Quiet Times Search

Tearful, self-pity can drive parents to guilt, rage, and frustration - this is a form of disobedience
This is an attempt by the child to break down the parent - we must not give in
It is a character flaw that one day will produce an unhappy, victim mentality adult

Do everything without complaining of arging - Philippians 2:14-16
This is what God expects from us and we should expect it from our children

Refers to the building a structure and rhythm into our famiy schedule
Times when the whole group gets together

Mealtimes
Everyone is there for dinner - someone is missing, there is a very good reason
Talk about significant things that happened during the day
It is the simple things that build fabric

Stop letting people read the paper, watch TV or do homework during dinner
Disallow running off to different rooms
Stop making appointment that take you away
Allow no phone calls
Make dinnertime an event - work hard to keep it special

Create family traditions - do things that uniquel to our family
Make birthdays a big deal - does not have to be expensive

When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond?

Jesus demonstrated his love for people in the way he deals with the crowds

Everywhere he went, Jesus drew a crowd
He spoke with authority, conviction because he deeply cared about people

We need to care enough to gather a crowd - People need to be our focus
They need to be in our homes, in our Saturday plans, and focus of our lunch hour

Jesus with the Religious
Their slavery to legalistic minutiae angered him - Matthew 23:23-24
Their stubborn hearts distressed him - Mark 3:1-5
Jesus desire was for them to be saved

Jesus with the Faithful
Jesus gets the greatest joy from interacting with people who believe
Centurion - the faith he was looking for - Luke 18:8
What fires Jesus up? Faith

If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us.

Who big is your crowd?
Do you see the faith of others?
Is Jesus amazed by your faith or your lack of it?

Some people's needs could be quickly dealt with: "Heal my blindness" or "Let me just touch your garment"

But not Nicodemus, Jesus knew it would be a long night - John 3:1-3

Nicodemus, was a man looking for something:

• Groun up learning about God
• Surrounded by a system caught up in traditions
• Knew the Bible stories
• Very active in the Jewish faith
• Jesus capured his attention by his teachings and his works
• Felt that there was something missing

Could this be right? Could Jesus be the Messiah?

Jesus was straight to the point: I tell you the truth, you must be born again - John 3:3
He needed a wake up call - Same lesson we need today - we need a new birth
He was part a system of legalism  (following rules with seeking the heart of God)
People trying to earn what God desired to just give them

Nicodemus knew he could get time with Jesus and he did
He receieved the answer and Jesus taught him the depth of God's love

Who was intrumental in answering your questions and healping you see the truth?
What sacrifices do you see that they made for you?
Are you doing the same for others?

• Many people would have not stopped to chat
• Most would have averted eye contact
• Jews saw blindness as punishment for some sin - John 9:2
• Jesus saw an opportunity to heal and teach - so God might be displayed in his life - John 9:3
• Jesus acted but not predictably - felt something moist and hear go wash
• Blind man simply went - true blind obedience

• Simple honest - I was blind but now I see - John 9:25
• Childlike innocence - Do you want to become his disciples too? - John 9:27
• Boldness - John 9:27

• Mocked
• Questioned him (harshly)
• Spied on him
• Confronted him
• Laid traps for him
• Falsely accused him
• Threatened him
• Joined forces with their opponents to plot against him

When Jesus first heard the news about Lazarus, Jesus declared that his illness was not going to be fatal - John 11:4

When Lazarus died, the disciples probably thought that he really blew it this time

Good thing Jesus called lazarus by nameotherwise every corpse in cemetery may have come out

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead foreshadows Jesus' own resurrection after three days in the tomb

Jesus is a victor over death
The phrase goes: Two things are certain - death and taxes

While some could not pay taxes for a while; no one but Jesus can conquer death

Do you fear death? How does your relationship with Jesus change the way you once thought?

1. We must admit that we are sinful
2. We must realize Jesus has called us to follow him and be righteous
3. Humbly commit to change
4. We must change

Jesus was tempted in every way we are but was without sin - Hebrews 4:15

How could he put up with this day after day?

Jesus was in complete submission of God's will:

1. Jesus God no matter what the cost
2. He chose Judas so the scriptures would be fulfilled - John 13:18
3. Suffered emotionally each time he looked at Judas

How Jesus' heart must have ached when teaching:

1. Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over - Judas. - Matthew 10:17
2. Brother will betry brother to death - Judas. - Matthew 10:21
3. Love your enemies - Judas. - Matthew 5:44

Jesus overcame temptation by using scripture, prayer, and he called others for encouragement from others

He deliberately sought out support and encouragement from his 3 closest friends
He also expressed his disappointment at their failure to help

We desperately need relationships for encouragement EVERY day - Hebrews 3:12-13
Tempatation comes every day

There is no excuse in an age of modern technology for getting in touch

1. Caused by our own bad behavior - the wicked have their fill - Proverbs 12:21
2. Comes from doing what is right - Persecution because of the Word - Matthew 13:21
3. Trouble that we all face because we live in this world
   • Each day will be trouble - Matthew 6:34
   • In this world you will have trouble - John 16:33

Prophets – God can forgive your sins
Jesus – He said their sins were given by him
To the paralytic - “…may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10)
To the sinful women – “her many sins have been forgiven” (Luke 7:47)

Prophets – God saves
Jesus knew he was the one to save the world from sin
“…Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45)
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28)

Prophets – God judges
Jesus - “…my judgment is just” (John 5:30))
On the last day - “Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord…” (Matthew 7:22)

1. How to live
2. Be committed to him
3. Should love him

Righteousness for the Pharisee had became having the correct facts and outward performance
Not about memorizing more scriptures or fasting three times a day
Righteousness was all about attitude
When scriptures is not exact, we should on these attitudes in situations in our lives – to please God

The pursuit of God’s will should be the overriding passion of our lives
No can serve two masters – Matthew 6:24

• New priorities – with people who have different ones
• New loyalties – with people who have different ones
• Mission is to reachout and share with people why they need his message
• Associate with sinners but call them change
• Love unconditionally; Live radically – declare this is the way to live

Preparation

Mark 1:12-13

• Jesus overcame himself first so that he could then overcome the world
• Considered it a joy when you face many trials
• The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare

The Message

Mark 1:14-15

• His message was attractive – proclaimed that an intimate involvement with God
• 'Seize the day' attitude – it was an urgent message and he called for an immediate response
• We must be urgent with people if we want them to act urgently
• This may be there only opportunity to respond.

Opportunism

Mark 2:1-2

• Jesus was always ready to make the most of an opportunity because he was always eager to be productive.
• He did not dread his work and he didn’t procrastinate
• He was not content to merely existing.
• To Jesus, life itself was an opportunity, so every event in life was a “once in a lifetime opportunity”
• If today was your last day, would you be pleased with how you lived it?

Commendation

Mark 2:3-5

• Jesus notices and rewarded the aggressive faith of these men. He was not offended

Forgiveness

• The guilt of sin can have a crippling or debilitating effect on even our physical bodies
• Spiritual and physical health are linked together

Assertiveness

Mark 5:35-43

• He took charge of the situation and his surrounds
• Why have we not acted as Jesus did?

Fear Sensitivity

• Jesus didn’t say a word to those who doubted
• Assertiveness without sensitivity can be offensive and counterproductive

A Simple charge

• “Don’t be afraid, just believe”
• He didn’t burden him with lots of words
• Excessive amount of teaching may cloud the main issue

Privileging

• Peter, James, and John were closest to Jesus
• Jesus narrowed his focus to help the build leaders to their full potential.

Consideration

• A little consideration can go a long ways
• Ideas: buy someone lunch, remember people’s birthdays
• Be alert to meeting other people’s needs

Mark 6:1-6

Patience

• Son of God spent about ten to fifteen years doing manual labor.
• Flowers bloom at different times; we must wait for our day to bloom
• We must “Carpe diem” - seize the day - When that day comes

Challenger

• “They took offence at him.”
• Jesus was disappointed at their response and he told them so to their faces.
• He didn’t hesitate to speak out.
• Late to bible study – would you be late to pick up a million dollars?

The Sending

Mark 6:7-13

• He gave them very specific instructions
• He taught them how much they needed encouragement, accountability, and support.
• It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure that those sent on a mission be adequately prepared for it.
• An unprepared person who is sent can gather discouragement more than victories.

Forcefulness

• Forceful leader gives specific direction and then fully expects his followers to carry them out.
• Jesus did not apologize for strong leadership; he promoted it
• Strong leadership is offensive to many these days
• People resist because of pride or because they simply do not want other to tell them what to do.

• Known as the Jesus cult.
• They spent night and day with His disciple and they were always astonished.
• Some people astonish us when we first meet them but after getting to know them we grow accustomed to their usual actions. 

• James and John expected to pull this one over on Jesus
  
• He didn’t correct them for being manipulative or disrespectful

• There is a great difference between lording leadership and servant leadership.
• It is hard to see politicians as servant leaders.

• Jesus had more of an impact dead then alive.
• Are we dead to ourselves?
  
• If any of Jesus’ rebukes had a particularly lasting impact on their lives, this was the one
• Disciples were probably convicted by just the sight of Jesus

• What would your last words be? – Say them today!!!! 
• “Repent and believe the good news.” – These were both the first and the last words from Jesus.

Where do we come from?

A man must know where he comes from and what he is made of both past and family fathers

Most men are trying not to be like their fathers

Who will they derive their sense of strength?

To men God is: Distant and weak (How they would describe their father)
Jesus has become – Mister Rogers with a beard
God – gives a reason and purpose to fight

Reminds us that life lived in fear is no life at all – all will die someday
Jesus = Mother Teresa or William Wallace? Both

Conviction and Acceptance

How we blend conviction with an equally deep level of acceptance?

We need to understand that some convictions can be disputable matters
Paul does not get into a discussion what is right and wrong

Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1

Accept one another in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:7

Example: It is OK to treat one day more special to worship God than another day - Romans 14:5-6

Even if the conviction is misguided - we sin if go against it

Great questions in these verses:

• Who are you to judge some else's servant? - Romans 14:4
  
• Why do you judge your brother? - Romans 14:10
• Why do you look down on your brother? - Romans 14:10

• No "I'm right" or "Your wrong" on that day
• Rightness will be perfectly obvious to all

• Sermons are boring
• Members are unfriendly to visitors
• Wonder about the quality of the nursery care
• Church seems to more concerned about my wallet
• Music isn’t very upbeat

• flirtation to a pure friendship
• gossip to a righteous conversation
• alcohol to a friendly gathering
• pornography to a web search
• shoplifting to a normal shopping trip

• Must set mind on things above
• Not - Just read and pray more
• Not - Accountability partners
• Not - making it a habit

1. How can you make the same journey as David – from repulsive to repentant?
2. How does repentance differ between the lost turning to God and the saved re-turning to Him? How is it the same?
3. How do qualify for God’s love and grace (see page 201)?
4. If you have not yet repented, why are you without excuse before God?
5. What will specifically change in your life when you proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!”?
6. If you have repented, have you also been forgiven of your sins – if not, what are you waiting for (see Acts 22:16)?
7. What can make post-baptismal repentance more difficult than your initial repentance?
8. What role does shame play in obstructing your repentance?
9. What is fellowship in the light vs. fellowship in the darkness? Which have you most often experienced in your church?
10. Finally, to the “confused”: take time to consider and answer the questions on pages 207 and 208. How can you thwart Satan’s attempts to undermine your path to true repentance?
11. Who can you encourage today with the good news of your repentance?
12. Who can you reach for Jesus by “telling how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5: 19)?

• Not the kind of group you would expect to win the world for the Christ.
• Represented an average cross section of the society of their day
• Some already had joined the revival movement of John the Baptist
• Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.
• Kept the group small enough to be able to work effectively with them.
  • More special than the twelve was the three – Peter, James, John
    • Jairus’ daughter (mark 5:37, Luke 8:51)
    • Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:1)
    • Waited Near the Lord when He prayed. (Mark 14:33, Matthew 26:37)
  • Choose twelve – Luke 6:13-17, Mark 3:13-19
  • Others – the 70 (Luke 10:1), Mark and Luke (gospel writers), James, His own brother (1 Cor 15:7)
• Rapidly diminishing priority given to those outside the twelve.
• Staked His whole ministry on them. Everything depended upon their faithfulness.
• Some believe that focusing on a few is favoritism
• Jesus however did not neglect the crowds.
  • Taught them
  • Healed the sick
  • Blessed the children
  • Wept for them
  • He died for them.

• Crowd aroused
  • Wanted to make him King by force - John 6:15
  • All men were clamoring for His attention - John 3:26
  • Pharisees admitted that the world has gone after Him - John 12:19
  • Frequently asked those that recipients of His healing to say nothing to prevent mass demonstrations
  • Own brothers and sisters did not understand him - John 7:2-9

• Little more than 500 after the resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:6
• 120 received baptism at the day of Pentecost - Acts 1:15

• Why not an army?
• He needed leaders to lead the ministry after He left. Not all followers. It takes energy to produce a leader.
• Not trying to impress the crowd but the usher in a Kingdom
• Mass are like helpless sheep wandering aimlessly without a shepherds
• Masses willing to follow anyone that came along with some promise for their welfare
• Jesus was a realist. He knew he could not meet all the needs on His own.

• We are not even keeping with the growing population
• We in an age where more rapid communication is now being seen than ever before
• Must not be frantic to try to change the pattern overnight
• Do like Jesus – start with a few lowly disciples and do as it was done by Jesus
  • Slow, tedious, painful, and probably unnoticed at first
  • Not spiritual “junk-food” revivals
• Which generation are you living for?

• Church is the practice of Jesus in a larger dimension.
• The group of believers ministry to each other individually and collectively
• Jesus must be the leader, with leaders that follow Him
• Preaching to the masses will not suffice in preparing leaders for evangelism
  • Not occasional prayer meetings
  • Not Christian training classes
  • Not confirmation classes
• Building men is not easy (baby learns all the time)
  • Requires constant personal attention
  • Children are not raised by proxy
  • Requires sacrifice of personal indulgence and time
  • Requires frequent contact not just weekly church services and Sunday School

• When Jesus spoke about obedience, they had the ultimate example in front of them.
• Jesus found joy in doing the work of His Father
  • He expected nothing from His disciples – Luke 17:6-10, 8:21, Mark 3:35; Matthew 12:50
• Development of character is by living and seeing it each day. (Father teaches and expects them to be like him)
• Jesus knew what they were up against
  • Half-hearted evangelism = not effective
  • Required absolute obedience to the Master’s will, with a complete abandonment of their own
• We are engaged in a spiritual war – no missing around with God’s commands
• A day we are indifferent with to our responsibility = day lost to the cause of Christ
• Lack of zeal in church is a lack of obedience
• The need of the hour is not despair but action.

• There were many situations and many types of people
  • Rich and poor
  • Healthy and sick
  • Friend and Foe
• No chalk board outline or “Do It Yourself” Manual
• Jesus made sure they didn’t miss in understanding
  • Ask what the parables meant – Luke 8:9
  • Seem to spend more time explaining than the initial interaction lesson
  • Applied lesson to their lives – Mark 10:24-31
• Jesus did not ask anything that He was not doing Himself
• Class was always in session – every waking moment of everyday
  • People are looking for demonstration not explanation
  • Only way to train men is to live by example
  • Not shrinking back or evading our personal responsibility
  • Mere knowledge is not enough
  • Knowledge unapplied to living can become a stumbling stone for further truth
  • Jesus saw to it that they applied the truth in their life
    

• Jesus built into the disciples the structure of the church; Mustard seed - Matthew 13:32
• Jesus’ vision was for the church to be world-wide
• The church would have many trials and battles but would never be overcome - Matthew 16:18
• Peter finally realized what was going on - Matthew 16:18
• Must see the direct relation:
  • Bearing witness to Christ
  • Ultimate Victory over the world
• If the disciples did not evangelize, there would not be any Christians today.
• “Through the Word” – Others would believe in Him too. - John 17:20
• We must do what Jesus – He made disciples, we should walk as Jesus walked
• He taught His disciples to reproduce
• He had no other plan

• Described himself as someone who could do nothing without God
  
• This poor man called and the Lord saved him from his troubles - Psalms 34:6
• God is his help and deliver - Psalms 40:17
• I am poor and needy - Psalms 109:22
• Modern thinkers might say he needed some self-esteem 
• God said he was after his own heart

• Woe to me, I am ruined for I am unclean - Isaiah 6:5
• Today we can go to church wanting to be told how good we are
• God forgave his sins and sent him on a life mission full of purpose

• Self-centered - woe-is-me
• We shield ourselves from God's grace
• Focused on our own unworthiness

• Qualifies as mourning because the mourner defines it as such
• Brokenness is missing
• God is looking for a broken and contrite heart - Psalms 51:17

• Strict observers of the law
• Walked around in flowing robes
• Offered prayers in unnatural holy voices
• Advertised their benevolence
• Majored in the minors yet forgetting the heart

• Boring clergy in odd clothes
• Preaching burdensome dos and donts
• Unrelatable sermons
• Unrelatable lives

• Have you created your own system of salvation?
• Do people say you are a people pleaser (Galatians 1:10)?
• Are we steeped in our own traditions or preconceived notions about the truth?
• What if no one was watching, would you still: give, sing, pray, study the same?

1. Our Father in heaven - Set our minds on personal and intimate relationship we have with our God
2. Hallowed be your name  - Praise and honor him
3. Your Kingdom come  - Pray for his church, disciples, leaders, people whom the gospel has not reached
4. Your will be done - Pray for a submissive heart toward will of God in our lives
5. Give us this day our daily bread - Pray through today's schedule, needs, relying on God
6. Forgive us our debts - Confess specific sin
7. As we also have forgiven our debtors - Commit before God to resolve conflict, hurts, concerns in all relationships
8. Lead us not into temptation - Wrestle with God to be submissive and repentant in areas of weakness
9. Deliver us from the evil one - Pray that God to stop Satan and than God for victories in him

• Jesus fasted for forty days - Matthew 4:2
  • Jesus did not eat but apparently did drink
• Paul for 3 days - Acts 9:9
• Ezra did not eat or drink - Ezra 10:6
• Daniel ate no choice food (meat or wine) for three weeks - Daniel 10:3
• Leaders in Antioch fasted before their mission - Acts 13:3
• Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Daniel (Daniel 10:3) while receiving the word of God

Biblical Principles of Reconcilation:

1. Realize the urgency and importance of being reconciled - Matthew 5:23-24
   • God would rather you patch up things with your brother than worship him
   • Have you called someone on a Saturday night to talk so you can worship God acceptably  the next day?
2. Accept the obligation and possibility of reconciliation
3. Know that we cannot always have our way
   • Reconciliation does not mean that everone will agree; power of the gospel is diversity working together in harmony
4. Make every effort to work things out - Ephesians 4:3
5. Forgive as the Lord forgave you - Colossians 3:13
6. Pray for your enemies (against human nature - Matthew 5:44

• His Pharisaic crust was broken
• His independence had melted
• He recognized and braced the true Lord

• He called his own sheep by name - John 10:3
• He laid down his life for them - John 10:11
• He knew his sheep - John 10:14

• He was circumcised the first day it was possible (eighth day)
• He was an Israelite
• He was from the tribe of Benjamin (most honored tribe of all)
• He was a Hebrew of Hebrews - carefully passed on Hebrew language to children

• He was extremely zealous - Galatians 1:14
• He vigorously opposed the church
• He was faultless in the eyes of others

• Three days of fasting and prayer? - Acts 9:9
• After 3 years of personal training? - Galatians 1:11-24
• After a visit to the 3 heaven? - 2 Corinthians 12:1-6

• Give when you are tired
• Pray when you do not want to
• Stand your ground against emotions and thoughts
• Overcome fear and to love in practical, unselfish way

• Listening to Christ everyday
• Holding on to his faith in the fiery trails
• Slowly and painfully

• Follower of Jesus - Mark 1:18
• Apostle - Mark 3:14
• Chief apostle - Matthew 16:18
• Leader of Jerusalem church - Acts 2:14
• Traveling mission evangelist - Acts 8:14
• Martyr - John 21:19

Disciples are priests and ministers in function - using the righteousness of Jesus - 1 Peter 2:4-6

Preist, by definition, is holier than the common man

The clergy-laity system is flawed because of there reasons:

• It is elitiest
• Fosters a double-standard
• It is unbiblical

Consider today's denominational titles:

• Father - Jesus said to avoid this title - Matthew 23:9
• Pope - means father; Peter was suppose to the first one but he never claimed that he was
• Paster - Latin for shepard; refered only in - Ephesians 4:11
• Bishop - Greek for overseer
• Priest - corruption of the Greek presbyteros, meaning elder
• Female pasters - Roundly rejected by the NT; See 1 Timothy 3 and 1 Corinthians 14
• Monks and Nuns - created in the 2nd and 3rd centuries; Jesus said we are in the world but not of the world

Preached by Maurice Hooks

John 13:34-35 - How quick am I to sacrifice for my brother and sister?

Romans 13:8 - Being  a stepping stone means you make the decsion to love people

Have the attitude of Christ - ...Philippians 2:1-7

Build others up - Ephesians 4:29-31

Strive to make others great - John 3:27-30

Challenges for the week:

1. Make your spouce/roomate great without them knowing
2. Make your kids day, lift them up without seeing that did anything
3. Help someone not close to you feel special

• Paul had an encounter with Jesus
  • Encounters with Jesus are significant
  • Paul understood he was living in opposition to Jesus - killing Christians (people following Christ)
    
  • Don't want to be on the opposite side of the battle from God
  • Where are you at today? Do you know?
  • Share
    • Grow up religious - Every Sunday - through High School
      
    • Ask to come to church, study the Bible
    • Saw life and heart wasn't matching; my sin was in opposition to God
    • Tried to make it personal - mean and angry (Hoping the standard would changed)
    • They were there to help
• Paul had the humility to ask "What shall I do?" - v10
  • Paul had a heart of humility to be taught - Bible
    
  • Could have brought up his religiousness or accomplishments
  • Opened himself up to anything, Not "I'm sorry, won't do that again"
    
• Paul was religious all this life and had the heart to immediately obey and be baptized - v16
  • Perhaps, God uses the life of Paul to prepare our hearts for surrender
    
  • What have you been holding on to instead of Jesus? What is stopping you?

Preached by unknown - 2004-03-21

1. Gave his one and only - John 3:16
Giving defined by God
What is your one and only?

2. He became poor for us - 2 Corinthians 8:9
Who and how are we becoming poor for others?

3. Many thanks to God - 2 Corinthians 9:11

4. God loves a cheerful giver- 2 Corinthians 9:7
Is our giving cheerfully?

5. More than enough - Exodus 35:1-36:7
Do I ever shoot to give more?
What if you changed one thing per day?
Extended yourself all the time

6. Burnt offering worth nothing - 2 Samuel 24:18

7. Rich generosity - 2 Corinthians 8:1-4
Grace is an undeserved gift Give in poor areas?

8. All she had to live on - Mark 12:41-44

9. It is more blessed to give than receive - Acts 20:35

10. Test me in this - Malachi 3:6-12

Ephesians 5:1-13

• Being open pleases God
• Sin enslaves us.

• Our sins killed Jesus
• Not oops...Deliberate!
• Two ways to look at it
  • Bad Bad = Guilty/No change
  • Good Bad = Repentence/Change
• Only 72 left to follow Jesus when he ascended
• Today:
  • God is the same.
  • People change.

John 6:60-71

• Jesus' message offended people
• They my have said:
  • You are going to lose some members
  • You are not going to be popular
  • This might start a controversy

Matthew 10:34-38

• The message is going to cause friction

• The road is narrow:
  • Hard to get on
  • Not easy
  • Few will be on it
• Are you on the narrow road?

• Been there, done that
• Life sucks, then you die
• How is it going? "Same old thing"

• Friendship
• Marriage
• Children
• Holidays

Although the voice was kind, the question felt harsh
Do you want to get well? - John 5:6
He thought: why else would I have spent every day for the past 38 seasons lying here?

How long can we sustain desire against continual disappointment?
The man at the well began to lose any virtal heart-connection to what he want - he had abandoned desire

By asking him what he wanted, Jesus took him back into desire
Why? It is where we must go if we are to meet God

Christianity is not an invitation to become a moral person or a program to get us into a reforming society

Christianity begins with an invitation to desire

What do you want me to do for you? - Luke 18:41
Jesus continually took people into their hearts - to their deepest desires

What does Jesus choose to talk about with the women at the well?
Her immorality? No
He speaks to her about thirst - John 4:10
Lets talk about your heart's thirst since the life you've chosen isn't working

All you who are thirsty, come to the waters - Isaiah 55:1-2
Message had gotten lost by the time Jesus' showed up
Jew of the day were practicing soul-killing, lifeless religion of duty and obligation

No wonder Jesus was feared. He came along and started appealing to desire

To the lost - Jesus spoke of finding your way
To the weary - Jesus speaks of rest

Again and again Jesus took them back to their desires
Ask and it will be given to you - Matthew 7:7

What is it that you want? - Would have fallen on deaf ear if his message was unrelateable

The enemy wants us to have small passions and desires

We are producing a generation whose greatest virtue is to not defend anyone
Then wonder why there is not more passion for Christ

The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion but apathy
Zeal for your house consumes me - John 2:17
Zeal isn't quite the pcitures we have of Sunday school

If deadness is next to godliness, then Jesus had to deadest person ever - it wasn't the case

God is a consuming fire - Hebrews 10:31
The consuming fire is His jealous love - Deuteronomy 4:24
Joy set before him enable Jesus to endure the agony of the Cross - Hebrews 12:2

A faithful church attender, never missing a Sunday, serving on a committee and offered help to those in need - but why is there something missing?

Why are we a Christian? What is that we want?
You can not help someone who does not want anything
Geldings are nicer and much more well behaved than stallion but they do not bring live (sterile)

To abandon desire is to say, "I don't really need you or want you. I will live with you because I am suppose to"

Your heart desires, duty reduces the dance to a drill
God wants to be desired

The real dilemma of desire is that it humbles us
It takes us wat beyond our own resources where we need to ask for help

Preached on 2003-03-16

Bad day? Being at your worse, need someone at their best

What is your reaction to these people?

Romans 5:6-8
Ephesians 2:1-5

God was at His best

John 13:1-38- Apostles betraying

Matthew 26:36-46- Apostles sleeping

Luke 22:47-53 - His own turned against him

Mark 14:53-65 - False witnesses, no answer

Luke 22:54-62 - Peter not standing up for Jesus

Luke 23:26-43 - Killing him, our savation

1 Peter 2:18-25 - Are you have been hurt more than Jesus?

Restoration of the world is play out each spring and summer
Jesus preached more than sin management and forgiveness

He annouced the coming of the kingdom of God

• Preaching the good news of the kingdom - Matthew 4:23
• Repent and believe the good news - Mark 1:15
• Proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God - Luke 8:1
• He appeared to them for 40 days and spokr about the kingdom of God - Acts 1:3

God's kingdom - his will is done "on earth as it is in heaven"
In heaven, everything is as it was meant to be
Isn't every one of our sorrows on earth the result of things not being as they were meant to be?

Jesus healed every disease and sickness among the people - Matthew 4:23
He spoke and the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing - Luke 9:11 

Too many of us have placed eternity somewhere out there
We seem to forget that we will get the earth back as well

I will create new heavens and a new earth - Revelation 21:1
When he says he is making all things new, he includes the earth

Won't the whole earth be destroyed?
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat - 2 Peter 3:12

Noah's day of the Lord
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed - 2 Peter 3:6
World was destroyed in the sense that all wickedness and corruption of mankind - Genesis 6-7
Fire is also used for cleansing throughout the Scriptures

On that day, Jesus appears and announces himself as the Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15

Jesus makes his proposal: I will prepare a place for you - John 14:2-3
Culture of the day - these very words would be used by a young man to his fiancee
He would return to his father's house and build the additonal room to be the bride suite

We have become betrothed to the Bidegroom
The bride belongs to the bridegroom - John 3:29
We are in the time of waiting for the Bridegroom to return

The whole life of the good Christian is a holy longing - Augustine

• Thunderclouds gather over the prairies
• Plant grow or start to grow and lift heavenward
• Maple leaves are woven
• New stars are born every day
• There is always a sunset and sunrise somewhere on the Earth

• Hopeless life of futility
• Anonymity in the bowels of a large corporation
• We don't even know what he really does

Grief is the antidote to the incessant possessive demand within

Sow in tear = song of joy - Psalms 126:5

Two spiritual discipline we need

1. Worship - must adore God deliberately and regularly
2. Grief - must allow a time for sorrow to do own personal sowing

Making time to grieve may sound strange
Just because we do not feel it does not mean it is not there
There are thousands of distractions these days
Sometimes it comes out in a song or movie
Sometimes small disappointments can be a door into the room of grief

Beauty and affliction are the only two things that can pierce our hearts
We must have a measure of beauty in our lives proportionate to our afflication

Myth tell us three truths, the second is:

2. There is a great struggle or quest or battle that is well under way

Christianity isn't about:

• Going to Sunday school
• Being nice
• Holding car washs
• Sending clothes to Mexico

As good as those things might be, this is a world at war
We live in a far more dangerous and dramatic story than we ever imagine

Reason we love these is because it is telling us that this is our most desperate hour

• The Chronciles of Narnia
• Star Wars
• The Matrix
• The Lord of the Rings

Without this buring in our hearts, we lose the meaning of our days

Notice that those who have tried to wake up to this reality were ususally killed

• The phophets
• Jesus
• Stephen
• Paul
• Most of the disciples in the Bible

Has it occured to you that someone is trying to shut them up?