Review of Week 23:

KNOW: The fear of the Lord is the starting place. Intimacy leads to shared secrets.

ASSURANCE: We can be sure that God will be true.

UNAFRAID: When we present ourselves to God, we go out with boldness.

WORK OUT: We must work out the salvation that God is freely offering to us. Our will must be directed by His Spirit.

ABIDE: Where we live affects how we live. If we are one with the Father and the Son, we will do greater works and glorify the Father.

SET SAIL: Doing involves risk, but we were built for it.

ASK: Ask for the kingdom to come and for that which is necessary to serve others.

June 10 - SEEK

Luke 11:9 "...So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you...”

Are you a seeker? What do you seek? Is there anything left to be found? How serious are you about seeking it?

Is there a difference between seeking things from life and seeking from God? [My kingdom vs. ‘Thy Kingdom Come’]

Is it possible to find what you’re seeking and have the wrong thing? Is it possible to buy the wrong field - no treasure in it?

Is it possible to become satisfied with your present experience and want nothing more from God? Not truly satisfied, but complacent and somewhat deceived?

How does one find a deeper life? James 4:7-10 “...Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you...”

Submit to God and Resist the devil.

- Draw near to God. [come up to the door]

- Cleanse [get your hands off the wrong things]

- Purify. [get your heart changed]

- Mourn and weep. [get rid of self pity and recognize your true need]

- Humble yourselves. [assume the proper position before God]

After doing all of the above, you can knock and the door will be opened to you.

June 11 - REST

Matt. 11:28 "...Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...”

WHAT is the rest that Jesus is talking about? What is the opposite of rest?

- It’s not activity.

- It’s not being on your feet instead of in your easy chair.

- It’s UNREST

What causes UNREST in your life? [Sin, Circumstances, Worry, Relationships, etc.]

WHO needs the rest Jesus is talking about?

- All who are weary and heavy-laden.

- All who have Unrest in their lives.

HOW do person miss the rest Jesus is talking about?

Heb.3:7-11 ”...Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. "Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways'; As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' ..."

- hearts must be soft.

- can’t provoke and test God.

- hearts can’t stray.

- must know God’s ways.

HOW can people avoid missing the rest Jesus is talking about?

Hebrews 3:12-14 “...Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,...”

- be careful with your heart.

- encourage each other daily.

- don’t be deceived and hardened by sin.

- hold on to the blessed assurance.

WHY is “come to Me” so critical?

- leave the confusion of “do this” and “do that”.

- experience the abiding oneness.

- change of perspective.

- rest.

What is required to “come to Me”?

- surrender.

- laying down personal agendas.

Is “come to Me” a one time event?

Do we make a habit of coming?

Do we have rest, or unrest in our lives?

June 12 - STAY

John 1:38-39 “...And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour...”

Curiosity can bring a person close to Jesus, but eventually the challenges of following Jesus will decrease the number of followers.

How does self-interest prevent abiding? [to abide, a person must lay down their self-interest and embrace God’s interests.]

How does abiding result in a new name? [there’s always an identity change as a person is transformed by Christ]

How does leaving early (not abiding) affect a person’s identity? [spotty, inconsistent transformation. Areas of self interest, pride, and self-sufficiency remain untouched]

Luke 18:9-14 “...And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted..."

- What is the problem with the Pharisee in this parable? [pride, self praise]

- What was different about the tax collector? [recognition of sin]

- What did both need? [more than a little time with the Living God]

Rom.12:2 ”...And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...”

- How much of your pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest has been transformed to abiding? 25%? 50%? 75%?

- If you think you’re above 50%, do you have spiritual pride.

- If you think you’re below 50% do you want something more than you want God?

Is the transforming power of God working on ALL of your life?

Following Christ involves more than just checking out where He’s staying.

June 13 - FOLLOW

Luke 18:22 “...When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me..." (Scripture in 1992 My Utmost version)

Mark 1:17 ”...And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men..." (Scripture in 1963 My Utmost version)

How did the rich young man respond to the invitation of Jesus? [he went away grieving Matt.19:22]

How did the disciples respond [immediately they left their nets and followed Him]

What prevented the rich young man from following? [his will to continue his life by his preferences]

What caused the disciples to follow? [their will to embrace something beyond themselves]

Is there anything that prevents us from following?

If we surrender our will to God, what does He do?

John 7:37-39 “...Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' " But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified...”

More than just thirst quenching. Holy Spirit life flows from within.

Is our life stagnant, or creatively fresh?

Did Jesus make the disciples fishers of men?

Three years after the disciples had left their nets to follow Jesus, they were back with their nets, fishing. Why? Their natural affinities took them back there.

Becoming what Jesus intends to make us doesn’t happen instantly.

We must not retreat into our natural affinities. We must give up our rights to ourselves.

June 14 - ABIDE

John 15:4 “...Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me...”

We’ve talked about our conscience being the right/wrong meter that exists in our Spirit.

Do we have a like/dislike meter that we refer to as we face the circumstances of each day? [our feelings and thought processes exist in our Soul]

Is it appropriate to try to manage the circumstances of our lives to line up with our likes?

Is it more appropriate to line up our thoughts and attitudes with the Living Christ?

Scriptures regarding thinking, thoughts, and mind.

Romans 12:2 “...And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...” Is this one time, or ongoing?

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “...for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,...” Is this one time, or ongoing?

Philippians 4:8 “...Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things...” Is this one time, or ongoing?

Does God the Father want you to think a certain way? Did He demonstrate it through Jesus? Does He force it on you?

What is a bandbox? [a slight paper box for bands, caps, bonnets, muffs, or other light articles -- a hat box]

What does O.C. mean when he says this is not a bandbox life? [A compartmentalized life, with the way I think dependent on which box I have opened. Church - act and think one way. Work, School, Home, Alone, With strangers - another?]

Do we require certain circumstances to be present to abide in Jesus?

Are there circumstances that take us out of abiding?

How can a person abide with God throughout all aspects of life?

- we must be transformed by the renewal of our minds.

- we must take every thought captive to obey Christ.

- we must think on true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good things.

June 15 - CHARACTER

2 Pet.1:5-7 “...Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love...”

Context: We’re back to Peter again. Adding to our faith so we’re not useless and unfruitful. Becoming partakers of the divine nature.

Thoughts become action. Actions become habits. Habits become lifestyles. Lifestyles become destiny.

Are all your habits good?

Can you and will you change any of your habits?

- Make sure your thoughts are obedient to Christ.

- Act on these thoughts.

- Good habits will follow.

Why should we be diligent instead of casual?

- There is obvious corruption in the world

- We should seek diligently to partake of the divine nature

Are we born with character?

How is character developed? What is your part in the process? [Thoughts - actions - habits - lifestyle (character)]

Describe what a person of high character looks like? [2 Pet. List]

How does God use circumstances to help your character development?

Do you think we ever get to the point where there’s nothing left to add?

June 16 - LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE

John 15:12-15 “...This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. "You are My friends if you do what I command you. "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you...”

What is the difference between dying and laying down one’s life?

- To die for someone is a heroic event.

- To lay down one’s life for someone is an ongoing event.

- Jesus did both.

Does Jesus ask you to die for your friends?

Does Jesus ask you to lay down your life for another?

Is it natural to lay down our lives for others?

- it’s contrary to fallen human nature.

- it’s normal if our character development has proceeded all the way to agape.

Why is laying down one’s life the greatest display of agape?

- self is not as important as others.

Parallel Gospel Scriptures about saving/losing your life:

Mt 16:25 “...For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it...”

Mk 8:35 “...For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it...”

Lk 9:24 “...For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it...”

If our arms are full of self, they aren’t available for others. It’s only when we lay self down that we are free to use our arms for others.

Does this automatically occur when a person has a salvation experience with Jesus?

O.C. claims that God in effect says ‘Now work it out, be loyal to me, while the nature of things around you would make you disloyal’