End of Session 6
Finding the Kingdom
If you obey my commands, you
will remain in my love
John 15.10
|
Notes.
If you Believe, Love and Obey (BLO), you will remain in Jesus’ love.
Obeying Jesus’ commands is important to our
Christian life.
Slide 2
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Mark 12.30
|
Notes
This is Jesus’ greatest command. Notice that you not only love with your
heart, but also you love with your soul and mind. If you love someone with your heart, soul and
mind you really are loving them. Again,
it shows the circular flow of love. If
we love God, God will love us in return
Jesus teachings on how we should behave,
are set out in Matthew 5, 6 and 7.
It is very important that to live each
day in accordance to Matthew 5,6 and 7. That is what Jesus wants you to
do. He wants all of us to follow these
commands.
Chapter 5 covers Jesus’ sermon on the
mount in which he tells all the people how they should behave. Before the sermon Jesus preached to the
people, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near’ – Matthew 4.17. Becoming a Christian is a life changing
experience and not to be entered lightly.
As part of the change, God expects us to acknowledge that our old lives
were wrong. They might not feel that wrong, but because you did not love God
and believe in Jesus before your old life was sinful.
It is a sin not to believe in Jesus. It
is a sin not to love God.
The Beatitudes
In chapter 5. Jesus starts by explaining
how we can achieve happiness on earth (the beatitudes).
Slide 3
And he began to teach them. He said:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5.1 to 10
|
Notes. These are the 8 conditions to acquiring happiness as a Christian.
The poor in spirit - those who realise they need to be saved. Those who realise that they need to repent of
their sins, change their ways and need God’s help to do so. All Christians
should be poor in spirit because all Christians need God’s help.
Those that mourn – Those who pray for God’s
help to be saved. How do you mourn? You mourn by praying to God either for
yourself or other people. The Holy
Spirit is the comforter. All Christians should mourn to God for help.
Happy are the meek - They that are humble
before God. All Christians should be humble before God.
They that hunger and thirst after righteousness
- Those who want to be right with
God. Righteousness is achieved through
faith. You should seek righteousness every day of your life. All Christians
should seek righteousness.
The merciful are the tender hearted, who love
all men as themselves – Jesus’ the second commandment - Love everybody
The pure in heart – those who have God’s love
in their heart.
The peace makers – Those that spread the word
of Christ. The sowers of the word who keep Jesus’ words in their hearts. Spread
the word.
You are persecuted when someone says, thinks or
does bad things against you because you are a Christian. This is a situation
you find you self in through no fault of your own. Don’t worry because God’s love will protect
you. Endure dislike because God’s love is with you.
POMMER
P - poor in spirit-
needing God’s help to be saved
M - mourn – pray for yourself and others
M - meek before God
R - right with God through believing in Jesus.
MPPP
M – Mercy - Love everybody
P – Pure in heart - God’s love is in you.
P – Peacemakers - spread the word
P – Persecution - Endure dislike
A Christian needs these 8 qualities to be a
Christian.
Jesus starts is sermon explaining the 8 conditions to finding true happiness on earth. The
world will not understand them but we as Christians need to understand
them. If you follow them then you are
following Jesus’ way - to remain in his love.
Slide 4
If you obey my commands, you will remain
in my love
John 15.10
|
End of Session 7
Finding the Kingdom
If you obey my commands, you
will remain in my love
John 15.10
|
Notes.
If you Believe, Love and Obey (BLO), you will remain in Jesus’ love.
Obeying Jesus’ commands is important to our
Christian life. Last week we started going through Matthew 5, 6 and 7 to understand
what were Jesus commands.
Slide 2
You are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and
trampled underfoot.
Matthew
5.13
|
Notes.
Although we Christians are few in numbers we put God’s flavour into the
whole world. But be careful, because if
you do not obey Jesus commands, you can fall out of Jesus’ love and lose your
saltiness and be like the dead branches
on the vine.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5.14 to 16
|
Notes.
When Jesus was in the world he was the light of the world. When he left
we became the light of the world. Let your light shine so everyone can see it.
How do you shine your light? By the
gentleness, patients and kindness you show when you do good things for
others. You are justified by faith but
works are important so that your light can shine. This was one of Jesus’ commands to you, Let your
light shine.
Slide 4
Notes Do not forget to keep the ten
commandments. They are equally as important as Jesus’ teachings.
Slide 5
Have only one God me
Do not worship idols
Do not miss-use my name
Rest for one day each
week
Honour your father and
your mother.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not lie.
Do not
covet.
|
Notes.
They are just as important in today’s world as they were in biblical
times.
Jesus added the following 6 commands to
these ten. This is a summary of Mathew 5. 21 to 48.
Slide 6
Do not be angry, be friends with everyone.
Do not look at a woman lustfully.
Do not divorce your wife unless she is
unfaithful.
Keep your promises, keeping them simple as
yes or no
Do not resist an evil person who hurts you
or steals from you
Love and pray for your enemies and those
who dislike you
|
End of Session 8
Finding the Kingdom
Session 9
– Obey part 3
Slide 1
If you obey my commands, you will remain
in my love
John 15.10
|
Notes. If you Believe, Love and Obey
(BLO), you will remain in Jesus’ love.
Obeying
Jesus’ commands is important to our Christian life. Last week we started going
through Matthew 5, 6 and 7 to understand what were Jesus commands. Today we are
covering Matthew chapter 6.
Slide 2
Give to the needy in secret.
Fast in secret
Pray in secret.
And your Father will reward you
Matthew 6. 1 to 18
|
Notes. Jesus emphasised the importance of
doing all these in secret. As far as
possible you should do them without telling your wife, your children, your
family. The Lord will give you the
opportunity to do them in secret. If you
are found out don’t lie.
Jesus taught us how to pray;
Slide 3
Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed is your name (YAWEH)
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive others their trespasses against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6. 9 to 13
|
Notes.
We should pray to the Father. His
name is important and it is YAWEH. We should pray for the kingdom. The kingdom of god is made up of the people
of God. The Kingdom of god is in your hearts. You should therefore pray for the
kingdom of God to come into the people’s hearts. God will lay on your heart the
people he wants you to pray for. They
might be believers or non-believers.
They might be people in the church or not in the church. You pray that
God will come into their hearts and deliver them from evil. Praying for the
kingdom is important.
Asking God’s help to deliver us from evil
each day is important. The enemy is in
us and around us and we should ask God’s to help us each day.
Use the Lord’s prayer as a model for your
prayers
Forgiving others is so important it is
mentioned twice.
Slide 4
For if you forgive other people
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6. 14
|
Forgiving - Letting go of the past. Letting go of things that hold you. Setting
yourself free from the past. Forgiveness is continuous. It is not a one time
thing. That is why Jesus asks us to do
it daily in the Lord’s prayer.
But there is an added bonus. If we
forgive others in our hearts, God will forgive us our sins. Each day start with
a clean sheet holding no resentment for anyone or anything. You will feel a
lightness in your heart as God’s love takes over.
Fasting
Fasting. Notice in Matthew 6 it says when
you fast not if you fast. So why do Christians fast? It is explained in Acts 13. 1 to 3. We fast
to show God that we are serious about what we are praying for and that we are
intent on those prayers being answered.
Fasting intensifies our prayers. Fasting makes our prayers stronger in
God’s eyes.
Treasures in Heaven
Slide 5
But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves
do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.
Matthew 6. 20,21
|
Notes.
This section comes immediately after Jesus tells us that God will reward
us if we give to the needy, pray and fast in secret. Doing these things will result in us being rewarded. Notice it doesn’t just say store it says
store up. That means the more you do these activities the more rewards will
accumulate. This is our heavenly
treasure which is unlike any earthly treasure.
Your body might belong to the world, but
your heart belongs to Jesus. Your heart is part of God’s heavenly kingdom. Your
heart is in the Kingdom of Heaven that’s in you. Your heart is where Jesus’
love remains. His love combined with our love creates a love that never fails.
Your heart must be right when you give,
pray and fast.
Give to the needy with love
Pray for others with love
Fast with love.
When you die your spirit and heart go to
heaven.
The Eye
Slide 6
The eye is the lamp of the body. If
your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if
your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.
Matthew 6. 22
|
Notes.
If Jesus’s love is in you, you will look at life with a completely
different attitude. You will see with
your heart the goodness and beauty that is in the world that he created.
Human nature makes us lust, covet and
envy. Jesus’ love overcomes these
desires and helps us see with a healthy attitude.
You can train your eyes to be good so that when
you feel human nature taking control of your mind, YOU THINK OF JESUS’
WORDS. Receipting the Jesus’ words will
expel any bad thoughts from your head.
Slide 7
You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 6. 24
|
Notes.
Jesus tells us to serve God. We were created to serve God. There is no choice. When we serve God, we
trust in him and he will provide. We serve God by obeying his commands.
Everybody needs money to live. Money
is hard to earn. We spend most of our waking life earning it. But it is wrong when money controls our life.
God should be the motivation for all we do. We should not be motivated by
money.
End of Session 9
Finding the Kingdom
Session 10
– Obey part 4
Slide 1
If you obey my commands, you will remain
in my love
John 15.10
|
Notes. If you Believe, Love and Obey
(BLO), you will remain in Jesus’ love.
Obeying
Jesus’ commands is important to our Christian life. In the last two weeks, we have been going through Matthew 5, 6 and
7 to understand what were Jesus commands. Today we are covering Matthew chapter
6. 24 and chapter 7
Slide 2
Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you
will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes
But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6. 25 and 33
|
Notes. Isn’t this a wonderful command. Do not worry
about anything.
He knows that our human nature is to worry and
he tells us to stop it immediately and start trusting in God every day of our
lives.
Now we have
stopped worrying, what do we do instead each day. Each day we seek his kingdom
and his righteousness. How do we do this
by praying for the kingdom.
Judgement
Slide 3
Do not judge, or you too will be
judged.
Matthew 7.1
|
Notes.
As soon as you see a person, your human nature has formed an opinion of
that person. That’s human nature and
very difficult to stop.
The eyes are the lamp of the body and if
the eyes are good the whole body is good.
If Jesus’s love is in you and your eyes are good, you
will not be judgemental.
You should be friendly towards others,
yet cautious of their human nature.
Slide 4
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not
throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet,
and turn and tear you to pieces.
Matthew 7.6
|
Notes. Be discreet with whom you share
your inner beliefs. The Holy Spirit will guide you as to whom to witness. You
don’t witness to everybody.
Asking
Slide 5
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7.7
|
Notes. Jesus commands us to ASK. God
wants us to ask for things. He wants us to communicate with him each day.
Evil in Us
In Matthew
7. 11 Jesus says. ‘If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’
This is Jesus stating as a fact that
we are all evil because our human nature was corrupted by Satan in the
Garden of Eden. We often forget this
fact. It is good and sobering to remember that we are indeed evil and we are
completely reliant on God for our salvation from the evil in us.
Slide 5
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is
the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads
to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7.13, 14
|
Watch out for false prophets. Thus, by their fruit you will
recognize them.
Matthew
7.15 and 20
|
Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew
7.21
|
Slide 8
Everyone who hears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock.
Matthew 7.24
|
Notes.
At the end of his speech on how we should
behave in Matthew 5,6 and 7. Jesus said that whoever hears these words and
importantly puts them into practice
is like a wise man building his house on rock hard foundations. You must do three things; hear the words,
understand them and thirdly put them into practice in your daily lives.
It is not easy to obey all these
commands. You will fail. Otherwise you
would be free of sin and nobody is free of sin.
But what Jesus wants us to do is to try each day.
But we are not on our own. We have the Holy Spirit inside us and God’s
love helping us each day.
End of
session 10
Finding the Kingdom
Session 11 – Heart, Spirit, Soul, Mind and Body
There is spiritual
man with heart and spirit
There is physical man
with mind soul and body.
Spiritual
Man
The heart and spirit
of an unsaved person is set on earthly desires and needs. When a person asks Jesus
into their lives there is a transformation of the heart and the spirit.
God's love is poured
into their heart, the Holy Spirit enters the heart, Jesus' words enter the heart and the heart is healed. The heart miraculously understands Jesus' message and is
turned. This can occur instantly or over a period of years.
The heart fills up
with God's love and treasures leaving less room for earthly desires. The hearts
capacity to believe, love and obey is increased.
Slide 1
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4.6
|
Slide 2
And hope
does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who
has been given to us. Romans 5:5
|
The heart is our
innermost spiritual being. The heart thinks, plans and feels all our emotions.
The heart of a saved
person is fused with the spirit because it is working continually with
the spirit.
The spirit of an
unsaved person is virtually dormant and inactive because they have no or little
communication with God.
When they are saved
the spirit is reborn, refreshed and made new.
Before they were
empty glasses now they are full or partly filled glasses.
The Holy Spirit that
dwells in the heart combines with our new born spirits to glorify and
worship God. The heart and the spirit work together
to serve and communicate with God.
Slide 3
The Spirit himself testifies with
our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16
|
This is the spiritual
man that lives within the physical man which is in us.
Physical Man
The
thoughts and deeds and emotions of the spiritual man overflows
into the life
of the physical man influencing the mind, soul and body. Goodness overflows from the heart into the soul.
For example, when we glorify God with our hearts and
spirits this overflows into the mind, soul and body of the physical man who
also glorifies God.
If the heart is right
with God the soul and mind will follow because the soul and mind are led by the
heart. Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The
heart loves first the physical body follows.
Unfortunately, not
only does the good things overflow from the heart into the soul but also sinful
thoughts and deeds. How do we stop these sinful thoughts when they occur in the
heart and soul? Think or speak Jesus words when the thought occurs.
God has given us
his words in our hearts. Use these words to overcome the evil that is in us. I
receipt, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the
father except through me.” “The eyes are the light of the body, if the eyes are
good the whole body is good,” also works.
Slide 4
The good man brings
good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings
evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth
speaks (Luke 6:45).
|
When we die our
spiritual body goes back to heaven. Our physical body rots away. However, at
the resurrection, all the saved souls will rise to meet the Lord and find rest
in heaven. All the unsaved souls will suffer in hell. We are not alone. Our
spiritual body is part of Jesus' spiritual body. Jesus said remain in me and I
will remain in you. We are part of the larger body of Christ.
Blessed are those who
realise that their own spirit is poor and inadequate. They are the ones that mourn
to God for help. They are meek before God. God makes them righteous because
they have faith in Jesus. God purifies their hearts through the
Holy Spirit. Matthew 5.1
End of Session 11
Finding the Kingdom
Session 12 – The Heart.
The condition of the heart is important.
When we become Christians, god’s love transforms our hearts from
being self-seeking to become kingdom seeking.
Our heart is where our heavenly
treasure is.
The heart is where we keep God’s love
(Rom 5.5)
The heart is where the Kingdom of heaven
is in us.
The treasure therein is our love for
Jesus our Saviour, our love for the Father God Almighty and our love for the
Holy Spirit in us and around us.
The heart is where we commit our lives to God.
The heart is where we decide to follow Jesus.
Because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4.6
|
The heart is where the Holy Spirit lives making our hearts pure.
And hope
does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5
|
Our hearts are where God’s love is.
Slide 2
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this
prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what
is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:3
|
Slide 3
I have
hidden your word in my heart that
I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
|
The heart is where we keep Jesus’s words
God has given us a new pure heart
Slide 4
Let us draw
near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith
brings, having our hearts sprinkled
to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure
water. Hebrews 10.22
|
Slide 5
God, who
knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to
them, just as he did to us He did not discriminate between us and them, for
he purified their hearts by faith.
Acts 15.8-9.
|
He has
purified our hearts by faith.
Functions of the Heart.
Slide 6
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in
your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your
faith and are saved. Romans 10.9-10
|
It is with our
hearts that we believe. Faith comes from
the heart.
Slide 7
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.’
Mark 12.30
|
It is with our hearts that we love
God.
Slide 8
Otherwise
they (the people) might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand
with their hearts and turn, and I
would heal them.
Matthew13.15
|
It is with our hearts that we understand what is written in the
Bible. We take God’s words to heart.
Slide 9
For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
|
We
think with our hearts. The word of
God judges our hearts.
Our hearts have a dark
side.
Slide10
For it is from within, out of a person’s
heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft,
murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander,
arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a
person.” Mark 7.21-23
|
Notes. Both good and evil thoughts come
from the heart.
And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus. Philippians 4.4
We
Praise God with our Hearts and Souls
Slide11
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I
will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12
|
We Sing with our Hearts
Slide12
speaking to one
another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music
from your heart to the Lord, Ephesians 5:19
|
We Call on the Lord with our Hearts
Slide13
Flee the evil
desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with
those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22
|
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will
see God
Matthew 5.8
|
God’s love makes our hearts pure.
Slide 15
In the time of
judgment God will expose the hidden counsels of the heart. 1 Corinthians 4.5
|
At the time of judgement God will judge our hearts.
"A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but heartache crushes the spirit" ( Prov 15.13). "a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit
dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17.22).
The heart and spirit are
fused together.
The heart is the centre of man’s
character
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his
heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his
heart. For out of the overflow
of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).
|
The heart is closely linked to our
spirits
But Sihon king of
Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his
spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands,
as he has now done. Deuteronomy 2:30
Create in me a pure
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
A happy heart makes the face cheerful; but heartache crushes the
spirit. Prov 15.13
My sacrifice, O God,
is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Psalm 51:17
It is with the
heart that we repent.
God has given us a new heart
I will give them an
undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19
Rid yourselves of
all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why
will you die, people of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31
End of session 12
Finding the Kingdom
Session 13 - The spirit
When a baby is born, he has a spirit in
him giving him life. As the body grows,
the spirit grows in the same way until a fully-grown spirit exists in that
person. But that spirit is inadequate or
insufficient on its own. That is why there is no true happiness on earth. That spirit needs God’s Holy Spirit to make
it complete.
Slide 1
Do you not
know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?" 1 Cor. 3:16
|
Slide 2
And he
began to teach them. He said:
Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5.1
|
Blessed are those who realise that their
spirits are insufficient or inadequate and need God’s help. That is why those
who realise that they are poor in spirit and need God’s help will inherit the
kingdom of heaven.
People are walking about like half-filled
glasses. Only when they receive the Holy Spirit inside them will the glasses be
topped up and become full (regeneration).
Slide 3
| The Spirit himself
testifies with our spirit that we
are God’s children Romans 8.16 |
The Holy Spirit needs a conduit or vessel
to praise God on earth. We are that conduit.
The Holy Spirit combines with our spirit to pray praise, worship, serve
and rejoice in the Lord.
Slide 4
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Matthew 3.5-6
|
We need to ask God to purify both the spiritual
man (spirit) and the physical man (body).
Slide 5
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear
friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of
reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1
|
Slide 6
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify
you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
|
We need to ask God to sanctify our whole
spirit. Your spirit, body and
soul need to be cleansed by God.
When we praise, worship and pray to God the action starts in spiritual
man (heart and spirit) and overflows to physical man (mind, body and soul).
Slide 7
I will pray
with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will
also sing with my mind. 1 Corinthians 14:15
|
God, whom I serve
in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness
how constantly I remember you. Romans 1.9
|
We serve with our spirits
God encourages us to develop a quiet and gentle spirit
Rather, it should
be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s
sight. 1 Peter 3:4
|
Develop a quiet and
gentle spirit.
Your spirit is not
constant. It varies with our moods. It can be refreshed.
For they refreshed my spirit and yours
also. Such men deserve recognition. 1 Corinthians 16:18
|
Our feelings are felt by
our spirit
When
Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,
he was deeply moved in spirit and
troubled. John 11:33
|
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and
testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” John
13:21
|
Our preception comes from our spirit
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were
thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these
things? Mark 2:8
|
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with
you all.
2 Timothy 4:22
|
The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philippians
4:23
|
The
spirit gives the body life. We give up
or spirit when we die.
And when Jesus had
cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. Matthew 27.50
|
End of Session 13
Finding
the Kingdom
Session
14 - The Soul
The
feelings, emotions and thoughts of the heart overflow into the soul. The soul is led by the heart. If the heart
is good the soul will follow.
God
will judge the words and thoughts of the heart, but if the heart is found
wanting, it is the soul that will pay the price of sin.
Slide 1
Do not be afraid of those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew
10:28
|
Slide 2
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit
their soul? Mark 8:36
|
The
soul of sinful man will be destroyed in hell.
This is what Satan wants.
The
soul is part of physical man which consists of soul, mind and body. The spirit is part of spiritual man
consisting of heart and spirit. Jesus’
words are part of spiritual man and overflow from the spirit to the soul at
times of worship. Hence the word of
God divides soul and spirit.
Slide 3
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
|
Slide 4
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and
through. May your whole spirit, soul and
body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians
5:23
|
You
need to ask God to sanctify both spiritual man (spirit) and physical man (soul
and body). Both need to be kept
blameless. But if the heart and spirit are right with God, the soul will
follow.
Slide 5
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies
the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.” Luke 1:46
|
Mary’s
spirit was right with God and her soul followed.
Slide 6
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain
from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11
|
It is from within
a person’s heart that evil thoughts and desires come (Mark 7.21). But it is the
soul that will suffer on judgement day because of these sinful desires. You stop
them by receipting Jesus’s words.
Seeking
God’s kingdom and righteousness each day of your life will keep your heart
pure. A pure heart will lead to a pure
soul that praises the Lord each day.
Slide 7
Praise the LORD, my
soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Psalm 103:1
|
End
of Session 14
Finding the Kingdom
Session 15 - The Christian Journey
God has chosen you.
You chose God out of your own free will. But God knew that
you would choose him before you chose him because he knows everything.
You start your Christian journey at the point, that you see
with your eyes, hear with your ears, understand with your heart, turn to Jesus.
Jesus comes into your heart and heals it. You understand with your heart and
believe. You receive the Holy Spirit and your heart and spirit are renewed. You
are saved. You now stand in God’s grace. You are righteous with God through
your faith.
At this point, in Christian terms you are like a young child
(even though you are a grown person) who has much to learn from Jesus. God has
a long and fruitful education planned for you.
At this point you have a split heart. Part of it holds the Holy Spirit and God’s
love in you. Part of it holds your sinful nature and desires. These two parts
are in conflict within you. This is the
hybrid Christian struggling between sin and goodness.
Sometimes Satan wins and you lose your saltiness or your
branch withers and dies.
God has started a transformation process in you and
gradually or suddenly he turns your heart from being self-seeking to being God
seeking. Your ‘good’ heart becomes stronger and God
teaches you to use the power of God’s word to overcome your sinful desires. The
kingdom of God grows in you.
Each day you seek his kingdom and his righteousness and the
Holy Spirit helps you.
Your life becomes controlled by the spiritual man (heart and
spirit) that lives inside you. Physical man (soul, mind and body) has less
control over your daily life.
The next change point comes when you dedicate yourself
completely to God and to his Glory. You
give him your heart, spirit, soul mind and body to serve him as he pleases. At this point, you completely trust in Jesus
your saviour and in God the Father Almighty. You are His.
This process took me 34 years. I am sure it can happen in
days.
Then once you enter this wonderful state with God, anything
can happen. Each day you live for Him
and for his Glory.
My Testimony
Before I became a Christian, I wanted to know the meaning to
life and started reading different articles on evolution and the origins of man. I also started reading The New Testament especially
the book of Matthew. I was 34 with a
busy job and a busy life with a wife and two children. Yet each evening I found the time to go into
my bedroom and read the Bible. I wrote
notes on what I learnt and typed it up into a small booklet. It was only looking back years later, that I realised
that the Holy Spirit was with me, leading me through the Bible and teaching me
thinks that had been hidden. After two years of studying alone, a voice inside
me said that I should find a church to attend.
Within a year of this I was baptised.
It was the custom at our church that when a person was baptised that
they ask God secretly for a gift in the Spirit. I asked for the gift of prayer. Again, it was
only years later that I realised that I had been using the gift I asked for many
years without realising it.
I became a hybrid Christian struggling between the good in
my heart and my sinful self-seeking desires. I could have easily gone back to the
dark side, but God persevered with me.
It took me 33 years and the cancer to bring me fully to my
senses. It was in January 2017, I went to the front in a church meeting and
dedicated my heart, spirit, soul, mind and body to Jesus.
I am no longer my own person. I belong to Jesus. I am His.
Suddenly
and dramatically, the Holy Spirit gave me a deep understanding of the Bible. I wrote it all down and created this blog.
At 69 years of age, God showed me great mercy. He not only
healed my heart but also my physical body. I don’t want to go back to where I was a
hybrid Christian. I want to stay in the
control of Spiritual Man inside me being united with the Holy Spirit. Each day, I pray for God’s kingdom and to be
delivered from evil. I keep Jesus’s words in my heart and mind, my protection
from the evil in me and in the world. I
live to glorify God. I breath to love God. I love God the Father Almighty,
Jesus our Saviour and the hard-working Holy Spirit. I am so grateful for everything that he has
done and will do. My heart and soul rejoices in Christ my Saviour. I am His.
End of session 15
Finding
the Kingdom
Session
16 – Epilogue
What did Jesus mean when he spoke of the poor in spirit in Mathew 5.1?
Poor in Spirit
It's the starting point/the launching point from where you start to talk
to God. The poor in spirit are ready to talk to God.
It is when your spirit concedes to God. Recognising Him for who he is. Your
spirit is poor because you realise how inadequate your life is and how much you
need him.
Lord I need your help today and
everyday
Lowly in heart and spirit
Lowly in your innermost self
An inner peace
Meek before God
Trusting him
Yielding yourself to him
Aware of his presence
Safe in his care
Sorrowful for your sins
Sorrowful towards the world
Yet joyful In the Spirit
Open to God
Yet not wanting
Happy in his presence
Content
At peace
Wanting to be righteous
In his eyes
Wanting to please him
Slow breathing
Hypnotic state
Yet wide awake
Touching the kingdom of heaven Inside you
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Because theirs is the kingdom of heaven
You have just found the Kingdom of Heaven
The Truth
Truth and justice come through Jesus
our Lord and Saviour
On this I will build my church
And the truth that is in me will set
you free
From sin that is in the world
Stand in my faith and grace
Rejoice in my love
Believe in me and anything is possible.
Prayer
Everybody on earth needs you
Lord I need you.
End of session 16
