Quiet Times Search

Ambition

Mark 9:33-35

• Jesus let them cool down before choosing to address the matter. (less defensive)
• Jesus never corrected these men for wanting to be great.
• High achievers in life tend to be high achievers for God.
• People who are eager to use their lives to benefit others are remembered and admired for generations

Win/Lose/Win

• When we try to eliminate the agony of defeat, we also take away the joy of victory.
• To discard dichotomous thinking is to discard the God of the Bible.
• I win by losing so that you may also win. The loser becomes the ultimate winner!

• Jesus gave his disciples specific instructions, which enabled them to be successful in fulfilling the responsibilities he had delegated.
• What would have happened if these instructions were vague?

Cockiness

Mark 12:18-27

• Every one of these phrases cut like a knife:
  • Are you not in error?
  • You do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
  • Have you not read?
• He comfort the disturbed, he also made it his goal to disturbed the comfortable.
• He was not afraid to rock the boat.
• In order to have lasting impact it is necessary to be willing to challenge our opponents to their face.

Open arms

Mark 14:27-31

• We should warn others to be ready for failure – not to discourage them.
• Failure is unavoidable; defeat comes when we give up!

Giver of life

• Anyone who discovers a cause for which he would be willing to die has discovered the reason for which he was born.
• Is your life like: roller coaster ride, merry-go-round, or life a bumper car?
• Jesus had taken these men out of the amusement park, and they knew it.

A Powerful Presence

Mark 14:43-52

• Fearsome spectacle - all the disciples fled
• John 18:4-6 – He was forceful and in control of his decision

Self-Control

Mark 14:53-65

• Remember, for these men to act this way must have seemed completely out of character.
• What is your standard of self-control? – They lost control of their anger (built up over several month and years)

• Jesus had more of an impact dead then alive.
• Are we dead to ourselves?
  
• If any of Jesus’ rebukes had a particularly lasting impact on their lives, this was the one
• Disciples were probably convicted by just the sight of Jesus

• What would your last words be? – Say them today!!!! 
• “Repent and believe the good news.” – These were both the first and the last words from Jesus.

• Career
• Belonging
• How well he plays sports
• Yes, even women

• 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

• For three years, Jesus had been training them by being with them
• Follow-up was not just confined with His disciples
  • Zaccheus on the street of Jericho - Luke 19:7
  • Women at the well - John 4:39-42
• Some attention was given to others – but not compared to the attention given to the twelve
• Faithful women – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others - Luke 8:1-3
  • He did not refuse their kindness
  • Jesus was well aware of the sex barrier
  • He did not try to incorporate these ladies in the select company
• Primary task was to develop some men who in turn could give personal attention to others

• Love is the only way to win the free response of men
• Work of the Holy Spirit
  • Must be born again
  • Christ began His ministry by being baptized - John 3:3-9
  • Made clean through the Word and set apart to God for Holy Service - John 15:3
  • Only the Spirit can carry on the redemptive mission of evangelism
  • Jesus was God in revelation but the Spirit was God in operation
  • Evangelism was not a human undertaking but a divine project.
• With Him they felt that everything was possible
• The superhuman work to which they were called demanded superhuman help.
• Through confession of their deep-seated pride and enmity in utterly surrender of themselves to Christ
• It is not who we are but Who He us that makes the difference
• Only those who followed Jesus all the way came to know the glory of this experience
• Jesus was deliberately investing all He had in these few men so that they could be properly prepared to do His work.
• We cannot give something away which we do not possess ourselves.
• The very ability to give to give away our life in Christ is proof of its possession.

• Everything must be re-examined
• Everything must be reconsidered
• Every desire, dream, use of money and time
• Now everything must have a kingdom-first focus

1. When you don't have daily times with God in the Bible and prayer
2. Responsibilities to the church are a burden
3. Not happy or consistent in giving
4. Personal comfort, desires direct life's decisions
5. Can't find the time to share your faith
6. Gain greater feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction serving another "kingdom"
7. You have greater regard and protection of your schedule
8. Discipleship times, family devotionals not deep or consistent
9. Gaining one more than is greater than gaining one more soul
10. Dreams center more in this world than in the kingdom

Practicals for being like Jesus - putting others above ourselves:

1. Make a list of specific time when someone has met your needs - remember how you felt
2. Think in detail about others needs around you - family, friends, other Christians
3. Put yourself is other's shoes - How would you want you to treat you?
4. Do it now. - Don't just think - DO
5. Think about ways others don't want to be treated
6. Don't do these things
7. Maintain a grateful heart and attitude toward God and others
8. Keep meeting others needs with praise or recongnition

• There should be content to our encouragement - should not be empty talk
• Paul used words about the Second Coming of Jesus - words to help them live with Jesus' return in mind
• Our words need an emotional appeal based on specific biblical content

• Encouragement should move us to maturity
• Often combined with strengthening, building up or edification
• Growth in:
  • Our relationship with God
  • Interactions in the body
  • Our purity
  • Our discipline
  • Our prayer life
  • Our knowledge of the Word
  • Our Outreach
  • Our character

Jesus Christ is Lord
Everyone who lived will say these four words - Philippians 2:9-11

Whoever disowns Jesus before men, he will disown him - Matthew 10:32-33

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus - John 14:6

Give up for God = Gain
Lose for God = FInd
Bow before God now = stand

Bow when:

• You naturally want to be selfish
• You want your needs meet
• You doubt his love

Each disciple must decide that he or she lives among other "for their sake" - 1 Thessalonians 1:5

1. The performance model
2. The grace model

• There are never enough requirements we could meet
• There are never enough rules we could keep
• There is never enough rituals we could experience
• Even if obedient to death, our only hope of salvation come from work from another

• Revolution or comprise
• Retaliation or connivance
• Reaction or corruption

1. Love God wholeheartedly - Deuteronomy 6:5
2. Love your neighbor as yourself - Leviticus 19:18

Sometimes God seems cruel:

• Unemployed
• Search for spouse

Isn't this the reason we fear to desire in the first place?

Unless we understand our desperate hearts and our tenacity to arrange life as we want it - these events seem cruel

Eden - we had it all but we threw it away by mistrusting God's heart and taking control of what we wanted
Adam and Eve set into motion what we now call addiction

Addiction exists whenever persons are internally compelled to give energy to things that are not their true desires

Addition becomes our idol - we must give it up
Anything can become an idol, even "good" things: work, hobbies, etc

God promises evern man futility and failure
God guarantees every woman relational heartache and loneliness

We spend much of our time attempting to end these curses
We say, "I can make it work" and "I won't do what they did, I will overcome"

It can not be done
No matter how hard we try or have a clever plan - we can not arrange the life we desire

Will life ever be what I so deeply want it to be?

We must have life - we can not arrange for it

People avoid the lesson:

• Changing jobs
• Changing mates
• Changing direction in life

...rather than facing the truth - Isaiah 57:10

Some have seen that this will not work, yet they have faded into resignation, bitterness or dispair
They take their revenge on God by killing their desire

How do we accept that it can't be done with an open heart?
How do we sustain desire in the face of failure and loneilness.... Hope

Most of us have lost something:
• Losing wallet - not a good thing
  • Feels good to find it.
God's desire is to "find" what is lost - YOU!
 
• Problem: We are separated from God by sin

Jesus came to...

Save the lost

Luke 19:10

• Uses people to save others
• Many people to save some:
  • Do not know they are lost
  • Are confused
  • Misguided
  • Are not interested
  • Are looking
• Despite the what phase we are in we are still lost.
• No excuses 
  • Those who have issues are not really searching
    • "What about those hypocrites?"
    • "I am too busy"
    • "I will but...."

Acknowledge the Father

 John 14:9

• To relate
• Some think God doesn't care
  • How can God allow all these shootings?
    • Isrealites were saying the same thing in the dessert
• Jesus = God with us
• If Jesus was standing next to you how would you act differently?

Preached on 2003-03-16

Bad day? Being at your worse, need someone at their best

What is your reaction to these people?

Romans 5:6-8
Ephesians 2:1-5

God was at His best

John 13:1-38- Apostles betraying

Matthew 26:36-46- Apostles sleeping

Luke 22:47-53 - His own turned against him

Mark 14:53-65 - False witnesses, no answer

Luke 22:54-62 - Peter not standing up for Jesus

Luke 23:26-43 - Killing him, our savation

1 Peter 2:18-25 - Are you have been hurt more than Jesus?

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

On that day, Jesus appears and announces himself as the Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15

Jesus makes his proposal: I will prepare a place for you - John 14:2-3
Culture of the day - these very words would be used by a young man to his fiancee
He would return to his father's house and build the additonal room to be the bride suite

We have become betrothed to the Bidegroom
The bride belongs to the bridegroom - John 3:29
We are in the time of waiting for the Bridegroom to return

The whole life of the good Christian is a holy longing - Augustine

• 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

Grief is the antidote to the incessant possessive demand within

Sow in tear = song of joy - Psalms 126:5

Two spiritual discipline we need

1. Worship - must adore God deliberately and regularly
2. Grief - must allow a time for sorrow to do own personal sowing

Making time to grieve may sound strange
Just because we do not feel it does not mean it is not there
There are thousands of distractions these days
Sometimes it comes out in a song or movie
Sometimes small disappointments can be a door into the room of grief

Beauty and affliction are the only two things that can pierce our hearts
We must have a measure of beauty in our lives proportionate to our afflication

• The story continues - we are headed somewhere; bad times = the story has taken a tragic turn
• It can't be done - I can not arrange for life I prize - this frees our hearts
• It is coming - The life I prize is coming, what I am aching for now, but it is coming
• Battle and journey - We are at war; watch your heart; Don't just let anything in

Myth tell us three truths, the second is:

2. There is a great struggle or quest or battle that is well under way

Christianity isn't about:

• Going to Sunday school
• Being nice
• Holding car washs
• Sending clothes to Mexico

As good as those things might be, this is a world at war
We live in a far more dangerous and dramatic story than we ever imagine

Reason we love these is because it is telling us that this is our most desperate hour

• The Chronciles of Narnia
• Star Wars
• The Matrix
• The Lord of the Rings

Without this buring in our hearts, we lose the meaning of our days

Notice that those who have tried to wake up to this reality were ususally killed

• The phophets
• Jesus
• Stephen
• Paul
• Most of the disciples in the Bible

Has it occured to you that someone is trying to shut them up?

The heart is central
The need to even to be remined of this show how far we have fallen from the life we were meant to have

The heart is addressed in the Bible more than any other topic

Love the Lord your God with all your heart - Deuteronomy 6:5
Man looks at the outward appearance, Lord looks at the heart - 1 Samuel 16:7
Where your teasure is, there your heart will be also - Luke 12:34

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart - Proverbs 3:5
These people honor me from their lips but their hearts are far from me - Matthew 15:8
The Lord weighs the heart - Proverbs 21:2

The heart can be:

• Trouble, wounded, pierced, grieved, even broken
• Cheerful, glad, merry, joyful, rejoicing
• Whole or divided
• Wise or foolish
• Steadfast, true, upright, stout, valiant
• Frightened, faint, cowardly
• Wandering, forgetful, dull, stubborn, proud, hardened

The heart can be unpredictable but it is central to our being

The heart answers a lot of questions:

• Why did my relationship fail? One or both don't have to heart to make it work
• Why are some many struggling with depression and discouragement? They have lost heart
• Why can I not break free from our addiction? We gave our heart away and need to get it back

• leb = heart
• shabar = broken

• Describes a bush whose twigs are broken off - Isaiah 27:11
• Describes idols of Babylon shattered on the ground - Isaiah 21:9
• Describing a broken bone - Isaiah 38:13

Ephesians 1:11-14

• We eat to get energy
• We need to eat to healthy spiritually too
• What are we feeding the spirit?
  • What is your spiritual diet?
  • Are you eating junk food?
• Do not forget the Holy Spirit! - get to know him better
• We will die if we continue to gratify the sinful nature

Ephesians 3:14-19

• We desire to be filled
• Fullness = satisfied (not looks for more)

Ephesians 4:11-13

• Leaders help us
• Let other into your life

Ephesians 4:17-29

• All these sins are poisonous to our health
• Put on new self - start a new diet

General healthy spiritual food items

1. Obedience
2. Prayer
3. Bible Study
4. Singing
5. Encouraging Others
6. Serving
7. Contribution
8. Graduated
9. Fasting
10. Confessing Sin
11. Discipling

1. Weak - poison = no, good food = no, eats little
2. Sick - poison = some, worldly, impure
3. Dying - not eating much, lots of poison
4. Strong - lots of food, consistent, wide variety

1. Scheduled meals
2. Decide what meals should go
3. Decide what to start eating

• 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

• Be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor - Deuteronomy 15:11
• Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me - Matthew 25:40
• All I ask is that you remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do - Galatians 2:10

• Because you contacted them out of blue
• Both of you want to see all the changes that have happened since you last saw them

• Should be titled "Jesus, the seeker of Zacchaeus"
• Introduction starts with Jesus calling out Zachhaeus
• How did he know him? Jesus was present when God gave him life - John 1:3
• The crowd was less than delighted
  • They enjoyed the fruit of Jesus' miracles
  • Failed to grasp his love

• Enjoying the fellowship
• Benefiting from counseling
• Learning how to change bad habits

Examples of those seeking God:

Ethiopian eunuch - Acts 8:26-40

• What do we know about this seeker?
  • He is important and therefore certainly busy, but still finds time for God.
  • He reads the Scriptures himself and asks questions about what he is reading.
  • He is humble and sincere enough in his search to ask for help.
    
  • What he learns he acts on right away, as seen with his baptism.
• How did he feel after coming to know God better?
  
• The burning questions he had about God were answered in an afternoon.
  

Bereans - Acts 17:10-12

• What was it about these Berean seekers that made Luke refer to them as having “noble character”?
  • Enthusiastic
  • Great Eagerness - explain
    
  • Examined the scriptures daily
    
• Why was it important for them to “examine the Scriptures every day” for themselves?
• What was the result of this eager yet diligent attitude?
  
• As with prayer, reading the Bible is vitally important to knowing God.

• Jesus teaches these Jews that intellectual belief is not enough.
  
• He calls them to believe God enough to trust his will for their lives. This trust is demonstrated by the decision to live according to Jesus’ teaching.
  
• True faith is seen in our obedience.
• Notice when we will know the truth, after we obey.
  

• If the Bible is so powerful and helpful, why aren’t more people truly following what it says?
• Bottom line, we can not live according to our own feelings and desires.
  

• What is another hindrance to following God’s word? Tradition
  
• Religious tradition which takes precedence over the Word of God can result in worldly solutions to spiritual issues and make our worship of God empty and pointless.

• Sin is the fundamentally “un-God-ward” orientation of our “flesh” or “sinful nature” and finds expression in many different ways. Emphasize “and the like.”
  
• What is the common element in all these things? Self-centeredness.
  
• Be as specific as necessary to explain and share from your own life about the sins listed. How do you see yourself in these verses? What sins have been characteristic of your own sinful nature? (If needed, look at additional Scriptures which catalog sins.)

• We are sinful and in need of forgiveness not only as a result of those sins we have committed, but for failing to do the good that we know to do.

• How does sin enslave?
  
• Note that sin is a power that must be defeated as well as specific acts that must be repented of.
  
• Who alone can set us free from sin? (John 8:31-36)

• What are the eternal consequences of sin?
  
• Why be urgent to learn about receiving the gift of God that comes through Jesus Christ?
  
• Review these verses as honestly as you can to get in touch with the bad news about your own sinfulness. In the next couple of studies, we will look at the good news of God’s solution to our bondage to sin. (Note: In some instances it is important to have the person articulate how he or she was saved or forgiven of sin before examining the Bible’s teaching about salvation.)

• Question: The disciples that were scattered began teaching the Greeks what? Good news about Jesus
• Question: What did Barnabas encourage people to do? Know an hold to Jesus' words
• Barnabas found Saul then brought him to Antioch so they could teach the Word of God (review)
• Question: In Antioch, the disciples of Jesus were called what for the 1st time? Why?
• A disciple of Jesus is WHAT they were. Christian is what the world labeled them
• Christian = Disciple = Saved

• Question: What did Jesus proclaim in Galilee? What was the good news? Kingdom of God was near; your life can change)
• Question: What is the first thing Jesus instructed these fishermen to do? Follow him. What does that mean?
• Question: What will Jesus make us into? What does that mean? Is this something you are willing to do?
• Share what purpose your purpose was before becoming a disciple
• Question: What would you say your life has been focused/purpose so far?

• Question: What were Jesus and his disciples doing? How is your prayer life?
• Question: Why do you think the people thought so many things? Turned to men instead of God's word
• Question: If someone wants to come after Jesus what does He say they need to do?
  • Deny self - Put God's will above your own
    
  • Take up his cross and crucify self - no longer live for self but to do God's will
  • Follow Jesus and imitate the life of Jesus - do the things that Jesus would do in situation
• Question: How can you show Jesus that you want to hold to his standard?

• Question: What do you think these men wanted from Jesus?
  • These men wanted the life and blessing of being with Jesus without the commitment
  • Jesus wants full commitment - like in a marriage - not 80% commitment
  • There is no good reason to NOT follow Jesus
• Question: How can you show 100% commitment? QTs, fellowship, coming to church, BT, etc

Romans 6:23

• We deserve death because of our sins but God is willing to forgive us in spite of who we are (God's gift to us)
• Question: After studying these scriptures, would you say the Bible describes your heart in response to your sin more like the Pharisee or the Sinful woman?

John 3:1-7

• Question: What did Jesus say MUST happen in order for someone to be born again?
• Question: We should born of what? Spirtual birth not a physical birth - not being religous but living a righteous life
• Question: What do we need to have convictions on in order to be born again?

Acts 2:22-24

• Jesus is God's son (miracles prove it)
• Jesus died for our (YOUR) sins
• God raise Jesus on the 3rd day
• Question: So how should we respond to the fact that our (YOUR) is why Jesus died on the cross?

Acts 2:36-41

• Repent and be Baptized (wall is removed)
• Then we can have a relationship with God (what happens at baptism)

Romans 6:1-4

• Question: What are you baptized into? If you were baptized into Jesus' death, what else does that allow us to have? New Life
• You can go from the heart of the Pharisee to the heart of the Sinful Woman by understanding the forgiveness through Jesus
• Encouraged to write a letter to God thanking him for forgiving you of your sins (write the sins out)