A few years ago, I heard someone say, “We don’t hear a lot of preaching about God nowadays”. The comment grabbed my attention (especially as a preacher!) and as I spent some time thinking about it, I had to agree. We have a lot of sermons on things such as relationships, faith, freedom, prayer, evangelism, etc, etc, which are all good – but not a lot of preaching about God.
As a result, back in 2005, I shared a five-part series of messages on The Quest for God. We took a fresh look at the God who has revealed himself to us – who he is and what he’s really like. We talked about: (1) the fact that God is not dead – he’s very alive, (2) how BIG God is, (3) how loving God is, (4) the holiness of God, and what that means practically, and (5) where God is when we’re hurting (the question of suffering).
This series had a tangible impact on all of our lives at that time. For those of you who missed this it – a CD pack is available from our bookshop (order online or phone +613 9871 8300) and there are also free mp3s of each one of the messages on the CityLife Church web site.
This coming weekend I’ll be continuing on this theme as we talk about friendship with God. What an awesome privilege to think that God calls us to be his ‘friends’! He wants us to not just know ‘about’ him but to have a personal and intimate relationship with him. We can be as close to God as we want to be. He calls us to come closer. Will we respond?
As with any friend, let’s make an effort to know what God is like. Find out what pleases Him and seek to do those things on a regular basis. Find out what annoys Him or makes Him angry and be sure to avoid those things. Remember, God is a personal and relational God. He has feelings, thoughts and desires just like you and I do. After all, we were made in his likeness.
When it’s all said and done, what matters for now and eternity is knowing God. Let’s continue to take up the quest – for God!
Mark
Really looking forward to this series, Mark…the 2005 messages were great. We are SO blessed at CityLife to receive such balanced and inspiring teaching.I love this quote from Simon Tugwell…”So long as we imagine it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about—He is looking for us.”
Really looking forward to the message Mark! the other messages really helped me!
Hey Mark, I attended your Quest of God series this morning. You talked about everything has a cause that make things happen, then what is the cause of God? Where God comes from?
Good question, Candy. Anything that is caused by something or someone else, is essentially dependent. I believe that God has always existed (the only ‘first cause’) and that his existence does not depend on anything or anyone else. He is ‘self-existent’ and therefore not dependent on anything or anyone else. That’s what makes him ‘God’. Genesis 1 simply says, “In the beginning … God …” That takes faith to believe, because none of us were there. Hope that helps. Mark
Great message today Mark. It was wonderful to hear you sing and play the piano…it has been too long!
Just wondering what is your favourite or “life” verse…and why?
Hi Mark,
I was really inspired by the word that God spoke through you on Sunday morning. Thank you so much for sharing his light with us so that we may see.
Thank you Mark for blessing us on the piano.
Very awe inspiring message and excellent time of worship!
The well known older praise & worship songs help us to enter into
God’s Holy presence far more powerfully than the much newer ones.
God bless you.
Much love in Christ,
Marija