Review of Week 33:

CONFIDENCE: Take the tests. Increase in faith. Grow in confidence that God is God.

HEAR: Train yourself to hear the gentle, still, small voice of God. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.

CHASTENING: Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord.

BORN AGAIN: Jesus received. Kingdom seen. Sinning stopped.

CALLED: Jesus knows us. Jesus calls us by name. Jesus leads us out.

FOLLOW: We can’t shy away from the hard word of Jesus. We must give it up and follow Him.

SAD: The hard words of Jesus can leave us quite sad. Doing as He says turns the sadness to joy.

Aug 19 - COME

Matt 11:28 "...Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...” (ESV)

What does it mean to labor? [Making something happen through extra effort.]

What does it mean to be heavy laden? [The load isn’t light - its extra difficult]

What are some examples of labor or heavy loads that people carry?

What happens when a person carries a load, or labors for an extended period of time? [They get tired and weary]. What do they need? [REST]

What is the difference between rest and escape?

- Rest: sitting down to catch your breath before going back at it (not retirement).

- Escape: abandoning what you’re doing.

Do you feel like escaping your loads and labors? Do you really just need rest?

One Greek word interpreted as rest is anapauô (to give rest, give intermission from labor)

Mark 6:31 “...And He *said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and anapauô a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)...”

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

Another Greek word interpreted as rest is katapausis (rest, repose)

Hebrews 4:1-2 ”...Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His katapausis, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard...”

A Hebrew word interpreted as rest is menuchah (a place of stillness, peace, comfort)

Isaiah 28:12 ”...He who said to them, "Here is menuchah, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen...”

Psalms 23:2-3 “...He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside menuchah waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake...”

Psalms 95:10-11 “...For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. "Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My menuchah..."

How can a person find the stillness, peace and comfort of God?

- God’s promise must be ‘united by faith’ (Heb.4:1,2)

- A person must not ‘err in their heart’ and ‘not know My ways’. (Psa.95:10,11)

Was Jesus serious when He said come to me, all (not some) who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?

What is self consciousness?

- awareness of self.

- viewing our life, from our life

Why does self consciousness produce wrestling?

- we can’t control our situations and we feel isolated.

- we fall into introspection, examining our heavy loads that cause so much labor.

- we think we need Jesus, and His power, to come to us.

Jesus says come to me. We need to move from self consciousness to Christ consciousness. We are a part of something bigger than our individualism.

God has been offering rest throughout time.

Aug 20 - GIVEN

Matt 11:28 "...Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...” (ESV)

What have you found disturbs your rest? What disturbs your resting in the Lord?

- conflict - relationship struggles

- responsibilities - deadlines, jobs to do

- rumble/noise - TV, kids, neighbors

- hyperactivity - bored if not doing

- distractions

Can you control these things? Can you control the affect they have on you?

What is the end result of prolonged self consciousness?

- self pity or self exaltation.

- woe is me or great is me.

There is no rest in the self-pity pit.

- The self pity pit is dark. You can’t see anything but your problem.

- When you finally come out, you find that the world has been going on without you, without you knowing it.

There is no rest on the self-exaltation mountain.

- The mountain is difficult to stay atop, taking all your effort and focus.

- When you finally come down, you find that the world has been going on without the slightest care for your previously self assumed position.

Are you laboring in the pit or on the mountain? In the presence of God we see things more clearly.

When do people pray for health? [when they, or someone they care about, loses it].

When do people pray for God’s will? [when they, or someone they care about, doesn’t know it].

Self conscious wrestling indicates a failure to come to Jesus and live in Christ consciousness. How can this snowball into a bigger problem? [trying harder only makes us more self-aware]

Because we’re born is sin, our normal is warped. Relatively speaking, we can identify times when we have less rest than others, but our conception of rest falls well short of the true rest that God offers

When Christ says come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will GIVE you rest - He has something in mind that we don’t.

- Rest is GIVEN, not earned. It comes from YIELDING. Is effort involved?

Aug 21 - PAUPERS

Matthew 5:3 “...Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...”

How would you describe rich in spirit? [feeling worthy, important]

How would you describe poor in spirit? [feeling unworthy, humble]

Who gets the blessing and how are they blessed? [the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven]

What other group of people in Matthew 5 are blessed with the kingdom of heaven? [v.10 - those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness]

Is the kingdom of heaven “for the paupers and the persecuted” consistent with our current brand of American Christianity?

Remember the two statements about the kingdom discussed when talking about being born again.

John 3:3 “...Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God..."

John 3:5 ”...Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God...”

How close do you think you can get to the kingdom and still not be a part of it?

Mark 12:28-34 ”...One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE Lord OUR GOD IS ONE Lord; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE Lord YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions....”

Apparently the scribe’s religious upbringing and mental knowledge got him close.

Was the scribe poor in spirit? [Not likely. If anything, he had probably become what man’s religion always produces - haughty in spirit]

What is the difference between deciding for Christ and yielding to Christ?

- our decision vs. His decision.

- Who’s in control.

We promote ‘decide for Christ’ and then are baffled when churches are filled with people who always want to decide for themselves.

Have we turned the ‘coming to Christ’ experience into something that we control?

Have we made it a self-conscious event and journey?

What is the difference between choosing a “Christian Lifestyle” and choosing to follow Christ?

Think of coming to a yield sign on the road. By law, what must you do?

If you decide to not yield and you and another vehicle have a difference of opinion, who’s in trouble?

- Arrogant people don’t yield. The poor in spirit know how to yield.

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Aug 22 - BAPTIZED

Matthew 3:11 ”...As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire...”

As for me, ...but He. Who said these words? [John the Baptist]

- John’s father was the priest, Zacharias.

- His mother was Elizabeth.

- His parents (Lk.1:6) were both righteous before God.

- Elizabeth was pregnant with John when her relative Mary came to tell her about the angel’s news, that Mary was to give birth to Jesus

- when Mary entered the house, unborn John leapt in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

People were responding to John:

- they were repenting

- they were being baptized

- John had quite a ministry going (tapes, CDs, newsletters, t-shirts)

- How close can you get to the kingdom and still not be a part of it?

Did John know his place?

- As for me, ..but He

- I’ve got something you need, but you haven’t seen anything yet.

What part does humanity have in moving into a Christ led life? As for me:

- recognize we’re paupers and admitting it.

- repent of our sins, which is an acknowledgment of our unworthiness.

- turning from our self conscious existence toward Jesus.

- baptized publicly with water, stating that we yield to Jesus as Lord

What part does God have in moving us into a Christ led life? But He:

- Jesus comes, and the heat get turned up.

- baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire.

- moves people who admit their unworthiness into a life they couldn’t otherwise attain

Is the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire a one time experience?

Are we mistaken when we classify it as an “as for me” experience?

If baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire is “But He”, it’s performed by Jesus Christ on His terms, not our preference.

Have we moved from the “as for me” to the “but He”?

Aug 23 - PRAY

Matt.6:6 “...But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you...”

Is prayer easy and effortless or difficult and laborious?

Which is it in a crisis? Which is it when all is well?

What’s the difference? Focus. During a crisis we’re focused on the need for God. We may still be focusing on our preferences, but we readily bring God into the equation.

Does God want us to talk to him when we have a crisis? When we don’t?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 ”...pray without ceasing;...”

We need to get started and not stop.

Do you have a special place, or places for prayer?

Susanna Wesley had 11-12 children? Charles and John are well known in Methodist circles. Does anyone remember Susanna’s place of prayer? [Under her apron].

Can prayer only be done in a special place?

What are the advantages of a special place?

- the formation of a habit increases the likelihood of repeating the behavior.

- its symbolic of shutting the door on the distractions of our lives.

- it helps us maintain the intimate relationship God desires to develop with us.

- our expectation of fellowship increases.

- we become more sure of God.

What are the difficulties, even in a special place?

- wandering thoughts (not leaving life on the other side of the door).

- interruptions (mobile phones, emergencies).

- fatigue (early or late hours).

How can you, or do you, overcome the difficulties?

Jesus doesn’t say if you pray go into your inner room, He says when you pray. Prayer behind closed doors is an expected behavior

Aug 24 - TUNE IN

Matthew 7:7-11 "...Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!...”

Do we get everything we ask for?

Do we wish we could?

What would be some problems with getting everything we asked for?

- we don’t know what’s best.

- we tend toward self at the expense of others.

- we can’t get the big picture, our perspective is limited.

James 4:2-3 ”...You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures...”

Do we have to be in agreement with God before He’ll give us our request?

Numbers 11:4-6 “...The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna..."

Numbers 11:13 “...Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat that we may eat!...'

Numbers 11:18 “...Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat...”

Numbers 11:31 “...Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground...”

Numbers 11:33 “...While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague...”

Does relationship with God have a bearing on answered prayer?

Jeremiah 7:16 “...As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you....”

Does relationship with others have a bearing on answered prayer?

Matthew 5:23-24 “...Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering...”

What does O.C. mean by saying prayer with most of us is turned into pious platitude?

- it’s a trivial religious expression.

- we don’t know what to pray about, or how to pray, so our prayers are unfocused, nonspecific babble.

What does Oswald mean by “turning up the index”?

- get beyond platitudes.

- get beyond cliches.

- get beyond shallow, selfish attitudes.

- tune in to how we stand before God.

- tune in to God’s expectations and intentions.

- tune in to God’s will in all situations.

We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, the work of Jesus in us, to transform us into the children of God we’re supposed to be, asking for the right things. We need to be friends.

Aug 25 - FRIEND

John 15:15 "...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...”

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

My kids know what their parents are!

- One of them commented once that finding me in the bleachers was really quite easy. All they had to do was look for the gaps, at the places where individuals were sitting by themselves, and presto, there I was.

- Finding Terry, on the other hand, always took more time. Find me, then scan the clumps of people nearby. Eventually they’d find her.

Do extroverts need people? Do they need friends?

Do introverts need friends?

- All people need friends. Life is very lonely without friends.

- We all have a need to love and to be loved, to care and to be cared for.

John 15:9-13 “...Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. "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...”

- Jesus wants us to abide in His love.

- He wants His joy to remain in us that our joy may be full.

- He commands us to love one another.

- He tells us what the greatest love is ...To lay down one’s life for his friends.

Has anyone laid down His life for you? [Jesus]

Why did He? [He calls us his friends.]

Do you consider Jesus to be your friend? Have you laid down your life for him?

Is it painful to sacrifice self-interests for God’s interests?

Is it a burden to surrender to God?

How do natural affinities interfere with the joy of self-sacrifice? [eros is in love with self and always complains about self-sacrifice].

How can there be joy in self-sacrifice? [agape is in love with others and never complains about self-sacrifice].

When does Jesus call people friends?

John 15:15 "...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...”

- our status changes when embrace the Father’s purposes.

Abide in Christ’s love (take up residence there) and love one another the same way - lay down you life for your friends