand upon thy feet I can't stand upon my feet the spirit comes with the word and puts me on my feet I am what I am by the grace of God I am not what I am because I I have certain abilities because I've had certain training because I have certain faculties and propensities not at all what have ye says the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians what hast thou that thou did not receive there were people buting about their knowledge and understanding in Corinth and what they were doing wait a moment says Paul what hast thou that thou did not receive I am what I am by the grace of God I would still be that militant persecuting Pharisee that blaspheming ignorant fool were it not that he took hold on me and made me a new and set me upon my feet [00:32:36]

we are his workmanship and take it from me my friend that if you think you've made yourself a Christian you're not a Christian at all there's nothing more obvious about the Christian than the fact that he realizes that it is entirely due to the action of God his workmanship created a new in Christ Jesus If any man be in Christ he's a new creation I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me what's it mean it means this the Christian is a man who's aware of the fact that he's received new life he was lying on the floor in his helplessness in his weakness in his shame in his sinfulness and in his vness and a word came to him that set him upon his feet [00:34:20]

what is it oh it's the gift of life it's regeneration he's aware that there is a new principle in him he can't help this he doesn't understand it fully but he knows that it came and it came with the word the spirit upon the word entered into him made him a new set him on his feet gave him life power understanding ability and vigor he's ready to be God's servant do you know that the life of God is in your soul have you known this infusion this transfusion if you like of life and power and ability coming to you do we know what it is to be amazing at ourselves that we are able to stand in the presence of God oh you remember again how the Apostle Paul puts it being therefore justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and he says we rejoice in this Grace wherein We Stand [00:37:00]

it's a tremendous thing this that a feeble sinful men can stand and in the presence of God it's God Alone who can enable him to do it but he does enable him to do it and he does it by giving him life and power and vigor and strength what's a Christian well a Christian is a man who knows that the God who made everything out of nothing at the beginning has taken a hold of him and having smashed him he has made him a new fashioned him after the image of his only son has set him upon his feet can address him and he can listen that's my last point the Christian is a man who is here listening to God he set me upon my feet that I heard him that spake unto me he's a man who mastered by God controlled by God led by God directed by God and who realizes that he can only live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the lord [00:39:00]

that's why the Son of God came into this world that's why he died upon the cross to bring us to that not merely to save us from hell not merely that our sins should be forgiven God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself this is life eternal that they might Know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent do we know God have we been in the presence of God and felt it to know and to feel that he was there something of the glory and the greatness and the Majesty yes and the mercy and the power and the coming of life the renewal the newness what value is there in anything if we haven't got that that is the end the ultimate object of all our faith and every Christian activity this is the center everything else comes out from this but without this all else can be a tinkling symbol refug useless worthless to know God [00:41:00]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?