Quiet Times Search

Amazing Speech

Mark 6:1-6

Suspicions and fear can evaporate because of love and openness

1. Deep Conviction

• Listeners who put his words into practice were wise
• How convicted are you about what you’ll be saying?
• Think about what to say instead of how it will come across

2. Passion - If the speaker isn’t moved by the message, how can he expect it to move anyone else?

3. Integrity - Speaker must take plank out of their own eye before one can challenge other on the same topic

4. Person to person

• Speak at their level mean not “to talk down to” or “to talk up to” an audience.
• Apologizing without reason, belittles himself
• Jesus was above us, but he came down to our level

5. Inspirational

• Conservative and low-key he will have no impact
• We all want our lives to count for something

6. Practical

• Message must be practical and applicable
• He specifically addressed the sins in their lives
• He gave them direction, and at times He told them exactly what to do

7. Meet the Need - Out of touch with the needs on the audience can actually make things worst then they are.

Shepherding

Mark 6:30-44

• Employees must have a reason to look forward to a completion of a project.
• Must pause to experience the thrill of victory otherwise we will squeeze the joy right our of lives
• We will get burned if we do not remind ourselves to rest
• When we are exhausted our performance in all areas of our lives suffer. (point of diminishing returns)

Work Ethic

• Important causes are worthy of extreme levels of effort
• We are to go the extra mile - Matthew 5:41

Crowd Appeal

• Jesus displayed urgency and charisma when he spoke.
• People did not want to miss out on anything he might say or do.

Visible Sincerity

• Meet the crowd’s need for physical and spiritual food - needs of the whole person
• Meet other’s need without asking anything in return
• Concerned with how people fared after this life and not just in this life
• If we are concern more with what we will get ourselves we probably won’t have much of an impact

Openness

• Most are either:
  • Stoics – feelings and burdens are locked away deep inside of them.
  • Cathartics – those who dump their feelings on anybody who will listen
• Jesus practiced complete openness without making others responsible for his feelings.
• Jesus leaned on his friends, but he did not dump on them.
• Premeditated openness is a key to fostering deep, meaningful relationships

Deliberation

• Too many of us would be unwilling to persevere through a long and difficult decision-making process.
• We must be willing to put in whatever effort is required to reach the best decision.

• Swords, camouflage, six-shooters, uniforms
• Boys want to be powerful and dangerous
• Aggression is part of man’s design – God’s image (Exodus 15:3)
• They do not want to call and talk about relationships
• Boys play is a rehearsal for a bigger drama
• Life needs man to be fierce and fiercely devoted
• Every man needs to know he is powerful – be the hero

• Fights the grizzly, wins the beauty
• Recipe for fun with boys – add an element of danger
• We may fear the test, yet we yearn to be tested and discover what it takes
• If a man has lost this desire (says he doesn’t want it) does not know he has what it takes – believe he will fail the test.

• Nothing more inspiring to a man as a beautiful women
• Make you want to charge the castle, slay the giant
• Men going to war carry a photo of their sweetheart in their wallet
• Paintings on side of airplanes
• Lonely men fight lonely battles
• Where would James Bond, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Indiana Jones be without their women
• Man needs a battle to fight, he needs someone to fight for (someone in particular – women he loves)

1. No battle to fight
   
2. No swords and castles
3. Without a great battle in which a man live and die - fierce part goes underground

• Career
• Belonging
• How well he plays sports
• Yes, even women

• Maximus
• William Wallace
• Life of Joseph, husband of Mary – was heroism
  

• We know in our guts that it won’t be good enough
• No matter how much you pour into her she will never be filled

• Refuse to give what they have
• Keep pouring and pouring until we feel like a failure

• 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

• We can not change what we can not see
• When was the last time you said the words, “I am wrong”?
• Ask someone close, “Am I blinded in any way by pride?”
• It was through pride, that the devil became the devil
• It is the complete anti-God state of mind.
• Why is Jesus so tough on Spiritual Blindness? It prevents us from seeing the good news.

• Survey of modern sermons would be salvation
• Jesus’ preaching was about the kingdom of God

• Matrix – do you know what this is, Neo?
• Feeling we have all had – there is something wrong with the world
• Blue Pill – You wake up and you believe what you wan to the believe (Jewish leaders chose this one)
• Red Pill – you are only offered truth
• Without repentance, we will remain blinded
  • How could a kingdom transcend geographic boundaries?
  • How could a kingdom be within us?
  • What sort of kingdom has no capital, no government, no army, and no temple?
• Longed for a tangible kingdom rather than a spiritual kingdom

• Many Christians the kingdom of God as something the future holds
• Some wish to avoid the kingdom commitment here on earth
• Kingdom expect allegiance ahead of all others
• Any real government expects this type of loyalty

• King exerted seasonal influence
• Three levels of subjects:
  • Disciples – treated him a Lord
  • Christians – little bit naughty, gave mainly to friends and family, on rear occasions to the poor
  • Unbelievers – little bit naughty, did not believe, not Hitler or other really bad people
• Most indirectly believe in this theory of the world
• If I abandon this paradigm, I would have to admit I am wrong.

Conducts a search-and-destroy mission for every potential excuse for sin
Jesus drove out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts
Much easier to express indignation at some else’s sin or some points out our sin versus our own

Although God hates sin and not the sinner – still it is the sinner that goes to hell
Nothing focuses the mind like real fear

Through fear, we recognize that sin alienates us from God
We long to restore our fellowship with God
Without the acknowledgement of separation, there is no cause for longing
Fear sounds the alarm, but longing sets the course
No sin can stand against a soul who longs to return to God

Means to show someone his sin and to summon him to repentance; bring light, expose set forth
More than just showing faults (easy)
Sets out to prove the offense to the blinded offender
Laodicean – I know your deeds, church became blinded
Exposing the church resented a gate to enter repentance

• To give repentance – Acts 5:30-31
• God granted repentance – Acts 11:11-18
• God will grant the repentance – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

1. What is the value of the gift of elegcho (pronounced “elencho”)?
2. What methods has the Holy Spirit used to convict you? Which has been most effective at producing repentance? Which methods have you most tried to avoid?
3. How have you tried to avoid reproof from fellow Christians?
4. According to Revelation 3:19, why does Jesus reprove us? What response does He desire from us?
5. How can a person dead in sin repent and believe?
6. How does God grant repentance?
7. Look back over the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus (see chapters 4 and 5); list examples of how they reproved their hearers in order to bring them to repentance.
8. Why is repentance impossible without God?

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)?

• 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?

• Reasons for departures:
  • Oppositions from Pharisees
  • Hostility of Herod
  • Jesus wanted to be with disciples without distractions
• In Gethsemane, disciples were only a stone’s throw away - Luke 22:41
• Family: near each other in a time of departure
• Every minute cherished because the growing realization of He would be with them no more
• He spent more time with His disciples than with everyone else put together.
  • Ate with them
  • Slept with them
  • Talked with them
  • Walked with them
  • Prayed with them
  • Worshiped with them
• Ministering to the mass – disciples learned the lessons and then got an explanation afterwards
• Jesus had little time to call His own
• Only exceptions was when He kept to His own personal devotions with interruptions - Mark 46-48
• He wanted to be with them
• They were His spiritual children

• The Test
  •  Could His disciples do a good job without His bodily supervision as they could with it?
  •  Human point of view: Never could be sure that His investment in their lives.
•  Life-sustaining power of the vine was not to be given to endlessly upon lifeless branches
  •  A barren Christian is a contradiction.
  • A tree is known by its fruit
• Principle throughout His ministry
  • Reward of His own sacrifice for the world - John 12:24
  • Distinguishing work of those who did the will of His Father - Matthew 7:16-23
  • Wages given to His disciples for their work in the harvest - John 4:36
  • What was lacking in the Sadducees and Pharisees - Matthew 3:7-8

• 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

• Understand that Jesus wants us to be perfectly pure
• Be desperate enough to do anything to overcome the sin
• Examine yourself and the sin
• Need to be open about the sin

• Lift up widow for giving out of her poverty - Luke 21:1-4
• He challenges the rich young man to sell everything - Matthew 19:21
• God loved us so much, he gave up his only son - John 3:16

• Two-year olds
• nervous people
• lazy-minded
• superficial people
• self-conscious people

• Confidence
• At peace
• Clear-minded
• Alert
• Deep and Focused

Jesus is not interested in our obedience outwardly without having our hearts set on heaven
All the ancient were longing for a better country

Living a Christian life is more than living up to a standard of behavior
Meant to ask deeper questions of motivation and heart with an understanding a heart properly movtivated - actions will follow

We should develop a heart that does not store treasures in heaven
Jesus makes a case that does not make sense to store up treasures here because they will not even last here - Matthew 6:19-21

No moth, no rust, no thief, not even Satan himself can diminish our treasure in heaven
It is an incredible freeing feeling to let go of the "treasure" here on earth

Will you miss services to get overtime in?
Do your children see a joyful parent excited about the kingdom of God?

Invest all you have and all you are - Romans 12:1

1. Becoming inwardly focused, see only our problems
2. Trying to help other straighten out their lives without being open to the same help ourselves

• Gain sympathy
• Appear open
• Avoid a charge of hypocrisy

Paul urges them to be anxious and worried about nothing and to pray about everything because God is in control - Philippians 4:6-7

Peace never comes without surrender
Surrender never comes without a decision to trust

Something instead of dealing with our emotions, we try an avoidance pattern
Adam and Eve hid from God and themselves

We must be in touch with happens to others and ourselves
It is why we must consistently and unashamedly pray about all aspects of our lives
It is not just for some - it is normal experience - just people deciding to trust God in every situation

Guard (a garrison of angel are available to help) our hearts - Satan wants us to trust ourselves and to doubt our God
Our own thoughts are not always the truth

How challenging to turn everything over to God. Yet, how foolish not to!

• Primary job is to teach the scriptures
• They need to teach the truth
• False teachers are always out there
  • OT = Jeremiah 8:7-8
  • NT = 2 Peter 2:1
• Are need to arrange biblical themes - Ecclesiastes 12:9-10
• Teacher are primary instructional while preachers are more inspirational
• Teachers must have deep convictions - allow those without is dangerous
• Teachers must be on the cutting edge - teacher not at their best -> teaching becomes effected

• Am I tempted to miss church meetings?
• Do I work overtime without a thought?
• Do I cheat on my contribution?
• Do I pretend to be more devoted that I am?
• Do I take a second look at .....?
• Do I grow sleepy during sermons?
• Is there anything in the world that has a stronger grip on my heart, soul and strength than God, his word, or his will?

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

2 Thessalonians 2:5-12

• If you do not listen to God 
  • He will give you over to a "powerful delusion"
• Scary scripture

• Should parents say "It is OK to disobey me."?
  • Don't run into the street
  • Do not touch the hot pan.
  • Do not stick that fork into 
• Does God say "It is OK to disobey me."?
  • NO!
• We are responsible for our actions:
  • Environment not an excuse
  • Being abused is not an excuse
• Can not blame anyone:
  • Not parents
  • Not friends
  • Not God

What excuses have you been making?

Only the righteous will be saved!
 

• Dinner out
• Vacation
• A new ______

Jesus offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry to the one who could deliever him - Hebrews 5:7

Strong desires make strong prayers

Children are often not embarrassed by desire
We hide our true desires and call it maturity - Jesus is not impressed

Why are we embarrassed by our desire? Why do we pretend?

• Persistent widow wasn't embarrassed
• "Sinful" woman wasn't embarrassed

We don't pray like Jesus because we don't allow ourselves to nearly alive
We don't allow ourselves to feel how desparate our situation truely is

Pretending seems a much more reliable road to Christian maturity
Only the price is we pay for the loss of soul, communication with God, loss of direction and loss of hope

Without a deep and buring desire of our own, we will be ruled by the desires of others

In this world, you will have trouble
But take heart! I have overcome the world - John 16:33

Why aren't we encouraged by this?
We are still committed to arranging our life
We are disappointed that there is not a "7 secrets to a great life"

Desire can not live without hope. Hope in what?
Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed - 1 Peter 1:13
for most Christians, heaven is a backup plan

We try to create heaven here
In our heart we say, "I really could be happy here without God"
God must take away the heaven we create or it will become our hell

Learn from the results

1 Peter 2:13-18

• How do you handle with those who are leading you?
• God sets those in your life

1 Peter 3:1-9

• Win without words
• What do you do when you disagree with others?

• Others will test you
• ALL will be tested

New Testament

Romans 11:17-21 - You can get arrogant

1 Corinthians 10:1-10 - Do repeat the same misakes of those in the OT

Galatians 6:7-10 - We reap what we sow, do not become weary of doing good

Jude 3-4 - Grace of God is not a license to sin

1 John 4 - Can not love God without loving your brother

2 Timothy 4 - We need to check to see if we have sound doctrine

Hebrew 5 - Teachers can become arrogance

Revelation 2-3 = Churches can loose focus

1. Read and Pray Daily to God
2. We need others in our lives
3. We need meetings of the body
4. Giving to God
5. Complete Openness
6. People are going to heaven or hell
7. Reaching out to others

• Jesus spoke the truth without concern for opposition
•  What do you need to say to who?

• Jesus stood up for people
• Who do you need to stand up for?

• Jesus felt other's pain
•  People have more pain their lives than you think
•  Who needs your help?

• Throughout all our trials, Jesus kept going
• What could stop you?

With beauty, we need not fear indulging here
There is not a possessive quality to it
You can love the landscape without acquiring the real estate

Beauty is the closest thing we have to fullness without possessing on this side of eternity

Two kinds of losses in life:

1. Shared by all mankind - accidents,  fate, acts of God
2. Only know by the pilgrim - losses that we choose. We give up something that wasn't ours to begin with

Spiritual surrender is not resignation
Not choosing to care longer
Not an attempt to get beyond the suffering

It is surrender with desire

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?

• People in your life
• Things that bring you joy
• Places that are dear to you

• Hope?
• Cynicism?
• Pride?

• They lived together
• Ate together
• Fought together
• Celebrated together

• Frodo hasn't a chance without Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli
• Neo is set free from the Matrix and joins the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar
• Dorthy, the Scarecrow, Tin man, and the Lion
• Band of Brothers - enough said
  
• Prince Caspian with a faithful few Narnians
  
• Maximus rallies his little band
• Captain John Miller and is squad of eight to save Private Ryan
• Jesus had his Tweleve

• God's nature
• Their sinfulness
• Christ's payment
• Steps that must be taken to receive forgiveness
• The new life he offers

• High potency, low proximity = remaining isolated from those you need to be with
• Low potency, high proximity = just being part of the world
• High potency, High proximity, No communication = hoping the gospel will just rub off

• To give you wisdom and guide your words
• Help others be open and interested

1. God is loving - Out of compassion He made us and still desires to have a relationship despite our sin against him
2. God is holy - He is absolutely pure and is separate from everything impure
3. God is just - He is a perfect judge who will dispense justice to everyone fairly

• Expressed the love of God
• Upheld the holiness of God
• Satisfied the justice of God

• 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

• Jesus is God in the flesh. He is the unique Son of God: fully God and fully man!
• God came to earth as a man in order that we could come to know him.
  
• If you were an all powerful and invisible God, how would you have tried to communicate your love to your creation?
  
• Illustration: Imagine trying to talk to an ant - How do you communicate with them without terrifying them? Become an ant yourself
  

• All the fullness of God lives in Jesus Christ.
  
• Every aspect of God’s character can be found in Jesus.
  
• Reading through any of the Gospels describing Jesus life and words will give you insight into God’s character and will for your life.
  

• Mark 1:21-22 - Jesus was an amazing teacher whose words were spoken with authority.
• Mark 1:23-28 - Jesus cast out demons, showing that the power of God was present in him.
• Mark 1:29-31 - Jesus met people’s felt needs and healed the sick.
• Mark 1:32-34 - Jesus focused his attention on others and selflessly gave of himself.
• Mark 1:35 - Jesus was dependent upon God in prayer for his strength and direction.
• Mark 1:36-39 - Jesus was consumed with his mission to preach the good news.
• Mark 1:40-42 - Jesus was filled with compassion for all people.
• Mark 10:32-34, 45 - Jesus came to serve, and gave his perfect life as a ransom for sinners. As predicted, he was rejected by his people and crucified - but he rose from the dead three days later.

• Every person is either in the darkness or the light. This study will show us that outside of Jesus we are all in the darkness.

• What is the consequence of sin? Sin hurts others, hurts ourselves, but ultimately sin hurts and separates us from God.
• God is light. As long as the wall of sin remains, we are in the darkness.
• In order to have a relationship with God, the barrier of sin must come down.

• We will come back to other ideas in this text later, but focus on v23. Who has sinned?
• Use illustrations to show that some are better than others, but all sin and fall short.
  
• Examples: Swimming to Hawaii, graph showing piles of sin.
  
• Who is more lost? There is no “good person” who is without sin.

• Sin is not simply wrong actions, but a problem of the heart.
  
• Who is responsible for our sin? Despite genetics, parenting, peer pressure and socio-economic conditions, we are responsible for our own sin, which comes from our own hearts and makes us unclean.
  
• What is the consequence of being unclean before God?
  
• Discuss the sins Jesus talks about here.

Luke 13:1-5, 6-9

• Jesus preaches that without repentance, we will all perish.
• He likewise expects to find fruit every time there is true repentance.
• The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, signifies a “turning,” a “change of heart and mind.”
• When we discover we’ve been going the wrong way on a one-way street, we immediately turn around (repent) and go in the opposite
  direction. In this case, we turn from a selfish life that has marginalized God to a life that makes God the center of our devotion, our faith, our obedience.

Luke 3:7-14

• The tangible fruit of repentance is the evidence of a changed mindset.
• John the Baptist insisted on repentance before baptism.
• If you were to ask John, “What should I do?” how would he respond to you?

Acts 26:15-21

• Jesus gives Paul the charge to “open their eyes” so that “they may turn” and prove their repentance by their deeds.
• Repentance involves a new perspective, a turning of allegiance, and fruit.

• Question: What were Jesus and his disciples doing? How is your prayer life?
• Question: Why do you think the people thought so many things? Turned to men instead of God's word
• Question: If someone wants to come after Jesus what does He say they need to do?
  • Deny self - Put God's will above your own
    
  • Take up his cross and crucify self - no longer live for self but to do God's will
  • Follow Jesus and imitate the life of Jesus - do the things that Jesus would do in situation
• Question: How can you show Jesus that you want to hold to his standard?

• Question: What do you think these men wanted from Jesus?
  • These men wanted the life and blessing of being with Jesus without the commitment
  • Jesus wants full commitment - like in a marriage - not 80% commitment
  • There is no good reason to NOT follow Jesus
• Question: How can you show 100% commitment? QTs, fellowship, coming to church, BT, etc

• Each disciple is different but each disciple is valuable to God and the body
• Just as your foot can't live without the body neither can a disciple live without the body
• The relationships in the church are very important. You have an opportunity to be close to a lot of people
• Question: How do you feel about the opportunity to be close friends with so many different types of people?

• God wants us to be successful but it's up to us to seek advice and apply it to our lives
• Question: What area in your life do you need to seek advice in?
• Question: Why is it important to seek advice? So we don't give Satan a foothold.

• Be thankful - Colossians 3:15
• Be slow to speak and anger - James 1:19-20
• Do everything in love - 1 Corinthians 16:14
• Do everything without complaining or arguing - Philippians 2:14-15
• Do not be proud or conceited - Romans 12:2
• Do not lie - Colossians 3:9-10
• Do not take revenge - Romans 12:19
• Do not conform to the world - Romans 12:2

• Make your love increase and overflow for each other - 1 Thessalonians 3:12
• Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling - 1 Peter 4:9
• Pray for each other - James 5:16
• Serve one another in love - Galatians 5:13
• Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs - Ephesians 5:19
• Spur one another on toward love and good deeds - Hebrews 10:24
• Stop passing judgment on one another - Romans 14:13
• Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ - Ephesians 5:21
• Teach[one another] - Colossians 3:16
• Wash one another’s feet - John 13:14; John 13:34-35; John 15:12; John 15:17
• When you come together to eat, wait for each other - 1 Corinthians 11:33

• The Creator - Isaiah 40:12, 22, 26
• Truth - Psalms 117:2; Jeremiah 10:10
• Unequaled - Isaiah 40:13-25
• Without Limit - 1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 23:23-24
• Works According To His Will - Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11

• Dreaming of all thing we want to do this spring summer with friends and family
• When i get off of work, taking Juniper to the park, great atmosphere
  • She choose the park by the slide color
  • Change up - chalk
• When we go shopping, weakness for summer type items

• He does not look at the cost
• He looks at end result and who benefits
  

• Dream what God will do with the amount I give today
• Dream God can do with my time

• Clap your hands and cries for joy - vs1
• Shouts of joy and sounding of trumpets - vs5
• Sing praises - v6-7

• Recognition of God's awesomeness - v2
• Confidence in Him being King of all - v2,7,8,9

Imagine the Red Sea waters divided - Exodus 14

Only a few hours you've experienced the highest degrees of fear, excitement, and relief.
When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and put their trust in him - Exodus 14:31

To fear him is to trust him
The Israelites both feared the Lord and put their trust in him
Fearing God and trusting Him are not mutually exclusive
The Israelties were able to trust God because they experienced firsthand His awesome power to deliver them

God worked on their behave - power without love is terrifying, love without power is pitiable

The events of Exodus was not only to gain to glory Himself but to stimulate and increase the faith of the Israelites
They were in the situation they were in so they could only be saved by His mighty power

• Fix your thoughts on Jesus - Hebrews 3:1
• Let us fix our eyes on Jesus - Hebrews 12:2
• Come to me - Matthew 11:28-30
• Study His life so devotedly that I am able to see

• 1 Thessalonians 4:1 - we instructed you how to live in order to please God; urge you to do this more and more
• Colossians 1:10 - we pray you live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way
• 2 Timothy 2:4 - No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs
• Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God
• 2 Corinthians 5:9 - So we make it our goal to please him