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Searching for "understood" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "0" to "25". (54 found)

2008-03-06 - Power of Gratitude - Here I Raise My Ebenezer
Miraculous storm, allowing the Israelites to rout the Philistines (erecting the monument - Ebenezer) - 1 Samuel 4:1
Crossing the Jordan and God had them setup a memorial of twelve stones - Joshua 4:21-22

We all need those landmarks etched in our memories to remind us of what God has done in our lives
Disciples need reminders:
  • Albums of pictures - when God poured out his love
  • Printed memorabilia
  • Special events - birthdays, weddings, graduations, baptisms
Good idea to keep a calendar of past events - for more details thanksgiving to God

Job's understood life was short:
  • My days are swifter that a weaver's shuttle - Job 7:6
  • My days are swifter than a runner - Job 9:25
  • Man born of woman is of few days - Job 14:1
Life is too short to not make memories and then to regularly reflect on them with thankful hearts

2008-04-30 - Falling in Love with God - God Finding Us

When does seeking really start?

Romans 3:11 - there is no one that seeks God
John 6:44 - No one can come to me unless the Father draws him

Studying the Bible is simply allowing ourselves to be sought by God

If it was our own effort - baptism may seem like the end of the quest

We need to active learners

When we were young, we understood obligation  - "I gotta go to school"
After high school, we may go to college and narrow our focus of learning and become passive learners

  • We listen to the voice of our experience as the final authority
  • We learn mostly from our mistakes
  • We learn when we are forced to out of control - crisis, illness, death

Treasures are for those who will continue to seek forever; not for those who want tips and tricks for being "effective"

If there were ever a moment to be a passive learner, it would be when you walk with Jesus

Luke 11:1-13 - where would we be if the disciples had not asked about praying to the Father? - not know how to address the Father

We need to take responsibilty to get deep and ask questions



2008-06-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Experiencing Life Together
Life is meant to be shared
 
Fellowship - now refers to casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun
Jesus knew that 12 was the maximum size for a group for everyone to participate
 
In real fellowship people experience...
 
... Authenticity
  • Honest with who you are - otherwise we are just fooling ourselves - 1 John 1:7-8
  • Requires courage and humility
  • We only grow by taking risks - being honest is a major risk
 
... Mutuality (Romans 1:12)
  • Depending on each other
  • Sharing responsibility
  • Mutual accountability
 
... Sympathy
  • Sharing pain of others (Colossians 3:12)
  • Meet needs of being understood and the validation of our feelings
  • Self-Pity dries up sympathy for others
  • Times of crisis, grief, doubt when we need each other the most
 
... Mercy
  • Can't have fellowship without forgiveness
  • Bitterness and resentment always destroys fellowship
  • Never be asked to forgive someone more than God has forgiven you
  • Energy for retaliation or resolution?
  • Forgiveness immediate; Trust takes time


2008-07-04 - Purpose Driven Life - Thinking Like a Servant (part 2)

Servants think about their work, not what others are doing

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

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

Servants base their identity in Christ

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

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

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation

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

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



2008-07-09 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 1)
Your mission is both shared and specific

Mission = Latin word for "sending"
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you - John 20:21

Jesus understood he was on a mission:
  • As a teenager - I must be about my Father's business - Luke 2:49
  • On the cross - It is finished - Luke 19:30
God wants to redeem human being from Satan
We have been sent to speak for Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:20

Your mission is a continuation of Jesus' mission on earth
He call us not only to come to him but go for him


2008-08-17 - 30 Days at the Cross - Do not Come Down!
Jesus was tempted with the words, "save yourself, come down from the cross
If they understood the eternal significance of the moment, they would have cried "No, Jesus! Do not come down!"

Jesus was tempted:
  • Simply save himself and let everyone fend for themselves
  • Come down in hope that they would believe
  • Settle on improving their lives but not saving them
What kept him up there?
  • Jesus also loved the world that he gave his only life - Love
  • He cared deeply for others
  • He knew he could bring salvation to many

Our mission is the same (Luke 9:23) - must deny self and lose our life for others
We must quit looking for some new,easy approach and decide to love

The world is screaming out: "Save yourself! Come down from the cross!"
Jesus cries: "Do not come down!"

2008-08-27 - Teach Us To Pray - Savior and Redeemer

The Cross is enough, then, now, and always

Hebrews 7:25-27

  • He is able to completely save
    • Never too short
    • Never too weak
    • Never worn out
  • He always lives - Prepared to recuse me until the day I die
  • Once for all - One death sufficient for all my sins, for all time

God wants his children to be abolutely confident that we can draw near to him with freedom and assurance

Without seeing the cross, David understood his Savior and Redeemer - Psalms 69:13

 



2009-01-31 - Jesus with People - No Dogs in Heaven
Matthew 15 - The Canaanite Women
Jesus was silent and by his silent he tested and revealed both the hearts of his disciples and the heart of this woman

Perhaps the instructions given earlier by Jesus send then to find the lost sheep of Israel was still in their mind
Maybe thought: "he sent us to find the lost Israelite. too bad, she is a Gentile. Send her away."

Jesus did not send her away but said - I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel - Matthew 15:24
Jesus - it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their gods - Matthew 15:26
Savior was willing to be misunderstood in order to flush out faith or faithlessness in the heart of this woman

In the end, Jesus affirmed her faith and admired her grit
He did not see the woman as unsubmissive or rebellious or undeserving; he saw her as full of faith

Jesus was more concerned about helping someone grow in their faith than he was keep up the nice-guy image

2009-05-04 - No one like him - His dependence on God (part 3)
4. I cannot draw people to myself on my own – I can not save anyone
  • “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)
5. I cannot judge on my own - emotions and subjectivity might get in the way
  • “I pass judgment on no one … I am not alone.” (John 8:15-16)
  • “[God] has given him authority to judge…” (John 5:27)
6. I cannot glorify myself – it is for God’s glory
“…God, is the one who glorifies me.” (John 8:54)

Challenging to Jesus to be humble - tempted with being the preexisting Son of God

Jesus understood he belonged to God – we should have this same understanding

2009-10-08 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 1)
1. I am not here

Satan says, “ I am not here, it just you”

You cannot fight a battle that you don’t think exists

Satan prowls around like a roaring lion - 1 Peter 5:8-9
Assume you are under spiritual attack
When you ignore the enemy, he wins
He simply loves to put everything on us
Get us to feel hurt, misunderstood, suspicious and resentful

Before an effective military strike, must take our the lines of communication
Marriage is a living example – Satan loves to divide and conquer
Sends a message – you are blowing it – “I thought you were disappointed with me”
They did not send this message

Most of all the Enemy tries to jam communication with Headquarters
Commit yourself to prayer every morning for two weeks and just watch what happens
Satan tries to make our mind wonder and cause interferences

2009-11-25 - Master Plan - Association (part 1)
He stayed with them
  • Jesus made it a practice to be with them
    • No formal schooling
    • No periodic membership classes
    • No seminaries
    • No outlined course of study
    • No religious rituals or formulas of knowledge
  • Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation
  • “Come follow me” [no other explanation recorded] and learn how I (Jesus) am living
  • One living sermon is worth a hundred explanations
  • Ministry time lengthened in the second and third years.
  • He gave increasingly more time to the chosen disciples, not less.
  • Frequently He would take them with Him in a mountainous country where he was unknown.
    • Trip to Tyre and Sidon – Mark 7:24
    • Borders of Decapolis – Mark 7:31
    • Parts of Dalmanutha to SE of Galilee - Mark 8:10
    • Villages of Caesarea Philipi to the NW – Mark 8:27


2010-05-01 - I am Innocent of the Blood of all Men (part 2)
Acts 22:6-21
  • Paul had an encounter with Jesus
    • Encounters with Jesus are significant
    • Paul understood he was living in opposition to Jesus - killing Christians (people following Christ)
    • Don't want to be on the opposite side of the battle from God
    • Where are you at today? Do you know?
    • Share
      • Grow up religious - Every Sunday - through High School
      • Ask to come to church, study the Bible
      • Saw life and heart wasn't matching; my sin was in opposition to God
      • Tried to make it personal - mean and angry (Hoping the standard would changed)
      • They were there to help
  • Paul had the humility to ask "What shall I do?" - v10
    • Paul had a heart of humility to be taught - Bible
    • Could have brought up his religiousness or accomplishments
    • Opened himself up to anything, Not "I'm sorry, won't do that again"
  • Paul was religious all this life and had the heart to immediately obey and be baptized - v16
    • Perhaps, God uses the life of Paul to prepare our hearts for surrender
    • What have you been holding on to instead of Jesus? What is stopping you?
We/your friend would like to share "the whole will of God".

2010-06-05 - Desire's Journey - Ultimate Blow

How are we to bet our arranging a good life in the face of death?

Even after the fall, the wickedness of the human heart seems out of control
People lived 700, 800, 900 year - can you imagine the arranging of lives that could be done during that time?

So God set our years shorter - Genesis 6:3
Death is never natural - it wasn't meant to be

Those left behind experience such pain
Each death can begin to understood only within the larger story God is telling

 



2010-09-19 - Waking Dead - Setting the Heart Free
All spiritual warfare follows a simple pattern - James 4:7

Submit and resist
Submit ourselves to Christ and resist whatever has come against us or those we love
Their needs to "dailyness" to our walk

1. We have to choose to abide in Christ
Consecrate our whole body:
  • Body - Romans 12:1
  • Soul - Luke 10:27
  • Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:17
2. Then we need to cleanse our lives with the blood of Christ
Take our place under the headship of Christ
The faith of centurion, he understood authority - Matthew 8:10

Most sins fall under:
  • Pride - independence from God
  • Idolatry - Giving our devotion, fear, or any part of our heart to something other than God
We need to ask God to search our hearts so we might confess sin and agreements we have made

2010-10-17 - Giving (Part III)
  1. Giving with Joy - 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
    1. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give. Plan your giving.
    2. God does not want you to give reluctantly or under compulsion. You should feel a joy, excitement, and enthusiasm when you give.
    3. God loves a cheerful (in Greek "hilarious") giver.
  2. The Privilege of Giving - 2 Corinthians 8:3-5
    1. The Macedonians urgently pleaded to give.
    2. They understood that it was a privilege because they had first given themselves to the Lord.
  3. Special Times of Giving, Time of Victory, and Joy for God's People
    1. The Israelites gave to build the temple and the people rejoiced (1 Chronicles 29:1-9)
    2. The building of the tabernacle: the people willingly brought more than needed (Exodus 35:20-29,36:2-7)

QUESTIONS

  1. Am I a cheerful giver? What keeps me from giving cheerfully?
  2. Am I eager or reluctant to give, especially at special contribution times?
  3. At what time was I the most joyful about my giving? Why?


2010-10-30 - Contagious Christian - Barriers to Relationships (part I)
Biblical Issues with understanding what friendships are in the Bible can be barriers to relationships
Some feel that befriending people who are irreligious is questionable and maybe unbiblical

A look at a few examples of some verses misunderstood

James 4:4 - says not to be friends with the world
1 John 2:15-17 - world is referring to sin and evil that people commit, not to the people themselves
We need to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world

John 17:14 - we are not of this world is sometimes interpreted that we should not associate with people outside of God's family
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one - John 17:15-18
Jesus' purpose was to seek and save what is lost, he had to have relationships in the world to accomplish this - Luke 19:10

2 Corinthians 6:17 - Come out from them and be separate; avoid being yoked with unbelievers
Not referring to everyday friendships but more formal alliances
Paul in an earlier letter said that ordinary interactions with non-Christians is right and necessary - 1 Corinthians 5:9-10

Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners - Luke 7:34

2010-11-24 - Mission - People
Beginning of His ministry - Luke 4
  • Intense temptation by Satan - vs1-3
  • First sermon
  • First personal challenge with the faithless
  • First attempt on his life
  • First spiritual and physical healing of the wounded
Jesus was about the people, he understood them
He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with suffering - Isaiah 53:3
He was tempted in every way, just as we are - Hebrews 4:15

Jesus' heart went out to people and it moved him to action
Their needs drove Jesus' ministry

Our charge is to walk as Jesus walked
Luke 10 illustrates Jesus' plan as he send out the 72 disciples
He challenged them to rejoice because their names were written in heaven
The end challenge was to go and do likewise - Luke 10:37

Cannot be done unless it costs us something
Seeking and saving the lost is accomplished by preaching the gospel and helping people

2010-12-03 - Mission - First the Kingdom
No one is ready to follow Jesus who is not ready to put the kingdom of God first above everything else in his life
Take away the radicalness of the message and you take away the power of the message

Compromise it and you have religion but not the church of Jesus Christ
Every kingdom has a king
God is the king of kings and the lord of lords - 2 Timothy 6:15
Jesus is known as both Lord and Christ, King and Savior - Acts 2:38

We are the servants, subjects, and even slaves of God - Romans 6:22
The centurion understood this authority - Luke 7:8
You will be given all the things you need when you seek first the kingdom - Matthew 6:33

Can you powerfully proclaim this message to others because it is so clearly your conviction? - Colossians 3:1-2

When making decisions, ask what is best for the kingdom.

2010-12-23 - Cross of Christ (part I)
Romans 3:22-26, 5:6-8
  • The cross is a demonstration of God’s justice in the face of sin.
  • God would not be righteous if he simply looked the other way in the face of sin and evil.
  • The cross is the greatest demonstration of God’s love. Because God loves us, Jesus Christ died for our sins.
Mark 10:42-45
  • Jesus understood God’s plan for him to give himself as a ransom for us - to die for our sins.
  • He could do this only because of his sinless life.
Mark 14:26-15:41
  • One account of the crucifixion. As you read and discuss each section, ask the question: “Why did God allow this to happen to Jesus?” Because He loves us! (To better describe the physical torments of the crucifixion, you may also wish to read “The Passion of the Christ from a Medical Point of View” by C. Truman Davis, M.D.)


2011-02-01 - Gender Controversy - Intro
We are told that the opposition is a recent phenomenon

  • Bible does not condemn homosexuality
  • Committed homosexual relationships is compatible with Biblical unity

They use examples: Jon/David, Ruth, Naomi

Clear passages are "reinterpreted" so the "modern reader" can understand

  • In the past, people were ashamed to go public
  • People did not have to address it because it was understood
  • Francis Turretin  (17th century) said that homosexuality was  - "sin against nature"

Both sides claim the Bible supports their view - It is one way or the other

Bible disapproves but offers hope
Satan wants to call evil good and good evil

Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 13:13 - MEN were exceedingly wicked; rebelled against God

2011-08-03 - Daughter Needs - Mr. Success (part I)
Jephtah mother was a prostitute and was denied him any share of the estate

Years later the Ammonites made war on Israel - it was the opportunity to have one big success
He understood that the battle belonged to the Lord
Made a foolish vow of saying - if he won he would sacrifice the first thing opened the door of his house - Judges 11:30-31
His one and only daughter can running out

He could have renounced his foolish words but he simply wanted success more
His pride prevented him to do so
Jephtah's pride and drive to be respected were more important than the life of his daughter

2011-08-26 - Fearing God - Mystery Too High
God work contrary to how we would
God wisdom is infinite; ours in finite
We tend to assume we would understand if God would just explain
We don't believe that "his understanding no one can fathom - Isiah 40:28

On the road to Emmaus, they said "they hoped Jesus was the one going to redeem Israel - Luke 24:21
They did not understand what God was doing even doing even as it was unfolding

Unexplained setback may never be understood
Paul planned to sail to Rome and Spain but ended up in jail for 2 years - Acts 24:27

Humility should be a hallmark those who fear God
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me - Psalms 131:1


2012-02-07 - Ministry - The Serving Heart of Jesus
John 13: 1 - 17

At a time when Jesus could have most concerned about himself and what lay ahead he chose to serve the disciples instead. Jesus was known for his acts of service before God and men. Rather than just telling people what they should do for him and each other Jesus set the example. After he served them he asked them if they understood what he had done for them. Do we really understand the importance of serving?

True servitude comes from a childlike heart.

Matthew 18: 1 - 9
Children are humble-hearted and love to serve. We need to consider others and look for ways to meet their needs both physically and spiritually. Sin is what stops us from serving. When we are in sin we are serving ourselves: our pleasures and desires. Jesus had a radical attitude toward sin because it keeps us from the spiritual act of serving and into the acts of the sinful nature. When we are serving it is difficult to be selfish, inward focused, prideful, self-righteous, sad and depressed. Jesus experienced great joy by meeting other people's needs. Jesus understood that serving is the true path to greatness. If we desire to be like Jesus we must develop deep convictions in the area of servitude.

How did Jesus Serve?
  • He met people's spiritual needs. John 4: 1 - 26
  • He taught people to serve by meeting physical needs. Luke 10:25 - 37
Sometimes serving others means saying "no" to ourselves. How can you say "no" to your needs today in order meet someone else's?

2012-10-15 - Prayer of the Righeous - Wiping Away Tears
When suffering hits us we can either drop to our knees in prayer or run from God
Paul chose to run toward God and saw suffering as an opportunity to rely on God - 1 Corinthians 1:8-9

Suffering is a language God understands
Jesus was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering - Isaiah 53:3
Because of this, he is able to help those who are being tempted - Hebrews 2:18

The gospel is the story of God's suffering
He made the world, the world reject him

Parable of the Talents tells the story of God's rejection - Matthew 21
When God was only left with the option of sending his Son, he did - Matthew 21:35-37
We murdered him and understood what it meant to not be whole

Because God has given men freedom to choose, there is suffering on earth
When we suffer, we have a chance to draw closer to God
There is unique bond between those who are suffering and comforter - Matthew 5:4


2013-01-06 - Prayer of the Righeous - God is a Consuming Fire (part II)

We must totally aware of our own unworthiness

It took a while, but Job finally understood this: "My ears heard you but now my eyes...and repent in dust and ashes" - Job 42:5-6

This is the reaction we should have when sinful selfs meets a pure, holy and prefect God

David understood our unworthiness: "But who I am... Everything comes from you" - 1 Chonicles 29:14-15

Solomon aware of his own afflicions, asked God to hear men's prayers - 1 Kings 8:38

Jesus warned that we need to be careful to not be proud based off anything we have or done - Revelations 3:17
But to have the attitude of the tax collect who prayed "Have mercy on me, a sinner " - Luke 18:13

Our good deeds or possessions in no way make worthly of coming in the presence of the holy one



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