Jesus Unfiltered - Follow - Jesus Offers Satisfaction, Part 1

B grade with a switch somewhere and be instantly and completely satisfied and satisfied with your life, your relationships, your job circumstances. I made you flip the switch and while you've got no that is not possible. But what is possible is to hear directly from Jesus exactly how he can satisfy the deepest needs in your life that's today welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with your finger Living on the Edges of international teaching and discipleship ministry during the Bible to antedate your continues to follow volume to the series unfiltered true no matter where we are in financing's career, relationships, fulfillment is a question continually and those of us who've been around for a while understand the true satisfaction remains elusive. No matter how hard you try to just go take a look at all this, the lens of a promise. Jesus prayed in John chapter 7 return there now. If you have a Bible John chapter 7 let's jump what are you most thirsty for today. Not your whole life. Just today what you most thirsty for what you wish what you hankering for what you long for second, there are days where it seems that events, circumstances, answers to prayer relationships.

It really does feel like it's a wonderful world and you feel satisfied.

Everything about what the word means to be satisfied is the feeling experience when one's wishes are met when your content, we are delighted when you're happy when there's enjoyment, gladness, gratification, it's just a moment and you relish the moment, she will have times where we thirst for certain things. It's human and there's times where we experience deep deep satisfaction set limit me ask you what, what's really been satisfying for you lately. What event, what person what moment in the last 2448 hrs. a week you'd say it was good.

It is a beautiful world and then finally, life isn't always what we like it to be snotty than what God would always wanted to be in the word dissatisfied means not to be content, not happy, not pleased with something not pleased with someone to be dissatisfied is to be miserable, aggravated, gloomy, melancholy, despondent, restless, annoyed if you had to come up with the one thing right now that your dissatisfied you're really dissatisfied.

What would be could be a person could be a relationship could be a job could be a circumstance could be something about your health but where you dissatisfied see the fact matter. If you don't process and begin to ask yourself you know what I desire well I wish where my passions where my thirsty for where am I really satisfied where my dissatisfied and what happened you just go through life juggling Jesus made an outrageous outrageous promise to quench our thirst and to satisfy us at a very deep deep level that would be completely independent of external things will look at this little bit later but follow along as I read John chapter 7 if anyone is thirsty, come and drink of me and in case you don't know what that means he's going to say.

For everyone who believes, to come to him and to drink is to everyone who believes, relies on who depends on who trusted me out of his innermost being will flow rivers continuously of living water.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit that would come in the in the relationship of actually knowing God, not knowing about God, but knowing and being connected deeply to him. Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He took over for his father David and he was pretty uptight about a big job that he could handling God came to him and said what what you requested me and he he had a great moment.

He had a few bad ones later but had a great moment and he just said this is John's way bigger than me, give me wisdom and God answered his prayers that I'm to give you more wisdom than any person before you who's ever lived and I'm going to give you more wisdom than any person that will ever live after you and the Hebrew word for wisdom is not just intellectual or cognitive. The word literally means skill is understanding how all of life and have relationships with people in and priorities and money and decisions.

It's how has God designed life and the skill or the wisdom to do life according to God's path in order that he might bless you and prosper you and give you the joy and peace and love and that things would work in a way that your life works in a way that points up to him and this is what he said in Proverbs chapter 2 I just this desire for satisfaction. This verse that you have there is a way to quench it. Solomon would write my son if you receive my words and treasure my commandments within you make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart, understanding to stop a moment as the wisest man of the world he speaking to his son to us. He says receive my words treasure me like in a safety deposit box like super precious my commandments where within you. And then there's this attitude make your ear attentive, or literally incline your heart to understanding then notice verses three and four. He talks about a passion and commitment to desire a thirst if you cry out for discernment.

Lift your voice for understanding, literally pray I may ask come after it. If you seek for her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure. And here's the result, then you discern the fear of the Lord who he really is and you'll discover the knowledge of God not get this discover this is knowing about God. This is it like you have a textbook and say this is what God is like. This is like you would actually meet and experience Jesus at the last night that he lived. He said this is eternal life. You might know him experientially, and his son, whom he is sent. Speaking of himself for God gives wisdom he gives the skill disability to know how to live in such a way to quench the deepest thirst of your life and just before we turn the page and learn how. Where does Jesus say this thirst gets quenched. Streams of water with you.

See what I meant to suggest is when I ask questions about what are you satisfied about what you dissatisfied about for most of us were thinking there's something out there. If that happened or that wouldn't have happened if this person or that person of this job or the self so much of us look to satisfy our thirst out there, and Jesus is going to teach us that you know what you can get this you can gain this you can do this, you can have that but pretty soon the new car gets all the new job gets all the relationship you thought would never ever have a problem he's gonna say. Let me quench your thirst from within me first and when that happens all the rest will get an order make sense now turn the page.

If you will want to talk about how do you get that wisdom literally how to unearth spiritual wisdom from God's word, and here's what I want what you get. Solomon said you got it did you get a search you gotta seek you gotta treasure you cry out, there's a wisdom that leads to quenching the deepest thirst of our lives, and it comes out of God's word but it's not just on top the ground you did get there has to be a passionate pursuit. God wants to know do you really want to know me and here's my experience I believe most Christians really don't know how to open the written word in order to experience the living word. Were you have a relationship where when you have a decision to make or you don't know what to do when you're really down my experiences most Christians don't know how to get into this written word. So the spirit of the living God begins to speak very personally and passionately and clearly to give you the wisdom to not just address big problems to be on a path that you were made to be on to do what he made you to do to bring the greatest joy the greatest peace in your life.

So what I'm going to suggest is there is a there's a truth here in the truth is that the spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing and then underline this the words I have spoken to you and then circle the word are spirit and they are life. Jesus said the actual words written down now that his actual words.

The words in the New Testament there spirit in their life. I want to give you tools and teach you how to actually open and study the Bible, where you can learn it as well or better than me early on when I read it I couldn't understand much of it. I want you to know you can.

And that's the key to quenching your deepest thirst. Three tools total number one is context as you read to the Bible the context. In other words, what informs this passage you read in just a minute that Jesus goes during this time. He's been out in the context is he's out and out in a rural area because there seeking take his life.

The timing as it is six months before the crucifixion, his popularity was blown out of the doors that he set the bar and said if you're willing to follow me deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me in a great many of his disciples that were not can follow more and so there's this big piece of the feast of Tabernacles in the context of this want to give to you. Just before he read it. The context is is there's three great feast in the Old Testament Jewish law. This was the happy one, that it was called the feast of Tabernacles because what it was, as member, they were delivered from Egypt crossed the Red Sea then there in the wilderness is really desert and God. There was a cloud by day and a fire by night. So he guided them. He provided the manner of the food they ran out of water. There was water out of the rock. He did all these miracles, and yet when he gave him the chance to go to the promised land member. They wouldn't believe this is really important because what can happen and when I finally would believe.

Actually, the whole generation took 40 years they die and then those that were under 20 and above. They go into the promised land.

The Jordan parts there's Jericho. It's a formidable city.

They walk around it seven times, each for seven days and then they shout according to what God says because you want to know he's going to be the victor, not them.

The walls crumble and have this amazing land of milk and honey in promising vineyards that you didn't plant and houses and so got God in the promised land becomes a reality. After that happened, feast of Tabernacles was you would go get some sticks and some leaves and you would make a little lean to and you put on the roofs were flat back then you would do it on your roof did in the streets that in the courtyard of the temple and if you were 20 years old and older is a male and you live within 15 miles you had to is an obligation to come to this feast in downtown Jerusalem. So here's the picture. There's all the sticks and all these people. The kids are going to camp out for seven days. This is great okay that thousands of people, and is also is often called the feast of ingathering so the grapes are coming in the we just come in the fruit trees. Everything is blooming.

So there's music. There is food it seven days. It's a party celebrating remember our 40 years in the desert remembering God did this and he brought as we have the promised land and member of the water that came out of the rock, and I mean is just the seven days of this and then on the seventh day. This'll be really important. The chief priest release. One of the head priest would take a gold vessel and there would be a parade and he would go down to the pool of silo in Jerusalem and he would fill up with water and they would follow him and he would come back in and you walk around the altar seven times take the water he report out reminding them that God gave water out of the rock in the big celebration. Now, in your mind. Remember this.

Here's what happened on the last day of the feast right after that happened. Okay there remembering promised land.

All that God did okay. Jesus steps up the waters been poured on the altar. Everyone's remembering a memorial of what God has done and and what it says a loud voice, the literal word is he cries out. If any man first, let him come and drink of me. Whoever believes in me relies on me.

Trust me follows me out of his innermost being who continually flow living water. You get the context let's let's read just the first 13 verses because I want you to now. With that in your mind. Think about what was happening. Chapter 7 verse one after this after what after he fed 5000 in many of his disciples are following him Peter and his disciples the Lord. Where would we go you get the words of eternal life were in were all in. After this, Jesus went around and gallantly purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews were waiting to take his life. When the Jewish feast of Tabernacles that I just described was near Jesus brother said to him you want to leave and go to Judea so that your disciples may see the miracles that you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.

Since you're doing these things, show yourself to the world for even his own brothers did not believe in him, not about you.

Could we possibly just a minute if you had a brother in your family that you really cared about and you knew that they were trying to kill them. Jerusalem I'm not sure the most loving kind thing you've ever done is hey you know you doing these miracles. If you really think you got it all together want to go do a few miracles. So the first group that doesn't believe are the people have grown up with his own brothers. Therefore Jesus told them the right time. Literally the word for time. Here's opportunity the right time for me is not yet come for any time is right for you.

The world cannot hate you, but the world hates me because I testify that what the world is as evil.

You go to the feast.

I'm not yet going up to the feast because for me the right time is not yet come. Having said this, he stayed in Galilee to his brothers go.

However, after his brothers had left for the feast. He went also not publicly, but in secret. Now the feast of the Jews were watching for him and asking where's that man among the crowds. There was widespread murmuring.

It's actually the exact same word used in the Old Testament when they were getting ticked off with God and things were on their way. So the people murmured, some said he's a good man. Other said no, he deceives the people.

But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. If you say Jesus was a good man or the Messiah you get kicked out of the synagogue and you're gone and you're alienated now you can have the context you get the idea of what's happening here. Let me tell you why this is so important. If an NMI can please hear all I'm saying is I love you all. I want to help you if you're sort of routine is you and I renal devotional and then I read a couple verses in every daily bread or you know I going you version in a real something here's in there and I don't maybe once a week maybe twice a week and I don't really know what's going on. I sort of want to get a little nugget for the day. You never you have streams of living water coming out of your heart and life. You can know what it says when you were learning to write code you didn't go to class every seventh day when you were learning an instrument which are great at right now. You didn't say I like to learn to play the clarinet of the guitar, the piano work and I took two voice lessons. I think I've got it. I went when you were deciding that you would be an artist or an athlete or when your kids are doing that you didn't say you want to go to the first practice and then you will go to the game later.

You know you don't really need all that stuff when some of you said and I want to do a startup he didn't say you know you I think I'll read a couple book you know let's see essentialism that sounds like a good one and maybe you made the lean startup again. Who needs an MBA right needs to study physics needs a study technology just wing it right, it doesn't does anyone to life like that.

But here's the thing. Unconsciously that's how we approach the Bible, and yet we expect that God's going to speak and give us wisdom and direction and because you don't know the context. Now let me take something to some of your saying what you where you get all that stuff about the tabernacle and I don't mean awning where you get stuff about your technical area books right the first one I started with this.

This is called the daily walk Bible. It has an overview of every book.

It has the background of every book you have to stay right on track.

What you read to the Bible every year I did it for the first 15 years of the Christian in a gated background in the context so that a thinking person who didn't grow up in a culture with New Testament times can actually do back in just going to guess your listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram chips message today is from follow volume 2, series Jesus unfiltered follower explores what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples follow me those two words of change the lives of countless millions over the centuries, and you can experience that same life-changing power.

But that's an idea you'd like to pursue listening to this teaching again will help you get there to do that or to share the series with a friend.

It's easy only up if you're a radio or podcast listener. Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. We'd love to get this resource in your hands. Chip great teaching today. Assuming things can be a dangerous proposition mean something is critical is what God's word actually says versus what we think it says what we think makes sense, might literally be a life or death issue.

Dave right point, what's being challenged.

Here is what we believe me, Jesus has come to explain the father and yet the culture of the world, my flesh, the enemy is constantly bombarding my mind and my heart with lies. So I went back through and I take the key truth out of each chapter so we call these truth cards. Let me give you an example that belie says there are many paths to God, and no one really knows what God is like, and you put a stop sign on the bottom of that, and I flip that card over and right there in John chapter 1 verse 18 no man has seen God at any time. But Jesus, he has explained him literally the word is he exegete it him. He explained him full of truth and grace what I want you to know is that you can quench the lies and fill your mind with God's truth in a way that literally is transformational.

So what we would love to do is put these in your hands so you can just review my time doing it at night before I go to bed not trying even to memorize just pondering and thinking and doing three or four or five cards you do if you had those before you go to bed.

It goes into your subconscious mind. It's amazing how your mind is renewed because what we all know what did Jesus promise in John chapter 8 you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. I hope you order a set of these cards for you and maybe someone you love as well.

Thanks to all the Jesus unfiltered truth cards are available now while supplies last.

When you tap special offers or go to our website LivingontheEdge.org there a set of 21 cards like the one strip uses.

Each card is a common lie or spiritual battle we all face and on the flipside, it has a passage from the Gospel of John to help you renew your mind with the truth whether there for you or someone else. Order your set of Jesus unfiltered truth cards and get free shipping by calling us at 1-888-333-6003 tapping special offers ordering online that LivingontheEdge.org will now hear strip with his application. As we close today's program. You kinda heard the coach and me come out when I started talking about the priority of God's word in your life, and we simply can't read a little devotional or spend five or six minutes here or there and ever really learn God's word and more importantly, the whole purpose of God's word is a relationship and it's the priority coming. Jesus makes this out Landy's claim that our relationship to the Lord will be revealed in our relationship to his word and I think you know we long for satisfaction. We want purpose.

We want peace we want our lives to work and we look in so many different places, but the fact of the matter is, is that he wants to speak to you he wants you to hear his voice. He he wants to give you direction and the promises around God's word is that Hill teaches. He'll lead us who encourage us to correct this kill love the self fetus. In other words, it's when you get into God's word and I understand it's hard understand you won't understand at all, but what I want you to know is that you become like the people that you hang out with. There are so many ways. If you really want to begin to hear God's voice to the Scriptures, then let me encourage you here is your application development plan block off at least 15 minutes.

Decide what you can read when you get to do it and where you going to do it all right and do it just for seven days and I will guarantee this God will meet you and he'll speak to you. Make it a point decide today I will be a man, a woman or a student of the word of God will just before we close. I want to thank each of you is making this broadcast possible through your generous giving 100% of your gifts are going directly to the ministry to help Christians really love like Christians. If you found chips teaching helpful, but you're not yet on the team. Would you consider joining today to give a gift today. Just tap the donate button or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. If you prefer to give online you can donate securely by going to LivingontheEdge.org. Thanks in advance for following God's will will be sure to join us again next time. When Chip continues his series until then this is the same. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge