Review of Week 30:

DEATH: It is always a good day to die to self.

LIFE: The world needs the life of Jesus Christ manifest in us.

RIGHTEOUS: The purity which God demands is impossible, unless we are remade from within.

BLESSED: We don’t work to possess the blessings of God. They are poured out as we are poured out for Him.

PURITY: The appearance of purity is not the same as true purity

IN THE KNOW: Repentance and Obedience come before Kingdom knowledge.

PURPOSE: The real reason for following Jesus is to live out His purposes

July 29 - CLOUDS

Rev. 1:7 ”...Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen...”

Clouds in the Bible:

Bow in the cloud as a sign (Gen.9:13-16).

Cloud leading Israelites (Ex.13:21,22, 40:36,37, Num.9:17-22)

Cloud protecting Israel (Ex.14:19,20,24)

The Glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud in the wilderness (Ex.16:10), on Mt.Sinai (Ex.24:16), in the Tabernacle (Ex.40:34), in the Temple (1Kngs.8:10-12, 2Chr.5:13,14)

God spoke from a cloud at the Transfiguration (Mt.17:5,Mk.9:7,Lk.9:34,35)

2 Chronicles 6:1 “...Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud...”

Isaiah 19:1 “...The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them...”

Ezekiel 30:3 “...For the day is near, Even the day of the Lord is near; It will be a day of clouds, A time of doom for the nations...”

Daniel 7:13 “...I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him...”

Matthew 24:30 "...And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory...”

Acts 1:9-11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven..."

Why do you think clouds are associated with God interfacing with mankind?

If the heat from the sun was increased by a factor of 10, would we pray for cloud cover?

Hebrews 12:28-29 “...Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire...”

In our state of ingratitude and irreverence, we can’t look upon God and live.

What did Oswald mean when he said clouds are sorrows and sufferings in our lives which seem to dispute the rule of God, but really teach us to walk by faith.

We think we see clearly.

We focus on what we see.

We have an out-of-focus focus problem.

When God breaks into the dimension of man, there is a clouding in that dimension. Are the clouds darkness or light to you?

- they were darkness to the enemies of God, and light to those He was delivering.

- the cloud obscured the old way of living (it was between Egypt and Israel)

- the cloud led God’s people into something new.

July 30 - DISILLUSIONED

John 2:24-25 “...But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man...”

A person can’t be dis-something, unless they’re something to begin with.

- You can’t disarm someone unless they are armed.

- You can’t dissatisfy someone unless they are satisfied.

- You can’t become disillusioned unless you are illusioned.

What is an illusion? [an unreality, a deceptive appearance]

What does it mean to become disillusioned? [come out of unreality, out of deception]

What are some things about which people get disillusioned? [Church, Marriage, Friendship, Employment, Government, SS class]

Is it good, or bad, to become disillusioned? Is it better to live in reality or unreality?

What are typical responses to becoming disillusioned? [disappointment, anger, meanness, cynicism, despair, chasing another illusion]

What would be better responses to disillusionment? [gratitude for seeing reality and a willingness to move forward in that reality, chasing reality and working toward improving reality]

Am I true to the facts or only to my preferred reality?

Am I loyal and true to who you are, or only to who I think you should be?

When I find out that I had illusions about who you are, am I still loyal?

Jesus knows what comes out of our hearts and what is in our hearts. He is loyal and true to our reality.

When our illusion of someone or some situation is shattered by what comes out of human hearts, is our response mercy or judgment?

Who can we trust?

Is His love for others alive and well in us?

July 31 - ENDURANCE

James 1:4 “...And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing...”

Is the major thrust of your life in the right direction? A direction that is valuable to others? A direction that is pleasing to God?

Is it enough that the major thrust has improved since accepting Jesus sacrifice?

Are you lacking nothing? Are you complete? Are you perfect?

For those of us who aren’t, what, according to James 1:4 moves us in that direction? [patience/endurance]

Years ago my son handed me a pile of flash cards he made for his chemistry class. One side had the chemical compound formula, the other the name. We went through them ‘til he was perfect’ at giving me the formula when I gave him the name, and giving me the name when I gave him the formula.

To get him to perfection, I didn’t ask each one the same number of times. Some he got easily, some he struggled with. Which do you think he was asked the most? [The cards he struggled with the most]

We could have stopped before he learned them all. He could have passed his chemistry test without knowing them all, but I didn’t want him to take the lazy way out.

The best coaches spend lots of time reviewing tape. They know their teams weaknesses and what do you suppose they spend the most time on in practices? It isn’t working on the teams strengths, it’s working on their weaknesses. The best teams aren’t allowed to be lazy, to be complacent, they’re pushed to excellence.

Are we all we could be? Are we all we should be?

Are there underdeveloped parts of our lives?

Is God aware of what needs work in our lives?

Will He bring it before us again and again?

The wind sprints that we ran at the end of every practice were not my favorite thing. I had one coach who’s philosophy was that we had to run them until someone either collapsed, or threw up. No team could out run us. We beat teams we weren’t supposed to beat.

From where does the patience/endurance which works to perfect us come?

James 1:2-3 “...Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance...”

Aug 1 - HEED

Matthew 11:1 “...When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities...”

What instructions had Jesus given to His disciples?

10:1 “...Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness...”

10:5-6 “...These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel...”

10.7 "...And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'...”

10.8 "...Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give...”

10:9 “...Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,...”

10.16 "...Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves...”

1. How and why does Jesus “come where He command us to leave”?

Can we get in God’s way?

Can we prevent Him from carrying out His intentions?

Why is it hard to give God room? [We feel the responsibility is ours]

2. How and why does Jesus “teach where He instructs us not to”?

Are we as effective as He is in other’s lives?

What are some situations that Christ may want us to leave for Him? [an older wayward child, a spouse, etc.)

Why is it hard to close our mouths? [We feel the responsibility is ours]

3. How and why does Jesus “work where He sends us to wait”?

Does He expect us to detach and not care?

Why is it difficult to wait? [We feel the responsibility to act]

These three scenarios require understanding our responsibilities and God’s?

What happens if we try to take over God’s ?

- We fail to perform His correctly.

- We fail to perform ours.

What happens if we take our responsibilities seriously?

- He empowers us, sending us equipped into the task.

- He fulfills His perfectly.

Are disciples’ responsibilities unimportant and boring?

10:7 to preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.

10:8 to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.

Do these instructions sound boring?

The spiritual world opens up when we obey.

Aug 2 - STRAIN

John 16:33 “...These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world..."

Does insurance prevent trouble?

Do you buy health insurance so you’ll never be sick?

Do you buy car insurance so you’ll never be in an accident?

Insurance decreases fear and the potential catastrophic results of the unseen.

Do you follow Christ so you’ll never have trouble? What does the assurance of Christ do? [Replaces fear with peace]

How do athletes increase their strength? [by increasing their strain]

How do Olympic athletes prepare to become the best in the world? [by subjecting themselves to more strain than the rest of the world]

Is strain positive or negative?

How is spiritual strength increased? [by increasing the strain]

How can you prepare for Olympic sized spiritual endeavors? [embrace, don’t run from, God’s training regimen]

What does God’s training regimen feel like? [strain]

James 1:2-4 “...Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing...”

Does God give us overcoming life, or does He give us life as we overcome?

If Christians back down whenever they encounter trials, will they ever become strong?

We need less timidity and more enthusiasm to face each day.

How can peace and tribulation exist at the same time?

Aug 3 - CHOOSE

Luke 18:31 “...Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished...”

Did Jesus have a 5-year plan? Did Jesus attend any leadership seminars? Did Jesus sit down with His disciples to work out their mission statement?

What was Jesus’ plan?

John 8:28-29 ”...So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him..."

Was going to Jerusalem Jesus’ plan? [No, but it was His choice, and an act of His will]

Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem?

It was the Father’s plan.

It was the place to which fulfilling the Father’s will required Him to go.

He made the choice to align His will with the Father’s.

Was Jesus conscious of the Father’s purposes? Did He know what awaited Him there? How could He go there?

John 5:30 ”...I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me...”

Why do we have difficulty being conscious of the Father’s will?

We hang on too tightly to our personal goals.

We spend too little time with Father.

Our plan isn’t to please the Father.

It isn’t always the will of the Father we seek.

Have you ever agonized over a choice, been paralyzed by a choice, or felt like a particular choice was critical to your life with God?

Why do we have difficulty making choices?

Too much emphasis on our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our multitude of choices.

Is our certainty of God’s purposes increasing as we live out our Christian lives?

Depends on our level of crucifixion.

By definition, walking by faith doesn’t include full awareness.

John 15:16 ”...You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you...”

Why do we overemphasize our importance and undervalue God’s?

Is it possible for God to use you without your knowing it?

Is it possible to be a part of God’s great purposes without being able to explain them to others?

Is it possible for God to aim at something we don’t see?

Should we be less worried about choosing how we’ll let God use us, and concentrate more on flying true when he fires us at a target that only He sees.

Aug 4 - TAKEN

Luke 18:31 “...Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished...”

Imagine being God.

- not contained within your creation, just looking in.

- creation has spurned you.

- creation doesn’t know your ways.

- creation is perishing.

You decide to enter the created dimension...

- to show them who you are.

- to show them how to live, how to die.

- to purchase their lives according to your own created reality.

- to enlist a few to carry on the work.

Who will you choose? What will you look for? Strength, knowledge, experience?

- The Romans had strength. Do you pick Romans?

- The Greeks and Scribes have knowledge. Do you pick Greeks or Scribes?

- Does anyone have experience? [At life, yes. At intended life, not so much]

Who would be the most suitable in the year 2012? Who would you pick?

- Who has strength? Control? Media? Politicians?

- Who has knowledge? Educational system? Universities?

- Who has experience?

Who does God choose to go with Him to Jerusalem?

- those willing to follow Him.

- those who think more highly of Him than they think of themselves.

Did Jesus discuss with His disciples why He was going to Jerusalem? [yes, on more than one occasion]

Did His disciples know why He was going to Jerusalem? [NO]

Why is there a disconnect between what He tells us and what we know?

How can our abilities and our knowledge interfere with the purposes of God?

- we follow best when we recognize our poverty compared to His perfection.

- self sufficiency and self goals don’t make good followers.

1 Corinthians 1:25-27 “...Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,...”

It’s not what we bring with us, its what God puts in us that’s important.

Are we interested in being taken up into the big compelling of God? Of truly being His disciples?

What is the difference between wanting God on our side and wanting to be lost in His purposes.

Do we live for our cause or His? Do we know what God is after?

The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain.

Which describes us best?