“Walt had unassailable confidence in his convictions. He believed in this thing and when he looked at you, you got to believe too.” –Herb Ryman 

 God’s Kingdom is a Better Investment Than the Magic Kingdom 

Matthew 6:33 (ESV): 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Being Generous with God 

  • Time 
  • Talent 
  • Temple 
  • Treasure 

Reversing Our Psychology About Money 

Matthew 6:25–33 (ESV): 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

  • People with significant means focus on ideas. 
  • People without significant means focus on money. 

If you focus on the most significant ideas, the significant means will find you. 

  • Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV): 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys  and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Forwhere your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  
  1. My current motives, values, ethics and priorities are subject to review and discussion.  
  2.  Allow God to reset what is important to you based on what is important to Him. 
  3. Submit to a growing recognition that everything you have belongs to God.  

Jesus Tells Us How to Keep Our Money Safe 

Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV): 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

The terms Earth and Heaven represent two different dimensions 

Earth represents the visible, tangible physical world that is passing away, slowly dying.

 

1 John 2:17 (ESV): 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

How Do I Conduct Business in Heaven? 

Matthew 6:21 (ESV): 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Revelation 3:20 (ESV): 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 

What Does Access Mean? 

1.) My current motives, values, ethics, and priorities are subject to review and discussion. 

2.) Allow God to reset what is important to you based on what is important to Him. 

3.) Submit to a growing recognition that everything you have belongs to God. 

The Two-Masters Dilemma 

 Matthew 6:24 (ESV): 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 

Matthew 25:35–40 (ESV): 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 

Matthew 16:18 (ESV): 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Jesus loves the church as a man loves His wife: 

Ephesians 5:28–29 (ESV): 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 

Acts 9:4–5 (ESV): 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 

1 Corinthians 9:3–4 (ESV): 3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?  

1 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV): 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? 

1 Corinthians 9:9–11 (ESV): 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 

1 Corinthians 9:13–14 (ESV): 13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 

Nehemiah 1:3 (ESV): 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”  

Nehemiah 4:6 (ESV): 6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.  

Matthew 6:25–33 (ESV): 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

 

What Moses and Draymond Green Have in Common

Acts 7:22 (ESV): 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.

Exodus 3:1 (ESV): 1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Acts 7:36 (ESV): 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 

Hebrews 3:2 (ESV): 2 . . . Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.

Hebrews 11:24–29 (ESV): 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

When What We Want Isn’t What God Wants

  • Earnest
  • fervently
  • fervent
  • faith-filled.
  • faith (only), no doubt.
  • zero doubt.

Effective prayer doesn’t just change your circumstances; it changes you.

A Closer Look at Moses

Exodus 18:14–16 (ESV): 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me, and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”

Exodus 18:17–18 (ESV): 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

Numbers 11:11–15 (ESV): 11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Numbers 11:16–17 (ESV): 16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV): 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

Jeremiah 31:33–34 (ESV): 33 . . . .I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Exodus 2:11–12 (ESV): 11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 

Acts 7:25 (ESV): 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

Exodus 2:13–14 (ESV): 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 

  • Objection Number One:
  • Who am I? (Exodus 3:22)
  • Objection Number Two:
  • Who are you (God)? (Exodus 3:13)
  • Objection Number Three:
  • They will not believe me (Exodus 4:1)
  • Objection Number Four:
  • I am not eloquent (Exodus 4:10)
  • Objection Number Five
  • Send somebody else (Exodus 4:13)

Next Month’s Series

Rediscovering generosity: Trusting God with your treasure and troubled times

 

Competing Commitments 

What is a competing commitment? 

  • A competing commitment is two different commitments moving in opposing directions at the same time. 
  • Examples of competing commitments: 
  • Man dating 
  • Stated goal: Wants to date a beautiful woman  
  • Behavior: Looks at them, but he doesn’t talk to them 
  • Hidden commitment: Doesn’t want to be rejected. 
  • Result: Remains single. 
  • Key idea: More committed to avoiding rejection than going on a date with a beautiful woman.  
  • Woman dating 
  • Stated goal: She wants to get married to a quality man. 
  • Behavior: She doesn’t go out. 
  • Hidden Commitment: She’s committed to the security of familiar social circles.  
  • Result: She doesn’t meet anybody.
  • Key Idea: More committed to predictable social environments than getting married.  
  •  Student in school 
  • Stated Goal: Wants to get good grades 
  • Behavior: Procrastinates 
  • Hidden Commitment: Wants the assignment to be perfect before turning it in 
  • Result: Poor grades. 
  • Key Idea: More committed to avoiding imperfection than doing well in school 
  • Entrepreneur 
  • Stated Goal: Wants to attract more clients 
  • Behavior: Turns down clients 
  • Hidden Commitment: Resists hiring and managing employees to meet the demand 
  • Result: Business doesn’t grow 
  • Key Idea: More committed to direct control than to business growth 

 

Modern Term, Ancient Concept 

  • Mark 11:22–25 (ESV): 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” 
  •  Matthew 14:28–33 (ESV): 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

 

  • James 1:5–8 (ESV): 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

  • Doubt is a competing commitment that is rooted in something deeper than the thought itself. 

Our Hearts as Gateways to Insights About Us  

And if we really want to look under the hood to see what’s going on internally, we must examine our hearts. 

The Bible demonstrates that our hearts expose our ways.  

  • Psalm 14: 1 (ESV): 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”. . .   
  • Deuteronomy 8:17–18 (ESV): 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 

 

  • Obadiah 1: 3 (ESV): 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”  

  • Isaiah 14:13–14 (ESV): 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God, I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 
  • Genesis 3:1 (ESV): 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 

Abraham as Case Study 

  • Genesis 12:10–19 (ESV):10 Now there was a famine in the land. So, Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 
  • Stated Goal: Father of Many Nations 
  • Behavior: Giving his wife away to marry someone else 
  • Hidden Commitment: Not Dying  
  • Result: He lies (though God patiently works with Him to deliver him from the consequences of the lie) 
  • Key Idea: He is more committed to what he can control by His own means than trusting God to protect him 

  • Genesis 20:9–13 (ESV):9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?”  11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”  

  • Genesis 17:15–18 (ESV): 15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” [i.e. Competing commitment] 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 

  • Genesis 18:9–15 (ESV): 9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” 

  • Romans 4:18–21 (ESV): 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 

 

  • Matthew 17:19–20 (ESV): 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

 

  • Mark 5:25–29 (ESV): 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 

 

In Sum 

  • Effective prayer requires that we  
  • Ask earnestly in faith without doubt. 

 

The Power of Parables 

Learning from the Prayer of Jesus 

  • Luke 22:44 (ESV): 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 
  • Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of thethrone of God. 

 

What Does Earnest Mean? 

Earnest means serious. 

  • Continuously 
  • Eagerly 
  • Not relaxing in effort 
  • Fervent 

 

 

  • Intense 
  • Heartfelt 
  • Serious and zealous in intention, purpose, and effort 
  • You believe it’s important (and you act accordingly) 

 

Earnest Prayer Means Fervent Prayer 

  • James 5:16 (NKJV): 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 
  • James 5:16 (ESV): 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 
  • James 5:17–18 (ESV): 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 

 

  • “Nature like ours” = not special  
  • “Prayed fervently” 
  • Literally means “prayed with prayer” 
  • It’s an idiom 
  • Fervent means 
  • Strongly and sincerely felt 
  • Having great intensity of feeling (zealous) 
  • Enthusiastic 
  • The Persistent Widow 

 

  • Luke 18:1–8 (ESV): 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 

 

The Persistent Friend 

  • Luke 11:5–13 (ESV): 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” 
  • Luke 11:9–10 (ESV): 9 “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who [keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. 

 

Blind Bartimaeus 

  • Mark 10:46–52 (ESV): 46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. 

 

The Persistent Canaanite Woman 

  • Matthew 15:21–28 (ESV): 21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. 

 

The Mystery of Suffering 

 

  • James 5:13 (ESV): 13 Is anyone among you suffering?. . . 

 

Hidden Treasures in Times of Tribulation 

I’m supposed to find help in the thing that’s causing me pain? 

 

  • James 1:2 (ESV): 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds 

 

Our Best Resources Hiding in Plain Sight 

 

  • James 5:13 (ESV): 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. . . . 

 

Why We Don’t Get Excited About Prayer 

 

Viewing Prayer from God’s Perspective 

 

 

  • Psalm 124:1 (ESV): 1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—let Israel now say— 

 

What If I Prayed and It Didn’t Work? 

 

 

Change Your Attitude, Change Your Altitude 

 

 

  • Luke 22:44 (ESV): 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

 

 

  • Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

 

 

Suffering Creates a Spiritual Fork in the Road 

 

  • James 1:13 (ESV): 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 

 

  • James 1:16–17 (ESV): 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

 

 

  • James 1:2–4 (ESV): 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

 

  • Mentally Engaged

 

  • Be alert and attentive 

 

  • Spiritually Focused

 

  • Keep your focus on things above and not below 

 

  • Habitually Disciplined

 

  • Make habits out of and continue in the spiritual disciplines 

 

  • Prayer 

 

  • Word 

 

  • Fasting 

 

  • Praise 

 

  • Worship 

 

  • Praying in the Spirit 

 

  • Going to prayer meetings 

 

  • Going to small group 

 

  • Bible Study 

 

  • James 1:12 (ESV): 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

Olympic Inspiration

Romans 8:26 (ESV): 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Genesis 48: 1-2 (ESV): After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

Matthew 26:40–41 (ESV): 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  • Spiritual disciplines
  • Prayer
  • Scripture Reading/Meditation
  • Fasting
  • Worship
  • Praise
  • Silence
  • Giving
  • Serving
  • Bible teaching
  • Note-takin

These conclusions are influenced by:

The Christian Life is a Spiritual Race

Scripture compares the Christian life to an athletic contest:

I Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV): 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  

I Corinthians 9:24 (ESV): 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

I Corinthians 9:25 (ESV): 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Luke 16:25 (ESV): 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

I Corinthians 9:26 (ESV): 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

I Corinthians 9:27 (ESV): 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  

Jesus Offers Us the Easy Button

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV): 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Three Obstacles to spiritual discipline (and how to overcome them) 

  • Vision, Identity, Commitment

Vision 

John 5:19–20 (ESV): 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

John 15:5 (ESV): 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Identity

Ephesians 4:21–24 (ESV): 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Commitment

Luke 14:28–33 (ESV): 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Books Referenced

The Struggle Is Real

Romans 7:15–25 (NLT): 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 

Our Inherited Human Condition

  • Physical death = separation of human spirit from the body.
  • Spiritual death = separation of the Holy Spirit from the body.

Our New Condition in Christ

 Romans 8:1–2 (ESV): 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 Ephesians 1:7 (ESV): 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Our Lived Experience on Earth

 Galatians 5:1 (ESV): 1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

  • There’s a heavenly reality, and there’s an earthly experience.

Galatians 5:13 (ESV): 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

  • In other words, we should not give opportunity to the flesh.
  • The flesh is that part of us that still produces sin even after Jesus has made us new. 
  • It’s a rebellious force within us .
  • The lingering effect of our fore parents’ crimes .
  • A genetic predisposition to defy God’s law.
  • A network of thoughts, beliefs and actions “that opposes God and seeks sinful gratification” [Article titled “What is the Flesh?” from the website, gotquestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/the-flesh.html] 

Galatians 5:16 (ESV): 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

  • The struggle should not diminish the reality of the victory, nor should the victory diminish the seriousness of the struggle.

Galatians 5:17 (ESV): 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV): 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident:

Galatians 5:19 (NLT): 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear….

Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV): 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

“Sex sins are not harder for God to forgive, but they are more damaging at a personal and social dimension than other sins”—Jack Hayford

All sin, whether we think it’s flagrant or respectable—should be taken seriously. 

  • To read more on this subject, read:
  • Fatal Attractions: Why Sex Sins Are Worse Than Others by Jack Hayford
  • The Anatomy of Seduction: Defending Your Heart for God by Jack Hayford
  • Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
  • Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit by Todd H. Hunter

Matthew 9:36 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

  • Defenseless against Satan’s attacks.
  • Dependent on the grace of pastoral care AND
  • Disempowered from a fulfilled spiritual life.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV): 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Matthew 26:41 (ESV): 41 . . . .The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  1. Have faith in God.

 Ephesians 2:8 (ESV): 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

  1. Remember that we have the victory already (Jesus already secured the “W”).
  2. Execute the game plan.
  3. Discover, join, and contribute to your social support system.
  4. Submit to pastoral care, instruction, and guidance.
  5. Repent.
  • Repentance is an act of faith in which we simultaneously turn from sin and to Christ.
  • “Sanctification ([which means] becoming more like Christ) . . .is a process that requires ongoing repentance.”
  • Repentance involves contrition.
  • Hence, true repentance can involve godly shame and grieving.

1 Corinthians 15:34 (ESV): 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

2 Corinthians 7:9–10 (ESV): 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 

David’s example of contrition.

Psalm 51:1–4 (ESV): 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

“For more on repentance, see The Way of Repentance: Embracing God’s Gift For a Transformed Life by Chirs Bruans”

  1. Confess Sin to God and Each Other.
  • Biblical confession of sin presumes a repentant heart.

1 John 1:8–9 (ESV): 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  1. Learn the fear of the Lord.

 Psalm 34:11 (ESV): 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

 Proverbs 9:10 (ESV): 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

  1. Learn God’s ways.

Psalm 51:12–13 (ESV): 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

 Psalm 103:7 (ESV): 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.

  1. Access the neglected benefit.

 Book List 

 Fatal Attractions: Why Sex Sins Are Worse Than Others by Jack Hayford 

 The Anatomy of Seduction: Defending Your Heart for God by Jack Hayford 

 Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges 

 Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit by Todd. H. Hunter 

 The Way of Repentance: Embracing God’s Gift for a Transformed Life by Chris Brauns. 

Saul’s Conversion Experience 

 Acts 9:1–2 (ESV): 

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  

Acts 9:3 (ESV): 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  

Acts 26:14–15 (ESV): 

14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 

 

Acts 26:16 (ESV):

 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’  

Acts 9:26 (ESV): 

26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 

Acts 9:27 (ESV): 

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 

The Mercy Factor

1 Timothy 1:15–16 (NLT): 

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 

 Shift the focus from the greatness of our sin to the greatness of God’s mercy.  

Rediscovering the Kindness of the God of the Old Testament 

Ephesians 2:4 (ESV): 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 

God can afford to restore us. 

Exodus 34:5–7 (ESV): 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 

 

Psalm 103:7 (ESV):

 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 

A Brief History of Bougie

 

Morally Bougie

 

God’s Kindness is Too Extravagant to Miss

Psalm 103:8-13 (ESV): 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  

Our Fragility Stirs God’s Compassion

Psalm 103:14 (ESV): 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV):

 8 . . . .Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

  • Defenseless against Satan’s attacks 
  • Dependent on the grace of pastoral care AND 
  • Disempowered from a fulfilled spiritual life 

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  

Romans 7:15–25 (NLT): 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So, you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

 

Rethinking What a Pastor Is

Pastoral work is not just for pastors.

Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV): 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

All five ministry streams should be represented in our lives.

Addressing the Pastor Shortage

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Overlooked Sin Struggle

The Social Solution for Sin

Healing from sin is as much a social experience as it is a spiritual one.

James 5:16 (ESV): 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. . .

Developing Compassion for People Who Struggle with Sin

Our default response to people in sin should be compassion, not condemnation.

Compassion is motivation, but repentance is the objective.

Romans 2:4 (ESV): 4 . . .. God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance

Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV): 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. . .. 

James 1:19–20 (ESV): 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Nine Filters

Filter #1: The Word

Are we judging by Scripture or by tradition?

Mark 7:13 (ESV): 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.

Are we judging by the letter of the law or the Spirit of the law?

2 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV): 6. . .. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Filter #2: Category

Is this a matter of doctrine, a matter of witness, or a matter of conscience?

Factor #3: Escalation

  • Where is the person in the sequence of progressive intervention?
  • To look at an example of how this works in Scripture, read Matthew 18: 15-17.

Filter #4: Contextual Details 

  • Do you have the big picture? (view)
  • Do you have the small picture? (details)
  • How many layers of depth have you explored? (roots)
  • Contextual details have to do with circumstantial information that reveals the true nature of what happened.
  • You want to judge the true nature of things, and not the mere appearance of things.

Factor #5: Heart Posture 

  • Is the person contrite, remorseful, or humble?

Filter #6: One’s Own Sins and Temptations

Galatians 6:1(ESV): 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 

  • Consider what you’ve struggled with in the past
  • Consider what you struggle with now
  • How would you want to be judged under the same circumstances as the person you are judging?
  • Would you still want to be eligible for mercy?

Filter #7: Relationship 

Galatians 6:2 (ESV): 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Factor #8: Holy Spirit Guidance

Filter #9: Divine Providence