Quiet Times Search

Disclosure

Mark 4:21-23

• They were to let their beliefs shine brightly around them
• Widening its exposure does not diminish its value (proclaimer does not suffer loss but increase riches)
• Dead Sea – lowest point on earth, nothing flows out of it, smelly and lifeless

Challenge to listen

Mark 4:24-25

• If we are casual about what we hear and do not apply ourselves, we will even lose what understanding we have
• Practice of taking notes shows our heart to understand
• The arrogant sit and smugly, confident of their ability to retain oral information

• Shadach, Meshach, and Abednego
• Pharaoh and his army
• David and Goliath Gideon’s army 

• Prostitutes
• Fisherman
• Tax collector

• Paradigm - describes the way that scientists work within a model for making sense of the world through observed data
• Shift/meta – changing one’s thoughts of the world
• Since paradigm shifts represents drastic changes to the rules of game – it is rarely done by scientists

• Man/earth was the center of the universe.
• As we found for planets, it was more complex to think the earth was the center
• Copernicus (1530) put the sun in the center – leading astronomers rejected the new paradigm

• 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.

• Thought of Jesus as a Messianic Champion
• Thought Jesus would reveal himself in a fierce battle
• “You are the Christ!”
• All the right data
  • Witness the transfiguration – built shelters for Moses, Jesus, and Elijah – Jesus said Peter didn’t know what he was saying
  • Night of the betrayal – Peter said bring it on, he held on hope that 12 leagues of angels would come; drawn his sword to the guard
  • Peter joined the other disciples in Jerusalem – with “one mind” in prayer and purpose

• Great Commission
  • Go, baptize and teach
  • Go to the ends of the earth preaching the Gospel - Mark 16:15
  • Not only followed but led others to follow.
• · Pray for workers
  • Mass ripe for harvest – pray for harvesters.
  • God already loves us – we need to pray specifically
  • Only hope for men is to go to them with the gospel of Salvation
  • Won by working faithfully, patiently, painstakingly until they become fruitful Christians

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

• First converts - Lydia and her household
• The jailer and his house hold
• God using an earthquake to bring unlikely people into the kingdom of God - Acts 16:22

• Sarcasm
• Negativity
• Bitterness
• Cursing
• Worldly reactions

• pure - not mixed with anything else - in thought, word or deed?
• peace-loving - never to be soft on sin and not follow ways of violence
• considerate - do we really put others first?
• submissive - "obedient, compliant", open to persuasion
• full of mercy and good - God is looking for changes and results
• impartial - not taking the side of the unjust
• sincere - "unhypocritical"

Zealot = a man who aims at overthrows

Jesus mission was to overthrow Satan's ruling government over the earth

1 John 3:7-8
• Jesus came to destroy Satan
• A zealot has a cause
• What was Jesus' cause?
  • Save man from hell
  • Save man from himself
  • Save man from Satan
Matthew 26:50-55
• They saw Jesus as a renigade

Cause worth living for

Luke 9:25
• What good is it?
• What would you write down as things that you are trying to gain?
• Living for Jesus is living life to the full

Luke 10:10
• Sometimes life is not fair
  • Through salvation (Judgement) comes fairness
• We hurt ourselves with the question "WHY?"
  • Like we can demand an answer from God
2 Corinthians 5:14
• Love compels us not out of duty

Consencate yourself

1 Chronicles 29:5

• Who is willing to consecrate himself to God?
  • Kingdom not about men
  • What is stopping you? hurts?
    • Suffering matures us
  1 Corinthians 6:7
  • Have you been wronged?
    • Join the club!
  • God gets justice, not you!

  
  1 Chronicles 29:6-29

  • Where there is consecration (repentance) there brings rejoicing
  • They flat-out worshiped
  • Where was David's heart? with God
    • David thought it was amazing that he could give back what God gave him
  • Has earth become your home?

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

To know and to be known. It is our deepest ache.
Our bodies are an outward sign of an inward reality

Love makes us to crazy things for love. No union on earth like the consummation of love between a man and woman
Lovers reach for the stars to find words fitting enough to express what the beloved means to them - to a clue to a deeper reality

Becoming one - this is what God is seeking with us
Gender, sexually and marriage server as a lving metaphor
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother ... and the two will become one flesh... I am talking about Christ and the church - Ephesians 5:31-32
The cross is a great mystery - but in context of sacrifing animal - it became clear what they had been doing and what Christ was doing

Bible is the greatest romance ever written
God has given us the highest freedom of all - the freedom to reject him
Love is possible only when it is freely chosen

• 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

• The daughter/son of Einstein to be smart
• The daughter/son of Lance Armstrong to be fast
• The daughter/son of Micheal Jordan to be good at basketball

Myth - sometimes thought of as not factual true
But a myth is a story which confront us with something transcendent and eternal; a way of seeing and knowing
A kind of story that wakes you up and you suddenly say - this is what my life is really about

Myth tell us three truths, this first one is:

1. Things are not what they seem

Examples of movies that show us this include: Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, the Matrix

Jacob saw earth in a whole new way in his dream - Genesis 28:12
He awakes more awake then ever, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it" - Genesis 28:16

Two followers of Christ did not even recongized Jesus as he talked with him after his resurrection - Luke 24:17-21
They were slow in heart to believe

• Little Red Riding Hood - wolf
• Dorthy - Wicked Witch of the West
• Neo - powerful agents

• Raise or lower the universe's rate of expansion by one part in a million, - it rules out the possibility of life
• If the average distance between star was any greater, the planets would not have formed; any smaller, the planets orbits for life would not have occurred
• The ratio of carbon and oxygen was different, we could not breath the air
• Change the tilt of the earth's axis slightly, we would freeze and burn up
• Any change in the distance from the sun or speed of rotation of the earth would result in unlivable temperature changes

• Scripture reading becomes I have to read it to understand the gospel for others
• Talking to God suddenly takes on a new purpose - passionate pleas for friends
• Our desire to worship grows as your gratitude grows
• Helps maintain a high standard of purity

1. The Blessing of Giving - Acts 20:33-35
   1. Paul did not desire anyone else's money or possessions.
   2. He worked hard and sacrificed to help the weak.
   3. He knew that giving brought more joy than receiving.
2. Living for Eternal Possessions - Matthew 6:19-21; Hebrews 10:32-34
   1. When our treasure is in heaven not on earth, our hearts will be in heaven also.
   2. As disciples, we will look foolish to the world because our hearts and our treasures (money) are in heaven not on earth.
3. All Things For Our Enjoyment - 1 Timothy 6:17-18
   1. It is very easy for us who have wealth to put our hope and trust in money/things rather than God.
   2. As disciples we are commanded to be generous and willing to share.
   3. When we follow God"s plan we can feel great about enjoying the blessings God has given us.

1. Which do I desire more, to give or to receive?
2. How can I put all my treasure in heaven so that all my heart will be there also?
3. How am I being generous and willing to share on a daily basis?
4. Am I enjoying God's blessings or do I feel guilty about the things I have?

What are you looking for in life?

Acts 17:16-28

• Ever ask yourself: “What on earth am I here for?” You aren’t alone!
• Why did God create you and bring you to this very point and time in your life? So that you would seek him and
  find him in order to have a personal relationship with him.
• Who takes the initiative in seeking this relationship? Because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, he has been actively determining times and places long before we ever thought about seeking him (Psalms 14:2-3).
• Why do so few seem to be seeking today?
  • God is unknown and the image many have of him is distorted v23
  • We have created our own god. We all worship something.
  • To seek God, we must be willing to change our ideas about who God is to match what has been revealed to us in the Bible
• There is nothing more important or exciting in life than to seek and to find our Creator God.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

• We will find God if we seek Him with all our heart.
  
• Have you ever done something with all your heart? What is it?
  
• What will it mean for you to seek God with all your heart?

• 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.

• God knows what you and I have done but he wants to help us get our lives in order
• The more we read, the more we understand God is merciful and loving
• He is serious about us changing our lives to fit His will vs us trying to change the Bible to fit our will

• Jesus is the ultimate reflection of God on earth
• Just as Jesus didn't come with a critical judgment = God does not either
• v46 - He shows us the way out of darkness - when we don't have a close relationship with him
• Question: What does Jesus say will actually judge us? God's words

1. Read the Bible daily so we can know him
2. We must apply the Bible to our lives, let it change us, and let our lives change others
3. Let's study the Bible together at least once a week for the next 3 weeks

• Do not store you treasures on earth - Matthew 6:19
• Do good to all people - Galatians 6:10
• Do good you know you ought to do - James 4:17
• Do what the Word of God says - James 1:22
• Do not fight - 2 Timothy 2:24
• Do not cause anyone to stumble - 1 Corinthians 10:32
• Do not fear man - Luke 12:4-5
• Encourage daily - Hebrews 3:13

Old Testament scriptures about sin

• Ecclesiastes 7:20 - There is not a righteous man on earth
• Leviticus 18 - If a persons sins, he will be cut off
• Ecclesiastes 4:4 - Achievement will not get get us to heaven
• Genesis 4:7 - if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door
• Proverbs 6:16-19 - God hates sin
• Isaiah 59:1-3 - Sin separates us from God
• Psalms 26:1-2 - We need to turn from our ways and live blamelessly

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

Old testament evangelism scriptures

• Exodus 19:6 - You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation
• Isaiah 49:6 - I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth
• Proverbs 11:30 - The one who is wise saves lives
• 2 Kings 7:3-9 - This is a day of good news; we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us
• Esther 4:14 - For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place

• Plant of renown - Ezekiel 34:29
• Prince of life - Acts 3:15
• Prince of peace - Isaiah 9:6
• Prince of the kings of the earth - Revelation 1:5
• Prophet - Luke 24:19; John 7:40
• Ransom - 1 Timothy 2:6
• Redeemer - Job 19:25; Isaiah 59:20; 60:16

• City of the Living God - Hebrews 12:22
• Congregation of saints - Psalms 149:1
• Congregation of the Lord's poor - Psalms 74:19
• Dove - Song of Solomon 2:14; 5:2
• Family in heaven and earth - Ephesians 3:15
• Flock of God - Ezekiel 34:15; 1 Peter 5:2
• Fold of Christ - John 10:16

• Salt of the earth - Matthew 5:13
• Servants of Christ - 1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6
• Servants of righteousness - Romans 6:18
• Sheep of Christ - John 10:1-16; 21:16
• Sojourners with God - Leviticus 25:23; Psalms 39:12
• Sons of God - John 1:12; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 3:1,2

• I will give the land to you and your descendants
• You will spread out to the north, south, east and west
• People on earth will be blessed through you
• I am with you and will watch over you
• I will not leave you

• John 10:30,38 - I and the Father are one
• John 14:10-11, 20 - It is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
• John 17:11, 21, 23 - Father, just as you are in me and I am in you

• John 7:16 - My teaching is not my own
  
• John 12:49 - For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me

• John 5:19, 30 - He can do only what he sees his Father doing
• John 8:28 - I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence

• John 5:30 - By myself I can do nothing
• John 6:38 - I have come down from heaven not to do my will
• John 4:34 - My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work
• John 17:4 - I have brought you glory on earth by completing your work
• John 14:31 - World must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what He commands
• John 15:10 - I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love

• Acts 5:42 - Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news
• Acts 8:4 - Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
  

• The principle involved here is called life-transference.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:8 - We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well

• Isaiah 42:1 - "Here is my servant whom I uphold."
• Isaiah 53:11 - "My righteous servant"
• Zechariah 3:8 - "My servant, the branch"

• Luke 22:27 - I am among you as one who serves
• Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve

• 700 varieties of butterflies
• 8,000 varieties of moths

• The challenge of life is not that we have too little time, but in how we are going to spend the time we do have.
• We need to make the most of every day (make a to do list to get yourself started)

• Anyone can have a job but do we do the little things that make us a great employee
• Anyone can have a child but do we do the things that make us a great parent

1. Punctuality
2. Paying bills on time
3. Sending birthday (Father’s Day, Mother’s Day cards)
4. Picking up after yourself
5. Keeping your room/car clean
6. Returning phone calls
7. Looking presentable

• Discipline is being able to decide what can be done and doing it the right way
• It’s better to do three (3) things well than ten (10) things half heartedly

• You don’t have to say “yes” to everyone and everything (our people pleasing nature will end up making us overwhelmed, stressed)
  

• Worry is an unproductive emotion (it won’t change anything)
• Worry is like a rocking chair (gives you something to do but gets you no where)

1. Buy things that are useful instead of buying for status
2. Do not buy anything that is producing an addiction in you
3. Develop a characteristic of giving things away
4. Develop a deeper appreciation for God’s creation
5. Stay away from things that take your focus off of God
6. If anything comes before you having QT’S in the morning then fast from that thing (activity) until you control it instead of it controlling you.

Summary

God created the heavens, the earth and everything that lives. He made humankind in his image and gave them charge over the earth.

Observations

Genesis 1:1 - the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,
Without God we formless, unfocused, and empty. We try to create our own heaven-on-earth but never succeed without him. We try to "eat" junk food to fill us up but all they contain is empty calories. Without God there is no light and only darkness. Without light, we do not know what is going on around us nor what direction to go.

Genesis 1:4 - separated the light from the darkness.
It is important to understand that light and darkness were separated from the beginning. They can not both exist in the same location. It is even more important find out with side you are on.

Genesis 1:16 - He made the stars also.
Oh, by the way, God created all the countless numbers of stars, planets, galaxies, and other objects of the universe. So much matter that we can not even begin to see with a telescope. But God does not focus on matter, he focuses on what matters. The Bible is focused on God and his relationship with mankind. Like Jesus' miracles described in [John 20:30], the amount of God's acts are too great to be counted. Can you image the amount of books that could be written about what God created?

Genesis 1:26 - so they may rule
God entrust us to rule over all all other living things. But many we times we are ruled by our sinful natures. If we can not even control ourselves, how can we "rule" over other things?

Genesis 1:27 - God created humankind in his own image
Sometimes we mistake us being an exact copy of God verses a reflection of God. We should be a photo copy and not try to replace God in our lives. We must be become more reflective of God like a mirror. Constantly cleaning off the smudges of sin with the blood of Jesus.

Personal Application

God is bigger than I think he is. I have made him too small in my mind and do not allow Him to take control -- this is absurd since he has control over the universe and does a perfect job at it. My actions show that I don't fully trust God in this way.

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.