Welcome - 2

Welcome - 2

Subject – Welcoming the Father into Life Church and Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

John 14:23-26 (NKJV)
²³  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
²⁴  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
²⁵  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
²⁶  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 

--Last week we looked at how important it is to welcome Jesus, the living Son of God into our church and into our lives. Truly, without Jesus we can do nothing. 

--Think about this, the first miracle that happened in the life of Jesus and at the beginning of His ministry was simply because He was invited to the event.

--Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding celebration and because of that a miracle was in the house. Jesus says He is standing at the door knocking trying to get back into His church.

--It is truly sad that the One Who said that He would build His church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it has to knock to get into what He built. Let’s welcome Him to His own house.

--Today we will look at welcoming God the Father into our lives and into His church. Pastor, you just said it is Jesus’s church, is it His church or the Father’s church and the answer is yes.

--You cannot separate God the Father, Jesus the Son, or Holy Spirit because they are One. All of them were and are vitally involved in the building of the church and all should be welcomed. 

--Notice the unity and cooperation of the Trinity in our text today and how each One compliments the other. Jesus said if you love Me and keep My Word My Father will love you. Awesome!

--Jesus goes on to say if you love Me and keep My Commandments My Father and I will come and make our home with you. Mind blowing!

--They are so unified that Jesus says if you don’t love Me or keep My words, you are actually rejecting the Father because they are His Words anyway. 

--Verse 26 should get us all excited because the unity is so magnified between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.

--The Godhead is showing us, His church, His people, His sheep, His disciples how important it is for all of us to be One like they are One. Listen to Jesus beautiful prayer about unity.

John 17:20-23 (NKJV)
²⁰  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
²¹  that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
²²  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
²³  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

--Obviously, the reason I am sharing this with you today is to let you know that when we welcome Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit, they come as a package deal. They are One. Why we welcome the Father.

1. We Welcome the Father Because He Always Exalts the Son

Matthew 3:13-17 (NIV)
¹³  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
¹⁴  But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
¹⁵  Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
¹⁶  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
¹⁷  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 

--Again we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit coming as a package deal and all of them are represented in these verses. They are always complimenting each other. We should do the same.

--A little over a hundred years ago when Holy Spirit was being poured out and the A/G were being established, three main groups came out of that move of God.

--One was a shepherding movement, another was a Oneness movement, and the other was the A/G. In Covington, La. A pastor from one of these organizations liked to argue. You figure which group.

--He interrupted a lunch where I was trying to lead some folks to Christ so he could argue. I kindly told him to go away. He waited and we practiced Christian apologetics. We argued!

--He said you show me one place in the Bible where all three are there and I will shut up. I took him to Mat. 3. Who was in the water? Jesus. One. Who descended like a dove? Holy Spirit. Two. 

--The voice from Heaven saying this is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased? Unless Jesus was a ventriloquist it was Father. Three. So please shut up and don’t disturb me when I am witnessing. 

--The Father always exalts the Son. "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We always want to welcome the Father because He exalts and magnifies the Son.

2. We Welcome the Father Because Our Prayers Are Directed to Him

John 15:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

--What a privilege to pray to our Heavenly Father and what a privilege pray in His Son’s Name…Jesus. Our Heavenly Father wants us to cry out to Him and trust Him. Verses about praying to our Father.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)
⁹  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 

--We welcome Him and we pray to Him because He can fill gaps not even family can fill. My family is so dysfunctional and messed up. I need a father figure in my life. 

Psalm 27:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸  When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
⁹  Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
¹⁰  When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me. 

Psalm 68:5-6 (NLT2)
⁵  Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
⁶  God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 

--Welcome God the Father, welcome God your Father into your lives and into Life Church. He is a good good Father! Again look at how Holy Spirit and the Father live and operate in perfect harmony.

Romans 8:26-27 (NKJV)
²⁶  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
²⁷  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

3. We Welcome the Father and We Direct Our Worship to Him

--Watch these verses showing us to be dependent on Holy Spirit, directing our ministry we perform toward the Lord Jesus Christ, and giving thanks (worship) to the Father. We must worship and welcome our loving Father.

Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT2)
¹⁸  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
¹⁹  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
²⁰  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

--Listen to these verses explaining why we welcome the Father and why we worship Him.

Psalm 89:21-26 (NLT2)
²¹  I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
²²  His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.
²³  I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.
²⁴  My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.
²⁵  I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.
²⁶  And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 

--Welcome Him, worship Him and be thankful for Him. Our heavenly Father deserves our total devotion.

Colossians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
¹⁷  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

A Soul that Thirsts for God - 5

A Soul that Thirsts for God - 5

Subject – T.I.M.E.

By Rick Welborne

Philippians 3:7-14 (NKJV)
⁷  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
¹¹  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
¹²  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
¹⁴  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 3:10 AMP                                                                                                                                         [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.    

--Today we conclude the series “A Soul that Thirsts for God” but hopefully this is not the end of our quest to be intimately acquainted with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

--If we will experience the transformation that we need and if we will ever be what our world needs us to be to reach them, it will be from getting more intimate with our God. That I might know Him.

--Today I want to use an acronym for the word TIME. Hopefully Holy Spirit will teach us the truths we need to know about how to get more intimate with Jesus. 

1. T – Time

--Wow, Pastor Rick, that is so profound. I actually believe that with our world in this hectic spiral of quickly going nowhere fast that it is profound.

--If we will have this intimate relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it will definitely take time. Paul said: That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him.

Progressive – happening or developing gradually or in stages proceeding step by step.

--I am sorry to be the one to break the news to you but if you will get close to God and have this wonderful intimate relationship, it will take time. You have to be intentional. 

--The disciplines (we love that word) we discussed will take time to develop. The discipline of simplicity, silence, solitude (my least favorite), and surrender (trust).

--Many of you have said “I would really like to get in shape. I would love to drop 30 pounds. If you are sincere, it will take discipline and time. We would rather take a pill. Listen to Solomon:

Ecclesiastes 3:1&11 (NIV)
¹  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
¹¹  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

--Solomon is trying to help us understand that if we will draw near to God that it will take time. He even tells us that there are depths in God that we can’t even comprehend. Revealed to us by Holy Spirit.

Romans 13:11&14 (NLT2)
¹¹  This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
¹⁴  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

--There is only so much time and that time is running out. Let’s face it, we make time to do the things that are a priority to us. In your extreme busyness, what is it you make time for? That is your priority. 

Lamentations 3:25-29 (NLT2)
²⁵  The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 
²⁶  So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.
²⁷  And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:
²⁸  Let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORD’s demands.
²⁹  Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. 

2. I – Intimacy 

--Obviously this is an invitation for closeness. Time alone with God is a crying out to God…Into Me See! The discipline of solitude is a welcoming of God to be close.

--That closeness reminds me of the mirrors you ladies use that magnifies your face about a 1000 times. I did that once and I thought I was looking at the surface of the moon. Craters!

--When we draw near to God in His presence and by reading and studying His Word, we begin to see ourselves for how we really look. Why I have trouble with prideful spiritual people.

James 1:23-25 (NIV)
²³  Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
²⁴  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
²⁵  But the man who looks intently into the Perfect Law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

--If these mirrors are not bad enough you women use, some sick person decided to put extremely bright lights all around them. Every blemish is high-lighted and you wonder if there is any hope at all. 

--When I get as close to God as I possibly can and I am in the light of His glory, I see what a wretched sinful person that I am. The Word bears this out again and again.

--John the Revelator, Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and the Apostle Paul experienced this. They were not filled with pride but humility and surrender. That intimacy brought obedience. Example please.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV) ¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
²  Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
³  And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
⁴  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
⁵  "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
⁶  Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
⁷  With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

3. M – Meditation

Meditation - to focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over. The act or process of spending time in quiet thought.

--Meditation, in its self is not wrong, it all depends on what we are thinking about. To be intimate with God is a process whereby we find ourselves thinking about Him. This psalm sums up everything:

Psalm 4:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
²  How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah
³  But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
⁴  Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.
⁵  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. 

--Meditating on God is not a denial about your enemies. It is awareness that God is for you. Meditating on Him is being still and knowing He is God. It is drawing so near that you know you can trust Him. 

4. E – Evolution

Evolution - A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.

--Intimacy with God can become the process where we evolve into something better. Our intimacy causes cleansing from sin. Again, let’s allow the Apostle Paul to sum up:

Philippians 3:10 AMP                                                                                                                                         [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.    

--If you find yourselves not liking the word “evolution”, replace with “evangelism”. If you are intimate with God on a regular basis you will have the same attitude Isaiah had. 

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

Welcome – La Vida Church

Welcome – La Vida Church

Subject – Why We Welcome La Vida Church

By Rick Welborne

John 17:20-23 (NLT2)
²⁰  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message.
²¹  I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe you sent Me.
²²  “I have given them the glory you gave Me, so they may be one as We are one.
²³  I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. 

--Again, we welcome La Vida Church and Pastor Neftali and Sheila into this service. It is always good and refreshing when we come together.

--It is good to see spiritual growth, numerical growth, and financial growth in La Vida Church and in Life Church. God is doing wonderful things.

--This unity that we have must be protected by all of us because there is nothing the enemy would want to do more than to divide us. Never be a part of hurting Jesus’ Church.

--Maybe some of you are new and maybe some of you are still wondering why we are so intentional about coming together as one church/una familia. 

1. We Come Together to be the Answer to Jesus’s Prayer.

--Jesus has declared that it is time for Him to be glorified (John 17:1) and that the hour has come. He is declaring His death, burial, and resurrection.

--How many of us understand that last words are very important words. When a loved one is about to pass away, we cling to every word they have to say.

--So what would be on the mind of Jesus when he knows that His death is imminent? What message would He want to leave His Church that means so much to Him?

--After Jesus says to the Father that He had accomplished everything He sent Him to do, He begins to pray to the Father for those who had received Him as Lord and Savior. 

John 17:9-11 (NLT2)
⁹  “My prayer is not for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You.
¹⁰  All who are Mine belong to You, and You have given them to Me, so they bring Me glory.
¹¹  Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to You. Holy Father, You have given me Your Name; now protect them by the power of Your Name so that they will be united just as We are.

--Before His death, Jesus begins praying for His spiritual brothers and sisters, His spiritual sons and daughters. He is bragging to the Father that these will bring Him glory. How beautiful!

--Jesus knew they were in for a battle and He acknowledges the power of God the Father’s Name and He prays His Name over those who had received Him.

--He adds another phrase to verse 11 and it becomes much of His prayer for the rest of the chapter. He prays that they will be united just as the Father and Son are.

2. We Come Together to be the Answer of Jesus’s Prayer for Unity.

John 17:17-20 (NLT2) ¹⁷ Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.
¹⁸  Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world.
¹⁹  And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
²⁰  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message. 

--Jesus was praying 2000 years ago for us to be holy, to learn His Word which is truth, and to understand that He is sending us into the world like the Father sent Him. Missions!

--Jesus declares that He is giving Himself as a holy sacrifice and He continues, “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”

--Jesus was praying for everyone here today (La Vida and Life Church) because we have believed on His Name. Jesus finds great joy in us being united.

3. We Come Together to be the Answer to Jesus’s Prayer to be One.

--Pastors, isn’t this the same thing as being in unity? I believe there is a difference. A couple can be in unity (be together) and not be one. You can get lots of people together but they may not be one.

--I believe Jesus was praying for His Church not to be just together but to have the same unity and oneness that He experienced with the Father. 

--Maybe someone can explain to me that if this was so important to Jesus, why are there so many different churches and why are churches experiencing wars and rumors of wars? 

John 17:21-23 (NLT2)
²¹  I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe you sent Me.
²²  “I have given them the glory you gave Me, so they may be one as We are one.
²³  I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. 

--What a beautiful and amazing prayer. Not only does Jesus pray that we be one but He takes it further, deeper. He prays that we are one just like He and the Father are one. Perfect unity.

--First, we see that it is absolutely the will of God for us to be one, it is the prayer Jesus focuses on before His crucifixion, and by being one Jesus gives us His glory.

--Notice this and comprehend it, brothers and sisters, any attempt, any attitude, any action to divide Jesus’s church is to be working in direct opposition to the will of God. 

--Do you just suppose that is why Satan fights so hard against us being in unity and being one?

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. 

--Listen in this same verse what Jesus desires for those of us (La Vida Church and Life Church) who make the decision to love Him, follow Him, and to be one.

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Obeying Jesus’s prayer to be one is a promise of blessings, intimacy, power, effectiveness, glory, abundance, and the beautiful privilege of having God’s presence.

John 14:23 (NKJV)
²³  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

--The second reason we must be one is again found in the prayer of Jesus. This is so powerful and important:

John 17:21&23 (NLT2)
²¹  I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe you sent Me.
²³  I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. 

--The phrase in verse 21 And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 

--The phrase in verse 23 May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 

--This chapter has so many nuggets of truth that should inspire us to greater unity and oneness. The obvious is that if we really care about the lost we will always strive to be one.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) ³⁴  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
³⁵  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

--Finally, being one is an answer to Jesus’s prayer, it pleases the heart of God the Father, it is obedience to God’s will, and it sends a message to the world that Jesus is the Son of God.

--But there is one more thing that unity and oneness lets us know:

John 17:23 (NLT2)
²³  I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. 

-- May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. You love them as much as you love Me. How wonderful.

A Soul that Thirsts for God - 4

A Soul that Thirsts for God - 4

Subject – Having a Determined Purpose is not Easy

By Rick Welborne

Psalm 42:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
²  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 

Philippians 3:10 AMP                                                                                                                                         [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him—that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.   

--Tonight let’s look at two more essential decisions, each related to a discipline (we are disciples), that will help us develop an in-depth intimacy with Christ and Holy Spirit. 

--If you are serious about becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with God, you will find these two decisions will help you in that process. 

--Last week we looked at these two disciplines and they had ouch written all over them. It only gets tougher.

Reordering One’s Private World: The Discipline of Simplicity

--Everything we encounter in this world works against reordering and simplifying our lives. Yes, everything. Our world is cluttered with junk and is extremely complicated. 

Ecclesiastes 7:29 (TEV)                                                                                                                                        29 God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.

--Solomon was definitely right…We have made ourselves very complicated. Not only do we acquire more stuff, we accumulate more and more and run out of room to keep it. 

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV) ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Being Still: The Discipline of Silence

--I have almost found in my own personal life that this challenge is insurmountable. Another family crisis, another funeral, and just life keeps us from the times of silence. But listen to the Psalmist:

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV) 

¹⁰  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 

Swindoll – Noise and words and frenzied, hectic schedules dull our senses, closing our ears to His still small voice and making us numb to His touch.

--Intimacy with Jesus calls for disciplines that are no longer valued or emulated by our society. We must begin with simplicity which allows us to re-order our private world. 

--After this, there must be silence…Be still and know that I am God. This silence and stillness allows us to be able to hear from God and allow for the closeness we so desperately need. 

--All of us can testify, God does not speak to a hurried, worried mind. It takes time alone with Him and His word before we can expect our spiritual strength to recover. Two more disciplines today.

1. Cultivating Serenity: The Discipline of Solitude

--We all understand (hopefully) the value of companionship to enable us to be encouraged, accountable, and challenged. But please do not miss the discipline of solitude where we cultivate serenity.

Serenity – the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. 

--Solitude has been called the “furnace of transformation.” Not just a quick-stop of privacy where we gain just enough strength to keep going. It becomes an oasis of the soul.

--It is where we see ourselves, others, and especially our God in new ways. It is where the clutter of our lives is identified and exterminated. Soul surgery transpires as serenity replaces anxiety.

Swindoll – In solitude, struggles occur that no one else knows about. Inner battles are fought here that seldom become fodder for sermons or illustrations for books. God, Who probes our deepest thoughts during protracted segments of solitude, opens our eyes to things that need attention. It is here He makes us aware of those things we try to hide from others. 

--Henri Nouwen describes solitude as a place to get rid of scaffolding that holds us up: no friends to talk to, no phones, no meetings, not even music, no books except the Bible.

--Just us, naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken, nothing. It is in this nothingness that I have to face my solitude. So much nothingness that all I want to do is run to my friends, work, my phone. It hurts.

--As we stay in our solitude we have confusing thoughts, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird thoughts attack my mind like wild monkeys in a banana tree. Anger and greed show up. 

--Wow, Pastor Rick, that sounds terrible. Our task is to persevere in solitude, to stay in our isolation, until the monkeys (demons) decide to leave. Most of us resist this kind of soul searching because it is too severe.

--We think; life is way too short for this kind of scrutiny. My religious show must continue! No, the point of the discipline of solitude is to stop the show. Listen to the Psalmist inviting this examination.

Psalm 139:1-4, 23 -24 (NKJV) ¹ O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
²  You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
³  You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴  For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
²³  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
²⁴  And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. 

--The Apostle Paul sees the church at Corinth abusing the wonderful Lord’s supper so he corrects them. He tells not to neglect those who are hungry. Don’t get drunk. Listen to his instruction:

1 Cor. 11:28-31 (NKJV) ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
²⁹  For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
³⁰  For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
³¹  For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

--If we refuse to take these times of solitude we find ourselves continuing busy with no hope of serenity.

--Tt is time for judgment to begin and to begin at the house of God. God never intended His church to become a place of empty, endless chatter. Self-examination is necessary if we will grow up in the Lord.

--Listen to Jesus’ admonishment to His disciples after a time of ministry to the people. 

Mark 6:30-32 (NKJV) ³⁰ Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
³¹  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
³²  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

--Sadly the people chased them down before they could rest but Jesus’ words still resonate with us for solitude. Swindoll strongly encourages us to keep a journal of these times of solitude. 

2. Trusting the Lord Completely: The Discipline of Surrender

--All of us have heard how “trusting in the Lord” is not a new concept or a new revelation to the church. Just a few days ago someone said the verses about trusting in the Lord were their life verses.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

--Though it has been used and re-used the fact remains that God is inviting us in all of our ways, in everything we are doing or hoping to do, that we should trust Him with all of hearts. Easy to say but hard to do.

--If we have a determined purpose, like Paul, to become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Jesus, we cannot try to work out the details of our own lives. We must trust Him fully.

--This generation, thanks to us who have raised them, pretty much cannot stand the word “surrender” so the discipline of surrender sounds ridiculous. No one surrenders anything now days.

--Our kids have never had to learn to trust God because we have taught them to trust us more than God. Thus, we raise kids who become adults not knowing how to trust God with all their hearts.

--They want it, we get it. They do not have to work for it or change anything about their lives and we oblige to serve them. They don’t appreciate it and then, they want more. We give it. Remember working?

--We have been cheating this generation out of trusting and surrender. Too bad, since it is in trusting and surrender that some of God’s greatest treasures are found. Listen to Swindoll about trusting God:

Swindoll – I’m finally learning that His sovereign plan is the best plan. That whatever I entrust to Him, He can take care of better than I. That nothing under His control can ever be out of control. That everything I need, He knows about in every detail. When I keep my hands out of things, His will is accomplished. His Name is exalted, and His glory is magnified. 

--I hope we are learning that surrendering to our sovereign Lord, leaving the details of our future in His hands, is the most responsible act of obedience we can do. Find solitude, learn to trust, and find intimacy. 

--Trusting will make me a deeper person passionately loving Him with all my heart. Intimacy!