E4 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Heart and Mind of Jesus - Moving forward after we hear - lesson #3

Date: 4/26/2021

Contact: info@hopesharbor.net

Key verse(s):

·         Col 1:28 - Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

Intro:

·         So that we don’t forget the importance of fellowship between Christians I want to lead into this devotion with a lesson revealed to me by fire.

·         Last night I experience something while sitting by a bonfire that is a mystery. It is the effect sitting around a fire had on me. It must be primal because it reaches beyond my normal reluctance to be in a group setting. This is by no means a slight against those who were there. It’s something I learned in childhood, how to withdraw within.

·         So, this morning while watching the fire in the fireplace I saw a log on top I had just placed there. It was contributing nothing to the fire at the moment. The fire had to exert an influence on that cold dead log. And it did this without an agenda or hidden motive, it’s just what fire does, what it was created to do.

·         Eventually that dead log came to life and gave back to the effort of the other logs. Then it hit me. Those logs once involved in the process release their potential, but only at the expense of their existence.

·         Do you see the lesson in this?

·         As we go through this lesson think about how Jesus came and lit a fire among the men and women who heard what He preached. The choice for us then becomes whether we will lay dead and cold, contributing nothing to our brothers and sisters in the faith, or catch the fire of what Jesus taught.

·         I thought of examples of people who responded to what they heard and how their fire spread throughout the world and down through the centuries since.

·         The key verse of Col 1:28 – ‘Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,’ reveals what happened to Paul after he heard Jesus speak.

·         This is the goal of every conscientious Christian teaching the Word of GOD – the goal to provide the means needed for growth and maturity in those who we teach.

·         To teach well is my responsibility – to learn and apply is yours.

·         Turn to Acts 9:3-16 (Read the passage)

Act 9:3 - As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Act 9:4 - Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

Act 9:5 - And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Act 9:6 - So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

Act 9:7 - And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Act 9:8 - Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

Act 9:9 - And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Act 9:10 - Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him, the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."

Act 9:11 - So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

Act 9:12 - And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."

Act 9:13 - Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

Act 9:14 - And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."

Act 9:15 - But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

Act 9:16 - For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

Lesson point:

To change or not change after we hear

·         What do you do with the Scripture you read or the Word you hear from GOD?

·         I’m reading from Luke 2:8-9, 17

·         Luke 2:8 - Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

·         Luke 2:9 - And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

·         Luke 2:17 - Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

·         The shepherds acted on what they were told.

·         “What has been told us” In Luke 4:4 are the words of Jesus – This verse is the first recorded words of Jesus in the book of Luke after He became of age to become a rabbi. He is in the wilderness for a showdown with Satan. Facing Satan as a man and not as GOD, Satan initiated the assault intended to destroy Jesus and the mission for which He came.

·         Listen to Jesus as He blunts the assault. “But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.' "

·         Last week we saw in Luke 4:18 Jesus proclaimed "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR;…’ this means Jesus was commissioned to preach the Gospel. Throughout the book of Luke, we see Jesus as He goes about fulfilling His duty to proclaim GOD’s Word.

·         Let’s stop right here and consider something: Where would we be right now if Jesus had not moved forward with doing His duty?

·         What happens to people when we don’t do our duty to or for them?

·         Summary: I need you all to do something. I need you to think about your life in light of Jesus’ commands through the Gospels and elsewhere and evaluate any area of your duty that you are not fulfilling. Don’t let Satan stab you with guilt. Rebuke him by quoting Scripture as Jesus did. Then be honest with yourself.

·         I suppose the question is: what kind of fire do we want? Is a fire within you that you can share with other Christians going through a hard time? If you don’t’ have that fire within, will you throw your log on the fire?

Action to consider: Write down on a 3x5 card what the Holy Spirit reveals to you concerning a duty to fulfill. Keep it with you throughout the week and do something about it.

Next week’s episode: Beyond belief -