A Changed Life: Preparing the Field

I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."

Luke 5:32 (Msg. paraphrase)

1. What is the field?

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. James 1:18 (NKJV)

· The new nature through faith in Jesus Christ

· The natural man can’t receive the things of God

· True life change can only occur in the right soil

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:23 (NKJV)

2. How do I prepare the field?

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,

James 1:19 (NKJV)

· Active listening

· Jesus taught it is possible to hear and not really hear

· Listen with expectation

“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!"

Matthew 13:9 (NLT)

We have two ears but only one mouth that we may hear more and speak less.--Zeno

3. How do I purge the field?

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; [20] for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:19-21 (NKJV)

· slow to speak

· slow to anger

· impurity

· pride

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the external expression of that relationship must be right.--Oswald Chambers

4. What crop do I expect?

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:21 (NKJV)

I HAVE BEEN SAVED	JUSTIFICATION	POSITIONAL
I AM BEING SAVED	SANCTIFICATION	PROGRESSIVE
I WILL BE SAVED	GLORIFICATION	TOTAL

What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 (NLT)

It isn't easy to listen

Admittedly it isn't easy to listen, and the odds are against us. We have to listen to people whose thoughts are totally disorganized, to people who do not look at us while they are speaking, to people who keep saying "Do you see? Do you see?" when we not only see but are ten minutes ahead of them and have already smelled out the denouement, to people who answer our questions before we ask them ( "Oh," you ask, "why do I thin this? Well I'll tell you why I think this--"), to people who are saying one thing and meaning another, to people who speak in pious platitudes and vague spiritual generalities without ever getting down to cases, to people who speak so low or so rapidly that we can only guess what they're saying--No it isn't easy to listen.--Ethel Barrett

1:19 You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;

James 1:19 BBE

God Said It Long Before #1

Preparing Servants Matthew 14:13-21

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BACKGROUND

· These events happened one year before the cross

· Jesus would spend six months preparing His disciples

· His focus turned from the nation to His disciples

· Four times they would withdraw to the mountains

· Jesus was preparing His disciples for difficult days ahead

FEEDING THE 5,000

Where did 15,000 people come from?
²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:21 (NKJV)

• Passover was near and crowds were traveling to Jerusalem

• The followers of John the Baptist now turn to Christ

• The crowds actually could see the boat carrying Christ

¹³ When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. Matthew 14:13 (NKJV)

Jesus was concerned about their physical need as well as their spiritual And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Matthew 14:14-16 (NKJV)

WHAT WAS JESUS TEACHING HIS FOLLOWERS?

1. True ministry comes from a heart of compassion

2. God will sometimes ask us to do things that go beyond our abilities

3. Give what you have and God will supply the rest

4. God uses human instruments in His work

God uses difficult situations in our lives to develop our character. Jesus placed His disciples in a seemingly impossible situation to teach them an important principle: where God guides God provides.

¹⁷ And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
¹⁸ He said, "Bring them here to Me." ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Matthew 14:17-20 (NKJV)

Responding to Truth

RESPONDING TO TRUTH Matthew 14:1-12

1. DEFEND THE TRUTH

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

Matthew 14:3-4

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matthew 3:7

2. DENY THE TRUTH

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Matthew 14:3

3. DESTROY THE TRUTH

But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias's daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with an oath to give her anything she wanted. At her mother's urging, the girl asked, "I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!" The king was sorry, but because of his oath and because he didn't want to back down in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

Matthew 14:6-11 (NLT)

THE POWER OF TRUTH

Truth will stand the test of time

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus Matthew 14:1



Our conscience recognizes truth even if we choose to deny it

and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Matthew 14:2

For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Psalm 51:3

Truth will set us free from guilt

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

Truth will also set us free from false guilt

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 1 Tim. 4:1-5

Our mission: patiently share the truth

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Tim. 2:24-26

Gnats

 

 "Temptations are like gnats; there are hundreds fighting for your attention."

Temptation

Temptation = enticement to do something wrong

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. James 1:13-15

LIES

I am never tempted

I am tempted by God

I am tempted because of the evil world

I am tempted because of the devil

TAKING THE BAIT

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:15

He looked

He was hooked

He was cooked

1. Temptation will not deliver

Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone!" 2 Samuel 13:15

2. Temptation questions the goodness of God

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

KEEPING ON COURSE

So, my very dear friends don't get thrown off course. James 1:16 (Paraphrase from the Message)

God can truly satisfy our hearts

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

God has made us His children

In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession. James 1:18