god_how_close_can_you

"How Close Can You Get To Him?"

Adapted From the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit

A Goodsoil Discipleship Lesson - Bro. A. Madonio

Lesson Introduction

What this lesson teaches:

* We learn in this lesson that, until we get to Heaven, we Christians are as close to Jesus as possible. Probably closer than many realize, or that many take for granted.

* This lesson gives some insight as to why Jesus spoke in the less-than-straight forward manner of parables. We get into a mini-lesson on "Hidden Messages".

* This lesson even gets into some of the basics of fasting.

Scripture references used:

* Mark 2:18-22, Psalm 78:2, Matthew 11:25; 13:34, Colossians 1:26; 2:2-3, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Other scripture that may be helpful:

* Matthew 7:7; 9:14-17, Luke 5:33-39; 18:17, Colossians 1:27.

Discussion questions for study:

1. Did you read this lesson in preparation for this week's discussion?

2. Did the discussion about "hidden messages" help you in undersatnding Jesus' parables and why He used them? Can you better understand why He thanked God for actually hiding His Truth from the "wise and learned" of the world (See Matthew 11:25 and 1 Corinthians 1:25-29)?

3. The key to this lesson is found in Colossians 1:27 - "Christ in you". That is how you are close to God. Can you see how you can easily apply this truth to all aspects of your spiritual walk? "Christ in you" is what powers us to do ANYTHING for Him, because ME in me isn't good for much.

4. Have you ever tried fasting AND prayer? Remember; fasting without prayer is only a crash diet - God probably isn't involved.

5. Could you relate to the 3 levels of "closeness to God" that are spiritually imbedded in Mark 2:18-22? Did they help you in understanding where you are in Christ as a believer? Can you see the utter necessity of the Holy Spirit with more clarity?

6. How do you feel about the Holy Spirit being "New Wine" and us being "New Wine Skins"? Can you understand the analogy that describes the devstation that is a result of trying to live a Spirit-filled life without the Spirit? Similarly, have you seen "Christians" try to "patch-up" their lives with the fabric of Christianity without actually putting on the "New Man"?

The answers required in this lesson are either YES/NO/WHY or a varied response that has no correct answer.

Mark 2:18-22 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."

(See also Matthew 9:14-17, and Luke 5:33-39)

I have separated these 2 paragraphs (v 18-20 and v 21-22) because they seem to be completely unconnected and separate; they appear to be two distinctly different thoughts spoken by our Lord. The bothersome thing about that observation is that Jesus spoke the first thought - telling John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees that His disciples (Jesus) could not fast; and then immediately spoke the second thought - the parable of the unshrunk cloth and the new vs. old wineskins.

Why? What's the connection?

One of the spiritually discerned messages that Jesus is giving us here is that there are different levels of "closeness to God" that we can achieve. Does that seem to make sense to you? .

HIDDEN MESSAGES: If what I've said above is true - if there really are spiritually hidden messages in this passage, then why all the "secrecy"? Why didn't Jesus just come out and say "Look folks, let Me explain all about getting close to God"?

Part of the "growing closer to God process" involves having the faith to believe "as a child" (Luke 18:17). Possessing this childlike faith allows the Holy Spirit to reveal to your heart the "hidden truths" that God's word is saturated with. The words written on the pages of your Bible are merely the upper surface of a deep treasure of knowledge and truth. To dig beneath the surface requires the ministering of the Holy Spirit - THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! Have you ever found a beautiful "golden nugget" of truth during your Bible reading? . The Bible itself speaks of how and why Jesus spoke these "secrets" in this manner:

Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter hidden things, things from of old.

Matthew 13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables;

he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

Jesus even went as far as to say the following:

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

There it is -- the faith of a child! But why did He do it this way??

Colossians 1:26 . . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

Colossians 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

As A. W. Tozer put it:

"The natural man must know in order to believe;

the spiritual man must believe in order to know."

Jesus wants us all to "ask", "seek" and "knock" (Matthew 7:7), because "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

And there is the key, "Christ in you". That's where all truth and understanding comes from. Now, back to "How Close Can You Get To God," to see all of this fit together.

1) CLOSENESS THRU FASTING: In Mark 2:18-20, the topic is "fasting". Do you know what fasting is? Explain.

Fasting is deliberately going without something we desire or need. Usually that something is food, but it can be virtually anything we normally desire. The object of fasting in this lesson is to deny ourselves, our "fleshly desires", in order to draw closer to God, to make more room for Him to "come in" to our lives.

Essentially, less of some aspect of the world is entering into our lives (food, TV, golf, videos, newspapers). We are purposely allowing some aspect of ourselves to "die" and be "crucified" so that we may seek our Lord without distraction. Simply put: Less of the "world", in any form, allows more room for God in our lives.

The Pharisees, as well as the disciples of John the Baptist fasted (albeit with varying motives) in an attempt to do just this, get closer to God, and they wondered why Jesus' disciples didn't do the same (Mark 2:18).

2) FLESH & BLOOD CLOSENESS: In verse 19, Jesus used the beautiful pictorial symbolism of the marriage of the Bride (The Church) and the Bridegroom (Jesus) to say, in essence; "Why should my disciples deny themselves (by fasting) in order to allow God to more closely and intimately enter into their lives? I AM GOD, and I am walking and living and eating and talking and fellowshipping and worshipping and praying with them right now, today, in person, in the flesh! What more could they ask for! Let them absorb me as 12 thirsty little sponges would, as much as they possibly can for the short time I will be with them - for when I am gone, then they may fast and seek me."

Now think carefully about what Jesus was inferring. At that precise moment in time, Jesus was a flesh and blood human being - he ate, sweat, went to the bathroom, got tired, cried, all that "human stuff". Yet He was also God. Therefore, in that precise setting and time frame, no human being could have been any closer to Jesus than those 12 disciples who traveled with Him. They physically walked with Him, side-by-side, on a daily basis. That's what Jesus meant in verse 19 when He said: "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot."

The 12 disciples did that - they physically walked with the Creator of the Universe! They were taught directly by the Master! Can you see now how deep and dark and treacherous the betrayal of Judas was when viewed in this light?

3) GOD-WITHIN-US CLOSENESS: What about us today? How close can we get to Jesus in the year 2000 and beyond? Jesus also comments on how close we can get to Him right now - and He told His disciples nearly 2000 years ago in Mark 2:21-22. What does this passage mean? When we accept Jesus into our hearts and truly trust in Him completely as our Savior, as our LORD, He has promised that He will dwell in us as the Holy Spirit - INSIDE OUR HEARTS ALL THE TIME!

He will be "New Wine" inside us if, and only if, we are transformed!

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Can you see the parallel of a transformation into new believers and into "New Wineskins"? The Bible says we can't truly accept Him unless we become new creations.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

Our old selves are completely incapable of receiving Him inside us.

Now look at verse 21. If you use Jesus or Christianity as only a "patch" for your lives; to get better financially, physically, spiritually; you will eventually find yourself in far worse shape than when you started, ". . .making the tear worse." Mocking Christianity is a dangerous game. Eternal damnation is the consequence. There will be no copping a plea with our Lord on this one. Many are walking around today that have been "soured" on Christianity because they didn't truly love Jesus with all their heart. Many know this but continue playing the game and hoping with the stubbornness of their hearts to make their lives work. But the problem is, they won't succeed.

Now look at verse 22. Similarly, if you try to use Jesus or Christianity to fill up your life - but you really don't change, you only go thru the motions of attending church, praying, reading some Bible verses, going to Sunday school, home care groups, etc. (the church can certainly keep you busy!); if you do all that "church stuff", but don't live the life of a true Christian, a true Child of The Living God, then the pressures of trying to live it without Jesus as your TRUE LORD, without becoming a new wineskin, will surely and eventually cause you to burst! (Whew! What a long sentence!) You can not do it with flesh alone!

Jesus wants to make you into a new wineskin - one that can stretch when pressures build. One that can also stretch as that which is inside it grows, transforms and matures into the finished product. This is what happens when you become a true disciple - Jesus strength is at work, not yours. Your reliance is in something that is both peaceful and exciting at the same time - the strength and love of Jesus!




	God "How Close Can You Get To Him?" Adapted From the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit A Goodsoil Discipleship Lesson - Bro. A. Madonio




Lesson Introduction What this lesson teaches: * We learn in this lesson that, until we get to Heaven, we Christians are as close to Jesus as possible. Probably closer than many realize, or that many take for granted. * This lesson gives some insight as to why Jesus spoke in the less-than-straight forward manner of parables. We get into a mini-lesson on "Hidden Messages". * This lesson even gets into some of the basics of fasting. Scripture references used: * Mark 2:18-22, Psalm 78:2, Matthew 11:25; 13:34, Colossians 1:26; 2:2-3, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Other scripture that may be helpful: * Matthew 7:7; 9:14-17, Luke 5:33-39; 18:17, Colossians 1:27. Discussion questions for study: 1. Did you read this lesson in preparation for this week's discussion? 2. Did the discussion about "hidden messages" help you in undersatnding Jesus' parables and why He used them? Can you better understand why He thanked God for actually hiding His Truth from the "wise and learned" of the world (See Matthew 11:25 and 1 Corinthians 1:25-29)? 3. The key to this lesson is found in Colossians 1:27 - "Christ in you". That is how you are close to God. Can you see how you can easily apply this truth to all aspects of your spiritual walk? "Christ in you" is what powers us to do ANYTHING for Him, because ME in me isn't good for much. 4. Have you ever tried fasting AND prayer? Remember; fasting without prayer is only a crash diet - God probably isn't involved. 5. Could you relate to the 3 levels of "closeness to God" that are spiritually imbedded in Mark 2:18-22? Did they help you in understanding where you are in Christ as a believer? Can you see the utter necessity of the Holy Spirit with more clarity? 6. How do you feel about the Holy Spirit being "New Wine" and us being "New Wine Skins"? Can you understand the analogy that describes the devstation that is a result of trying to live a Spirit-filled life without the Spirit? Similarly, have you seen "Christians" try to "patch-up" their lives with the fabric of Christianity without actually putting on the "New Man"? The answers required in this lesson are either YES/NO/WHY or a varied response that has no correct answer.



Mark 2:18-22 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins." (See also Matthew 9:14-17, and Luke 5:33-39) I have separated these 2 paragraphs (v 18-20 and v 21-22) because they seem to be completely unconnected and separate; they appear to be two distinctly different thoughts spoken by our Lord. The bothersome thing about that observation is that Jesus spoke the first thought - telling John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees that His disciples (Jesus) could not fast; and then immediately spoke the second thought - the parable of the unshrunk cloth and the new vs. old wineskins. Why? What's the connection? One of the spiritually discerned messages that Jesus is giving us here is that there are different levels of "closeness to God" that we can achieve. Does that seem to make sense to you? . HIDDEN MESSAGES: If what I've said above is true - if there really are spiritually hidden messages in this passage, then why all the "secrecy"? Why didn't Jesus just come out and say "Look folks, let Me explain all about getting close to God"? Part of the "growing closer to God process" involves having the faith to believe "as a child" (Luke 18:17). Possessing this childlike faith allows the Holy Spirit to reveal to your heart the "hidden truths" that God's word is saturated with. The words written on the pages of your Bible are merely the upper surface of a deep treasure of knowledge and truth. To dig beneath the surface requires the ministering of the Holy Spirit - THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! Have you ever found a beautiful "golden nugget" of truth during your Bible reading? . The Bible itself speaks of how and why Jesus spoke these "secrets" in this manner: Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old. and . . . Matthew 13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. Jesus even went as far as to say the following: Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." There it is -- the faith of a child! But why did He do it this way?? Colossians 1:26 . . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. and . . . Colossians 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. As A. W. Tozer put it: "The natural man must know in order to believe; the spiritual man must believe in order to know." Jesus wants us all to "ask", "seek" and "knock" (Matthew 7:7), because "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27 And there is the key, "Christ in you". That's where all truth and understanding comes from. Now, back to "How Close Can You Get To God," to see all of this fit together. 1) CLOSENESS THRU FASTING: In Mark 2:18-20, the topic is "fasting". Do you know what fasting is? Explain. . Fasting is deliberately going without something we desire or need. Usually that something is food, but it can be virtually anything we normally desire. The object of fasting in this lesson is to deny ourselves, our "fleshly desires", in order to draw closer to God, to make more room for Him to "come in" to our lives. Essentially, less of some aspect of the world is entering into our lives (food, TV, golf, videos, newspapers). We are purposely allowing some aspect of ourselves to "die" and be "crucified" so that we may seek our Lord without distraction. Simply put: Less of the "world", in any form, allows more room for God in our lives. The Pharisees, as well as the disciples of John the Baptist fasted (albeit with varying motives) in an attempt to do just this, get closer to God, and they wondered why Jesus' disciples didn't do the same (Mark 2:18). 2) FLESH & BLOOD CLOSENESS: In verse 19, Jesus used the beautiful pictorial symbolism of the marriage of the Bride (The Church) and the Bridegroom (Jesus) to say, in essence; "Why should my disciples deny themselves (by fasting) in order to allow God to more closely and intimately enter into their lives? I AM GOD, and I am walking and living and eating and talking and fellowshipping and worshipping and praying with them right now, today, in person, in the flesh! What more could they ask for! Let them absorb me as 12 thirsty little sponges would, as much as they possibly can for the short time I will be with them - for when I am gone, then they may fast and seek me." Now think carefully about what Jesus was inferring. At that precise moment in time, Jesus was a flesh and blood human being - he ate, sweat, went to the bathroom, got tired, cried, all that "human stuff". Yet He was also God. Therefore, in that precise setting and time frame, no human being could have been any closer to Jesus than those 12 disciples who traveled with Him. They physically walked with Him, side-by-side, on a daily basis. That's what Jesus meant in verse 19 when He said: "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot." The 12 disciples did that - they physically walked with the Creator of the Universe! They were taught directly by the Master! Can you see now how deep and dark and treacherous the betrayal of Judas was when viewed in this light? 3) GOD-WITHIN-US CLOSENESS: What about us today? How close can we get to Jesus in the year 2000 and beyond? Jesus also comments on how close we can get to Him right now - and He told His disciples nearly 2000 years ago in Mark 2:21-22. What does this passage mean? When we accept Jesus into our hearts and truly trust in Him completely as our Savior, as our LORD, He has promised that He will dwell in us as the Holy Spirit - INSIDE OUR HEARTS ALL THE TIME! He will be "New Wine" inside us if, and only if, we are transformed! Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Can you see the parallel of a transformation into new believers and into "New Wineskins"? The Bible says we can't truly accept Him unless we become new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Our old selves are completely incapable of receiving Him inside us. Now look at verse 21. If you use Jesus or Christianity as only a "patch" for your lives; to get better financially, physically, spiritually; you will eventually find yourself in far worse shape than when you started, ". . .making the tear worse." Mocking Christianity is a dangerous game. Eternal damnation is the consequence. There will be no copping a plea with our Lord on this one. Many are walking around today that have been "soured" on Christianity because they didn't truly love Jesus with all their heart. Many know this but continue playing the game and hoping with the stubbornness of their hearts to make their lives work. But the problem is, they won't succeed. Now look at verse 22. Similarly, if you try to use Jesus or Christianity to fill up your life - but you really don't change, you only go thru the motions of attending church, praying, reading some Bible verses, going to Sunday school, home care groups, etc. (the church can certainly keep you busy!); if you do all that "church stuff", but don't live the life of a true Christian, a true Child of The Living God, then the pressures of trying to live it without Jesus as your TRUE LORD, without becoming a new wineskin, will surely and eventually cause you to burst! (Whew! What a long sentence!) You can not do it with flesh alone! Jesus wants to make you into a new wineskin - one that can stretch when pressures build. One that can also stretch as that which is inside it grows, transforms and matures into the finished product. This is what happens when you become a true disciple - Jesus strength is at work, not yours. Your reliance is in something that is both peaceful and exciting at the same time - the strength and love of Jesus! Amen!

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