THE CHASE Part I

THE CHASE

Part I

  I. THE GOD WHO IS MISUNDERSTOOD 

·         Creation

·         Temptation in Garden

·         Job

·         Prodigal Son Luke 15 

     II. THE RELATIONAL GOD 

1.      He Knocks

            Rev 3:14-20

¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ¹⁵ “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

2.      He’s Coming Back for a Bride

            Matt 25:1-12

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. ¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

3.      He Called us to Fellowship with Him

 

            1 Cor. 1:9

⁹ God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

4.      We Must Love God more than anything and anyone else

            Luke 14:26-30

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple

  III. THE SONG

1.      An Allegory

a.                Natural Interpretation – depicts a love story between King Solomon and His Bride.

b.                Allegorical Interpretation – symbolic story that illustrates the love relationship we have with the Messiah.  (Galatians 4)

c.                The Facts

·   More commentaries have been written on the Song of Solomon throughout church history than any other book in the Bible, except the book of Romans.

·     This song illustrates the relationship between Jesus and the corporate church (Rev.19:7-9, 21:9; Eph. 5:23-25; 2 Cor. 11:1-2).

·     This book details many of the God uses to draw us to himself.

·     The Song of Solomon is the greatest song ever written.

2.      The Characters

a.  King Solomon is depicted in the allegorical interpretation as a type of the triumphant resurrected Jesus Christ who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Jesus is the real king. Solomon is only the type.

b.    The Shulamite woman is depicted as a type or a picture of the Bride of Christ who eventually experiences full spiritual maturity.

c.   The “daughters of Jerusalem” are a group that appears regularly throughout the SONG. They are never clearly identified or defined. However, when we study what they say and do throughout the SONG, we learn that they love Jesus, yet never attain to the same degree of intimacy and maturity as the Bride. They are most characterized by a spiritual dullness and passivity and yet they clearly possess an inquisitive and sincere spirit to seek Jesus.

3.      Blown Away

Song 1:2-3

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—For your love is better than wine.

·         Cry for deeper

·         He is better than best this world has

4.      The Request

Song 1:4

                   Draw me, we will run after thee

5.      The Revelation of Weakness

Song 1:5-6

⁵ I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. ⁶ Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.

6.      The Desire to be with Him

Song 1:7

Tell me, O you whom I love, where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions?

7.      The Season of Affirmation

Song 1:8-11

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. I have compared thee, O my love, To a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. ¹⁰ Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, Thy neck with chains of gold. ¹¹ We will make thee borders of gold With studs of silver.

8.      Settling of Identity

Song 1:12

¹² While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.

9.      The Bliss of Encountering the Love of God

Song 2:1-7

I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys… ³Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. ⁴ He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love. ⁵ Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick… ⁷ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE CHANGE

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE CHANGE

       I. FORERUN

1.      Create buy-in from key team leaders

·         Share what’s coming

·         Share the benefits

·         Call people to begin to think differently

Forerunners help create expectation, urgency, awareness

Mal 3:1

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

                        Matthew 3:1

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

                       

Successful change happens internally before it happens externally

-Kyle Searcy-

Our brain tries to create habit patterns. It doesn’t want the task of having to keep old task in the conscious mind. It will seek to create automatic responses. Change is actually confrontational.

a.       Gather key personnel to communicate challenges.

b.      Attempt to bring them to the conclusion change is needed.

c.       Enlist suggestions for possible change strategies.

d.      Announce change will be forthcoming but don’t clearly delineate it yet even if they suggested what you are thinking.

e.       Don’t announce exactly what will change until they are ‘baptized’.

f.        Once they are ‘baptized’ share with all key personnel what the change will be.

g.       Choose the appropriate setting for communicating the change to key personnel.

·         Some one-on-one

·         Some groups of 2 or 3

·         Some larger groups

Always deal with troublesome individuals alone and win them over before any group meeting.

If you can’t win them over then anticipate their objection and counter it as you communicate the coming change

·         Some multiple meetings

h.      Give ample time for questions and allow them to freely share.

i.         Look for enough buy in…Not 100 %.

 

     II. COMMUNICATE THE NEED FOR CHANGE TO THE MASSES 

1.      Harp on why the change is needed.

Matthew 3:10-12

¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

2.      Communicate the change along with joint agreement of key personnel.

3.      Communicate change in light of vision and purpose.

  III. GATHER THE CHANGE IMPLEMENTERS AND COMMUNICATE ON THEIR LEVEL 

Luke 6:12-13

¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles.

Matthew 13:34-36

³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” ³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

·   Speak their language

·   Consider their concerns

·   Speak to their needs first

- When you communicate vision to people, they don’t see what you see or hear what you hear.

 IV. CLEARLY COMMUNICATE THE PARAMETERS OF CHANGE 

1.      Share what’s different, what it looks like, what the new normal is.

a.       Describe the new normal.

Matthew 5:3-12

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. ⁸  Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

b.      Reiteration of the value of what we presently have.

Matthew 5:17-18

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

c.       Compare and contrast what’s changing.

Matthew 5:21

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:27-28

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

2.      Give yourself an out.

·         Say we will try this and see how it works

·         If it doesn’t work well be honest and transition again openly

    V. DON’T BE DISTRACTED BY THE OPPOSITION

Matthew 19:9-13

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. ¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

·         Stay on message

·         Communicate the need

·         Stress the rewards of the Change

·         Respond in meekness

 VI. CELEBRATE WINS NO MATTER HOW SMALL 

Luke 10:17-21

¹⁷ Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”  ¹⁸ And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” ²¹ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

THE BRAND III - Becoming Who You Are

THE BRAND III

Becoming Who You Are

Phil 2:12-15

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

       I. WHO WE WERE

1.      Spiritually Dead

Rom 5:12

¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

2.      Under the domain of Satan

Eph 2:1-3

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

3.      Blind to the things of God

Eph 4:17-19

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

4.      Hopeless

Eph 2:12-13

¹² That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

5.      Hoodwinked

2 Cor. 4:4

³ But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

6.      Enemies of God

Romans 5:10

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

     II. ENTER JESUS

1.      Became Sin on our behalf

2 Corinthians 5:21

²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2.      Became our Defense Attorney

1 Timothy 2:5

⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

3.      Shed His Blood

1 Peter 1:1-19

¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

4.      Broke the Power of Sin

Rom 6:14

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

5.      Filled us with Himself

Eph 1:13

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise

6.      Gave us Everything We Need

2 Peter 1:3-4

³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

  III. NOT THE SAME

1.      Born Again

1 Peter 1:23

²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.

2.      Justified

Rom 5:1

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

3.      Sanctified

1 Cor. 1:2

² Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

4.      Blameless Before Him in Love

Eph 1:3-4

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love

5.      Children of God

Rom 8:16

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

6.      Royalty 

1 Peter 2:9-10

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

7.      Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Christ  

                        Rom 8:17

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 

8.      Light of the World

Matt 5:14-16

9.      Salt of the Earth

Matt 5:13

 IV. WHAT WE MUST DO

1.      Live from your Position

2 Cor. 5:21

²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2.      Manifest This Great Salvation

Phil 2:12

¹² Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

3.      Do God’s Will of God

1 Peter 4:1-2

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

4.      Produce Works

James 2:14

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

James 2:17

¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

5.      Win the Lost

John 4:35-36

³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! ³⁶ And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

6.      Live at Peace with everyone

Rom 12:17-19

¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

7.      Resist the Devil

James 4:7

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8.      Flee Fornication

1 Cor. 6:18

                        Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

9.      Cleanse Yourself

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

10.  Keep Heart Diligently

Prov. 4:23

                          Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

11.  Avoid the Permissible but not Expedient

1 Cor. 6:12

¹² All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. KJV

4 Question test:

i.      Is it helpful—physically, spiritually, and mentally? -1 Cor. 6:12).

ii.    Does it bring me under its power? - 1 Cor. 6:12).

iii.  Does it hurt others?   -  1 Cor. 8:13

iv.   Does it glorify God? 1 Cor. 10:31