Review of Week 29:
OBLIGATED: Like Paul, we
should feel obligated to Christ for every soul and responsible to
live our life for others.
CONTROL: We should keep
our minds filled with the notion of God’s control behind
everything.
POWER OF GOD: Our faith
should not rest on man’s wisdom, but on the power of God.
MIRACULOUS: Our
out-of-focus focus is quickly refocused by the miraculous.
OBEDIENCE: Our level of
obedience is a direct reflection of our level of maturity.
WAIT: We get what we need
by waiting on the Lord.
KINGDOM BLESSINGS: The
blessings of the Kingdom aren’t found by everyone.
July 22 - DEATH
1 Thess.4:3-8 “..
For this is the
will of God, your sanctification;
that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each
of you know
how to possess
his own vessel in sanctification
and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know
God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter
because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also
told you before and solemnly warned you. For God
has not called us for
the purpose of impurity,
but in sanctification.
So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives
His Holy Spirit to you...”
What does sanctification
mean, and how does it affect you?
Webster definitions: 1.
To cleanse, purify, or make holy. 2. To set apart. 3. To purify, to
prepare for divine service. 4. To separate. 5. To cleanse from
corruption.
When does the process of
sanctification start? [the moment a person is born again]
What does the process of
sanctification require? [death of self]
Why is sanctification a
“battle royal”?
- we want what we want.
- we’re accustomed to
what we are.
- the demands of Jesus
insist upon the death of our old identity and focus.
Consider a poorly managed
restaurant: Dingy run down building. Lazy, discourteous servers.
Food from the cheapest sources, prepared in a dirty, fly filled
kitchen.
When new management takes
over, what needs to happen? [The things that were previously
identified as being the restaurant, have to go]
Luke 9:23,24 “...If
anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his
cross daily and follow Me. "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....”
The death side of
sanctification means something has to go. Is there a part of us that
tugs with resentment against the demands of Christ. [It’s a good
day to die to self]
July 23 - LIFE
1 Cor.1:30 “...But
by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became
to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and
sanctification, and redemption...”
Closing the restaurant to
tear down the old building isn’t all there is to the story.
Removing all the poor buying policies, and inappropriate behavior is
only the death side. What’s the life side? [infusing with that
which is right and appropriate].
What follows the death
side of sanctification? What replaces the old self? [infusion of the
life of Jesus]
What does the life of
Jesus look like? 1 Cor.13:4-8 “...Love
is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and
is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own,
is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does
not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never fails;...”
Can a person imitate the
life of Jesus?
- people attempt to
imitate holy living.
- people have very little
success being consistent or persistent in these endeavors.
What is the difference
between imitation and impartation?
- imitation is trying to
act the part.
- impartation is the
actual manifestation of the life of Jesus in mortal flesh.
What is our part? What
is God’s part?
The absolute best copy is
still a copy.
The world needs the real
thing.
July 24 -
RIGHTEOUS
Mat.5:20 “...For I
say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven...”
The scribes and Pharisees
were the best in the current world at doing righteousness. These were
the people who devoted their lives to the writings from God. They
took seriously what was written. They worked hard at being
righteous.
Why isn’t the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees enough?
There are a large variety
of religious systems, each with people attempting to live
righteously. What does this scripture say to them? [if their
righteousness doesn’t exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees,
they will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven]
How does one attain to a
righteousness that exceeds the scribes and the Pharisees?
- Sanctifying death of
self.
- Sanctifying impartation
of life of Jesus Christ.
What is altered in the
death and rebirth process?
- old self DNA is
replaced with God’s DNA
How does regeneration
differ from education?
- New makeup, new
motives.
- Not retraining of
flesh, but rather death and replacement
Can our DNA lead to right
living, right motives, right dreams? Will our DNA lead to a purity
which leaves nothing for God to censure.
Can Jesus Christ put into
a person His own disposition - his DNA?
The purity which God
demands is impossible, unless we can be remade within.
July 25 - BLESSED
Mat.5:3-10
“...Blessed are the
poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those
who mourn, for
they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the
gentle, for
they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the
merciful, for
they shall receive mercy. "Blessed are the
pure in heart,
for they shall see God. "Blessed are the
peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those
who have been persecuted
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven...”
The beatitudes are the
opening salvo of the Sermon on the Mount.
Makarios - blessed
- special joy and satisfaction.
How do the beatitudes
compare to the ten commandments given in Exodus?
- Not a set of rules and
regulations.
- More a state of being
than goals.
Are the beatitudes
consistent with “The American Dream”?
Does self effort lead to
these blessings?
- the Holy Spirit takes
us where self will not go.
- God blesses in
unnatural ways in situations we wouldn’t naturally choose.
In the everyday life we
live, in our normal routine, do we have special joys and
satisfaction? Is this way of being, not doing, appearing in
our lives more and more?
Is this DNA of the
kingdom becoming who we are?
Are these commands that
we must do?
Are we expected to be
immediately and perfectly transformed into this state?
Does the Holy Spirit
gradually work this into us as He has His way with us?
The blessings of God
aren’t something we work to possess. They are poured out as we are
poured out for Him.
July 26 - PURITY
Mat.15:19 “...For
out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders...”
What is the difference
between ignorance and innocence?
- ignorance: clueless.
- innocence: blameless.
Which best describes the
human condition?
How does ignorance
promote a false sense of purity?
How does the devil
exploit this? [deception keeps us from repentance]
Have we ever been shocked
by evil coming out of another person’s heart? Out of ours?
Do we know our own heart?
Is there evil and wrong in our hearts?
If you live in the south
or the inner city, but haven’t seen a roach in your kitchen, does
it mean you don’t have roaches? If your neighbors have never seen
a roach in your kitchen, does it mean you don’t have roaches?
If you read the Bible
every morning, pray, go to church, Sunday School, small group, listen
to Christian Radio and train your kids to do the same thing, does it
mean you’re pure?
Minimizing the
opportunity for sin to express itself isn’t a bad thing, but it may
deceive us into thinking our house is clean, when in fact we may have
some huge roaches.
How can we identify and
remove our roaches?
- we need to get beyond
doing and appearing clean, to being clean.
- the master exterminator
needs to have access to the whole house.
- the Holy Spirit was
sent to convict of sin and lead into all truth.
- John 16:8 “...And
He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin
and righteousness and judgment;...“
- John 16:13 "...But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into
all the truth; for He will not speak on His own
initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will
disclose to you what is to come...”
- our cleansing follows
our repentance.
- 1 John 1:9 “...If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness...”
-“...confess our sins
...”
The Sermon on the Mount
is a challenge to trade walking by the flesh for walking by the
Spirit.
When is this necessary?
[every minute of every day]
July 27 - IN
THE KNOW
John 7:17 “...If
anyone is willing to do His
will, he will know of the teaching, whether it
is of God or whether I speak from Myself...”
What does it mean to be
‘in the know’?
Who knows...
What’s going on in
technology today? [those that are interested in technology make it a
point to know what’s going on]
What’s going on in the
stock market today? [those that are interested in the market make it
a point to know what’s going on]
What’s going on in
Washington D.C.? [those that are interested in politics make it a
point to know what’s going on]
What’s going on in
their families? [those that are interested in their families make it
a point to know what’s going on]
What’s going on in
their church? [those that are interested in the church make it a
point to know what’s going on]
Do we know what’s going
on in our schools? Our community? Our church? Our denomination?
Do we know what’s going
on in the kingdom?
For most things,
intellectual curiosity and/or emotional commitment can lead us to
being ‘in the know’. O.C. says that’s not the case with
spiritual things.
2 Timothy 3:7 “...always
learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth...”
2 Timothy 2:25
“...perhaps God may grant them repentance
leading to the knowledge of the truth,...”
Why were the educated and
committed Pharisees unable to find their way into the truth that
Jesus was living, teaching, and offering?
According to O.C., what
is the Golden rule for being ‘in the know’ spiritually?
[Obedience. Obedience leads to understanding]
Why doesn’t it work the
other way?
What happens if I must
understand before I obey?
- I’m not under
authority
- I’m in control
- I live in my world, by
my terms.
- I can’t get the
bigger perspective.
- I’m Lord of my life.
July 28 - PURPOSE
Mark 6:45 “...Immediately
Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the
other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd
away...”
What occurred prior to
Jesus saying this? [The feeding of the 5000]
What occurred after He
said this? [In the fourth watch (3-6am) He saw them straining at
rowing and v.48 came walking on the water and would have passed
them by.]
John 6:15 “...So
Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by
force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself
alone...”
What occurred prior to
this? [The feeding of the 5000]
What occurred after this?
[They saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat.]
Is it possible that we
also want to take Jesus by force and make Him King? [People, it
seems, have always wanted a king to suit them]
If He had allowed Himself
to be made King, what would His kingship have looked like? What did
the people want?
If He would allow us to
make Him king, what would His kingship look like? What do people
want?
We’ve determined from
the previous devotion that to be ‘in the know’ spiritually is to
obey. Obedience comes first.
If Christ gets your ear,
gives you instructions, and you obey, what then?
- A typical discussion
with someone about why they should follow Jesus is characterized by
what they’ll gain.
- you can avoid hell and
gain heaven.
- you can live
victoriously.
- you can prosper.
- The real reason for
following Jesus is to live out His purposes.
- you might end up in a
boat, in a storm, in the fourth watch.
- you might find yourself
straining.
We don’t obey because
we’ll get what we want. We obey because He is Lord of the
Universe.
We don’t obey because
we see the end. We obey because He’s our Lord today, storm or no
storm.
Christ still walks on the
storms of life. Will we focus on the chaos and not see Him walking?
Will He pass us by?
