Mountain Life ChurchLife Pack

May 20, 2012

KingdomCome

Kingdom ComeSermon NotesMay  20,  2012

I. Entering  His  gates  with  thanksgiving  and  praiseA. Hallowing  a  loving  Father

B. Meditating  on  His  great  names

II. Aligning  Myself  with  His  KingdomA. Your  kingdom  come

1. The  kingdom  comes  upon  people  as  they  receive  the  Word  of  God★ There  is  no  reference  in  the  Bible  to  “building  the  

kingdom”• This  makes  the  kingdom  man  centered  and  

organizational★ Jesus  portrayed  the  kingdom  as  coming  upon  people

• MaChew  9:  35  and  10:  6-­‐‑8

2. Jesus  portrayed  the  kingdom  as  something  that  grows.    It  is  not  an  organization,  nor  do  people  build  it.    They  receive  it,  they  submit  to  it,  and  then  they  ooze  it★ The  parables  of  Mark  4  and  MaChew  13

B. The  kingdom,  when  received  and  acted  upon,  bears  fruit  exponentially1. Inner  fruit  -­‐‑  Galatians  5:  

22-­‐‑232. Outer  fruit  -­‐‑  MaChew  9:  35  

and  10:  6-­‐‑8

C. The  kingdom  influences1. The  lamp  on  the  lamp  

stand2. The  seed  that  grows  into  a  

huge  tree

Write any notes from the week here

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III.Your will be doneA. This can be prayed as a general intercessory prayer

1. “Let Your will be done by our president and congress”2. “Father, may Your will be done in my friends’ marriage”

B. This is personal prayer1. “What are You doing and how can I get in on it?”

★ This is eyes ever upward, asking Him what He is doing.

★ This requires a working knowledge of the word and principles of Biblical wisdom

★ This requires eyes to be ever outward

2. “Father, I choose Your will in this situation”

Table TalkTeens

Sorry, no table talks this week.

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Life  Group  Questions  for                        May  20,  2012

“Transforming  Conversations”  SeriesMessage  = Kingdom Come

Ice  Breaker:    Tell  about  a  time  of  great  spiritual  growth  in  your  life.

Read  Mark  4:  14-­‐‑34

1. What  do  all  these  parables  of  Jesus  have  in  common?    (They  are  all  about  the  kingdom,  and  all  of  them  speak  of  things  that  grow  exponentially  or  spread  out  to  have  great  influence.)  

2. When  the  sower  sows  the  word,  how  would  you  think  Jesus  defined  “the  word?”  

3. As  a  group,  see  if  you  can  put  together  a  concise  statement  defining  the  kingdom  of  heaven.

4. Based  on  the  parables  of  Mark  4,  can  you  describe  what  keeps  the  kingdom  from  growing?

5. When  Jesus  commands  us  to  pray,  “Your  kingdom  come,  Your  will  be  done,”  do  you  think  those  two  phrases  say  the  same  thing  with  different  words?    Please  explain.

6. The  word  bears  fruit.    Randy  spoke  of  inner  fruit  (the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Galatians  5:  22-­‐‑23  -­‐‑  or  “character”  fruits)  and  outer  fruit  (seeing  others  transformed,  healed,  or  saved  through  my  influence.    MaChew  10:  6-­‐‑8).    Do  you  see  yourself  growing  more  inner  and  outer  fruit  than  you  were  a  year  ago?    Please  explain.

7. Pray  for  one  another.

Table Talk

ElementarySorry, no table talks this week.

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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery:Sorry, no table talks this week.

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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Day One1. Take  at  least  40  minutes  to  pray  through  the  prayer  guide  

you  received  at  church.    You  can  also  download  it  on  the  church  website:    www.mountainlifechurch.com,  under  Sermon/LifePacks

2. Meditate  on  Psalm  145.    Read  over  it  several  times.

3. Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  teach  you  to  pray  and  pursue  it  for  at  least  40  minutes  per  day  this  week.    

 Memorize  MaWhew  9:14.

 Memorize  MaWhew  9:  14  and  MaWhew  9:  35.

   Memorize  MaWhew  9:  14  and  MaWhew  9:  35.

When you meditate on the parables of Jesus in Mark 4, you realize that the kingdom has a natural tendency to grow exponentially. The only thing that hampers its growth is our own lack of tenderness toward and obedience to the word.

• The kingdom is like a sower sowing the word...• The kingdom is like a person putting a lamp on a lamp

stand and the tiny lamp lights up the entire house...• The kingdom is like a farmer who plants a crop and it

grows exponentially in ways the farmer does not understand...

• The kingdom is like a tiny seed that grows into a huge tree...

The kingdom bears fruit. I like to call it inner and outer fruit. Inner fruit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5. It’s the fruit of CHARACTER. As the kingdom grows, it brings about Christlike character in me.

Outer fruit is seen in the lives of others who are transformed and healed through me as I walk in love and authority. Whenever Jesus healed or transformed people, He let them know that the kingdom had come upon them!

As you look at your life today, take an objective look at the fruit of your life. Do you see the inner fruit of Christlikeness growing inside of you? Can you see a marked change in your character since this time last year?

Then take an objective look at the outer fruit in your life. Do you see people being healed, delivered, transformed and saved through your life?

Father, where I have hampered your word from transforming me, I repent in Jesus’ name!

Day Five

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Day Five1. Take  at  least  40  minutes  to  pray  through  the  prayer  guide  

you  received  at  church.    You  can  also  download  it  on  the  church  website:    www.mountainlifechurch.com,  under  Sermon/LifePacks

2. Meditate  on  MaChew  19:  23-­‐‑26.    What  does  this  passage  say  to  you  about  entering  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?

3. Meditate  for  a  few  minutes  on  MaChew  9:  10.    Ask  God  if  there  are  specific  people  He  would  like  you  to  reach  out  to  this  day.    

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OnePray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.’

~Matthew 6:9, 10

The first two lines of the Lord’s prayer, if taken seriously and contextually, tell us that prayer is not about me. It is ALL ABOUT HIM. The first line exemplifies the idea of entering His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and entering His courts with praise. As I approach the King, I quickly realize that I am not here to air my laundry list and tell Him what three wishes I would like Him to grant.

The second line escalates me into even greater selflessness. I am asking Him for His kingdom to come on the earth as I present myself for Him to bring the kingdom specifically through ME! As Henry Blackaby would say, What are You doing Lord and how can I get in on it?

Jesus exemplified this kind of living on a daily basis. I personally believe Jesus had stripped Himself of many of His God-like attributes, like omnipresence (He couldn’t be everywhere at once), and omniscience (He wasn’t all knowing, but rather, was dependent on the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit would daily let Jesus in on what the Father was doing and Jesus would go out and do it.

This explains why Jesus would walk to the Pool of Bethesda in John 5 and heal a lame man. That pool was the ancient equivalent of a modern hospital. People were there to be healed. Yet, Jesus did only what He saw the Father doing and He healed one man. HE COULD HAVE CLEANED OUT THE WHOLE PLACE! Yet, Jesus healed only one paralytic - and if you read the story, the guy didn’t even end up following Jesus! But the Father was at work and Jesus did only what He saw His father doing!

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Day Two1. Take  at  least  40  minutes  to  pray  through  the  prayer  guide  

you  received  at  church.    You  can  also  download  it  on  the  church  website:    www.mountainlifechurch.com,  under  Sermon/LifePacks

2. Meditate  on  MaChew  13:  18-­‐‑35.

3.  After  meditating  on  the  above  passage,  write  down  what  kind  of  soil  you  think  represents  you  at  the  present  time.    Write  down  what  you  think  the  “fruit”  is  that  is  born  from  obeying  the  scriptures.

4. Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  bring  the  scriptures  alive  in  your  life  in  such  a  way  that  you  desire  to  immerse  yourself  in  them  daily.

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourBless us as we build Your Kingdom...

This is the modern American version of the second phrase of the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus said, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus tells us that the kingdom comes. Jesus, never said, build the kingdom - nor did any of His disciples!

Jesus teaches that the kingdom comes near or upon people. He teaches in Mark 4 and Matthew 13 that the kingdom grows through simple obedience to the Word. The verbs Jesus uses make the kingdom seem organic, even living. When we use the phrase, build the kingdom, we make it seem organizational and man made and it somehow conveys a man centeredness.

Jesus uses two phrases to say the same thing. This is typical of Hebrew poetry. Just take a peek at Proverbs. Solomon will say one line and then a second line saying the same thing with different words. Jesus says, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus tells us that His kingdom comes as his will is done. We can pray for His will to be generally done and then we can pray the crazy, mad man prayer: Lord, let your will be done THROUGH ME TODAY!

This prayer implies first that simple obedience is the key to kingdom growth. (Once again, read Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13.) Obeying Jesus’ commands brings exponential kingdom growth. Let me say it again, based on Matthew 13 - kingdom growth is exponential when I obey His commands.

So, as I pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done... I am saying, God, how can I love you wholly today, and how can I love others selflessly today? Give me wisdom as I go through the day to love like You love.

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Day TwoThe sower sows the word.

~Mark 4:14

Mark 4 and Matthew 13 present to us the most pivotal of all of Jesus’ parables. Jesus said of this parable, Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? (Mark 4:13). It appears that if I cannot understand this story, I will miss the meaning of all the others. I think I better pay attention!

Mark 4 and Matthew 13 are about the Kingdom and how important hearing God is to the growth of the Kingdom on the earth. The Greek word for hear carries with it the idea of not only hearing the words someone speaks, but also conveys the idea of understanding and obeying as well.

The English word for hear carries the same meaning in some contexts. For example, when my wife is speaking to me and then realizes that my face is rather blank, she declares, Honey, you’re not hearing me! What she means is, my ears may be registering a sound, but I don’t comprehend her meaning, and I subsequently am certainly hampered from doing anything about it. (Quite honestly, I’m mentally far away from her - I’m thinking about what we’re going to have for dinner - - but, I digress)

Jesus points out to us quite clearly through this parable that hearing God’s word and acting on it is the simple way we bring God’s kingdom into fruition on this earth. The Kingdom grows through simple obedience.

The issue of hearing the word is not about having a keen sense of hearing. It is about having a humble, broken and contrite spirit - a moldable heart that is willing to pursue and receive wisdom from above. It is a willingness to accept when I am wrong and to admit to it.

The Kingdom grows as I hear and obey.

Day Four1. Take  at  least  40  minutes  to  pray  through  the  prayer  guide  you  received  at  church.    You  can  also  download  it  on  the  church  website:    www.mountainlifechurch.com,  under  Sermon/LifePacks

2. Meditate  again  on  MaChew  21:  28-­‐‑31.    Based  on  what  you  see  in  this  passage,  what  grants  us  access  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?

3. Write  down  several  difficulties  that  you  and  people  you  love  are  going  through.    Ask  God  for  His  will  to  be  done  in  each  of  these.    Then  ask  Him  how  He  would  specifically  like  you  to  show  love  to  others  who  are  experiencing  difficulty.

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  at  least  40  minutes  to  pray  through  the  prayer  guide  you  received  at  church.    You  can  also  download  it  on  the  church  website:    www.mountainlifechurch.com,  under  Sermon/LifePacks

2. Meditate  on  MaChew  20:  1-­‐‑16.    Write  down  any  insights  you  get  about  this  passage.    

3. Ask  the  Lord  what  He  is  asking  you  to  do  today.    Step  out  and  obey  Him.    

4. In  what  way  is  obeying  God  difficult  for  you  right  now?    Write  it  down  here.

5. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

When I pray for God’s Kingdom to come and for His will to be done, I am joining Him in His great mission to reclaim the people of the earth from the oppressive hands of the enemy. What’s amazing is that Jesus taught us to pray this way - it’s His idea, His desire, His plan, and in my little tiny corner of the world, I can usher His Kingdom into the lives of people around me.

Praying for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven begins a transformation ride for me. As I pray this line of the Lord’s Prayer, I step away from self centeredness into a Kingdom mindset. Mature Kingdom citizens think first of glorifying God and then about loving others. They take time to cast their worries on God, but then emerge into creative, life giving children of the King.

As I ask God to show me what He is doing, as I ask Him how I can be involved in bringing heaven to earth, I’m inviting Him to show me His heart for others. When my wife, Gay prays this prayer, the Lord sometimes just shows her a face of someone she knows. Gay immediately knows that she must contact that person that day and love on them. It’s uncanny how many times she catches people on the pinnacle of misery and she is able to be used by God to bring them into rejoicing.

One of my favorite times to pray for His Kingdom to come on earth is when I travel. God uses my natural love of talking with strangers to initiate fun conversations with those poor victims who sit by me on a plane. One time, I just pulled out my Bible and started reading it. This caused the man next to me to pursue a conversation which led to his transformation.

I am a wire for the current of the Holy Spirit to pass through. Use me today to bring life to someone’s life!

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