Covenant Naples

What if the most extraordinary Person in the universe stepped into your everyday life…and you missed Him?

In Luke 10, Martha welcomes Jesus, serves Him, and believes in Him...and still misses what matters most.

This Sunday, we’ll see how easy it is to miss Jesus…even with good things...and what it looks like to be truly captivated by Him.

Don’t just be near Him.

Don’t just stay busy for Him.

Fix your eyes on Him.

Don’t miss Jesus.

Sermon Outline:

I.  Missing Jesus. 

II. Mesmerized by Jesus. 

Small Group Questions:

1. In Luke 10:38-42, what do you learn about who Jesus is from the way He responds to Martha...and what does that reveal about His heart toward you? 

2. Martha is distracted by good things, not bad things. What “good things” in your life are most likely causing you to miss Jesus right now? 

3. Mary is focused on the person of Jesus, not just a general idea of God. What’s the difference...and how does that show up in your daily life? 

4. Jesus says, “one thing is necessary.” How does what He has already done for you free you from striving...and invite you to rest your attention on Him?

5. What would it look like this week (espeically Holy Week) not just to avoid missing Jesus...but to be captivated by Him? Where might you need to slow down, listen, and give Him your attention?

We have an enemy in our midst. Behind our trials, our frustrations, our confusion, our despair, our wanting to quit is not only our own sinful tendencies, but a personal enemy bent on destroying us. But in Christ we don’t have to be victims anymore. 

Sermon Outline:

I. Our Adversary

II. Our Responsibility

III. Our Assurance

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Where do you most often fail to recognize spiritual attack in your life (e.g., criticism, success, conflict, temptation)? How might greater awareness change your response in those moments?

2. What does it practically look like for you to be “firm in your faith” when you are struggling? Can you identify a specific promise of God that you need to cling to right now?

3. Satan’s oldest tactic is convincing us that God is withholding something good, and that we can get that good thing through disobedience. Where do you see this pattern playing out in your life or the world around you? What truth about God’s character pushes back against that lie?

4. How does an eternal perspective reshape the way you experience present trials? Where do you need God to restore, strengthen, or establish you right now that could become a focus for prayer?

5. How well does your small group or church community function as a source of strength and resistance against the enemy, and what is one thing you could do to invest more deeply in those relationships?

That we must humble ourselves is the major point of this passage, and we see this theme repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. But just because it is common in Scripture does not mean it is common in our faith and practice. We are proud and we are inclined to exalt ourselves even when it means God opposes us. Yet grace is promised to the humble. So what does it look like for Christians to live humbly?

Sermon Outline:

I. Christians Subject Themselves in Humility.

II. Christians Dress Themselves in Humility.

III. Christians Unburden Themselves in Humility.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between performing humility and actually being humble? How might we tell the difference?

2. What are some practical ways younger believers can show humility and respect toward older believers in the church? How can we do the same toward those who hold the office of “elder” in the church? 

3. What would it look like for humility to shape the way we interact with others in everyday situations (family conflict, work disagreements, church decisions)?

4. Why do you think it is difficult to give our cares and anxieties to God? When is it difficult for you to believe that God cares for you?

5. How does reflecting on Christ’s humility change the way you think about serving others or submitting to God? What is one specific area of your life this week where you want to practice humility?

Shepherding was hard and generally thankless work. And that is exactly the image the Bible uses for spiritual leadership. Consequently, shepherds can be prone to shepherd selfishly rather than sacrificially. How do we overcome this? 

Sermon Outline:

I. The Shepherd’s Perspective.

II. The Shepherd’s Calling.

III. The Shepherd’s Reward.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Think of a leader in your life who modeled sacrificial shepherding. What did that look like practically, and how did it affect you?

2. How does remembering that the people we lead ultimately belong to God change the way we treat them in the church, in our families, or in places where we have influence?

3. Peter addresses three vices shepherds face: sloth, desire for gain, lust for power. Which of these do you think is most common today, and why? Where might you personally feel the pull of one of these?

4. In what ways do you find your service drifting from love for Christ toward mere habit or obligation? What practices help you return to that first love?

5. How does keeping eternity in view practically change the way you approach discouraging or thankless seasons of serving others?

Peter is writing to people who are suffering because of persecution. He walks them through gospel truths that will sustain them in the sea of affliction. For nothing is sweeter than entrusting yourself to the God who is faithful.

Small group questions

1) Why do you think Peter warns them to not be surprised by the fiery trial? Why do you think we are still surprised when suffering comes?

2) What does it mean to have union with Christ and to share in his sufferings? As you look at his life, where have you felt most connected to him in his sufferings?

3) Why is it important to examine the cause of our suffering? How does this relate most acutely to evangelism?

4) Do you struggle at al with entrusting yourself to the faithful Creator? What about God as your Creator helps you trust him more?

Peter reminds us here that we are living in the last stage of God’s plan to bring all things to their culmination in his glorification through Jesus Christ and the victory he has already accomplished. Nothing and no one will be exempt from this process that will bring salvation to some and condemnation to others. Because this is the end toward which all history is moving, Christians should live today in a way that reflects that reality. 

Sermon Outline:

I. Be sober-minded for the sake of prayer.

II. Love one another persistently because sin will happen.

III. Show genuine hospitality.

IV. Use your gifts to serve one another.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways do you think Christians today are (or are not) paying attention to the fact that we are living in the last days? How does that awareness (or lack of it) shape how we live day to day?

2. What tends to dull your mind and draw you away from a consistent prayer life? What is one practical step you could take this week to press more intentionally into prayer such as praying at set times, praying the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, or some other rhythm?

3. Peter says that love “covers a multitude of sins.” between covering sins and covering up sins. How do you personally navigate the tension between bearing with others’ faults in love and knowing when something needs to be brought to light?

4. If you came to church each Sunday looking to extend hospitality rather than receive it, what would you do differently? What one change can you implement this week?

5. Spiritual gifts are not self-serving but given for the good of others. Are you currently using your gifts to serve the body? If not, what is holding you back, and what can be done about it?

What we expect when we go into suffering greatly impacts how we experience it. If we expect that following Jesus is going to be an easy journey, we will be unprepared for the suffering which is a normal part of the Christian life.

Sermon Outline:

I. Arm Yourself with the Mindset of Christ.

II. Leave the Past Behind.

III. Live in Light of the Future.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. What would it look like for you to consciously “arm yourself” with the mindset of Christ in your daily life? Can you think of a situation where choosing obedience to God would likely bring suffering or loss? How might preparing your mind ahead of time help you endure it?

2. Being a Christian isn’t primarily about what we avoid, but what we actively pursue. What might it look like to shift from a “don’t do this” mentality to a “pursue this” approach? For us who are parents, how can we implement this in our parenting?

3. In what ways should Christians look a bit crazy to the world around us? Are there areas where you’ve compromised to avoid looking different? What might it look like to more boldly dance to the music of the gospel?

4. What are some “respectable” ways people (including Christians) can live for themselves rather than for God? How can we recognize and resist these more subtle forms of self-focus?

5. How does keeping the future judgment and resurrection in mind help you endure present suffering or rejection for your faith? In practical terms, how can we live in light of the future this week?

In this passage, Peter tells us the outcome of the great battle of world history. Christ triumphs! Believers who know the outcome of history can take heart in the face of our suffering so that we do not back down or resort to our old ways of life. Instead, we can continue to follow the example of Jesus who also suffered for doing good. 

Sermon Outline:

I. Take heart, Christ has died and triumphs over sin.

II. Take heart, Christ has risen and triumphs over death.

III. Take heart, Christ is reigning and triumphs over hell.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. How does understanding that Christ has already paid for all your sins change the way you think about suffering or difficulty in your Christian life? Where might you be tempted to believe God is punishing you rather than fathering you?

2. Share about a time when following Jesus has cost you something (a relationship, an opportunity, respect, comfort, etc.). How can knowing the outcome of the story help us face that kind of suffering?

3. If you’ve been baptized as an infant or later after you believed, how does your baptism serve as a reminder and encouragement that you share in Christ’s death and resurrection? If you have never been baptized, what is holding you back? 

4. What would it look like practically for you to invest more fully in Christ’s kingdom this week? 

Spiritual battles are won by prayer warriors. So, how can we support one another and our mission partners as prayer warriors amid the spiritual conflict that rages for the soul of the nations? 

Sermon Outline:

I. We Must Pray Broadly.

II. We Must Pray Perseveringly.

III. We Must Pray Missionally.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Which metaphor more accurately describes your current prayer life wartime walkie-talkie or domestic intercom? What would need to change for your prayers to shift more toward the wartime walkie-talkie model?

2. Looking at your current prayer life, where do you tend to get stuck in a “prayer rut”? What are some practical things you can do to pray more broadly?

3. What situation or person have you stopped praying for because you haven’t seen results? What keeps you from persevering in prayer, and what might help you persist?

4. When you pray for yourself or others, how often are your requests focused on comfort and safety versus kingdom advancement? How can we cultivate more mission-focused prayers for ourselves and our mission partners?

The Bible teaches us that a good life is a godly life. Here we find not only the importance of relationships, but how to be godly in relationships, how to be godly in our speech, and how to be godly even when we suffer for it, and how to become the kind of people who have healthy relationships, even amid circumstances like suffering and persecution. 

Sermon outline:

I. How Godly People Live in Christian Community.

II. How Godly People Live the Good Life.

III. How Godly People Suffer Well.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Which of the qualities in 1 Peter 3:8 do you find most difficult to practice in Christian community, and why? How might remembering Christ’s love toward you help you grow in that area?

2. How does this biblical vision of “the good life” challenge our culture’s (and perhaps our own) assumptions about what leads to happiness? What practical changes might that truth call for in your relationships this week?

3. Peter instructs us to bless those who revile us rather than repay evil for evil (v. 9). Can you think of a current relationship where you’re tempted to “fight or flight” rather than bless? What might it look like practically to bless that person this week?

4. Why is it so hard to see suffering for doing good as a blessing? How does Jesus’ own suffering “the righteous for the unrighteous” reshape our understanding of the good life and give us courage to endure?

5. When people see your life, what do you hope they notice that might make them curious about your faith? How can gentleness, respect, and integrity make your witness more compelling?