Growing in Jesus - lesson 6 "Serving the Lord in secret"

Growing in Jesus       - lesson 6

Serving the Lord in secret

     “And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” - Matthew 6:16-18

                         If we sin in secret, will we not serve the Lord in secret?

     Lying is sinning in secret because we are trying to cover something up. We always steal in secret or else it will get taken back from us. We lust in secret. We covet in secret. We break rules in secret. Then why do we want public recognition for the things we do for God when is seems to be that the things we do in secret are the ones that matter most to us and are closest to our heart?

     So much of what God would have us to do is in secret. So many sacrifices of our time, help, money, care, work, and endurance are made with no one noticing unless we tell them. Our heavenly Father says that it is right and blessed by Him to do these things in secret that He Himself might be the one who rewards us. If we do things hoping to be recognized for our labors we rob ourselves of God’s rewards. However if we do things to be seen by Him He will bless us in another way. The thing about the Lord is that He is the master of giving good gifts.

     What do we think His good gifts are? Think about what some of them might be.

                  Some of His good gifts are:

     _ His help in getting hard jobs accomplished.

     _ Arguments smoothed out.

     _ Providing for our needs on time.   (Particularly ones we don’t know we have yet because they come upon 

         us suddenly)

     _ Beautiful weather when there are outdoor things that can’t be put off for even one more day.

     _ Sudden opportunities to minister.

     _ Answers to prayer.

     _ Getting this lesson prepared.

     What does it mean to have your reward in full when we have done it for earthly recognition? 

     One of the problems is that the minute someone says we have done something amazing, we pretty much stop what we were doing because there isn’t any further reward to go on and because we find the reward only temporarily satisfying.  Or if no one thanks us for our work we stop because it feels like the job is too thankless to bother finishing and we just give up and become depressed. If our motives are other people’s opinion then we will soon find whatever we are doing to be unsatisfying.

     However, if we do anything for the Lord we will have a reward that doesn’t seem to be one that we can measure. Abraham’s reward is still growing and it seems to me that all of the Lord’s rewards are the same no matter what area of our lives it is in. 

     If you plant one seed of wheat and carefully watch over it, it will produce 50 seeds. (aprox.)  Then if you take those 50 seeds and carefully plant them they will turn into 2500 seeds. If you again plant those they will turn into 125,000 seeds and continue exponentially from there! This is the fruit from just 3 growing seasons! This is how the Lord thinks and works This is why doing things for Him in secret is the reward we should be looking for. His rewards are not shallow like a person congratulating you. Think about how if you ate the first seed you would have nothing to plant or if you ate the 2500 seeds the growth would stop there but by the third season there is so much available that now you can eat of it and have plenty to give away besides! Receiving the praise of man is like just eating the first seed. 

     We crave to have some immediate gratification for our labor so we eat it instead of planting it. Doing things in secret is to not eat the seed but to plant the sacrifice that it might grow into more seed. We may go hungry for 2 seasons of growing but by the third season there will spring up a reward for our secret labors unto God that is abundant beyond anything we can imagine. 

     If we think of any of our labors for the Lord in the 3 season rule we will have a much easier time understanding the seasons of waiting to be satisfied by our labors. But by the end of the third season there should be an abundance to give out to many as well as enough for ourselves!

     application

     _  What do we think His good gifts are? Think about what some of them might be and write them out.

     _  Write out a verse or two that have spoken clearly to you either over the years or recently that helped you 

          hold fast to the Lord’s promises when you have waited for the Lord’s reward for your labors.

     _  What are some of the other earthly rewards we could look to that would seem to satisfy us but only will 

          for a moment instead of long term like what the Lord offers us?

Growing in Jesus - lesson 5 "Playing with the devil’s bait"

Growing in Jesus                        - lesson 5

Playing with the devil’s bait

     “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” - Matthew 6:24

     This verse is again dealing with where our treasure is there will our heart be also. What our hearts are set on is what we serve.

     Every day it seems like there is always something trying to turn our attention back to some desire for the world. Some little thing grabs our attention and we step back into thinking that those things are more important than they are, again. What a battle it is to keep our hearts fixed on our Heavenly Father! Why does it seem to be so easy to step back and forth all the time. Going back to our old distractions (or some new one) is like taking a flower and carefully planting it in  fertile and well watered soil and then uprooting it suddenly and putting it in sandy and dry soil and then repeating the process over and over again. Then we  wonder why their seems to be no growth! This is how we are when we spend time letting go of our old lives and start spending time with the Lord and then get distracted and put the Lord to one side and focus back on the old things again. Then we wonder why we have no joy or growth in our Christian walk!

     Our adversary is continually trying to slip things into our lives to see if we will bite for his bait again. If we do it will be inevitable that we will also get the hook and line that goes with it. This line is impossible to get free from in ourselves. Just like the fish could have a full understanding about the fishing line to, but it has no physical way to free itself and quickly discovers again that it has no will in the matter as to where it goes from then on. It can’t stop itself from being pulled up. It’s will has no overriding authority on the hook and line. So we don’t want to be enticed by the bait anymore do we? Because at some point the hook will grab us again if we keep playing with the bait.

     This is why it is so important not to look back at our old lives and to be careful and watchful for any new ways that will come up to lure us in again. We don’t want to trade the good soil Jesus has just planted us in, for dry dusty sand. We will never grow in that environment but will wither up and die. 

     application

     _ Write out a list of things you know are stealing your time. Things that come up every time you had planned to enjoy being with the Lord. These are the things that the devil is using to rob you of the water you need to survive. What can you do to not let these things get in the way anymore?

     _  Write out a verse or two that illustrates how your time with the Lord will change your life.

Growing in Jesus - lesson 4 "Our treasure in heaven"

Growing in Jesus                              Lesson 4

Our treasure in heaven

     “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroys, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” - Matthew 6:19-21

     What makes us complain? What makes us get upset or angry with God? What makes us get upset or angry with another person? Is it because our will has been crossed? Is it because something we have wanted has been delayed? Examine what makes you upset. Is it something that helps others or is it something that helps you? Do we spend a lot of time being upset about what happens to us? Do we spend much time being upset about what happens to others?

     Our treasure in heaven is made up of things that happen to others and our treasure on earth is made up of things that happen to us. As long as we are consumed with despair and anger about things that happen to us, we have our hearts fixed on treasure on earth. And as much time as we are in sorrow and concern for others our treasure is in heaven. So the more time our thoughts are consumed with others the more we are setting our treasures in heaven. For Jesus said that if we give even a cup of cold water in His name to the least of these, we are doing it to Him.

     The devil would have us to be continually consumed with going in circles in our own troubles and we could be caught up in that forever. But Jesus would have us consumed with concern for others. It always comes back to setting our hearts on serving others instead of ourselves. How can we help someone today? Who am I helping today? Who’s need is my most pressing concern today? Who needs me the most? These are the thoughts of those who’s treasure is in heaven.

     It always comes down to how much time we will step out of ourselves and what is bothering us and how much time we will give to the needs of others. If we let the devil fill our thoughts with what makes us upset then we will never have the time to step out and be a blessing to others. If our hearts are struggling with resentments or self pity, we are in no good spirit to brighten someone else’s day. We can only brighten someone’s day if we have given all of our own struggles to Jesus and allowed Him to be our peace and confidence. Then we will be a blessing to others and it will be the fact that we have difficulties in our lives and yet are full of joy that will draw people to want Jesus in their lives to! They will see that He really does have the power to give us peace and joy in the midst of real problems.

     I’ve been contemplating how unforgiveness is at the heart of every despair and discouragement that we have. Jesus says in verses 14 and 15 of Matt. 6 that if we don’t forgive each other of our transgressions  our heavenly Father will not forgive ours. Did you realize that when you doubt God’s goodness toward you and His answers to prayer its because you have unforgiveness in your heart towards Him? It is unforgiveness that makes us not want to turn our hearts to joyful expectancy because we want to be upset with Him. Unforgiveness is at the root of every depression and despairing countenance because if we don’t hold onto any unforgiveness than we intentionally believe the best of people and of God and from that mind-set, joy springs up.  The minute we begin to believe good of God we can’t be anything but joyful from then on! 

     application

_ Our treasure in heaven is made up of things that happen to others and our treasure on earth is made up of things that happen to us.  Find some verses that illustrate this point.

_ Give some ways that can help us be pulled out of our own problems so that our hearts can be fixed on the problems of others.

_ Encourage at least one person or talk to at least one person about Jesus that you don’t normally come in contact with.

Growing In Jesus - lesson 3 "Going the second mile"

Growing In Jesus                                                Lesson 3

     “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.” Matt. 5:41

     None of us like to be forced to do anything against our will, but if our will is involved we are quite happy to be doing whatever the task is. Just think about the last thing you wanted that was impossible to get and how somehow you managed to achieve it in spite of all the obstacles. Think of how many obstacles the Lord puts in our way of things that would get us into trouble and yet we are able to override them to... There are are quite a few verses in the Bible telling of the nature of man to keep pressing on in sin in spite of the discipline the Lord has sent to be a deterrent to it.

     I used to tell my employees when they would start complaining about a job I had given them, that if they would just change their words and say, “I love doing this” and then begin to put their heart into it, that suddenly the job would be fun and not a hardship. I remember having to use this on myself quite a few times to! One of my friends used to work for me and we had an understanding between us that when things were really stressful in the restaurant, we would check in with each other and give each other the thumbs up and say “it's going great” with that smile that says we will make it through yet again! That got me through a lot of stressful nights and added quite a bit of humor and encouragement at the same time.

     This verse is a good way to be instructed on this very principle. When we are being forced or taken advantage of, if we will commit ourselves to doing more than we have been made to do, our will, will suddenly be engaged and whatever it is we are being forced to do will no longer seem unbearable to us.

     Jesus is always wanting our hearts to be free of resentments. He is always wanting to make it clear to us that there are no resentments in His heart and there must be none in ours either. So in His way of showing us how to live, He explains that there is no such thing as considering yourself too good to be forced to do something against your will. We are to have the mindset of being a joyful servant in the midst of any unfairness that might come upon us. It’s amazing to think that Jesus has the very heart that He expects us to have. A heart of joyful unselfishness that is already committed to going the extra mile before it has even been required of it.

     So now instead of every new and challenging circumstance causing us to grumble and complain, we will already be prepared to go forward joyfully and with no bitterness or resentment to mar our countenance. Going the extra mile has the ability to affect how we live every day!

     application

_ Give an example of something you have been praying about and that God has been giving you victory in.

_ Find another verse or two in the Bible that also illustrate having a joyful attitude when hard things have been required of us. Share your thoughts on how they apply to you.

Growing in Jesus - Lesson 2 "Turning away"

Growing In Jesus                                                Lesson 2

     “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” - Matt 5:42

                    What do we consider our own and what belongs to God? 

     First let us understand that if Jesus tells us this verse is how to live than this is the way He lives towards us. He is always ready to do things simply because we have asked Him. Many times what we ask is not even important but He answers because we went to Him about it. In these verses there are no stipulations made as to what qualifies for an answer. Jesus doesn't say give to him who asks because he is worthy of your answer or because he will make good use of what you give him. It's just give to him who asks. He doesn't say lend to him because he will bring your property back in one piece or he is always making the best use of what he borrows. Jesus just says don't turn away. It's a good thought for when you are feeling discouraged about your own requests to the Lord. It is good to know that He thinks like this to.

     Beginning to do things that others have asked is the thing that stirs our heart to their needs and pulls us out of our own world for a moment. It also challenges our selfish nature on what we consider our own. It challenges us on what we have said belongs to God and causes us to discover what really belongs to Him. It is only when we are asked to surrender things that we begin to understand how much those things matter to us. It might be our time, our things, or people, or it might be combination that includes all of them. 

     “Turning away” is a great definition to ignoring a need because it takes a person physically turning away from helping someone in order not to help them. It is a choice made in the moment. It is a choice made when we look the other way and don't stop to help. It is a choice that is a response to a direct request or plea. In other words, it’s not accidental and we must claim ownership of what happens if we did not do it.

          Here is the convicting part

     Someone or many people are hurting because we are disobeying the Lord. While we are seeking our own happiness and self fulfillment very often we are turning a deaf ear to what God would have for us to be doing or sacrificing for Him. As a result of this there are people suffering who did not have to be. Because we have refused to leave the comfort of our own things and our own plans, we have made ourselves unavailable to go and help those the Lord had intended for us to help. How many people right now could point to you and say why have I suffered for no reason because you didn’t come when God called? Why have I suffered needlessly for years because you refused to leave your TV and pursuits and would not heed the call your Heavenly Father had made to you in order to rescue me? 

     These are sobering words and ones that the Lord has been bringing to my attention. There are so many people in distress who could turn and complain to the Lord that their rescuer never came. They could cry to the Lord and ask why I refused to heed His will, and had not come. In their their distress they could cry to the Lord and say how they could have been free from their misery so much sooner if I had obeyed. How many people have that claim upon me right now before God because I am in Christ. I have a very responsible position as an older brother. The minute we get saved we become an older brother or sister to someone.

     So what are we doing that actually changes someone’s life? What are we doing that pulls them out of their horrible circumstances, their griefs and their despairs?

     I’ve been thinking that if people come here and immediately feel a deep compassion and need to be helping someone, so much so that when they leave here they are anxious to go and find the first person they meet in order to help them, than we have done our job as a Bible School.

          So the question is, who and I helping today?

application

_ Pray for opportunities to help at least one person today that you don’t normally come in contact  with.

_ Share what God opened up and gave you as an opportunity.

Growing in Jesus - lesson 1 "Our place of rest and answers"

          Growing in Jesus

               Our place of rest and answers

     Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. - Matt. 6:8 

     Read Matthew 6:5-15

     So many times we find ourselves in hard circumstances or overwhelming circumstances or situations that we just don’t have an answer to. Often we don’t even know what we should ask for that would actually change or fix things. 

     Our Father knows what we need before we ask. He knows what we need before we know what to ask.

 
 Three points we feel when we get in these situations

              1. We want to fix our problems.  (We just want to jump in and fix everything the way we think they should be fixed)

               2. We want to make statements that we think will clear up the situation.    (We are always right in our own mind and want to just make a simple solution that everyone should just agree with and accept)

               3. We don’t know how to make our side or position heard or to show that we are right.    (We think our answer will fix everything if people would just understand us)

     We just want to make our situation more understandable so that others know what we are trying to say and try as we might,  everything just gets overwhelming and our voice doesn’t carry the day.   - Verse 6 is our great encouragement.  “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

     This means that if we don’t know what to do. If we don’t know what to say. If we don’t know how to fix things and our voices do nothing but fail us, it means that we don’t need an outward voice or to even know what to ask besides the word help. The secret, quiet, room is our place where every answer is given and every help obtained. Not with persuasive words or many words, but with a humble heart coming before the Lord who already knows the solution to what we don’t even know how to ask. He has the answers. He has the solution. He will carry us through and take care of every challenge. And He will give us a way to move forward. This does not mean that we will have no part in the answers that He has for us and that He will do everything without us. It means that He will show us the way and guide us through every difficult challenge and help us to overcome with His help.      (Many times we find that the change must take place in us and the overwhelming situation was straight from the Lord's hand to cause more of the dross to be refined out of us. the Lord never wastes any situation we are in. He is always using everything to train us up to be more like Him.)

     The beautiful thing about the secret place with the Lord is that He already knows why you are there. You need no convincing arguments to bring Him to your side on an issue. You don't have to tell your story one more time to someone who has no ability to help but will try to pass you on to someone else who can. HaHa! There are no middle men and no skeptics who won't believe you. Only the Father, who cares about you and already knows what is going on better than you do. Anxiety is having no one who listens or understands you... with Jesus there is no anxiety over these things. Amazing isn't it. This is the place of real peace and refuge where the answers are to be found and to obtain the peace that passes understanding. And the best part is we all can go to it! No one is excluded! Our heavenly Father is glad to have the same relationship with you as He has with me! We are all free to get as close to Him as we possibly can!


     Spend some time just grabbing hold of this thought. You can have as sweet a relationship with our Heavenly Father as you possibly can. All you have to do is go to Him. He is there waiting for you. He is longing to be your peace and rest and comfort. Don't wait and seek everything else but Him, for your help and comfort and peace. It will only delay real peace and the things you run to for peace besides the Lord will always lead you into new lows and despairs. They seem to comfort for a moment and then their true affects begin. Nothing in this world can take the place of our Heavenly Father, not people, places, things, or experiences. But we can all have our Heavenly Father if we will go to Him.

               Application

_  Take some time to pour out your heart before the Lord. Bring Him your questions and your troubles, but     also bring Him the things you don’t know to ask. He has a solution to the things we don’t know how to ask about.

_  Share at least one thing that the Lord spoke to you about while you were praying.




       God bless!     -Seth

A City Set On A Hill

     You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure, but on the lamp stand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matt. 5:14-16

                    A city set on a hill

     It’s funny that we think we can pick and choose when and where we will shine the light of Christ. Maybe we will talk to that person over there or lead by example in that group over there but the reality is that a light is meant to be always in the open. 

     As I drive up our road to our house on the hill, here on PEI, I have been excited that the first thing you see is a sign saying PEI Bible Institute. It is set on a hill for all to see and as we step into these dark days ahead, just driving home will remind me that my place is to be visible to all. Not hiding or trying to slip around unnoticed by the world, but rather, openly stating who I belong to. Am I a child of the Living God? Yes, He is my Father! One of the most amazing things the Lord has been teaching me lately is that there are several reasons Jesus died for us on the cross, but one of the most amazing reasons is that He was proud of His Heavenly Father and wanted to show the world that every Word that the Father has given to men is true and that we can follow them even unto death and be raised up from there. Jesus wanted men to know that they could trust their Heavenly Father in all things and that He was faithful! Are we that proud of our Heavenly Father that we also would set out to show the world that He is faithful and true? Will we lay our lives down that Jesus might have more fruit for His death? Will we make Jesus’ heart glad today? 

     I was marveling that Jesus says that every seed bears like seed when it grows up and if Jesus laid His life down to be the seed that would spring up in me, then I will actually become just like Him someday. There will be nothing else I could possibly grow into because it is His seed that has been planted in my heart! 

     Will we be lights today that will not tolerate being covered? Will we just try to choose where we will shine once in a while or will we be unashamed of Jesus and be a light that guides all who see us, to their Savior! 

                God bless!