“Knowing God is not a mind thing. God is beyond human thought. Knowing Him is a love thing. To know Him is to love Him.”. — PR
Western religion — tells people what to know instead of how to know.
Church at a crossroads — From belief systems to actual inner experiences with God — From head to heart.
“If our salvation remains in our minds alone without transforming our hearts it will be just an idea that’s never fully expressed in our reality”. — PR
Jesus saved us — not just from something but for something: We’re saved by LOVE to LOVE
PROMISE — PROCESS — PROVISION
John 3:3-5 — Born of the Spirit to ENTER the Kingdom of God
Truths: We are His Warrior Bride dressed in white We are clothed in new garments of praise and worship as New Creations, wearing our Holy Armor. We are being formed into New Wineskins. We have access to the heavenly realm and kingdom.
Proverbs 4:23 Hebrews 4:16
We submit to the progressive maturation process.
I John 3:8 Colossians 3: 2,9,10 Colossians 4:12 Stand perfect and complete in all the will of God 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Ephesians 2:1,5,12b,13 Psalm 27:14
Father, I want to be filled with Your compassion. Show me Your heart. I am a settling place for Your Reigning Presence of glory!
Brennan Manning — “We must confess our sins. We must acknowledge the evil operative that resides within us, which shows itself through our relentless self-absorption. If we gloss over our selfishness and the evil within us, we can only pretend to be sinners and therefore only pretend to be forgiven.” “Christ’s love and compassion is not given due to our goodness. On the other hand, it’s also not withheld because of our lack of goodness.” — PR Genesis 15:1-21 — God’s covenant with Abram required an offering. — God asks us to give Him something that He, Himself, doesn’t need — but something we need to give! 1 Samuel 17 — David vs. Goliath 1 Samuel 17:40 — 5 Smooth Stones of Warfare — 5 Proclamations of Promise / 5 Confessions of Faith 1) Covenential Confidence (1 Samuel 17:26). We have one with God — Our enemy doesn’t!!! 2) Don’t lose heart for the battle! — “I’m all in to the end!” — (1 Samuel 17:32) 3) Remember Past Victories — (1 Samuel 17: 37) 4) Confidence in the humble, mighty in God, weapons of your warfare — (1 Samuel 17:45, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5) 5) Declared Faith — (1 Samuel 17:46-47) “This day… !”
Foundationally – God’s authority draws it’s strength from the purity and holiness of His ways, not just in “idea” form but through their application.
Revelation 2:2-5
John 13:35 – Our first Love
Sin – Self-focused : When we sin we are focused on ourselves – not God or others
Anthony of Padua – “Of what value is learning that does not lead to love?”
Brennan Manning – “The truth of faith has little value when it is not also the life of the heart.”
Matthew 24:10-12 – “Cold Lovers” – don’t desire Jesus any longer so they don’t pray for restoration and healing.
Micah 7:19
Drawing from the deep well of the Holy Spirit within : “Our Present Risenness” – B. Manning
Our Prayer: “God, please awaken me to be conscience of Your Presence.”
Mark 9:23 – “All things are possible to him that believes”
Sin – keeps us in hiding and from seeing our “True Selves”
“We don’t see things as they are . We see them as we are.” – PR
Sin – is the fuel that feeds the “Imposter”
Confession – removes condemnation which sets our spirits free
Freedom – allows us to draw from the well of “living water” which brims over to whomever God puts around us so that they become free and delivered from enslavement to their own personal Imposter.
“When we are free to love, love sets those loved free.” – PR
Our Authentic Self — God’s plan for us from our creation
False Self — what we believe our self to be base on external experiences
Coming Clean — making an admission of our sins before God
Sin — consists of anything that keeps us from becoming our authentic self.
Jesus was able to become what the Father sent Him to Earth for because He was never attached to a petty False Self for His identity.
“Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name.
Jesus became the Christ through the process of His life on Earth as He overcame each obstacle.
Jesus’ identity was transformed after the Resurrection.
When Jesus died, the Christ rose!
He is our model for salvation: “The Way”
Our assignment: is to recognize , acknowledge and let go of our small, needy and inadequate self to become a greater and authentic “new creation”
1 John 1:9(Passion) — “If we boast that we have no sin, we’re fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we freely admit our sins when His light uncovers them,He will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ and He will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Notes from Passion : Confession doesn’t gain us favor with God. This was won for us by Christ. Confession cleanses the conscience and removes every obstacle from communion with Christ. Rom 14:22-23 (Message Bible) “… you’ll know you’re out of line if the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe.”
Romans 14:23 (NKJV) “…. whatever is not from faith is sin.”
Ego : the center of the “False Self” — exactly who I think I am.
Psalms 51: 1-3, 5-13, 16-17
Romans 6:23 Luke 1:38 — Matthew 16:39 –“Not my will but yours.”
Teresa of Avila — “When you find God in yourself you’ll find yourself in God.”
Isaiah 65: 24 — The gift is already given!
John 1;3
Acts 17:28-29 (Passion)
Ephesians 4:30 — The Holy Spirit is sealed within us for the day of redemption — we can not lose Him !!
Grieving the Holy Spirit:
1. Living inconsistent with what we believe causes other things to be elevated in us ultimately becoming idols and living according to their beckoning. This is sin which brings with it unrest and lack of inner peace.
2. Remaining ignorant to our birthrights as Sons and Daughters of God.
— Brennan Manning — “The Imposter”– allows us to wear many masks which constructs the “False Self”
— The False Self buys into outside experiences to furnish a personal source of meaning; money, power, glamour, etc
— The Imposter is an illusion with no substance of truth.
2 Corinthians 3:18 –” transformed from glory to glory with unveiled faces…”
An illusion can’t cultivate a transformational relationship with the TRUTH, without which, faith will dwindle and die. This is also sin and grieving to the Holy Spirit. — Hebrews 11:6
3. By neglecting His presence we don’t get to enjoy His Fruit — Galations 5:22 and Isaiah 11:2
A. Wisdom — to cherish what is heavenly
B. Understanding — to make sense of things
C. Counsel — Instruction for right living
D. Fortitude — Supernatural courage and strength
E. Knowledge — warnings and guidance
F. Godliness — ability to follow Christ
G. Fear of the Lord — awareness of the Divine Presence; the key to transformation
SIN: is a veil that impedes transformation and must be rent by acknowledging it in surrender to the “Light”
(GRK) –to miss the mark —
(HEB) — to carve out or cut down
Our Lives — a process of “gaining light”
Psalms 138:1-2 and Psalms 139:23-24 (Passion) — PRAY TOGETHER
“I thank You Lord, and with all the passion of my heart I worship You in the presence of the angels. Heaven’s mighty ones will hear my voice as I sing my loving praise to You. I bow down before Your Divine Presence and bring You my deepest worship as I experience Your tender love and living truth. “God I invite Your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to Your glorious, everlasting ways — the path that brings me back to You.”
“God washes all the shores of the Earth twice a day. How much more will He not wash those who ask! —- Amy Carmichael
The distinguishing quality or characteristic of the Favor of the Lord is His Presence. SOAK IN HIS PRESENCE AND BE A CARRIER OF HIS DIVINITY.
Jerimiah 6:16
His Presence is teh greatest weapon we can engage with when we are in spiritual warfare. His brilliant Presence is the very atmosphere that assures us of His favor and blessing and REST.
Psalms 46:10
WORSHIP, THANKSGIVING, REJOICING IN PRAISE- RECALIBRATES OUR HEARTS TO HIS MAJESTY G.COOKE
Exodus 30:34-36
Stacte-myrhh- His Word
Onycha- shell-humility, brokenness
Galbanum- flower- God is good
Frankincense- tree resin- the righteousness of Christ
3. God Is Hidden — The full truth of God is beyond our comprehension.
— If we try to explain God by a specific event, situation or doctrine we are in essence “playing God” and end up distorting the truth.
— Truth: No spiritual leader, Pastor, Priest, Monk, Rabbi, Imam or Spiritual Director has any special knowledge about God.
GOD IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN OUR MINDS AND HEARTS ! Matt 4:16 (Isa 9:1-2) The mystery of life revealed — To discover the personal God. Discovering His Presence through A Perception of His Absence: The Cloud of Unknowing.
Psalm 22:1-5In the Cloud” we meet God in the way He wants us to: beyond human knowing and beyond what we are presently.
4. God Is Looking For Us
He is: The Good Shepherd leaving the 99 for the 1.
The woman who lights the lamp, sweep the house until the lost coin is found.
Abba — watching for us and patiently waiting for our return.
The question:
Not — “How do I find God?” but “How can I best let myself be found by Him?”
Not, “Who is God for me?” but A quest for me to discover “Who God says I am to Him”
“When I cry ‘Abba’ I claim that I am a seeker of a deeper relationship with God and I will be found by Him ! — “PR
