Moving On!

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed
Lesson Six

Dear Thursday Class:

Wow, what a day! We completed the Deeper Still course, had lunch, and watched a bonus DVD to complete a great year of Bible Study. We finished well! Our prayer team prayed throughout this course and this year's studies that each one of you would receive a "rhema" word, a specific word from the Lord that you can apply to your life. Bible Study is NOT about information - it's about TRANSFORMATION. This transformation should lead us all to a closer and more holy walk with God - SANCTIFICATION.

As we discussed in class, this maturing is difficult because the flesh screams out and demands what it sees, hears, and touches. Like King David, when we arrive at the top, we are most vulnerable to the seductions of the world. Chuck Swindoll said it best in his biography of David: ( p. 141, "A Man of Passion and Destiny: David")

3 Lasting Lessons Learned at David's Expense

1. Prosperity and ease are perilous times, not merely blessings.

2. Gross sin is a culmination of a process, not a sudden act.

3. Confession and repentance help heal a wound, but they will never erase all of the scars.

So, with hindsight, let's look at King David's life. What would you say were the highlights of his life? Perhaps the slaying of Goliath? Or maybe becoming king over Israel? Or his vast military accomplishments? I would also have to mention becoming the father of the wisest king of all times - Solomon, and also, the purchase of the land and the preparation of the greatest temple of all times. Yet, do we realize that both of the accolades came out of situations of sin and failure from David's life? God can take our messed up and sinful situations and make masterpieces when we hit the dirt with repentant hearts and lay ourselves at his feet. Look at this precious verse below recorded toward the end of David's life:1 Kings 1:48 –David is speaking

The king has also said thus, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.”


David, who had really messed up – once with Bathsheba ( 2 Sam 11) and another major time in ( 2 Sam 28) when he took a census of the people and God had told him not to, was at the end of his life having the privilege of seeing his son, Solomon, fulfill God’s plan for his life. What an awesome way to finish – being allowed the opportunity to see your child fulfill God’s plan for their life.

But the best is yet for you to be aware of – David – a liar, adulterer, manipulator, murderer, a transgressor of what God had explicitly told him not to do - finishes well. David repented and is known for having a heart that chased God. So, let’s look at what God has done “asah” ( to make something out of what is already there – see Ps 126) with David’s mess. Think with me, who is Solomon’s mother? Bathsheba. What did David have to do as a result of his disobedient counting in 2 Sam 28? – He had to go to the threshing floor of Araunah and buy it to offer a sacrifice to God to stop the plague that had come upon the people. What is the significance of this property? It is the site of where Solomon would build the temple.(2 Chr 3:1)

WOW! God took David’s two Big Failures and made good come out of them. Listen, that is what He will do for you too. Give Him your burdens and cares. And better yet, give Him your mess. Seek His wisdom. A side note in my inductive study bible says this: "To have knowledge is to have information about something. To have wisdom is to have the ability to apply knowledge to daily life." That is what God's wisdom from above is - a capacity to discern and judge.

Listen, I am an ordinary messed up gal that God has chosen to use despite both my ADD and my sinful strong willed messes:

I have been arrested

I have dried my cat in the dryer

I have gotten into the back seat before when there was no one else there to drive

I have had 2 wrecks within 30 minutes

I have worn 2 different colored shoes on several occasions.

I have worn clothes inside out without knowing it until I got home.

I have been hurt so deeply that I have curled up into a corner of my house.

I have tasted the sting of death and survived it.

I have broken someone's heart because I would not face the truth.

I have walked away from God's best and ended up in my own "Chapter 11's."

I am no different than King David - my messes had consequences,

BUT GOD... yes, Mary Alice, I agree, these are two of the greatest words of the Bible - But God has time and time again made masterpieces out of my messes! Though I must live with the consequences of those actions, I can know that one day as I stand before the Father, He will not see nor recall my sin, for it is as far as the east is to the west. What He will though look at is what did I do with the giftings and abilities that He gave me. How did I steward over them and use them for the Kingdom of God? The question is, "Have we moved on past the messes of our lives? Are we striving to finish well or are we still dealing with the same old sin over and over again? David moved on! Matt's sermon speaks about this moving on we must do if we are truly mature in Christ.

Here are the notes from Matt Chandler's sermon on May 2, 2010: Stewards of Mystery http://northway.thevillagechurch.net/sermons

These are my paraphrased notes: (Colossians 1:24-28)

Paul is a steward of the mystery - which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. Paul knows it is NOT about us working on ourselves, cleaning up our act and pit - we must move on past our sin, receive the grace, moving on and becoming a steward of that grace. We have a responsibility to help disciple others as we go through our everyday lives.

1. Christianity is NOT about being consumed with our own sin and its clean up.

2. Christianity is NOT just about a destination. We were saved to go forth and proclaim the gospel.

3. Christianity is NOT about a certain group of people. Abraham was from Iraq, Ur of the Chaldea's. The Jews and the messianic line have several Gentiles within it. The Gentiles were fully grafted in with the birth of the church in Acts. It is Not about a certain people group.

4. Christianity is NOT about a certain place. God is no longer in a box or on a certain piece of ground. He is ever present within us. Holiness is NOT geographical. It is Christ in you - the hope of glory.


Matt said we have sugar-coated the WORD; got them saved, cute, and coming, but there is nothing there that truly satisfies or matures these new believers. We draw them in saying "Jesus is cool, He's one of us!" We are cool, but we are NOT holy.

Christianity IS about Holiness lived out in Maturing Believers as they go about their everyday lives, proclaiming the gospel, warning others of God's justice, but also giving His grace, and declaring and supporting the teachings of Christ.

Now, as we go this summer, may we move forward, and be holy as He is Holy, proclaiming Him to an unholy world, living out our faith before them. Please pray for Matt and keep up with his health at: http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/


In The Redeemer's Name, Yeshua,

How Do You Spell Relief? ----------------- R-E-L-E-A-S-E

Anointed. Transformed. Redeemed.
Lesson 3

Dear Thursday Class:

I am sure you all remember the demonstrative Rolaids' commercial years ago that coined the phrase, "How do you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S = Relief! I suppose, if your only problem is a little heartburn, that would suffice, but if you are suffering from the everyday woes and pains of living in a fallen world, we need a lot more than a few Rolaids! We need more than temporary relief - we need release! Jesus did not suffer and die for us to be relieved of the pain and sting of death, He died and rose again for us to be RELEASED from captivity and live as free men and women of God. Freedom from the punishment of breaking the law, and freedom from the power of sin. You see, for many of us, the problem is we claim the benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection and our future with Him in heaven, but we have failed to claim what His work accomplished for us TODAY! We have been set free! Nonetheless, many of us sit in an unlocked and unchained jail cell and refuse to get up and walk out. Even our prayers scream for relief and not release. Abundant and content life in Christ passes us by as we anxiously make it through another day just trying to get by on the prison rations.

What a sad way for us to live - prisoners in an unlocked cell with a toilet and sink in the corner and cold food served on a metal tray. Listen, you are a child of the Risen King of Kings, which means you are in the royal family of God. Your jailer, Satan, wants you to believe his lies - you don't deserve it - they have treated you badly, don't forgive - stay disappointed and discouraged because your expectations were not met - keep on trying to control and living in fear - don't trust anyone - become cynical and callous - etc. and etc. Yes, there they are again - the Deadly D's. Isn't it interesting that the downward spiral of sin starts in the mind, and most of the time with a disappointment, and then comes discouragement, and then comes despair, then doubt, then disbelief, then distraction, then double-mindedness - all in our minds. Then this wrong thinking leads us to wrong actions: dishonesty - deceit - dullness - deadness - delay - discord - defilement - defame and disobedience. And it all started with disappointment. Listen, if we don't learn to put our hope and trust in God alone, we will continually live a life of disappointments that lead us downward again and again. Yet, if I can mature and learn to see others through God's eyes, I can quickly take myself and my flesh out of the picture and avoid letting the disappointment spiral down into sin.

Example: Let's say that in the morning I get up and Keith says something to me that is short tempered and hurts my feelings, and I am disappointed in how he treated me. I then have a choice: I can stay in the jail cell, be disappointed, hurt, angry, discouraged, doubt, etc. Or, I can love Keith with God's agape love - perfect, unconditional love. The flesh is moved out and the indwelling Spirit takes charge, and I step out of the cell into freedom. Freedom because Keith is not mine, and I trust God to discipline him, IT"S NOT MY JOB! Therefore, I can now rest and go off duty. I am NOT the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit in me sets me free and allows me to be RELEASED!
Here are some other key truths from the lesson:

• God is not interested in just adjusting our lives. He wants us transformed.
• A good idea is not always a God idea.
• You can be guilty of doing the right thing the wrong way.
• A healthy fear of God causes me to run to Him, be blessed by Him, gain His favor, and gives me wisdom.
• An unhealthy fear STALLS-PARALYZES my FAITH! It causes me to run from Him, doubt Him, and His goodness.
• When God sometimes stops us from doing something for Him - what might He be trying to teach or show us?
  He might want to do something in or for us!
• Beware lest we become offended as we look at others lives and compare.
• Rather than become jealous or angry, David responded with joy and hope when he realized that Obed's house was blessed because of the ark's presence.
• Therefore, as we look at other's may we cry out glory to God for the great things He has done; rather than envy, seek His presence as David did.
• When I reach a crossroad of distress in this life … (I am working on memorizing these)
  
  I will Remember…
  The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
  (Nahum 1:7)
  The Lord is slow to anger, but great in power, but He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
  (Nahum 1:3a)
  What I will Do…
  “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord, I will wait on the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light to me. (Micah 7:7-8)
  I will stand on my guard post. I will station myself on the rampart. And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me. (Hab. 2:1)
  Even though…
  … the fig tree should not blossom.
  And there be no fruit on the vine.
  Though the yield of the olive should fail.
  And the fields produce no food.
  Though the flock be cut off from the fold,
  And there be no cattle in the stalls.
  Because I know…The righteous man will live by faith. (Hab. 2:4) not by sight. If it was seen it would not be faith –
  because faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. (Heb. 11:1)
  And I know The Lord is in His Holy Temple ...(Hab. 2:20a)
  Therefore ...I will exult in the Lord.
  I will rejoice in God of my salvation.
  The Lord God is my strength.
  And He has made my feet like hinds feet and has made me to walk on my high places. (Hab 3:17-19)
  so…let all of the earth be silent before Him (Hab.2:20b)
  He is our Ebenezer stone = our Thus Far God that has helped us
  He is also our This Far God that has brought us, kicking and screaming, laughing and crying, angry and fearful. He is patient toward us and His goodness and lovingkindness are everlasting.
  Who am I Oh Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me THIS FAR! 2 Sam 7:18b

Dear Lord, as I stop and reflect over my life and realize that You are my THUS FAR and THIS FAR God, may I ever be mindful that my ultimate purpose in this world is to bring glory and honor to YOU. May my life, scream GLORY to God, as Your presence consumes and transforms me. Lord I want more than an adjustment - I want more than relief - I want RELEASE!

In Jesus' name,