Quiet Times Search

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

The Greek word for encourage is "Parakaleo"

• It is used 28x in the gospels and acts
• Most frequent is the sense of "to beg" or "to plead" or "to comfort"
• Command form is translated "I urge you"- end of the first part of a letter or begging of the second section
• Depends on the speaker
  • Parent asking for healing for a sick child = to beg or plead
  • Leader addressing a group of disciples = to encourage

Greek Lexicon

1. To call to one's side; Come-on-we-can-do-this attitude
2. Appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage
3. Entreat, implore, comfort, and cheer up

Old French word encoragier = to put courage in

• There must a real involvement in each other's lives - we need each other
  
• We fail to realize the strength of discouragement and its ability to gradually eat away at our conviction and faith
• There is a strong sense of spiritual obligation
• See to it - not hope it happens
• Make sure it happens - Who? you

• Meeting together is not only benefiting us but it is also helping others
• Does not exclusively refer to services of the church

• Show the life of Christ in his life
• Tell others the good news
• Mature those who were disciples

• Delivered from prison
• Delivered from his life and struggles
• Delivered from his loneliness and anxiety

Men's punishment and curse hits man where it hurts most - in the field - Genesis 3:17-19

We drawn our sense of worth from work
Men generally don't talk about relationship as they do achievements

Man's deepest desire always relates to his strength
No matter how much a man achieves, it is never enough

Man's worst fear is not meaursing up
In some cases failure can be debilitating for life

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

• Do not rush the field - Luke 14:31
• Train yourself to discern good from evil - Hebrews 5:14
• Live as through your life is at stake - Matthew 10:16

• Against "wisdom", the disciples were asked to go Saul, the one who used to murder Christians, and lay his hands on him - Acts 9:13-14
• Would you counsel a father to sacrifice his only child?
• Take on a fortified city by slashing your ranks from 32,000 to 300?
• Jesus to give himself up to the authorities and let himself get killed

• 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. Yourself - 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
   1. We need to be financially independent in the sense that we take care of our own. As adults we should not be dependent on parents, family, friends, or the church except in rare instances.
   2. Non-Christians do not respect people who do not carry their weight financially. We hinder the spread of the Gospel if we are irresponsible with our finances.
2. Family - 1 Timothy 5:4-8
   1. Taking care of our family is one of the most basic responsibilities we have. If we fail, we deny the faith.
   2. Responsibility includes at least parents, grandparents, spouse, children, 7 brothers and sisters.
   3. It is right for us to repay our parents and grandparents.
3. Government - Romans 13:1-7
   1. We need to support the government through the payment of taxes.
   2. We pay not according to what we can get away with but what is right to pay.
4. The Church - 1 Cor 16:1-2
   1. Each one has the responsibility to take care of the church financially.
   2. Set aside on the first day of every week.
   3. Plan and save for special contributions.
5. The Poor - Luke 12:33; James 1:27

1. In which of the above areas am I not fulfilling my responsibilities?

• A helpless old man
• Cosmic killjoy
• Disinterested deity
• Harsh ogre

Marine Corp example

Solider learned to respect autority promptly and correctly by carrying out commands / seeing pure fear and humilation as punishment
Some actually learn to enjoy the challenge of the tough, disciplined life

Solider grows a personal relationship with the general but always conscious of the vast difference in rank between them
It was a different kind of awe - a greater sense of respect and admiration

Later he realizes how much the general cares for him by putting his life on the line for the solider

Jesus often spoke in parables, fictional stories that as if they really happened
Helps express more abstract spiritual concepts

Awe is defined as:

• An emotion in which dread, veneration, and wonder are vairously mingled
• Submissive and admiring fear inspired by authority
• A fearful reverence inspired by deity

• 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

• Sons
• Strangers
• Daughters

1. Joseph - Genesis 39:8-10
   • Joseph did not give into the impure temptations that were put before him.
   • He honored God with his purity and he honored his master
2. Jesus - Matthew 26:57-60
   • They couldn’t find anything against Jesus (false witnesses came forward “people started lying” but they didn’t make sense either)
   • Mark 7:36-37 - Jesus did everything well (integrity)

• People lie to appear better than they are
  
• When we lie we feel clever and in control but one lie leads to other lies (then were like a dog chasing its tail)
• Many times people lie and may not ever be discovered but remember no one can fool God

• The more we lie the easier it becomes thus it eventually becomes our nature.
• You may escape the lie but you can not escape how it changes your character

Summary

The kings went to war and took Lot captive. Abram rescued Lot. Melchizedek blessed Abram and Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Observations

Genesis 14:18 - Melchizedek ... He was priest of God Most High
This is the first mention of a priest in the Bible. Melchizedek was the start of the line of priests that would stretch all the way to Jesus' time. Jesus because the high priest and the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him [Hebrews 5:9-10].

Genesis 14:23 - I will accept nothing belonging to you
Abram made the decision not to take anything from the king of Sodom while saving Lot. Instead he chose to give some of his possessions to the priest because he was so grateful that God gave him victory over the kings. He must of sensed something from the king of Sodom that was not right and did not want to be associated with him. Do we have worldly ties that we shouldn't? People around us can assume because hang around others that do wrong, we do the same things. We should live among people as Jesus did but how are we associated with them?

Personal Application

Do I have a good sense of my relationships? Do I tend to be a part of group to just belong or a higher reason? I find it much easier to take then to give and I do not think I have conviction on doing the reverse. There is no such thing as a free lunch (maybe from God because he gives freely) - are some offers of others giving really a trap? In some some situations, I should be giving instead of taking.

• What are three areas of your life that you need to be shown compassion and mercy in?
• Do you extend compassion and mercy to others who struggle in the same areas?

• Which will you choose in this year?
• What are three things that you most feel the need to change in your life?
• How will you take the first step in each of these three?

Romans 12:1-2 - renewing of your mind

Satan is the Father of lies - John 8

Love the checklist - but it is a matter of belief

Don't follow because we don't believe

We learn from the past how we did not follow, but it is much better to learn in the present with His Word

A lie may contain some truth or can by applied in some - Satan can use scripture too

Looking back my actions make no sense / or why i struggled? 3 failures and a struggle

1. Hiding the cookies - Matthew 6:25-27

Lie: If I give, I will run out for myself
Truth: God/Parents gives good gifts to us; we need to trust

Our relationship with our father is very telling as to why we are and who we are.

“What does my dad really think about me?” Lots of fathers don’t realize their vital role.

Many issues come from fathers having lost their sense of purpose.

Society is guiding boys to remain boys as long as possible— extending childhood into their thirties—while forcing girls to become women long before they are ready.

Millions of young men are staying single. They want the privileges and rewards of manhood but only the responsibilities and moral requirements of boys.

God has a special place in His heart for two specific groups of people: fatherless children and widows.
 
have in common? The most important man in the leadership role of their lives is gone.

Dad have good intention but there many things working against them:

• Divorce - best thing for kids is to see their parents humble themselves, repent of their selfishness, forgive one another, and recommit to their marriage
• Work - Before the industrial revolution, fathers primarily worked at home. When dad finally did get home, he was too tired to engage, and his family got the leftovers. Men need to set boundaries and learn to say “no,” his work priorities will constantly pull him away.
• Entertainment - the television becomes their influence instead which is a terrible father.
• Anti-father bias in media - dads on TV today are incompetent and constantly outwitted by their wives and disrespectful kids.
• The church - many church programs separate families to the point that kids never see their fathers

Devil will never stop attacking what God prioritizes.

THe key ingredient masculinity is actually strength
Like Jesus, every man also needs to be developing moral, mental, social, and spiritual strength.
If men do not develop a sense of their own fortitude, they will never attempt hard things.
Opposite of masculinity is to be feminine, which means soft, pretty, and delicate.

Culture has spent decades telling women to “Rise up and be strong!” and telling men to “Sit down and be quiet!”

King David charged his son Solomon, “Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man” - 1 Kings 2:2
If you are going to obey Him and be faithful to Him until the end, you must act like a man, embrace your masculinity, and hear His command to “Be strong!” - Joshua 1:9
When the enemy is attacking, you must keep up your resistance — “and having done everything, to stand firm” - Ephesians 6:13
“Act like men, be strong!” - 1 Corinthians 16:13

This is our responsibility as men. This is required of us to be faithful.

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

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

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

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

Continuing the “heart hindrances” that will push your chidren away.

6. Favoritism.
   • Less favored children become resentful.
   • It led Rachel and Leah to fight and Joseph’s brothers to hate him
7. Hypocrisy.
   • It will kill trust between you and your children
   • Identify hypocrisy in you, be quick to repent
8. Hurting their mother.
   • They will tend to take up offense for the woman who loves them
   • If you teach them to dishonor her, they will eventually dishonor you
9. Misunderstanding.
   • Is tied to kids feeling misunderstood and not listened to by their parents
   • If a matter is important to them, it should be important to you
10. Unrealistic expectations.
    • Kids will quickly be discouraged if they believe their parents have set them up to fail
    • Avoid comparing their weaknesses with another child’s strengths
    • Your child believes he can’t please you, he’ll eventually quit trying

You must keep your radar up to sense if you have your children’s hearts

Questions to continously ask:

• Have I ever wounded you and not made it right?
• Have I said one thing and done another?
• Have I made promises and not kept them?
• Is there anything you’re angry with me about? Is there anything you’re not telling me because you’re afraid?

Too many men foolishly refuse to apologize because they’re trying to save face and don’t want to look bad.

Hezekiah did what was pleasing in God's sight - 2 Chronicles 29:1-2

A strong sense of conviction motivates many men to dream of making a difference in their world

This was displayed in Hezekiah's life as king

He stood out as a real difference maker at a time of rampant idolatry.

Hezekiah guided the nation in eliminating idol worship, repairing the temple, and reinstating the Passover feast

He was one of the few righteous kings to rule over Israel or Judah during his 29 years

Hezekiah lived God deeply and remained commited to turing his people back to the Lord

Consider the people God has put in your life, what difference can you make in their lives?

Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people - Joshua 1

God called Joshua to lead the people

He struggled through fears but he became a great example of hom to make fear a nonissue

Joshua did not start this way.

How did Joshua get courage?

1. He had a strong sense of purpose - Joshua 1:6
2. He completely obeyed God's instruction - Joshua 1:7

Recipe for courage: Joshua was determined to go where God called him to go and do what God called him to do

When you combine God-given sense of purpose and a commitment to obedience, God willenale to defeat your enmied and give all he promised

Asaph: I realized my heart was bitter and must have seem like a senseless animal to you - Psalm 73:21-22

Bitterness cause more damage to our relationships, health, and souls than almost anything else

Even as he complained, Asaph had a moment of clarity - I was foolish and ignorant - Psalm 73:22

Asaph realized that his bitterness had cost him part of his humanity

He rightly felt a sense of righteous indignation but had crossed a dangerous line of the wicked things to consume his - bitterness

Bitterness consumes the one who indulges it

Sanballat was very angery when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing?" - Nehemiah 4:1-2

Spiritual opposition often confirm that you are headed in the right direction in your life of faith

Nehemiah endured this kind of opposition as he worked to rebuild the ruined city walls around Jerusalem

Sanballat did everything he could to thwart Nehemiah's work

1. He mocked and ridiculed the Jews
2. He turned to the shraper weapons of fear, entrapment, and political maneuvering

The main question is not whether such opposition will appear but how you will respnd when it arrives

Will you choose discouragement or strengthen your sense of resolve?

It is not by force nor strength but by my Spirit, says the Lord - Zechariah 4:6

Zerubbabel oversaw the reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple

Over a period of 16 years, the people's enthusiasm for the project waned, leaving it unfinished

Zerubbabel felt a deep sense of discouragement over the stalled work

Zechariah came with a vital message - Don't depend on your own strength. depend on God and his ability to empower you for the task

Zerubbabel's faith was renewed - He had a renewed sense of enthusiasm, united the people, and got back to work

No worthy project is about human force or strength, it must be about his mighty Spirit

Do you think that you or someone else has the key to success?

Do you genuinely believe that God's Spirit holds the key to your success?

By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city - Daniel 4:30

Breakdown of how much we learn from our senses:

• 1% - taste
• 2% - touch
• 5% - smell
• 11% - hearing
• 83% - sight

Nebuchadnezzar was given a dream and Daniel told him what it meant - the king's pride would result in a severe bout of divine discipline

Daniel begged the king to give up his pride so that God could relent

God had given Nebuchadnezzar an opportunity to humble himself

God immediately accounced that the king would no lose his kingdom and be sent out to live a wild animal

Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way from taste and smell of grass since could not learn from sight

Are you teachable? When God speaks to you, take it to heart

God created human beings in his own image - Genesis 1:27

Nothing defines and motivates a man like a sense of purpose and reason for being

Adam never questioned his purpose in life - The Lord put him on earth to enjoy fellowship with God 

Adam belonged to God and God belonged to Adam

He alone could intentionally respond to God in obedience and love and relate to the Father

Adam's sin threw all creation in choas

Jesus, the second Adam, came to give us the opportunity to enjoy the fellowship Adam had orginally enjoyed with God - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Do you ever wonder why God created you and put you where you are?

I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil -  1 Kings 21:20

Elijah courageously and steadfastly pronouned judgement on Ahab who conspired to have Naboth stoned to death

Ahab misused his position as king and Elijah confronted him face to face

Elijah had a passionate sense of commitment to God's justice

When he saw a terrible wrong commited to an innocent man, he could not stand by and do nothing

Are you willing to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves?

Don't you care that we're going to drown? - Mark 4:38

A storm came up that deeply worried even the expereinced fishermen on board

Jesus remined so calm he slept through the worst the Sea of Galilee could deliver

The disciples didn't have a sense of Jesus' ultimate distiny of the cross

Jesus knew his purpose for coming to earth and there was nothing that could keep him from fulfilling it.

He calmed the storm by speaking to it and the disciples learned - When Jesus accompanies you, you have nothing to fear

Even when there was no hope, Abraham kept hoping of becoming a father of man nations - Romans 4:18

Hope - a sense of expectancy even when the circumstaces suggest packing it in and giving up

At age 100 years  Abraham still had no children

Humanly speaking, Abraham had every reason to wonder if God had forgotten his promise

Abraham remained convicted God would keep all his promises

God blessed Abraham and his wife with a son - he became a father of many nations

Those who trust in me will never be put to shaem - Isaiah 49:23

Has God given you an yet-to-be-fullfilled promise? Have you grown weary in waiting?

Don't make us leave this place - Exodus 33:15

He who has God and many other things has no more than he who has God alone - C S Lewis

Moses had an acute sense of his need for God's presence;

Expereince brought him to this conculsion:

• 40 years living in Midian
• Faced down a stubborn Pharaoh
• Saw God's power in freeing his people from salvary

None of these things could have taken palce if God had not been with him

As Moses was considering the trip to the Promised land, he did not want to take another step  further without the assurance of God's presence

The Promised Land without the Promise Giver didn't hold much promise

How much does the presence of God mean to you?

I have sinned against both heaven and you, I am no longer worth of being called your son - Luke 15:18-19

Bible repeatedly teaches the importance of confession and tells us that God is faithful and just - 1 John 1:9

Jesus illustrates this point by telling the story of a father/son and then son coming to his senses

He returns home, confesses his sins and humbly asks his father if he could be one of his hired hands

The father wouldn't hear of it and welcomed his boy back into his home for a celebration - Luke 15:22-24

Confession to God and to others hurt by your actions is good for the soul

Holy Spirit reveal to him that he woul not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah - Luke 2:26

Humans are creatures of anticipation. Serveral studies show expectation of something good benefits our health and sense of well-being

Simon had lived a long life of such close fellowship with God and the Holy Spirit told him he would see the Messiah

A voice told him to go to the Temple, this was his day

When Simon saw baby Jesus, he knew immediately that this was the One he had been waiting for

Simon: Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people - Luke 2:29-31 

Now it is time to forgive and comfort him - 2 Corinthians 2:7

Paul told the Corinthian Christians to forgive a man who had caused him and the church a lot of trouble

God's purpose for discipline is to forgive and restore, not to condemn and reject

Paul apparently shared these believers' sense of injury but he eagerly extended forgiveness and restoration to give the man some hope and encouragement

Who in your life needs that kind of forgiveness and encouragement?

When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry - 2 Samuel 13:21

David was often a brilliant leader on the battlefield but he defaulted on his leadership at home

His family became dysfunctional:

• Amnon raped his sister
• David did not repond
• Absalom, David's oldest son, killed Amnon and fled Jerusalem
• Amnon's murder and Absalom's absense broke David's heart
• David restored Absalom but later became embitteed against his father
• Absaloom led a rebellion against David

Don't default on your responsibility  - as a father, you have the privilege of leading others toward godliness

Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! - Mark 10:14

Jesus had a heart for children - he treated them with compassion and tenderness

It anger him to see his disciples keeping parents from bringing their children to him

He used the situation to teach: Anyone who does not recieve the kingdom like a child will never enter it - Mark 10:15

• Childlike sense of utter dependence of God's goodness and generosity
• Unshakable faith that God is the source of everything good

Would you call your faith childlike or childish?

Let a curse fall on ayone who eats before evening - 1 Samuel 14:24

King Saul had many gifts and talents but he often lacked common sense

As his soliders prepared for battle, Saul gave them the orders to not eat anything during the daylight

King Saul reasoned that daylight was for fighting

He made the order simplete to save time but God provide no such direction

King Saul's rashness and impatience led to poor decisions and outright disobedience

The Israelites defeated the Philistines but it was not decisive thanks to Saul's foolish burden on the soliders

He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree beside the road where Jesus would pass by - Luke 19:4

Zacchaeus understood his wretched condition well

He understood more than anyone how despartely he needed forgiveness

Zacchaeus sensed he obtain forgiveness by making contact with Jesus

Many of us would have given up and gone home but Zacchaeus found a way

Jesus recongnized Zacchaeus' willingness and desparation and his life changed forever

How uncomfortable are you willing to be to spend time with Jesus?