300 likes | 312 Views
Discover the importance of spiritual disciplines in achieving success in life. Explore the goal of the Christian life, intimacy with God, Christ-like character, and faithfulness to follow Him through regular practice of spiritual disciplines.
E N D
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Discipline- behavioral control • Discipline is a Key element to success in any endeavor.
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Discipline- behavioral control • Discipline is a Key element to success in any endeavor. Jesse Owens: "We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort."
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Discipline- behavioral control • Discipline is a Key element to success in any endeavor. J. Oswald Sanders- “Spiritual Leadership” Without this essential quality (Discipline) all talents remain as dwarfs.
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Discipline- behavioral control • Discipline is a Key element to success in any endeavor. "Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." — H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Author
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Spiritual Disciplines • What is the goal of the Christian life? What is success?
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Spiritual Disciplines • What is the goal of the Christian life? What is success? • Intimacy with God • Christ-like Character • Faithfulness to Follow God
What are Spiritual Disciplines? • Spiritual Disciplines • What is the goal of the Christian life? What is success? • How do we get there? • Through regular practice of Spiritual Disciplines
Worship • We are all Worshipers
Worship • We are all Worshipers Romans 1:25 (NASB95) 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Worship • We are all Worshipers • The opposite of Christianity isn’t Atheism, it’s Idolatry.
Worship • We are all Worshipers • Identify what we Worship • Direct us to True Worship
What are we Worshiping? • Source of Worship is Thirst • Physical Thirst • Emotional Thirst • Spiritual Thirst
What are we Worshiping? • Source of Worship is Thirst • Idolatry is meeting those longings with something other than God.
What are we Worshiping? • Meeting Physical needs becomes a spiritual exercise
What are we Worshiping? • Meeting Physical needs becomes a spiritual exercise Philippians 3:18–19 (NASB95) 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
What are we Worshiping? • Meeting Physical needs becomes a spiritual exercise • Meeting Emotional needs becomes a spiritual practice
What are we Worshiping? • Meeting Physical needs becomes a spiritual exercise • Meeting Emotional needs becomes a spiritual practice • Intimacy and Impact
What are we Worshiping? Ernest Becker, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Denial of Death: “He still needed to feel heroic, to know his life mattered in the scheme of things. . . . If he no longer had God, how was he to do this?....The love partner becomes the divine ideal within which to fulfill one’s life. All spiritual and moral needs now become focused in one individual. . . .”
What are we Worshiping? Ernest Becker, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Denial of Death: “In one word, the love object is God. . . . what is it that we want when we elevate the love partner to the position of God? We want redemption—nothing less.”
What are we Worshiping? Pop legend Madonna I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being and then I get to another stage and think I’m mediocre and uninteresting. . . . Again and again
What are we Worshiping? Pop legend Madonna : My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that’s always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I’ve become Somebody, I still have to prove that I’m Somebody . My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.
Jesus Directs us to true worship • Worship is not:
Jesus Directs us to true worship • Worship is not: • Not rooted in a Place, but a Person- v21 • Not rooted in Feeling but Fact- vs22-23 • Not Found in you, but Found in Him-vs2
Jesus Directs us to true worship • True Worship: • Begins with Revelation
Jesus Directs us to true worship • True Worship: • Begins with Revelation • Is Rooted in Truth
Jesus Directs us to true worship • True Worship: • Begins with Revelation • Is Rooted in Truth • Results in Praise
Jesus Directs us to true worship • True Worship: • Begins with Revelation • Is Rooted in Truth • Results in Praise • The Process is Repeated