Passage: Psalm 1

THE MAIN POINT:

The battle to avoid the path of the world and choose the path of the righteous is won by DELIGHT.

ADD-ON:

Delight is NOURISHED by meditation on the Word of God.

PASSAGE: JOHN 20:1-18

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kyii6avd3kjb48u/6.27.21.m4a?dl=0

CENTRAL TRUTH:

The resurrection tells us that Jesus is God and there's NOTHING He can't do!

THIS MEANS:

1. Jesus is to be obeyed completely.

2. Jesus should be trusted fully.

3. Our priorities shift dramatically.

PASSAGE: JOHN 13:1-17

CENTRAL TRUTH:

Jesus RE-DEFINES what it means to be a servant.

TWO TRUTHS FROM THE FOOTWASHING OF JESUS IN JOHN 13:

To experience UNION WITH CHRIST, we must accept His RADICALLY HUMBLE SERVICE by faith.

To demonstrate our UNION WITH CHRIST, we must imitate His RADICAL SERVICE towards one another.

CLOSING THOUGHT:

But it is the mandate of the church to become a community of love, a circle of Christ's followers who invest in one another because Christ invested in them, who exhibit love not based on mutuality and attractiveness of its members, but on the model of Christ, who washed the feet of everyone (including Judas). - Gary Burge (NIVAC - John, p.387)

Central Truth:

Jesus allows his beloved to experience suffering for a greater good.

When you experience suffering remember:

1. Suffering is not evidence you are not loved by God.

2. God's plan is better.

Central Truth:

Jesus prioritized being with sinners.

PASSAGE: LUKE 10:38-42

CENTRAL TRUTH:

Our service for Jesus cannot be at the expense of learning from, devotion to, and/or communion with Jesus.

HOW CAN WE GUARD AGAINST ANXIOUS LIVING:

Value the Word over work.

Value faith over worry.

Value the eternal over the temporal.

PASSAGE: Matthew 19:16-30

CENTRAL TRUTH:

Jesus demands to be followed without restrictions.

THREE THINGS ABOUT FOLLOWING JESUS FROM THIS PASSAGE:

1. Jesus demands to be first, to be number one.

2. When we cling to the things we look to for happiness, we end up sad.

3. Money itself is uniquely positioned to challenge Jesus' position as Lord over your life.

Luke 11:37-44

3 Things Jesus condemns about religion:

1. Religion that is self-centered.

2. Religion that is self-promoting.

3. Religion that leads others astray.

PASSAGE: Luke 5:17-26

MAIN POINT:

Jesus knows the most significant thing He can do for us is to provide forgiveness of sins.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE MAIN POINT:

1. We wrongly think that Jesus' primary role in our lives is to give us the things we want.

2. It affects how we view ourselves. Forces us to re-evaluate everything else.

3. It affects how we view others. We think the people who need Jesus are "those people" who are most broken.

John 4:17-26

TWO LESSONS:

1. What Jesus Does - Jesus prioritizes reaching across cultural boundaries to reach the "other".

2. What Jesus Says - Jesus is the source of inner-satisfaction for your soul's thirst.