Divine Encounters
When God Interrupts, Intersects, & Intervenes
The God Who Loves Encounter
July 28, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Zephaniah 3:14–20
God doesn't simply desire to tell us things, His purpose is to spend time with us - to personally intersect with us as His individual children. His purpose in creation and redemption is to walk with us in life so that we may know him, love Him and enjoy Him. This first message in the Divine Encounters series sets the table for the other messages which will follow. This passage from the ancient prophet, Zephaniah, shows us the degree to which God delights in us as His beloved children. Very few places in Scripture allow us the opportunity to clearly visualize how God feels about His children like this passage does. You may be astounded to learn how God the Father feels about us. So, will you have courage to believe that God feels this way even about you?
Encounters That Unlock Your Purpose
August 4, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Exodus 3:1–12
God has never created a single human whose life is absent of divine purpose. You and I are expressions of God’s heart, will and glory. He had an eternal purpose, wrapped it in human DNA and called it YOU. This is why our lives are rich with meaningful potential. Second only to coming to faith in Christ, our life-purpose is to define all of our days. Yes, God has a reason for you being here. He always has. The life of Moses is a beautiful example of just how committed God is to revealing and completing His purpose for our lives. It is never too late in life for us to experience an encounter with God which changes everything from that point forward. Each Christian, if he or she is still not aware of God’s purpose, should pursue the Lord to know His will for their lives. Even if we are slow to do so, God is not. He may very well appoint a burning-bush encounter for you in order to communicate to you that He is still inviting you step into your life’s assignment.
Shame-Crushing Encounters
August 11, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • John 8:1–11
Shame is one of the devil’s most effective weapons. In our generation, we can experience shame for our appearance, our income status, our personal failures, the abuse which happened to us and, of course, the shame from religious people and systems that constantly remind us that we do not measure up. Jesus is not willing that any of His people live in a constant sense of shame. Part of His ministry includes His power to facilitate shame crushing encounters. In this famous passage of Scripture, Jesus comes to the defense of a woman whose sin had caught up with her. While the religious leaders of her day wanted to make a public example out of her, Jesus wanted to make a new creation out of her. The way He treats her is a great lesson for how we should expect Him to treat us when a sense of shame tries to swallow us whole.
Encounters That Leave Us Convinced
August 18, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Isaiah 6:1–8
Once a person has been brought to God through faith in Jesus Christ, it may be argued that the most vital experience to follow is to become transformationally convinced of the majesty, holiness and supremacy of God. Isaiah had spent five chapters pronouncing woe upon other people. When he sees for himself the glory of God in the temple in chapter six, Isaiah pronounces woe upon…Isaiah. How he is ministered to in the throne room of God reveals much about the heart of God towards His people. Isaiah was never the same after this personal and transformational encounter. We cannot be Christians who live off of the encounters, experiences and testimonies of others. We need our very own. This message calls all of us to consider the supremacy of God over all of creation, and to cause us to press in for our own encounter with Him which will prove to be transformational for the rest of our days.
Eyes Opened For The Fight
September 1, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • 2 Kings 6:8–23
It is not a question of if the enemy will strike, but when. Attached to when the enemy will come against the people of God is the issue of how the enemy will come against us. We cannot win in spiritual warfare if we are ignorant of the enemy and his strategies. Not surprisingly, we also know that we cannot win spiritual battles with fleshly means. On our own, none of us are smart enough, experienced enough nor strong enough to defeat the devil. We must be empowered by Holy Spirit to fight and win. Part of this empowerment arrives when He opens our eyes for the fight. From an ancient account of warfare, we learn some holy and helpful means by which we can be assisted in fighting the enemy. It is never too soon for us to pray that God would enable us to see what He sees in the spirit realm. When this occurs, we are heavily positioned to win our battles.
Encounters That Lead To Restoration
September 8, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • 1 Samuel 30:1–18
King David once lived in a season of being backslidden. This short, painful scene in David’s life became a turning point that brought him face to face with the consequences of living outside of the will of God and beneath his destiny. When we make decisions that do not honor the Lord, there will be consequences. Sometimes those consequences are intense. How do we respond when our sins catch up with us? Do we run further from God, or do we have enough assurance of His committed love to turn to Him in our moment of deep need? David temporarily lost everything he treasured. Even his own life hung in the balance. Yet, a gracious God met the struggling king and brought him to the place where he could receive back what the enemy had stolen. Something happened in David’s encounter with God that changed everything. David’s bad decisions had created an impossible knot for himself. God was going to prove that He knows how to untie impossible knots.