This week Bro. Leo leads us on a study of how our perspective of God influences how we see the world around us by looking at a few examples from the Bible.

In Isa.6:1 there are two components of Isaiah’s perspective of God.  1)  He saw the Lord in all His power, authority and majesty.  No matter what our circumstances are, God is above them.
2)  He saw the Lord in all of His purity, righteousness and holiness.  This perspective allows us to see ourselves and our circumstances.

We should see God as high and lifted up, but also as a caring God who reaches down to help us (Psa.147:1-9).  With this perspective we will rest in God instead of fighting against Him.

In 2Cor.4:16-18 Paul tells us to keep our focus on God because our circumstances are just temporary but God is eternal.  The phrase “look not at” is translated from the Greek word “skopeō” which means to intensely focus upon, to give much attention to to the point of much contemplation on.

Illustration:  The sun is 109 times larger in diameter than the earth, the volume of the sun is so great that you could fit 1.3 million planet earth’s in the sun.  Even as large as the sun is we can close one eye and hold a penny in front of the other eye and completely blot out the sun.  No matter how large our circumstances are, they can be blotted out by placing our focus on God by having the correct perspective of God.

Scriptures used in today’s message:

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Psa 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psa 104:2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Psa 147:1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Psa 147:2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
Psa 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psa 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Psa 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
Psa 147:6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
Psa 147:7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
Psa 147:8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
Psa 147:9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Jer 32:18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
Jer 32:19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings

2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.