Quiet Times Search

• Abraham was old
• Jacob was insecure
• Leah was unattractive
• Joseph was abused
• Moses stuttered
• Gideon was poor
• Samson was codependent
• Rahab was immoral
• David has an affair and many family problems
• Elijah was suicidal
• Jeremiah was depressed
• Jonah was reluctant
• Nomi was a widow
• John the Baptist was eccentric
• Martha worried a lot
• Samaritan women had several failed marriages
• Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered
• Zacchaeus was unpopular
• Thomas had doubt
• Paul had poor heath
• Timothy was timid

• Average person possesses from 500 to 700 different skills and abilities
• Brain can store 100 trillion facts
• Can handle 15,000 decisions a second
  

Begin by assessing your gifts and talents

Take a long honest look at what you are good at
Try to have a sane estimate of your abilities - Romans 12:3
Make a list and ask other people

Experiment with different areas of service
When it doesn't not work out, call it an "experiment", not a failure

Consider your heart and personality
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given - Galatians 6:4

Examine your experiences and extract lessons you have learned

Remember today what you have learned about the Lord - Deuteronomy 11:2
Forgotten experiences are worthless
Paul - "Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not! - Galatians 3:4

Were rarely see God's good purpose - John 13:7

Run with patience the particular race that God has set before us - Hebrews 12:1

Satan can steal our joy by:

1. Compare your ministry with others - others doing a better job
2. Conform your ministry to the expectations of others - you are doing better and you full of pride

Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God's commendations - 1 Corinthians 10:12-18

Servants think about their work, not what others are doing

They do not compare, criticize, or compete with other servants; same goal and same team
When you are busy serving, you don't have time to be critical
Our job is not to evaluate - Lord will determine the sucessfulness  of his servant - Romans 14:4

If you serve like Jesus, expect to be criticized
The service of the sinful (pouring perfume on Jesus) was though to be a waste but just though of it as significant - Matthew 26:10

Servants base their identity in Christ

They are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth
Jesus washing feet - Jesus understood his worth and the task did not threathen his self-image - John 13:3-4

Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear; want others to serve them instead
Only God's approval counts - 2 Corinthians 10:18

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation

Serve the Lord with gladness - Psalms 100:2
The Father rewards anyone who serves him - John 12:26
He will not forget how hard you have worked - Hebrews 6:10

The only really happy people are those who have learned to serve

All God's great people in the Bible were weak but did not stay that way:

• Moses: Weakness was his temper BECAME "the humblest man on earth" - Numbers 12:3
• Gideon: Weakness was his low self-esteem BECAME a "mighty man of valor" - Judges 6:12
• Abraham: Weakness was fear BECAME "the father of those who have faith" - Romans 4:11
• Peter: Weakness was weak willed BECAME "a rock" - Matthew 16:18
• David: Weakness as a adulterous BECAME "a man after my own heart" - Acts 13:22
• John: Weakness was arrogance BECAME "apostle of love"

Honestly share your weaknesses

Paul modeled vulnerability:

• His failures: "When I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway" - Romans 7:19
• His feelings: "I have told you all my feelings" - 2 Corinthians 6:11
• His frustrations: "We were crushed" - 2 Corinthians 1:8
• His fears: "I was weak and fearful and trembling" - 1 Corinthians 2:3

We are naturally drawn to humble people

If people see your strengths but not your weakness, they can not relate

• Strengths: Nice that he can do that but I can not
• Weaknesses: I am not sure how he can do that but if he can then I can with God's power

Decide wheather you want to impress people or influence people

Glory in your weakness

When Satan points out your weakness, agree with him and praise Jesus - 2 Corinthians 12:5
Jesus understans our weakness - Hebrews 4:1
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness - Romans 8:26

"If you want to be blessed by God and use you greatly, you must learn to walk with a limp" - Joacb

Feels good to feel loved - insecurities come from not being sure or for some reason other than unconditional love

In our worst shape, God demonstrated his love for us - Romans 5:8
Love that surpasses knowledge - Ephesians 3:19
The is not of higher value than unconditional love
Not a testimony to God's softness on sin
We will be changed if we understand God's love

Love you enough to have his son killed for you - while you (and me) were enemies of God
How much is his love toward you now that you his child?
Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and live a life of love - Ephesians 5:1-2

If God loves us this much, we should as love this way - 1 John 4:11
Do you only love God when perform as you think he should? He doesn't!

Paul - Christ came to save sinners and I am the worst - 1 Timothy 1:15

Passover - it meant freedom for the Jews (from Egypt)
Jesus choose Passover to bring freedom to all through his death

It was a new relationship with God and man
God loved mankind but man hurt God with his sin

Jesus: with my life and death, you have a new relationship, now remember this
It will be forgotten in our lives if we don't make plans to remember

In the midst of our activities and pressure of life, we forget:

• How much he went through for us
• That we can be forgiven and start over again and again
• Why we are doing things we are doing

He took bread and gave thanks for this very reason - Luke 22:19

Give thanks and examine yourself - 1 Corinthians 11:28
Don't forget that in Christ there is no condemnation - Romans 8:1

• What will happen?
• What will I get?
• Will I be happy

• Experienced the slience of God
• Beaten and hung on the cross
• Believed in the resurrection that he could not see
• Could only see the blood, pain and faces of mockers

1. Positive - grow quickly
2. Difficult - the questions surface
3. Tragic - faith needs to accept the situation, ask for help, and believe that God's power will be sufficient

• Reminded the Israelties not to be afraid
• Memorials and Feasts that were setup by God
• Jesus reminded the disciples time and time again to have faith
• Paul's letters remind Christians about the cross and resurrection
• Communion for us to remember the cross and resurrection

• A new life -  we too may live a new life - Romans 6:4
• Eternal life - we will not perish and nothing compares to it - 1 Peter 1:3-5

Three verse opened a whole new way of understanding Jesus:

• Jesus praying: Abba, Father, everything is possible for you - Mark 14:36
• We can cry Abba, Father  - Romans 8:15
• Because you are sons we can cry Father - Galatians 4:6

Prior to Jesus it was never used as a reference to God; even scandalous if used
Simular to "da-da" in English
Before Jesus, there was no one who could tell us what he could about God

• Physical sickness - Philippians 2:26
• Weak faith - Romans 14:1-2
• Weak conscience - 1 Corinthians 8:11-12

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

After asking for help from the Holy Spirit, then focus on the relationship with
Prayer is primarily a vehicle of relationship

Pater (greek) = father
Abba (aramaic) = intimacy and endearment = daddy

Holy Spirit in our lives is a spirit of adoption by which God give us our spiritual birthright (Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6)

He delights when we come to Him as our Father, Abaa, Daddy:

• Mr. Bentson - wrong
• Mr. Benson - contact
• Benson - co-worker
• Chad - friend
• Dad - daughter
• Honey - wife

The closer you are, the better responce you will get
He delights in your desire to spend time with Him

This relationship is critical to a healthy and vitaul prayer life
His fatherhood becomes real in my life
Bridge the gap between what I know in my head and what I experience in my life

Two enemies we needed to be protected from - Flesh and Satan

Flesh - lead us not into temptation - there is an internal struggle

I know that nothing good dwell in me - Romans 7:18
Our tenency to be self-centered (our old nature)

Almost every internal struggle we face in our spiritual lives is a product of this fallen dimension of our being

Activities of the flesh -  Galatians 5:19-21

• Don't reject him
• Don't ridicule him
• Teach him to relate confidently to other boys
• Teach him sports and manly skills

Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them - Mark 10:15-16

Jesus could have blessed the children from afar
His way was closeness and affection

Unaffectionate families are cool, aloof and distant
Children raised in such an atmosphere develop into hard, nasty edge of anger and meanness

Examples:

Prodigal son - Luke 15:20
Greeted with a holy kiss - Romans 16:16
Paul and church leaders in Ephesus embraced and kissed - Acts 20:37

Jesus was in ahuge crowd and suddenly a Roman centurion walks up to Jesus - Matthew 8:5-10

NT centurions are often mentioned with honor:

• Cornelius was the first Gentile to become a Christian - Acts 10:22
• A centurion rescued Paul from the Mob - Acts 23:27
• A centurion saved Paul's life in the shipwreck - Acts 27:43

Lord, my servant lays paralyzed and in terrible suffering - Matthew 8:5-6
To many Romans, a slave was defined as nothing more than a tool

Jesus was moved by the man's heart - I will go and heal him
When Jesus saw a need, he met it
He lived to serve and meet needs directly and continuously
He loved a man many hated

Lord, I don't deserve to have you under my roof - Matthew 8:8
He was a Gentile, Jewish law - a Jew could not enter the house of a Gentile - Acts 10:28
In spite of his desperate need, he respected Jewish law

Say the word and he will be healed - Matthew 8:8
His authority produced results, how much more would the authority of Jesus do?

Jesus did not find anyone in Israel with such faith

Jesus had compassion and healed the man with leprosy - Luke 5:12-18
Jesus is filled with compassion - Mark 1:41

Jesus was different:

• He hurt for those whose lives were devastated by illness
• He went to great lengths to be with them
• Helped and encouraged them
• Made himself available to them and spent many hours with them - Mark 1:32-34

What Jesus did we can also do (beside healing):

• Include those who are sick when you can
• Find ways to serve
• Help and encourage

Society shrinks back - hospitals are not our favorite place
Jesus reached out his hand and touched
The sick need real involvement in their lives

Somehow, we think that the person is responsible for his or her condition
In some cases yes, but we can not oversimplify God's working in our world

Job "friends" did not understand what God was doing
How unsearchale his judgement and his paths beyond tracing out - Romans 11:33

How can I imitate Jesus by "reaching out" in compassion to the sick?

God is faithful. He will meet all our needs
Based on the extent to which we focus on the Father and his will - extent to which God moves in our lives

He desires to meet our every need - to the point of sacrificing his own son - Romans 8:32
Does our knowledge of him transform us?
Does it propel us forward in capturing God's heart of sacrificing for the needs of other?

In Philippi, church sacrificed financially to support Paul (only church to do so) - Philippians 4:14-18
God will meet all your needs - Philippians 4:19
Those who are giving to others and giving to God can be assured that God will give to what they need - Luke 6:38

The more we are focused on his will, the more our needs will be richly met

What must be true in our lives in order for us to claim the promise that God will meet all our needs?

Remember Your Sins No More - Hebrews 8:12

God wants to forgive
God has spent all of his time since man's fall working out our forgiveness - it cost him dearly

God's nature is to forgive
If God kept a record of sins, who could stand? - Psalms 130:3-4

Psalms 103:

• v3 - He forgives all
• v13-14 - He is compassionate and gracious
• v8 - He is slow to anger
• v9 - He doesn't hang on to his anger forever
• v10 - He does not treat us as our sins deserve

God doesn't need forgiveness
He commited no sin - 1 Peter 2:22
We are the ones who sinned - Romans 3:23
The most foolish thing in the world is to have this attitude toward God

• Abraham
• Moses
• Esther
• Daniel
• Joesph - 13 years of set backs and suffering but became second in command to Pharaoh

• the Lord
• the lost
• the poor
• our fellow disciples

1. Does he have a proven record? Yes, Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 6:13-20
   
2. Does he have a genuine concern for my life? Yes, Exodus 2:25; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 55:22
   
3. Does he understand me and my current crisis? Yes, Job 31:4; Psalms 139:1-18; Matthew 6:7-8; Hebrews 4:13
   
4. Do he have the power to bring change in my life? Yes, Romans 4:18-21; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Ephesians 1:18-22; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Peter 1:3-4

1. A sound concept of repentance - God's kindness leads to repentance - Romans 2:4
   
2. Understanding of the purposes of God's gifts - point of the blessing is the blessing themselves but the ultimate outcome of our lives
   
3. Understanding of God's timetable - God's goal is always our repentance - 2 Peter 3:9

• 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

1. All have made a mess of their lives - Romans 3:23
2. Some more than others, but all are in need the same major correction - Romans 3:9
3. God offers Himself as our Redeemer - Psalms 34:22

1. Without faith it is impossible to please God - Hebrews 11:6
2. Without faith in Jesus we cannot be saved - John 8:24
3. It is the Word of God that produces such faith - Romans 10:17
4. The gospels were written to produce faith - John 20:30-31

1. Now at God's right hand, Jesus makes intercession for us - Romans 8:34
2. He serves as our "Advocate" with the Father - 1 John 2:1
3. He is our perfect High Priest - Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-15
4. He enables us to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help - Hebrews 4:16
5. He now "always lives" to intercede on our behalf - Hebrews 7:25

a. Jesus taught with truth and compassion
b. Backup his teachings with his life

i. No man can come to except through me
ii. Do good to those who hate you
iii. Find your life by loosing it

c. Gives us a place to stand – embolden the disciples

a. Jesus was the foundation
b. Story did not end in Palestine

a. Died with Christ, now we can live a new life with him – Romans 6:4,5,8

1. world
2. flesh
3. devil

• One on who be independent choose not to / he emptied himself and became a slave - Philippians 2
• We are do be devoted to one another - philostorgos = like family - Romans 12:10

• who brings into his circle of friends - John 15:13-15
• who adopts us into his family - Hebrews 2:11
• who vows he will never leave or forsake us - Hebrews 13:5

1. Ignore the problem
2. Gossip about it to other
3. Blast a person with the truth

Conviction and Acceptance

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

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

Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1

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

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

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

Great questions in these verses:

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

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

• 27x as a command
• 68x greetings of different forms in the NT

1. Greet one another with a holy kiss - Romans 16:16
   
2. I send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss - 1 Corinthians 16:20
3. Greet one another with a holy kiss - 2 Corinthians 13:12
   
4. Greet one another with a kiss of love - 1 Peter 5:14

1. The measure of faith God has given you
2. Gifts God has given you

• subjectively - my function is the body is according to the personal amount of faith I have
• objectively - my function in the body is purely dependent upon my trust in God to use me

• We have an obligation to bear with others
• We should seek to please our neighbor rather than ourselves - Romans 15:2-3
• Pleasing = not satisfying a whim but helping other do well spiritually

1. To caution, advise or counsel against something
2. To reprove or scold in a goodwilled manner
3. To urge to a duty
4. Not to rebuke

• I did not cease to admonish each one with tears - Acts 20:31
• We proclaim Him, admonishing every man - Colossians 1:28
• Admonish one another - not just something for leaders - Romans 15:14
• Admonish the unruly - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

• meta = after, change, implies there was a before
• noia = denotes the faculty of physical and intellectual perception, then also the power to arrive at moral judgments

• Why was she picked to give birth to the Savior?
• She already knew how much she needed God as her savior
• Already in a humble state before him - Luke 1:46-55

• Took a jolt on the way to Damascus
• He finally came to see his poverty of spirit
  • Nothing good lives in me - Romans 7:18
    
  • I am the least of the apostles - 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
  • Confessed his poverty to the very end - 1 Timothy 1:12-15

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

• Race
• Money
• Gender
• Culture
• Distance
• Too busy

• Past hurts
• Bitterness
• Sin - yours, mine or others