12-12-12
#12 – Ask, Seek, Knock (7:7-8)
Asking, Seeking, Knocking = prayer. Ask for things, for wisdom and for
God’s presence. Pray for your dreams to come true.
Asking is verbal – speak your prayers
Seeking is visual – watch for answers and watch for guidance
Knocking is physical – make some noise, be persistent, be
intentional. Maybe your physical life can be a prayer
#11 – Judging Others (7:1-2) Christ’s instruction to not judge others is a command that is
really a gift of instruction because it allows us to focus our thoughts on what
is beautiful instead of worrying about judging others.
#10 – Temptation vs. Test (4:1-11)
#9 – Discipleship is reciprocal. Maybe we have thought of
ourselves as wanting to be disciples of Christ – he will disciple us. Yes, that is true, but in the Great
Commission (end of Matthew) and when John the Baptist baptized Christ and
others, we were commanded to ‘Go and make disciples.’ That puts us in the middle – being discipled and discipling
others.
#8 – Also on baptism – Christ’s baptism was unnecessary
according to Jewish leaders because Jesus was already a Jew and did not need to
be baptized – a sign of conversion.
By getting baptized, Jesus was demonstrating that he was converting to
something different that the way that Jews understood their religion and their
commitment to God.
#7 – Joseph was a dreamer. God spoke to Joseph in dreams (Old Testament Joseph and New
Testament Joseph.) Joseph was advised to stay with Mary, he was warned to leave
Israel, and he was advised to return to Nazareth – all in dreams.
#6 - The
culture of Israel and Greece and Rome etc… during that time was a culture that
saw wandering philosophers who spoke and taught those who would attach
themselves to the leader and follow him.
Philosophers were a bit snooty/confident and wouldn’t ask people to
follow them; philosophers wanted disciples to ASK to follow them. Christ, however, asked people to follow
Him. Christ called disciples.
#5 - Unless otherwise noted in scripture, all of Christ’s
events occurred on or near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was such a lake guy.
#4 – King Herod was insanely jealous, and he even killed his
own children if he thought they would be competition to him and his reign. He put popular people in prison before
he died with the orders that upon his death they should be killed. He knew this would grieve the people
and that there would then be tears shed at the time of his death. He wanted to make sure that people
cried when he died.
#3 – The Holy Spirit was in action LONG before Pentecost. (1:20) The Holy Spirit descended like a dove
at Jesus’ baptism, and He moved the baby in Elizabeth’s womb when she met with
Mary… and many other ‘appearances’ in the Old Testament.
#2 – The Annunciation occurred in a grotto – a cave. Jesus was born in a grotto as well.
#1 – Jesus came as a baby– a ‘real’ person. This old world can be so dark and
discouraging; we see evil and violence and degradation. Babies can catch the
attention of even the coldest hearts.
They offer peace and a sense of hope in our immediate surrounding and in
our larger world. God’s unique way
of sending his son, Jesus into the world and into our lives makes it possible
for us to quickly embrace and love Him.
