Masterpiece

And it's called the community of the spirit and it's not what you're thinking.

Okay, so you will be formally told.

Okay, so community of the spirit is the topic that we're going to hopefully discuss over the next few weeks.

Guys, in Matthew 16 13, Jesus asks two questions.

Someone was asking if we could turn up the volume on the taping a little bit because they were finding it a little difficult.

Yeah, Matthew 16 13.

And in Matthew 16 13, Jesus asks two questions in 13 and then in 15.

The first question he asks is, who do people say that I am?

That's the first question he asks.

He's with his disciples and he says, who do people say that I am?

And then later on in verse 15, he says to his disciples, who do you say I am?

And guys, two important questions because this is how most of life is lived by us.

Who do people say we are?

And then the second question is, who does God say you are?

Who do you say you are?

Who do people say you are?

Two vital questions.

Because, Ryan, I'll bring it down in a little bit.

Because who do people say I am?

This matters a lot, eh?

It's such a part of who you become.

It's so definitive of your identity.

Because guys, people do say distorted things about you.

Right from when you were a child, parents in sometimes in anger,

sometimes in a lack of understanding say things about you that are distorted.

People can say cruel things about you.

People can say hurtful things about you.

People can say things that are humiliating or embarrassing.

And what it does is it strips you of your dignity and then it begins to forge in you cynicism, suspicion, defensiveness.

And so by the time we grow up to be 20 or 25, you're already shaped into something you are not.

That's so sad, eh?

As a pastor, I can do it to you.

Where my words or my approach or my attitude towards you can cultivate in you a degree of defensiveness, cynicism, suspicion.

And so even as you sit in church, I shape you into something that you're not.

And over a period of time, you come to church with that defensive posture.

I can do that to you.

Leave alone what our spouses can do to us.

Leave alone what we can do to our children.

Who do people say you are plays such an important part in your identity.

Because most things people say are distorted because they don't have the right perspective,

are sometimes humiliating or embarrassing, sometimes hurtful.

That's how it works, guys.

And it so makes up your identity.

By the time you are 14 or 15, you already think who you are based on what people have told you.

And yet the second question is vitally important too.

Who does God say you are?

Who does God say you are?

Because Graham Cook said this and I was so affected by this line.

He says, your true identity is made up of how you think,

your true identity is made up of how you think you are known in heaven.

Your true identity is made up of how you think you are known in heaven and who you are on earth.

Your true identity is made up of how you think you are known in heaven and who you are on earth.

So much matters in terms of how I think I am known in heaven.

What does the father say about me?

What does the father think about me?

How am I known in heaven?

What does the father think about what I do presently?

How am I known in heaven?

Ponder on this because you will be surprised at how this never even occurs to us.

We don't think like this.

And yet Jesus would have been half the man he was if he didn't have an understanding of how his father thought of him in heaven.

Because he was being bombarded from all sides.

Illegitimate birth, father probably dead early, righteous ways that must have been annoying to the local bullies,

rejected by the very ones that he grew up with.

First time he picks up the Torah to read, he is almost thrown over a cliff.

Mother and brothers think that he is crazy.

Friends abandon.

Twelve disciples, one betrays him.

I can go on and on.

You know the whole litany.

A man will not be able to survive those things if he does not know how he is thought of in heaven and who he is on earth.

Develop this regardless of how old or young you are.

Because remember guys in heaven you are beloved.

You are highly favored.

You are always present before God.

This is how you are in heaven.

Just think of this right now at this moment.

In heaven I am in the beloved and I am beloved by God.

As in I am found in Christ the most precious and most precious of all.

I am in the most precious priceless thing before God.

And I am in him.

So in heaven I am always beloved.

In heaven I am always present before God.

I am always present.

I am perpetually present before God in heaven.

All because of Christ.

And I am highly favored in heaven.

See because I do not necessarily spend time developing the persona that I have in heaven,

I live by the defaulted flawed personality that I have become here on earth.

And so you are constantly before God.

You are always present, highly favored.

This is how God sees you.

Every time he talks to you guys, it will always be in the context of how he sees you.

Listen to those words.

Every time God talks to you, every time God deals with you,

He will always talk to you and deal with you in the context of how he sees you,

not how you see yourself.

Let me say that again.

Every time God talks to you,

He will always talk to you and look at you in the context of how he sees you,

not how you see yourself.

How do we talk to God?

When we go to talk to God, we see ourselves a certain way.

And so our entire conversation is molded by how we see ourselves.

So on some days, you will find yourself being very free with God, very joyous.

And on other days, you feel like a worm.

Why? Because we only see ourselves the way we see ourselves and we approach God in that same way.

But remember, in heaven, you are highly favored, always present before him, completely acceptable, beloved.

And that's the only way God deals with you.

This is why it's important to think how you think you are known in heaven.

We need to ponder on that.

Because when we talk about the community of the spirit,

we're talking about individuals that make up that community.

And we individuals have to get this part right.

Because what you think about God and who you perceive He is towards you,

affects your personality, affects your identity, affects your self-awareness.

It does.

Let me give you another sentence which is pretty strong.

When you know who you are, you are a person who is a person who is a person who is a person who is a person.

When you know who you are, you know how to live.

When you know who you are, then you know how you are supposed to live.

Then you know how you are supposed to live.

When you know who you are, then you know how you are supposed to live.

Both with yourself and with others.

When you know who you are, then you know how you are supposed to live.

Both with yourself and with others.

And here's a strange thing that will happen when this begins to happen.

Other people will also recognize.

Other people will recognize your identity and act accordingly with you.

So to sum it up again, who do people say I am so affects the way I live?

And usually people, sometimes ones that are close and sometimes ones that are away,

usually say things that right from when we are children to when we are married and when we are close to dying,

most of the things that people say are distorted, sometimes cruel, sometimes humiliating, sometimes hurtful.

And this plays such a role in shaping who I am because it forges in me cynicism, suspicion, defensiveness.

There are ways I begin to respond.

It affects me so badly. How do I counter it? I have to figure out who God says I am.

How do I go about that? By pondering on this question.

How you think you are known in heaven?

If I were to ponder on that question that how am I known in heaven?

How am I before the Father? And I mentioned the three things.

That I am always before Him, perpetually before His presence, that I am beloved, that I am highly favored, highly accepted.

And that in all His dealings with me, God deals with me as He deals with me as if I were in heaven.

That's the way He deals with me. He deals with me the way He sees me.

And the way He sees me is highly favored, acceptable, priceless, always before Him, beloved.

So it does not matter how I see myself. It matters how He sees me. That's how He deals with me.

That then begins to affect who I am on earth, guys.

And when that happens, when you know who you are, you know how you are supposed to live.

Your living changes. The way you behave changes.

The suspicion and the defensiveness begin to lower.

The cynicism begins to disappear.

And as you change, people begin to behave with you differently too.

Because they begin to see another identity and they recognize it and they can't behave with you the way they used to behave.

It just doesn't work. Just doesn't work.

You know, I saw this video that I'll play it twice and after that the kids can go for crafts.

But someone suggested that I watch this video.

It's a video for always pads, okay?

So the people who produce this video are always the brand for feminine pads.

But it's such an amazing video, man.

Someone suggested that I watch it. I watched it and I thought, wow.

So watch it now. I'll play it twice through.

It's what happens to us.

Oh, don't worry about it. He didn't miss it. He didn't even know I added.

Yeah. Guys, so much of who I am is influenced by others.

And one of the things that I'm hoping I'm going to change is to be careful in terms of how I treat you

so that nothing that I say to you will affect you adversely.

Because a pastor has tremendous influence in your life.

Especially a pastor like me has tremendous influence in your life.

And if I don't make sure that what I sow into your life is free of anything that will diss you or tear you down,

you'll lose your defensiveness and go much further.

I mean, what are...Dana, you can take the girls...the guys out.

I'm thinking girls now after seeing that video.

Two of the things that God says about you that you need to take to heart right now.

Let me ask you this question, guys.

Aren't you affected by what your spouse has said to you?

Aren't you affected by what your spouse has said to you?

Hasn't that left such a deep impression in your life for the positive or for the negative?

Aren't you affected by what you...

Do you think your spouse has been affected by what you've said to her?

Tremendously.

It's the ones that are closer to us that have deeper impact, goes much deeper.

Haven't the things that your parents have said to you affected you?

Don't they affect you even today?

Hasn't embarrassment completely changed the way you sometimes function?

That one embarrassing or two embarrassing incidents,

hasn't it completely changed the way you conduct yourself?

Haven't you developed immense defensive structures

because you're scared that you will be pulled out again and embarrassed?

And our levels of embarrassment vary.

Some of you can't be embarrassed by anything.

Some of you can be embarrassed by the very things that others would see as normal.

Fascinating how our environment is changing.

Fascinating how our environment and how the people around us have so affected us.

This is why one of the things I have to recapture is

how does God actually think of me in heaven?

Because it's the only way to restructure who I am.

There's no other way.

Guys, I have so many defensive mechanisms

that I probably need more than ten fingers to count them.

Ways that I protect myself from scoffing, from scorn,

from being despised, from handling disdain, from handling criticism,

from being laughed at.

Different ways I cope with it.

Why? Because the one thing that perhaps I don't always focus on is

how am I thought of in heaven and who am I on earth?

Continuously compensating.

Here are two things perhaps that you can think of

that God thinks of you.

One, you are his brilliant masterpiece.

Or I am.

I am.

Ephesians 2.10.

For I am God's brilliant masterpiece.

Why brilliant?

Because everything he does is done so brilliantly.

I'm his brilliant masterpiece.

I mean Job 33 verse 4 says that

Job 33:4

I was created by the Holy Spirit and God breathed his life into me.

So to begin with, I'm brilliantly created.

David talks about that in Psalm 139.

Wonderfully I was put together.

So there's that Jacob.

David wasn't talking about his pancreas and his liver

when he said wonderfully am I put together.

He was talking about his person.

So to begin with there's that.

And then I'm created anew in Christ.

I'm a brilliant masterpiece.

You are a brilliant masterpiece of God.

You are distinct, more distinct than snowflakes.

They write poems about the snowflake and forget you.

More distinct than the snowflake.

You're inimitable.

You cannot be imitated.

You are irreplaceable.

We always say everybody is replaceable.

No you're not.

You're irreplaceable.

Irreplaceable.

And you are exceptional.

I find it so hard to come to terms with words like exceptional and irreplaceable.

I sometimes handle distinct and I know I'm inimitable.

But irreplaceable and exceptional are not words that I connect with myself.

But I am his brilliant masterpiece.

I am his brilliant masterpiece.

If you can't handle the word brilliant because it seems to put the focus on you.

Take out brilliant.

I am brilliant.

I am his masterpiece.

Inimitable, irreplaceable, distinct or unique, exceptional.

Every one of you.

Every one of you.

Another beautiful word I've found that I want to talk about more next time.

time is he is the glorious inhabitant of my life. He so we talked about you being

a masterpiece now let's talk a little about him. He is the glorious

inhabitant of your life. He is the glorious inhabitant as in not only am I

his masterpiece these are I'm just giving you just two things that you can

ponder on. Not only am I his brilliant masterpiece he is the glorious

inhabitant of this masterpiece. He is the glorious inhabitant of this masterpiece.

So to begin with he's the primary maker the sustainer of this masterpiece and

then he is a glorious inhabitant of this masterpiece. Galatians 4 6. In Galatians

4 6 it says that because I am because Jacob is his son God sent the spirit of

his son into Jacob's heart so that Jacob may cry out by the spirit Abba father. I

used to think that when I cry out Abba father it's all me no no no no no no

because God loves Jacob so much God sent into Jacob his son the spirit of

his son so that Jacob may cry out by his spirit and say Abba father I am his

brilliant masterpiece and he is the glorious inhabitant of this masterpiece.

John 6 63 Jesus said in John 6 63 the first part Jacob remember this it is the

spirit who gives life the flesh profits for nothing it is the spirit who gives

life the flesh profits for nothing. I am his brilliant masterpiece he is the

glorious inhabitant of this masterpiece through his spirit. Galatians 4 6 God

loved this son so much that he sent the spirit of his son so that this son may

cry out and say Abba father by his spirit the flesh profits for nothing I

am his brilliant masterpiece and he is the glorious inhabitant of my life. Next

time we'll talk about another word not only is he your glorious inhabitant he

is also your glorious inhibitor we'll talk about it next time but that's not

for now see what you're gonna miss I mean Mariana would like to cancel the

trip if you're willing. Guys we're talking about the community and the

spirit Jesus you know when he trained his 12 disciples he's so brilliant he

doesn't place his trust in his disciples he trained them but he didn't

place his trust in them necessarily he placed his trust in the coming of the

Holy Spirit to do amazing work through these 12 that he had trained in lives

and situations in every town village home and city in the world. I got to

understand that over the next few weeks I am sure we'll understand that the flesh

profits nothing that the flesh profits nothing. John 6 63 the first part I must

remember what Jesus said it is the spirit who gives life the flesh profits

nothing Jesus's trust was not necessarily in the disciples he trained

them and brought them to a place and then said to them listen the spirit of

God is going to come upon you his trust was in the spirit that would come and

transform these 12. Hopefully at the end of this course we will learn how to

trust the spirit of God for our own lives for the lives of the ones we love

for our wives for our husbands for our families and for situations. I know we've

occasionally touched on this whole idea of trusting the work of the spirit it's

the only hope we have guys that the spirit must act otherwise nothing will

bear change or fruit that lasts. The spirit must act otherwise nothing will

bear fruit or change that lasts. I have to trust the spirit of God with your

life. I would like to see change in your life in every life sitting here if you

came to me and asked me for one thing I could give you more than one which I

want to see change in your life as I'm sure I do I've got 11 things for my life

at least two things for yours but see I've got to trust the spirit of God

because flesh profits nothing. Philippians 2 13 says that God is the one

who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill its purpose. Strange

verse let me put it simply the spirit of God is he who brings the desire and the

effort so that you can fulfill God's pleasure. The spirit of God is he who

creates the desire and then provides you with the effort required to accomplish

your purpose for God. I must trust the act of the spirit.

Philippians 2 13 I mean I just told you that I've got these 11 areas where I

these 11 prominent areas where I know I have to change. I can do everything I can

and yet the spirit must act. The only thing I can control is my thinking and

that too the spirit has to replace desires. Then I can train myself

consistently but it is the spirit that must act otherwise there's nothing I can

do. The flesh profits for nothing. The flesh profits for nothing. The spirit

gives life. So invite the spirit into situations guys. This is what Moses did

when he stretched out his staff over the Red Sea and then said things like stand

and see the salvation of God. What was he doing there? Stretching out a staff and

things are supposed to happen. The whole sea part because the breath of God

came forth and began a part the sea. I must trust the work of the spirit. Flesh

profits for nothing. It is the spirit that gives life. Any fruit, any change

that is permanent has to be a work of the spirit who gives me both the desire

and then gives me the effort required to bring to pass the pleasures of the

father in and through my life. I must trust the work of the spirit to change

my spouse. I must trust the work of the spirit to change my children. Does this

mean that we don't do anything? Obviously not but there needs to be a heavy

dependence on the spirit because in our lives there's an assumed presence of the

spirit but there's a lack of an active dependence on the sheer work of the

spirit. I must trust the spirit. I must trust him to feed the fetus of a habit

in my life. I must trust him to cause that fetus of a habit to grow. I must

trust him to turn the fetus the right way. I must trust him to have it now

birth forth in my life. Everything is the work of the spirit. So here are four

hindrances guys that usually prevents the spirit of God from doing what he

wants to. I've got to get out of the way so here are four hindrances that I want

to touch on. One, four main hindrances to the work of the spirit in my life. The

first one is pride or ego. Very often my pride or my ego gets in the way of what

the spirit wants to do. My pride and my ego get in the way of what the spirit

God wants to do. What I mean by pride and ego is sometimes the spirit of God

wants to do a work and I'm too proud to be foolish to do it because it may

embarrass me. People may say stuff so I won't do it.

Sometimes he's unspectacular. Whenever I do something that is obedient I want it

to be unspectacular. I want it to be spectacular. Sometimes he's so

unspectacular. Yesterday I was talking to some guys in Bahrain and they were on

Skype and they've stood in faith for seven months and what they expect has

not happened yet and I told them that perhaps they need to go this way and

they said no but then people won't hear the kind of testimony that should

come out of the stand of faith because every time we take a stand of faith we

want something spectacular to happen. Paradise is our pride but we won't go

there today. Second, sometimes guys my pride and ego gets in the way of

apologizing. You'll be surprised at how often the Spirit of God is not able to

move because I can't have the humility to come and say to you that I was wrong

and you were right. Pride gets in the way. James chapter 4 verse 6 says God

James 4:6

opposes the pride and gives grace to the humble. He resists the pride.

Apologizing is a hard thing. You don't have to do something wrong. Sometimes you

need to go to someone and say you know you told me that and I resisted

you. I just want to tell you that I'm sorry you are right and I'm wrong. Very

difficult to say that. Pride gets in the way. It gets in the way of spouses. It gets in

the way of friends. Thirdly, pride sometimes prevents me from acknowledging

the work of others in my life.

You know I really appreciate some of you when you come and come to me and tell me

Jacob you said this and you did this for me and it changed my life. I really

appreciate it not because it stokes my ego because I think I'm past that but I

really appreciate it because it shows your heart that you're willing to

acknowledge that someone else poured into your life and you are the fruit of

it. Very difficult thing this is for some of us. I still catch myself not

being able to acknowledge the work of others in my life. I mean today when I

quoted Graham Cook when I was making these notes I was thinking ah don't tell

them where it came from. Then I don't know that's a brilliant quote. If you

quoted they'll think you came up with it. Give credit, acknowledge it. Just last

week someone was saying something to me and I realized that they had actually

said this to me but I didn't want to give them credit so I quickly went past

it till someone pointed out saying Jacob you're not willing to give credit. Some

of you are brilliant at it. At coming and saying Jacob you did this or Jason you

did this you spoke this or whoever you got something from and it changes your

life but some of us don't. Why am I bringing this up? Because not so that you

can stoke my ego or Jason's ego but so that that factor called pride may be

destroyed in my life and in your life because I've seen it rise up in my life.

God opposes the proud. God uses people to affect our lives guys. It's get over

this. Begin to acknowledge some of the stuff that I have done in your life that

Jason has done in your life. Come up and say it and really not for your not for

my sake for your sake. I'm giving you an exercise that will set you free because

what can be more absurd than me asking you to come and tell me how wonderful I

am. I mean that is a height of arrogance and pride and really I wouldn't do it in

a message. It doesn't come out right at all. This is to set you free. You should

try it. Don't try it today. Think about it and try it over the next half of the

year.

Sometimes pride and ego takes a form of dignity. Instead of being transparent we

are obtuse because preserving dignity is more important.

I've met people like this. The Spirit of God wants to do something but

because they refuse to be transparent the Spirit of God can never end up

doing what he wants because you will never open your life to anybody that the

Spirit of God wants to use. The only way you will change is if a prophet comes

from Timbuktu to tell you your problem. Otherwise you ain't going to tell anybody

your problem. It really is time is what God wants to do. What are we talking

about here? We are saying that the flesh profits nothing. The Spirit gives life.

When the Spirit gives life may my pride and ego not get in the way because it's

time is what the Spirit of God wants to do. Does he give up? No. He keeps working

at it but sometimes in my attempt to preserve my dignity I choose not to be

transparent because I don't want anybody the Spirit of God sends to help me. I

want it to be from outside when nobody knows me. Pastors have this problem.

Fortunately I don't but many of us do.

Let's take move on from pride. Any questions on this?

The last one. Yeah in many cultures and in many of our lives today there is this

attempt to preserve or present a form of dignity that is exterior and so our

lives are not transparent. So if the Spirit of God ever wants to help us he

is not able to because you will not open your life to anybody. So the only way we

will be helped is if Eddie comes from South Africa but now we know Eddie too

well too so it'll have to be somebody else. Someone who we don't know who

comes from very far that is the only way we'll accept it and we'll only

accept it if the person does it properly otherwise we are not willing to. Very

difficult like that to change. It's dignity preserving pride it's not

transparency. The next one which is a common one which we often refer to in

this church. Next hindrance is thinking or mindsets. I'll tell you what this

church would have a problem with. One reality causes us to opt for common

sense instead of the Spirit.

We're talking about things that block the desire of the Spirit in my life. One

of them I'm finding in my life is my thinking and mindset and this sometimes

so affects me where reality strikes and reality then forces me to opt for

common sense. Yesterday we were sitting with Mark and he was telling us how he

hasn't found a place and I was struggling should I tell him about other

ways of doing things because common sense sometimes rears up its ugly head

because reality is so strong that you want to come up with common sense and

in the presence you block the work of the Spirit. That's one of the things that

will happen in this church and remember common sense will always try to massage

things manipulate things take shortcuts because that's what common sense does. It

tries to achieve an end through any means that is mostly legitimate and so

the Spirit is opted out. Another mindset that we will struggle with here is our

experience and our environment that we grow up in. That affects our thinking. I

see that in many of us. You're so scared to let go of your way of thinking because

if you let go of it your whole world will collapse because you've been

thinking like that for so many years that if you stop thinking like that you

would have to start again and so you don't want to let go of it. Frightening

huh? I remember when I thought women could not teach. I remember when I

thought that tongues need not be interpreted. I remember when I thought

that women were not supposed to be in any kind of ministry and even though

people would bring up evidence from the Bible to show me I would resist it

because so much of my way of functioning was built on it that if I agreed with

you I'd have to break down many things I believe to start again and I can't

afford that. Pardon? Because if I I knew I was kind of beginning to sound wrong

but I had to hold on to it because if I let it go everything collapses. May I

suggest to you that many of you, many of you and I'm looking at you I'm not even

avoiding looking at you, many of you have a thinking or a mindset that has been a

product of your environment and your experience. Terrible as it may have been

that if you let go of the way you're functioning your whole world would

collapse and so you have to hold on to it.

And the Holy Spirit wants to change that but if you don't let go of it how is it

possible for him to begin to work? Will he keep doing what he's doing? Yes. Is

this message a way of letting you know? Yes. It is possible to resist the Holy

Spirit. It is possible to resist the Holy Spirit.

You know that right? He doesn't take over my will. Let's go on to next one. Oh the

third one that affects my mindset is what you think and say. What you think

about me. What you think about me affects my way of thinking. Like I go

some places and I know they have a poor opinion of me so when I go to a place

where they have poor opinion of me what's my mindset that I have to do

everything to now impress them. Why don't I impress you? Because you have a decent

opinion of me and you like me. So therefore a little bit and therefore I

have no desire to impress you. I don't have to prove anything. But what if I go

into a place where people don't have a good opinion of me? Immediately my

thinking, my mindset, everything I do is now with this one thing in mind. I have

to do everything in my mind to impress these people. What if I'm with somebody

who has a tendency to make fun of me or to pull me down? Everything I do will

either be very jokey because I want to be the center of laughter and the reason

for the party or I'll be super careful because I don't want to be embarrassed

or humiliated by this person. When I'm around that person I'm walking on

eggshells. What if you're an angry person who loses your temper quickly? Again my

thinking and my mindset changes. What if you're a suspicious person? Guys you and

I have no idea how much this is our lives are influenced by the kind of

people that we are around and how other people's lives are influenced by the

kind of person you are. My sister recently told me that Jacob you're

losing your temper too quickly. I'm beginning to walk on eggshells around

you and so five minutes later I sent her this thing. I said I don't like who

I'm becoming. I apologize your motives and intents were absolutely clean but I

should not have lost my temper and I'm sorry I will try not to make it happen

let it happen again. Our thinking and our mindset is so influenced by the people

around us. This is why the Spirit of God I need him desperately because he's the

only one who can give me some kind of an identity knowing how I am thought of in

heaven. It affects who I am on earth and then I'm able to stand before you even

when you're angry even when you're putting guilt on me even when you offend

me this whole loving kindness things can begin to flow. I must have this. I must

have this. How else will I live guys the way Jesus wants me to? It's impossible to

be able to go and stand with someone who may hurt you or who may get angry and yet

function joyfully. I so wish I could be joyful with everybody. Next one.

Four hindrances two are done two more to go. Next one. This blocks the work of the

Holy Spirit in me. Self-sufficiency. How do I define self-sufficiency? Successful

living spawned by self-generated self-reliant skills and methods. That's

how I'm defining self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency is successful living

spawned by self-generated and self-reliant skills and methods. Isn't

there a place for that though? Yes there is but because we are trying to swing

the pendulum to the extreme I'm saying the flesh profits for nothing. The Spirit

gives life where this becomes a very secondary thing in my life. I've read

this to you before when I taught you thought about Yahweh Ezzer. I'm reading

it again. As long as I have a self-righteous idea that I can do this

thing if God will help me. God will allow me to go on till I break the neck of my

ignorance over some obstacle. Listen to it again. It sounds so right and yet it's

wrong. As long as I have a self-righteous idea that I can do this thing if God

will help me. That is such a Christian way of going about things. As long as I

have a self-righteous idea. Hi.

As long as I have a self-righteous idea that I can do a thing if God will help

me. That's how we normally think that I can do this thing. Father could you

help me? As long as I have a self-righteous idea that I can do a thing

if God helps me. God will allow me to go on till I break my neck of ignorance on

some obstacle. The point being self-generated self-reliant skills and

methods are what we do things with and we ask God to help it. That's not the way

the flesh profits nothing. The Spirit gives life. It's a way to go guys and the

thing with self-sufficiency you guys is whenever you're a self-centered person

know that time will be your enemy. It will never be your ally. As in remember

when Saul was told by Samuel in 1st Samuel 10, hey Saul make sure that you

wait seven days before you offer the sacrifice. I will come and offer the

sacrifice. But when you're a self-centered person what happens is when

pressures begin to come you cannot wait for God's agent. You have to take it into

your own hands. So it says in 1st Samuel 13, hey Saul could not wait longer. It

was the seventh day he offered the sacrifice and along comes Samuel and

says I hear the bleeding of goats. What happened here? Whenever

you're a self-centered person there's a good way to measure it. How often time

is not your ally when you're not dependent on God. Time is an enemy when

you're dependent on God. Because the pressure of time begins to work.

This blocks the work of the Spirit in you. This blocks the work of the

Spirit in you. Any questions before we go on to the last one? I agree. So I'm just

swinging the pendulum to the other extreme Matt because doing nothing is

not usually what we do. Most of us in this church are people who want to take

things and do them. So I'm just swinging the pendulum to the other extreme where

let's learn that other way of not being successful based on self-generated

self-reliant skills and methods because the flesh profits nothing and the Spirit

gives life. Let's start at that end. Our skills and methods and doing things

comes natural to us as humans which is why Jesus had to continuously say enter

into rest, cease from striving because he knows that man's way of

doing things is to work work work. Any other questions? I was telling Mark

yesterday Matt that perhaps the only guy who can beat him in terms of hard work

would be you. He's the kind of guy who would do the grouse grind three times in

one day. Yeah that's what I'm saying he's the kind of guy who would do it too. His

his greatest pleasures are swimming with salmon upstream and he was getting

poetic about it as as Jason and I listened and Jason and I tried to

pretend that we were impressed but it just didn't work. So I'm glad that he's

working with Jason and not me when he comes. No because it was just three days

ago when he called me on the phone and spoke to me for 45 minutes. Five minutes

had to do with the real content of the subject. 40 minutes was spent on telling

me how to set up a trail camera to catch deer. Yeah this is on tape now it'll go

all over the world Mark. My name is Jason. Okay the last one is willing

obedience. Guys my emphasis is on this worthy willing. Isaiah 119 has this

marvelous line if you're willing and obedient you will eat the best of the

land or the good of the land if you're willing and obedient. One of the

hindrances or one of the things that blocks the work of the spirit in my life

is sometimes obedience I can give but willingness only comes through

relationship and relationship only comes through prayer and prayer is

basically conversations that deepen the father-son I'm talking about God now

father-son intimacy.

So the emphasis is on willing. Now willingness only comes through

relationship. Relationship can be only forged when one has a conversation where

intimacy develops which brings us back to this whole thing of when I say the

word prayer brings up this connotation of asking and A-C-T-S, adoration, this

thing this thing this thing I'm not talking about that I'm talking about

having a conversation with God and it begins to increase my relationship

because it's a two-way street and I begin to hear and marvel at who he is

and therefore the willingness of my heart increases. Joyful willingness is

such an integral part of obedience and when the Spirit of God sees joyful

willingness in you because of a relationship you have with the father

his work is hindered less his work begins to flow because there's a

reckless yielding a much-loved child I said this last week it's such a cool and

I really don't know who said it so I can't give credit right now but the line

there says the best people the best Christians I have known are Christians

who live like much-loved children wow the best Christians I have known are

Christians who live like much-loved children

much-loved children what a definition of a Christian a much-loved

child recklessly abandoned this is not you and me yet this is not you and me

yet

James 4 6 says the Spirit of God that he has caused to live in me yearns for me

jealously yearns for me jealously. Willing obedience any questions guys any

questions?

okay