A Better Hope

I read through Hebrews 7 and 8 today and the words "better hope" from Hebrews 7:19, rolled around in my head.  The writer of our bible study, “Hebrews”, Lisa Harper goes into church tradition and our personal preferences on pages 86 and 87.  She  makes the point that the people of God giving up their priest and sacrifices and the way they had been doing things for ages, must've been very difficult. The writer of Hebrews was getting them to let go of the old way and embrace Jesus as their "better hope".  

Now I know we don't have a weird attachment to animal sacrifices or high priests to atone for our sins. We don't wait for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement to be forgiven and free of guilt and shame. We are gaining an understanding through this study, that Jesus paid the price once and for all. That nothing I can do will make up for or atone for my sin except to repent (have a change of mind and direction) and accept His forgiveness. Even trying to right my old wrongs, shows that I'm stuck in the old covenant way of rules, religion and performance  We are seeing clearly that God made a new covenant, a better way...a better Hope. And that hope is Jesus, our new high priest and our sacrifice. 

My question for us today is not unlike the writer of Hebrews. What is my hope in? What do you put your hope in?  Hope is a strong word so let me soften it for the sake of this teaching. What do you spend your time thinking about that you feel you need most?  What do wake up thinking about? What do you go to bed thinking about? What do sense yourself feeling?  "If  I could only have or attain____________ I would feel so much better.....I would find resolve.”

I have to be careful here. In my attempt to make my life better I can cross over into over-focus. A better healthy body can turn into hours of focus and obsession. A cleaner house can turn into, "I'd really enjoy my home if.....discontent. These attitudes of over-focus and discontent are a sure sign of needing a "better hope"

So let me ask the question again.  Where are you trying to gain approval? Is it from a person? Is it hope of a better position or pay at your work? Is it in having children? Or children that will listen? Is it in a better marriage? Is it in a nicer house, or neighborhood? None of the above are bad things, in fact they're blessings and gracious gifts from God. But they make lousy "Hopes." Let me state it clearly....hanging my everyday emotions on any one of them will leave me discontented, discouraged and grasping. That's why we need the Better Hope we are learning about:

Hebrews 7:19 (NLT) But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (namely Jesus). 

Jesus, we just read in Hebrews 7 that you are a "better hope" than the old covenant....the old way. I think you are a better hope than my efforts to better myself. You are a better hope than my attempts to fix my void and pain with a better person. You are a better hope than the old way of religion of trying to be better than I used to be by working so hard to modify my own behavior....to crack the code. What is it I put my hope in? 

  

We discussed last week that feeling unworthy was getting in our way of being used by God. We need to let Him push us past this "unworthiness" go on to maturity. Part of going on to maturity is recognizing that the enemy of our souls loves for us to get hung up right there. So maybe this could be considered Part 2 of our teaching last week "Washed Worthy and Willing." 

1) We must identify where we are putting our hope so we can lay it down and accept the "better hope" that Jesus offers. I think I've already given a couple of ways to identify these areas. Back in our last study when we were studying Gideon, these areas of my heart and life would've been referred to as high places or idols. For more direction, let's turn to those red letters in the Bible, Jesus' very words. We open up in the wilderness right after getting John to baptize Him. Jesus is being tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger from His 40 day fast. 

Matt4: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Jesus even saw physical hunger as a need God should meet for Him and not try and make it happen through His own resources. This quote and answer to the enemy came straight out of the Old Testament:

 Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV) "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, (which neither you nor your ancestors had known,) to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

2) Is it possible this ongoing "hunger” in our lives is to humble us so that we will turn to Him to meet our need? Could it be He wants to show you how to trust in Him for His answer to your life need right now?      *Manna was a supernatural answer to a natural need. Is it possible that part of living in His Unforced Rhythms of Grace is to turn to Him for the provision and the satisfaction and to stop putting our trust in flesh?  Doesn't Jesus try and tell us that we will live stressed hurried unfulfilled sleepless lives when we are putting our hope in anything but Him and His Word? Let's go back to our theme verse for our bible study and the theme of this blog: 

 Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep Company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Now let's look at what He says in His Word about trusting in a person or anything but Him...

Isaiah 2:22 (NIV)"Stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?" 

Isaiah 51:12-13, 15MSG)"I, I’m the One comforting you.  What are you afraid of—or who?Some man or woman who’ll soon be dead? Some poor wretch destined for dust?You’ve forgotten me, God, who made you, who unfurled the skies, who founded the earth. For I am God, your very own God, who stirs up the sea and whips up the waves, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies. I teach you how to talk, word by word, and personally watch over you". 

3) Jesus knows that putting our trust in anything or anyone or any formula but Him leads to a stressed out and harassed life. He is clearly trying to tell us that He wants to meet our needs here "on earth as it is in heaven." 

Psalm 34:8 (NLT)"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!"

 In summary, Jesus is the BETTER HOPE for my life and God’s Word is how I find my needs met for my hungers as Jesus words echo in my heart. "Man shall not live in bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God". Bread is man-made and Manna is God made. Would I rather find my answer in man or in a trustworthy God who humbles me so I will look to Him for my hunger? 

Let's pray together:

Lord we acknowledge that you are a better hope

Looking to man has left us all discouraged and empty and sometimes grasping

We can't fix this

As Peter said, "You alone have the Words of life"

I want to live out Acts 17:28 that tells me

"For in Him I live and move and have my being.’

God I want this new way of living in your unforced rhythms of grace.

I am humbled by my need, I bring my hunger to you

I know you will give me your supernatural help for my natural earthly needs.

Thank you that you are a better hope, what a relief!

Amen

WASHED, WORTHY AND WILLING

When starting to prepare for this teaching I asked The Lord where He wanted me to read in His Word. I immediately felt impressed to go to Hebrews 6. I read through the whole chapter and nothing really stuck out to me except the 4 words, "go on to maturity" in the first couple verses.

So, I decided to shift gears and to go onto my own personal writing and get a fresh start where I felt God directing me in the writing of the Living in the URG bible study.
This writing project has not come easily for me because I keep getting in my own way. Even my own daughter keeps asking me why I'm so hesitant.  In her usual direct style with me she keeps telling me to get over myself and my misgivings.  Then last week I'm sitting in Starbucks with my sweet friend Lois, and even she starts to prod me about writing the new bible study. As she was expressing her confidence in me, I found myself reacting and actually feeling emotional. Why? What's this about Lord? What is this reaction inside me Lord?

He is so faithful to show me my own heart when I go to Him about myself. In this next set verses He showed me in the kindest and most encouraging way. I am dealing with feelings of unworthiness”. So I've decided to push aside my unworthiness and insecurities and step out. 

As I said "yes" in my spirit I felt The Lord saying to me learn to "walk with me, work with me and watch how I do it". (Matt 11:29 MSG) And nothing seems so clearly practical to carry this out as to go to the red letter words that He spoke directly to us in scripture.

I got captivated with the first Words Jesus spoke in Matthew in the 3rd chapter under the heading of "John Baptizes Jesus". (Recorded also in Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22). Wow! Lord, the first thing you bring up is so personal and actually causes me to get emotional. God is so sweet that He always lets me know that I'm not alone. In fact this "unworthy" thing is shared by some heavy hitters in the New Testament. And, like me, they were letting it get in the way of what Jesus wanted to do through them and with them. And, suddenly I realized this might be you too sistas! So I'm learning and teaching simultaneously.

#1. He wants to do something through you and me too. But, this unworthiness insecurity is an area of negativity in me that He wants to wash off and out of me. You can just hear the feelings of unworthiness John the Baptist was feeling when Jesus came to him and asked him to baptize Him. John had just been preaching about how he was baptizing in water but how One was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Matt3:11 "I will baptize you with water for repentance but after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire."

Then just one verse later we see verse 13.

 "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness?"

(This is part of Abbas redemption plan)

#2.  I need recognize my sense of unworthiness and insecurity as an area of immaturity and decide to move it out of the way. Of course I'm not worthy. But, God wants to use me and if I stay stuck in my position, I cannot move forward and partner with Jesus on earth as it is in heaven. This "unworthy" feeling is also what Peter was feeling when Jesus wanted to wash the disciples feet at the last supper. 

John 13:3-6
Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.” 8 Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!” Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”

#3.  Unworthiness is a negativity that has got to go!  In order to partner with Jesus in His plans, I have got to let it go.  Of course I am unworthy! Anything He does for me is not because I earned it or am worthy. All is mercy, all is grace! Time to cooperate!  Look at the choices these two men made when confronted with Jesus wanting to work through them and use them to partner with Him on his earthly assignment…. 

Then John consented (yielded) 9 “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”

Part of this business in my maturing and moving forward with Jesus and being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire is to lay down all resistance and yield, consent. This sense of being worthy by my following a prescribed set of rules, or the converse, feeling unworthy because I've blown it, has got to go. Like Graham Cooke (writer, worshipper and  ministry leader of Brilliant Perspectives) loves to say, "There are unclaimed upgrades all over this room".

God has called me up..."Christ in me the hope of glory"...  "I am seated in the heavenly places with Christ" ...."greater things shall you do than Me" ...."He speaks a better Word over me".

 Hebrews 12:24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks a better Word of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

#4.  Jesus speaks a better Word over me than the law, than our society and definitely better than I speak over myself.  My sins don't disqualify me for His work. Jesus qualifies me when He baptizes me in The Holy Spirit and washes me with the water of His word.

That leads me back to my original thought for this teaching: 

Hebrews 6:1" Let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity,"

#5.  I can't make myself worthy....ever! Christ already did!!! But I can cooperate with His already finished work in me and for me. He has washed me! My feet my hands my head....and my heart.

Hebrews 10:22 NLT “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

Titus 3:5 (ESV) “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit…”

1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

#6.  So I need to get on with it! Step into what Christ has for me. Stop worrying about being worthy or holy or righteous enough to ever do anything for God. Thinking that His great plans are for everyone else around me...my sister, my mom, my friend....no...his great plans are for ME!

He knows the plans he has for me...(Jeremiah 29:11)

2 Cor 3: 4
“We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.  It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.  He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13)

What is he calling you to that you shrink away from? Do you feeling unworthy because of this weird lie you've bought into that you are not enough, or that you are too much?
He sees the greatness He planted in us and wants to partner w us to bring about His plans. There is no more room for this negativity about ourselves. Like John, we need to yield. Just like Peter we need to let him wash us and then jump right in to all He has for us. He has an assignment unique to each one of us. I, for one, don't want to miss it while slinking under my own unworthiness blanket.

Pray this prayer with me:

Holy Spirit thank you for being here with us tonight. Thank you for uncovering this lie I've been buying into.  Thank you that I am enough and that I'm not too much.

I renounce the lie that I am unworthy, I choose to go onto maturity.

Jesus I receive your Holy Spirit into my life.

Holy Spirit baptize me in your fire.

I receive all that you have for me.

Empower me to walk out of negativity about myself.

Empower me to partner with you and to change my world.

Fill me with your love.

Amen.

A Moment of Favor is Worth a Lifetime of Labor!

In the video for session #3 Lisa Harper does such a good job of discussing this weeks subject...REST 

I'm huge on this subject as The Lord has been having me intern with Him on what it means to live in the URG. (Unforced Rhythms of Grace) 

Matt 11:2828 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

We have to fight for our rest because the enemy of our souls hates it! We fight and beat down anxiety stress and fear with rest. God always blesses and has ordained my rest!  

Hebrews 4:11 says we have to strive to enter that rest..funny huh? But it's so true. When God first started to teach me this principle and train me in rest every fiber of my mind will and emotions fought it. But ahhhhh my spirit loved it! I began to realize that to receive from Him and to hear Him I had to sit down on the inside, to rest. 

I loved the week 2 intro in our Hebrews study on page 40; MOSES GAVE US RULES BUT JESUS GIVES US REST. I kept having this flash in my mind last week as I recovered from bronchitis. What is it that drives me? Why do I feel like less of a person when I rest or sleep in? God is having to change my whole mindset in this area. Maybe that's why I've received so much resistance in this area....rest is blessed by God, ordained by God and exhibited by God. 

Jesus came to wipe out the written code and to teach me to live and move and have my being in Him. He puts His spirit in me to teach me this new way of living. Jesus is not just my savior, He is Lord of my life. As Lord He wants me to learn this new way, to rest...

I love the saying, "A moment of favor is worth a lifetime of labor" . After reading it, what goes through your mind?  Jesus knows we are needy,  He just wants us to realize our neediness rests in Him  (no pun intended). He wants to provide for us and keep us from the hectic scramble. Look at the way he fed the 5000. 

John 6:5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated

Jesus wants us to sit down so He can minister to us and meet our needs. We cannot receive while in the standing posture. We have to surrender our efforts and sit down to receive from Jesus. Have you ever tried to have a meal or a real conversation with someone who won't sit down? Have you ever walked into Starbucks with your friends and there were no tables? Sitting down is a physical sign of submission and a relaxed resting posture. It is also a sign of authority as we learned last week when Kelsie taught on Jesus being seated at the right hand of the Father. We are also taught that we are seated with Him. 

Col 2:6: "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

Jesus is huge on rest and so is the book of Hebrews. Just for fun I looked at how many times the word rest is repeated in Hebrews 4:1-12......Fifteen times!  Whoa! I won't go into all 12 verses for the sake of time, but God is huge on rest for my soul, my mind, my body and most of all my spirit!!

Look at Hebrews Verse 7:

"So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: don’t harden your hearts. Today when you hear his voice".

 While praying and preparing for this message,  I felt the whisper in my heart

1) Gods provision of peace is coupled with His rest

2) True peace and real rest require surrender...sitting down on the inside. 

3) I'm thinking based on the feeding of the 5000 that His provision requires rest and surrender as well. 

He even warns us in Hebrew 4:11 that if we don't learn to rest we will fall. 

Today is the day to surrender to His rest.  It's awesome.  It's peaceful! Let's do it.  

My prayer for us: 

LORD this work in my hand, this grip I have is keeping me wound up. This person I am trying to change resists me, this anxiety keeping me up at night is wearing me down. I am needing your rest.

I am wanting and needing your rest Lord.

Holy Spirit show me where I am trying to control. 

Teach me surrender that leads to rest and peace.

I need peace for my soul. I need you holy spirit.  I SURRENDER.  Amen. 

My prayer for you:

Lord tear down the enemy's plans to keep my sisters all worked up and stressed. Clear their eyes to see and their ears to hear like never before, I pray. Bring rest and peace and provision. let them renounce and reject worry and control of anyone or anything. Grow trust in us I pray. Amen

Love- Keely

A Special Time For our Teen Girls!

Another fun opportunity to tell you about. I've been doing a young teen girl Bible study 13-17 yrs and want to open it up to any of my Bible study sistas that may have a daughter, niece or friend that wants to meet in my home with other like-minded girls. We have a lot of fun together doing a variety of faith based movies, bible study, relationship building, prayer and cookies.......always cookies!

Tuesday afternoons 3:45-5:15pm

For more information contact me at keelyvillamuck@gmail.com

Am I Living the Rules or Loving the Rule-less?

The first few questions in our homework on page 18 were all about fitting in or not fitting in and feeling like an outcast socially. Interesting questions. When discussing this with a few friends over a coffee at Starbucks it kind of came down to what I choose "not" to engage in or do in relation to my friends and people I'm socializing with that causes me to feel left out or like I don't fit in. I've been mulling on that whole thought for a week now. Something about it has been bugging me and I think it hit me while in the shower a few days ago.

Being known for what I don't do is not the goal. Being  wanted at events because others only feel the love and acceptance of Jesus, from me is the goal. Like Jesus, the lost and hurting sought him out. It was only the religious law keepers that rejected Him.

If I'm being rejected maybe it's time to ask myself what am I giving off....judgement, criticism, a "holier the thou" attitude or a heart of love and acceptance?

Guest Blogger Kelsie Bahr- Lessons from David and Goliath...Feel like running? Stay and PRAY....

One day I was expressing a lot of frustration over a recurring annoyance in my life, and this is the thought the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart:
STOP PUSHING. START PRAYING.


When I say pray I mean this (the New Testament Greek word):  proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith 
("divine persuasion"). Accordingly, praying is closely inter-connected with ("faith") in the New Testament. See: Ac 6:5,6,14:22,23; Eph 6:16-18; Col 1:3,4; 2 Thes 3:1,2; Js 5:13-15; Jude 20.

#1. PRAYER IS EXCHANGE WITH GOD- what's in me for what's in Him.

Faith In The Valley of Achor (Trouble)

God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief... my Valley of Achor becoming a door of hope. 
    

Last week I talked about the vows we make due to trauma....I shared with you one of mine and talked about vows ultimately being firm stands of self protection.

Here is my choice every day... Do I self protect or Invite God to come into my vulnerability by asking for His restoration and healing in that given area?  We are all given opportunity each day to practice this. 

Last week we talked about the self protection and vows that keep me stuck in fear, behind my walls, and trapped in un forgiveness towards God or others. 

Hosea 2:14-15 was and is a part of my process for learning to allow God into my shut off areas and self protected areas:

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.  Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.…"

"And the valley of Achor (trouble)  will become a door of hope" 

Let me remind you again that Jesus calls Himself the door in John 10 and that in Hebrews it tells us that " Hope is the anchor for our soul, firm and secure."