The Chemistry of a Christian 10: Construct of Intentionality
The Construct of Intentionality
THE RACE SET BEFORE US
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD (GENESIS 1:27)
BUT WE FIND OURSELVES IN DARKNESS
THE FOUNDER AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH
Through Christ’s disciplines, He moves us from darkness to His glorious Light.
THE DISCIPLINES OF THE CHRIST
1. HE CONQUERS THE WORLD (AUTHORITY)
JOHN 16:33 (NKJV)
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
2. HE TRUSTS HIS OWN WORD EVEN WHEN IT’S TOUGH (IDENTITY)
MATTHEW 4:1-11 – When tempted, He conquered the Devil.
3. HE IS EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT (PURPOSE)
Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
THE RESULTS OF HIS DISCIPLINES – THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM
- DEATH TO LIFE
- DARK TO LIGHT
- DESPERATION TO HOPE
- BOREDOM TO WONDER
- ESTABLISHES HIS PASSION FOR THE RELATIONSHIP WITH US
- OFFENSE TO FORGIVENESS
- DESPERATE OPPORTUNISTIC LIFE TO ETERNAL LIFE
We see HIM! And if we see Him, we are no longer blind but free…(HIS PURPOSE – LUKE 4:18-19) and our transformation begins.
JOHN 1:4 (TPT)
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
THE WORD reestablished as the life and light ensures that the character of God can manifest in our lives, removing false Gods and establishing divine relationship and purpose through the wonder of the Father and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
With the full spectrum of Elohim, our darkest moments are no longer our strongholds, but we are set free. Free to begin the wonderful race set before us – free from the hindrances that held us in the dark. We can see the Son…
JOHN 1:5 (TPT)
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
OUR LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED
ROMANS 12:1-2 9 (TPT)
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
THE RACE SET BEFORE US (Hebrews 12:1-2)
We desire to solidify our freedom, so we understand that the cross is His discipline and purpose to free us and restore our sight.
That cross becomes ours (long-suffering) but running the race set before us (8 steps), we discover that moving from long-suffering towards truth mimics the joy Jesus discovered in running this life from darkness to light.
IF WE SEE HIM, WE SEE THE FATHER
JOHN 14:8-9 (TPT)
Philip spoke up, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be all that we need!” Jesus replied, “Philip, I’ve been with you all this time and you still don’t know who I am? How could you ask me to show you the Father, for anyone who has looked at me has seen the Father.
We don’t just step from the darkness (from dark to free – we transform our thinking and walk out the fullness of the character of God. Not just better than the darkness; we are made in the image of God.
We step from the darkness towards freedom, and He brings us into the light of the Father’s Character.
Once He has restored our sight – it’s all about where we decide to look.
Galatians 5:1 (NLT)
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
THE TRAINING STARTS HERE
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 TPT
“Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to be victorious. A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever. For that reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless punches, but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it under my control so that after preaching the good news to others I myself won’t be disqualified.”
The goal is not to be better than others, just better than what we used to be (From blind to free and from dark to light).
MADE PERFECT
The Greek word translated as “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion.
His Word always comes to its conclusion. The Words conclusion IS what it originally intended.
The disciplines of Christ transform us TO freedom! Our discipline of following Him keeps us fixed on Him and, as a result, on the Character of the Father in whose image we were made initially.
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF FOLLOW ME
FOLLOW ME ONE
MATTHEW 4:19 (TPT)
Jesus called out to them and said, “Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.”
FOLLOW ME TWO
JOHN 21:19b (TPT)
And then he said, “Peter, follow me!”
These two commands clearly articulate the genius of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
A command for a disciple to follow
His followers were expected to learn from Him. He wanted them to be students, eager pupils who desired to soak in everything He could teach them.
A desire for a disciple to have
But He also wanted them to stay close to Him to learn by following His example. Christ wanted his disciples to be motivated by their love for Him to follow His pattern and to model themselves after Him.
To step from the table of the blind to the table of the free and ultimately start receiving direct revelation from the divine table of elements, we have to have the desire (FAITH) and the practice (WORKS).
JAMES 2:26 (TPT)
For just as a human body without the spirit is a dead corpse, so faith without the expression of good works is dead!
DISCIPLINE (works) AND DESIRE (faith)
DESIRE AND DISCIPLINE START WITH SURRENDER.
SURRENDER TO HIS WORD.
It is life – it created all things
It is promises – it makes all things possible
It is the mechanism by which our identity, authority, and blessing are affected.
We surrender and follow Him because who He is creates a desire to be LIKE HIM. And because of that desire, the work and discipline that it takes to keep our light bright naturally express our love for Him.
DESIRE PRACTICES
READ (Air Study – The intent to study the Word to get more revelation about His image).
MEDITATION (Just thinking about Him).
PRAYER (Our conversation and a two-way relationship).
WORSHIP (Worship to give back what God has given us).
DISCIPLINE PRACTICES
FASTING (Sacrifice) Taking Authority over.
STILLNESS (Be still and know that I am God).
GENEROSITY (Give like crazy – because it’s pretty crazy what we have been given).
DISCIPLE MAKING (To give others the opportunity to be free).
THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD HAS COME ITS FULL CIRCLE
Declared to be made in the image of a spiritual supernatural God, we lost our way, and Satan twisted the Word of God to lead us into darkness. We became so accustomed to the darkness that we became blind. But Jesus’ disciplines gave us a way to restore our identity, authority, and purpose. And we were set free from the darkness, and by looking at Him, we could see the image of the Father again, both in His glory and in the glory of having been made in His image.
We obey, follow, and desire Him because He has restored our passion.
We obey Him not out of duty but out of the wonder of who He is.
We never desire the twisted darkness of despair, blame, and shame but allow His hope to captivate us.
We do everything as He does. And if He has forgiven us, how much more so do we forgive others?
As disciples, we do not run around frantically chasing after the wind; we live like we have an eternal purpose.
We have life because we have been given the Light of His glorious character.
We are made of supernatural elements and divine capabilities – it is in our DNA. It is our Chemistry.
0 Comments