Jesus-The Co-Operating Son Series

Story - Moses and Jesus were in a threesome playing golf one day. Moses pulled

up to the tee and drove a long one. The ball landed in the fairway, but

rolled directly toward a water hazard. Quickly Moses raised his club, the

water parted and it rolled to the other side, safe and sound.

Next, Jesus strolled up to the tee and hit a nice long one directly toward

the same water hazard. It landed right in the center of the pond and kind

of hovered over the water. Jesus casually walked out on the

pond and chipped the ball onto the green.

The third guy got up and sort of randomly whacked the ball. It headed out

over the fence and into oncoming traffic on a nearby street. It bounced off

a truck and hit a nearby tree. From there, it bounced onto the roof of a

shack close by and rolled down into the gutter, down the drainspout, out

onto the fairway and straight toward the aforementioned pond. On the way to the

pond, the ball hit a little stone and bounced out over the water onto a

lily pad, where it rested quietly. Suddenly a very large bullfrog jumped

up on a lily pad and snatched the ball into his mouth. Just then, an eagle

swooped down and grabbed the frog and flew away. As they passed over the

green, the frog squealed with fright and dropped the ball, which bounced

right into the cup for a hole in one.

Moses turned to Jesus and said, "I hate playing with your Dad."

> In the same way¡K some of us can feel intimidated by the proposal of playing with God.

THE POSSIBILITIES FOR ¡§GOOD¡¨ ALWAYS SEEM GREATER THAN THE ENERGY WITHIN US

As we continue in our series ¡§Meeting Jesus¡¨¡Kwant to ask ¡¥How does meeting and knowing Christ speak to our often overwhelmed pursuit of doing good?¡¦

Jesus gave them this answer: ¡§I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. (John 5:19-21)

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)

- Here Christ speaks of great works of the kingdom being done¡K but also he speaks of how they come forth¡K His ¡¥Modus operedai¡¦¡K Mode of operation

- Been confronted about healing on the Sabbath¡K and to explain he draws upon common analogy especially vivid in the Jewish culture of the time¡K Sons imitating their fathers.

o Travis¡K yr. Old¡K keep him from picking up and

o That¡¦s the picture our lord gives of how we are to work with the father

o Amazing description¡K in my late 20¡¦s¡K Family business

1. Jesus imparts to us a spirit that longs to please the Father.

- Jesus makes known his starting point¡K his motivating process¡K ¡§to please the Father¡¨

¡§My food,¡¨ said Jesus, ¡§is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.¡¨ (John 4:34)

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)

- Jesus is describing the fundamental distinction between a spirit of religion which tries to earn our relationship with God (¡Kour acceptance) on our merit, and a spirit of relationship that simply enjoys the mutual love that God desires.

- Travis¡K the beauty of looking at Travis¡K no concept of owing or earning even existing in his spirit¡K no guilt going on¡K He¡¦s just longing to please his daddy; to partner with me.

- That¡¦s what Jesus describes as our motivation to minister¡K our ¡¥modis operedai¡¦

- Imparting what God always declared ¡¥to obey is better than sacrifice.¡¦

- Its not that we don¡¦t owe God¡K not that there¡¦s no basis for being dutiful¡K not that there¡¦s no basis for a sense of ¡§should do¡¨¡K But the spirit of God¡¦s desires is one of obedience born of mutual love¡K He longs to please us¡K his good pleasure¡K and we long to please him.

- Many psychologists and therapists today emphasize the need to get rid of our ¡§shoulds¡¨¡K but apart from knowing God, ¡K leaves only a place of self-centered existence. Jesus „³ God centered existence.

- To meet Jesus is to meet the one who imparts a new motive in our spirits¡K removing both our guilt-centered¡K and our self-centered¡K replacing it with the love of child for parent.