
Victory in Private Worship
Luke 4:1-13 (NLT)
Living Victoriously 03 | Christian Arbour | Student Ministry Pastor | first aired on 03.20.2022
Read Scripture:
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. —Luke 4:1-13 (NLT)
Introduction: How Do We Live Victoriously?
Week 1 – Salvation is the spark, and Complete Surrender fans that spark into a flame.
Week 2 – After we surrender, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit! This fans the flame into a fire!
Week 3 – Maintaining a life of daily Private Worship is the “Fuel” to keep the fire alive.
I. Victory in Private Worship is led by the
A. Luke 4:1-2 (on screen while I read them)
B. He was “led by the spirit” into the wildness
C. Victory in private worship is not:
- Legalism
- A box to be checked
D. Victorious Private Worship is:
- A Desire to Encounter God!
- Done from a place of Joy!
- Responding to God’s Invitation to “Be With Him”!
- Encountering the Holy Spirit that is inside each of us and always with us!
E. What did Jesus do in his Private Worship?
- Solitude
- Silence
- Fasted
- Meditated
F. Application:
- How long has it been since you got away to be with God?
- How long has it been since you spent time in silence to listen to Him?
- How long has it been since you fasted?
- How long has it been since you simply sat and meditated on God’s word?
G. Quotes:
“Without Silence and Solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to Him.” —Henri Nouwen
“Silence and Solitude are the most important spiritual disciplines for people today.” —Dallas Willard
“Solitude is the practice of being absent from people and things to attend to God. Silence is the practice of quieting every inner and outer voice to attend to God.” —Pete ScazzeroH. Book Recommendations
- Invitation to Solitude and Sives, by Ruth Haley Barton
- Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster
- Renovation of the Heart, by Dallas Willard
- The Spirit of the Disciplines, by Dallas Willard
- You Are What You Love, by James KA Smith
- The Deeply Formed Life, by Rich Villodas
- Forged by Fire, by Dwight Robertson
- Is God Waiting for a Date With You, by Dwight Robertson
I. Call to Action: Put something on the Calendar today
II. Daily Private Worship is necessary to
A. Examples from the Life of Jesus:
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. —Luke 5:15-16
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, —Matthew 14:22-23
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. —Mark 1:35B. Jesus’ Private Worship sustained him. “Who are we to think we don’t need this practice if Jesus did?”
C. We can see from the life of Jesus that getting away daily to be alone with God was a necessary part of his private worship. – Is it a part of yours?
III. Conclusion
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
2. Making daily private worship an attitude of your heart is God’s will for you.
3. Pray
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