Gregory Dickow - Jesus is With You Now (Letting Go of a Small God)
Welcome to the power to Change today, and did you know that some sayings we hear quoted as Bible verses aren't really in the Bible? Did you know the three wise men, for example, are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible? Neither is money is the root of all evil there. There's no reference to how many wise men there actually were there. And it's the love of money that's the root of all evil, not just money. So I thought we could start today's broadcast with a little Bible trivia. I'm going to read six simple sayings or mention six simple sayings to you, and I'm asking you to count how many of them you think are actually in the Bible. Are you ready?
Number one, God helps those that help themselves. Number two, cleanliness is next to godliness. Number three, spare the rod, spoil the child. Hang in there. You're halfway done. Number four, sometimes God says yes. Sometimes he says no. Number five, this, too, shall pass. And number six, God works in mysterious ways. Well, how many did you count? If you said zero, then you are truly a modern day Bible scholar, because that's exactly right. Those of you who counted one or more, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my Facebook page. Some of them are close to being biblically correct, but they're not. But let's look at that last one real quick. God works in mysterious ways. He absolutely doesn't.
In fact, he reveals himself through Jesus. Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the father just read the Gospels. And you know what God is really like. He heals people. That takes the mystery out of how he feels towards you. He comforts people. He forgives people. He delivers people everywhere he goes. He raises people from the dead. That's our God. And he's not a mystery. And so in today's teaching, I'm talking about the real Jesus and how he will heal you everywhere you're hurting and transform you from the inside out. Check this out.
A few years ago in my life, I realized that the religion that I was experiencing, it lacked some things. It lacked freedom. It lacked joy. It lacked love. It lacked a sense of purpose and worth and value. The religion I was experiencing, even the form of Christianity, so to speak, I was saved and I was even preaching. But I was not experiencing the joy in the and the freedom in the and the love and the peace that that I believe the gospel is intended to bring us. Now, the gospel is definitely intended to save us from sin and from death and to and to give us a relationship with God. Forgive us of our sins and will spend eternity with with him in heaven. But it's also the gospel is good news. And any time you hear good news, it brings you peace. Anytime you hear good news, it brings you freedom. It brings this kind of news anyway. It brings freedom. It brings joy. It brings love. It brings it brings a sense of of value and worth to your life. Like there's something about this good news, this gospel, which is what the word good news comes from. Gospel means good news.
And so but what I was experiencing in my life was not the it was it was really a diluted version of Jesus. And how do you know when is when it's a diluted version of Jesus? Well, when you're not experiencing joy, when you're not experiencing peace, the gospel brings joy. The gospel brings peace. You know, the Bible says good news of great joy when Jesus comes. Good news of great joy, peace on earth, goodwill towards me, in other words, God's will towards men. Listen, if Jesus arrival on Earth was meant to be good news, that brings great joy. Then if we're not experiencing great joy, we're probably not experiencing the good news the way that it was intended to to be experienced. We're probably not. If we're not experiencing peace in our lives, then we're probably not hearing the good news the way God intended it.
So I want you to hear the good news the way God intended it, to produce great joy, to produce peace and the love of God and a sense of value and worth rather than guilt and condemnation. And I don't know where you came from, but in a lot of religious settings, there's a lot of guilt being offered. There's a lot of condemnation that's being peddled. There's a lot of of of works that are demanded. And you did a lot of rules and regulations and do's and don'ts in order for you to get God to, you know, to keep his promise. I bought into those lies for several years that somehow I've got to make promises to God in order for him to keep his promises to me. How many have made it tried to make a deal with God at one time or another in your life? Like Lord, if you do this, I'll do this, or if I'll do this for you, will you do this for me?
And even though we we make we try to make those deals, here's the real deal. The deal is God says, look, I'll tell you what. Move out of the way. I'm making a promise to you. I'm swearing to it in my in the blood of my son. So just. Get out of the way of trying to make a promise to me and just receive the promise that I made to you, because promises are not received by us performing for God, just like what she was sharing earlier. But the promises of God, the Bible says he is watching over his promises to perform them. We don't have to perform for God to keep his promises. God is the performer. All we've got to do is receive the promises. And I know there are some people here that that may challenge the previous beliefs that you had. No, no. We got to we got to promise God we're going to pray.
We got to promise God we're going to be holy. We've got to promise God. How is that worked for you? Every time you promise God you're going to pray, every day you fall asleep, you push, you push snooze on your phone every time. Why? Because you've got to stop having this arrangement with God that is built upon your promises. And you need to come into the arrangement that he made with you where he makes the promise. And all we do, he says yes to the promise. And all we have to do is say amen. That's what the Bible says. Right. But I had bought into this this mixture of law and grace in my life a few years ago and where we got to do for God, we got to do for God. I felt like I had to make deals with God, that I had to keep the law, even though I was saved by grace. I kind of had to keep the law so that I so that I kept the blessing flowing in my life.
And then I also had I was saved by grace. And I knew that. But I, I had to have find a little nice piece of grace in my theology, but didn't recognize that Grace isn't just a small little piece of the gospel. It is the gospel. I'll show you that in a minute. That Jesus is the fullness of grace and truth, and so I ask God to show himself to me. Without the filter of my upbringing, without the filter of my past, without the filter of my opinion, without the filter of the popular preaching that goes on in the world today, I didn't want any filters. I wanted the real gospel, and I wanted to understand it the way it was intended.
And so I just would keep reading the Bible and keep reading the Bible. And I would come up with scriptures like this because when I started asking God for this, these scriptures would jump out at me like Deuteronomy one, verse twenty six. I'm going to show you something you can drowning me. Chapter one, verse twenty six. Because the number one problem in the world today, whether it's terrorism or fear or tragedy and whether it's wars and rumors of wars, whether it's mental illness, whether it's this guy who was addicted to pornography or somebody who's addicted to something else or like I said, emotional illness or all of these things.
And I think of terrorism and I think of things that are perpetrated by religious people, quote unquote, in the name of God. Where does that stuff come from? Where does that hate come from? Where does that murder come from? Where does that kill the infidels come from? It comes from a wrong concept of God. All of the problems in this world come from a wrong concept of God, the number one problem in the world is a wrong concept of God. So we got to get this right. We don't have to get our behavior right. We've got to get our concept of God right. Because when you see him the way that he really is, it will it will draw you to him when you see him the way he really is. It will cause you to want to worship him. We don't worship because that's what's next in the service. We worship because we're in awe of his glory and his love.
Now, I want to show you the route of rebellion, because many people have been taught that you're just rebellious because you're just rebellious and you've got this rebellious spirit and you got this rebellious attitude. But I believe that all rebellion comes from the root. Rebellion is a fruit. Adam and Eve rebelled against God because they began to question the nature of God and they began to question his love for them and notice what these people did, the same thing that Adam and Eve did. Nevertheless, you would not go, but you rebelled against the command of the Lord, your God. Why did they rebel? He explains. In the next verse was twenty seven. Because you complained in your tent by saying, because the Lord hates us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Emirates to destroy us. So they had the mistaken belief that God hated them.
And so he brought them out of Egypt to deliver them into the hands, into the hands of the Emirates to destroy them. So they believed that that he hated them and wanted to destroy them. Now, I know that's an extreme belief, and I know that there's probably nobody here that actually that actually consciously believes that God hates you, wants to destroy you, but subconsciously, because of religious religious nonsense, religious, pious baloney sandwich, because of all the garbage that is preached, that is a mixture of God's grace and the law and legalism. Because of that, people have this idea that why don't you care, God? Don't you care for me if you don't think that you've ever experienced that?
Think about it. The disciples who walked with Jesus for three years, they said when they were in the middle of a storm, Lord, don't you care, Martha, who's hosting a party with Jesus as the main guest, she says to Jesus when she's bothered, don't you care? So if we ever think that we never think that way, we're deceiving ourselves because every one of us had thought when a problem hits, when a storm hits, we're wondering, God, where are you? Don't you care? God, why am I going through this? Why did this happen to me? Why was I abused as a child? Why was I neglected? Why did this happen? Why did that happen? Lord, didn't you care? Of course he cared. But he also gave a certain measure of authority to people.
And if your parents didn't protect you or if you if you were put in a situation with somebody that was unsafe and they hurt you or they abused you, that wasn't because of a choice God made. That was because of a choice, a human being made. And we have to get rid of this concept of God that somehow he allows everything to happen, no, we allow stuff to happen. Jesus said heaven allows whatever you allow, whatever you bind or forbid on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever you allow on earth will be allowed in heaven. Why? Because heaven cooperates with the will of man. Heaven cooperates with what you allow if you allow yourself to, if you allow yourself to to fall apart emotionally. God will allow that now, not because he wants that, but because he will not override your will, because love gives people a choice.
God, if God loves us, he gets he lets us choose the destiny. We're going. He lets us choose our path. He lets us choose. He doesn't make us. He said, look, I'm warning you not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But he didn't he didn't stop them from doing it because he allowed what they allowed. Now, he warned them in advance, don't do it because this is what's going to happen. That's pretty nice to him, don't you think? Don't eat from this because this is the consequence of that. Now, they rebelled because they thought he was holding out on them and they didn't think that he loved them. And here these people didn't think he loved them. In all rebellion in this world starts from a mindset that God is holding out or God, it doesn't love you or God doesn't care about you.
And that mentality, that concept of God is what I'm on a mission to rid this earth of. And without my whatever my small part is in that, I'm going to do everything I can to to get to change the mindsets that will change the world. Malakai, Chapter one. I've mentioned the scripture several times. Malachi Chapter one. Verse two. In the new living translation, look at what it says, it says, God is talking here to his people. He says, I have always loved you. I have always loved you. I have always loved you. I've always loved you. I've always loved you. You mean even when I was in my city. I've always loved you. You mean even before I was born? I've always loved you. You mean even after I failed yesterday? I've always loved you. You mean after I've done this and done that and shaking my fist at God and doubted and I've always loved you.
This is God's attitude towards us. This is the mindset that we need to adopt in our lives. This is the mindset that we need to embrace. A mindset is an attitude. That takes precedence over all other facts. So and you could say an attitude. An attitude is a mindset that takes precedence over all other facts. And so our attitude needs to be an attitude that he's always loved me. It's a mindset that no matter what else happens in life, no matter what anybody does to me, no matter what storms that I'm in, no matter what failures I, I have, no matter what successes I have, no matter how many times I fall or fail, I have a mindset that takes precedence over all other facts. And that mindset is he has always loved me. I want you to say that say he has always loved me.
Boy, you just washes your mind when you begin to believe that and it washes you of that wrong concept of God that that that the Jesus that kind of picks and chooses who he heals. Well, I think I'll heal you. I think I'll bless you. I think I'll I'll do this for you. I'll do that for you. No, he doesn't pick and choose. And let me give you proof of that, that there was a woman who who came through the crowd. Remember the woman who was with the issue of blood for twelve years? And the Bible says, Mark Chapter five and in Luke Chapter eight and in Matthew Chapter eight, I believe also. And it says she she pressed through the crowd and she kept saying to herself, she said within herself there was something that she believed within herself. Inside she believed if I just touch his garment. I'll be made whole now that can't be based on what somebody else told her. It's got to be based on what she believed within that the power of God is inside of you for your healing and its inside of Christ and you're in Christ.
Therefore, the power of God is always available for you. But listen, it's says remember what happened. It says she kept pressing through. She kept saying to herself, if I touch his garment, I'll be healed. If I touch his garment, I'll be made to you. I'll be made whole. And then. And then she busts through that crowd, grabs a hold of his garment. And the Bible says and virtue. Power went out from his body into hers. And what does it say happened next? It says he looked around at the crowd and asked his disciples, who touched me, who touched me. In other words, Jesus did not even know. I know. I know. We know. God is is omniscient. But Jesus is telling us here that he it wasn't it wasn't up to him whether this woman was going to be healed. He had healing flowing through his through his body. He had healing flowing through his covenant garments. He had healing flowing through his life. But it was up to her, he said, who touched me when all denied it?
Peter and those said, Master, the multitudes are pressing around you and you say, Who touched me? And he said in verse forty six of Luke eight. Look, but Jesus, somebody touched me because I felt power going out from me. He felt the power, but he didn't know who who it was that grabbed a hold of it. He didn't know who plugged in the electrical cord. But it was this woman and then he looked around, look at what says in verse forty seven, he looked around and she when the woman saw that it was that she was not hidden, she came trembling and falling down before him. She declared to him in the presence of all the people, the reason she had touched him and how she was healed immediately. And Jesus didn't say, you know what, I don't know if it was my will to heal you, I think you need to give that healing back. No, he didn't even know who it was.
What is my point? My point is, is that this this false concept that God picks some to be blessed and some to be healed and leaves others in a sick condition or broken condition. I can't we can't none of us are going to be able to explain all of the whys. All of the whys behind why certain things happen and certain things don't get to the place where we think they should get to, God will answer all that for us. But the one answer that is never the true answer is that God meant it. Listen, Satan is the enemy, and he comes to steal, killing, destroy Jesus made it abundantly clear he said this. He said, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I have come. He's making a contrast. The thief comes to steal, kill, destroy. But I have come that you would have life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows.
And then he said, so people say, well, what, what is God really like? Well, all you got to do is go follow Jesus around in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to find out what God is really like. Because because wherever we see Jesus, Jesus said this. He said, if you've seen me in I believe it's in John Chapter five where he said, if you've seen me, you've seen the father. So whatever we see Jesus, do we know that is the will of the father? That's what God is like. If you've seen me, you've seen the father. So when we see Jesus in the in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John before he goes to the cross, what do we see Jesus doing? Because whatever we see him doing, that's what God is like. So when he comes in contact with sick people, what does Jesus do? He heals them. When he comes in contact with condemned people, what does he do? He forgives them when he comes in contact with dead people.
What does he do? Raises them from the dead. When he comes in contact with hungry people, what does he do? He feeds them when he comes in contact with depressed and lonely people. What does he do? He comforts them. He heals them. He delivers them. That's your savior. That's your king. That's the real Jesus. That's what God is like. There is no mystery to this. There is no mystery to this. We got to get rid of the God works in mysterious ways. Theology that. Yeah, that's in the book. A second hesitations. You can look it up later. God doesn't work in mysterious ways, God reveals himself by sending Jesus and says, this is who I am and this is what I look like, this is the spitting image of me. This is the son of God, the image bearer. Listen to him, receive him. And whatever he tells you to do, do it.
That's that. That is who God is. He is whatever you see Jesus doing. That's what God is. Every time Jesus comes in contact with somebody that is hurting or lonely, he loves them. Even the guy that refused to follow him as when he refused to follow Jesus, it says in Jesus, looked upon him with compassion. And with love. You see? Even the Pharisees Jesus was there to heal them, too, you can find that in Luke Chapter five. I don't have time to get into that. They couldn't receive it because of their religious tradition and their pride and their self-righteousness, but his power was available to them, too, if they were to humble themselves. And who are who are these Ferris's and who are we to be like Ferris's who when Jesus is the son of God, who are we to be self-righteous when Jesus, God, God in heaven? Humbles himself to come to this earth as a man, the humility of Jesus we talked about last week comes to this Earth as a man becomes obedient, not just obedient to the laws of God, but obedient to the point of death.
On a cross, not an easy death, the hardest, worst death that any human being could ever imagine, even to this day, the mutilation of his body through the cords, the piercing of his head with the crown of thorns, the the the the beating and mocking and abusing the plucking of his beard out of his face. These are all the things that Jesus went through, the worst death of the worst criminal. When we were the criminals, we were Barabas, but we were the one that Jesus took the place of when Barabas deserved to die. Pilots said the people said, give us Barabas. And so they crucified Jesus rather than Barabas, just like. They crucified Jesus rather than. The crucified Jesus rather than this is the Jesus.