The Kingdom | Everyday And The Eternal Day

Awakened

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 17:26-31 NIV

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Luke 17:26-31 NIV

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.

Romans 1:19-20 NIV

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

1) IT STARTS WITH A BIRTH (RE-BIRTH OF THE SOUL)

Ephesians 2:1 NIV

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

John 3:3 NIV

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

2) INTENTIONAL TIME OF PRAYER

Psalm 17:6 NIV

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

3) RESHAPING OF MY MIND THROUGH GOD's WORD

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Psalm 19:7 NIV

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Joshua 1:8 NIV

8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

4) SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A TEAM OF SEEKERS

Proverbs 11:14 NIV

For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.

Colossians 3:16 NIV

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

5) OBEDIENCE TO WHAT YOU KNOW

John 14:21 NIV

21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Approach | Growing Closer

What Do I Do When I Really Need An Answer?

Bobby Humes

Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:35-43 ESV

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Luke 18:35-43 ESV

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Acts 2:21 ESV

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Psalm 116:2 ESV

Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Luke 18:40-43 ESV

40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

1 John 5:14-15 ESV

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

James 4:3 ESV

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

2 Samuel 12:16, 19-20 ESV

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV

Psalm 40:1 ESV

Psalm 27:14 ESV

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

Romans 8:25-26 ESV

1) PRAY IN GOD'S WILL

John 5:30 ESV

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

John 14:13-14 ESV

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

2) PRAY CONFIDENTLY IN RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

John 15:16 ESV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Matthew 6:9-13 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

3) PRAY AS A WAY OF LIFE

Philippians 4:6-8 ESV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Approach | Growing Closer

Undivided Heart

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:18-30 NIV

Luke 18:18-30 NIV

18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Mark 1:17 NIV

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

1) HUMILITY: AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF MY HEART

Luke 18:21 NIV

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

Isaiah 53:6 NIV

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2) HUNGER TO KNOW CHRIST

Luke 18:18 NIV

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Philippians 3:10 NIV

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

3) HARDINESS: A RESOLVE TO SMALL SACRIFICES

Matthew 16:24 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

4) HALLELUJAH: CELEBRATES THE WIN

Philippians 3:7-8 NIV

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

Romans 8:18 NIV

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

5) HEART: KEEP MOVING

Philippians 3:13 NIV

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Approach | Growing Closer

STOP

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:15-17 NIV

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Luke 13:32-33 NIV

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

Luke 17:22 NIV

Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

Luke 18:15-17 NIV

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Mark 4:19 NIV

but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

John 17:3 NIV

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

1) SETTLE THE NUMBER ONE

Matthew 6:24 NIV

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Philippians 1:21 NIV

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Luke 17:33 NIV

Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

2) TRAIN FOR TIME

Luke 5:16 NIV

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬b ‭NIV‬‬

“…rather, train yourself to be godly.”

3) OPENLY TRUST

Matthew 6:33 NIV

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

2 Corinthians 9:10 NIV

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

4) PLAN FOR A SLIP

Approach | Growing Closer

Getting God's Attention…for Dummies

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:9-14 NIV

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Luke 17:6 NIV

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Luke 16:22-23 NIV

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 17:33-34 NIV

Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.

Luke 18:9-14 NIV

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

1) I HAVE A BIG NEED

Isaiah 64:6 NIV

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

2) GOD HAS MADE AN AMAZING WAY

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

3) GOD INVITES ME BOLDY/HUMBLY CLOSE

Romans 10:13 NIV

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 1:12 NIV

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Romans 10:9-10 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Approach | Growing Closer

Show Up in Faithfulness

Bobby Humes

Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:1-8 NIV

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Luke 18:1-8 NIV

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Mancomes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

John 5:22 NIV

2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV

1) INJUSTICE IN AN UNJUST WORLD

Luke 18:2 NIV

He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.

John 16:33 NIV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Luke 18:3 NIV

And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

2) THE BELIEVER'S ROLE IN AN UNJUST WORLD

Luke 18:4-5 NIV

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

Matthew 5:13 NIV

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NIV

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

3) BOLDNESS IN THE BODY OF BELIEVERS

Luke 18:6-8 NIV

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Mancomes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”