SWYC 2014: What We Believe: Back to Basics

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GYC Southwest

Morning Devotional

Martin Kim

The Devotional Life of Jesus

A Deeper, More Intimate Experience with God

Humility 101

Dear Lord, thank you so much for bringing us together, Lord, this morning, because you long to draw near to us and you long to bless us.

I just once again pray that you would rain down your spirit upon us.

I just pray that you would minister to our hearts and our minds this morning.

I just pray that you'd keep me hidden behind the cross and that Jesus would be seen, heard, and known this morning.

Notice this amazing statement from the Desired Ages.

We are told, through continual communion, what kind of communion?

Through continual communion, he received life from God, that he might impart life to the world.

And then Ellen White goes on to say this.

She says, his experience is to be our experience.

You know, as I see the news these days, I no longer believe that we are headed for the last days, I believe that we are in the last days.

And if we are serious about fulfilling the mission of the Adventist church which God has given to us, of course, we must know the basics, friends, but we must also have the experience of Christ when it comes to devotions.

The devotional life of Christ must become our experience.

Now, I want to share with you 2 paragraphs that precede the words up on the screen.

But before we go there, turn with me and your Bibles to John chapter 14.

There's an amazing promise that Jesus gives to us.

Jesus says, most assuredly 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 my Father.

And did the disciples realize the fulfillment of this promise during their lifetime?

We read the book of Acts, and certainly we can see how this promise was fulfilled.

And in Desire of Ages, Ellen White makes it clear that that Jesus when he made this promise he's saying that their that their work would have wider extent and not that their work would be of a more exalted character she makes that very clear Who is Jesus speaking to this morning as we read this verse?

We too are his disciples and I believe that 1 day Jesus is gonna fulfill this promise through us.

I want to share with you a couple of statements from the Design of Ages that Ella White makes about this amazing promise in John 14, verse 12.

She writes, The Savior was deeply anxious for his disciples to understand for what purpose his divinity was united to humanity.

He came to the world to display the glory of God, that man might be uplifted by its restoring power.

God was manifested in him, that he, that Christ, may be manifested in us.

Jesus revealed no qualities and exercise no powers that men may not have through faith in him.

Then she goes on to write, his perfect humanity is that which all his followers may possess if they will be in subjection to God as he was.

Is it your desire to be in subjection to God as Christ was.

Because if so, his perfect humanity is that which all his followers may possess.

The Savior's promise to his disciples is a promise to his church to the end of time.

God did not design that his wonderful plan to redeem men should achieve only insignificant results.

Are you seeing significant results or insignificant results?

You know, sadly in a lot of churches in the NAD, the North American division, the average church is adding 3 members per year.

God did not design that as a wonderful plan to redeem men, should we achieve only insignificant results.

She goes on to say, all who will go to work, trusting not in what they themselves can do, but in what God can do for and through them, will certainly realize the fulfillment of his promise.

Greater works in these shall ye do, he declares, because I go unto my father.

How many of you want to realize the fulfillment of this amazing promise?

If we went to work trusting not in what we ourselves can do But in what God can do for and through us, would we be following the example of Jesus?

All these texts come from the book of John.

Jesus, speaking of himself, said, "'The Son can do nothing of himself.'" John 5, 19.

And then John 5, verse 30, he says, "'I can of myself do nothing.

"'My judgment is righteous "'because I do not seek my own will but the will of the father who sent me John 638 for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will.

So when you look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we see a life of utter dependence on the Father.

Jesus lived a life of entire submission to the Father's will.

Jesus was nothing and God was everything.

How many of you want to be nothing so that God can be everything?

Is Jesus calling us to live a life of utter dependence and to follow His example?

Because Jesus went to work trusting not in what he himself can do but in what what the Father could do for him and through him, it is for this reason that Jesus spent so much time in prayer.

So if we want to realize the fulfillment of this promise in John chapter 14, 12, it's only going to happen as the devotional experience of Christ becomes our devotional experience.

Now, I wanna share with you some words by Ian Balanz before we actually get to the 2 paragraphs that precede that statement that I put on at the very beginning of the message.

Ian Balanz has written many books on the subject of prayer.

He pretty much touches on every aspect of prayer.

In his book, Weapon of Prayer, he writes, prayer is the language of a person burdened with a sense of, what do you suppose goes into that blank?

Prayer is the language of a person burdened with a sense of need.

It is the voice of the beggar conscious of his poverty asking of another the things he needs.

It is not only the language of lack but a felt lack of lack consciously realized.

Prayer is the language of those who need something, something which they themselves cannot supply, but which God has promised them, and so they what?

In the end, poor praying and prayerlessness amount to the same thing.

For poor praying proceeds from a lack of the sense of need, while prayerlessness has its origin in the same soil.

Not to pray is to declare there's nothing needed and to admit there's no realization of a need.

This is what magnifies the sin of prayerlessness.

Did you know that prayerlessness was a sin?

It represents an attempt at instituting an independence of God, a self-sufficient ruling of God out of the life.

It is a declaration made to God that we do not need him and hence do not pray to him.

This is the state in which the Holy Spirit in his messages to the 7 churches in Asia found the Laodicean Church.

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The Devotional Life of Jesus

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