Reality #3 Part 4 Jesus Example
How does God invite you to be involved with Him?
John 5:17,19-20
"But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.'
The Authority of the Son
So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel."
John 6 has a few stories of How this worked out in Christ's life.
Jesus' Example:
1. The Father has been working right up until now.
2. Now God has Me working.
3. I do nothing on My own initiative.
4. I watch to see what the Father is doing.
5. I do what I see the Father is already doing.
6. You see, the Father loves Me.
7. He shows Me everything that He is doing.
Jesus came to do the Fathers will, not His own. (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; 17:4)
The key way that Jesus knew what the Father was doing, was to watch. When Jesus saw the what the Father was doing, He joined with the Fathers work. For Jesus, the revelation of the work was the invitation to join in the work.
Is it possible that God could be at work around you, and not reveal it to you?
Elisha's Servant-- 2 Kings 6:8-18
Elisha could see the Army of God, but his servant wasn't ready until Elisha prayed.
Jerusalem's Leaders-- Luke 19:41-44
God (Jesus) was in their midst performing wonderful signs and miracles, yet they did not recognize Him. They couldn't see the Father at work. They had not developed the love relationship with the Father, even though they had been diligent students of the Scriptures.
Jesus condemned the Jews for missing out on the most important part of life -- a love relationship with God. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40
2 things are important for you to recognize the activity of God around you:
1. You must be living in an intimate love relationship with God.
2. God must take the initiative to open your spiritual eyes so you can see what He is doing.
The second part is also your invitation to join in Gods work!
Knowing where God is at work
God has tried, many times to get our attention by revealing where He is at work. We see it, but we do not immediately identify it as God's work. We say to ourselves, "Well, I don't know if God wants me to get involved here or not. I had better pray about it." Prayer is not a bad thing, however by the time we leave that situation and pray, the opportunity to join God may pass us by. We need a tender and sensitive heart and a willingness to be ready to respond to God at the slightest prompting. God uses the love relationship to give us this tender heart!
To join God in His work, you need to know where He is working. The Scriptures tell us some things that only God can do. Learn to identify these; and when you see something happen that only God can do, you will know it is God's activity. This does not deny God's initiative because unless God opens your spiritual eyes, you will not know it is Him at work. But when God does invite you, He will be able to convince you that He is the One working.
Part 3 = Things only God can do!
In Christ,
David
John 5:17,19-20
"But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.'
The Authority of the Son
So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel."
John 6 has a few stories of How this worked out in Christ's life.
Jesus' Example:
1. The Father has been working right up until now.
2. Now God has Me working.
3. I do nothing on My own initiative.
4. I watch to see what the Father is doing.
5. I do what I see the Father is already doing.
6. You see, the Father loves Me.
7. He shows Me everything that He is doing.
Jesus came to do the Fathers will, not His own. (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; 17:4)
The key way that Jesus knew what the Father was doing, was to watch. When Jesus saw the what the Father was doing, He joined with the Fathers work. For Jesus, the revelation of the work was the invitation to join in the work.
Is it possible that God could be at work around you, and not reveal it to you?
Elisha's Servant-- 2 Kings 6:8-18
Elisha could see the Army of God, but his servant wasn't ready until Elisha prayed.
Jerusalem's Leaders-- Luke 19:41-44
God (Jesus) was in their midst performing wonderful signs and miracles, yet they did not recognize Him. They couldn't see the Father at work. They had not developed the love relationship with the Father, even though they had been diligent students of the Scriptures.
Jesus condemned the Jews for missing out on the most important part of life -- a love relationship with God. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40
2 things are important for you to recognize the activity of God around you:
1. You must be living in an intimate love relationship with God.
2. God must take the initiative to open your spiritual eyes so you can see what He is doing.
The second part is also your invitation to join in Gods work!
Knowing where God is at work
God has tried, many times to get our attention by revealing where He is at work. We see it, but we do not immediately identify it as God's work. We say to ourselves, "Well, I don't know if God wants me to get involved here or not. I had better pray about it." Prayer is not a bad thing, however by the time we leave that situation and pray, the opportunity to join God may pass us by. We need a tender and sensitive heart and a willingness to be ready to respond to God at the slightest prompting. God uses the love relationship to give us this tender heart!
To join God in His work, you need to know where He is working. The Scriptures tell us some things that only God can do. Learn to identify these; and when you see something happen that only God can do, you will know it is God's activity. This does not deny God's initiative because unless God opens your spiritual eyes, you will not know it is Him at work. But when God does invite you, He will be able to convince you that He is the One working.
Part 3 = Things only God can do!
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 10:01 AM
2 Comments:
Hi David,
I like what you said about having a tender heart, we must be ready in season and out of season, and dare to trust and step out. Thanks for the post.
Thanks for the inspiring post. :)
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