Big Dumb Hammer

God has to do it...

2012-01-19T01:08:00.000-08:00

This is what's churning in my heart, I can't sleep because of it, most nights anymore I'm up till 3 am unable to sleep because my hearts broken, these word are unartful, but they're too raw to be clear... when one's heart is breaking poetry comes broken from it, it comes out of your soul like soured clumpy milk, and it's too raw and it makes you hurt even to say the words...

My heart breaks, I read Isaiah and my heart breaks. He loved Israel so dearly, and they just wouldn't listen, they loved their blindness, they loved their sin too much, so they hated Isaiah and would eventually martyr him. Isaiah loved them and told them what was going to happen to them if they continued down their paths; they wouldn't listen, and would come to know more pain than they had to know, and a captivity that they didn't have to endure.

I see so many of the youth (and for that matter the adults) of Wewahitchka and my heart breaks. I see so much utter blindness. I feel as though I'm gone though multiple stages of emotional trauma; from anger, to hurt, to acceptance, to fighting, to heart ache and so on... I have the cure for their souls in my hands and they refuse to take it. Jesus is right there and they refuse to look up. So many (by their actions) are saying, 'I choose to die rather than give myself to Christ'... I've shed too many tears to count, I see a generation and a people bent on killing itself, a generation and a people I love so dearly, and I've come to the two thing I've started with...

"If I be lifted up I'll draw all men unto Me"
“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

God... I know You love Your people, You lived for them and You died for them... there is nothing in me that can save myself let alone another... God You have to do it, break their hearts for the things of God, remove there blindness... Father draw them that they might be saved for Your glory... I can't do it, it's all You, You have to do it. Save them... Save them... Save them...

I'm praying for you Wewa, I'm praying for you my youth ministry, PLEASE listen when God calls you, our next moment isn't guaranteed, God's giving you a shot, take it and know the joy of a life in service to God, yes their will be difficulty but it's more than worth it... Trade your ashes, sin, Hell and isolation from God for His glory, righteousness, Heaven, and eternity with Him... This world isn't worth it... If this world and life could give you everything your flesh desired in exchange for knowing Him, it wouldn't be worth it... Too cheap a price for the Son of God!

The Fire Small Group Study...

2012-01-18T00:05:00.001-08:00

The Fire

Pray for at least five minutes a day.

Witness at least once a week and write it out.

Week 1

Memorize

Romans 3:23

1/30

Mark 1

1/31

Mark 2

2/1

Mark 3

2/2

Mark 4

2/3

Mark 5

2/4

Mark 6

2/5

Mark 7

Week 2

Memorize

Romans 6:23

2/6

Mark 8

2/7

Mark 9

2/8

Mark 10

2/9

Mark 11

2/10

Mark 12

2/11

Mark13

2/12

Mark 14

Week 3

Memorize

Romans 5:8

2/13

Mark 15

2/14

Mark 16

2/15

Isaiah 2

2/16

Isaiah 6

2/17

Isaiah 7

2/18

Isaiah 9

2/19

Isaiah 28

Week 4

Memorize

Romans 10:9

2/20

Isaiah 40

2/21

Isaiah 42

2/22

Isaiah 49

2/23

Isaiah 52

2/24

Isaiah 53

2/25

Isaiah 55

2/26

Isaiah 58

Oswald Chambers idea of Christian perfection...

2011-12-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

"Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life...I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself." - O. Chambers

This is my prayer, and in all honesty should be every Christians prayer... 'God help me with "X" sin' is good, but the better prayer is 'God make me more like you, bring me closer to You every day and in every detail of myself.' 'God show me what you want me to do with my life' is good, but the better prayer is 'God make me more like you, bring me closer to You every day and in every detail of myself.' Etc.

The point is, as our closeness and relationship with God grows and there is less and less distance between us and God the other issues seem to work themselves out of our lives. All sin and moral deficiency is a branch from this one root, a lack of nearness to God. Now it is fine and good to pray for specific things, but let the greater prayer of your heart not be 'God make me not like this,' instead let the heart of your prayer (both in victory and failure) be 'Jesus make be more like You to the finest detail, bring me closer to You!'

Son Light is the greatest disinfectant, get close to Him and allow your life to glorify Him.

Matthew 5:20, 6:5-18 Small Group Notes (Prayer and Fasting)

2011-11-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:20,6:5-18

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is, in effect – Narrow all your interest until the attitude of mind and heart and body is concentration on Jesus Christ. - Oswald Chambers

A text without a context is a pretext…

V20 – Written in the context of twisting the Law… They (like lawyers) followed the letter of the law but forgot its spirit and purpose, a heart change not behavioral adjustments, get the heart right and actions will follow… “Our righteousness, then--if it is to contrast with the outward and formal righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees--must be inward, vital, spiritual.” … This was no new doctrine (Ro 2:28, 29; 9:6; Php 3:3). But our Lord's teaching here stretches beyond the present scene, to that everlasting stage of the kingdom, where without "purity of heart" none "shall see God." The main point is to check your heart in all you do…

In Matthew 6:1-4 it tells us to give to others, not in a way to be noticed by men, but quietly that God may receive the glory. So here we’re seeing we need to do good and for the right reasons. Then we come to verse 5…

V5 – “When you pray” notice it doesn’t say, ‘if you pray.’ It’s Jesus’ desire that you have an active prayer life… It’s very clearly saying not to pray in a way that says, ‘look at how holy I am,’ but is it saying that no prayer could be prayed in public?

V6 – “Inner room” = Storeroom… In the first century, most rooms within a house didn’t have doors, so unlike most of the rooms in the house it had a door that could be closed… So in prayer get alone with God, just you and Him…

Jesus is encouraging this for many reasons; helps you focus, allows you to be totally honest without thinking about what others may think, there’s no one else in the room to impress so it strips away pretenses, and God loves to reward things done in secret meant only for God’s ears, etc…

There are a lot of examples of this “Inner room” prayer; (Jesus) Mark 1:35, 7:33, 8:23, (Peter) Acts 9:40, (Elijah) 1 Kings 17:19, (Elisha) 2 Kings 4:33… but there are countless examples of public prayer to (the Lord’s Prayer itself was a public prayer)

“It is the retiring character of true prayer which is here taught.” The main point isn’t that we shouldn’t pray in public, only that our hearts need to be right when we do.

V7 – This is delusional… Pagans would name off all the gods they knew hoping that by repetition they would respond with a ‘yes’ to their needs… This method of heathen devotion is still observed by Hindu and Islamic devotees…

Jesus wasn’t condemning long prayers, or waiting in prayer, but only meaningless, mindless verbiage in prayer… praying much, and using at times the same words, is not here condemned, but don’t think that the more God hears you say your need means He’s more likely to meet the need…

V8 – Prayer in some ways is more about you than God. He already knows all that you need, you’re not giving Him new information when you’re praying… so what are you doing then when you’re praying?

You’re talking to God, you are listening to God. Good relationships require communication… When you’re giving Him your needs and you’re expressing your trust in Him and allowing God to move in the situation (James 4:3)… You’re being obedient to God, etc…

V9 – “Father… Heaven.” Here we express His nearness to us; in the latter, His distance from us… The first three petitions have to do exclusively with God: "Thy name be hallowed"--"Thy kingdom come"--"Thy will be done." And they occur in a descending scale--from Himself down to the manifestation of Himself in His kingdom; and from His kingdom to the entire subjection of its subjects, or the complete doing of His will. The remaining four petitions have to do with OURSELVES: "Give us our daily bread"--"Forgive us our debts"--"Lead us not into temptation"--"Deliver us from evil." But these latter petitions occur in an ascending scale--from the bodily wants of every day up to our final deliverance from all evil.

When you’re talking to God, you need to give Him the glory due Him (as much as we can in this present world)

A side note – You don’t need to use the Lord’s Prayer every time you pray. There is “no example of its actual use, or express quotation of its phraseology, occurs in the sequel of the New Testament, we are to guard against a superstitious use of it.”

V10 – “The kingdom of God is that moral and spiritual kingdom which the God of grace is setting up in this fallen world, whose subjects consist of as many as have been brought into hearty subjection to His gracious scepter (i.e. Christians), and of which His Son Jesus is the glorious Head.”

"Thy kingdom come," it irresistibly stretches the wings of its faith, and longing, and joyous expectation out to the final and glorious consummation of the kingdom of God. (The Blessed Hope of someday seeing Him in Heaven…)

"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"--would then bring us back to this present state of imperfection… We’re not in heaven (hold your shock) so His Kingdom hasn’t fully enveloped the earth, so we pray that God’s love and Will would be more fully realized in the world around us…

V11 – “Among commentators, there was early shown an inclination to understand this as a prayer for the heavenly bread, or spiritual nourishment; and in this they have been followed by many superior expositors, even down to our own times. But as this is quite unnatural, so it deprives the Christian of one of the sweetest of his privileges--to cast his bodily wants in this short prayer, by one simple petition, upon his heavenly Father.”

Basically God cares about our day-to-day needs and wants to meet them… Also expressed is this; “In limiting our petitions, however, to provision for the day, what a spirit of childlike dependence does the Lord both demand and beget!” We don’t just need to depend on God periodically, but we need to know and live out this truth – every moment we’re alive we’re in total dependency upon God. So say this truth and live this truth…

V12 – In this verse “debts” = sins (it’s the same meaning here)

“God sees His own image reflected in His forgiving children; but to ask God for what we ourselves refuse to men, is to insult Him. So much stress does our Lord put upon this, that immediately after the close of this prayer, it is the one point in it which He comes back upon” (V14-15)

Basically, if you’ve truly committed yourself to God, and been forgiven, you must be able to forgive others that have sin against you. Not that forgiving is easy within ourselves, but it is possible in dependency upon Christ…

V13 – “And… Temptation.” – “There is some difficulty in the form of the petition, as it is certain that God does bring His people--as He did Abraham, and Christ Himself--into circumstances both fitted and designed to try them, or test the strength of their faith.”

“We incline to take it as a prayer against being drawn or sucked, of our own will, into temptation, to which the word here used seems to lend some countenance--"Introduce us not." This view, while it does not put into our mouths a prayer against being tempted--which is more than the divine procedure would seem to warrant--does not, on the other hand, change the sense of the petition into one for support under temptation, which the words will hardly bear; but it gives us a subject for prayer, in regard to temptation, most definite, and of all others most needful.”

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation"? (Mt 26:41).

It’s one thing to face a trial that refines us, makes us more like Him, and brings honor to Him and His deliverance. It’s another thing to fall to “the flesh” and give into our favorite sins… that’s what He’s telling us to pray against.

“But… evil”—“We can see no good reason for regarding this as but the second half of the sixth petition… The final petition, then, is only rightly grasped when regarded as a prayer for deliverance from all evil of whatever kind--not only from sin, but from all its consequences--fully and finally.”

Recapping the points of the Lord’s Prayer (Red is the prayer, black is the point)

23 Elements of the Lord’s Prayer

Relationship: Our Father Recognition: who is in heaven, Adoration: Hallowed be Your name. Anticipation: Your kingdom come. Consecration: Your will be done,  Universality: On earth Conformity: as it is in heaven.  Supplication: Give us Definiteness: this day Necessity: our daily bread.  Penitence: And forgive us Obligations and Sins: our debts, Forgiveness: as we also have forgiven Love and Mercy: our debtors. Guidance: And do not lead us Protection: (not) into temptation, Salvation: but deliver us Righteousness: from evil. Faith: For Yours is the kingdom Humility: and the power Reverence: and the glory Timelessness: forever. Affirmation: Amen.’

V16 – The Jews when they fasted would put smeared ashes on their faces… As well traditionally Monday and Thursday priests would fast regularly… mosaic law only had one regularly commanded fast (the day of Atonement). After the exile four more were added… They were doing right in fasting but it was not the deed, but reputation for the deed which they sought; and with this view those hypocrites multiplied their fasts… God wants you to fast regularly as He leads you but not to show off…

V17,18 – Basically maintain regular appearance, and don’t make a show of it… as well don’t complain about fasting… And if you do God will bless you and answer your needs as He wills…

Matt 6:1-18 (Giving, Prayer and Fasting) are all spiritual disciplines, and all are meant to honor God, not to be done to receive honor from men. As well if done in the right heart, to honor God, God will richly honor (as a byproduct) those who make these disciplines a part of their lives…

So give, pray and fast, but do it with the right heart!

Mark 1:35