Quiet Times Search

• by sin
• by others
• by the enemy

• Teach me your way
• I will walk in your truth
• Give me an undivided heart
• I will fear your name
• I will praise you
• With all of my heart
• I will glory you

• Body - Romans 12:1
• Soul - Luke 10:27
• Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:17

• Pride - independence from God
• Idolatry - Giving our devotion, fear, or any part of our heart to something other than God

• "How is it going?" then ask how is it going
• "I'm curious, do you ever think about spiritual matters?"
• "Who, in your opinion, is Jesus Christ?"
• "What is your spiritual background?"
• "Do you ever wonder what happens to us when we die?"
• "What do you think a real Christian is?"
• "Where are you heading in your spiritual journey?"

• Intense temptation by Satan - vs1-3
• First sermon
• First personal challenge with the faithless
• First attempt on his life
• First spiritual and physical healing of the wounded

• Battle between good and evil
• Battle between faith and action

• v22 - Faith and works - work together
• Faith without deeds is dead
• Where am I not following exactly?
• What am I not submitting to God's will?

James 4:7-8 - God calls us to submit to him fully

Trust in God and not your situation

1 Samuel 13:11-12 - Saul doubted that Samuel was coming

James 1:5-8 - we should believe and not doubt

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in God and not on one's own understanding
Depending on one's own understanding creates:

• Pride
• Controlling person
• Self-reliant
• Unreliable - allows our situations to change us
• Lose of conviction

• Knowledge of the Bible
• Daily prayer/walk with God
• Brotherly fellowship

• Some apostles did not like his selfish ambition - Matthew 20:24
• Some thought he was prideful describing himself as the beloved disciple of Jesus - John 21:7
• After the resurrection, Peter still seems to have attitudes towards John - John 21:21

• Selfish ambition turned to kingdom ambition
• Fits of rage changed to fits of love
• Factiousness come together into a passion of unity

1. 1 Peter 4:7 - Be clear-minded and self-controlled
2. Luke 18:1-8 - Be persistent
3. James 5:16-18 - Personal righteousness
4. Matthew 21:21-22 - Believe and do not doubt
5. Psalms 5:3 - Pray daily and expect prayers to be answered

1. God can and will do the impossible through prayer
2. Prayer is vital to a dynamic walk with God.
3. God is looking for people who will devote themselves to be close to Him. - Jeremiah 30:21

• Resist the devil - James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9
• Stand firm in the faith - 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Corinthians 16:13;1 Peter 5:9
• Store treasures in heaven - Matthew 6:20-21
• Submit to the governing authorities - Romans 13:1
• Submit yourself to God - James 4:7
• Submit yourself to each other - Ephesians 5:21
• Test everything - 1 Thessalonians 5:21
• Walk with the Spirit - Galatians 5:25
• Warn those who are idle - 1 Thessalonians 5:14
• Watch your life and your doctrine closely - 1 Timothy 4:16

Scriptures about Messianic Prophecy

• Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - His form was so marred he no longer looked human
• Genesis 22:1-18 - Abraham did not withheld his son, your only son
• Psalms 16:8-10 - He will you let your Holy One see decay
• Psalms 2:7  - Messiah will be God's Son
• Genesis 12:3 - All peoples on earth will be blessed through you
• Deuteronomy 18:15 - The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you
• Micah 5:2 - From Judah will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel
• Isaiah 7:14 - The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
• Isaiah 9:1-2 - Future: people walking in darkness have seen a great light
• Isaiah 9:6 - a son has been given to us: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

• Philippians 2:6-7, 19-22, 24-30
• A servant does not consider his work of serving as a humiliation. Not ashamed of being thought as inferior. It is his place and work to serve others.

• Philippians 2:6-8 - Humbled himself and became obedient to death
• Reason we often do not bless others by serving them is that we wish to address them as their superiors in grace or gifts or at least their equals.
• Matthew 3:14 - John tried to deter his humility
• Micah 6:8 - LORD require us to walk humbly with our God
• 1 Peter 5:5 - Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

• Take children to church service
• Pray with them regularly
• Have family devotionals

1. Be sure of their salvation
2. Love and understand God's Word
3. Know and willingly obey God's rules
4. Know their spiritual gifts
5. Be able to teach spiritual truths
6. Be effective witness
7. Spend daily time with God
8. Do acts of service for others
9. Exercise self-discipline
10. Fellowship with other believers
11. Understand the power of prayer
12. Maturely walk with God

• Peter: Remember when walking on water
• Thomas: But you doubted and fell into the water
• Peter: Like you have any room to talk, doubting Thomas
• James: Remember the transfiguration? Yeah, I was one of three disciples there. We saw Moses and Elijah.
• Andrew: Yeah, you seem to miss the whole point when you fixated on getting them shelters
• Matthew: We can take these guys anywhere

• Forgetting to the trash and why I was in the garage
• Forgetting Juniper's shoes on the way to church
  

• Think of 2 of the most convicting sins in your life
• What do you deserve for them?
  • Punishment (not being trusted, retribution, etc…)
    

• We owe God a debt we could never repay.
• God has given us grace so we need to extend it to others as well.
• The more you see your sin the more you can understand God’s grace.

• Being wimpy and letting people walk over you: Jesus was no wimp - John 2:15
• Have no opinions, become a spiritual robot: Paul pleased God not man - Galatians 1:10

• Getting and applying input - Proverbs 19:20
• Taking correction - Proverbs 12:1

• He was God but left heaven to become man (like you becoming an ant)
• He gave up being a king to serve those who didn’t love or respect him.
• He died for you and me.

• There is a world of difference between Godly confidence and pride.
• The person who walks with Godly confidence walks tall because he knows he is a child of the king (he doesn’t act like he’s better than anyone else) (he doesn’t have to be in the know).
• This was the meekness that people noticed in Jesus (controlled strength) confidence

• People will be attracted to this type of confidence (not like the world)
  

1. Unwillingness to admit mistakes: Do you apologize whole heartily? - Nearly all men can stand adversity, to test a man, give him power.
2. Hating to look bad: Can you laugh at yourself?
3. Attitude of entitlement: Are you used to privilege (expect because your on staff, you should be treated a certain way, do you serve a certain way because you are on staff)

Summary

The serpent deceived the woman; she and Adam ate from the tree. Man blamed woman, woman blamed the serpent. The earth became cursed, and God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden.

Observations

Genesis 3:1 - Did God really say
The first way Satan tries to get Eve to disobey God is to create doubt to what God said. Many times Satan does not even try to tell us to do a 180 turn (you might notice what is going on then) - just a slight detour to the right or to the left [Deuteronomy 5:32]. It does not take much to get us off course from the narrow road [Matthew 7:14].

Genesis 3:4 - You will not surely die
Another temptation Satan throws our way is doubt in his punishment or promises. He would love for us to believe we will be judged at the end of our lives [John 12:48].  "Live your life the way you want to" - Satan. He does not want you to remember the promises God has spoken to encourage us in our walk with him.

Genesis 3:6 - desirable for gaining wisdom
When struggling with sin, we often come up with "good" reasons why we need to sin. In this case, Eve comes up with a "spiritual" reason. She wanted to gain "wisdom" - we need to have wisdom in our daily lives, right? God does not always reveal everything to us and for good reason. We should start with fear of the Lord since it is the beginning of wisdom [Psalms 111:10].

Genesis 3:9 - Where are you?
Good question to ask ourselves all the time. Where am I in relation to God? We often "disappear" when we sin either physically or more likely mentally. When we look in a mirror [James 1:23-24], we are blinded and do not see our true selves. We don't want to deal with the underlying problems in our character - it will be paining and requires effort but in the end it is worth it.

Genesis 3:19 - dust you are and to dust you will return
If you need a reminder on humility, this scripture will help. We come from the dirt of the ground and we will return there someday. We need to seize the days we have - stop worrying about tomorrow [Matthew 6:34].

Personal Application

I need to be aware of Satan's tricks continuously. He does not want to be noticed. I need to pray and reflect on how I am living my life and find where Satan is getting me to deviate even a fraction of a degree. I need also examine my thought and find out they are out of line with God's Word. I will ask others what they see where I have taken a devour on God's narrow road.

Summary

Eve's sons made offerings to God. Only Abel's was acceptable, so Cain killed him. Abel's blood cried out and God sent Cain away.

Observations

Genesis 4:7 - if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door
The sins of omission are very related to the sins of commission. If you are sitting on the sidelines, you have time (maybe considered laziness) and you will give Satan time to put all sorts of temptations in your head. A lazy person bring is a good friend to the evil one and is considered a brother [Proverbs 18:9].

Genesis 4:9 - Am I my brother's keeper?
The Christian walk is more than God and us. It is also the people around us. We learn about relationships from others. We learn about ourselves and get feedback on how we are doing - and give it as well.  Without others we would have been pointed the way to God and we could not reach  others with the gospel.

Genesis 4:12 - You will be a restless wanderer on the earth
Without God in our lives, we are a restless wander. Our thoughts, emotions, and desires become our direction and we walk aimlessly - not knowing where we are, where we came from, or where we are going.

Genesis 4:26 - At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD
Since the beginning of time men began call for for God. It is built into the nature of our being. Time after time he has answered no matter how far away we go. But when he calls for us, will be answer? Will we let it go to voicemail? Are we screening our calls from Him and only answer the calls that are easy to take?

Personal Application

I wonder sometimes if I have my "ringer" loud enough for me to hear when God calls. A lot of times I look back on important events in my life and realize that I missed another lesson God was trying to teach me but I was not listening. I feel embarrassed  that I was so selfish during that times. I want to listen voice from God more intensely.

Summary

Adam's line was: Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. Noah's sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Observations

Genesis 5:2 - He created them male and female and blessed them
It has always been God's intention to bless each and every one of us. And we do have many blessings!! But do we see them? We can not be grateful toward God unless we step back and look at all the great things he has done for us.

Genesis 5:22 - Enoch walked with God 300 years
Through the family line which is described here, God stops the pattern of listing the names of children and ages of important events to mention   Enoch's walk with God. Because of the obvious age limitations we have today, It was a walk longer than we will ever see with God on this earth - probably greater than 4 times. Can you imagine the faith and persistence he must have had?

Genesis 5:24 - then he was no more, because God took him away
Enoch did not see death but rather he was taken up to heaven. Along with Elijah [2 Kings 2:11], they were are the only two mentioned in the Bible to have gone directly to see him. How and why this happened, I am not sure but it does show God felt these relationship were very special to Him.

Personal Application

The challenge for me is simple: To finish the race [Acts 20:24] with great faith and perseverance. But not just to get by but to have a relationship with God that shines before others. When people talk about me, do they stop and mention my relationship with God like the Bible does with Enoch? What does God say about my faith?

• Proverbs 16:25 - What seem or feels right is not always right; others can help you see that
• Proverbs 19:2 - Be zealous, but make sure you have the correct information

• Proverbs 12:15 - Wise people let others in their lives and listen to input
• Proverbs 12:1 - Getting advise and being corrected in your thinking is very wise

• 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 - Crave the Bible; it will show you what you need in your walk with God
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - The Bible will equip you and give you all you need to grow (Psalms 119)

• Ephesians 4:11-16 - God has put them in your life to help you grow; church, midweek, etc
• Hebrews 13:7 - Watch you leaders and follow their example; ask lots of questions

• 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 - All of us lack something in our faith; get together and help each other
• Romans 15:14 - Other disciples may know the Bible better and can help you through your challenges

1. What was different about the way Jesus taught?
2. Are you teaching others with authority?

1. How late do you think Jesus worked that night?
2. Do you think he felt tired?
3. Why did he work so hard?
4. Are you willing to push yourself for others to know Jesus - even when it is very challenging?

1. Note how early Jesus got up the next day? Why did he?
2. How much do you feel the need to pray like Jesus?

1. What kinds of people did Jesus make friends with? Why?
2. How do you treat sinners and pagans? 3. Are you making new friends to share the gospel with?

• What sinful situations are you holding back on?
• Have you decided to get so close to God that you would be that disciple making great impact?
• Do people think of zeal when they think of you?

WHo is he who will devote himself to be close to me? - Jeremiah 30:21

God looks for people who will devote themselves to being close to him
Some of the greatest men of the Bible were described as God's friends

• Enoch - walked with God for 300 years before took him away - Genesis 5:22-24
• Noah walked with God - Genesis 6:9
• Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend - Exodus 33:11
• Abramham was God's friend - James 2:23
• Daniel was God's friend from the first time he prayed - Daniel 10:12
• Solomon prayed that his words would near to God day and night - 1 Kings 8:59
  • And God answered him - 1 Kings 9:3

Nehemiah had an intimate friendship with God:

• Referred to God's convenant of love - Nehemiah 1:5
• He pleaed for God to hear him - Nehemiah 1:6
• Had personal confession of sin - Nehemiah 1:6-7
• He reminded God of his great deeds - Nehemiah 1:8-10
• He appealed to God - Nehemiah 1:11

The greater responsibility to raise your children is yours.
When you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up - Deuteronomy 6:7
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4

When the dad leads, kids are up to twenty times more likely to stay in church long-term than when moms are the spiritual leaders at home
When the father gets immediately involved, leading with purpose, dealing with problems, his own personal walk with God

Trusting Him makes you wise. Relying on Him keeps you strong. Following Him shows you how to lead.

Seeking God in a very deliberate, devoted manner will impact everything else in your world.
Focus on your relationship with God, you will find it more natural to want your wife and children to be enjoying the same thing

Jesus uses the Word of God to wash us and bloom us into a holy Bride - John 15:3
Leading your family with God’s Word is a key to helping them work through issues, love one another, and grow spiritually.

Devotions together

• Even if it seems awkward or different at first
• Can be as simple as:
  • Ggetting together in the same room and talking about how everyone is doing
  • Reading a chapter out loud from the Bible
  • Followed by a simple prayer asking God to help you apply what you heard

 Jesus Christ founded his empire on love

God not only wants you to lead your family but deeply love them
The more you walk with God and obey Him each day, the more of His love will be “poured out” in your heart - Romans 5:5

Children feel much more secure if they know their parents love each other.
We must do whatever it takes to put your marriage on a sound footing.

Don’t wait for her. Step up and be the leader God meant you to be. It’s never easy.
Your words in ten seconds can change them forever - either in a positively or negative way
If your kids feel they always get your leftover energy and attention, they will disconnect and struggle with resentment

Fathers are the primary protectors - physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
When walking down the isle

• The father is saying he has guarded her moral purity throughout her life for her husband - 2 Corinthians 11:2
• And the man she is marrying is proven morally, financially, and spiritually qualified to lead her, provide for her, and protect her from that day on

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed - Luke 11:21

You should not only guard your own heart but your wife’s as well
Your children need help making the right decisions. That is why you are still their dad.
Being active on the front end as a father will pay off well and save you time and heartache on the back end.

Teaches your children to love wisdom instead of developing a greater appetite for the world.
Your job is not just to give your children boundaries but to use God’s Word to teach them how to think wisely
Train them to fear and love God and not to “set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.” - Proverbs 4:14–15

The older your kids get, the more they will need to understand the rationale behind your rules.
They willthen  discern why certain things are right and wrong, wise and unwise, better and best.
This requires your courageous leadership!

We need to boldly redefined success for them = “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” - Deuteronomy 6:5
It is not only how we define success for ourselves; this is how we are called as fathers to define success for our children and grandchildren.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

1. God’s Word must “be on your heart.”
Many children who leave the faith is because we did not see God actively working in their parents’ lives.
You can’t inspire them with truths you’re not living

Must always tell them how God is moving:

• When God answers your prayers, tell your kids about it.
• When He changes your heart or helps you overcome temptation, celebrate it with them.
• When you face a season of suffering or persecution, let them see the strength of your faith.

Every day gives you fresh, new material for making your life with Christ a front-row experience

2. Training your children to love God must occur within the context of close relationships.

Talk about God is informal time:

• Greeting your kids at the breakfast table
• Sitting around the house
• Having spiritually rich conversations in the car or at dinner

Making disciples of all nations begins with your own children  - it all starts with their hearts.

You can be the greatest explainer of truth. But if the very heart of your son or daughter does not believe ‘my daddy loves me,’ they will walk away.
People tend to embrace the teaching and beliefs of those who love them the most.
Whoever has their heart has their ears.

Restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers - Malachi 4:6
When this doesn’t happen, fathers invite the “curse” of broken relationships into their homes

You can tell when a father doesn’t have his kids’ hearts. You sense the disrespect and anger, the bitterness and emotional distance.
The key ingredient in raising good children is to get their hearts early, keep their hearts, and be extremely vigilant not to lose your children’s hearts.

Jesus and His Father hearts were always in sync. When Jesus felt separation from the Father, it was the worst pain he could feel.
“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing” - John 5:20

If you and your wife had two children and trained them to faithfully live for Christ, and both of them raised two more children to faithfully live for Christ as well, then those same ten generations could produce 1,024 faithful believers.
When you speak into your children’s ears, you are speaking into the ears of your great-great-grandchildren as well.

Teach the Word “diligently” to your children “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” - Deuteronomy 6:7

Instruct “to fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments” - Deuteronomy 6:2

Love, truth, and respectful fear go hand in hand.
To fear Him is to be soberly aware of His awesome authority over us.

Fearing the Lord transforms our thinking.

 Luke 1:13 - Your prayer has been heard

A priest’s intercession for the nation undoubtedly included a petition for the Messiah, Israel’s promised Deliverer and King.

The Creator and Sustainer of the universe was ready to answer a prayer that had been prayed for hundreds of years, but He purposely chose a man who could pray an old prayer with a fresh heart.

The prayer at that exact moment may not have been for a son.
Perhaps he remembered Abraham and Sarah, and he knew God could do the impossible.

Zechariah could not possibly have known was how intimately connected would be his corporate prayer for the Messiah and his personal prayer for a son.

Not becoming hopeless over a repetitious request can be terribly challenging.
God does not have some limited supply of power, requiring that we carefully select a few choice things to pray about.
God was simply waiting for the perfect time.

We need to continue to walk faithfully with God even though you are disappointed.
Recognizing all the other works God is doing in your life will prevent discouragement

Zechariah waited a long time for God’s answer, but when it came, it exceeded everything the priest could have thought or asked.

Can you even imagine being told in advance of your child’s conception that he or she would bring joy and delight to you and be great in the sight of the Lord?
We breathe a huge sigh of relief over a sonogram showing all the right appendages. What we’d give for a few guarantees about their character!

Give us more instructions about this - Judges 13:8

Angel appeared to Manoah's wife to tell her a special son was coming and laid out the ground rules
Manoah was humble and smart enough to ask for directions and divine confirmation
Instead of wondering and worry, he wanted to know more

Men stereotypically have a storng resistance for directions

We try to please our wives when we only need to ask

Does anything in your walk with Christ make you wonder which way to turn?
 

He jumped up, stood on his feet and began to walk - Acts 3:7-8

That is the power of a transformed life

This man was not looking for a miracle

The apostles had no money to give him but they did not leave him empty handed

Get up your mat and walk and he took off running and leaped and praise God

Thousands likely turned to Jesus Christ from the personal testimony of one man - Acts 4:4

A changed life is a powerful testimony to the reality of the gospel

You may not feel qualified to a large crowd about Bible doctrine or deep theology but can certainly testify to what God is doing in your life

Epaphras always  prays earnestly for you - Colossians 4:12

Early African converts were known for their commitment to prayer

So much so their prayer spots were marked with worn paths to them

If prayer was negligneted, it could be easily spotted - "Brother, the grass grows on your path"

Epaphras demonstrated such genuine love for the Colossians and played a big role in establishing the church there - Colossians 1:17

He practiced three important elements of prayer

1. Consistancy
2. Sincerity
3. From the Heart

Can you make room for regular time of prayer on the behalf of those you love?

Nothing makes more of a difference in your walk with Christ than regular times of prayer

I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway - Romans 7:19

Paul found himself unable to always do what he knew was right. He was equally unable to always avoid doing what he knew was wrong

Paul reveled his genuine conflict over his desire to obey God perfectly and his inability to do so 

What Paul wanted more than anything was to have vicotry over sin

We are sinners who must daily tap into God's grace and forgiveness

You will find consistent success in avoiding sin only as you walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit

Listen carefully to these decrees and regulations, obey them so that you may live - Deuteronomy 4:1

Each of us naturally tends to think we have the right to adopt our our set of morals, standards, and spirituality

Beleivers in Christ must reject such a belief

Moses delivered an uncompromising message of strict obedience of God with no tolerance for sin

He understood the importance of setting righteous standards for the people

Moses faithfully walked this (not sinless) despite being labeled as:

• Inflexable
• Intolerant
• Judgemental

Do you have the courage to risk anger, resentment, oppositon, or insults to follow God?

God does not ask for perfection but a spirit-empowered obedience

One day he disappeared because God took him - Genesis 5:24

Enoch walked with God and simply disappeared but before he was taken up he was known as a person who pleased God - Hebrews 11:5

He pleased God because Enoch walked with him daily:

• Relied on him
• Enjoyed his companionship
• Obeyed his commands
• Put God in the center of everything he said and did

I have no one to put me into the pool - John 5:7

A good man always knows his limitations

An unnamed sick man met Jesus one day knew his limitations by reponding with an "I can't"

He was unable to walk for 38 years and he wait for someone to help get him into healing waters of the pool of Bethesda

What he obvioudly couldn't do, Jesus did

The man knew that on his own, he had no hope of changing his situation

I CAN'T is sometimes the words Jesus wants to hear

That phrase comes from the lips of the person who realizes his need for complete dependence of Christ

When Rehobam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord - 2 Chronicles 12:1

There is a lot self-help books and programs teaching we can find fulfillment in our stength, mind, and soul

True fulfillment and strength is found walking closely with God and humbly obeying his commands

Rehoboam took a good look at all he had accomplished and becamse self-satisfied and abandoned God

He crowded out God's place in his heart

Rehoboam leading the way:

• Judah slipped away from God
• Kingdom was nearly destroyed by Egypt
• Had no choice of surrender to Shishak
• Holy temple was ransacked
• Judah became servants of Egypt

Rehoboam failed as a leader and as a man of God because he found strength and satisfaction in his own accomplishments

He noticed a woman of unusual beauty - 2 Samuel 11:2

Our enemy knows our weakness and it often comes to us through what we see

David fell because he allowed himself to stare lustfully and sinful thought quickly turned into a sinful action

He apparently learned from his blunder, he later wrote: "I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar - Psalms 101:3

Have you learned to safeguard your heart by safeguarding your eyes?

Can a man walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? - Proverbs 6:28

Serve the Lord alone - choose today whom you will serve - Joshua 24:14

The greatest character qualities of any leader is the willingness to consistently "walk the walk"

Joshua had flaws but he consistently exercised his faith and obeyed the God who called him to lead

This is why he could confidently challenge his people to "choose today whom you will serve"

He dared the Israelites to rid their loves of any remnants of idol worship and to follow God wholeheartedly

Joshua consistant faithfulness helped lead his people into the Promise Land

Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus - Matthew 14:29

Learning to walk for a toddler is similar taking steps of faith - we dare to take steps, meet by success then failure

Peter was easily the most impulsive of Jesus' disciples - said and did things that others thought about but did not dare to say or do

Peter was a baby in faith who tried new things to discover what he is able to do

His impulsive move to get out of the boat was greeted with success then panic and failure

Peter clearly couldn't keep his eyes on Jesus but they were baby steps toward maturing his faith 

They looked the other way so they would not see him naked - Genesis 9:23

Certain offices command respect:

• Government
• Police
• Parents
• Spouce
• Boss
• Church Leaders

Noah's two eldest sons respected their father positon even when he drank too much wine and passed out

Their brother, Ham, on the other hand sinned aginst Noah and God by staring at his father - Genesis 9:22

Shem and Japheth went out of their way to cover their father - walking backward into the tent and covering him

They did everything to protect their father's honor and enjoyed a blessing which their brother was excluded from

Mission is to help men fall in love with the character of Jesus

Some spend much time with:

• His chronology
• The geopgraphy
• His clothes
• Take photos of the lands he walked
• Customs during that time

We can become so interested in the outer life of Jesus and miss the secret his heart has to tell

Things Jesus experienced may be of some interest but not important

It is the character of Jesus which has unique and endless significance

New Testament writers were not interested in the outer Jesus but wanted us to have his character

• Friends were all obscure
• No office
• No wealth
• Born in a stable
• Taught for three years and died

They tried to describe how things affected him, how he looked at things,and how he felt toward things

The average man is one-sided, unsymmetrical and unevenly developed

Strong in some characteristics and weak in others

Jesus - we find ourselves in the presence of a man without flaw

• Emotional but not hyterical
• Imaginative but not flighty
• Practical but not dull
• Couragous but not reckless
• Enuthusiastic but not fanatical
• Prudent but not a coward
• Unique but not eccentric
• Sympathetic but not sentimental
• Religous but into superstition

Jesus is so well rounded on every side, men have never known where to classify him

Men laid their traps to catch him but he walked bravely among them

Even after all the attempts from this enemies to trip him up, the devil tried his friends
"Get behind me, Satan", he said to Peter