The Discipline's of Christ - Part 1
Bible Study and the art of the Sword
Intro: Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:7 “to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness.” Thus, the goal of D90X (discipline for 90 days with Christ) is to become more Godly. But what does Godliness look like? Of course, it looks like Jesus. Therefore, as a supplement to the D90X booklet, this online study will take you through 13 weeks of study on the disciplines of Christ. Sometimes we assume that Jesus was perfect because he was God. So of course he could lead a perfect life, right? Not so fast…it wasn’t that easy. Jesus is all God, but he also was all man while on this earth. This means he dealt with the same earthy temptations that we do. Yet, he was able to overcome them because of the spiritually disciplined life he lived. So in the next 90 days, you’re invited to take a deeper look at the spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced.
Now before you write off this study,
think about this: if Jesus needed these disciplines in his life to stay
spiritually strong—why do you think you don’t? Maybe you clicked on this site
because this is the study your group decided to do. However, you have no
intention on actually putting these disciplines to practice. If that’s the case
you may gain a little Bible knowledge, but spiritual growth only happens when
you put these disciplines into practice. This particular study is meant to
enhance the actual 90 days of discipline that the D90X booklet walks you
through. So if you haven’t already picked up your D90X booklet, I’d encourage
you to do so and make the commitment that several in the church already have.
ok, we good? lets begin then....
The Discipline – Studying the Bible for the purpose of
Godliness.
The Art of
the SWORD
The Bible is often referred to as a
sword (Heb. 4:12 & Eph. 6:17). Even
though anyone can pick up a sword and swing it around, only a skilled swordsman
can be very effective. Biblical swordsmanship is the discipline of knowing how
to use the Bible. To become effective, it takes Bible study skills which
include but are not limited to reading, memorization, meditation, and
application proficiency. In this week’s story, Jesus shows how the art of the
sword can help us fight temptation.
Matthew 4:1-11 (NLT) - 4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Helpful Commentary:
NT Professor, Mark Moore, explains
Jesus use of the sword well.
Here we find Jesus as earthly as he
gets. He wrestles with the pangs of hunger as well as the schemes of the Devil.
In this sense, Jesus understands our plight perfectly. However, the text is deeper than our own
experiences.
If read in the shadow of the cross,
these three temptations come into crystal clear focus. Satan is not tempting
Jesus to lower himself by some moral degradation. He tempts Jesus to
short-circuit the cross. For instance, Satan offers to give up the kingdom of
this world without a fight if Jesus will but bow. If Jesus will dazzle the
crowds with divine displays of power by jumping off the temple, he can avoid
the arduous task of slow self-disclosure. These are shortcuts to the kingdom.
The problem is obvious: Jesus could have the title of king without purity of
purpose and perspective.
Even something as simple as turning
the stones to bread could subvert God’s plan. Notice carefully Matthew’s last
sentence, “angels came and attended him.” This happened one other time. It was
not in a desert, but in a garden, yet there to he wrestled alone. Jesus will
struggle with God’s plan as he prays three times, “let this cup pass from me.”
Had he waffled in the wilderness he would have crumbled in the garden. In both
instances Jesus declined his divine prerogative so as to fully embrace the
human predicament.”
Jesus’ encounter with the devil is
telling. It provides us a model for our own spiritual warfare through the WORD. Jesus didn’t
resist the devil with stellar self-control or clever argumentation. He
relied on the power of God’s word. We appreciate Jesus’ showing us the way
out of temptation. More important still, this text reminds us that gravest
danger is not the moral failure. Jesus can deal with that. Our greatest danger
is being derailed from the kingdom of the cross. When we pretend that there is
an easier way, a way to avoid self-abnegation (self-denial) and suffering, we
turn stones to bread. Even if it is adorned with success, any path that averts
the cross is ultimately perilous.
Mark Moore,
Encounters with Christ, p. 19-20
Further Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:13
The Application
Questions:
2) How do you think a more spiritually disciplined life will help prepare you for suffering (taking up your cross)? GROUP DISCUSSION: List some disciplines you need to work on. Share with one another how certain disciplines have helped your walk of faith.
3) How do you think a spiritually disciplined life in the Art of the sWord, will help you face temptations/your weaknesses?
Strengthening your
discipline in the WORD:
First let me say, many books have
been written on spiritual disciplines. And while they do not all agree on how
to categorize the disciplines nor do they all have the same descriptive list,
one thing they do all have in common is they all agree that the Intake of Bible is the most
important discipline of all. There is no substitute for a steady diet of God’s
word in our life. That’s why it’s such a big part of the D90X regiment. D90X
gives some general instruction in the Bible Disciplines (Bible Reading,
Memorization, Meditation, a Bible study, and Discipleship Partner). However, if you’d like to take your
experience deeper in this discipline, the following are a couple books I
recommend on the all the disciplines: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTINA
LIFE, Donald S. Whitney; THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES, Dallas Willard; and
CELEBRATION OF THE DISCIPLINE, Richard J. Foster
At the very least, I hope the above
Bible Disciplines become a part of your spiritual walk. You can’t shortcut your faith. Maybe you’re
skirting by right now, but the longer you swim in the shallows, the less
prepared you are going to be to face the trials of life. God’s word gives us
wisdom and strength to live in this fallen world. It gave Jesus wisdom and
strength to overcome temptation and ultimately endure the cross. So ask
yourself, what temptation in your life are you struggling with? What struggle
might be ahead that you need to endure? If you think a sermon once a week is
food enough for your soul, you’d be mistaken. Don’t rely on others to feed you.
God gave you His word so you can feed yourself. Remember the words of Jesus, “People do not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Praying through today’s
discipline: Before you
finish and log off, spend some time in prayer. Pray over the text you read
today. Thank God for Jesus’ example. Consider your short comings in the
discipline of His Word. Ask God to give
you the courage and discipline not to take shortcuts in your spiritual
walk.
For further instruction
in the Art of the sWord:
1) Join an Adventure Life group or a
Bible Study Group, several are currently meeting at both campuses. Information
is available on these groups and times in the weekly Worship Folder or contact
Jason for questions.
2) For those of you D90X participants
who want to increase your discipline in the Bible, Adventure offers a class on
basic bible study skills. This class would be good if you’re interested in
teaching or become a better biblical student.
3) For those of you who like to just
broaden you Biblical understanding, Pastor Jason offers a class called the Bible
Basics. This class will increase your general biblical knowledge. It will also enhance
your understanding of how the Bible is written and how to read the Bible in a
practical way. You can contact Pastor Jason for information about when these
classes can be attended at Jason@adventurecommunity.org.
4) Become a teacher for the children’s
ministry (aka Adventureland). You would be amazed at what you’ll learn yourself
when you teach our little ones. There is training provided for this so talk to
Steph Liston (DAV) or Sherry Hight (MUS) if you’re interested.
