Setting Hearts Free: Integrating the Four Streams

Hearts Fully Alive.10 Setting Hearts Free: Integrating the Four Streams The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. There are some times I am looking at a selection of Scripture that I just don t want to leave it for a while. I just want my heart to unpack what is there and I don t even want to say anything. However, this morning there is no danger of me being quiet. But I just want to reread that passage Does any of that sound good to you? It sure does to me. No wonder Jesus quoted this section of Isaiah as the definition of why He came when He first began His ministry. But it s not just what Jesus does for us it s also something He calls us into. That s what our Gospel lesson for today was all about. Luke 10 is sort of a test flight for the whole idea. Jesus appoints 72 of His followers including regular folks like you and me to go out and prepare the way for this ministry the one mentioned in Isaiah. Jesus sets the stage by saying: Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Luke 10:3 What is Jesus saying here? I think He is saying that this mission could get vicious that they weren t headed for a potluck complete with green Jell-O and pie (Lutheran potluck markers). This isn t passive. This isn t playing church. What were they supposed to do? Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' (v.9) "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." (v.16) November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 1

So, what happens when the 72 return? The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy (v.17-19) And this was trial run for who? After the resurrection, Jesus sends us all out: Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 In the same way Jesus was sent so now He is sending you and me. Can He do that? "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 Do you get it now? What is it you are supposed to be about? Your life and mine is about the ministry Jesus has called us to and that includes the ministry of Isaiah 61. That is why we need the Four Streams: Walking with God, Receiving God s Intimate Counsel, Deep Restoration, and Spiritual Warfare. Jesus wants to integrate those Four Streams in your life. He wants to walk with you to spend the time developing an intimate relationship with you through wisdom and revelation. You and I can t master enough principles to see us safely through this life. There are too many surprises, ambiguities, and exceptions to the rule. We need a living walk a living relationship to find answers on the path our Savior has placed us on. We need the intimate counsel of the Holy Spirit and His indwelling because we have been deeply wounded by the Enemy who tag-teams with our old, sinful nature to steal from us the news that we matter to God and that we are uniquely shaped by Him. Only as we walk with God and listen to the intimate counsel of His Spirit will we experience the power of God binding up our broken hearts. For most of us our brokenness lies just under the surface of who we present ourselves to be. It surfaces in habits we cannot stop, patterns of behavior we cannot break, anger that flies out of nowhere, fears we cannot overcome, and weaknesses we hate to admit. Much of what troubles us in this life comes from the broken places in our hearts. The binding up of our brokenness involves bringing all the shattered pieces of our hearts into the light of the Gospel and reintegrating them into wholeness. And all of that will be opposed. Any movement toward freedom and life in Christ, any movement toward God and others, any attempt to apply the truth of God s love in Christ to our lives will be opposed! God declares our worth in the CROSS / RESURRECTION. Look at what God says about you: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 Do you struggle to accept that definition of yourself? Who do you think is the source of that struggle? We are in a world at war a spiritual war being fought over your heart, and the hearts of others. We have been under attack and we have fallen to the voice of the Enemy. We have turned from God s definition of who we are in Christ, to make agreements with the Enemy s definition of who we are. And now, while we are still working on our own stuff, we are called to take this ministry of proclaiming freedom and binding up broken hearts with the Good News of the Gospel to others. Are you kidding me? We don t have our own acts together. And that may be the point. This isn t about us it s about the ministry Jesus calls us to. And we do that best when we don t try and act on our power, but solely on the Savior s power. Our daily struggles become windows of opportunity. As we live real and November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 2

transparent lives, we can truly witness how awesome it is to have a living relationship with a loving God. How do we gear up for that? I think the answer to that question begins with prayer. Two weeks ago, I shared with you a prayer that you can use to unpack some of your stuff with the Lord that you can use to open the doors to the deeply broken places of your hearts so that the Savior can shine His light and love into your hearts and restore your brokenness in the healing only He can give. This morning, I want to share with you a daily prayer I have been using. It is the first time I have spent so much prayer time praying for spiritual blessings before I get to my personal lists with God. I use it to integrate the Four Streams into my day. It is a prayer that is rich in reference to God s Word. There are actually 53 footnoted Scripture references in it. It cannot be done in a hurry but don t believe the Enemy you do have the time. You will find a copy of this prayer at the end of this message. I don t expect you to use it exactly as I have written it. It is just something I adapted. But it has changed the way I see my day, the way I look at the circumstances of my life, and has opened the eyes of my heart. I pray that it is of value to you. So, if all of this we have been looking at together is true and it is there are some deep and urgent implications. You have already learned some of them. I want to quickly mention two. You might remember that the first Christians were called followers of the Way (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26) They had been given the Way of Life, and they had given themselves to it. They lived together, ate together, fought together, celebrated together. They were intimate allies they lived in fellowships of the heart. It would be wonderful if we could find something similar. It will be dangerous if we don t. Finally, let me ask you a question. If you truly believed that your heart and the hearts of others were the ultimate treasure in the Kingdom how would you live differently than you do now? Remember what Solomon wrote: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23 Because we are at war, this business of guarding our hearts is serious business indeed. It is precisely because we do not know what the next page of our life s story holds that we must nourish our hearts now. Because without hearts, the church is only an organization, and will never be the organism the Lord intended. Without our hearts fully alive and functioning well, the best we get of life to the full in this world is where we have already been. There is so much more. Join us next week for: Fellowships of the Heart. November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 3

DAILY PRAYER My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you to renew my allegiance to you, and to receive from you as a free gift all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. You are my Savior. Help me to remain in you. 1 I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I surrender every aspect of my life to you. I give you my body as a living sacrifice 2 ; I give you my heart, soul, mind and strength 3 ; and I give you my spirit as well 4. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore my union with you, seal me in you, and guide me in this time of prayer. In all that I now pray, I include (spouse, children, family, etc. by name). Holy Spirit, apply to them all that I now pray on their behalf. Dear God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship 5, my heart s devotion, all my praise and all my trust, and all the glory of my life. I worship you, bow to you, and give myself to you in response to all you have done for me. You alone are life. I renounce all other gods, all idols, and I give you the place in my heart that you truly deserve. 6 You are the Hero of this story and I belong to you. Search me and know me and reveal to me any aspect of my life that is not pleasing to you, expose any agreements I have made with the Evil One, and grant me the grace of a deep and true repentance. 7 Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. 8 You are my true Father my Creator, my Sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you; I trust you; I worship you. Thank you demonstrating your love for me by sending your only Son, Jesus, to be my Savior. 9 Thank you for the blessings of his life and all his work which you ordained for me and freely give to me. Thank you for including me in Christ, 10 for forgiving me my sins 11, for granting me his righteousness, 12 for making me complete in him. 13 Thank you for making me alive with Christ 14, raising me with him, 15 seating me with him at your right hand, 16 and for anointing me with your Holy Spirit. 17 I simply receive all your gifts, with thanks, and give you total claim to my life. Jesus, thank you for coming for me, and for ransoming me with your own life. 18 I honor you as my Lord; I love you, worship you, and trust you. You are my redemption, and I receive the triumph of your crucifixion, by which I am cleansed from all my sin through your shed blood, 19 my old nature is removed, 20 my heart is circumcised unto God, 21 and every claim being made against me is disarmed. 22 I take my place in your cross and death, by which I have died with you to sin and to my flesh, 23 to the world, 24 and to the dominion of evil. 25 I am crucified with you, Lord, and the life I now live is by faith in you, not by the desires of the flesh. 26 I take up my cross and crucify my flesh with all its pride, unbelief, and idolatry. I put off the old self. 27 I now bring your cross between me and all people, all spirits, all things. Holy Spirit, apply to me (spouse, children, family, etc. by name) the fullness of the work of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I simply receive these blessings, with thanks, and give them total claim to my life. Jesus, you are the Author of my new life, my holiness and my sanctification, and I receive all the work and triumph of your resurrection, by which I have been raised with you to a new life, 28 to walk in newness of life dead to sin and alive to God in you. 29 I take the place you have given me in your resurrection, having been made alive by you. 30 I reign in life through you. 31 I put on the new self in all holiness and humility, in the righteousness by faith, and in truth. You are now my life. 32 You are the one who strengthens me. 33 Holy Spirit, apply to me (spouse, children, family, etc. by name) the fullness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I simply receive these blessings, with thanks, and give them total claim to my life. Jesus, you have won an everlasting victory over Satan and his kingdom on the cross. 34 You have disarmed all powers and authorities of evil. 35 All authority in heaven November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 4

and on earth has been given to you, Jesus. 36 And I have been given fullness in you, the Head over all. 37 I take my place in your ascension, by which I have been raised with you to the right hand of the Father and established with you to show the incomparable riches of your grace. 38 I seek your authority I desire your rule over my life, my family, my household, and my domain. And now I pray, bring the fullness of your work your life, your cross, your resurrection, and your ascension to work in my life. 39 Lead me to find my strength in you for the battle against Satan, his kingdom, his emissaries, and all their work warring against me and my domain. Dress me in your full armor for this battle. 40 I trust that you are greater than the enemy. 41 Keep me alert and on watch for the wiles of the enemy. 42 I submit myself to you and resist the evil one. 43 Holy Spirit, apply to me (spouse, children, family, etc. by name) the fullness of all the work of Jesus Christ. I simply receive these blessings, with thanks, and give them total claim to my life. Holy Spirit, you are truly my Counselor, my Comforter, my Strength, and my Guide. 44 Thank you for sealing me in Christ. 45 You have justified me and sanctified me. 46 I honor you and ask you to lead me in all truth for all of my life and walk and calling, and lead me deeper into Jesus today. 47 I fully open my life to you in every dimension and aspect my body, my soul, and my spirit seeking to walk in step with you in all things. 48 Fill me afresh, Holy Spirit, so that I may overflow with hope by your power. 49 I simply receive your blessings for me, with thanks, and give you total claim to my life (spouse, children, family, etc. by name). Heavenly Father, thank you for every blessing you bring into my life. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that was shed for me. Wash me once more with his blood from every sin. Thank you for your angels. Thank you for commanding them to guard me and all believers in all our ways. 50 You have called me to pray for others 51, including those who persecute me 52. This day I remember before you (here bring prayers for others and their needs). I bring all these requests in the name of Jesus, your Son and my Savior. To you, O God, be glory and honor forever. 53 Amen. Scripture references: 1. John 15:5 2. Romans 12:1 3. Luke 10:27 4. 1 Corinthians 6:17 5. Matthew 4:10 6. Isaiah 42:8 7. Psalm 139:23-24 8. Ephesians 1:4 9. Romans 5:8 10. 1 Corinthians 1:30 11. Colossians 2:13 12. 2 Corinthians 5:21 13. Colossians 2:10 14. Colossians 2:13 15. Colossians 3:1 16. Ephesians 2:6 17. Ephesians 1:13 18. Matthew 20:28 19. 1 John 1:9 20. Colossians 2:11 21. Romans 2:29 22. Colossians 2:15 November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 5

23. Romans 6:11 24. Galatians 6:14 25. Colossians 1:13 26. Galatians 2:20 27. Ephesians 4:22-23 28. Romans 6:4 29. Romans 6:11 30. Ephesians 2:5 31. Romans 5:17 32. Colossians 3:4 33. Philippians 4:13 34. John 12:31 35. Colossians 2:15 36. Matthew 28:18 37. Colossians 2:10 38. Ephesians 2:6-7 39. Ephesians 1:3 40. Ephesians 6:10-17 41. 1 John 4:4 42. Matthew 26:41 43. James 4:7 44. John 14:16; Acts 9:31 45. Ephesians 1:13 46. 1 Corinthians 6:11 47. John 15:26; 16:13 48. Galatians 5:25 49. Romans 15:13 50. Psalm 91:11-12 51. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 52. Matthew 5:44 53. 1 Timothy 1:17 This prayer is my adaptation of a prayer written by John Eldredge in the book: Waking the Dead. November 25, 2007 Setting Hearts Free 6