Covenant Naples

Lying, gossip, slander, stealing, bitterness, shouting, and negativity. Who wants to be part of a community where those things are the norm? Thankfully, we don’t have to! As new creations in Christ, we are called to put off those ways of living that are associated with our sinful and rebellious nature. Likewise, we must put on the virtues that reflect our new identity in Jesus. As we put off the old and put on the new, we enjoy living in Christian community as God intended it to be.

Sermon Outline:

I. We Must Put off Falsehood and Put on Truth.

II. We Must Put off Uncontrolled Anger and Put on Controlled Anger.

III. We Must Put off Stealing and Put on Sharing.

IV. We Must Put off Corrupting Talk and Put on Gracious Talk.

V. We Must Put off Bitterness and Put on Kindness.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. How does the story of the Soviet pilot’s transformation into an American citizen help us understand the concept of being a new creation in Christ? What practical changes should we expect in our lives as a result of this transformation?

2. Paul emphasizes the importance of putting off falsehood and speaking truth. In what areas of your life do you find it most challenging to be honest? How can we cultivate a culture of honesty within our homes and Christian community?

3. The passage warns against allowing anger to lead to sin. How do you handle anger in your own life without letting it fester or giving the devil a foothold?

4. Corrupting talk harms the Christian community, while gracious talk builds it up. How does your speech reflect the change brought about by being born again? What areas of your speech have not been sufficiently transformed yet?

5. Bitterness was described as “hard heartedness that harbors resentment about the past.” Can you share a time when you struggled with bitterness towards someone? How did (or how might) understanding God’s forgiveness in Christ help you move towards forgiving that person? Is there anyone you need to forgive today?

Perhaps the most common hurt in the church today is loved ones who remain in the far country. It is tempting to turn your back or give up hope. The parable of the prodigal son reminds us that in Christ, God’s only son, we have hope for the sons and daughters who are in the far country and for those who think they are too good for the grace of God.

I. The Younger Son

i. The hurtful request

ii. The Journey to the Far Country

iii. The Journey Back to the Father’s House

II. The Older Brother

Questions:

1. What aspect of this parable do you find most challenging? Most encouraging?

2. Which son do you find yourself identifying more with and why?

3. The gospel is on full display in this parable. How do you see the gospel played out in the story?

4. Take some time to reflect about your own life. If part of a small group, share about a family member or loved one who you are praying for who is in the far country.

6. What aspect of the parable series has struck you the most?

Servants of God are expected to use the abilities and opportunities that God provides for the profit of His kingdom. While those who are useless for the kingdom now may find themselves shut out of it in the future, those who profitably serve will find themselves recognized by the king and sharing in his joy.

I. Whatever God entrusts to us, he expects us to use to profit the kingdom

II. God does not expect the same amount of fruit from everyone, but he does expect some fruit from everyone.

III. The reward for faithful kingdom service is more and greater kingdom service opportunities.

IV. Are you willing to work on behalf of the kingdom if your only rewards are more responsibility

and a share in the master’s joy?

V. If we understood anything of the joy of God, entering into it would occupy our every waking thought and action.

Questions:

1. What is the difference between living a fruitful life for Christ and working to earn your salvation?

2. Do you think that the master was unnecessarily harsh in his condemnation of the third servant? If so, why?

3.What abilities do you have that can be used for the kingdom of God?

4. Can you identify at least one way in which you serve the kingdom?

5. How is God’s joy different from our joy?

The return of Jesus Christ is the great hope of the believer. It will be a great day, the gates of the kingdom opened wide for those who have anticipated it and prepared accordingly. For all others, it will be the worst possible day, when the door is slammed shut in their face and they know definitively that they have no part in the family of God.

I. The kingdom of heaven is exclusive.

II. You must be ready for Christ’s return… and now is the time to get prepared.

III. The appropriate Christian disposition as we anticipate the return of Christ is a combination of readiness and patience.

Questions:

1. The wise virgins brought flasks of oil with them. In interpreting the parable, what do you think the flasks of oil represent?

2. How is it possible that the bridegroom who had invited the women to the wedding feast would, in the end, say to them: “I do not know you?”

3. Why do you suppose so many Christians are obsessed with trying to determine the timing of the return of Christ?

4. Why are the women not condemned for having fallen asleep when the groom was delayed?

5. Isn’t Jesus willing to accept all who come to Him? Why are five of the women not admitted to the feast even though they requested entry?

Facing opposition from the religious authorities, Jesus tells a story that reorganizes the kingdom of God and its citizens around himself. The self-satisfied find themselves on the outside and the invitation is announced widely to any who will come. Do you have a seat at the king’s table?

Questions

1. What is a parable and why does Jesus use them in his teaching?

2. Who is Jesus’s main audience for this parable?

3. Why were the original banquet guests found to be unworthy?

4. What is the King’s response in v 9-10?

5. What is surprising about the end of the parable?

6. How does this parable challenge you? How does it bring you comfort?

God has provided all that we need in this life. But what does he really ask of us? What does it mean to have him as King of our life? What does it mean to be a good tree producing kingdom fruit? Join us this Sunday as we explore the Allegorical Parable of the Tenants.

Sermon Outline:

I. Gods vineyard

a. The tenants

b.The son

c. The consequence

II. God’s Plan

a. Christs rejection

b. God’s inclusion

c. God’s fruit

1. How have you desired God’s “vineyard” (protection and provision) but rejected offering his “fruit”?

2. What is the fruit God desires in our lives? What might that look like in our relationships?

3. Is there an area of your life you have been unwilling to offer your spiritual fruit to him? Examples (change of job, relationships, sinful habits, something you are to start doing, something you are to stop doing). See also Galatians 5:22-23

4. Discuss among yourselves how we are saved ONLY by grace yet expected to have fruit (works) in our life. (“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves us will never be alone. It will always be accompanied by good works.)

We all make promises, but how many of us can say we always keep them? What we will find out is there is often a gap in what we promise and what we actually do. The parable of the two sons teach us that our belief should result in obedience, not out of duty but because we are loved.

Outline

I. Context

II. The Two Sons

III. A warning to those who proclaim but never act

IV. Comfort in an unlikely example

Questions

1. What does it feel like to have someone make a promise to you and then not keep it?

2. Read Matthew 21 and look for all the fulfillment of prophecies from the Old Testament. How could the religious leaders miss these obvious clues about the Messiah?

3. Which is more like your story, the first or second son?

4. As you take stock of your life, where is there a gap between what you confess with your mouth and how you live? What is the way to close the gap?

5. Why does Jesus point to the prostitutes and the tax collectors as examples of faithfulness? What about their lives is noteworthy compared to Jewish leaders?

Nobody likes a participation trophy. Why? Because it diminishes success and elevates failure. This week we look at the “Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.” We come face to face with our desire to earn God’s favor versus his generous heart to give graciously.

Outline

I. Setup

II. The Heart of Man

III. The Heart of God

Questions

1. What are your feelings about participation trophies? Examine why you have those thoughts?

2. Is this parable meant to describe how businesses ought to pay employees? Why or why not? What is the main point of the parable?

3. Read Exodus 15 and Exodus 16. As you examine your own heart, what ways do you see grumbling? Why is that and in what ways does it affect your relationship with Christ?

4. Have you ever been envious of God’s work in someone else’s life? Why was that?

5. Reflect on God's character in this parable. What words would you use to describe him? What is one practice this week that you will be intentional about to help you not begrudge the generosity of God?

In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant Jesus shows how great a debt we have been forgiven and how the forgiveness that we have received will serve as motivation to forgive others. This does not mean that forgiveness is easy. The pathway to forgiveness is a bloodstained and complicated journey but it will become part of the spiritual life of the Christian when we begin to grasp just how much God has forgiven us through the work of his Son Jesus Christ.

1. Understanding Forgiveness:

- Peter asked Jesus if forgiving someone up to seven times was sufficient. Jesus responded with a parable emphasizing unlimited forgiveness. How does this teaching challenge our natural inclinations about forgiveness, and how can we align our hearts with Jesus' command?

2. Recognizing Our Debt:

- In the parable, the servant owed an unpayable debt to the king. How does this illustrate our own spiritual debt to God? Discuss how recognizing the magnitude of our forgiven debt can impact our willingness to forgive others.

3. Living Out Forgiveness:

- Jesus teaches that we must forgive from the heart. What does it mean to forgive someone "from the heart," and how can we cultivate this attitude in our daily lives, especially in the face of repeated offenses?

4. Obstacles to Forgiveness:

- What are some common "what about-isms" or excuses we use to withhold forgiveness from others? How can we address these obstacles in light of Jesus' teaching and the parable of the unforgiving servant?

5. Grace and Mercy:

- Compare and contrast the behavior of the king and the unforgiving servant. How does this parable illustrate the importance of extending the same grace and mercy we have received from God to others?

6. Seven Times Seventy in Daily Life:

- The concept of seven times seventy applies not just to forgiveness but to all areas of our spiritual lives. How can we apply this principle to our prayer life, evangelism, encouragement, and other aspects of our faith practice? Share practical examples of how adopting a seven times seventy mindset can transform our church community.

The parable of the lost sheep describes the bountiful mercy of God, who sent his Son on a rescue mission to save the lost and unworthy. This mercy is scandalous to the self-righteous, but good news to those who receive it with child-like faith.

I. We must guard our hearts against the destructive pride that can result from the pursuit

of a more ‘sophisticated’ grasp of the Christian faith.

II. There are few things as intolerable as mercy.

III. Those who recognize that they were once lost do not resent the sheep found,

but share in the joy that results from its rescue.

Questions:

1. Do you think it is responsible of a shepherd to leave 99 to seek after one?

2. Jesus said that you must become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to “become like a child?”

3.What are some ways in which we ‘despise’ little ones in our midst?

4. Why do we love justice but despise mercy?

5. Is it fair that the father rejoices more over the straying sheep found than over the ones who never strayed at all?