Quiet Times Search

• He knows what is in our hearts
• He knows what we are really seeking
• He knows what we need

• He questioned the wisdom of God's choice
• Argued his lack of eloquence
• Says he does not want the responsibility
• He is honest - he gives God something to work with - Exodus 4:13

• Why do you hide yourself in trouble? - Psalms 10:1-2 - logically does not make sense but this is where David was
• Later, he works it out in prayer (v17) - LORD, you have heard the request of the oppressed; you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.

Paul tells us that we don't know how to pray like we should - Romans 8
Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to help us in this area - Romans 8:26-27

God will answer this prayer
We have a tendency to become distracted - help me to be focused

Do not have because we have not asked - James 4:2
Don't forget to pray about praying

• To submit to the will of God
• To please the Father
• To affirm my powerlessness
• To experience His presence
• To know his will
• To be transform (character)
• To become spiritually mature
• To be humble
• To be fruitful
• To walk in the Spirit
• To obey willingly and joyfully
• To receive blessing
• To be protected
• To be useful

There is no greater privilege and responsibility than to pray for our spouse and children
It boggles the imagination to see how the quality of our family life can be affected by exercise this privilege

Powerful spiritual forces of evil try to undermine God's foundational institutions like the family

Bible clearly teaches that our struggle come from the spiritual forces outside conscious perception - Ephesians 6:12
Praying sometimes make things worst (at the beginning) because Satan is on the attack

Each of us need to realize that how we pray for our spouse is limited only by our creativity
If you want the kind of relationship that God intended you to have with your wife, prayer will be a major factor in seeing that desire realized

When we have been faithful in praying for my children, we have a great sense of peace about their lives
Christian dads have a tremendous privilege and a straggering responsibilty to pray their children

God provided manha day after day for 40 years to the Israelites
They could not take more than a day's portion - otherwise it would rot
Manha means "it is what it is"

It was to teach them that man does not live on bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord - Deuteronomy 8:2-3

It is NOT inapproprate to ask God to provide for our needs
He is YHWH - jireh - the Lord will provide

God delights in our dependence on Him as the source of our provision
We often do not have because we have not asked - James 4:2

It is important to understand certain principles apply to receiving our daily bread
If we meet God's conditions, we can have confidence that He will provide

1. Need  to have a proper relationship with God - Become a Christian
2. Fellowship with Christ - authentic spiritual communion with Christ
3. Obedience and faithfulness to God's commands

Haggai 1 - we need to consider our ways

• Planted much, but harvested little
• Eat, but never have enough
• Drink, but still thirsty
• Put clothes on, but never warn
• Earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it

Because of there repentance, they were rewarded:

• I am with you - Haggai 1:13
• I will bless you - Haggai 2:19
• I will provide for you - Haggai 2:15-19

• change your life for the better
• put you in a state of relaxed serenity
• help you overcome the nagging undercurrent of guilt
• give you new insight
• let you meet life's challenges with confidence and courage

People don't get into shape because they don't know what to do or how to get going

Learning how to start slow and build gradully plays a critical role in getting into shape

The practice if prayer has the same dynamics
Many men respond to emotional appeals to pray more but do not know how to start

1. Am I properly positioned to pray?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help us to pray (true intimacy)
  
• Thank God for what he has given us

They crack you up laughing while he or she is disobeying you
If we let a child control us by smiling and laughing, we will cry and mourn later
We are creating a monster - who will manipulating others for personal gain

Never let them do whatever just because they are cute or charming

• Because of failure, they can hide things from you or even themselves
• Ask them if they anything on their mind
• Work through things until they are confident
• Share some of our worse blunders - draws them closer and assures them that they are not alone

• Women of Proverbs 31 - skills ranged from homemaking to business and management
• David - shepherd, soldier, political leader, songwriter, and musician

• Teach your children to act differently - to not turn people off
• Or steer them to toward another group

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?

Jesus was always able to look beyond people's outward behavior to the need within

How does a person who is harassed and helpless behave?

• Some irritation
• Little mistrusting

He saw beyond the paralytic's phyiscal condition to his need for forgiveness - Mark 2:5
He saw the invaild's need for hope at the poolside - John 5:6

When we see a crowd who is harassed and helpless we see - problems, problems, problems
When Jesus sees a crowd who is harassed and helpless he sees - harvest, harvest, harvest

Wiser to evangelize the "suburbs" because there are less "problem" people - NNNNOOOO!!!!
Jesus was not swayed by this thinking

Jesus saw the potential in people, not the problems - why see inspired such change

People need a shephard and Jesus responded and raised up other shephards - Matthew 9:38-10:4
Compassion is passion that leads to action

Are you meeting needs or do you alwaysfind yourself reacting to the way people treat you?
Make a list of needs you see where you are - make a plan to meet those needs

Luke 18:22-24
Wouldn't all Christians love to meet someone who comes across as this man does initially?

Most of us would say, "can we study the Bible?"
Jesus had a very different responce because he knew his heart

Sell everything and follow him = It's not what you do but who you are
For him to have a heart set fully on following Jesus - it meant a willingness to seel all
Following the exchange, it became clear - the man was out of touch with himself and God

Jesus did challenge him but he also loved him
He pointed the man to the narrow way
At the same time he drew him close want to give him strength, faith, and hope

Jesus does not get into a lengthy theological debate
He saw weaknesses the man had to deal with if he was going to enter the kingdom of God

Each of us lacks that "one thing" deep down that we must give up and following Jesus
Something we don't know what it is but God will reveal it - Hebrews 4:12-13

• Was it because his frustration level reached his limit?
• Was it because he finally had enough?
• Was it because he was going to have the last word before they killed him?
• Was it because he had justification for all things them did to him?

Upon hearing about the death of his close friend Lazarus, Jesus wept...

Jesus really felt the emotions that we feel
He fully divine and fully human at the same time
He knows what it is like to experience loss, pain, hurt, and fatigue

Why did he cry? Scripture does not say. Could be because:

• He felt the hurt of Mary and Martha
• He was expressing the hurt of the loss of his friend
• He was antipating his own death

Who are your deepest relationships in the church?

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

1. Unfinished labor - Quit if results are not produced quickly
2. Half-hearted labor - Elisha angry with the king of Israel - 2 Kings 13:14-19
   
3. Ineffective labor - We are working hard but without God
4. Tireless labor - Focusing on self
5. Courageous labor - Letting fear take over your mind

1. Justify your sin and say it's not all that bad
2. Blame God for not keeping Satan at an appropriate distance
3. Decide to leave God because this repenting thing is not working out
4. Decide to be not to be open about your sin
5. Tell yourself how bad of person you are
6. Could trust God and his promises

• To please him
• To change
• To serve him better

1. God's promises and faithfulness should inspire repentance
2. We need to rely on the promises even as we commit to repentance
3. Truly become repentant
4. We refrain from taking personal credit because we understand we are being recused

• Jesus - error for not knowing
• Some modern religious leaders - scriptures are in error

There were a lot of relationship issues that needed to be corrected in first book of Corinthians:

1. They were divided into cliquish groups - Chapter 1-3
2. Became arrogant in their relationship with Paul - 1 Corinthians 4:18-19
3. Lawsuits with each other - Chapter 6
4. Left their spouses just because they were not Christians - Chapter 7
5. Offending other's conscience - Chapter 8
6. Acted insensitively toward the poorer members - Chapter 11
7. Who had the greatest gift (selfish competition) - Chapter 12-14

Initiative

Mark 1:21

• Jesus was a self-starter
• How many great plans fail / talents wasted because of a lack of initiative.
• What are you pursuing most?

Authority

Mark 1:22-28

• Jesus allowed people decide for themselves whether they would obey him or not.
• Not authority structures can be chaotic and can be full of crippling bad attitudes and unresolved conflicts
• We can allow the misuse of authority by others to hinder or eliminate our proper use of it

Compassion

Mark 1:40-45

• He did not minister from a safe distance.
• We can have a powerful and lasting impact on someone else if we willing to go deep.
• There was no room left in Jesus for fear, disgust, or apprehension.
• His emotional state was righteous because he did not hesitate to reachout and touch the diseased man.
• How many of us reach out and pull back abruptly because of fear of personal rejection?

Humility

• Jesus foresaw His popular curtailing His ability to spread His word.
• People interested in personal glory don’t usually get very far in enlisting others in their cause.

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

Abandon

Mark 2:6-12

• Jesus didn’t walk on eggshells when he was around those who opposed him.
• We are often so careful not to offend anyone that no frankness and no power is left our speech.
• We need to be constantly ready to withstand opposition

Selfless Authority

• People who seem apologetic about authority they have or hesitate to exercise it are not very impressive
• Reason: they see it as a means of gaining something for themselves for themselves rather than a means of achieving a goal
• People that abuse power act the same way as those who do not use
• Pilate failed because he did not understand why he was in power
• We should not hesitate to make use of this authority and we should be unashamed
• How can disciples of Jesus not be bold and assertive? We must be forceful people!

Focus on the individual

Mark 2:13-14

• Jesus didn’t miss the forest because of the trees
• We cannot allow ourselves to grow dull to the preciousness of each individual

Acceptance of others

Mark 2:15-17 · Jesus did not seem to worry about ruining his reputation

Mark 2:15-17

Nonconformist

• He challenged popular thinking to inspire them to think again about how they were living.
• Are you willing to rock the boat?
• People of impact won’t accept because we have always have do it this way.
• Every great historic change has been bought by blood or the reputation of non-conformists.
• People who are unwilling to venture out into unfamiliar territory will never men of impact
• More difficult for people who feel they have achieved a great deal

Protector

• Legalism occurs when one values an easy decision over true justice.
• When Jesus gave direction, he assumed responsibility for their actions
• Jesus stood up for his disciples.
• They probably felt very safe around Him (love always protects)
• Without protection, insecurity can be seen more and in the “Me” generation.

Challenger

• To say that Jesus quietly and humbly pointed out their wrongs would be inaccurate
• He didn’t go after their ego, he went straight to the heart.

Discernment

Mark 4:14-20

• We are not to pronounce judgment but announce His judgment.
• Types of people at work:
  • Non-ambitious - Putting in their time, staying out of trouble, receiving a paycheck
  • Overly ambitious – position only a stepping stone, self and not the organization
  • Employees that just want to an excellent job – may turn bitter after a while because of others around them.
  • Those who hold to their ideas and maintain an “all for one and one for all” attitude – will produce beyond own expectations

Productivity

• Jesus was concerned with people’s spiritual productivity
• Apple seed – would you expect one apple from an apple tree? No hundreds each year

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.

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.

Magnetism

Mark 9:14-29

• Why? Magnetism came from only prayer.
• Magnetism: an attracting force on the level of the soul, which produces deep bonding and enduring loyalty.

Frustration

• Jesus expressed frustration regarding the continuing unbelief of the people.
• Closest disciples even needed him the bolster their faith.
• He was frustrated because their unbelief blocked the power of God.
• Jesus did not lock his frustration up inside.
• Dealing with frustration – stuffer = out of mind; slammers = fly off the handle – neither are good

Higher Plain

Mark 12:13-17

• Jesus was not deceived by flattery.
• He spoke openly about their attempt to trap him.
• Jesus amazed them by a simple spiritual perspective on religiously complex issues.

Unity

• Unity is achieved as God’s people strive together to attain God’s thinking on all of life’s issues.
• People willing to deny themselves accept their Creator’s thinking above their own opinion will achieve the closeness no one has ever seen
• God’s plan for diversity and unity complement each other.
• Plurality of denominations exists because men and women have not obeyed the scripture.
• Common goaled minded people produce unity.

Contentedness

• People don’t trust someone whom they suspect to be greedy or overindulgent.
• A greedy man stirs up dissension.

Connections

Mark 14:12-16

• Sometimes it is not what you know but who you know.
• If you don’t have many connections, this is probably because you are not a friendly person or influential people intimate you.

Unconditional Love

Mark 14:17-26

• Jesus knew yet did not treat Judas any different than he treated the other eleven.
• Conditional love puts an unbearable strain on relationships
• Unconditional gives security, wipes away fear, builds confidence, adds hope, teaches perseverance, and erases discouragement and doubt.
• The key is not to love if or because of, but to love in spite of. In-spite-of love cannot fail to make a lasting impact.

The Memorial

• Jesus died for us as individuals
• It is the forgiveness of sins, my sins.
• People need frequent reminders
• We soon forget what is important.
• The activities of life so easily distract us and we so quickly lose our convictions.

• Perfectionism
• Nice guys - pushovers
• Violent
• Passive

• What is my effect on you?
• What am I like to with?
• What don’t you feel free to bring up with me?

• Where does your sense of power come from?
• Is it your position?

1. Mind your own business - can gravitate to this view because of our own conform

• Can become busybodies instead - 2 Thessalonians 3:11
• Can become lazy - 1 Timothy 5:13
• Offering guidance, instructions, cautions, warnings, or sometimes stronger - all part of being faithful in our relationships

2. Judge not and you will not be judged

• Jesus is condemning self-righteous judging
• For those unwilling to examine the issue in their own lives
• Must care enough about each other to help each other to grow

1. Badger him - Why don’t you stand up and be a man?
2. Whine about it - Hurry up and marry me!!
3. Emasculate him - I thought you were a real man
4. Inspire and energize him