“Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis
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What Spiritual Blessings did you find this week? List those here: (Eph 1: Also look at 2 Corinthians 5:18) Remember how we recognize a Spiritual Blessing? By looking for the key words: in Him, by Him, through Him, or any other prepositional phrase referring to Christ. The Spiritual Blessing will be immediately associated with those words because the Holy Spirit always gives glory to Christ for every spiritual blessing. If we are full of the Spirit, what should we do?
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About Rule Following: There is a developmental pattern in the way we grow with respect to moral conduct.
When we surrender to God, He can do all His glorious work in us through His Spirit. If we are only partially surrendered to Him then He is hindered in His Work. Andrew Murray uses this example of a pen that refuses to write or to move with our hand, then writing is not accomplished. If we maintain part control and do not give it over to God, then His glory in our life is not accomplished. Our Goal in these lessons is to learn HOW TO totally and absolutely surrender to God.
If you won the lottery would you not call friends to tell them? You have gained more than silver and gold. Have you shared your joy with those outside of the Lord?
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Jesus took fishermen to the sea to teach them about the Gospel. He said, “I will make you fishers of men”. We are not fishermen so I truly do not believe Jesus would take me to the sea to teach me about “making disciples”. Where DO you think Jesus would take us if he were to visit us and teach us about making disciples?
EXCITEMENT FOR CHRIST
Did you raise your hands at a concert or ball game this week? Did these superficial events claim more honor than praise to God this week? Did you share a ball game score on Facebook this week? Did you share a word of Praise to God on Facebook?
It may make us feel good to attend a service on Sunday…but it doesn’t impress God.
Total Self Sacrifice is all that Christ accepts. Let’s re-read Romans 12:1-2.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice**, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper worship (ministerial duty as a priest of God). Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Now let’s read 1 Peter 2:5 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual
sacrifices** acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
** sacrifice = victim
He WANTs ALL OF YOU. You are the Spiritual Sacrifice (victim) that God requires. For God to work in our lives He needs us to surrender in our weakness for His glory.
Remember 2 Thess 1:7f? What two kinds of people at judgment that are in specific trouble? These are those who:
(1) Know Not God
(2) Obey Not the Gospel = “unknown by God”
SECTION 2: BEING KNOWN BY GOD (Obeying the Gospel) versus Following Rules (Chapter 5)
I’d like to take a side step here to discuss this development so you will have a few tools to understand another reason why everyone does not see Scripture alike.
The Stages of Moral Development: (Kohlberg's Moral Development)
Kohlberg's six stages of moral development are progressive and non-regressive. Stages cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors
Level 1 (Pre-Conventional) 2 years to 10 years of age
Pre-Conventional behavior is the result of external forces such as those from authoritarian figures and fear. This is especially common in children, but can also be seen in reasoning for some adults who never grew past this level. Reasoners at this level judge the morality of an action by its direct consequences. This level is ego- centric and; self-absorbed. This level has 2 stages:
STAGE 1. Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?) This is the stage where when “hell fire and damnation” sermons are preached, they often scare young listeners into responding. These youngsters have not yet developed the capacity to think abstractly about love, sacrifice, or sanctification. Listeners who are immature and only behave “good” because they fear punishment.
STAGE 2. Self-interest orientation (What's in it for me?) “ I won’t tell on you, if you won’t tell on me.” “Please pass the salt” gets you the salt instead of a lecture. This is also a very immature stage. It satisfies the needs of “self”. It is “self-seeking”. I’ll say “Please and Thank you” if it makes you think of me in a better light. I’ll attend services because that makes me look good to others.
----Along with Self-interest is the notion of
Paying for a benefit: “I’ll do “good” if I can benefit from it. If I can talk about it, brag about it, or others see me in a beneficial way.”
Level 2 (Conventional) ~10 years to adult
Conventional Behavior mimics the social norms of the society which has the power to judge. Following conventional behavior has
very little to do with a
commitment to God or relationship with the Lord. Reasoning at this level judges morality by what is acceptable to society. If abortion is “in”, then abortion is “ok”. If abortion is “out” as it was 50 years ago, then abortion is a sin. Adolescents and many adults continue to think at this level.
STAGE 3. Interpersonal accord and conformity (Social norms) I do what my peers do. I judge my actions by societies rules. I mimic the social norms. If my group recognizes gay marriages, then I see nothing wrong with them. In Rome during the 1st century everyone worshipped the Emporer because that was the social norm--fullfulling a role in society.
I seek approval from others. If my parents attend church on Sundays, then I attend. I do what is expected of me because I consider it socially acceptable.
The good boy/good girl attitude: I see that others judge me by what I say and do and therefore I behave as a “good” person behaves.
I judge myself through the eyes of others. I become a Boy Scout because good boys do that.
STAGE 4.
Authority and social-order (Law and order morality) This level is obedience driven. The moral reasoning has moved from the individual to what is good for society. If it is legal it is moral. If it is illegal, it is immoral. Christians
should have had a hard time with this in Nazi Germany. Most active members of society remain at this stage where morality is still predeominantly dictated by an outside force.
Level 3 (Post-Conventional) Very Few Adults (Narrow is the way!)
This level of moral development is based on
deep abiding principles. There are 2 levels to this stage. These levels progressively move an individual from the society’s view of morality to
internal abstract principles of right and wrong. For instance, the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself” or “love God with all your heart, mind, and soul” are ideals held in the heart and mind of the individual. People who reach stage six are altruistic and self-sacrificing because
they act on what they believe.
Examples often referred to at this stage: Jesus Christ, Mahoma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King. These people are “change agents”. They hold to principles above the norm and exemplify the best possible morality because they are unhindered by outside forces, society, or circumstances. \
This is the level of commitment to which Christ calls the believer to aspire. This is the level of reasoning that can truly respond to Gospel of Jesus Christ. They change their world by holding higher standards. They glorify God in all things.
WHAT is the difference between a "rule" and a "principle"?
While we are looking at Moral Development, let’s take a few minutes to look at Faith Development and its stages.
STAGES of FAITH Development: (Fowler's Hierarchy)
This is a quick overview and summarization:
Stage 0 Primal (0 to 2 years of age): This is a pre-stage of faith development, a time before language and conceptual thought are possible. The infant is forming a basic sense of trust, of being at home in the world. The infant is also forming pre-images of God or the Holy, and of the kind of world we live in. On this foundation of basic trust or mistrust is built all that comes later in terms of faith.
Stage 1 Self-Absorption: My family, my church, my lifestyle. We call this Inherited Faith. My daddy is bigger than your daddy. My church is better than your church.
Stage 2 Literal Faith: Stories from the Bible are taken in their literal context only. There is no meaning beyond the literal text. This stage is usually reserved for age 8 to adolescence, before the brain is able to think abstractly. However, many adults never grow beyond this level of faith. At this stage, the brain is incapable of thinking abstractly about
“love”, “sacrifice”, “commitment”, etc.
Stage 3: Peer Faith or Conventional Faith: this is faith based on the group that I “hang” with, silent conformity, finding one’s identity in aligning oneself with a certain group. Rules abound and are followed. Those who differ in opinion are seen as “the Other”, or “outsiders”. Religious authority figures (preachers, elders, staff) are seen as authorities of truth. If a contradiction emerges that cannot be reconciled it is ignored or not even seen (Monkey Business). The
group makes the rules and to be in the group,
one must follow the rules.
List examples of some of these rules:
Stage 4: Seeking Faith – the Seeker (adult- often at the college level)– At this level of development the brain is able to think more abstractly and to see many possibilities. Until these possibilities have been explored, researched, or tested, one cannot move on to the final stage of moral development. A seeker is one who is willing to face the “big” or difficult questions of both identity and belief. Authority shifts from an external force to an internal one.
Examination of one’s own values, beliefs, and priorities takes place at this stage. This may require one letting go of deeply help beliefs – working out one’s own salvation. Paradigms shift and one realizes that life is far more complex and that there is much more yet to be realized. They may study all types of religions, life-styles, or philosophies. They are looking for truth…..sometimes in all the wrong places. Often these folks become humbled through redefining what they thought was truth.
Reasoners at this stage question inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and norms. Religious authorities (preachers, elders, etc.) are no longer thought of as infallible. There is a certain degree of dissatisfaction with the status quo and social norms. These folks are idealistic and want to change the world. The problem here is that they must first learn that they need to be transformed.
Other times, these folks become prideful as they point fingers at those they consider "ignorant or wrong".
It is critical to become a SEEKER. Just accepting old beliefs keeps one at the Inherited Faith Stage. If you seek and find that your old beliefs are valid or invalid, it places you in the possition of moving onward and upward.
Stage 5 is FOUND FAITH – the Seer : The age for this stage is generally about age 30 to 40. This is the time in one’s life when faith in God results from recognizing the paradox of the Divine and the Created. There is a deepening readiness for a relationship with the Devine that includes an intimacy realized both in the interior of the soul and the communion with His Presence. After all the possibilities have been explored, after all the hard questions have been wrestled with, then one has the ability to actually CHOOSE who to serve. Peace is made with one’s past and the Spirit brings to Light a new sense of righteousness found only through a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. At this stage one is truly ready to become a follower of Christ.
Of course, another alternative arises at this stage and that is the Seer may choose to be an agnostic or an atheist. Again, these are choices made after looking in all the wrong places.
A Christian Seer, however, is one who can look deeply into Scripture, challenge the myths and standards that they once accepted blindly and commit to a new kind of Spiritual Walk. It is an overwhelming, ecstatic stage in which one is radically opened to the possibilities of God’s power. It is also the stage that begins the “terrifying” surrender to the Devine which transforms the personality and infuses it with the vision and courage to serve others.
Stage 6: Universalizing Faith – Reaching this stage is rare (Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa are always named at this stage because they looked beyond themselves, negated themselves for the sake of
affirming God’s reality. For those who are “in Christ”, this stage completely transforms the believer by Christ-consciousness (Practicing Presence). The believer who reaches this stage puts on the characteristics of Christ, is not concerned with rules, but relationship. Is not concerned with judging others, but serving them. No challenge is too great. They take on leadership which inevitably produces suffering, AND endangers ego, survival, security, property, and status. Life is both loved fully and held loosely. These believers are at home in any circumstance because they walk in the Spirit.
Stage 7: There are few words for this stage. It is the realization that all who are “in Christ” have LIFE, eternal life, and there will be little difference between living in Stage 7 and being in Heaven (Presence of God). Paul reached this stage. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Enoch reached this stage and God took Him.
(Modified from : Reflections by Toni Cook on the work of James W. Fowler)
As we can see, merely following rules is
at the lowest levels of moral and faith development. Let's see what it takes to Follow Christ.
Clearing up the "Monkey Business":
The
Second Condition in danger of Judgment, according to 2 Thess 1:7f are those who
DO NOT OBEY the Gospel (those unknown by God).
So what is the Gospel? Thankfully, we don’t have to guess at that. 1 Cor 15:1-3 tells what it is. TURN THERE and we will mark this passage.
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By
this gospel you are saved,
if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise,
you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of
first importance: that (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
(2) that
he was buried, that
(3) he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
In the back of your mind you should be asking…..how do I obey that?
Thankfully, we don’t have to make up an answer here either. We can find it in Romans 6:3-11. Please turn there.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were
(1) baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore
(2) buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
(3) just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For
if we have been
(1) united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be
(3)united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our
(1) old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
(1) because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now
if we
(1) died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way,
count yourselves (1) dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
WHAT IS THE EMPHASIS IN THESE PASSAGES? What is mentioned more than any other idea in these verses?
In Ephesians 1, we found many blessings that one would have IF THEY WERE “IN CHRIST”. Many Scriptures deal with those who ARE IN CHRIST. But only two Scriptures deal with how we get INTO Christ. Do you know what they are?
Galatians 3: 26-27 and Romans 6: 3-11
Quoting David Platt, a Baptist preacher for a mega church in Birmingham, Alabama who wrote the next book I would love to share with you:
Radical, Taking our Faith back from the American Dream. He stated, “When did we ever assume that signing a card, making a statement or saying a prayer made you a Disciple of Jesus? It is simply not in the Bible.”
That’s good to hear since many TV preachers have made a living out of this “non-gospel nonsense”. But let’s not assume that we know everything we need to know about becoming a Disciple of Christ.
Let's look at an Old Testament Pattern given to Bring us to Christ. Galatians 3:24
Tabernacle: partition with 3 veils (Trinity). The first thing you would run into is a huge alter. This represents the
first step in approaching God. We are the sacrifice. We are the victim. We need to “die to self”. Turn away from being in control (
repent of the direction we have been taking in life). Commit to a new direction, new master, new hope, new service, new life. This decision is not enough. We must completely die, slay ourselves before God. After the priests make this sacrifice, they washed themselves in the laver where water and blood were mingled to cleanse them of all sin. Then and only then were priests allowed to enter the Holy place in service to God. Then and only then do we have access to the Holy Places, the Presence of God– as a priest of God. (1 Peter 2:5-9)
What is the first obvious place in the tabernacle?
As priests of God we mimic Christ who became both our priest and our sacrifice. We are priests and sacrifices. The problem is we are living sacrifices and keep crawling off the alter! We must continually offer up our living sacrifice (1 Peter 2:5).
PATTERN (1)DIE, Absolute surrender, take up your cross,
(2) Be Cleansed by the washing of water & the word (Ephesians 5:26)
(3) Total commitment to service in His Presence as priests of God.
Look again at Christ's Example: Luke 3: 21-23 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was
(1) baptized too and as he was
(2) praying, heaven was opened and the
(3) Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:
(4) “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
23 Now Jesus himself was about
(5) thirty years old when he began his ministry.
Five significant examples happened here. Jesus went into the waters of baptism praying. What would He have prayed for? Then the Holy Spirit descended and God accepted Him as His Son. Jesus was about 30 years old –old enough to make a commitment in ministry and fulfill His commitment.
Who says we need to pray in Baptism?: Acts 22:16 “16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away,
calling on the Name of the Lord.’
--
Calling on the Name of the Lord is another way of saying “beseeching God” to do His work. What work does God do in Baptism?
Acts 2:21, 38 – If we call on Him in baptism, He washes away all our sins and sends the Holy Spirit to reveal our Spiritual Blessings. Romans 10:13 repeats this to Christians who need to continually call on God. First in baptism, then continually Galatians 4:6
Is it OK if I only believe that baptism is a work of man (a rule I need to check off) and not a work of God? Colossians 2:12
12 having been
(2)buried with him in baptism, in which
(3) you were also raised with him
through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Verse 11 talks about dying first)
Until we understand that the Christian life is
a life of submission, we cannot become a Christian. First, one must submit in baptism. Baptism is not an ACT which we do, it is something that we SUBMIT to. We submit to a death (to self), burial, and resurrection to a new life. We submit to the operation of God upon our heart, mind, and soul to move us out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We display our faith in the operation of God,
by calling on His Name in prayer as we go into the waters of baptism. The New Life in Christ requires that one
continually submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Work that God performs in baptism is reflected in Ephesians the first chapter. He supplies us with all Spiritual Blessings IF we are IN CHRIST.
What does the Holy Spirit bring? 1 Cor 2: 9-10 “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”— the
things God has prepared for those who love him—
10
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. …… 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because
they are discerned only through the Spirit.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE ARE KNOWN BY GOD?
We gain our
introduction to God through faith in God’s Power to bring a Savior into the world and
through His blood. But not by Faith alone (James 2:24) How do we contact the blood of Jesus? (Romans 5:2 ) We must be
UNITED with HIM in the likeness of His Death and bury our old self in the waters of baptism (Romans 6). We
MUST DIE in absolute surrender and
CHRIST MUST REIGN in absolute power. We must
be raised up with Him in the likeness of His resurrection committing to a new life
hidden in Christ (Col 3:1-4) and in His Glory and Power.
Simply being “dunked” in water and/or confessing, “yes” to a question asked in front of a congregation is NOT the Biblical example: We see that one must: (1) Deny self, (2) Claim Christ as Lord by continually giving the Great Confession among many witnesses John 4:42, 11:27; OR Romans 1:16; 10:9-10 written to Christians that needed to continue to confess Him even at the point of death as Nero was on the throne, (3) Be United with Christ in Baptism, and (4) Continually exhibit evidence of a commitment to dying to self (Romans 6:8) True repentance = turning away from the life of “self” to the life of “slave” for Christ.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: After understanding the levels of development for faith and morality, how old should one be when they accept the Gospel call? At what age is someone capable of making a commitment to abstract principles of sacrifice, service, and sanctification?
“Following Jesus or Following Rules?” GROUP Discussion:
What indicators would be evidenced in someone who followed the rules instead of following Christ? What would they look like, act like, be like?
What indicators would be evidenced in someone who is a follower of Jesus (Christ-filled)?
What does a Christ-filled worship service look like & sound like?
HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 6 (not a Fan) and Apply in the following ways:
(1)
MEDITATE on how one comes to Christ: Re-read through this handout. Make notes in your journal about insights you might have on this lesson. It is important not to ignore inconsistencies which may have arisen with this lesson, but in prayer and in meditation seek out what God is revealing to us in His word.
(2)
Pray to gain PASSION for Christ and His Power: The following sentences are quotes from the pulpit. Rewrite them in a way that would express your belief in the Power of God.
If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God . If we truly believe that He is everything and we are nothing. If we truly believe that we CAN DO NOTHING apart from God…..how might we reword these sentences to express that faith? Think carefully and thoughtfully. Be ready to share these next week. This will go along with our next chapter (Chapter 6: Self-Empowered or Spirit-Filled?)
(a) This congregation has done a great job in serving the community of Tyler.
(b) We have got some great talent in this church.
(c) Good job, brother ___________, that was a great lesson.
(d) Boy! That singing was just amazing.
(e) We have in our audience today Bro & Sis ___________ who would like to place membership with us today.
(f) Our staff members have done an exceptional job in planning and implementing our Vacation Bible School.
(g) Our young people did a fantastic job at LTC.
(h) We are so pleased that the contribution for World Missions exceeded the goal of $1 million dollars.
(i) We just want to thank everyone who gave towards the payoff of our building. We are no longer in debt!
(j) The deacons put in some hard work getting our fellowship dinner to run smoothly.
Until we freely praise God and ACKNOWLEDGE HIM IN ALL THINGS, He will not direct our path. (Prov 3:5-7) If we do not praise Him in the assembly of the saints, do you think we will praise Him among strangers?
(3)
Extended PRAYER: Pray that the Lord will help you ACKNOWLEDGE Him in all things. Pray that God will give you the opportunity to praise Him among strangers (the nations).
Practice telling your story. Pray about how you need to present your story so that it might catch the attention of a “Seeker”.
(4) Reflect the LIGHT: Seekers are really “out there!” looking for someone to share the Light. Pray that you can be the Light to someone. Begin praying for the person for whom you know you need to share the Gospel with. Pray that God will open their heart and keep the Devil away from your efforts to share the Gospel. Pray for the Spirit to move in your heart and to give you the right things to say.
Seekers may not have completely left the church, they may actually return to help the church better serve the Lord. Pray for Seekers to find the Light.
