Jesus makes clear in Matthew 6 that seeking God first in everything and with everything, is where true life is found and enjoyed. Therefore, First Freedom is about two things: it's about our giving TO (the vision of our church in this next season) and it's also about our giving FROM (the condition of our hearts) as we’re looking to Jesus and experiencing the amazing grace of God.

What do we do when we’re troubled, stuck, afraid, or anxious? The answer to that question will tell us a lot about the state of our heart. Thankfully, the good news of Jesus invites us to find peace in Christ when we remember God’s character, trust God’s promises, take a step forward by faith, and worship the Lord!

GOSPEL COMMUNITY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What tends to disrupt your peace? Why?
2. How have you tended to respond when that happens? How did that go for you? Who was impacted?
3. What gospel promises could help reorient your heart to worship God when that happens and what will you do the next time it takes place to honor God and trust Him?

Underneath the debilitating emotion of fear is idolatry, and the sin beneath idolatry is a functional disbelief in the goodness and amazing grace of God.

GOSPEL COMMUNITY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What is your heart idolatry?
2. How are you going to remove it?
3. In what way is Jesus a better God than that idol?

The world we live in is a scary place – We Need a Shepherd. We need someone bigger, stronger who has more authority to lead us, guide us, protect us, and keep us, and even carry us home.

GOSPEL COMMUNITY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. How are you dealing with your fear? Are you prone to try and get control, or run and hide?
2. "Where", "to what" or "from whom" are you looking for joy and life?
3. In what way can you begin to trust in Jesus today?

Fear is a great tool, used by Satan to combat the Kingdom of God while trying to divide and distract and disorientate the church of Jesus Christ! But Jesus said something in Matthew 16 – “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail.” This is only possible when you FEAR NOT.

GOSPEL COMMUNITY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What desire is truly ruling your heart? What is that desire producing in your life - fear or faith?
2. How can the love of things in the world ruin rather than enrich life on this earth?
3. Of the trials we will likely face as we follow Jesus, which concerns you most? Does it worry you? How does Jesus expect you to respond to this worry (from Luke 12)?

Psalm 96 was to be used in Jewish cultures as a call that would summon the people to celebrate
God’s rule over all of creation, and as a teaching tool that would show the people who should
love and worship him. We'll take a look and see how Psam 96 reminds us as NT Christians, why and how our worship shows non-worshippers about the God we joyfully follow.

The greatest legacy we can give as worshipers of Jesus is to show non-worshipers why and how we worship Jesus.

We live in a world filled with fear! People are afraid due to numerous circumstances that currently surround us – political, social, medical - Horizontal fear is overwhelming our world and is just as evident inside the church as it is outside.

As believers, why do we live in fear like the rest of the world? Because fear is a byproduct of trusting in self, looking at self, and relying only on the resources “I” can muster up. Fear in a believer is a function of forgetfulness; and to the degree that you and I forget who God is, who we are as his children, and what we’ve been given by His grace, fear becomes our default emotion.

So what is the solution? The only solution to fear is fear - the fear of the LORD! When a believer experiences this vertical fear in such a way, it begins to overwhelm the very real, horizontal fears of this world. And if we can truly run to God, receive his Word, and grow in fear of Him, we will be able to make decisions not from horizontal fear but from faith!

This Psalm is about the pathway to peace while living with trouble in a jacked-up world.

Trouble is real. It's in me and all around me. BUT GOD... He uses trouble to show us our sin so that we can run to our Savior. This promotes worship of Jesus in us and bears fruit before others so they too can be saved, helped, comforted and cleansed.

JESUS IS THE SOURCE of TRUE HAPPINESS!
All that He is.
All that He has done for us.
All that we are IN HIM!
All that He PROVIDES for us NOW!
And ALL that He PROMISES us for our FUTURE....
THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE and UNCHANGING!!!
And IF our Happiness is ROOTED in Christ... Then it can be TRUE and UNCHANGING as well!

Psalm 117 is the shortest song in the book, but it is packed with a powerful promise. God is the Creator and Ruler over all nations and all people groups and as the One true and living God, He cares for His people and is faithful to keep His promises to them. Where do we turn to interpret our circumstances in a world and culture that celebrates and praises people over God? This Psalm is a reminder that we can have gospel confidence and hope that because of God's steadfast and unfailing love, He is and will continue to save and redeem men and women from all the nations, for His glory and kingdom!