kingdom of God part 4

pic busyness proverbs
are we wearing ourselves out to get more in life

even though Jesus is busy, he has prorities

mark 1 (last)

in the mist of all busyness, Jesus again and again had silence and solitude

luke 5 15

often, all the time

places.. not one place

we can be busy, but our prorties must be right

pic unharried life

waited 30 years to start His ministry

Jesus refused to be push and pull by the ppl

nv in a pressure to heal the sick

Jesus left many things undone... 

   refuse to waste energy on wealth, fame

pic christlikenss

pic silence and solitude

there should be s&s to be in the presence of God

pic silence and solitude

silence is a form of fasting from the noise of the world.. we are living in a "wordy" world

solitude is a form of fasting from the fellowship in the world

pic psalm

silently = rest

when we have rest, we will have easy yolk and light burden

for most ppl, silence makes ppl panic

3 blessings of silence and solitude

1.

ppl expect instant replies

God speaks in silence!

1 kings 19

-God can move in the dramatic.. but Elijah found God in a small still voice

-God speaks in a sheer slience

-at some point, we need to slience our soul to hear from God

pic s&s

pic contemplation

come before God without string attached

there is a time to be slient, theres a time to speak

in the silence, wait and yern for God's prescence

2.

though God knows everyting abt us, allow God to see the deep

only in silence and soltide, we can see our ownselves and there, healing begins

pic

pic borkenss and darkness

in s&s, we bring our brokenness and darkness to God

pic fruit of the spirit

in s&s, we learn to just wait...

3.

to live in the world and not of the world

we must first be free from the push and pull of the world

pslm 131

-weaned child.. no longer drinks from the mother or bottle

-a wean child comes to the mother for love, closeness

we cannot have a utility relationship with God

   having benefit from the relationship

love God for who God is, and not for His blessing

pic summ

pic intimacy

this is God's goal for us

God always uses the most painful time to get our attention

kingdom of God part 3

 matt 11
-weary = overworked, tired
-burdened = worried, stressed

romans

dont let the world change our pattern

if we get to entangled in this world, we will lose our own soul

pic

for 20 years, saint Anthony lived in the dessert

   he enjoyed at first, but then after temptation came

   he came out 20 years later becoming so Christlike... he surrendered himself to God

pic

this is the key to easy yolk and light burden

pic curse

under all the busyness is anger, lust, greed

whats the point of doing so much but feel empty

matt 6 33

pic

we must grow in the same grace as Jesus

Jesus developed His spiritaulity in the silence and solitude prescense of God

luke 4

pic solitude

in solitude, at first all things are ok.. then in silience, our ownself will raise to the surface

luke 4

Jesus was sinless, but He was also tested

   1st temptation is self-desire.. gratification of flesh

-greed is an endless gratification of flesh

luke 4

2nd temptation

most of the time we are tempted to prove ourselves to ppl

luke 4

3rd tempation

God's way 

God couldnt use Jesus if He is ambitious

we dont stop and ask God if this is what God wants for our life

pic worlds way vision

acts

the source of true vision is not from us, but by the Holy Spirit

pic vision

a vision must come from God... 

luke 4 14

in verse 1, Jesus is alr ful of the Spirit

pic

we need to find our own silent and solitude place with God

KINGDOM OF GOD - LIFE OF THE KINGDOM

eternal life and kingdom and is the same thing

salvation = kingdom of of God = kingdom of heaven = eternal life

-blessed are the righteous

-kingdom of God is a future reality... righteous inherited at the end of 2nd coming

we can experience the kingdom of God, eternal life

we can have eternal life now, but not in full now

what is eternal life 

1. knowledge of God

-we can start knowing God

-knowledge is not having information... is abt experience (personal encounters, entering into relationship, becoming God's friend, entering into fellowship and communion with God)

-to know a person means to have experience (knowing facts is easy.. google, facebook but doesnt mean knowing the person)

2. life of the Holy Spirit

-we need to be born again

-water, not abt baptism, but in the new covenant, the Holy Spirit will cleanse us

we need to be spiritual

born again person within us

spirit = our heart, inner-man

3 things about spirituality

1. result = Christ is being formed in us

-personality is who are externally, how we present ourselves to the world

   -easily changed via coaching

-character is internal (the real us) - fruit of the spirit

   -formed through transformation over time

      -through thoughts

-character is what God is focusing on

2. desire to integrate all aspects of all our lives

-if our spiritual life is not integrated with our life, our soul breaks down

   -dont do exactly what we say... having a divided heart

-integrity = character

3. process = place our "real self" in the presence of God

-spirituality makes us aware of our true self

   -bring it before God's presence so that He can change us

-when we overwork, we be stress / pressured.. become irritable/easily angry

-only 1 thing is needed... spirituality

-sometimes we allow ourselves to being so busy

-the true self maybe more angry, not be so pure, honest, kind

-ppl are afraid to come before God, surrender to God... things may not turn out how we want it to be...we are not willing to accept it

-weary = overworked, tired, burnout

-burdened = worried, stressed

-its a promise! but we must first come to God

-silent all our mind, come before the presence of God, focus our whole heart on Jesus

-our spirituality is more important than all other world accomplishments

-Mary chose the most important thing... that is to spirituality

TO THE IMPERFECTLY PERFECT MUM mother's day

honor your mother

a women builds up home

a wise man builds up his wife

building up each other by words, hugs

Naomi set out as a beautiful young girl but now a poor widow

Naomi became a foster mother

-no matter how bad life is, 

God allow us to go through hardship to bring us to where we should be

-God will make something beautiful in our life

YES LORD !

responding to the Lord when he calls

there is authority and power in the words of Jesus

-before this, Jesus was speaking to the multitude

-then after Jesus spoke to person.. call by name

every person have to experience Jesus him or herself

people always think that God don't understand... But He knows

most people were willing to listen to the Word... but to allow Jesus to interfere our life, it's difficult for most people

Simon obeyed Jesus' word

In the presence of God, He reveal His glory

2 things we must renounce to follow Jesus

1. sin

-repentance

-we need to make a decision to a change of mind, an outward change in behavior

-change have to come from the inside

-Lot's wife heard God's word

   -she wanted to follow but she cannot let go of her life of Sodom.. she keeps looking back

have a change of attitude.. no more compromise

2. self

to follow Jesus is forgetting and giving up living life our way but Jesus' way

Jesus will always have to final say in our thoughts, desires

when Peter denied Jesus when he is going through temptation... He's concern abt himself and forgot abt Jesus

Peter said "depart from me for I'm a sinful man" cos he knows that he can't meet Jesus expectation.. But Jesus replied "do not be afraid"

it's never by ourselves...

-following Jesus for 3 years, Peter knows what it meant to follow Jesus

-when Peter first saw Jesus, he said "depart from me"

-now 3 years later, Peter's response was different... he put on his outer garment, plunged into the sea and drew close to Jesus

-Peter understood that all it takes is a desire

when Jesus calls, do not be afraid