Monday, March 25, 2013

Bible Study: I am God's Own Son - Part 9


Hi Everyone
This part concludes the first section of our study of Who I Am in Jesus Christ - I am God's Own Son.  Please click here for the audio of the Bible Study.
If you are looking for the rest of the series thus far, I've put the links here for your easy reference:

  1. I am God's Own Son Part 1
  2. I am God's Own Son Part 2 - Adopted and Blessed
  3. I am God's Own Son Part 3 - Restored in His Image
  4. I am God's Own Son Part 4 - Needs are Provided 1
  5. I am God's Own Son Part 5 - Needs are Provided 2
  6. I am God's Own Son Part 6 - God Wants Relationship with His Sons 1
  7. I am God's Own Son Part 7 - God Wants Us to Seek Him
  8. I am God's Own Son Part 8 - God Wants Our Hearts
  9. I am God's Own Son Part 9 - He Wants All to Be His Children
Moving on to the next section after Easter:  I Am Loved and Accepted Completely in Christ.
Stay tuned - drop me a note if you want more details!

Blessings

Chris



He Wants All to Be His Children
God’s Heart is to Rescue
At the heart of this is the idea that God want ALL of us to be saved.  There are verses that seem to say otherwise, and some will say it is subject to interpretation.  When we interpret what someone has said, we need to know the person. 
We need to know God’s heart.
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (NKJV)
If we understand the heart of God, we will know that His heart has always been to save, to rescue His children.
He came to rescue the one sheep out of 99.
He came to find the one coin.
He came to rescue the one son that strayed.
Matthew 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (NKJV)
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (NKJV)
Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV)
He Wants All to Be Saved
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (NKJV)
Like in the story of the prodigal Son, now that the way has been opened, He wants all to come to Him.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, (NKJV)
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, (NKJV)
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. (NKJV)
Throughout the Old Testament, He worked only with those He had a covenant with – the descendants of Abraham.  That opened the way for Jesus to come and with the New Covenant, that way has been opened wide to ALL men.
Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (NKJV)
That Job Has Been Passed to Us
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (NKJV)
We have been given big boots to fill.  Unless we are enabled like Jesus was on earth, by thepower of the Holy Spirit, we would never be able to be as He was, sent by the Father.  Thankfully, this is true, that we have the Holy Spirit with us, and like Paul said, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  To him who believes, our Lord said, all things are possible (Mark 9:23).
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)
Jesus took back all the authority that the devil had and placed it into the hands of His church, His bride.  The work of sharing the Word of the Kingdom is now in His church’s hands.  We see this as the case in occasions like when Ananias prayed for Saul (Acts 9:9-18 - it wasn't an angel that did it!) and when the angel led Cornelius to search up Peter for his salvation (Acts 10:1-8).

Monday, March 18, 2013

Bible Study: I am God's Own Son - Part 8


Hi Everyone

Here are last Friday's notes.  You can download or listen to the audio here.
Do share it as you are blessed!

Chris


God Wants Relationship – God Wants Our Hearts

God’s Got Big Plans for You
Jesus died for us, each one of us, individually.  He died for us that we might have a hope of calling, for great things in our lives.  He wants us to leave this planet on a high note, with a bang, not with a whimper. 
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)
God wants us to live out our lives to the fullest, that He might live through you.  Then you start to reflect His glory.  That’s when life has meaning.  It is in dying to ourselves that we really live.
Ephesians 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (NKJV)
There’s a calling we are supposed to live out.  It is never too late!
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)
A good reason why many people don’t find it natural to glorify God is because they have not experienced His exceedingly, abundantly in their lives, but it is according to the power that works within us.
We Are What We Think
It is all in the realm of BELIEF.  What is filling your heart today?
The heart is the seat of your thought life.  What thoughts dominate your heart today?  They will directly influence the path of your life, whether to victory in Christ, or to a life of misery and problem-centricity.
Proverbs 23:7a For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  (NKJV)
The dominant thought in your life will direct the path you go!  From young there are a lot of things put into our thought life by how we were brought up – e.g. poverty mentality, shyness, failure, different kinds of fear, melancholy, pride, selfishness.  Then there’s stuff put in by contemporary culture – sexual permissiveness, attitudes toward substance abuse, crime, murder, covetousness.  If these are allowed to dominate our thinking, it is little wonder we have a lot of problems in our lives.
You Are What You Consume
Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (NKJV)
It's not that if we avoid these, we will not be defiled. The fact is that we ARE all defiled already and were in need of a saviour.  The heart of fallen man, the soul, doesn't have a chance without the spirit.  As we are being renewed, we have to guard what goes in
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. (NKJV)
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (NLT)
TV, Internet, media, society as a whole continue to program what you think.  Friends – if the counsel of your friends is ungodly (ungodly = not like God = not like what the Word says), better to get more into the Word and less with your friends! What you constantly see, let into your mind, becomes what’s in your heart.
God Wants to Restore Your Heart
God sent His Son to save that which was lost.
Matthew 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (NKJV)
As a Son, your spirit and His spirit are one.  There will never be a separation again.  However, what God now wants to save is your heart.  Beyond praying a prayer to accept Jesus, He wants you to surrender your WHOLE heart to Him to steward.  On your own you make a lousy steward of your own heart!
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
He wants our hearts because He loves us and wants to give us peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (NKJV)
He has left us His peace, but if we don’t take advantage of it, walking in the flesh, we will still not enjoy it.
There are promises in God’s Word for every area of your life, no matter how difficult, so that you will be a victor in this life.
Let Him Change the Way You Think
Let the Word renew your mind.  Let everything you think be pegged against the Word of God.  Let His Word continually be the reference point of everything in life.
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (NKJV)
Let God through His Word take down every form of thinking that is not in obedience with the Word.  Through the Spirit we already have His mind:
1 Corinthians 2:16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (NKJV)
Let your thoughts become God’s thoughts, by allowing His Word to mold your thinking.  We have to read the Word until God counters our thinking with it.  No encounter = no change – only when something clicks inside, when there is a revelation, that we start to change.
One cannot microwave a stew in 3 minutes.  It needs to stew, you need to mull, think chew.  Ps 1 says to meditate on the Word DAY and NIGHT.
Keep sowing seed into your own heart.
The challenge is in allowing the Word to take precedence in our decision-making.  This is walking by faith.
Established Your Heart by His Word of Grace
We need to settle in our hearts once and for all – God loves us and He is for us, not against us.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (NKJV)
God = good, devil = bad.  John 10:10 – don’t confuse the two!
Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (NKJV)
Our heart established by His goodness to us.  We change our minds because of the love He shows us, revealed in His Word, in the things Jesus has won on our behalf.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. (NKJV)
The writer of Hebrews again reiterates that the one doctrine we need to remain true to is that of grace, that our hearts should be established in this.  Outside of grace, establishing your heart in anything else is considered “various and strange doctrines”.
We need to remind ourselves from the Word and base all our doctrine and belief on the goodness of God, on the gospel, the almost-too-good-to-be-true news.
Our hearts can only be turned on to God when we understand grace. Want a heart after God? Learn about His grace, His goodness, His love in His Word. Establish yourself in it. 
2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
If there is one thing we must be strong in as Christians, it is not doctrine, not serving, not ministry, but grace.  We must be strong in knowing that He is good and that He loves us beyond measure.
Hardness of Heart = Unbelief
Acts 19:9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. (NKJV)
Believe in the full counsel of God’s Word.  Press in to find out more and let the Word of God melt each area of your life.  This is a continuous process that we must take for our whole lives.  This is Christian growth – to know God more and trust in His Word.
Right Actions Alone = Cold Religion
1 Samuel 4:2 Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. 3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (NKJV)
We see here a people of calloused hearts, with no understanding of the things of God.  They did not seek the Lord much, courtesy of Eli and Sons, but in the time of trouble, they think the Ark of the Covenant is like a magic charm to help them.  This is what religion does - it reduces a relationship with God into a bunch of rituals, taking things of meaning and reducing them into mere idols and meaningless works of religiosity.
Knowing God is more important than going through the motions.  Here’s the end of the story…right actions by themselves cannot last.  It will eventually breed legalism, they won’t work and will result in very hardened unbelieving Christians.  That’s when people start to bring the Word of God down to the level of their experience. 
1 Samuel 4:10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (NKJV)
2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (NKJV)
Having a form of godliness, going through the motions, but DENYING its power is a characteristic of the last-day church.
Right Heart Produces Right Actions
Luke 8:15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (NKJV)
Here the Word with a noble and good heart.  Every part of the Word.  Keep it, mull on it, touch it often.  Have patience and it will bear good fruit.
Re-Cap

  • God has great plans for us
  • It is limited only by our thinking, our hearts
  • You will think what you see/hear
  • God wants to change you heart
  • He wants you to think His thoughts
  • See/hear His goodness to you in Christ
  • It’s about relationship not actions
  • Actions will follow your heart


Saturday, March 16, 2013

Famous Last Words and the Need to Replicate


In 3 out of 4 of the Gospels, Jesus' last words to His disciples were all about how they would be enabled with power to bring the Word of the Kingdom to the world.  The question that arises is whether we want to believe that it all still applies to us.  If we discount it, then we open a serious door to unbelief, because which parts do we discount and which parts don't we?

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (NKJV)


Jesus won back all the authority in Heaven and Earth by His finished work.  We have been empowered by this to "Go therefore."  If the power and authority were only for the age of the Apostles, then

  • making disciples
  • baptism
  • teaching of the Word
should all similarly be questioned as being something that we should do today.  We need the whole package.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. (NKJV)


In Mark, this is again mentioned - we are to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel".  To know who has believed and who has not, see the signs that follow in His name:

  • casting out demons
  • speaking in new tongues
  • taking up serpents
  • not being harmed by deadly poisons
  • laying on of hands to heal the sick
Again, the question arises - if we don't believe the above list, should we then also discount the need to go into all the world and preach the gospel?  How do we draw a line as to which parts we receive and which parts should be blacked out by a black Sharpie marker?

Luke 24:46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (NKJV)


As if to confirm this, the Gospel of Luke ends with an instruction from the Lord to wait in Jerusalem for the power, the coming of the Holy Spirit, before heading out.
There is no similar ending in the Gospel of John, but in one of the last words that Jesus spoke to His disciples, He said:


John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. (NKJV)


Wow!  Big boots for them to fill!  No wonder they needed the power of the Holy Spirit - Jesus is saying that in the same manner He was sent to earth by the Father, He was now commissioning the disciples (not just the Apostles).


If we look at the word "disciple" a little closer, we need to understand that one of the key goals of a disciple is to become like his or her master.  The early disciples were told to "make disciples" which means that if we get it right, we should all be like the Master.  This is why Paul went on this line of thought in more than one place:


1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (NKJV)


Now unless we are endued with the same power and abilities as our Master, it would be a pertinently unfair request that we do as the Master has done, nor to imitate Him at any level.  Some will say that we are to imitate His morals or His lifestyle, but reading the Word honestly for what it is, I cannot come to that conclusion.  Even so, which among us can live our lives anywhere like His morally, if not for His empowerment?


The Word meant what it said.  Imitate God.  Be like Him in all aspects.  What would Jesus do (WWJD) when faced with the sick? Heal them.  What would He do with many of life circumstances?  Speak to them, like He asked us to speak to the mountain and doubt not.  John put it this way:


1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV)


We cannot be like Him in this world without His Holy Spirit working in us.  We cannot do the things He has asked us to do without His power.  We cannot be good disciples without being like Him.


Thank God He gave us His power in the promise of the Holy Spirit before He left.  Now we can go and do as He did, be sent as the Father sent Him, make disciples that would imitate Him.  


In the natural, we give birth to children whom we hope will be the same or better than us.  If we expect our future generations to be weaker from one to the next, living shorter, meaner and unhealthier lives, something is wrong.  Why then should we expect this to be the model of discipleship for the Church?


Jesus said:


Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (NKJV)

In the honesty of our hearts, are we afraid that some of the things that He said, like John 14:12 and Mark 16:17-18, aren't going to work and we would rather not believe these?  Are we ashamed of these words, choosing to hide behind a human explanation of why they don't work then to believe that what He said was true, but not obvious in our lives because we don't fully understand nor believe?

Is it not then any little wonder why in many parts, Christianity is as weak as we see it?




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Stop and Think...

Take a step back and think, meditate on this for a short while…

151 thousand people die each day.  Possibly as many as 85% of these don't make it into the eternity we as Christians believe in.



Do we really believe that we are the only ones armed with the truth?  If we are, then it is like we have the formula for the cure of cancer in our hands, only much better as every cancer survivor will eventually die anyway, but God's Word goes into all of eternity (Matt 24:35).

Do we really believe this?

If we do then there wouldn't be time to fight over the colour of the carpets in church.  There would be no bickering, as the cause looming is much larger than everything we live for in our short lives. 
Nothing this side of Heaven is worth fighting for, except the Word of the Kingdom being sown as seed.  Everything else automatically takes the backseat.

I see this so much in this short passage in Acts:


Acts 18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. (NKJV)

Apollos was a great orator, strong in the Word.  But to his credit, he stood to correction from Aquila and Priscilla, who "explained to him the way of God more accurately".  Seeing the man's heart, the brethren at Ephesus wrote a note to recommend him to the disciples at Achaia.

There is such a sense of mission, like a war, here, that it was a total effort on everyone's part to get this Message out.  It wasn't giving a few dollars to a cause, like cancer research or something.  It was an army sending their best special forces out, to conquer for the Kingdom.

Time's too short and people too many.  We either believe it all or we don't believe at all.

Seek to know Him, know His love, discover the depths of relationship with Him.  Freely we have been given - if we don't realise this, then freely we won't give.  We need so much to experience His love for us (Eph 3:19, Ps 34:8) that we may love as we have been loved (1 Joh 4:19).





Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bible Study: I am God's Own Son - Part 7


Hi Everyone
Here are last Friday's notes.  You can download or listen to the audio here.
Do share it as you are blessed!
Chris


God Wants Us to Seek Him
As His Sons, God wants relationship with us.  At the end of the day, what is relationship all about?  It is all about LOVE.
Love is one of those words that the devil has taken and twisted, like the words “holiness” and “righteousness”.  In the flesh, LOVE is often twisted and made confused with LUST.
Love is something we cannot understand outside of God (1 John 4:19).  As we start to understand it more, there’s really nothing wrong with having feelings of love, of wanting the best for someone outside of a man-woman relationship.  When we start to know the love of God more and more, this should be a natural extension (John 13:34).
When we start to think like God, we start to see a lot words and concepts in God’s eyes. 
God Knows Us Already
We are already known to God.  In the New Testament, under the New Covenant, God’s Spirit dwells in all who believe.  It is now for us to know Him:
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (NKJV)
He has always known us – even before we were born.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (NKJV)
God’s Buddy #1 – Enoch
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (NKJV)
Enoch walked with God, like Adam did before the fall.  He was very close to God, not like Adam after the fall, who felt guilt.
God’s Buddy #2 – Noah
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. (NKJV)
It is not about his actions, but about his heart.  He walked with God, not imitate His actions or try to do good.  The moral nature of his life was a result of his walk.
God’s Beloved Friend – Abraham 
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. (NKJV)
God told Abraham top leave his family because they were all serving other Gods, unlike Abraham.
Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. (NKJV)
James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (NKJV)
2 Chronicles 20:7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? (NKJV)
Isaiah 41:8 “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. (NKJV)
“Friend” here in Hebrew has its root in the word “love”.  It was not “friend” as we know it, but was a very intimate kind of walk, like Jonathan and David, where their lives were completely intertwined and covenantal in nature, such that David would seek to bless any of Jonathan’s descendants after Jonathan’s death.
Anything for God’s Blessing – Jacob
Genesis 25:29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (NKJV)
Esau suffered greatly for this thereafter, for his hardness of heart, his unbelief.  Flesh things were more important than spiritual things to him.  God loved Jacob and respected him for hungering for the right things, even if his means were not necessarily right.
God loves those who seek Him, not those who try to have the right actions alone.  Right heart produces right action.  Believe in the penultimate goodness of God manifested in His Word. 
Genesis 32:24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. (NKJV)
Jacob went very hard after God’s blessing.  He knew that if he had God, he would have God’s blessing in everything.  This pleases God, when we are willing to seek God knowing that He is the rewarder, the one who blesses.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (NKJV)
We are blessed with every spiritual blessing.  In acknowledging these good things that we enjoy them.
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (NKJV)
Philemon 1:6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
A Man After God’s Heart – David
Psalm 42:1 To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the Sons of Korah. 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?(NKJV)
David's soul pants for the Lord! Such is his hunger and thirst for the one true LIVING God.  No other second best, not their impression of who God is through religion, but who God is in the Word.
1 Samuel 30: 1 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (NKJV)
David sought the Lord no matter what the situation was.  He never let go of his relationship with the Lord, no matter what he did.
Truth Seeker – Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (NKJV)
We see in this story again the kind of people that catch the Lord's eyes.  Zacchaeus should have by all natural reasoning been a man who was very content - he was very rich from being a chief tax collector - he took commissions and possibly kickbacks from his "downline" tax collectors. Yet this man had a hole in his heart. He had a longing for the truth.
When truth came in the form of Jesus, he must have already heard some things about Him, to be so enthusiastic. Zacchaeus the seeker met Jesus the Truth that day.
We see how all he wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus, so much so that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up a tree. Quite a strange thing for someone like him to do, we would think. All that to see and hear the man Jesus.
This is what catches the Lord's eye. Not how good we are, not how much knowledge we have of Him, but a plain simple hunger for the truth, and a recognition of it when it came.
The result of this story is what many would perhaps take as a formula - that if we love God, we should give. We see here that the giving did not come first. Love came first. We love for He first loved us (1 John 4:19). After he had received Jesus joyfully, such love touched his heart that it changed his priorities on an instant. Contrast this with the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22) who thought he could "do" good things his way into the Kingdom, but would not walk away from his wealth. You see, if his heart was right, that last part of walking away from his wealth would have been easy and voluntary, like Mr. Zacchaeus here. Again, put this alongside the parables that Jesus told about the Kingdom of Heaven being like treasure in a field. Zacchaeus did not stumble upon the treasure. Had he been satisfied with his wealth and not been hungry to fill that hole in his heart, he would have missed Jesus. He was a digger, one who sought and when he found the truth, selling all else at it were was no issue.
This is the same for the early Christians that we see in Acts 4:32 - they shared all they had. They were all fighting on the same side and had their minds stayed on the things above, not the things of this world. Sharing of things (not having much care for the things of this world) isn't a formula for Christians - it is a by-product of having found the truth and having a true relationship with the Lord. No set of creeds could make a group of people behave the way they did; only a true relationship with the One who Loves can.
Seeking Truth Unwaveringly – Mary vs Martha 
Luke 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (NKJV)
We see that BOTH sisters were sitting at Jesus’ feet.  However, Martha was DISTRACTED with serving the Lord.  Jesus does not want us so much to serve Him as to sit at His feet.  If we feel this strong need to serve and serve in church and ministry while we have not sat His feet, know that this is not from God, but is from some external pressure to follow a code of religion.  If we choose to sit down, it won’t be taken away!  To him who has, more will be given (Matthew 13:12, Matthew 25:29, Mark 4:25, Luke 8:18).
True belief always begins at sitting at His feet hearing His Word first.  The service that comes out of this will not face burnout.
Turned Around by Love – Devout Jews in Acts 
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? (NKJV)
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (NKJV)
Interesting to note also that it was the devout Jews who heard it in their own languages. The noise from the upper room was such that they heard it and heard  the preaching in their own language.
There are religious Jews, one who had zeal but not according to the Word by faith (Romans 10:2, Hebrews 4:2) and there are these, the Devout Jews who heard and accepted. There is a huge difference between religious and devout!  The distinction is between those who followed only the rituals to look good and those whose heart is right, truly after the One True God. These are the ones who heard the tongues in their own languages.
Hunger for Truth – The Ethiopian Eunuch 
Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. (NKJV)
The eunuch was reading Isaiah which was probably not of his native religion. He obviously was seeking the Lord with all his heart to find the one True God.  He did not just read the Word but sought to know the God behind the Word.
God Seeker – Cornelius the First Gentile Christian 
Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. (NKJV)
It is interesting to note the character traits of this man Cornelius that he should be the first Gentile Christian eventually.

  • He was a devout man - he cared about things of the eternal, not just the things of the temporal.
  • He feared God, not one who was irreverant. He knew that there was a God out there somewhere, not restricting his view of life to the here and now.
  • He was a generous man, giving of his wealth freely to those in need. God seems to have a special place for people like these. Much of the manifestation of goodness and righteousness is in how tightfisted or generous one is. Love of money is, after all, the root of all evil.
  • A man who wanted a relationship with God, such that he "prayed to God always".

God does indeed favour such people. Instrinsically, our relationship with God really ought to be a lot more than to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour and come to church every Sunday. Developing a relationship (prayers) results in bearing fruit (alms). It is obvious that Cornelius still needed Jesus for salvation through the remission of sins and that his good works alone weren't good enough - Verse 6 says "He (Peter) will tell you what you must do." Also, see what Peter preached in Acts 10:43 to them. It takes a man to preach the Gospel, not God!
Hungry and Knows It - The Younger Son
Luke 15:14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ (NKJV)
The most important thing is that he CAME TO HIMSELF!  Some of us never come to ourselves, in spite of the fact that we ALL need a saviour.  Many do not realise this.  He realised that he was in BAD SHAPE, something we ALL are without the Lord.  Some people subsist their whole lives below what they are supposed to be, never realising who they were meant to be, always worrying and being troubled by many things.  They can be so hungry but pig food sometimes seems better still.
The bottom line is simple – it doesn't matter why you come back to the Lord.  The most important thing is you do and that you accept His love for you!
Blessed Are…
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (NKJV)
These are all HEART attitudes, realizing that we’ve missed the mark, that we need the finished work of Jesus to make us who are unwhole, whole again.
Come and Feast
Mark 14:22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. (NKJV)
Jesus readily gives to us, because His own body and blood were offered that we might be sanctified and made whole again.
Those who come to the table and eat daily will enjoy this.
Come – He has made the way, is one with us who are saved.  The doors are open.  We only need to come to Him boldly (Hebrews 4:16)