Review of Week 45:

DRAW NEAR: We must take every opportunity to complete transactions with God. We must act across the space between us.

SUFFER: To suffer with Christ is to entrust our souls to a a faithful Creator as we do what is right.

PERSONAL BELIEF: Have we adopted a programmed system of belief, or do we believe in a personal, present Jesus?

HIS PURPOSES: God can redeem our entire existence, using every part for His purposes. Our part is to love Him and answer His call (transact).

PRAYER TEMPLE: Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is interceding for us. We must guard against using the temple for selfish ambitions.

GOD’S POWER: We must be prepared to suffer when we choose God’s power over the wisdom of men.

COWORKER: If we’re not blessing people, promoting truth, and helping with the mission, can we really call ourselves fellow workers?

Nov. 11 - COMMITTED TO OBEY

Gen.22:2 “... He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you..."

Context:

Abraham was told to sacrifice his promised son.

What did he do? He went.

Abraham is described as a man of faith

Heb. 11:8-10 “...By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God...”

Rom. 4:3 “...For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness..."

Did Abraham do anything wrong? [Ismael?]

Was he better at doing than waiting?

He wasn’t a procrastinator.

What is obedience? [doing what you’re told]

Who does the telling? [God, Satan, Self, Others]

Who told Adam what to do? [God and Eve]

Who did Adam obey?

What is the difference between being interested in obeying and being committed to obeying?

- interested: obey when convenient or when consistent with preferences.

- committed: no excuses, just do.

Why do you think Abraham could pass this test of sacrificing his promised son?

- He knew God’s voice.

- He knew God’s character.

- He had many previous experiences with God.

- He was committed to God.

Are we more committed to self or to God?

Nov. 12 - NEW LIFE

2 Cor.5:17 “...Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come...”

If a man is in Christ, what happens to the old things? [they pass away]

What things need to pass away?

- anything that doesn’t line up with God’s holiness.

- attitudes that aren’t holy.

- actions that aren’t holy.

- thoughts that aren’t holy

Do we have any of these things remaining?

Can we rid ourselves of them?

How is it accomplished? [in Christ]

Are we committed to this, or just interested?

Can God bring this to reality?

Rom. 4:16-17 “...For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist...”

Nov. 13 - CHRIST’S LIFE

Gal.2:20 “...I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me...”

Context:

- There is a freedom available in Christ Jesus.

- There is bondage that occurs in religious attempts to be righteous.

- There is hypocrisy that rears its ugly head where the two coexist.

- No one is justified by works of the law.

What are “hole and corner” experiences with Jesus?

- little tidbits of exposure.

- maybe an experience of “touching the hem of His garment”.

- a compartmentalized subset of our lives.

What is the gospel good news?

Colossians 1:21-23 “...And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach - if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister...”

- humanity is alienated, hostile, and evil.

- Jesus atoning work liberates humanity.

- the goal is to present humanity holy and blameless, beyond reproach.

What is our part?

- live in faith, established and steadfast, not moved from the hope of the gospel.

Do we live our lives, or does Christ live in us?

Do we believe in the love and sacrifice of Jesus?

Are we living by faith in, and devotion to, Jesus?

Are His goals being reached in and through us?

Nov. 14 - SUCCESS

Gen.24:27 “...He said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master's brothers..."

Context:

- Abraham is getting up in years.

- He doesn’t want Isaac to marry a Canaanite.

- He sends his servant back to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac.

- The servant asks the Lord for success.

- The Lord provides Rebekah.

- The servant worships the Lord.

- “...the Lord has guided me in the way..”

Did the servant ask for guidance?

- not really.

- he asked the Lord to grant him success and then spelled out how it should occur.

Did the servant have hutspa? Yiddish word is Chutzpah, meaning audacity or nerve.

- he was not on his own mission.

- he was on a mission for his God fearing master.

Can we expect success in our endeavors?

- are they our endeavors or His?

- do we love Him? Are we called according to His purposes?

What did the servant do when success was granted? [he worshiped]

Do we expect to see God in every detail?

Why is it better to be devoted to God than to be consistent in our convictions?

- devotion to principles can actually prevent us from proceeding with God.

- we become proud of our commitment and fail to worship the Living God.

Nov. 15 - OUR STORY

John 21:21-22 “...So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!.."

Context:

- Jesus has been crucified and buried.

- Jesus has risen from the grave.

- Peter and several disciples are fishing, catching nothing.

- Jesus, whom they don’t recognize, intervenes and they end up with more fish than they can handle.

- Jesus feeds them breakfast.

- Jesus questions Peter 3 times about his love for Him.

- Jesus gives Peter a hint about his upcoming martyrdom.

- Peter wants to know about someone else’s life story.

What was Jesus’ response to Peter’s questions about another disciple’s future?

- what is that to you.

- you follow Me.

How do we over evaluate others’ lives?

- someone is suffering, we want to evaluate and/or step in.

- someone is sinning, we want to evaluate and/or step in.

What are the results of overstepping?

- interfering with what God is doing.

- failure to follow where God is leading us.

How does maturity move us from conscious behavior to unconscious response?

- the more Christ lives through us, the less we consciously calculate our behavior and responses.

Nov. 16 - EVERY DAY FAITH

1 Cor.10:31 “...Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God...”

Was the Incarnation a spectacular event? What followed? [Jesus childhood]

Was the Transfiguration a spectacular event? What followed? [demons in the valley]

Was the Resurrection a spectacular event? What followed?

- breakfast at the beach.

- almost 2000 years of life on this planet.

Which do we prefer, the spectacular or everyday life?

Where will we spend the vast majority of our life?

Will we prove faithful in the every day affairs of life?

How do people elevate “success” above faithfulness?

How does this detract from God’s intentions for our life?

What is the difference between the spiritual and the spectacular?

Nov. 17 - SIMPLY OBEY

Gen. 22:16-17 “...and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies...”

Context:

- Abraham was given the promised son.

- God asked Abraham to sacrifice His son.

- Abraham obeyed God, and God offered a substitute sacrifice.

Did Abraham understand what God asked him to do?

- v8 he told Isaac God would provide the lamb.

- v10 he wasn’t looking for another when he took the knife to slaughter his son.

- Abraham, over time, had learned the concept of absolute obedience.

What should we do when Jesus says “come”?

What should we do when Jesus says “let go” or “get rid of _____”?

What should we do when Jesus says “trust”?

How do we get to a place of understanding God?

- by obedience.

- every single act of obedience puts us in position to better relate to God.