Bob Josey - Thriving in Jesus Chapter 11- Joining Jesus - May 12, 2022
Thriving in Jesus
Chapter 11
Joining Jesus
Introduction
Everyone who is attending this class today is familiar with the principal of cause and effect, Cause-and-effect describes a relationship between actions or events in which at least one action or event is a direct result of the others. Let me give a few examples.
· Rain has the effect of making the earth wet.
· Fire has the effect that wood is transformed into embers.
· The sun has the effect of photosynthesis in plants.
· Turning off appliances and lamps that are not used has the effect of saving energy.
· Organizing tasks to be accomplished has the effect of greater efficiency.
The principle of cause and effect is also present in the Bible. Let’s look at a few of those.
Old Testament
In the Old Testament there is one overriding principle. In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 God told Israel that if they were obedient to the Law of Moses, God would bless them. However, if they were disobedient, God would curse them. We see this principle in view time and time again in the Old Testament.
New Testament
John 3:16-18 - 16For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Principle – People who believe in Jesus receive eternal life are not condemned. People who do not believe in Jesus do not receive eternal life and are condemned.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Principle - The result of sin is eternal death. The result of Jesus free gift is eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8 - 7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Principle – God promises believers that there will be consequences from their actions. Believers whose actions come from the power of the Spirit will reap spiritual blessings and rewards from the Lord. Believers whose actions come from the power of the old sin nature will reap dissatisfaction and the Lord’s discipline.
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
Principle – Believers who are generous to those in need and to the Lord’s work and will receive an overabundance to continue to be generous to those in need and Lord’s work.
From these examples we see the principle of cause and effect clearly at work in the lives of believes in Jesus. I discussed the principle of cause and effect in the Bible because we also see it a work in relation to prayer lives. During our last two lessons, we discussed asking and receiving and praying in the name of Jesus. As we approach our lesson for today, we should understand that asking and receiving and praying in the name of Jesus are directly related to Joining Jesus. There is a cause-and-effect factor as well.
· There is a cause and effect for studying or not studying Scripture i.e. listening to God.
· There is a cause and effect for praying or not praying i.e. talking to God.
· There is a cause and effect being aware and sensitive to where Jesus is working or not being aware and sensitive to where Jesus is working.
· There is a cause and effect being obedient or not being obedient to join Jesus where He is working when He calls .
Each of the four things that I just mentioned plays an important role in knowing God’s will generally and specifically knowing what works He has ordained for each of us. When one has ascertained the specific work or ministry activity the Lord has for us, we must then decide if we are going to be obedient to that leading or not. Will we join were Jesus is working or not?
Questions and Comments
Joining Jesus
I would like to discuss the things I just mentioned in a little more detail and how God uses these in leading us to join Jesus in His activities. Of course, the phrase Joining Jesus was coined by Henry Blackaby in his excellent book Experiencing God. Pastor Joel in summing up the theme of Experiencing God said, “… the Lord is always at work; He is at work all around us. However, we may not recognize His activity at first, so how do we join Him? No matter where we are or what we are doing, if we want to join Jesus in what He is doing, we must obey. Obedience is what brings us into the activity of God.” Page 70, Rightly Related
Listening to God - Joining the activities of Jesus usually requires someone to read, study, and meditate on Scripture i.e. listening to God. By this one may determine the general will of God, but may determine the specific will of God concerning the activities we are being called to join.
Speaking to God - Joining the activities of Jesus also usually requires someone to maintain a consistent prayer life i.e. speaking to God. Telling God ones openness to do whatever He asks and to go where ever He leads is important. At times one may need to ask for more clarity and insight into what God maybe up to in our lives.
Observing where Jesus may be working - Joining the activities of Jesus requires someone to observe and to be aware where Jesus is working. One must keep their spiritual eyes open all the times looking for where God might be at work. Looking to where God might have one minister.
If God does begin to lead a believer toward ministry activities, God will provide everything needed for that ministry activity. Don’t make excuses why that ministry will not work or that you feel incapable and/or unqualified for the ministry activity. Take Moses for an example. After forty years of being a shepherd to sheep and goats, God called Moses to lead the people of Isarel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. When this occurred, Moses began to make excuses because he felt incapable and unqualified for that big assignment. Let’s read Exodus 3:7-11.
7The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.
8“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
9“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
The first thing Moses began to do was to make excuses why he was not the one God should send. He was a simple shepherd, a simple man and did not feel qualified for that big assignment God wanted him to accomplish. God was asking Him to accomplish a very, very big order. Go before the Pharaoh of Egypt and demand that he allow Isarel to leave Egypt and then lead approximately two and one half million people to the Promised land. Let’s look at his response.
11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses was thinking. “God wants me to go before Pharaoh, the most powerful leader in the world to demand that He let Isarel leave Goshen permanently. Then He wants Me lead two and one half million people to the Promised land. Yeah, right!” But God had a reply to this argument to and others that Moses had. He promised that He would equip Moses with the inner strength and ability needed to accomplish the big task and that He would lead, guide, and provide every step of the way.
When Lord calls any believer to a ministry, He will provide. He will provide leadership, wisdom, and resources. There are many examples of this in the Bible, as well as in ministries such as George Muller, Bill Bright, Bryant Wright, R. G. LeTourneau, etc It’s all a matter of a believer:
Listening to God
Speaking to God
Observing where Jesus may be working
Jesus may lead someone on a given day to witness to someone or help someone with a physical or financial need. It may include a ministry such a Wears Valley Ranch for two days or a week. There may be a ministry that will last for several months or several years such as Janice Hylton’s ministry with Must Ministries. Linda and I have been involved in our ministry for 35 years.
There is one more important step to this process - Obedience. Our goal is to do God’s will and to be one with Him as Jesus was one with Him. When God does disclose to you that He has a ministry for you to accomplish, big or small, and wants you to join Jesus in that ministry, what will you do? Will you trust Him and fellow His lead or will you make excuses and say “no?” The choice will be yours. But remember, it’s not about you! Let’s end by reading John 14:12-14
12“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
13“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Remember we started this lesson with the biblical principles of cause-and-effect and we reap what we sow. In the is lesson we have learned the principle that God gives us the requests we ask for when we are obedient but does not give us the requests we ask for when we are disobedient. Scripture is clear about this, but let’s now bring it a little close to home.
We all know that there are times when we have asked something from the Lord that we thought was very important, but He said no. This could have been a health issue, a financial issue, a relational issuer with your spouse, your children, siblings, other family members and friends, neighbors, etc. Since it is clear that receiving requests from the Lord is related to obedience and doing His will, could this be a true scenario?
God I really need (you fill in the blank). God’s respond is, “Why should I listen to you, when you don’t listen to me. You don’t do what I ask, so why should I do what you ask?”
So, this coming week, let’s ruminate and evaluate our relationship with God concerning:
Listening to Him,
Speaking to Him
Observing where Jesus may be working
Being Obedient when Jesus calls
SELAH!
Questions and comments