40 days with jesus

8/14/2019 40 Days with Jesus

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40 Days with Jesus

A guide to the Spirit filled life.

By Remy Diederich


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40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit filled life.by Remy Diederich

This document contains:

Part One: What does it mean to be spiritual? page two Part Two: What is the role of the Spirit? page ten Part Three: Who does Jesus reveal himself to? page nineteen Part Four: What things prevent and promote me hearing from Jesus? page twenty seven Part Five: How do I differentiate between my ideas and Gods ? page thirty seven Part Six: Do I really need the church to experience Jesus? page forty nine

Welcome to 40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit filled life . And what that means is thatover the next 40 days were going to learn how to hear the voice of Jesus in our day to day life.We are going to learn how to follow the leading of his Spirit. And least thats the goal!

Now, just to give you a visual of what Ill be talking about, Dave Johnson and Corey Amundsonare going to give you a little Tool Time demonstration.(Dave tries to build a wall with hammer and nails while Corey uses an air powered nail gun.Corey is done in seconds while Dave never really gets started.)

I bet a lot of us can relate to Dave, right? Sincere. Working hard. But not accomplishing much.Kind of pathetic! No matter how hard you try you just dont feel like youve got what it takes to

succeed. Is that how you feel some times?

Wouldnt it be nice to plug into a power source to give you the strength you need? Wouldnt itbe nice if you could handle the stress of life without always being in crisis? Wouldnt it be niceif you could live with a sense of confidence and peace instead of always second guessingyourself and then kicking yourself for making bad decisions?

Well, thats exactly what Jesus offers us with his Spirit. When you choose to follow Jesus hesends his Spirit into our lifehe gives you the power you need to live the life you were made tolive. And thats what we are going to be talking about over the next 40 days.

Put simply, the Spirit filled life means to walk with Jesus every moment of every day. It meansthat you develop a sense that you are never alone and Jesus is always with you. Hes right atyour side and hes speaking to you. Do you realize that? Jesus is speaking to every one of usevery day.

Now you might say, I dont think so! Hes not talking to me! But I disagree. You just need tolearn how to dial in his frequency and when you tune your ears to his frequency youll be


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amazed to learn that Jesus is speaking to you all the time. Hes speaking words of encouragement. Hes giving you advice on the important decisions you need to make. Hesspeaking to you about how to resist temptation and find peace even in the most stressfulcircumstance.

And the Spirit goes beyond speaking to you. The Spirit is there to give you the power that youneed to accomplish what God has called you to do. You just need to develop your spiritual ears,ears that will hear what Jesus is saying. So thats my prayer for us over the next 40 daysthatyou will start to hear the Spirit of God in your life and grow closer to Jesus than youve everbeen.

To get us started on our 40 day journey I want to turn to a passage that might be very familiar tosome of you. In fact Pastor Andy just preached on this text a few weeks ago when he waslooking at the man called Nicodemus. But I want to look at this story again to see what lessonswe can learn from Jesus about what it means to be spiritual what it means to live a life that isfilled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit.

I chose the story of Nicodemus because Nicodemus is absolutely clueless about what it means tobe spiritual. He knows all about how to be religious , but nothing about being spiritual- how tobe in relationship to God. And I thought that was a good place for us to start because some of usmight be in that place. In fact, some days I think we are all in that place. We are all cluelessspiritually some days. I know I am. None of us are spiritual experts.

Now in the course of talking to Nicodemus, Jesus gets him just to the starting point of what itmeans to be a spiritual person. So Im not trying to take you any farther today than where Jesustook Nicodemus and thats just a millimeter step forward. Nicodemus is not even on the radarspiritually. Jesus is just trying to get him on the radar. So I want to caution you to not get aheadof me today. I just want you to try and feel what its like to be Nicodemus. Feel what its like tobe stuck spiritually and lets explore some lessons from Jesus about what it means to be aspiritual person.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish rulingcouncil. He came to Jesus at night John 3:1,2

Nicodemus was most likely a devout religious man who knew his Bible, obeyed Gods law andattended worship on a regular basis. I dont know that but lets give him the benefit of the doubt.He was probably known for doing good deeds and being generous with his money.

But as he sat around with the other spiritual leaders or his buddies in the faith my guess is thattheir constant talk about religious rules and rituals got old. He probably got bored and started torealize that something was missing in his faith. Deep down he had a longing for somethingmore. He just didnt know what that was. Maybe you are in that place today.

But then one day Nicodemus saw Jesus preaching and performing miracles and something insideof him came alive. In all of his years of Bible study and Temple worship and good deeds he


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never felt like he did when he heard Jesus. And so he decided that his only hope of finding whatwas missing in his life was to seek out Jesus.

And thats why when he encounters Jesus he says Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform

the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. John 3:2

Maybe Im reading too much into this but when he starts right off talking about miraculous signsI just get the feeling that Nicodemus is longing to tap into the power of what he sees in Jesus. Helongs to tap into something thats fresh and real and not all formal and intellectual like hisreligious experience had been.

When Nicodemus watched Jesus and his followers they seemed to have something different.They had a joy and enthusiasm that he had never seen or experienced. Maybe some of you feellike Nicodemus. You say to yourself

Ive done everything Im supposed to do; I go to church, I read my Bible and I pray, but

wheres the joy? Wheres the sense of Gods presence? Why am I so critical? Why do I get angry so easily? And how come some of my friends seem to have everything that Immissing spiritually?

Well its those kinds of questions that got Nicodemus to sneak down to see Jesus in the dark of night. But before Nicodemus even gets to ask his question Jesus gives him an answer. He says

I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. John 3:3

Jesus knows what the problem is. Hes telling Nicodemus If you want to experience the joy and the power of the kingdom of God, then you need tobe born of the kingdom of God.

In other words, if you want your faith experience to change you cant just keep doing whatyouve always been doing. Because, like the saying goesif you keep doing what youve alwaysbeen doing youre going to keep getting what youve always been getting. And what he hadbeen getting was a dry, intellectual and joyless faith.

Jesus said he needed to be born again. He needed to come at his relationship with God from acompletely different perspective. Performing all kinds of religious rituals wasnt going to gethim where he wanted to be. Being spiritual involves more than that.

So the first lesson I want you to see here is simply that Being religious doesnt make you spiritual.

Theres something more. Jesus said it had to do with being born again.

Now, Id imagine that Nicodemus must have been really confused at the thought of being bornagain. Maybe you find it confusing too. So hes scratching his head and saying


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Whats he talking aboutbeing born again? Ive grown up in the church. My parentswere long time church members. Im now a leader in the church and people look up tome but Ive never once heard about being born again.

And so he says to Jesus

How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into hismother's womb to be born!...

In other words ..I dont have a clue what you are talking about!

Jesus understands his problem and he tries to help him understand. He says I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit 1. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:5,6

And this is the second lesson I see here about what it means to be spiritualSpiritual things come from a Spirit led life.

(Its a vague pointbut Jesus was vague!)

When Jesus says, flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit he simplymeans that human effort- all by itself- will never result in something spiritual . Knowing a lotabout God will never add up to a relationship with God. Doing a lot for God will never add up toa relationship with God. For example, I can read all the biographies about George Bush in theworld but my knowledge of him alone doesnt create a relationship. I can work for hisadministration for years and put his pictures on my wall but that wont create a relationshipeither. If I want to have a relationship with Bush I need to meet him and spend time with him.

And the same is true with God. And so for Nicodemus, if he wants to become a spiritual personit will only happen if he establishes a relationship with God because relationship is the essence of who God is. Theres no ritual he can perform that will make it happen.

Now, if Im Nicodemus Im getting really frustrated because Jesus is so vague and obscure withhis answers. I have no clue what in the world Jesus is talking about. This is all way over myhead. Have you ever had someone talk to you about something and you couldnt follow onething that they said? They totally get it and you totally dont.

Sometimes that happens to me when people launch into talking about finances. They lose meright out of the box and five minutes later they ask if I get it and Im embarrassed to have to saythat I didnt understand one word. Well thats how Nicodemus is feeling right about now. Imsure hes feeling embarrassed and pretty stupid.

1 The water here has been interpreted in different ways. I see it as the water of Jewish baptism. Jews oftenunderwent baptisms to show their commitment to God. Jesus is saying that being spiritual involves more than apersonal dedication. It involves our will (baptism) and his action in us (sending his Spirit).


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So Jesus gives him a little picture of what it means to be spiritual. Maybe a gust of wind came upblowing the trees and leaves and he said

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:7,8

This is the third lesson on what it means to be spiritualThe Spirit is always on the move

and because of that the spiritual person needs to learn how to adjust.

Now, like Ive said, Nicodemus is clueless. Hes embarrassed. Hes trying his best tounderstand but now Jesus finally says something that he kind of gets. Jesus says that beingspiritual is like being blown around by the wind. Well, he gets that. But now he goes from beingclueless to being scared to death because He doesnt like that analogy! Hes not so sure he wantsto serve a god who is so unpredictable.

All his life his experience with God was formal. God was far away and he was happy to showGod respect by being religious. He did his duty. He made his appearances. There was nomystery. Everything was very predictable, very black and white. He liked that kind of God.That was comfortable.

But now Jesus was suggesting something that made him very uncomfortable . Jesus wassuggesting that being spiritual meant responding to the ever changing move of God. Thats notsomething that he was familiar with and it scared him.

Why would it scare him? Well, for a lot of reasonsWhat if he cant sense the Spirit speaking to him or hears wrong?Or what if God tells him to do something he doesnt want to do?Or what about all the work this is going to require?

I mean, when you are religious its all on your own time table. You can schedule your worshipand rituals like a doctors appointmentat your convenience. You pick and choose what ritualsyou want to do and when you want to do them.

But if God is always on the move that means that you have to listen to God every day all thetime . You never know what hes going to say or where or when. So you have to stay on yourtoes! Its like going from dating to being married the relationship goes from planned dates tospending time together 24/7.

And because of that, you cant be living off of some Bible verse you read last month or a sermonyou heard last week. You have to be in touch with the Spirit of God all the time. That can bevery intimidating.

I wonder how that sounds to you? Does that seem impossible? Well its not only possible, thatsthe kind of person that God made you to be. You are wired to be in a moment by moment


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relationship with God, you just might not know it yet. But thats the point of this series. And if you stick with me over the next 40 days Ill try to help you get there.

Well, by now, Nicodemus probably wishes that he never came to see Jesus. He can barely wraphis head around this totally new way of thinking about God and what it means to be spiritual so

he says How can this be?

So Jesus stops being vague and finally gets to the point. He tells Nicodemus what it means to beborn again and what it means to be truly spiritual.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life . John 3:14, 15

The fourth lesson here is thatEternal life comes in the person of Jesus not religion .

So Jesus refers to a story in the Old Testament where the people were dying from a plague and

God told Moses to create a bronze snake and hold it up for the people to look at and when theylooked at the snake they would be healed.

Jesus is saying, Im like that snake . If you look to me and not to your ability to be religious, youwill have eternal life, which means that you will start to experience the life of God, the life of joyand peace and confidence that you came here looking for. And then he points to himself again

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save theworld through him. John 3:16,17

Jesus is telling Nicodemus that this new spiritual birth takes place not by doing anything notby being religious in any way but by simply believing in him and establishing a relationship.

When Jesus says here that God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world hescontrasting his role with the role of religion . Their religion had become very judgmental andcondemning. Thats what robbed Nicodemus of his joy. And so my fifth lesson about what itmeans to be spiritual is this

Religion without a relationship with God is just rules.

If your religion isnt centered in a relationship with Jesus then all youve got is rituals and rules.

Now, this is the starting point that Jesus wanted to get Nicodemus to. He wanted him to see thatbeing spiritual starts with a personal relationship with Jesus. And so my last lesson is this thespiritual life starts by asking Jesus into your life and then talking to him every day abouteverything in your life. Its really very basic but its amazing how many people lose sight of asimple relationship with Jesus and let their faith degenerate into a list of dos and donts.


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My guess is that many of us are missing out on a much better life because we are likeNicodemuswe dont know how to have a relationship with an invisible God so we substitute itwith religious rituals that we can see.

So, as we start out these 40 days with Jesus Im not taking anything for granted. The first

thing we have to do is make sure weve established a relationship with Jesus. There are probablysome of us here who have never done that. Others of us have but then we lost contact. Its likehaving a friend that you lost touch with. You are friends, but you havent talked in years. So letsmake sure that we have Jesus in our life.

Prayer: Jesus you know where we are at spiritually. Some of us here are like Nicodemus. Wearent even on the spiritual radar. We are clueless. Thanks for being patient with us. Others of us started on a spiritual journey but got sidetracked. For both groups I ask that youd help themto start fresh with you today. Youve shown us the starting point to being spiritual. It starts with

Jesus. So help us invite you into our lives. Help us take our first steps to a 24/7, moment bymoment relationship with you. Spirit of God, come into our lives in powerful waysways that

we will know for certain that you are with us. Thank you for loving us and working with us right where we are at. Amen.

And then every day for the next 40 days I want to encourage you use the following.1. Weekly Memory Verse (see below)2. Daily Reading & Prayer (see below)3. Small Group Discussion (see below)4. Extra credit:Read Wild Goose Chase (available at book table in lobby).

Memory Verse:

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty . Zechariah 4:6

Daily Reading:

Day One: Luke 1:1-45 Question: What role does the the Spirit play in the lives of John (v15), Mary (v35), and

Elizabeth (v41)?Day Two: Luke 1:46-80 , 2:21-38

Question: What role does the Spirit play in the lives of Zechariah (v1:67) and Simeon(v2:25)?

Day Three: Luke 3:1-22 Question: What does John say about Jesus and the Spirit? What happens at Jesus

baptism?Day Four: Luke 4

Question: What happened in Jesus life as a result of the Spirit?


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Day Five: Luke 5:36-39 Question: What can you learn about the Spirit of God from Jesus parable?

Going Deeper

Use these questions for personal reflection or for your small group discussion.

1. Talk about a time when you either used a power tool or saw someone else use one after

trying to work without the power. What was that like?

2. The book of John contrasts religion with a relationship with Jesus. Specifically John

challenges the Bible people of his time that knowing the Bible alone wasnt good enough.

See John 5:38-40.

a. How have you seen people use the Bible in a way that makes them religious butno closer to God?

b. What is more important than knowing the Bible according to Jesus?

3. Nicodemus (John 3) is a great example of someone who was religious but had no

relationship with God. In John 3:3 Jesus talks about needing to be born again or born

from above in order to be able to see the kingdom.

a. What does it mean to be born again? The word again can also be translated

from above. Does that change your understanding?b. What does it mean to see the kingdom?

c. Do you think you see the kingdom?

d. In John 3:5 Jesus refers to entering the kingdom. Do you think thats any

different from seeing the kingdom?

4. Read John 3:5,6. You might say that Jesus is saying, You cant get apple juice from

oranges. You cant get spiritual results by purely seeking God with head knowledge.

5. Jesus compares the Spirit to the wind in John 3:8. What is he getting at? How is the

Spirit different from the way Nicodemus and his friends understood God?

6. John 3:16 is a well known verse. Read 3:16-19. Jesus is drawing a comparison with his

ministry verses the ministry of simply reading and memorizing the Law of God (the rules

of the Bible). What is the difference?


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40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit-led lifePart Two: The Role of the Spirit

By Remy DiederichCedarbrook Church

My son graduated from college last Spring . Hes been looking for a job and now just this week heaccepted a position in Phoenix. Phoenix! Thats a long way from home! Im happy for him butthere is a big part of me that wants to go with him and help him get settled and navigate life in anew city. Plus, the job that he accepted is a one year gig with the International RescueCommittee a non-profit group that helps refugees get settled.

Whats a little concerning is that they require their employees to live at the poverty level toidentify with their clients (and they help with that by paying at the poverty level!) . I think thatsgreat. Its a great opportunity for him in many ways. And Im proud of him for being willing tomake that kind of sacrifice. But it only makes me want to be with him that much more to helphim deal with that kind of sacrifice. Ive lived at the poverty level and its not an easy thing to do.

But as I felt the need to be with him and solve his problemsthe thought occurred to me thatthis is a great opportunity for him to lean on the Spirit of God and not mom and dad. My sondoesnt have to navigate his life alone in Phoenix if he doesnt want to. God sent his Spirit intohis life to guide him through every hardship he might encounter.

This isnt the first time Ive sensed God showing me this. As a pastor and as a teach er at ArborPlace (treatment center) I have to learn how to trust people to God . You may not realize this but Iwish I could go with you when you leave here on Sunday. I would love to be there every day of

the week to encourage you to put into practice what I talked about on Sunday. I know that formany of you, when you hit the parking lot that you are going to get sucked into the vortex of theworld. You are going to get pulled into the cares and temptations out there and so I want to gowith you to help prevent that.

I feel the same way when someone graduates at Arbor Place. I know that statistic s show thatmany addicts will relapse and so I want to go with them and keep speaking life into them so thatdoesnt happen. B ut whenever I think these thoughts its like God taps me on the shoulder and tellsme that thats not my job. Thats the job of his Spirit. And I appreciate that because otherwise itwould be too much of a burden.

Last week I started a new series called 40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit filled life . Andthe goal that Im shooting for with us is that we come to see that Jesus is walking with us 24/7.We are not alone but his Spirit is with us every minute of every day and hes speaking to us,whether we know it or not. We just need to learn how to dial in his frequency so we can hearwhat hes saying.


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So today, Ive got six things to share with you about the role of the Spirit in your life.

In the book of John Jesus is preparing his disciples for the day when he will leave them. Its alittle bit like me sending off my son. Jesus knew that his disciples were probably going to freak outbecause they thought he was going to be with them forever.

Can you imagine what it must have been like spending every day and all day with Jesus? Havinghim right there to explain things for you and answer all your questions? And then can youimagine him suddenly being gone? It would be devastating!

So Jesus breaks the bad newspretty soon he wont be there anymore. Now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you has asked me where I amgoing. Instead, you are very sad. But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if

I don't, the Counselor won't come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send himto you. John 16:5-7

Jesus refers to the Spirit in this verse as the Counselor. Ill talk about that in a minute. But didyou notice what Jesus said? He said it is BEST for them that he goes away. So, the first thing Iwant to point out is that

Having the Spirit is better than having Jesus in person.

I bet most of us wouldnt agree with that. Most of us, if we had a choice between the Spiritliving inside of us or Jesus living with us in person would choose Jesus. Right? Thats what Iwould choose!

But Jesus says no, its best that he goes away. How could that be? Well, when Jesus leaves that

enables him to send his Spirit. And for some reason Jesus thinks THAT is better than having himthere in person.

Now, we get a little insight into why this is in another verse And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (paraclete) to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truthhe lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16,17

Here Jesus makes it clear that the Counselor he talked about before is the Spirit.

But look what else he says. Jesus refers to another Counselor. The word another heremeans something different but of the same kind . For example, if you had an apple and I took your apple but gave you another appleits a different apple but its the same kind. So you reallyhavent lost anything. But i

f I took your apple and gave you an orange, I would be giving yousomething different and of a different kind.

So Jesus is telling them that when he sends the Spirit it is not him but the Spirit is the same inevery way. There is no difference between the Spirit and Jesus. The Spirit is not less than Jesus.The only difference between the Spirit and Jesus is that the Spirit comes to live inside of you. And


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the Spirit, unlike Jesus, wont leave. Hell stay forever. And thats why Jesus believes that itsbetter for him to go away because the Spirit is not limited in time or space.

Jesus is trying to reassure his disciples that they dont have to worry. When Jesus leaves thingswont get worse. If anythingtheyll get better. And so , my second point here is that

The Spirit is everything that Jesus is.

Now, let me talk about that word counselor. In the Greek the word is paraclete. Para is likethe word parallel. It means to stand along side of something. And clete means to speak intosomeones life. So paraclete means someone who comes along side of you to speak into yourlife. Thats why they translate it as counselor or helper or comforter. In my mind , when Ihear of someone standing along side of me, speaking into my life, I think of a coach or a personaltrainersomeone who is actively working with me to become someone that I am not at themoment. So my third point is

The Spirit is like a coach .

. coaching us to become like Jesus. But if thats true, then we have to ask ourselves, Are welistening to our coach? Are we allowing him to speak to us and change us into the person hewants us to be? A lot of church people are great at inviting Jesus into their house so to speak.But then they leave him sitting alone in the living room while they go off and live their lifewithout him. Thats not what it means to let the Spirit be the coach of your life.

Now, the word Counselor or Paraclete is used in a few other places in the Bible. Just a fewverses later Jesus uses it again

But the Counselor (paraclete), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John14:26

Jesus gives us a little more detail as to what we can expect from the Spirit. He tells us that theSpirit will do the same thing that Jesus didand that is to teach. The Spirit and Jesus are bothteachers. Jesus said that the Spirit will teach us all things. He isnt limited in what he can teachusremember, hes everything that Jesus is so he can teach us everything we need to know.

Jesus also said But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

The word for guide here means to teach someone by going ahead of them and showing theway. I like that. You know, there is a lot of uncertainty in the world. There are a lot of thingsthat appear to be true but arent. And the things that are true are often hidden. Truth is notalways obvious. Plus my emotions often confuse me and Im not always so sure which way togo.

So I really need something beyond myself showing me the way. Dont you? I think itsincredibly arrogant of anyone to think that they can navigate life with no inputwith no one to


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guide them. We all need someone to show us the way. Jesus says that his given us a guide andthats the Spirit. The Spirit is inside of us teaching and guiding us through the minefields of life.

I like what else Jesus said about the Spirit.When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about

how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. Luke 12:11,12

When he says the Spirit will teach you at that time he means that the Spirit gives us real timeinstruction. That means that the Spirit is right there giving you late breaking insight into yoursituation.

For example, I was on my way to the airport the other day during rush hour. I was concernedabout getting stuck in traffic and being late for my flight so I just prayed a quick prayer, askingGod to help me get there on time. On the way there the traffic report came on a few times and Iheard it mention something about 494 but I missed exactly what it said. 494 is pretty big so I

just assumed it wasnt about the section that I was headed for. But just as I got into the exit laneto get on 494 I asked God to bring the traffic report on one more time if the traffic jam was inWoodbury. And sure enough, the traffic report came on and on and said,

On south 494 in Woodbury there is an accident just before the bridge thats got trafficbacked up two miles.

So I quick got out of the exit lane and took a different route to the airport, completely missing theaccident. Thats what I mean by real time instruction. God can speak to you in the moment todirect your decision making.

Now, you might not think God helps people with traffic, and that s fine. But he helps me! I

think God helps us with everything in lifefrom large to small, if we are listening.

Thats the kind of thing the Spirit can do. Right in the middle of a conversation he can give youthe right thing to say. Right in the middle of a financial negotiation he can give you the wisdomyou need to do the right thing, whether that is to move ahead or back out all together. Right in themiddle of being tempted he can show you a way of escape. So my fourth point is that

The Spirit is a real time teacher.

Now, Im going to repeat a verse I read earlier and read the very next verse. Jesus says But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not giveto you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid . John14:26,27

In verse 26 Jesus tells us that the Spirit will teach us . In verse 27 he says that the Spirit gives us peace . I think theres a connection there. When you listen to what the Spirit has to teach you, youwill be at peace.


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Now, I dont know what you think of when you hear the word peace but when the Bible usesthe word peace it means wholeness, health, a sense of well being, contentment, confidence.Jesus said that his peace isnt like the peace that the world gives. In the world we get peaceexternally. We often think that when everything around us is at peace then well be at peace.When our relationships are good, our health is good, our finances are good and our kids are in

bedthen maybe - we will have peace.

But Jesus says that the peace he gives isnt like that. His peace isnt connected to whats goingon outside of you. His peace comes from whats INSIDE of you despite whats going on outside.

Thats the kind of peace I want! A peace that isnt connected to my circumstances. Jesus offers uspeace simply by sending his Spirit into our lives.

When I was in the airport the other day I was watching a little boy with his mom. That little boywas so happy. He didnt know anything about his moms financial situation or whether or nothis mom and dad loved each other. All he knew is that his mom was with him and loved him

and that made him happy. And as I watched that boy I thought,You know, I think thats what God wants for me too. I think God wants me to be happy just because his Spirit is living inside of me just because we are in relationship and not because my circumstances are good.

[By the waythats how I believe God speaks to me. I dont hear voices. I just makeobservations and then reflect on my thoughts. And when I get a thought that seems very trueathought that seems to impact me in a good wayI believe thats a thought from God. ]

So my fifth point here is that

The Spirit in and of himself - is peace.

The Spirit doesnt just create peace. The Spirit is peace and when we acknowledge his presencein our lives then we will experience that peace.

Now, what Jesus wanted his disciples to see here in his teaching was that when he leaves and theSpirit comesthey shouldnt miss a beat. There should be no difference in their lives. Eventhough the Spirit is invisible and Jesus is visible nothing changes. And in fact, thats whathappened in the early church if you read the book of Acts. The book of Acts is the story of whathappened after Jesus left the earth. And its obvious that the disciples made the transitionbecause they act like Jesus never left. They are hearing from Jesus and they are doing things in

the name of Jesus just like they did when he was on earth.

Jesus talks about the day that he will send his Spirit into the world I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see meanymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you willrealize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:18-20


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I picture this like concentric circles. Jesus is in the Father. We are in Jesus and the Spirit is inus.

Spirit

YouJesus

God

Its like we are sandwiched in the Trinity of God.

So, between our relationship to Jesus and the Spirit we are planted at the center of God. Thats agood place to be! When the world is crashing down all around you it doesnt matter because youare consumed by God. God is your buffer. He is protecting you from whats out there. Thatswhat Paul was talking about when he said that

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Paul meant that when we come to Jesus we die to our godless independent life. Hes telling usthat when we turn our lives over to Jesus and His Spirit that we are placing ourselves at the verycenter of God. And thats my final point that

The Spirit places you in the center of God.

Let me ask youHow in touch are you with the Spirit?

Have you invited him into your life? If you havehave you let him teach you and guide you?

And have you experienced his peace or do you spend a good portion of each day worrying about whats wrong and how things might just get worse?

One time I borrowed a friends truck to run an errand and I ran out of gas. I called him and he

said, Oh, I forgot to tell you, my truck has dual gas tanks. So just flip the switch and youll be fine. Well, that would have been nice to know! How was I supposed to guess that it had dualtanks? You see, that truck had another resource that I knew nothing about and because I didntknow about it I ran out of gas.

And thats what happens to a lot of us as believers. We run out of gas because we dontrealize that we have another resource inside of us.a resource that goes way beyond our own


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natural strength. But listen to what the Bible has to say about the Spirit that weve beengivenGod...

is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us ... Ephesians 3:20

The Bible says that we have no idea how powerful the Spirit is who lives inside of us. Andelsewhere it says

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit livingwithin you. Romans 8:11

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of those of us who have committedour lives to following Jesus. Imagine what would happen if we started living like we believe thisstuff!

Thats what I want for us. And Im hoping that over these 40 days that youll talk to Jesus every

day and include him in on every aspect of your life. Im not asking you to do it for the rest of your life. Just for 40 days. And ask Gods Spirit to teach you and guide you every day. Ask him to show you things about life and God that youve never seen before and just see whathappens. See if God doesnt show up in ways that you never could have imagined. And like Isaid last week Ive given you some things to help you on a daily basis

1. Weekly Memory Verse 2. Daily Reading & Prayer3. Small Group Discussion

(You can find all three below).

Well, just before Jesus left the earth the bible tells us He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:22

And so with that in mind let me pray for us in closing Jesus, I want to thank you for sending your Spirit into our lives. Forgive us for the timesthat we ignore you. Forgive us for not believing that you are there and relying on our own strength when we could be living by the power of the Spirit. Jesus, breathe on ustoday and might we all receive your Spirit. And might we look to you every day, moment by moment to find wisdom, power and direction to fulfill our purpose in life. Amen.

Memory Verse:"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth ." John 4:24

Daily Readings


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Day One : Luke 10:1-22 Note: We see here a story of the Spirits activity. The Spirit is released in an isolated way

to move through Gods people to bless others. Question: What is Jesus response in verse 21 and how does he think the Father will

respond in verse 22?

Day Two: Luke 11:1-13 Question: Given the Fathers generosity in giving his Spirit, how often do you ask Him to

fill you to have all the power you need to do his will?

Day Three: Luke 12:1-12 Question: To blaspheme against the Spirit means to denounce or speak against his

ministry in the world. Why do you think this is unforgiveable when speaking againstJesus is forgiveable?

Note: The topic quickly changes in verse 11 but note the teaching role that the Spirit hasin our lives. He can give us "on the spot" wisdom in what we are to say.

Day Four: Acts 1:1-5 Note: Luke wrote the book of Luke and the book of Acts. Question: What does Jesus' ministry and his followers ministry have in common?

(Compare verses two and five).

Day Five: Acts 1:6-8 Question: What is the impact and purpose of the Spirit coming into your life? Question: Has this been the impact in your life? If not, why do you think that is?

Going Deeper Use these questions for personal reflection or with a small group of friends.

1. Have you seen the Spirit of God move in your life or in the life of others? Is so, how?What made you know that it was the Spirit?

2. Read John 4:23,24. What are some ways that people (maybe you) worship in truth but notin the Spirit? What might be some ways that people worship in spirit but not in truth?

3. Read John 16:5-7. As Jesus prepares to leave he says that it is best that I go. Why isthat? How can it ever be good for Jesus to leave? What are the benefits of Jesus NOTbeing with us in person?


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4. Jesus referred to the Spirit as the Para-clete, that is someone who comes alongside tospeak into your life. Its translated helper, counselor, comforter. Maybe a modernword would be coach or trainer. How is the Spirit like a coach or a trainer?

5. Read John 14:16,17. Jesus contrasts the Spirit with himself. He will leave them but the

Spirit will stay with them forever. In what ways is the ministry of the Spirit the same asJesus and in what ways (if any) is it different?6. Read 14:18-20. Jesus says he will NOT leave us as orphans. What is the life of an

orphan? What is the contrast that Jesus is trying to make here?

7. Read 14:26,27. Jesus promised them that he would bring to their remembranceeverything that he taught them. Jesus can do the same for us. But if he is going to bringto remembrance his teaching what does that imply needs to happen first?

8. Is there any correlation between verse 26 and 27?

9. As you study what it means to lead a Spirit led life, what makes you uncomfortable orfearful? Are you tempted to just go through the motions of religion and not risk being ledby the Spirit? What gets you excited about a Spirit led life?


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40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit-led lifeWeek Three: Obedience and the Spirit By Remy DiederichCedarbrook Church

I want you to think about something. Think about the last time you shared something private orpersonal with a friend. It might have been a weakness of yours or something exciting that youcouldnt tell everyone just yet or just some problem that you were facing.

But no matter what it was, I bet you were very selective about who that person was, right? And Ibet if you shared something personal and they mishandled the information they got crossed off the list of People to share personal stuff with, didn't they? Of course they did.

Well, today I want to talk about what kind of people Jesus shares his secrets with. We are in themiddle of a series called 40 Days with Jesus ...a guide to the Spirit filled life and my goal overthese 40 days is to help bring you into a 24/7 relationship with Jesus a relationship where youare in constant dialogue with Jesus as compared to merely going to church or praying one-wayprayers that never get answered.

Did you know thats the kind of person that God made you to be? He wired you to be incommunication with him every day. Not just during times of crisis Oh God, get me out of thismess! No, he created you to be in dialogue with him on a daily basis.

Now, when I talk about being in dialogue with God Im not talking about some weird, spooky,supernatural thing where you sit in the lotus position and see visions and hear voices! Imtalking about developing your ability to sit back and observe your life, reflect on it and then draw

conclusions about what God is saying to you. Its very normal. Its very natural.

Its like I've been saying the last two weeks Jesus is always speaking to us . The question isare we listeningdo we want to hear what hes saying ? If we want to hear what he's saying thenwe need to dial in his frequency. And so thats what Im trying to help you do during these 40days.

Last week we learned that the Spirit of God in us acts like a coach/personal trainer giving us realtime information to help us make decisions throughout the day. Next week Im going to look atwhat blocks the voice of God in our lives and what we can do to hear Gods voice. And then onStout Sunday Im going to talk about how to discern Gods will for your life. And youre not

going to want to miss that because Im going to introduce Text the Pastor where youll be ableto ask me a question after the sermon and Ill answer as many questions as I can.

Now, last week, when I talked about the role of the Spirit in our lives I purposefully avoidedsome of what Jesus said just to narrow my focus. So today I want to go back to those words andwiden the focus. Its kind of like looking at a map online. Maybe some of you have done that.


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Now, I wonder how that makes you feel. For some of you, you are fine with it. But forothersit makes you feel like you just got punched in the stomach, right? It takes the wind outof your sails. I mean, its like Jesus just fulfilled your worst fears about Godthat his love foryou is conditional. And if Gods love for you and his willingness to come and live inside of youis contingent on your ability to keep his commandments then you are sunk. Right? So why even

bother?

Well, before you go down that negative road lets take a deeper look at this and see what we canlearn. When Jesus talks about keeping the commandments, to keep means more than simplyto obey. It means to guard or protect something very important to you. It means to devoteattention to something special. You could say it means to treasure something. So Jesus islooking to reveal himself to people that treasure his commandmentsnot just obey them. Youcan obey a command without treasuring it.

Think about thatwhat in your life do you treasure ? What in your life do you think about a lotand guard carefully? For many of us we treasure our family and friends. We guard our time with

them because we value those relationships so much.But, if we are honest, there are probably things in our life that we treasure that dont reallydeserve that much attention. Maybe its a possession or a hobby or some form of entertainmentor it might even be a bad habit of ours or even an addiction. So, think about everything that youtreasurethe good and the bad. Where would you say the teachings of Jesus fall? Would yousay they fall inside or outside the circle of the things you treasure? And if you think that youtreasure his commands then how would you prioritize them as compared to other items that youtreasure?

Well, based on your answer, and based on what Jesus said here, you can tell how likely Jesus isto reveal himself to you because Jesus reveals himself to those who treasure his commandments. I realize that may create a tension for us because it feels like God is making his love conditional.But the truth is that God loves us unconditionally AND he expects us to keep hiscommandments. Both are true. One truth doesnt negate the other. But churches often get thatwrong.

Some churches are all about Gods love and they never lay out any expectations for their peoplefor fear that people will feel rejected or condemned. At the other extreme there are churches whoare all about keeping the commands. They shy away from talk about Gods love because they areafraid that people will use it as an excuse to sin. And so these churches celebrate obedience butignore compassion and mercy.

But both churches and both extremes are wrong. Both give people a distorted view of God. Andso we have to learn how to embrace both Gods unconditional love and his call to obedience atthe same time. Its not one or the other. Parents understand this concept intuitively. They lovetheir children unconditionally but they still expect obedience. Obedience is not an option butthat doesnt mean their love is conditional. And the same is true with God.


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Now, lets get a little historical perspective. Lets zoom out to see what the Old Testament has tosay to us. Gods people have always been identified with keeping his commandments. I did a lotof reading over the summer about Jewish thought and for Jews, they dont see themselves asbecoming Gods people until God gave them the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Before thattime the Jews existed as a people but they were not Gods people.

God was pursuing them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They had a number of experienceswith God. But it wasnt until God gave them the commandments and they accepted them-agreeing to keep them - that they became identified as Gods people. [ I think thats a good testfor any group that wants to be identified as Gods peopleare they committed to keeping hiscommands.]

Its interesting to go back and read what God said at Mt. Sinai I, the Lord your God[show] love to those who love me and keep my commandments. Ex. 20:5, 6

And in the same context God said Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

Does that sound familiar? Jesus used those same words, didnt he? And it wasnt a coincidence.It was on purpose. Jesus wanted to remind his disciples of Gods promise to those who committo keeping his commands. You see, it was their willingness to keep the commandments thatidentified them as Gods people. And God promised hed take care of them.

Later in the Old Testament God speaks through the prophet Ezekiel about a day when his Spiritwould come to live inside of us. Listen to what the Spirit will do

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful tokeep my commands. Ezekiel 36:26,27

God tells us that one of the main signs that Gods Spirit is inside of us will be our desire andability to keep the commandments.

And so it shouldnt surprise us when Jesus comes on the scene that keeping the commandmentsis central to his teaching. Listen to what he says during his sermon on the mount.

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will becalled least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven . Matthew 5:19

And as Jesus concludes his sermon this is what he says Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the willof my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

Finally, when Jesus was about to leave the earthwhat were his last words?Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with youalways, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19,20


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Notice how the promise to be with us follows obeying his commands. My charge as a pastor andour charge as a church isnt just to tell people about Jesus or even get them to believe in Jesus.Our charge is to teach people to obey Jesus . Did you know that?

Maybe you come here for the music. Or maybe you come here for an encouraging message or

maybe you just come here to give your child some religious training. But Jesus said that his goalfor us as his followers is that we obey his commandments . He wants us to be devoted to livingout his teaching on a daily basis.

But, you might ask, why is obeying his commands so important? I mean, it seems so legalistic! Does Jesus want us to be good little Christians? Well, there are a few reasons that keepingthe commands is so important. First, keeping the commands is an act of worship. Every time youshow love or forgiveness or give your money to help others or stand up for what is just and trueyou honor God. You show him and the world that he has first place in your life.

Second, we keep the commandments because they set us free. Jesus didnt give us his commands

to burden us but to free us. And the final reason we keep his commands is to bring heaven toearth. When we live out the commands of Jesus we make heaven visible to the world.

So, when we keep Jesus commands, when we treasure his words, Jesus tells us that he willreveal himself to us. Hes going to make himself known to us. Let me show you these versesagain

If you love me, keep my commands.He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him .John 14:15,21

Now, for some of you, this might still feel conditional. These words of Jesus might even feel likea threat like Jesus is telling his disciples

Look if you guys dont get your act together Im not going to send my Spirit into your lives!

But lets be careful not to bring our insecurities into the text. Lets make sure that we dont readinto Jesus words what he never intended.

In fact, lets zoom out even farther in John 14. If we zoom out all the way to John 13 we get abetter feel for what Jesus is saying

My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and Where I am going, youcannot comeSimon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going? why can't I follow you now? I willlay down my life for you." John 13:33-37

Jesus brings up the sensitive topic of his leaving the earth. You can hear the terror in Petersresponse... Why cant I follow you now? But look at the next verse because it sets up the toneof chapter 14.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1

And then a few verses into the chapter he saysI will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you . John 14:18


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Chapter 14 is set in the context of comfort not condemnation . Jesus is trying to calm their fears -not increase their fears. So, in context, hes not going to threaten them with forsaking them if they dont obey. That was the last thing on his mind. Instead, Jesus reassures them that sincethey DO love him and they ARE committed to keeping his commands then they have nothing toworry about. Jesus will always look after his own.

You see, back then, every disciple was committed to keeping the commands of their rabbi.Youd never follow a rabbi if you didnt intend to obey his teaching. That was the very nature of a teacher-student relationship. But in our culture, we learn information from teachers just tolearn. We are information gatherers. Learning something doesnt always mean well do whatwe learn. But thats not how it was back then. Back then, you learned from teachers so youcould become like the teacher. You learned from a fisherman so you could fish. You learnedfrom a carpenter so you could build. And you learned from rabbis so you could follow God likethey followed God.

So Jesus wasnt doubting the disciples love for him. He fully expected them to keep his

commands. You need to hear this in the way Jesus intended it. Jesus was saying Look guysdont worry. I know you love me. I know you will keep my commands and because of our relationship I will send my Spirit into your life.

Do you see that? Jesus words were a promise not a threat . But this point should give us pause.We should step back and ask ourselves

Am I like a first century disciple who is committed to keeping every command of Jesus or am I more like a21 st century believer who gathers information about Jesus but may or may not obey him?

Those questions are important because the promise of the Spirit is made to people who arecommitted to doing what Jesus says.

Now, the truth iseven those of us who are dedicated to keeping his commands fail at times,

right? But listen to what else John2

tells his readers in another letter that he wrote. After callingthem to keep the commands of Jesus he balances his teaching with these words My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, you have an Advocate(paraclete) with the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world. 1 John 2:1,2

John sayslook, obedience is our calling. Obedience keeps us in the heart of God. But justremember, when you blow it you have an Advocate. The word Advocate in the Greek is theword Paraclete. We looked at that word last week. I defined paraclete as someone who comesalong side of you to speak into your life.

But the word also means someone who comes along side of you to speak on your behalf or defend you. Its the word that the Greeks used for a defense attorney. So when we sin Jesus is

2 Its interesting to see how Jesus teaching became Johns teaching. .. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands . 1 John2:3. [We] receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:22 Those who obey hiscommands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:24


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our defense attorney. He stands before the Father and says that our sin has been paid for by hisdeath on the cross.

Now think about that. If Jesus is a defense attorneywhat do you think his win/loss record is?Do you think he ever lost a case? Do you think he ever had to turn to the defendant and say, I

guess I just didnt have what it takes today. Sorry, but you are going to have to pay the price forthis one! No, absolutely not. The Bible tells us that by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:14). The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross paidfor every sin you and I have ever and will ever commit.Im so grateful for that. Jesus not only died for me but he sent his Spirit into my life to changeme. But when I still fall short he defends me. Thats incredible, isnt it? I hope you see howGod is for you and not against you. He works every which way so that you come out the winnerand not the loser with God.

Well, the simple point I want you to take home today is that if you want to walk with Jesus in a24/7 conversation then keeping the commandments should be a priority in your life. Like God

told the IsraelitesThese commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when youget up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframesof your houses and on your gates. Dt. 6:6-9

My prayer for you is that you will treasure Jesus commands and as you do may he reveal moreand more of himself to you.

Prayer: Jesus help us to treasure your commands. We dont want to gather information about you. We want to be like you in every way. Amen

Going Deeper

Use these questions for personal reflection or with your small group for discussion.

1. What kind of person are you willing to share your personal concerns with? Have you ever

shared something personal with someone whom you later learned didnt treat that

information with care and respect?

2. Read John 14:15-23. What are the benefits of keeping Jesus commands? Do we receive

the Spirit in order to keep the commandments or keep the commandments in order to

receive the Spirit?

3. Read 1 John 2:3 and 1 John 3:22-24. What are other benefits of obeying Jesus? Are these

benefits and those above a sign that Gods love is conditional? Why or why not?


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4. Why do you think that Jesus associates being loved with keeping the commandments?

Cant we love him even without keeping the commandments?

5. Read the following verses to learn how important it was for the followers of Jesus to keep

his commandments

Matthew 5:19 Matthew 7:24-29 Matthew 12:50 Matthew 28:19 Revelation 12:17 Revelation 14:12

6. Read Deuteronomy 6:6-9 to see how the Israelites kept Gods commandments central to their lives. How

can we do the same in our lives today without becoming legalistic?

Memory Verse:

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Daily Reading:

Day One: Acts 2:1-13

Question: What does this story tell us about the predictability of the Spirit?

Day Two: Acts 2:37-41

Question: What did Peter say is necessary to have the Spirit fill us?

Day Three: Acts 2:42-47

Question: Besides the miraculous, how did the Spirit reveal himself through Gods people?

Day Four: Acts 4:1-31

Question: Why do you think the Spirit was poured out in verse 31?

Day Five: Acts 4:32-37

Question: In what ways did the Spirit manifest himself through his people here?


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40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit-led life Week Four: Hearing the Voice of Jesus By Remy Diederich

A few years back, before I was a pastor, I was a salesperson. I sold psychological testingsoftware to hospitals and mental health clinics around the country. Most of the tests were verysophisticated with a lot of questions that worked together to give psychologists in-depth insightinto a persons mental health but some of the tests that we sold were simple check lists. Theymight involve 15 or 20 questions to find out if you were depressed or suffered from anxiety orhad an addiction. The beauty of these tests was that in just a few minutes you can get a read onwhether or not the patient was suffering from one of these big problems and then start treatingthem.

I mention that because every once in a while I like to preach check list sermonssermons witha list of items to help you diagnose and determine where you are at with Godand thats whatIm going to do today. The goal isnt to say too much about any one point but just get youthinking about your relationship with God and where it might need some attention.

Forty Days with JesusFor those of you that are new today, this is the fourth message in a series Ive called 40 Dayswith Jesus a guide to the Spirit led life. My hope for these 40 days is to move you closer toJesus. I want everyone here to develop a daily dialogue with Jesus and that means that yourthoughts are always incorporating Jesus into whatever you are doing you are talking to himabout your life and listening for his direction.

Today I want to give you two checklists: one listing what prevents you from hearing the voice of Jesus and another listing what promotes hearing the voice of Jesus. As I go through these check lists I want you to do two things: One, circle the points that you think need attention in your lifeand star the ones that you think you are already doing well on. And two, Text me your questionsand Ill try to answer them next Sunday. Lets start by listing what prevents you from hearing thevoice of Jesus.

What prevents you from hearing Jesus

1. Fear

The first thing might surprise you but it is simply fearfear keeps you from hearing God. Fearthat God doesnt love you; fear that he wont speak to you or if he does speak to you that youwont hear. And fear that even if you can hear his voice you wont like what you hear or youwont be able to do what he tells you. The Bible talks about this kind of fear when it says

If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us . 1 John 4:18


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Its hard to hear from God when you are scared to death of him. But thats the way it is for a lotof people. They are convinced that God is harsh and condemning. They have no concept of howmuch he loves them and because of that they arent able to hear his voicein factthey fearthat if God did speak, hed only have bad things to say to them.

2. Willful SinThe second thing that will keep you from hearing God is willful sin. Let me make sure youunderstand what I mean by willful sin. Willful sin isnt accidental sin. Im not talking about amomentary lapse in judgment when temptation overcame your willpower and you regretted it.Willful sin is purposeful, intentional sin that happens because you plan on sinning and gladly doit. You know its wrong and you dont care, you do it anyways.

The apostle John is very blunt about people who embrace this kind of willful sin even afterturning to Jesus. He says

No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him . 1 John 3:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by

the truth. 1 John 1:7

John says that people who willfully embrace a life of sin dont know Jesus. In other words youcant love sin and Jesus. You have to choose one or the other. But I dont know if everyonerealizes this. I dont know if some people realize that the reason they are having trouble hearingfrom Jesus is because they have chosen a lifestyle that embraces sin.

So, if that describes you, you need to know that willful sin is going to hurt your ability to hearfrom God. I dont tell you that to beat you up or to scare you but to help you connect the dots andunderstand how your life can be better if you turn from your sin and obey the words of Jesus.

3. False TeachingThe third thing that keeps us from hearing from God is false teaching. Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have goneout into the world. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and theSon. 2 John 7-11

There are a lot of strange teachings out there about Jesusteachings that make Jesus less thanGod. You might not think it matters that much but John tells us it does. And he isnt afraid tosay that if you mishandle who Jesus is, you dont have God.

Some people get caught up in false teaching without knowing itmaybe through a friend or aTV show or some website. So be careful what you believe. It matters.

4. IsolationThe fourth thing that keeps you from hearing from God is isolating yourself. God didnt create usto be a loners. He created us to be in relationship. Its in relationship that we are loved and canlove others. Its in relationship that God speaks to us through other people. And thats one of


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the main ways we hear from God, through other people. When you isolate yourself you areplugging your ears from hearing from God through others. Thats why the Bible tells us

let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warneach other . Hebrews 10:24,25

5. Bad CompanionsNext, bad companions keep you from hearing from God. This is something that every parentwarns their children about, right? But its really true. If you immerse yourself with friends wholive lifestyles that are contrary to God its going to be very hard for you to hear Gods voice.Their voices will drown out the voice of God in your life. Proverbs tells us

Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don't go along with them don't give them asecond look; don't listen to them for a minute. They're racing to a very bad end, hurryingto ruin everything they lay hands on. Proverbs 1:10,16

Now, I think its great if you befriend someone who is rough around the edgeseven anti-

godas long as you influence them for good and they dont influence you for bad. Thats theacid test whos influencing whom? Are they becoming more like you or are you becoming morelike them? The truth is if you want to hear Gods voice you may need to drop some of yourfriends who are leading you down the wrong path.

6. Negative InputsSixth, negative inputs will prevent you from hearing from God. Im talking about media now,like what you watch and what you listen to. We cant watch trash and listen to trash and thenexpect to have ears that are sensitive to the voice of a holy God.

Years ago I hopped in my car and turned it on and immediately the radio started playing a very

vulgar song. The creative thrust consisted of saying the f word numerous times. I didntunderstand how this could be coming from my radio until it dawned on me that someone had lefta cd in the cd player. Just hearing that song made me feel violated and I thought, how can youhear the voice of God when you are listening to that kind of music on a regular basis?

You see, God often speaks to us in a whisperhe rarely shouts. And so if you want to hear hisvoice you have to clear out all the worthless chatter from your lifeespecially things likepornography and trashy music, movies and television. You cant fill your life with that kind of input and expect to have ears to hear Gods voice.

The Bible tells us

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything - and I do meaneverything - connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through.Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life,Ephesians 4:22 3

3 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things . Philippians 4:8


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7. Unresolved Anger The seventh thing that prevents you from hearing from God is unresolved anger. The Bible tellsus

Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold tothe Devil . Ephesians 4:26,27

What this tells us is that when you hold bitterness in your heart you are turning down the volumeon God and turning up the volume on the devil. God is a God of forgiveness and when youchoose to keep your anger rather than resolve it you are distancing yourself from God. Thefarther the distance, the harder it is to hear what God is saying.

8. Oppressing OthersNext, you inhibit your ability to hear from God when you oppress others. In the last book of theOld Testament God was so upset with his people for oppressing others that he said he was goingto put them on trial and testify against them

I will put you on trial. I will be a ready witness against those who cheat employees of

their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners livingamong you of justice, for these people do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty. Malachi3:5

Then, in the New Testament Peter makes oppression very personal and relevant when he talksabout it taking place in our home

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat themwith respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, sothat nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7

He makes an interesting connection between how you treat people and your ability to hear from

God. The point iswhenever you disrespect another human being; whether that is your wife orhusband or child or even a stranger, you hinder your prayers. You shut down your ability to hearfrom God.

9. PrideAnd the final thing that keeps you from hearing God is pride.

Though the LORD is greathe keeps his distance from the proud. Psalm 138:6

Someone told me the other day that they never hear from God and I said that was odd becausehes always speaking. And then I asked, Do you want to hear from God? I told him that somepeople say they cant hear Gods voice but the truth is that its not that they cant hear God. Its

that they dont want to obey what they might hear. And so they choose not to listen.

He admitted that there might be some truth to that. He said that if he heard from God that hedhave to give up control of his life and he wasnt sure he was willing to do that. You see, thatspride and we all have it. To some degree we all want our way instead of Gods way and thatdesire turns down the volume on God.


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Okaythose are the things that will keep you from hearing the voice of Jesus. How did you do?Star what you do well and circle the items where you need some work.

What Promotes Hearing the Voice of Jesus

But now, lets look at the positive side. What are some things you can do to hear the voice of Jesus?

1. HumilityFirst, develop humility. In the book of Daniel, Daniel wanted to hear from God so he humbledhimself and prayed and an angel appeared to him and said

Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and tohumble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of

your words. Daniel 10:2Daniels humility attracted Gods attention and caused him to respond to his prayer.

I really think that humility is the key to hearing from God. God wants to reveal himself to you.Hes not interested in playing a game of hide and seek with you. He wants you to know him andknow his will so you can fulfill your purpose in life. But he wants to reveal himself to peoplethat are eager to please him not people that will merely consider doing his will.

So, hearing from God all starts with the attitude of humility. If you dont have a humble heartnothing else I tell you matters because you wont listen to what God says anyway. And so whenyou come to God the humble heart will say, God, I want to hear from you more than anythingelse. The other thing it says is, I will do whatever you ask me to do.

Some people want to hear from God so they can decide whether or not that want to obey him.

They just want to check out all of their options. But God is looking for the person that choosesto obey him before he even speaks. Thats humility and thats the kind of person God is quick tospeak to.

2. Good Self CareThe second thing that will help you hear from God is very basic and that is good self care. WhatI mean is get enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat right. This may not seem very spiritual butgood self care is what enables you to be spiritual.

I bet some of us here are living in a degree of depression simply because you dont take care of yourself. And thats going to affect the way you hear from God. You may not realize it but whatIm talking about is managing your emotions . It might sound like Im talking about managingyour physical health but really, when you manage your physical health you are also managingyour mental health.

I know personally that when my emotions are turned upside down its hard to hear from God.When God is whispering and my emotions are shouting, who do you think will win that battle? I


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cant afford to be out of touch with God, can you? No, we all need to hear from God, so take careof yourself!

3. Good InputThird, I talked about negative input before so the counter to that is good input. Let me list a few

things here. The Bible. You know, its easy to overlook the Bible. I think many people do. Its so

outdated, isnt it? I mean, there should be some way thats more cutting edge to hear Godsvoice than reading this old book. But I read a survey this week that asked people the numberone way that they heard from God and the majority of people, by far, said it was fromreading the Bible.

Maybe thats why God told Joshua Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, sothat you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and

successful. Joshua 1:7,8

God didnt tell Joshua to read the Bible every now and then when it was convenient. Hedidnt tell him to read it occasionally. He said every day . And when you are not reading it,meditate on it. Thats what will make you prosperous and successful. We all want to beprosperous and successful, right? Then read your Bible. Its not like a rabbits foot. Youbecome successful because you daily remind yourself of truth and we are successful when welive by the truth.

If you arent reading the Bible you are ignoring a major resource for hearing Gods voice. Icant tell you how many times Ive read the Bible and the truth of it hit me between the eyes

and I knew right then and there that God was speaking to me. So if you want to hear fromGodpick up the Bible and read it! If you dont know where to start reading, use by DailyReading guide and Going Deeper questions that I offer every week.

Biblical preaching and teaching. Some of you might ask, why do I need to hear preachingif I can read the Bible myself? Well, you can get a lot from the Bible on your own, but thereis one problemyou and I read the Bible through our own personal biases. That means itseasy to read the Bible in a way that always supports what we are doing.

But when you hear the Bible preached you often hear it in a fresh waya way that youdnever even consider and that opens you to hear from God in new ways. So, not only would I

make it a point to be here on Sunday but if I were you Id listen to good preachers either onthe radio or on podcasts too 4. God will speak to your through good preaching.

4 In this internet age you can listen to the best preachers in the world right on your computer. I listen to two or threesermons a week on my iPod. Check out Andy Stanley at North Point Church or Rob Bell at Mars Hill Bible Churchor John Ortberg at Menlo Park Presbyterian on iTunes.com.


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Wise friends and counselors. Im amazed how many people listen to the counsel of unwisefriends or coworkers. These are who I call watercooler counselors. People ignore the Bibleand wise counsel and follow the sage advice of someone at work who has a proven track record of making disastrous life decisions.

Do yourself a favor. Dont do that! When you are looking to hear from God about arelationship, talk to someone who is relationally successful not someone who is mad at theworld. When you want to hear from God about finances, talk to someone who is financiallysuccessful not someone who gets cash advances on their paycheck to buy lottery tickets.

If you want to know Gods will for your life talk to someone who has followed Godfaithfully for years, not to someone who relies on their horoscope and the psychic hotline fordaily guidance.

Books, podcasts and good music. I personally listen to a wide variety of things, both fromthe secular and Christian world, to help me hear from God. 5 From my perspective, Truth is

truth, so I dont care where I find it, whether thats the Bible or TIME magazine or a book onleadership. But I like a lot of input to get good thoughts running through my brain. And Ireally believe that God uses that information to teach me things.

Youve probably heard it said that you cant steer a ship that sits in the harbor and I think God might see us like that. He cant steer us if our mind is stagnant. Its easier for him tospeak to us if we already have a lot of good thoughts rolling around our brain.

Prophetic words. Now, this next item I almost hesitate to say because its been so misusedand abused in the church. But the Bible says that God supernaturally gives people words of encouragement and insight to share with other people. And that has happened in my life

many times. And so I dont feel like I can ignore this point even though Im afraid it can beabused.

For example, twenty some years ago I was a salesman and a part time pastor in a smallchurch. Someone in my church came up to me and said

God has a lot more for you than just business. Ever since I first saw you I knew that God has great things for you in ministry. Be patient and humble yourselfHUMBLE

yourselfand God will use both you and your wife.

Now, he didnt come up to me and say, THUS SAITH THE LORD. He just spoke his heart.I dont even know if he thought it was a word from God or not. But it encouraged me so

much that I felt that God was speaking to me through this guy. Thats why I wrote it in my journal. That was in 1985 or so.

5 I load up my iPod every week with sermons, 60 minutes broadcast, TIME interviews, Marketing podcasts and variousleadership podcast. Then I listen to them all week while I exercise.


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Then two years later our church invited in a guest speaker (Jim Darnell) for a retreat. I didntknow him at all. I led worship before he spoke at the retreat and before I sat down he said,

Dont sit down, the Lord just gave me a word for you.

And this is part of what he said

You have the gift calling of a pastor. The Lords going to raise you up to be a pastor and youre going to pastor your own church some day and the Lord wants you to get a picture of that in your spirit, dont you see yourself as a business man, dont see that as your career.

Its interesting that both words told me not to see myself as a business man because Ivealways been tempted to just go that route.That was 1987. In 2003 I started to pastor Cedarbrook. Thats sixteen years ! Thats a longtime. There were many times when I didnt think it would ever happen. But those twowords encouraged me to not give up. And I think thats why God uses people in supernaturalways to speak to us.

So, I believe that God speaks through people in supernatural ways 6, but be careful with thesekinds of words. Ive seen and heard about a lot of people doing rash things based on whatthey thought was a word from God. 7 Ive seen churches taken over by people basicallybossing people around with their words from God. I shudder to think of that happeninghere. But at the same time, I dont want to suppress people truly hearing from God andspeaking his word either because it has meant so much in my life.

4. Sense of ExpectancyThose are some practical ways God speaks to us through good input. But then I think we alsoneed a sense of expectancy if you want to hear from God. You have to believe that God wants to

talk to you and that you are capable of hearing him. Otherwise doubt will shoot down anythought that comes to you. The Bible tells us that He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those whodiligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 8

6 A good example of someone in the early church receiving a word from God is in Acts 13:2While they were worshiping theLord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." When itsays that the Holy Spirit said, that means that someone spoke believing that God was speaking through them.

7 One of the smartest things you can do if someone shares a word with you or you think you have a word for someone else is toshare it with a mature Christian who has been around the block a few times.

8 The Bible is constantly encouraging us to ask God for what we want Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:19 If you believe, you will receive whatever youask for in prayer . Matthew 21:22 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours . Mark 11:24 You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips . Psalm 21:2

Ask of me, and I will give you the nations, the ends of the earth your possession. Psalm 2:8 "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


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5. Time and Space to ListenAnd finally, if you want to hear from God you need to create the time and space to listen. Youneed time to process everything that you are taking in and give your brain a chance to think Godthoughts. So carve out time every day just to sit before God. You dont have to say anything.Just let your mind calm down and be quiet. Then read some of the Bible and see if God speaks

anything to your heart. If he does, reflect on the words. Ask God if he is trying to show yousomething and then see what thoughts percolate to the top of your mind. Youll be surprised thatover time you begin to gain a sense that God is speaking to you through these times.

Finding this time is so important because this is where you sit back and reflect on all your input.Its a good time to journal your thoughts because if God is speaking you dont want to forgetthose thoughts.

Well, this week Im just looking at how to hear from God. Next week Ill get more specific aboutprocessing what you think you are hearing. So take a look at this checklist. What are you doingwell and where do you need some work?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you want to speak to us and that you are speaking even now. Helpus to clear away everything that is blocking your voice and then help us to pursue the things that will encourage us to hear your voice. We want to develop a daily conversation with you Jesus.Please help us to walk in your ways. Amen.

Memory Verse:

When the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth . John 16:13

Daily Reading:

Day One : Acts 5:1-11 Question : Peter gave this story perspective when he mentioned the Holy Spirit. What

does this tell you about the role of the Spirit?

Day Two: Acts 5:26-42 Question: What is it that the disciples feel compelled to do and is central to receiving the

Spirit?

Day Three: Acts 6:1-7 Question: What do you think distinguished these men as being full of the Spirit?

Day Four: Acts 8:26-40 Question: What role did the Spirit play in this story?

Day Five: Acts 9:10-22 Question: What was the change that happened when the Spirit filled Paul?


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Going Deeper

Use these questions for personal reflection or in your small group study.

1. Look at the list of things that keep you from hearing God. Which of these nine have you

seen block the voice of God either in your life or in the lives of others?

2. Go through the list, item by item. Can you think of other Bible verses that support each

item?

3. Are any of these items present in your life right now? What can you do to change that?

4. Look at the list of things that help you hear from God. Which of these have you seen help

you hear the voice of God in your life or the lives of others?

5. Which of these items are you currently doing? How can you incorporate these in your life

more?

6. Regarding good input which of these help you the most?

7. Do you expect to hear from God? Why or why not?

8. How successful are you at taking time and finding space to get alone with God to talk and

listen to him? What can you do to make this a priority in your life?

40 Days with Jesus a guide to the Spirit led lifeWeek Five: Filtering Out the Voice of God By Remy Diederich

Last week I talked about how to hear from God. I got very specific and I talked about ninethings that prevent you from hearing Gods voice and about six ways to hear Gods voice.

Now today I want to answer this question how do you know if the idea you have is from God?I mean, it's not like God texts us or Facebooks us, right? There's nothing in black in white thatwe can point to and say for a fact that God has spoken to usother than the Bible of course. So,


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if you are a person that wants to please God is there anything you can

40 days with jesus

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