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2009-06-22 - A Life of Impact - Nonconformist

Mark 2:15-17

Nonconformist

  • He challenged popular thinking to inspire them to think again about how they were living.
  • Are you willing to rock the boat?
  • People of impact won’t accept because we have always have do it this way.
  • Every great historic change has been bought by blood or the reputation of non-conformists.
  • People who are unwilling to venture out into unfamiliar territory will never men of impact
  • More difficult for people who feel they have achieved a great deal

Protector

  • Legalism occurs when one values an easy decision over true justice.
  • When Jesus gave direction, he assumed responsibility for their actions
  • Jesus stood up for his disciples.
  • They probably felt very safe around Him (love always protects)
  • Without protection, insecurity can be seen more and in the “Me” generation.

Challenger

  • To say that Jesus quietly and humbly pointed out their wrongs would be inaccurate
  • He didn’t go after their ego, he went straight to the heart.


2009-07-10 - A Life of Impact - Sounding the Alarm

Sounding the Alarm

Mark 7:1-13

  • Living by traditions = living in vain, a waste of time.
  • Jesus was not afraid to rebuke people, to “lay it out” when it was necessary.
  • When stirring up things, some people wake up to discover a true relationship with God or they will become furious
  • People of impact do not hesitate to raise their voices in order to shake people out of their slumber.
  • They are not afraid on how people react when they are disturbed from their sleep.
  • It is wrong to be silent and leave people comfortable in their false sense of security

Protectiveness

  • He stood up for his followers.
  • Jesus took responsibility for his disciple’s actions
  • When a leader stands up for and protects his followers, a strong loyalty is forged


2009-07-11 - A Life of Impact - A passion for truth

Mark 7:14-23 - He had no stomach for the misdirection spread by the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law

High Expectations

  • He let them know that they were spiritually stupid.
  • How many of us are willing to rebuke when asked a stupid question by people who should know better?
  • Jesus was determined that these men would rise above the rank and file.
  • He got upset and urged them to change
  • The dreamer never gives up the dream.

Blame

  • The responsibility for our actions resides with us, the decision makers, and not with our environment.
  • We are not simply a product of our environment; environment is determined by our choices.
  • We cannot rightly blame others or fate or circumstances for our behavior
  • We must take responsibility for the consequences of our decisions
  • Changes in people occur from the inside out. · Involves helping people to acknowledge what they are really like deep down and then to deal with their inner self
  • We cannot on our own change our own or someone else’s heart.
  • We must realize how desperately we need God’s intervention in out lives.
  • The Bible exposes, in a unbiased way, the true qualities of our hearts.
  • Deep character changes in our lives fuels our faith.


2009-07-27 - A Life of Impact - People oriented

People oriented

Mark 10:13-16

  • Lack of time: Not a matter if time but of value
  • Maybe later = not now
  • People of true impact value people and make them a priority.


2009-08-27 - Wild at Heart - Question that haunts every man (part 1)
Men look in their hearts but they don’t discover something valiant and dangerous
Find fear, lust, and anger
"All men die, few men really ever live"
Women - Many have given up hope for a true man.

Real life of the average man seems a universe away from the desire of his heart
  1. No battle to fight
  2. No swords and castles
  3. Without a great battle in which a man live and die - fierce part goes underground
Men are angry – and we don’t know why
Why are men addicted to sports? - biggest adventure many will ever taste
Careers? Same reason
Trading stock – taste of excitement and risk

Guys have been told to be responsible

2009-09-07 - Wild at Heart - The enemy fears you
If you ever really got your heart back, lived from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him
Many men have not been shown how to fight from the heart.
Failure of fathers and left men without direction
If you want the wound healed and your strength restored and to find your true name, you re going to have to fight for it.

Notice your reaction at these words.
Does another come in and caution you to stop
We need to know who we are and if we have what it takes

A man’s core question does not go away
We search for the answer of validation
  • Career
  • Belonging
  • How well he plays sports
  • Yes, even women


2009-09-09 - Wild at Heart - The fathers voice (part 2)
When we see Jesus, Joseph is out of the picture – true father God – he had to learn who he really was and made of.
Initiation involves a journey and a series of tests.
We try to make our lives easier.

What are you trying to teach me here?
What issues in my heart are you trying to rise through this?
What is it you want me to see?
What are you asking me to let go of?

Men are taught that a wound that stops you from playing is a girlish wound.
No wonder we walk with our guts hanging out
Most men minimize their wound
David did not act like this at all - openly - “my heart is wounded within me” - Psalms 109:22
Suck it up, as the saying goes

God is fiercely committed to you
Wound that goes unacknowledged and unwept is a wound that cannot heal
You’ve embraced and deserve is a would that cannot heal
Whatever is denied cannot heal
Certainly denial that it’s shaping the way they live today.

2009-09-10 - Wild at Heart - False self (part 1)
Place of our woundedness we construct a false self
People can shutdown their heart and focus on what they are good at - Spock like
Can become a perfectionist
An impostor - don’t ever be your real self anymore because nobody likes you as you are
As a defense against pain
It becomes OUR plan for salvation - will fail time and time again until we give up

God must take it away
Those plans to protect and save us will actually destroy us - leads to death  - Proverbs 16:25
Seems right to shield ourselves from pain and to save a little love

There is a critical point in every man’s life
True test of a man is when he starts to longer rely on what he’s used all his life
Not women want a man that just exists

2009-09-13 - Wild at Heart - False self (part 4)
A masculine journey always takes a man away from the women, come back to with his question answered
A man does not go to a woman to get his strength; he goes to her to offer it.
Addiction comes when we have taken our soul to her for validation.

What else are we looking for? God
Adam had God
God gave Adam Eve out of His humility
Eve eventually took the place of God

Adam was not deceived
Time where Eve had fallen but Adam had not
Adam choose Eve over God
Men without his true love, God, will try to find another

Why do you remain thirsty after you have had a drink… it is the wrong well
In God will only find the true healing of the wound

2009-09-18 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 4)
Forgiveness is a choice
Do not wait for the feeling of wanting to forgive because it will not come
Not “It didn’t matter” and “I probably reserved it”
“It was wrong, it mattered, and I release you”

Masculinity is passed from father to son
Adam, Abraham, Jacob, David leaned who they were out of their intimacy with God the Father

New heart and put a new spirit in you - Romans 8:1
What God sees when he see you is the real you, the true you, the man he had in mind when he made you
You must ask God what he thinks of you, and you must stay with the question until you have an answer
Last thing the Evil One wants you to

2009-09-19 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 5)
Until we are broken, our life will be self-centered, self-reliant, our strength will be our own.
So long as you think you are really something in and of yourself, what will you need God for?
Think of the poser you know – are they the kind of man you would call 2am, when life is collapsing around you?

Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be.
Because the wound was given in the place of your true strength
Out of your brokenness that you discover what you have to offer the community
When we begin to offer not merely our gifts but our true selves, that is when we become powerful
That is when we are ready for battle

2009-09-21 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 2)
A warrior is cunning.
When to fight and when to run
Three enemies:
  1. world
  2. flesh
  3. devil
We don’t want to move unless we’re guaranteed success
We want the easy way out
Your flesh is a weasel, a poser, and a selfish pig. And your flesh is not you.

Paul knew the struggle within – my sin is not me – this not my true heart - Romans 7
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you - Ezekiel 36:26
There is a war within us, but it is a civil war. There is a traitor within who wars against our true heart fighting alongside the Spirit of God
The real you is on the side of God against the false self.
The man who wants to live valiantly will lose heart quickly if he believes that his heart is nothing but sin
We are never told to crucify our heart
We are never told to kill the true man with in us
Never told to get rid of those deep desires for battle and adventure and beauty

2009-09-22 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 3)
Walk right into those situations you normally run from
Speak right to the issues normally remain silent over
If you want to grow in masculine strength, then stop sabotaging yours.

Being wronged and saying that is OK, but furious inside
This will push your strength down and eventually you will believe you do not have any.
When you deny your anger, it turns to fear
Sabotage also happens when we give our strength away
Taking a bribe, refusing to confront an issue, sexual sin
Sexual struggle is sin and a battle for his strength

Start choosing to live out your strength and you’ll discover that it grows each time
Stand your ground and begin to taste your true strength and you’ll want more
Our strength is will and fierce and we are more than unsettled by what may happen if we let it arrive
“I’m afraid I will do something bad if I let all this show up” – You will do something bad if you don’t
Man’s addictions are a result of his refusing his strength
Let people feel the weight of who you are and let them deal with it

2009-09-23 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 4)
The world is a carnival of counterfeits, counterfeit battles. Counterfeit adventures, counterfeit beauties
Men should think of it as a corruption of their strength
Battle your way to the top says the world and you will be a man

World give a false sense of security
  • Where does your sense of power come from?
  • Is it your position?
Look to be the servant of all
Want to know how the world really feels about you – start living out your true strength
Say what you think, stand for the underdog, challenge foolish polices
Many of us have actually been afraid to let our strength show up because the world doesn’t have a place for it

2009-11-05 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 3)
The Purpose of Parables
  • Parables offers an opportunity to slip a message past the defenses and filters
  • Kingdom parables
    • Parable of the Sower
      • watch out for Satan, he will try to rob you of the true and understanding of the kingdom
      • church needs to honest with how worldly cares (wealth, etc)
    • Parable of the Weeds
  • Repentance parables
    • Parable of the Lost Sheep
    • Parable of the Lost Coin
    • Prodical Son
      • Vivid picture of meanoia (when he came to his senses)
      • Data did not change, his thinking did
      • Younger son objectivity saw where he was with his father
      • Reoriented heart returns a reoriented life
      • Proves his repentance by his deeds


2009-11-12 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 2)
3. Excuses
  • Comes up with creative targets – upbringing, genetic makeup, society
  • Excuses are the clearest indicators of worldly sorrow
  • Excuses come right after the apology – I am sorry for forgetting our anniversary, it has been crazy at work
  • Where there is an excuse, there is persistent sin
  • Excuses rob us of the indignation that energizes our turn from self to Jesus
4. Selectivity
A repentant Christian embraces absolutions, even moral absolutes
5. Repetition
Repentance is no fragile state of mind that we barely notice entering and exiting
Questions
  1. What is wrong with defining repentance as “being sorry for your sins, so sorry that you stop them”?
  2. What is the root cause of worldly sorrow?
  3. In what ways have you exercised “damage control” rather than true repentance?
  4. What damage has your sin caused?
  5. Have you ever confused the tears of self pity for true repentance? What is the danger of this confusion?
  6. Why does the author assert that “excuses are the clearest indicators of worldly sorrow?” Would you rather have your excuses accepted or your sins forgiven?
  7. What’s the difference between cognitive dissonance and repentance? Why doesn’t cognitive dissonance prompt us to preach the good news to others?
  8. Have you been selective in your repentance? What does that indicate about your repentance?
  9. Why doesn’t metanoia accommodate the repetition of sin?


2009-11-15 - Repentance - Godly Sorrow (part 3)
Zelos - Zeal
Zeal reject the “whatever…” attitude as it determines to do “Whatever to takes!”
Lack of surrender robs zeal
Completely denying all we are, path to God becomes clear and passionate
Questions
  1. Does Sandi’s story convict you about an unresolved sin in your life? If so, what should you do?
  2. What are some Biblical examples of individuals who exhibit godly sorrow? What are some Biblical examples of groups who exhibit godly sorrow?
  3. Consider William Law’s assertion that our “sins are due to the fact that we do not intend to please God in all the actions of our lives.” Is this true for you? How does godly sorrow reverse this condition?
  4. Why does sin require confession? Is confession only before God? To whom have you confessed sins besides God?
  5. What does a short list indicate?
  6. Do you believe Proverbs 28:13? Do you practice it? Why or why not?
  7. How does indignation promote repentance? When were you last indignant over sin?
  8. How does “fear” promote repentance? How does it work together with “longing” to produce repentance?
  9. Has anyone ever marveled at your zeal to repent – why or why not?
  10. Are you ready to completely the avenge the wrong caused by sin and self? What next steps will you take?


2009-11-18 - Repentance - The Church Reorients Us (part 2)
Bible says if your brother sins again you – go and point out his sin
Must repentance as a whole
Church repentance – 41 times
Individual repentance – 11 times

Not usual in the world
Football team at half-time
Company changes due to market conditions

All churches sin; not all repent
Some spin their shortcoming, craft reasonable explanations, minimize damage to reputation, issue statements

Questions
  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?


2009-11-21 - Repentance - Its Time To Go Home (part 3)
There is no perfect repentance, but wholehearted repentance
David – search me (Psalms 139)

Spirit’s conviction
Good – overcome blinding pride
Bad – Satan will try to stop you

Sometimes easier to see our sin than think about loved ones salvation (passed away)
What would they want you to do?

Questions
  1. How can you make the same journey as David – from repulsive to repentant?
  2. How does repentance differ between the lost turning to God and the saved re-turning to Him? How is it the same?
  3. How do qualify for God’s love and grace (see page 201)?
  4. If you have not yet repented, why are you without excuse before God?
  5. What will specifically change in your life when you proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!”?
  6. If you have repented, have you also been forgiven of your sins – if not, what are you waiting for (see Acts 22:16)?
  7. What can make post-baptismal repentance more difficult than your initial repentance?
  8. What role does shame play in obstructing your repentance?
  9. What is fellowship in the light vs. fellowship in the darkness? Which have you most often experienced in your church?
  10. Finally, to the “confused”: take time to consider and answer the questions on pages 207 and 208. How can you thwart Satan’s attempts to undermine your path to true repentance?
  11. Who can you encourage today with the good news of your repentance?
  12. Who can you reach for Jesus by “telling how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5: 19)?


2009-12-25 - First the Kingdom - A Choice
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted - Matthew 5:4

Jesus speaks primarily of a spiritual morning by choice

Other options, could choose to:
  • ignore it
  • postpone it
Why would we choose mourning?
  • Choose God over self
  • Realize we have broken his heart
  • Our response is to be broken, vulnerable, contrite, and humble
  • No other response makes sense or brings healing
Spiritual mourning is an element of true repentance

Godly sorrow brings repentance, leading to salvation - 2 Corinthians 7:10


2009-12-27 - First the Kingdom - Ease of Meekness
Generally, being meek is not appealing
Meek is equated with weak - but this is not true

Greek word for "meek" - used to describe a stallion once it had been broken and had become teachable
We can be become meek if we confront our sin and experience godly sorrow

In the Bible, meekness is associated with humility and gentleness
This meekness has no relation to a timid or retiring character
It is: I need God and am totally open to whatever

Moses was said to be very meek - Numbers 12:3

Jesus himself was said to be meek - 2 Corinthians 10:1

2010-01-04 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with Others
Having peace with God - story is not over
We are in a world to wage peace just as God does

Jesus is our example
Courage and honesty destroy barriers
Openly expressing his thoughts and feelings pulls down superficiality and distrust

Jesus expressed his:
  • Fears - Matthew 26:36-46
  • Disappointment - Matthew 11:14-17
  • Anger and Frustration - Matthew 23
He wanted people to be totally united, regardless of differences

If you want real peace, don't avoid conflict
Do whatever is required to settle matters quickly

2010-01-05 - Kingdom First - Helping Others to Make Peace
Highest calling as peacemakers is to help other make peace with God

We have been fitted with the feet of readiness that comes from the gospel of peace - Ephesians 6:15
Are proclaim peace to others - Isaiah 52:7

Jesus shed his blood so we could have peace
He calls to die to ourselves so others can be made right with God

Not superficial "world peace" but true peace in the heart of each man and women

2010-01-11 - Kingdom First - Rapid Resolution
Reconcile your difference with your brother before offering a gift to God - Matthew 5:21-25
Similar to a verse in the OT - Leviticus 19:16-18

Jesus is basically telling us that we are responsible to be righteous in every relationship
Whether or not it is our problem - we are responsible
  • To seek the person out
  • Speak frankly
  • Make every effort to build unity - Ephesians 4:3
Failing to resolve things can erode our relationship with God

Hatred is like murder - rejoices in the downfall of person you have a problem with
Take the initiative; love speaks the truth

Remember that relationship with others mirrors our true relationship with God
We'll never be close to God if we're afraid to speak the truth to our fellowman

2010-02-06 - First the Kingdom - One-Lane Road (part 1)
Seemingly contradictory statements:
God wants all men be saved - 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Road to God  is narrow and only a few will find it - Matthew 7:13-14

Both are true

God shows he wants all me to be saved
He sent his son who spoke clearly and plainly about what it takes
The broad road says - I know better than God what life and eternity are all about
On the broad road - so many people and so many standards
Bible warns those on the broad road will face terrors and traps of many kinds - Proverbs 4:10-19

Many agree that the narrow road teaching Jesus describes is one of the most difficult
Can not be faithful to Jesus' message and teach anything but the narrow road
Only a few find = fact is that only a few search
Everyone who seeks finds - Matthew 7:7-8

2010-03-03 - To Live is Christ - In My Heart
Philippians 1:7-8

During Paul's 3 days of blindness:
  • His Pharisaic crust was broken
  • His independence had melted
  • He recognized and braced the true Lord
One of the most touching paragraphs written by Paul in the NT
Instead of seeing cell walls - he saw the Philippian disciples needs, struggles, and victories
Paul had to have come to know them all
He did not just start the church there, he began a family

He was committed to all of them - he was a true shepherd:
  • He called his own sheep by name - John 10:3
  • He laid down his life for them - John 10:11
  • He knew his sheep - John 10:14
Paul turned from persecutor to nurturer
We too can long for people with the affection of Christ but we must have people in our hearts

2010-03-15 - To Live is Christ - No Confidence in Flesh
Paul describes people who do not appreciate what Jesus has done as dogs - Philippians 3:14

There are 2 options to approaching God:
  1. The performance model
  2. The grace model
One works; the other is a disaster

Man, in his pride, is drawn to the performance model
Paul refers to the people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord but would not let go of the performance model
These people held on to certain Jewish regulation that were made obsolete by Jesus

The grace model is revolutionary
Seems too easy to be true but too hard for our egos to accept

Grace model says:
  • 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


2010-03-24 - To Live is Christ - Mind Change
Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable - think of such things - Philippians 4:8-9

It is all about the focus
Focus on the mess or you can change your mind and focus on:
  • Who God is
  • What God can do
  • The changes he can make
  • The victory he will most certainly achieve
Paul is not hopeful on what direction the world is going
Jesus saw the increase in wickedness - Matthew 24:12
While pessimistic about the world's chances, he was totally optimistic about the future with God

You will have trouble in this world but Jesus has overcome the world - John 16:33


2010-03-30 - Life to the Full - Crown not Frown (part 4)
True freedom is not political freedom but spiritual freedom - James 1:25
Remember how the Jew sought political freedom?

Religion without self-control is useless - James 1:26
Worldly speech includes gossip, slander, cursing, swearing, deceit, etc

Lack of social concern is a sure sign that a person is a false Christian
Worldly values and social apathy go hand in hand
Do we really care about the widows and orphans and widows - James 1:27


2010-04-03 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 3)
God is just, his laws are just - this should give us great confidence
God justice - does not guarantee life will be fair - James himself was executed in 62AD

There is quite a difference between compassion and softness - James 2:8-13
The struggles to decide what to do, only God's perfect law can guide us:
  • Revolution or comprise
  • Retaliation or connivance
  • Reaction or corruption
If you ask the man on the street what is the most part of the Bible, what would they say?
Maybe the Ten Commandments? - If so, they would be wrong

  1. Love God wholeheartedly - Deuteronomy 6:5
  2. Love your neighbor as yourself - Leviticus 19:18
Neither are in the Ten Commandments

A mark of true Christianity is adherence to these two laws
Total commitment and total involvement
As long these are two commands are the top priority, our focus will not be warped or unbiblical

2010-04-05 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 5)
Christians who have no interest in helping the disadvantaged are not Christians at all - James 2:14-17

Jesus himself saw the crowds and healed them - Matthew 14:14
He taught that only those who reached out to the imprisoned, poor, hungry, and sick would be welcomed into heaven - Matthew 25:31

Mere belief is not enough; it is acting on the faith you have - James 2:18

Ask yourself, do these people believe? - Titus 1:15
Anyone who isn't a true disciple is an unbeliever - Titus 1:16



2010-04-06 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 6)
Person justified by what he does not faith alone - James 2:24
James is talking about the lifestyle of a saved person not about the point of salvation
Faith alone? A true living faith is never alone - accompanied by a heart that obeys

Deeds are the animate faith; Spirit is what makes the body alive

Jesus spoke often of deed, seldom of intentions - Matthew 7:21-23

In Revelation, Jesus constantly focuses on deeds - Revelation 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15

Is your faith dead or alive?
What deed in your life shows that your faith is alive and well?


2010-04-14 - Life to the Full - Got to Pray (part 2)
James 5:7-11 - Addresses patience in peace and in suffering

Two examples of patience in suffering:
  • The prophets - Suffered because they were opposed by the religious
  • Job - Maintained his integrity despite not understanding why he was suffering
James 5:12-13 - what is meant by "do not swear"
Jewish were very fond of oath-taking - Matthew 5:33-37
James may have been referring to rash oath-taking - Ecclesiastes 5:4-7

Rather than swearing (v12), we should pray (v13)
No true disciple should need to take an oath since we must be men and women of our word
Simply let our yes be yes and our no be no

2010-04-25 - Heart of Friendship (part 1)

Preached by John Lusk (2005-01-23)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

  • We need each other
  • Many books written about relationships - None seem to completely work

Christ is the key to having true friendships

Friendship with Christ

John 15:14-15

  • Amazing - God of the universe calls us a "friend"
  • Much like a maturing parent/child relationship - we grow from master/slave relationship to a friendship with the almighty God
  • Jesus meet many of our needs - Belonging and Security

Matthew 11:28-30 - Jesus yoke is easy and he will give you rest

Hebrews 4:15-16 - Jesus understands and have been in your situation

2 Peter 1:3 - He given everything we need in life



2010-05-02 - Renewing Your Spiritual Passion for God (part 1)

Preached by Richard Dixson (1997-05-18)

1 Samuel 16:7

  • Worldly things look more appealing
  • The people saw the others with better things
    • Most important thing:
      • Everyone spends time to get ready
      • Do you spend more time getting ready for the outside appearance than your inward?
      • The heart is most important

Psalms 51:4-9

  • Being true to one's self
  • When our conscience violated things are not fun
  • Renew the steadfast spirit


Special Place for a special for a special friend

Psalms 63:2-4 - Remember God's Power

Psalms 63:6-7 - The night bed and protection from God

Psalms 91:4 - We are being attacked all the time

Psalms 63:8 - Confidence - God holds us up



2010-05-11 - World Hates Jesus (part 3)

The answer is out there

John 5:16-23

  • If this is true then there is nothing else
  • Religious are looking for answers. Why?
    • Easier
    • More followers
    • Do not want to look bad

You are in the right place

John 6:68-69

  • No where else to go
  • What are you looking for?
Jesus says those who obey are his disciples - John 8:31-32

What are you going to do?



2010-05-15 - Desire's Journey - The Dilemma of Desire
We can not live without yearning, yet the yearning sets us up for disappointment
Because of its vulnerable nature, desire begins to feel like our worst enemy

Despair is the fate of the desiring soul - Sam Houston
Hope deferred make the heart sick - Proverbs 13:12

How awful it feels to open our hearts to joy, only to have grief come in
How do we live in a world with desire so deep in us and disappointment lurking behind every corner?
Are a few arrows, dare we even desire?
Do we refuse to love because we may hurt? possibility of pain?

Shutting down our hearts is to die altogether
Hope deferred make the heart sick... but when dreams come true, there is life and joy

Most of us have chosen to reduce our desire to a more manageable size
We allow it only in small doses:
  • Dinner out
  • Vacation
  • A new ______


2010-05-17 - Desire's Journey - The Beast Within
Years of living in an indifferent hostile world creates a deep sense of unsettledness with in us

Battle of good and evil within us - Romans 7:20-23
Sinful desires are contrary to the Spirit
They conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want - Galatians 5:17

There is a nagging awareness warning us not to feel our hunger too deeply or it will undo us
We wouldn't want to do anything crazy or desperate

We want what our unmet desire wants but our sinful nature wants what is contrary

We try everything - TV, sex, relationships, drugs, etc - going one to another
We don't know what we want because we're so unacquaninted with our desire

We try to keep a safe distance between our daily lives and our heart's desire - because it causes us too much trouble

Do we really want to open Pandora's box?

Dare we awaken our hears to their true desires?
Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?

Our dilemma is this: we can't seem to live with desire, and we can't live without it



2010-05-27 - Desire's Journey - Language of Desire

Jesus offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry to the one who could deliever him - Hebrews 5:7

Strong desires make strong prayers

Children are often not embarrassed by desire
We hide our true desires and call it maturity - Jesus is not impressed

Why are we embarrassed by our desire? Why do we pretend?

  • Persistent widow wasn't embarrassed
  • "Sinful" woman wasn't embarrassed

We don't pray like Jesus because we don't allow ourselves to nearly alive
We don't allow ourselves to feel how desparate our situation truely is

Pretending seems a much more reliable road to Christian maturity
Only the price is we pay for the loss of soul, communication with God, loss of direction and loss of hope

Without a deep and buring desire of our own, we will be ruled by the desires of others



2010-05-31 - Desire's Journey - Cruel or Kind?

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



2010-07-05 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 2)

As a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert - Jeremiah 2:2-3

If you're writing a romanc, love is the goal - you must allow for the possiblity of betrayal
This is what God call us our turning away from him

Hebrews thought God would be satisfied with some religious rituals and rule keeping

You said, "I will not serve you!" - Jeremiah 2:20
You have forgotten me and trusted in false gods - Jeremiah 13:25-27

True love never fails
God will fight for his beloved

I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her - Hosea 2:14

 



2010-07-18 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 5)
We can learn many things about the journey of desire in the story of Jesus' wilderness trial

1. He was hungry - Matthew 4:1-4
  • We can see the humanity of Jesus
  • Because his hunger was real, we can learn something about ours
  • Hunger is normal, except it
  • Don't be embarrassed by it, don't try to hide it
  • We end up repenting of the wrong thing

Satan: You don't have to stay hungry, you have options
The lie is that the options will bring us what we most deeply want and need
Evey idol is an impostor - not true life

When on a marathon - and are given a beer
It is cold (we desire cold) but we know we really need cold water for our thirst
Junk food does not have the nutrition we need

When we have been working out, working hard in the field, we know what we want
Knowing full well what our heart's real thirst is, we will have looked the imposer in the face and laughed as Jesus did

2010-07-20 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 7)
From the section about Jesus' trial in the dessert

3. Satan reveals his true self - Matthew 4:8-11

Satan: "You don't have to take the route of suffering"
"There are shortcuts, just give your heart away"

Jesus: "There are no shortcuts, my heart belongs to God alone"

Once we realize what a precious that heart's desire is, we must see that and guard it with all of our might
  • To neglect it is foolishness
  • To kill it is suicide
  • To allow it to wander aimlessly is disaster

We must be serious about our happiness

2010-07-22 - Desire's Journey - Orchestra like worship
You may have heard an orchestra tuning up before a concert
Then the violins plays a long C and all the instruments join in

The the players become focused, centered, and ready to preform
This is what happens with chaos of our desires when we turn our souls to God in worship
All the other desires find their place as we give God his place

Delight yourself int he Lord and he he will give you the desires of our hearts - Psalms 37:4

Our delighting in God, he heals our false desires as our souls come true in the light of the Maker
Worship becomes the means by which we most deeply heal our desire

2010-07-30 - Desire's Journey - Letting Go (part 7)
Christ is weeping freely
His prayers are marked by loud cries and tears
He make it very clear what he desires

"Yet not my will, your will be done"
He surrenders with desire
Making himself poor, he opens up to us the treasures of heaven

Buddha abandons his desire
Christ surrenders his will
It is no small difference

True surrender is not an easy way out
Surrender comes only after the night of wrestling
Only after we open our hearts to care deeply and give over our deepest desires to God

Freedom and beauty and rest that follow are among the greatest surprises


2010-08-02 - Desire's Journey - Keeping Heart (part 3)
Not all the truths help us descend with the mind into the heart
We have dissected God, man, and gospel thousands of times - all facts
It is not that these insights aren't true, but knowing facts will not help feel closer to God

How do you get to know a person? Through stories
We should stop approaching the Bible looking just for tips and techniques

We are bombarded by thousands of messages each day, every on of them urgent
Must reduce the constant noise - turn off the TV
Even the news is a problem because of its artificial importance
Every night there is an urgent story (to sell more news) but nothing is


2010-08-10 - Waking Dead - Myths (part 1)

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



2010-08-12 - Waking Dead - Myths (part 3)

Myth tell us three truths, this third one is:

3. In this desparate hour, we have a crucial role to play

Neo sees himself as Thomas Anderson, but he was the one
Dorthy see herself as just a farm girl from Kansas but Joan of Arc was also on the farm but saw much more

People in the scriptures that saw this:

  • Little boy slays the gaint
  • Loudmouthed fisherman who can not keep a job to lead the church
  • Sinful woman with a golden heart became a example of humility to the Pharisees

This eternal truth is the most difficult for us to believe
Our days are extraordinary but most don't see it this way
It is the 'veil of familarity' - you are not what you think you are

There is a glory to your life that your enemy fears

The one who knows what you could be, fears it
The whole world lies under the power of the evil one - 1 John 5:19

Things happen to you and we question why
There is a bigger story going on

If believe we have a crucial role to play and come to know it is true, everything would change



2010-08-14 - Waking Dead - Heart is Central

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

 



2010-08-17 - Waking Dead - Thoughts and Courage of the Heart
Our deepest thoughts are held in our hearts
Our behavior is driven by our heart

Scripture judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart - Hebrews 4:12
Not the feelings of the heart but the thoughts

It is with your heart you believe and are justified - Romans 10:10

They hear with their ears and understand with their hearts - Matthew 13:!5
The heart is the dwelling place of our true beliefs

It takes courage to love and takes courage to follow Jesus
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid - John 14:27

Courage  > Old French cuer > Latin cor = heart
The battle for the heart is going to take all the courage you can muster

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