Change Before You Have To

Sermon: Burn Something

1 Kings 19:19-21

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this message is that God often asks us to change and move on, but to move on we often have to let go of the past.

This week we started a brand-new series on Elisha. Elisha was a prophet who was willing to take big risks to see change happen. Change is always hard. But for us to be where God wants us to be, we often have to leave some activities, ideas, habits and even some people behind.

In the story that we looked at this weekend, we saw Elisha making a hard decision by moving on from what he was comfortable with; burning his past so he can go forward into what God has called him to do.

Sometimes we need to burn the past so we’re not tempted to go back.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Share with your group some of the tough changes that you have faced in your life.

2. What examples of ridiculous obedience have you seen in your life?

3. Have you ever had to obey God without knowing what was on the other side? Talk about that. How did that turn out?

4. How do you think that you can hear the voice of God asking you to change?

5. What is God is asking you to burn this week?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – Completely Secure

Romans 8:35-39

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that in spite of the challenges that we face in life we can rest assured that God loves us and is actively working on our behalf.

In the final lesson on this series from Romans chapter 8 we hear the Apostle sum up what he is trying to help us understand. God is for us. God loves us. Nothing can separate us from his great concern for our wellbeing.

Remember, love in this context is not simply affection. In fact the way the Bible describes God’s love; it is not at all about warm fuzzy feelings. That is a modern and secular concept of love. God’s love for us is seen in benevolent action on our behalf. It stems from his commitment to us and is unaffected by our circumstances.

Paul assures us that nothing can come between us and his love for us because of Jesus Christ. He lists two kinds of problems we might encounter. The first kind come from challenges thrown at us because of our faith in Jesus. The kinds of challenges and trials Paul faced throughout his life. Paul quotes the Old Testament Psalm to remind us that difficulties for the faithful are not new to our generation. The book of Revelation calls these “tribulations.” The second category of challenges we face come simply from life on planet Earth. But whatever we face, Jesus is near.

The whole chapter is summed up in these last few lines. Why is there no condemnation? Why does the Spirit live in us? Why has he promised heaven? Why are we more than conquerors? Because he loves us and will never allow anything to separate us from that love.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What challenges might you face in the next 5 years?

2. What is your level of confidence in facing what may lie in your future? On a scale of 1 to 10 are you scared to death or boldly optimistic about your ability to thrive? Why?

3. Have you experienced tribulation? Tribulation is pressure that comes against those who endeavor to remain faithful to Jesus. This is an age old problem for those who love God.

4. People who attend church regularly are the happiest people on earth. That statistic shows up all the time in surveys. Why is that the case?

5. Can you commit to meditating on the truth of Romans chapter 8? What habit might help remind you to do just that?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – In Good Hands

Romans 8:31-34

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that we are in good hands. We should feel secure in knowing our life today and our eternal destiny are cared for by a God who at great personal cost has proven he has our welfare in mind.

The Apostle Paul in our text this week intends to evoke a response from his readers. He uses a series of rhetorical questions to prompt us to come to the conclusion that we are entirely secure both in this life and the life to come because of what Jesus has done for us.

This God whom we serve is not the kind of God the 1st Century world was familiar with. The gods worshipped at that time had little care for the welfare of the human population. They were enveloped in their own realm of drama and one-upmanship. Humans were mere pawns in their escapades. This is the way ancient humankind explained the world’s events which appeared random and harsh. The gods were at play.

Paul paints a far different picture of God Almighty. He is on our side and Jesus is cheering us on. So powerful and intentional are his ways that nothing can interfere with his good and eternal plans for us. Our destiny is in his hands entirely.

Our response to all this is an inner conviction that any opposition that we may encounter; any accusations thrown at us by the enemy of our souls is inconsequential. With God on our side, how can we lose?

Questions for Discussion:

1. When you read this text does it stir any emotion in you? Why or why not?

2. Discuss this statement: “God has invested in our future.”

3. The price Jesus paid indicates how serious he is about our outcome. We need to keep that in mind as we encounter the challenges we face in life. Can you recall a challenging time when this truth was helpful to you?

4. The only one who has the right to judge us has instead decided to defend us. How does that make you feel?

5. What response is Paul hoping for from his readers?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – A Transformed Life

Romans 8:28-30

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that God works toward a specific purpose in our lives. He works every circumstance toward that end. We will be like Jesus.

Our text this week is one of the most well-loved verses in the Bible. But it is often misunderstood and misquoted. Paul does not say “all things are good.” In fact bad things happen. We will have trouble in this life (John 16:33). He does not even say “all things work together for good.” In fact, all things on their own don’t work toward good. The idea here is that God works all things for the good. He is the subject of the sentence. Without him, all things work toward chaos.

Paul defines for us what that “good” looks like in verse 29. It is the purpose for which he has called us. It is the image of his dear son. Our greatest good is to become like Jesus. Not only to act like him but to be motivated by what motivated him. This is the best kind of life. It involves taking on his character traits like love, joy, peace, etc. It also involves acting like him, using our spiritual gifts to bless the world around us. Just like Jesus. 

Our text is an exclamation of praise at the wisdom and sovereignty of God. That he is able to take all the messy stuff of our lives and to make something good of it is truly amazing. Our responsibility should be to understand that this is his purpose in us and to cooperate with him.  

Questions for Discussion:

1. What are the hallmarks of a mature disciple of Jesus? Which characteristics do you find most telling of a person’s spiritual maturity?

2. Do you “know” what Paul is exclaiming? Has this been your reality? Why or why not?

3. Why is it important to keep God the subject of the sentence and not “all things?”

4. Discuss how short sighted we often are when trying to determine what is good for us.

5. Why does God want us to become like Jesus? Is it for his benefit or ours?

6. What is God working on in your life to move you toward his ultimate purpose for you?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – A Great Future

Romans 8:18-24

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this message is that everything that we experience is temporary. For us to have a better future, it is important for us to remind ourselves that whatever we are facing right now isn’t here forever. Our world is full of sin and suffering, but Paul is telling us about a future that is without sin and suffering.

This week the Apostle Paul takes some time and compares the situation that we find ourselves in with the future that we have as followers of Jesus.

In this passage, Paul talks about a few negative things that we encounter in our world: suffering, a curse, death and decay. He doesn’t leave it totally negative; he balances that out with a promise of a better future, he gives us hope.

This week as we face the tough circumstances that life often brings us, how can we remind ourselves and the people around us that what we are facing isn’t normal and it won’t last forever? How can we be reminded that we have a hope in Jesus?

Questions for Discussion:

1. What events have happened in your life that felt like it would be there forever, but you realized were just temporary?

2. Do you agree with the statement that sin brings suffering? How have you seen that in your life?

3. Troy talked that the suffering that you’re experiencing isn’t your final destination. What ideas can we remind each other with so that we can get through some of the tough times we find ourselves in?

4. What is the one thing that you are looking forward to in heaven?

5. Is there someone in your life who is struggling with a tough situation? How can you be a distributor of hope to them this week?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – No Fear

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that we can live without fear. If we are children of God then the wonderful outcome of our lives is assured.

Fear and uncertainty go hand in hand. When our future is ambiguous we are tentative and afraid. We fear negative outcomes. This is a common and even prevailing response to the times in which we live. I believe from everything I have been reading recently that anxiety, even among children is at an all-time high in our culture.

This is not God’s plan for us. At least 365 times we are told not to fear in Scripture. He wants us to live with no fear. Fear and faith cannot coexist. Our text this week points us to the reason we can live without fear. We have been adopted as God’s dearly loved children and share in Christ’s inheritance.

The Holy Spirit leads and guides us away from a fear based slavery to the old ways of living into a love based guided relationship with our heavenly Father. Once we are certain of our relationship to God, the way we envision our future changes.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Discuss what Paul means when he says “by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body.” How and when does this happen?

2. While we were once slaves to sin and were obligated to follow the disordered desires of our flesh, now we are “led by the Spirit of God.” Contrast how sin enslaves, while the Spirit leads. How is this different?

3. What parallels does Paul want us to see between 1st Century Roman adoption and our adoption as children of God?

4. Discuss what Paul means to “share in the sufferings of Christ.” What does it mean to share his glory?

5. What do you know with certainty about God our Father?

You in 5 Years

Sermon: You – Living in Freedom

Romans 8:5-11 

Sermon Summary 

The Big Idea of this study is that we need to trust God’s action in us. When we focus on ourselves we are bound to fail but when we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit at work in us we find freedom, life and peace.

This week in our text the Apostle Paul gets more specific in telling us about life in the Spirit in contrast to life in the Flesh. When the Spirit is in us, he changes our focus: off of self and on to Jesus. This even creates new thought pathways in our brains and therefore opens new opportunities for us to move away from old thought patterns that once held us hostage.

There is a tremendous difference between the mind governed by the flesh and the mind governed by the Spirit. Life and peace characterize those who set their mind on the Spirit. Anyone who has not welcomed the Spirit into their lives will not understand this. But for those who do, the same Spirit that was alive in Jesus is alive in us and will change us from the inside out. This is his doing and not ours.

If this same Spirit lives in us then we can be assured that just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so he will raise our mortal bodies and we will be forever with him. Physical death does not scare us.

Questions for Discussion:

1. If our brains contain so much information how do we make sure that the Word of God has a prominent place and that it does not simply fade into the subconscious as so many of our past experiences and education?

2. Discuss the crises of authority and trust in our culture. In particular discuss this statement. “Unless we place our trust and authority in God the Father our foundation is on shaky grounds.”

3. Can you find the promise in verse 10? What is it? There is another promise in verse 11 regarding our mortal (physical) bodies, how are the two promises different?

4. If this is all true, then what difference should it make in how we live our everyday lives?

You in Five Years

Sermon: You – Guilt Free

Romans 8:1-4

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that Jesus has set us free from condemnation. We are free to

live according to the Spirit and we are no longer at the mercy of our disorderly fleshly

desires.

This new series is a deep dive into Romans chapter 8. A chapter which many theologians

believe is the greatest chapter in scripture. It has so many important ideas. One way of looking at

this series is to think: “If this is true; then what?” A helpful book on this topic is Mark Batterson’s

book If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities. It has prompted some of 

our thoughts in this series.

Our text today is wonderful. It stresses that we have a new standing with God because of

what Jesus has done. We are no longer guilty. Paul uses some Jewish theology about sin offerings

and the like to explain that Jesus has taken our guilt and shame and we are free to live in

accordance with the Spirit of Jesus.

In Paul’s letter he has been contrasting life in the Spirit with life in the flesh. By flesh he

means life ruled by the disordered desires of our human nature. We get the idea that not only has

Jesus come to save us and take us to heaven someday, he has come to change us. We are learning

to say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. His life and death give us the power to make this choice

and it is a lifelong adventure. If we are guilt free, if we can live a new kind of life, what then?

How should we then live?

Questions for Discussion:

1. Discuss the importance of inner transformation in helping us deal with the outer circumstances

of our lives. Are most of your prayers directed toward your circumstances or your inner

transformation into the likeness of Christ?

2. Discuss how Paul uses the term “flesh” in two different ways in his letters. It can be a negative

term or just a way of saying “humanly speaking” or “just from a human point of view.”

3. When are you most vulnerable to the disordered desires of the flesh?

4. So what does it mean to live guilt free? What difference does that make in our inner lives?

5. How does this affect our thinking about our past mistakes or God’s disposition toward us?

6. What changes does this allow you to make in your life today?

Bless Your Neighbour

Sermon: Words are Important: Share Your Story

Romans 10:12-14

Sermon Summary

The Big Idea of this study is that we need to learn to share our story of how we came to know Jesus. The Apostle Paul encourages us by saying this is the way people come to believe in Jesus.

Question of the Day:

1. What was your life like before you met Jesus? (Or if you have been a believer since childhood: What is your life like when you forget to rely on Jesus?)

2. How did you meet Jesus?

3. What difference does Jesus make in your life?

Bless Your Neighbour

Sermon: Jesus Came to Serve

John 13:3-5 

Sermon Summary 

The Big Idea of this study is that serving others is essential to Kingdom of God living. This requires a radical change in how we perceive the role of leaders. Jesus modelled this for us.

Question of the Day:

“What can you do this week to serve your neighbour? What might you have to give up or lay down in order to do so?”