Live Happy
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8)
Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)
What if we don’t experience his easy yoke and light burden because we’re not doing what he said?
What was what he tell his disciples to do?
“As you go, make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19)
Today we talk about how we can live Happy - another word for it is living blessed. And the good news I have for you today is…you’re already on that path.
You’re reading Jesus everyday and reading elsewhere in the Bible everyday too. You’re filling yourself up with His word. And the Bible tells us about the blessing that comes from reading the Word. I’ve found 21 ways God blesses us as we read the Word. I may make it into another Bible Reading Plan.
You’re aligning your heart with His heart by taking 1 hour a week to do listening prayers. This is guided by your time in the word. As you read Jesus, you can mediate on the Word when your alone with God in silence. There’s a blessing to be found being still and know He is God.
From that foundation you're blessing people in your everyday world. Every week you’re blessing someone inside the church, someone outside the church and someone as you feel led. There’s a blessing to be refreshed as we refresh others.
If I could talk to people who have started to intentionalize these rhythms in their lives, I know they would be living lighter. I know they would talk about how God has blessed them as they “do”.
Today, we begin start being active in sharing our faith. It’s not going to be scary as that sounds. It will flow naturally from your time in the Word and your time alone with Jesus and your blessing others. It’s about being intentional.
I want to show you something. Do what I do… Clap practice
Why was it so easy for everyone to pick up on the beat?
What would have happened if I did it like this…
It’s easy to follow a rhythm.
Jesus followed a rhythm.
It was a rhythm of with and out
Consider these scenes from his own story:
1. After his baptism Jesus is led into the desert where he spends 40 days of focused time with God, praying and fasting. After this he is sent out, launching his mission to the world. Luke 4:1;15
2. As news about Jesus spreads, crowds follow everywhere he goes, bringing the sick and needy. Who else could help them? And yet we’re told, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” He withdraws from the crowd and their pressing needs to be with the Father. Then, we find him back with the people, teaching, healing and befriending. Luke 5:15-16
3. After an exhausting day before, we find Jesus rising before dawn to find a solitary place to be with God. “Everyone’s looking for you!” his followers say when they find him. “Let’s move on to the next village,” he replies. Jesus’ retreating to be with God kept him focussed on what he was next to do, rather than be driven by the pressures of popularity. Mark 1:35-39
4. When it’s time to choose the 12 apostles, Jesus heads out to a mountainside, to do what? To be with God. He spends all night in prayer and in the morning is sent to call Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholemew and the rest to be his team. Luke 6:12;17
Being with the Father to calibrate his heart and get directions.
Being sent out from the Father to heal and liberate the world.
Being with, being sent was Jesus’ own rhythm of life.
We then see Jesus teaching the Rhythm to his friends:
(Luke 9:1;10)
Sent out.
The time comes to send his team of 12 on a special assignment. They’ve been with Jesus, watching him work. Now they’re sent out. He calls them together, gives them authority to preach, heal and drive out evil spirits, then sends them off. Then look what happens:
Being with
When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida…
As it turns out, Jesus’ fans soon followed and there wasn’t a lot of retreat time. But do you see them stepping to the rhythm? Being with, being sent, and being with Jesus again. Relating to God, responding to the world, then relating once more.
Sent out.
2. Jesus later sends a larger group of 72 on a mission. They return with great excitement: “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” They’ve been with, they’ve been sent, then they return to be with Jesus again. And on their return Jesus teaches them a lesson. “Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in heaven.” Success would come and go; what really mattered was that they were God’s children. Luke 10:1-17
This is the rhythm we’re started to establish - We’re alone with God when we read, we’re alone with God when we listen. We’re sent out when we blessed. We’re sent out when we invite.
Today we talk about inviting people into the rhythms of our lives.
What if God has given us this amazing way of seeing life that makes all of life one big opportunity for discipleship? Everyone is set up in the same rhythms.
Before we get to that, let’s look at some rhythms that keep up in step
5 Rhythms to keep in His Rhythm
5 Rhythms to keep in His Rhythm
1. Sabbath (weekly)
I know that Sabbath rest is taking hold in me when I find myself relaxed in stressful situations, walking or driving slowly, sitting and doing “nothing,” or lingering in bed in the mornings.
2. Scripture (daily)
I don’t want to just get through God’s Word for the day, I want to get it through me.
3. Soul friendship (often)
I don’t think we can follow Jesus well without soul friends. This keeps us honest and vulnerable before God.
4. Statio (event by event)
This is often meant to denote the moment between moments, or the pause between those times when you are doing things. You can think of it as a mini-transition. You already experience this several times a day, for example, when you are figuring out what to do next or when you take a momentary break to regroup. With statio you make the pause intentional. Rest in the now moment. Take a single mindful, desire-free breath and recognize there is no other time but this. The point of Statio and margin is to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.
5. Selah (moment by moment)
It probably means, “Pause to reflect and pray.” It’s a breather that helps us to Practice God’s Presence and be present to the people and opportunities at hand.
Rhythms in our lives
Rhythms in our lives
Eat - Bless - Celebrate - Recreate - Worship
Challenge
Challenge
3 times a week invite someone into one of your rhythms of life.
Invite someone from the church, Invite someone from outside the church and anyone else into a rhythm of your life.