Covenant Naples

This week we came face-to-face with the power of the waves in Southwest Florida. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Ian, we have the opportunity to come face-to-face with the one who is even mightier than the waves.

To take advantage of other human beings, or to exploit them, seems as natural to us as breathing. We see it all around us everyday. But it is not to be so among God’s covenant people. Rather than taking advantage, we are called to love. Join us to find out how!

Sermon Outline:
I. Do not Take Advantage of the Refugee Slave.
II. Do Not Take Advantage of the Sinful Vices of Others.
III. Do Not Take Advantage of the Poor.
IV. Do Not Take Advantage of the LORD.
V. Do Not Take Advantage of Your Neighbor’s Generosity.
VI. Do Not Take Advantage of a Divorce.

Sermon Discussion Questions:
1. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” What are some ways that you see people being wronged or taken advantage of in our world today?
2. What modern-day equivalents of the refugee slave should the people of God provide refuge for today?
3. How might the poor be taken advantage of in our context? How do you see generosity being taken advantage of? How do you see divorce being used to take advantage? What can we do about any of these things as the covenant people of God?
4. Vows are taken very seriously in the Bible, but not so much by many of us. Reflect on the vows you have taken (eg. marriage, church membership, etc.). Are you living by them? Recommit yourself to give what you have promised in light of what Christ has given you.

The rules in this passage are quite strange to us. But God’s motive in giving them to his people was so that his people who are sinful and unclean, could enjoy the benefit of fellowship with the God who is described as “Holy, holy, holy”. While the ceremonial rules regarding ritual purity in Israel have come to an end through the ministry of Jesus, the instructions about who can be in the assembly of the Lord and how we should live knowing that God is present are no less instructive for us than for them.

Sermon Outline:
I. Because God is holy, we must preserve the sanctity of the holy assembly.
II. Because God is holy, we must keep ourselves from every evil thing.

Sermon Discussion Questions:
1. How do you feel about certain people and groups being excluded
from the assembly of the LORD? Do you think it is fair?
2. Read Acts 8:26-39. How does this passage relate to Deuteronomy 23:1-8
and what does it teach us about the reach of the gospel?
3. Read Ephesians 2:11-22. How does this passage relate to Deuteronomy 23:1-8
and what are the implications for us?
4. If you believed in the core of your being that God not only dwelt in your midst, but within
you as a temple, how would your life be different? What needs to be cleaned out so that
“he may not see anything indecent” in you? After discussing, spend some time in prayer
asking God to show you those things and to cleanse you of them.

Real life isn’t random as many might say; we are all living in a story written and orchestrated by a powerful and loving God. This story is filled with hope and can give us comfort and courage each and every day. The reigning sentiment of our time gives us conflicting messages about how we get hope in this life, but the Gospel of Jesus gives a clear answer.

Sermon Outline
I. Do Not Conform
II. Be Transformed

Questions
1. What are some of the differences between the world’s narrative of things, and the gospel’s?
2. Are there any parts of the world’s narrative you find yourself tending to believe? Which parts?
3. How does the gospel contradict those false truths?
4. If your story seems different from others,
what false conclusions can you make about God’s love for you?

We are all disciples of something or of someone. Only Jesus disciples us in the ways that are best for us, and can fill the void in our hearts we try to fill with achievements, experiences, possessions…the list is endless. The world disciples us by demanding and taking. Jesus disciples us by leading, tending, guiding, nurturing, strengthening, correcting, and restoring, as our Creator and as the Lover of our souls.

Sermon Outline:
I. Encounter: Discipleship begins when someone encounters Jesus for the first time.
II. Engage: Disciples must engage their whole selves completely.
III. Experience: Disciples must experience and embrace Jesus’ mercy for them personally.
IV. Endure: Jesus’ boundless mercy is a rock that enables us to endure all.


Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Ozymandias thought his statue and his kingdom would last forever. What are some of the “statues” and “kingdoms” the world around you assumes will last forever. Are there any statues and kingdoms in your life you assume will always be there?
2. When did you encounter Jesus for the first time? What are some key moments in your life when your faith became personal? Who are some key people that have played a role in helping you see Jesus better?
3. When you think of how Jesus calls us to surrender everything in our lives and follow him, do you ever struggle to believe if he will be enough to replace all of that? Do you believe he, in fact, is enough?
4. What are some ways you’ve needed the rock of Jesus’ mercy this week? How might this change your approach to helping others going through hard times?

This passage teaches us that sexual matters are not isolated from the rest of life, and as God’s covenant people we are called to live with sexual integrity of heart and body.

Sermon Outline:
I. Sexual Integrity is a Community Matter
II. Sexual Sin is a Community Matter
1. A Case of Adultery
2. A Case of Implied Consent
3. A Case of Sexual Assault
4. A Case of Seduction
III. Redemption After Sexual Sin is a Community Matter

Sermon Discussion Questions:
1. Do you agree with the basic premise of today’s message that sex is not simply an individual matter, but a community one? Why or why not?

2. What do the various penalties in this passage reveal to us about how God views sexual integrity? We are not called to reinstitute these penalties from the law, but how can we begin to think about matters of sexuality with the same kind of gravity reflected in the Bible?

3. If we have sexual sin we are not repenting of in our own life, how should we deal with it? How should we approach a brother or sister in Christ living in sexual sin? Why should we approach them about it at all?

4. How should we respond to a brother or sister in Christ who has come to confess sexual sin to us? How does the gospel enable us to forgive those who have sinned against us sexually?

We are largely a people, both inside and outside the church, turned inward on ourselves, and inclined to live without respect to God or others. In this passage, God gives his people some rules for everyday life as to how to live a life of love. The verses in this section feel like a random hodgepodge of commandments. And probably when we hear them read, they do not sound particularly relevant. But as we take a deeper look, we will find the principles underlying these commands to be strikingly contemporary and relevant.

Sermon Outline:
I. Look Out for Your Neighbor’s Best Interest

II. Embrace the Distinction Between Male and Female

III. Steward God’s Resources Wisely

IV. Minimize the Risk of Harm to Your Neighbor

V. Maintain Spiritual Integrity

VI. Remember God’s Commandments

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. What would the world be like if everyone pursued their own truth and their own sense of fulfillment without regard to others? Would it be better or worse and why?

2. We may not have neighbors with animals going astray or getting stuck in a ditch, but what are some practical ways we can look out for the good of our neighbors?
How can we do the same for our enemies?

3. What is the problem with blurring sexual distinctions between male and female? How would you define biblical masculinity and biblical femininity?
How can we properly affirm both in the family and in the church?

4. The law of the parapet around the roof (Deut. 22:8) was to protect family and friends from accidentally falling off the roof.
What are some modern examples of putting this principle of minimizing the risk of harm to our neighbor that we should practice?

5. How did Jesus embody the principles laid out in these laws for our sake? Take some time to give thanks to him for what he has done for you, and asking how you can express your gratitude to him by living out the message of this text.

The message of the Gospel is for all peoples in all places. If we are to disciples the nations, as commanded by Christ, we must assure that the good news is heard by all. This means redoubling our commitment to send and go, until Christ returns or all have been reached.

I. Because of God’s sovereignty, the Christian faith is transnational
and His church is universal.

II. There is no Scriptural warrant for the belief
that those who have never heard the Gospel may be saved.

III. The preached word has always been the normative means
by which the Gospel is communicated.

IV. Messengers must be sent, to preach the Gospel, so that all may hear, such that those who believe and call on the Lord will be saved.

Questions:
1. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?
2. Is it possible for a person to be saved who has never heard of Christ? What about those who lived before Christ’s earthly ministry?
3. Is the Great Commission binding on us today? Was it a mandate for the apostles and first-century Christians only?
4. What does it mean to send and be sent to preach the Gospel?
5. How do we reconcile what Paul says about no distinction between Jews and Greeks with what he writes in Rom. 3:1-2?

I. How should we engage in the mission to disciple our community, when the culture around us is hostile to our faith?
1. Embrace your place as a religious minority.
(The culture war is over and we lost).
2. Settle down in one place. Build a life and stay there as long as you can.
3. Pray for the people around you,
especially those who do not share your faith in Christ.
4. Be a blessing to the community. (Mostly a blessing rather than mostly a critic).

II. How can we gain a hearing for the gospel in a culture where those around us are deeply skeptical of our faith & sometimes even hostile to it?
1. Invest in deep, long lasting, reciprocal friendships with non-Christians.
2. Let them see your faith in Christ.
3. Let them see you struggle.

III. Now, I want us to take a look at Jesus.
1. Befriend even the most "scandalous" of sinners.
2. Refuse to be scandalized by their

This week we will consider an often overlooked aspect of the great commission. We will consider together how God has given us the mission critical task in the discipleship of our families. We will look to the Scriptures to understand God‘s call on our lives to disciple our family, the context of family discipleship, and the comfort Christ offers all of us as we acknowledge our own failures and shortcomings in this area.

Sermon Outline:
I. The call to family discipleship
II. The context of family discipleship
1. Who is to disciple our family?
2. How are we to disciple our family
III. The comfort in family discipleship

Sermon Discussion Questions:
1. How will the understanding that family discipleship is part of the great commission change how you relate to your family or those in your household?
2. Why did Jesus tell us that all authority in heaven and earth are given to him? What difference will that make in the discipleship of our families?
3. Who does God give the primary responsibility to in the discipleship of our families?
4. How does our personal worship and discipleship affect our ability to lead our families as disciple makers?
5. Looking at Jesus life, how are we to primarily disciple our families?
6. How does it provide us comfort and what difference does it make that Jesus promised he will always be with us?
7. Although God calls us to intentionally disciple our family, who is ultimately responsible for our children’s salvation?
8. With Gods help, will you continue or start discipling your family?