Quiet Times Search

Jesus went to God early in the morning
If Jesus needed to do this, how much more should we?

Excuses:

• I'm not a moring person
• I have to leave for work early
• I have to get the kids off to school
• I don't want to be legalistic

How does spending the early morning with God help build a closer relationship with him?

• Show the priority of this relationship
• Our waking thoughts determine the tone and course of our day
• Quietest times of the day
• Emotion have had time to recover
• Able to clear our consciences of guilt
• Cast our burdens upon the Lord
• Able to draw from his power for the day ahead (Psalms 5:1-3)

Hard time getting our of bed?

• Go to bed at a decent hour
• Set a definite wake up time
• Be responsible for getting out of bed - your responsibility
• Do whatever it takes to wake up
• Take an early morning shower
• Two clocks, far from bed

• When am I most tempted?
• Where am I most tempted?
• Who is with me went I am tempted?

Passover - it meant freedom for the Jews (from Egypt)
Jesus choose Passover to bring freedom to all through his death

It was a new relationship with God and man
God loved mankind but man hurt God with his sin

Jesus: with my life and death, you have a new relationship, now remember this
It will be forgotten in our lives if we don't make plans to remember

In the midst of our activities and pressure of life, we forget:

• How much he went through for us
• That we can be forgiven and start over again and again
• Why we are doing things we are doing

He took bread and gave thanks for this very reason - Luke 22:19

Give thanks and examine yourself - 1 Corinthians 11:28
Don't forget that in Christ there is no condemnation - Romans 8:1

• He was washed the feet of his betrayer
• His disciples did not suspect Judas because of Jesus' perfect love for him
• He healed the leper with a word
• Fell asleep during a ragging storm from serving the people
• Went out of his way to encourage the disciples that would in a few hours later betray him
• Despite Peter's denial, Jesus left him the keys to the kingdom
• He promised heaven the thief that moments earlier was abusing him

Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:13, and Luke 4:42 - shows us that Jesus often went to solitary places to pray

Solitude is essential in developing a deep relation ship with God
Be still and know I that I am from God - Psalms 46:10
Do you have a special place where you meet with God?

Psalms 5, 38, and 42 are examples of how open and expressive David was with God
He shared everything from joy and delight to anguish and dispair
How open are you with God?
God wants our hearts
As a result, we are much more open and real with others

We get fired up by sermons, fellowship, and music - Jesus went to be alone
There is nothing in your life that God cannot change

Prayer times make special memories
Israelites setup stones to remind them of what God had done - Joshua 4:7

Ideas for times with God:

• Write a love letter
• Sing a song you composed
• Write on a ballon, let it go
• Hang a poster and write the things God has done

• He went to parties
• He told jokes
• He nicknamed his guys
• He loved children and they loved him
• Pharisees even rebuked Jesus for letting his disciples get too happy

When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond?

Jesus demonstrated his love for people in the way he deals with the crowds

Everywhere he went, Jesus drew a crowd
He spoke with authority, conviction because he deeply cared about people

We need to care enough to gather a crowd - People need to be our focus
They need to be in our homes, in our Saturday plans, and focus of our lunch hour

Jesus with the Religious
Their slavery to legalistic minutiae angered him - Matthew 23:23-24
Their stubborn hearts distressed him - Mark 3:1-5
Jesus desire was for them to be saved

Jesus with the Faithful
Jesus gets the greatest joy from interacting with people who believe
Centurion - the faith he was looking for - Luke 18:8
What fires Jesus up? Faith

If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us.

Who big is your crowd?
Do you see the faith of others?
Is Jesus amazed by your faith or your lack of it?

Jesus had compassion and healed the man with leprosy - Luke 5:12-18
Jesus is filled with compassion - Mark 1:41

Jesus was different:

• He hurt for those whose lives were devastated by illness
• He went to great lengths to be with them
• Helped and encouraged them
• Made himself available to them and spent many hours with them - Mark 1:32-34

What Jesus did we can also do (beside healing):

• Include those who are sick when you can
• Find ways to serve
• Help and encourage

Society shrinks back - hospitals are not our favorite place
Jesus reached out his hand and touched
The sick need real involvement in their lives

Somehow, we think that the person is responsible for his or her condition
In some cases yes, but we can not oversimplify God's working in our world

Job "friends" did not understand what God was doing
How unsearchale his judgement and his paths beyond tracing out - Romans 11:33

How can I imitate Jesus by "reaching out" in compassion to the sick?

• Many people would have not stopped to chat
• Most would have averted eye contact
• Jews saw blindness as punishment for some sin - John 9:2
• Jesus saw an opportunity to heal and teach - so God might be displayed in his life - John 9:3
• Jesus acted but not predictably - felt something moist and hear go wash
• Blind man simply went - true blind obedience

• Simple honest - I was blind but now I see - John 9:25
• Childlike innocence - Do you want to become his disciples too? - John 9:27
• Boldness - John 9:27

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.

Radical

Mark 3:20-22

• Own family thought he went off the deep end
• Family wanted to forcibly take him home.
• They near followed Jesus or listen to the teachings themselves
• Jesus didn’t conform to socially acceptable levels of zeal, enthusiasm, and single-mindedness
• Maybe called obsessed or frantic about something
• Only politically correct when involving athletics, the military or making money

Reasonability

Mark 3:23-30

• When faced with accusations, Jesus calmly reasoned with his accusers.
• Leave it up to the listener to consider the evidence and arrive at a logical conclusion

• Disciples were slow to learn the deeper truths of Jesus’ life.
  • What the kingdom of God was all about
  • The fact that Jesus was going to die on the cross
  • Serving others above their own needs
  • Who was greatest in the kingdom of God
  • Harsh judgment on those how disagreed with them
• Jesus was patient with their failings
  • Disciples went back to their old fishing business – did not seem to be an act of disobedience
  • Jesus come follow him but they did not realize what that meant until later
  • Their capacity to receive truth would if they continued to practice with what truth they did understand
  • They were not asked to commit to doctrine but to the Person who was the doctrine.

Although is righteousness that is not our own becomes laziness, we show we have the grace of God - Philippians 3:12-16

Despite all that Paul went through and has done - he pressed on
Greek word, dicoko = used in both hunting and foot racing

There is certainly a time to remember what we have done - 2 Thessalonians 2:5
But there is also a time to forget

Paul did not cling to the fact that he planted a lot of churches
He purposely "forgot", so he would not see himself as arriving

Paul was looking forward to the next thing God had in store for him
All who are mature, should think this way

The way to take it higher is to hold on to what you have already grasped and then reach for more

• Jesus spoke the truth without concern for opposition
•  What do you need to say to who?

• Jesus stood up for people
• Who do you need to stand up for?

• Jesus felt other's pain
•  People have more pain their lives than you think
•  Who needs your help?

• Throughout all our trials, Jesus kept going
• What could stop you?

Do not lose heart, fix our eyes on what is unseen - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We are losing heart, all of us, daily

Someone was trying to shutdown Paul during his ministry - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
He was looking at what he could not see

Life is an illustion - there is a way of looking at life and be able to live from the heart no matter what
How? By seeing with the eyes of the heart - Ephesians 1:18

Jesus spoke in parables to our hearts:

• A sower went out to sow some seed
• A man fell into the hands of robbers
• Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one
• There were ten virgins with ten lamps

Jesus spoke in a way that will get past all intellectual defenses
Civil War: Fought between 1861 to 1865 vs stories of the lives lost during that time

When you tell a story, you speak to the heart

• Peter was one of Jesus' best friends

• Went to see the Transfiguration (with James and John)
• He came along to see Christ raise Jarorus' daughter from the dead
• Jesus went to Peter in the garden of Gethsemane for strength (but failed)

• Guilt would have made it had to pray
• Made it more difficult to tell others about Jesus

1. The Obstacle of Greed - Luke 12:13-21 (Parable of the rich fool); Luke 16:19-31 (Rich man and Lazarus)
   1. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. The value of a person's life has nothing to do with his financial worth.
   2. The rich fool's goal was financial independence and being independent of God. This is the 'American Dream."
   3. The rich man in Luke 16 went to hell because of his greed and unconcern about the needs of others.
2. The Obstacle of Discontentment - Philippians 4:10-13
   1. Paul rejoiced while he was in prison.
   2. He was grateful and content even in need.
   3. Paul did not focus on what he lacked, but rather on what he had (Christ).
   4. Also note 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

1. How am I storing up treasures for myself but not being rich toward God?
2. How am I showing concern for the poor/needy?
3. Am I grateful and content with what I have right now?
4. What griefs do I have in my life because of greed and discontentment?
   Examples:
   • Debt
   • High monthly payments
   • Bad credit record

• 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

• David talks about the heart of the Lord toward weak and sinful people: he is a compassionate, gracious, loving father.
  
• How deeply does God love those who fear him?
  
• What is he willing to do with their sins (transgressions)?
• Is this the way you see God?
  

• Jesus taught many things in parables, short stories created to teach spiritual truths.
  
• What does this story tell you about God’s attitude toward us when we repent and turn back to Him?
• Why did the older brother have such a hard time with his father’s attitude?
  
• In what way did he fail to understand the father and his grace?
  

• In this story, we see two very different ways of viewing ourselves and God.
  
• How did the Pharisee approach God? How did he view himself?
  
• On what basis did he presume to be righteous? (His goodness, religious activities, his own efforts).
  
• By contrast, how did the tax collector see himself?
  
• What was his appeal to God based on? (God’s mercy).
  
• Who went home justified (pronounced and considered “not guilty”)?
  
• Jesus taught that a person can never be good enough to be saved through his own efforts.
  
• The only basis of our salvation is the mercy and grace of God.

• Judas had already decided in his heart and actions to betray Jesus. Then he watched for an opportunity to carry out sin.
• Share: A person's heart can be so hard that they no longer fear God - Psalms 36:1-3
• In spite of knowing that Judas was lying and plotting to have him killed, Jesus still loved him.
• The disciples had no clue who it was.
• Jesus' heart and actions never expressed any anger/resentment toward Judas

• Peter accepted the words of Jesus until it came time to apply them to his life.
• Share: Peter's prideful refusal to accept Jesus will for his life lead other down the wrong path

• Jesus suffered for you and me because he loves us that much (willing to take our pain)
• Not only did Jesus bear the physical pain but the emotional and spiritual pain as well.
• This pain and separation from God was more than he could take (lead to his overwhelming death)
• Question: How do you feel about the fact that Jesus went through all this for you? How does it make you feel toward Jesus?
• Question: Did you know that Jesus loved you this much? How does it make you feel toward Jesus?
• Question: How do you feel about your sin now that you know what Jesus went through?

• Worldly Sorrow = feel bad because you did wrong and/or got caught doing something
• Godly Sorrow = repentance, earnestness, eagerness to clear yourself, longing, concern, indignation, alarm, ready to see justice done
• Share: God wants you to respond by repenting of your sin and showing love to him because he loved you first - 1 John 4:19