Scott Lane

Rescue

Re:Verse passage – Galatians 1:1-10 (day five) “who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us”

Being the Youth Minister at FBCSA for 20 years has provided hundreds of memories and stories. One that is still etched in my mind was from an All-Nighter. Our very first activity was to go to SeaWorld and swim in the wave pool. We hadn’t been there 10 minutes when I heard the lifeguard blow his whistle. Then again. And then another whistle blew. If I’m being honest, my first thought was these were college kids exerting their authority over younger teenagers- a power trip. What I quickly discovered was one of our middle school boys had swum too close to the “wave making contraption” at the head of the pool and was being sucked under- continually and violently. Before I could verify that in fact the teenager was in trouble, the lifeguard was already in the water rescuing the student. When they pulled him out, I tried to console him and convince myself that in fact it wasn’t that bad. But when I saw the fatigue in his body and desperation on his face (as he lay there) I immediately understood this was a life and death situation. He had been in trouble. Life threatening trouble, and couldn’t get out/free. He was incapable. He needed rescue.

That’s how Paul is describing the human race “us” (he also includes himself)- incapable, unable, helpless, lost. Not flattering. In fact, kinda offensive. Scripture tells us that we really are that spiritually helpless and far gone. One of my HPU professors always said, “Until you realize how lost you were, you’ll never understand how saved you are”. WE (all) in fact, needed and have been rescued.

Prayer Perspective

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day five)
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
This week, don’t leave out verse 13 of 1 John 5 when you think about and study our Re:verse passage. That verse gives great clarity and perspective on our prayers. It serves as a reminder and catalyst for a vibrant and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We have God’s ear, because we have Him (product of His grace and kindness to us). And that’s the real goal/treasure of prayer, not getting things or stuff from God, but getting God, and more of God. It’s not about us and our requests, but about Him and His love and power.

“Our asking and pleading and requesting originate not from our emptiness, but his fullness. Prayer doesn’t begin with our needs, but with his bounty. Its origin is first in adoration, and only later in asking. Prayer is a reflex to the he gives to the sinners he saves. It is soliciting his provision in view of the power he has shown“. – David Mathis

Scripture Influenced Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day five)

“for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.” Can you tell that Daniel’s prayer is being informed and influenced by the scriptures? High view of God. Proper perspective of man. Honest depiction of sin. All of these come from the scriptures. We worship, live, and pray better when we are influenced by the scriptures. Why? The scriptures help us see the truth about God and sin. Our prayers (even our confession) have as much to do with God and His Character (Holiness in the present and mercy in the past) as they do with ourselves and our sin. When my prayers have more focus and attention on me than they do God, I need take notice and be concerned. Need to get back to the scriptures.

Daniel’s confession—biblical confession—is God-centered. The issue is not admitting that we have made our life miserable. The issue is admitting that there is something much worse than our misery, namely, the offended holiness and glory of God. – John Piper

Teach Us

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:1-4 (day five) “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…”. Part of my faith in Christ boils down to the following question, “Does Jesus know how to navigate life on earth better than I do?”

This is one of those moments when a disciple of Jesus was asking the right question. They saw and sensed how prayer helped Jesus. Possibilities of hope and courage- for them and for us. Maybe we could learn from Him. Maybe prayer could shape and inform our lives to live like Him.

“My central claim is that we can become like Christ – by following him in the overall style of life, he chose for himself. If we have faith in Christ, we must believe that he knew how to live. We can, through faith and grace become like Christ by practicing the types of activities, he engaged in, by arranging our whole lives around the activities he himself practiced in order to remain constantly at home in the fellowship of his father” – Dallas Willard

Jesus, teach us to pray!!

God Works

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 1:1-11 (day five)

“But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’”

Have you wandered away from God? Feel distant? Feel spiritually weak and confused? Maybe that’s where you find yourself now.

God’s Word gives hope and guidance to Nehemiah to us. Our task is to return to him- search, read, and obey God’s Word. Puts our focus and attention away from ourselves and on the Lord- His truths, and promises. God’s role is to do the work. “I will bring you back”. “It is God who works in you…” -says Paul in Philippians 2. Does that give you hope? Does that bring a sense of calm and comfort? He even knows the place He will bring you to “to the place I have chosen”. He knows that the process of returning, if left entirely up to us, would be completely overwhelming. So in His loving kindness, He does the work. We return and obey. God works.

Picture

Re:Verse passage – John 17:20-26 (day five) ”I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

I believe one of our deepest needs is unity. To feel and sense cooperation and agreement. Fractured relationships are unsettling and disruptive to our hearts and minds. The only solution (source) for unity (perfect unity) is God’s love. Unity, when authentic and grounded in God’s love, is a picture of the Gospel. Jesus claims in His Priestly Prayer, that the unity He desires is a picture of God’s Love- sending the Son to repair and reconcile the human race. (Unity seeks to restore and reconcile relationships for the Glory of God). Unity is also a picture of God’s Love seen in our relationships with each other. Kindness. Forgiveness. Accountability. Faithfulness. Only God’s love gives us the hope and chance for unity that will glorify God. When God’s love is the source and catalyst for unity, people will be able to sense and see God’s holiness, grace, and love on display. They will see and experience the gospel at work (in us and through us).

Group Activity

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 3:14-21 (day five)

“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”

Paul is convinced that being in community and fellowship with other believers gives them the best chance to grow and grasp God’s love. Spiritual growth is often a group activity. Why? How? Because when you’re with other believers in worship, bible study, serving, praying, and ministering- you see, hear, and experience the many facets of God’s love. We learn from one another. We challenge one another. We encourage one another. Testimonies. Examples. Faithfulness. Endurance. Joy. Kindness. All, ways we might not ever encounter God’s love and power on our own or by ourselves. God desires to use each of us to display His love to others. In the same way, God desires to use others to teach and remind each of us (if we are willing to look, listen, and learn) of His great love and holiness. Wanna grow? Wanna walk in step with the Spirit? Then, be faithful to be in your place with other believers, and be ready to see and sense the Lord’s love and power!!

Already, Not Yet

Re:Verse passage – Luke 18:1-8 (day five) “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Jesus has just finished teaching on the Kingdom of God. Now, He is teaching us how to live in the “already, not yet” tension. Jesus had come, bringing the Kingdom of God with Him. (Chapter 17). The Kingdom is “already” here for those who believe in Him. But it is “not yet” complete (until His second coming). Suffering, persecution, and sin are all still prevalent in the “not yet”. So how do you live in this already, not yet tension? Jesus addresses that question in this week’s Re:Verse text. One of the ways is persistent prayer. Keeps our faith tethered to the Living God (in conversation), who is near and listening. Keeps our thoughts and hopes informed and longing for the coming Kingdom (when faith will be sight). How often and how sincerely should we pray? The parable teaches us to pray continually and persistently. Jesus will find faith on earth in His children who pray like this in the “already, not yet”.

Both

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:5-13 (day five)

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

It almost seems like Jesus is teaching 2 different approaches to prayer. Asking and trusting. What if they are two sides of the same coin ? A tension that we must live in? What if we are persistent AND trusting in our prayers? Jesus believes both should exist at the same time. Both are required. When both are together, our prayers give us humility and boldness. Both needed and necessary. For God’s glory, and for our good!!

In Our Weakness

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:26-27(day five) “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
The human heart can be so prideful. We don’t like to admit or even recognize our own weakness. Ever have a hard time saying any of the following: “I was wrong”, “I don’t know”, “I am scared”, “I don’t understand”? The effects of living in a broken creation cause all kinds of circumstances (physical, emotional, social) that bring fear, anxiety, doubt, and disappointment to name a few. Make no mistake, suffering can bring a feeling of weakness to us. And with all these feelings and emotions, sometimes words can’t or don’t come. I like the ESV translation. “Spirit helps us IN our weakness”. In the very midst of the sufferings and struggles (weakness) the Spirit helps us by directing and connecting the deepest places of our troubled hearts to the Lord through prayer. Isn’t that remarkable? Praise God for His perfect love and care for us, especially in our weakness!!