Quiet Times Search

Dads should constantly aware of how how their character impacts their child
But no matter how good we do, we can not fully meet their needs; only the Father can

God is the perfect Father
He is always present and available
He is commited to meeting our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs
No time in our day is more important than the time we spend with Him

Addressing God as the Father seems pretty normal - not the case in Jesus' day

Sometimes David prayed:

• O God
• O Lord
• O my God
• O my Lord

...but nowhere will you find David addressing the living god as "Father"
Gabriel was sent to respond personally to Daniel's great prayer in Daniel 9 - yet he did not address God as Father

Patriarchs, the prophets, and the priests of Israel were all men of prayer - never addressed their prayers to God as "Father"
Jesus gave believers the right to become children of God

We begin our time in prayer with a father-child relationship

God is "the Lord who is present"
Shekinah is the Hebrew word meaning 'residence'

He has a great desire to dwell in the lives of believers:

• Bodies have become the temple of the living God - 1 Corinthians 3:16
• Jesus is our Immanuel - God with us
• He promises that He is always with us - Matthew 28:20
• He will never forsake us - Hebrews 13:5

Discipline your son and he will give you give - Proverbs 29:17

From the very beginning children should learn to obey
Should be a habit and a pattern = happy family

Our will and word will be supreme
We should not expect to have to tell them again

Repeating ourselves and louder each time is not true obedience - find ourselves frustrated, weary, and resentful

1. He obeyed her - Luke 2:51
2. He allowed her to influence him when he performed his first miracle - John 2:1-11
3. He did not allow his devotion to Mary make him sentimental - Mark 3:20-35
4. Protected and provided for her needs as he died on the cross

• Trustworthy
• Reliable
• Absolutely faithful to every promise he makes

By the time we are old enough to understand, we have hurt and been hurt so many times - we need forgiveness and so do others
We can become resentful and bitter - only way out the vicious cycle is to learn how to forgive

The definition of a dysfunctional relationship: the inability to solve conflict and forgive

Hugh obstacle: We can not truely forgive until we have experienced forgiveness
Once we are forgiven by God can we forgive as God does

Once we are forgiven, we are obligated to forgive others - Matthew 18
Forgving others as in Christ God forgave you - Ephesians 4:32

Our sins against each other pale in comparison to our sins against God

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

• Whomever asks
• Whenever we are asked
• Freely and from the heart
• Expect nothing in return
• Anonymously

• What if someone takes advantage of me?
• Will there be anything left for me?
• What if I do not get anything in return?
• What possible difference can I make?

1. There is but one mediator between God and man - 1 Timothy 2:5
2. God sent Christ to reconcile sinful man back to Him - 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
3. This God did this by offering Christ as the sacrifice  for our sins - 1 John 4:9-10
4. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins - Ephesians 1:7
5. Jesus is the only way to God - John 14:6

• “All that the Father gives me will come to me…” (John 6:37)
• “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” (John 6:44)

• “I pass judgment on no one … I am not alone.” (John 8:15-16)
• “[God] has given him authority to judge…” (John 5:27)

“…God, is the one who glorifies me.” (John 8:54)

1. Be ready to be uncomfortable
2. Be ready for big changes
3. Be ready to follow the narrow road
4. Be ready to give up anything

Must deny self
Kingdom is the greatest thing to possess
It will cost you all you have
Must carry his cross
Commitment must surpass relationship with family (Jesus: you must love me more)

Discipliner

Mark 3:31-35

• Jesus cared about their souls more than their feelings
• God is willing that people suffer in order to learn something for their own greater good.
• Do you allow sentimentality to rule in our relationships?

Discernment

• Jesus saw people either for him or against him.
• They were either movers for God or still needed to be moved by God.

Power

Mark 5:1-17

• What expectations do you have of your prayer life
• Do we believe the power that can be unleashed through your prayer life?
• We need to pray for God’s power to be clearly demonstrated – we desperately need the fear of the Lord.

Fearlessness

• Making the decision not give into fear is essential ingredient for the man or woman impact
• Two fears: fear of public speaking and the fear of failure

Spectacular Deeds

• Made front-page news.
• Jesus responded by valuing freeing a man over another property
• Jesus was willing to do something outrageous and controversial for the sake of a needy person

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.

Caterer

Mark 8:1-10

• He had no warm-up band, laser light show, not even a sound system
• He was dynamic and charismatic.
• The crowd was not there for his benefit; he was there for the benefit of the crowd.
• He wasn’t performing but serving.

Delegator

• The art of delegation is essential in order to free a leader’s time to do more important tasks.
• Do not mean dumping unwanted chores.
• Effective delegation: communication of expectations, thoughtful assessment, performance, and constructive criticism.

Hardline

Mark 8:34-9:1

• Attitudes generally do not float in isolation – whistling teapot principle
• Jesus chose the most challenging words spoken by any leader.
• Words used:
• "If anyone…"
  • "…he must…"
  • "…deny himself…"
  • "…take up his cross…"
  • "…whoever wants to save his life will lose it…"
• His primary concern was for their immortal souls. No wonder he had such impact!!

Affirmation

Mark 9:2-13

• People are encouraged when they realize that we are indeed in line with the expectations of our superiors.
• They will also be inspired when they understand that their support for us is essential for the overall success.

• physical contact
• sandpaper of my whiskers
• to test their fathers

• 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

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 does the church represent the “destination of repentance”?
2. How did the early church help sinners to repent? How did it safeguard true repentance from compromise?
3. How did the walls of the early church stand steadfast against the assaults of the world?
4. What does it mean to be of “one mind” with your brothers and sisters?
5. How were early Christians both non-conformists and conformists?
6. Why has church discipline gotten a “bad rap”? Is it warranted?
7. Why do so few churches practice the Biblical mandates to discipline its members?
8. How can a church best practice church discipline?
9. Have you ever been disciplined by your church? Did God’s plan lead you to repentance – why or why not?
10. Over 85% of the Biblical references to repentance address groups rather than individuals. Thus, how can you help your fellowship - at various levels – repent?
11. How can you spark repentance – even revival – in your church and in your community? Are you willing to walk its path of selfless commitment?

• Not the kind of group you would expect to win the world for the Christ.
• Represented an average cross section of the society of their day
• Some already had joined the revival movement of John the Baptist
• Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.
• Kept the group small enough to be able to work effectively with them.
  • More special than the twelve was the three – Peter, James, John
    • Jairus’ daughter (mark 5:37, Luke 8:51)
    • Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:1)
    • Waited Near the Lord when He prayed. (Mark 14:33, Matthew 26:37)
  • Choose twelve – Luke 6:13-17, Mark 3:13-19
  • Others – the 70 (Luke 10:1), Mark and Luke (gospel writers), James, His own brother (1 Cor 15:7)
• Rapidly diminishing priority given to those outside the twelve.
• Staked His whole ministry on them. Everything depended upon their faithfulness.
• Some believe that focusing on a few is favoritism
• Jesus however did not neglect the crowds.
  • Taught them
  • Healed the sick
  • Blessed the children
  • Wept for them
  • He died for them.

• Crowd aroused
  • Wanted to make him King by force - John 6:15
  • All men were clamoring for His attention - John 3:26
  • Pharisees admitted that the world has gone after Him - John 12:19
  • Frequently asked those that recipients of His healing to say nothing to prevent mass demonstrations
  • Own brothers and sisters did not understand him - John 7:2-9

• Supreme obedience was interpreted as an expression of love.
• “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
• It was the way Jesus lived.
  • Food is to do the will who sent me – John 4:34
  • Not as I will but as you will – John 5:30
  • Gave His life for a ransom of many – Mark 10:45
  • To seek and save what was lost – Mark 15:31

• Prayer
  • Jesus often let His disciples see Him conversing with the Father (They ask, not forced)
  • Unless they grasped the meaning of prayer and practiced consistently – not much would come from their lives.
    
• Using Scripture
  • He never ceased to use the Scripture in His conversation with them.
  • 66 references to the Old Testament
  • 90+ Old Testament references speaking to others
  • Jesus could freely recall scriptures by heart
• Everything that he did and said had some relevance to evangelism
  • Revealing the truth
  • How to deal with men
  • Disciples may (at the time) have not known that they were being taught
• Jesus was the Master of His own teachings
  • Presentation was not flashy; the truth was the main attraction.
• Disciples observed how to:
  • Jesus drew people to Himself
  • Won their confidence and inspired their faith
  • He called them to the way of salvation and He called them to make a decision

• Jesus considered their ability and taught them with patience
• At first, Jesus did not say anything about evangelizing the world
  • Showed them how to have a relationship with God
  • Showed them how He worked
  • Their need to follow
• He did not discourage spontaneous acts of faith
• Duties performed by His disciples
  • Baptized some - John 4:2
  • Food arrangements
• Jesus kept the vision in front of them
• Little evangelism was done on their own at the beginning
  • We should be patient with new disciples
• First evangelist mission with the 12
  • Began with Jesus’ third tour through Galilee
  • Sent them forth - Mark 6:7

• His teaching rotated between instruction and assignment
• Questions, illustrations, warnings, and admonitions were calculated to fill His work to evangelize the world.
• When the disciples were sent out they gathered themselves to see what things had been done
  • They were expected to share their experiences
  • Previous mission there was no mention of any spectacular success
  • They gain additional experience
  • Jesus cautioned the disciples against pride in their accomplishments
• Demon-possessed boy – lesson on how they needed more prayer and fasting
• Loaves and fish – lesson on faith they God will provide
• Lessons of patience
  • Danger of discouraging any sincere work - “Those who are not against you are for you” - Mark 9:50
  • Do little the little one stumble - Mark 9:42
  • Encounter resistance - Call down fire from heaven - Luke 9:51-54
  • Jesus came to save not destroy - Luke 9:55

• Keep them going
  • All of this is going to require supervision
  • When questions arise, they must be answered while the problem is still in their mind.
  • Setup a schedule of training and keep a record of their growth
  • Exercise patience: Growth is sometimes slow and with many setbacks (while honestly seeking truth)
  • Seldom put them out of our mind
  • They need to be in our prayers and dreams
  • Accept the burden of their immaturity until they can do it for themselves
• We are not living primarily for the present.
• Our satisfaction is in knowing that in generations to come from bearing fruit
• World is desperately seeking someone to follow
  • Someone who is certain
  • Will be a man who knows the way of Christ
  • Or are one who is leading someone into greater darkness?
• Destiny of many hangs on our decision.

• 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

• Children blame parents
• Spouses blame each other
• Employees blame employers
• Society blame political administration
• Present political administration blame previous one

• Feminist movement - made some good points - fueled by resentment
• Environmental movement - humans are responsible for our "dominion" - Genesis 1:26; but it is there are more important causes
• Gay rights movement - all humans should not desciminated against - primary a defensive , negative movement ; finding self-justification instead of justification that comes from Jesus
• Political movements - good to voice opinions; but when political allegiances eclipes our Christian allegiance, we are in sin
• Anti-abortion movement - fight to save babies is a great fight - but killing others to do so? does not that make you a murder too?

• Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
• Tree of Life

Spring reminds us that life can return to the dead
The return of spring brings such a relief and joy and anticipation
Might spring and summer may be nature way of expressing Jesus was trying to tell us?
Nature God's word to us also - Romans 1:20

Our ideas of heaven are sometimes not very desirable
Many Christians have some idea that heaven is an never-ending church service
And then our hearts sink
Forever and ever? That is it?

We sigh and feel guilty that is we are not more "spritual"
We then turn to the present to find what life we can
We can only hope for what we desire

Scripture tells us that God has set eternity in our hearts - Ecclesiastes 3:11
Where is out hearts? In our desires.

• 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