STUDY QUESTIONS:
Do a H-E-A-R-T check. Are you Hurting, Empty, Attitude, Rest-less, or Tense about anything?
I. Constant, conscious contact w/ Christ (CCC) has been a consuming passion of Christians through the ages.
A. David wrote of his heart panting after God in the Psalms (42:1-2; 63:1; 84:2-3,10; 143:6). Does this even come close to your pursuit of, passion for, panting after God?
B. Early church leaders wrote much of that same desire (Phil 3:7-10).
C. Several centuries ago an obscure little monk called Brother Lawrence (born Nicholas Herman, France, 1611-1691) penned meditations about the four C’s in his cloistered monastery (mention Sisters of Sancta Clara in Canton—their mission: prayer). He didn’t enter the brotherhood until age 55, taking on the most humble tasks there voluntarily. QUO
He spoke of learning “the practice the presence of God,” that becoming the title of the book he wrote about his desires and the disciplines he took on to navigate the four C’s. He learned to intentionally focus on and converse w/ Jesus while doing opening/closing doors (“footman;” Ps 84:10), washing the dishes for the brothers, scrubbing floors or toilets (ladies, wouldn’t you love to know his secret? If we could just add changing diapers, sitting w/ colicky babies at 2 am, etc. and still maintaining 4 C’s).
D. In more recent years was missionary, teacher, author Frank Laubauch (1884-1970). He served in obscurity in the Philippines until he began to write about his how we could have 4Cs at age 45. A “game of minutes” (classic title) he invented, trying to see how many minutes each day he could intentionally focus on his Savior. By the time he died in 1970 at age 85 he had become one of the best loved and most read authors, most traveled and honored men of his times. When receiving one of his numerous “men of the year” awards, his acceptance speech was simply: “The Lord will not wish to count my trophies, but my scars.”
II. As I read through this John 15 passage, arguably the most relevant one on constant, conscious contact w/ Christ, I see the themes I’ve presented here many times of remaining (11x--relating, communing, conversing) and fruit-bearing (8x). In meditation I’ve seen a few new things.
A. One is that slow reading of the Words of Jesus, getting them into our hearts, is one of the best ways to glorify God, get our prayers answered, and bear fruit (Jn 15:7-8). B. The Words of Christ are also what cleans us and prunes us for greater fruitfulness (v 2-3). Jesus wants us clean as well as in contact with Him. We call this holiness. This is a direct result of contact, with Him and His Words.
1. Pruning or cleaning us up is a theme of this passage. He prunes so we can be clean, AND so we can be fruitful. Surprisingly, pruning isn’t punishment for sin. But pruning will often be painful, judging from life and this picture.
2. The lesson here is don’t assume that if you’re in pain it’s because you’ve sinned.
C. As we sail the 4Cs we experience His love (v 9). Experiencing his love comes from 4Cs. Holiness comes from that. Obedience flows from holiness. Joy comes from obedience (vs 10-13). And the 4Cs is where this all starts, which enables/empowers us to do some pretty incredible acts of sacrificial love (vs 13).
D. I’d say learning how to sail the 4Cs is huge, eh?
III. The big “how” isn’t explained here, but in the history of the church. One of purposes of spiritual disciplines the church has used for centuries is to help us w/ the 4Cs.
A. One of the dangers the 4Cs is we lose sight of the goal (Christ) to focus on the means (the disciplines).
1. It’s like focusing on items in the ship makes you seasick/dizzy instead of keeping your eyes on the horizon.
2. It would be like me focusing on dribbling (in basketball). I become an excellent dribbler, but I never rebound, pass or shoot the ball. That used to be my game, wear ‘em down.
3. It would be like the railroad companies who focused on trains (means) vs. (the goal) transporting people. After the turn of the century the auto, then the airplane started cutting in big time to the monopoly railroads had on long distance transporting of people. They failed to realize they were in the transportation business, NOT the railroad business, and their portion of the transportation market shrunk. Means over ends.
4. This is the wife focusing on reading cookbooks instead of actually putting nutritious food on the table.
5. This is the provider who works day and night earning a living, but not providing a life for his family. Providing a life means the provider has to be around to share and give life to his family.
6. It’s easy to confuse means and goals. The means become meaningless when that happens. When we focus on means vs. the goal, Christ, in the spiritual realm, Bible study becomes boring. Worship is a work. Fellowship is no longer fun. Prayer becomes a program.
IV. Some of the freshest insights I’m learning about these SDs are
A. PRAYER is verbalizing what’s on your mind and heart to the Lord. We too often think that we have to go to a prayer closet, get on our knees, or have a holy frame of mind to pray. That’s not the experience of the psalmists.
1. Distractions are huge here. Why not make them the subject of your prayers? They’re often what’s really closest to your heart. And the Lord cares about what you care about (I Pet 5:7).
2. Pray on the spot when needs come up for others. I’m trying to get better here. This is not a gimmick so I can forget about you once I’ve prayed for you on the phone or in the hallway. It’s a way of doing CCCC. I’m trying to do this more during counseling, conversations, esp when the conversation gets tense (ill w/ neighbor). It actually makes me MORE aware of what the other is saying, along w/ my need for Christ in that conversation (Jn 15:5b).
B. FELLOWSHIP is a key to 4Cs & holiness (Heb 3:12-14).
1. Accountability has to be one key component of fellowship. I can’t tell you of the gains and growth that have come into my life through honest, accountability with other men who love me and who love Jesus. I meet with two of these groups weekly (not weakly).
2. Rick Warren says accountability is overrated. I disagree. That’s like saying exercise is overrated. I’ve read lots of well-documented, repeated research by all kinds of researchers which proves time and again the value of exercise on everything from weight management to stress reduction to fighting off cancer, Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis, etc. I could literally go on and on. Most have experienced the benefits and consequences when exercise is lacking.
3. So, is exercise overrated? NO! It’s underutilized.
4. Is accountability overrated? No! It’s underutilized. Can you lie in accountability? Sure. Can you fake it? Absolutely. But that’s not because accountability is overrated, it’s underutilized.
5. I’m in the Howard Hendricks (50+ year Dallas Sem Prof) school of accountability who said: “A man without accountability is an accident waiting to happen.”
6. God says this on accountability and support groups like we have in abundance (contact Gil or CR people—Jas 5:16; Gal 6:1-2; Heb 3:12-13; 2 Cor 1:3-4; Ecc. 4:9-12).
C. BIBLE STUDY. I’m learning I MUST be in the Bible every day. Amount isn’t the key, it’s regularity and consistency. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember everything you read. Can you remember everything you ate last week? Do you think it still nourished you? (I used that analogy about my sermons once and it didn’t impress my adversary.)
1. And SLOW DOWN. Speed is over-rated in our world. Productivity, amount and speed-reading is over-rated when it comes to the Bible. You hang on every word someone says you really love. Hang longer on God’s Words. Ponder, pray over them. Chew them like so many saints tell us to do (Josh 1:8). e about it, which is a great witnessing tool.
2. I’m writing more of what God tells me as a result of slowing down and meditating/thinking. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a $.50 notebook or a $2500 “Notebook”.
3. We’re doing a little of that as a couple/family using the Proverbs (the Larry Hunter challenge).
V. But prayer, Bible study and fellowship all are MEANS to grow closer to Jesus and become more like Him, NOT the goal. It’s easy to get those confused. The goal is Jesus-the 4Cs.
VII. And remember this classic chapter is sandwiched between two classics on the Holy Spirit, who is so needed as a Guide and Teacher for sailing the 4Cs.
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