SERMON NOTES

Disciples do the right things for the right reasons

6:1: The General Principle

6:2-4: The (First) Specific Application

Application:

Put it into practice: Spend some time this week asking God to reveal to you the motivation of your heart as it relates to your good deeds, especially giving. What is one good deed (perhaps giving) you could do this week anonymously, for the glory of God and the good of another?

SERMON NOTES

Knowing Jesus produces incomparable joy

What kind of relationship with God do you want to have?

What kind of church do we want to have?

For reflection: How joyful is my current relationship with Jesus? What interrupts my joy? What adds to it? How can I live from joy in this next season?

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God Is Among Us. God is bringing His rule, His presence, His values and His purposes into our lives today. Perhaps the greatest danger for Christians is that we can become very good at church Christianity without actually living Kingdom Christianity. Let's have the mind of Christ in us.

THREE QUESTIONS TO TAKE HOME:

1. Who is sitting on the throne of my life?

2. What part of my life is not yet surrendered to the King?

3. Where is God asking me to represent His Kingdom this week?

SERMON NOTES

We Give Up the Right to Take Offence

We Renounce: Taking offence

We Announce: We love each other deeply.

We Affirm: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

"Lovekeeps no record of wrongs." 1 Cor 13:5

We Commit to Act: We give up the right to take offence.

A Negative Case Study - Genesis 4

A Positive Case Study - 1 Samuel 24

Remember the Gospel

Living with Love

Consider: How does the Gospel give you the power to refuse to take offence? How can you choose to live with love in the various contexts of your life, including our church life?

We welcome because Christ welcomed us"

Why Welcome is Important:

Why Welcome is Biblical:

What Welcome is not:

Practicing Welcome:

For reflection and application: How does Christs welcome inspire you to welcome others? What is one way that you can practice welcome this week at church? Outside the church?

SERMON NOTES

The hardest lessons we learn are the very things that God uses to encourage andstrengthen others.

Luke 22:31-34 and 54-62, John 21:1-19Intro and Setting:But I have prayed for you Simon, that your faith may not fail, and when you have turnedback, strengthen your brothers.

The Greek word sterizo, means to strengthen but it carries a deeper understanding of a kindof support that is able to fix something so that it stands upright and is immovable.God uses our hard experiences to strengthen us so we can in turn, strengthen andencourage others.

Thomas: John 20:24-29Thomas needed personal evidence that Jesus was alive, not just the disciples words, inorder to believe. Jesus adds what sounds like a sharp, direct call for him to STOP doubtingand believe.In the Greek it sounds less sharp: Do not become unbelieving (apistos) but believing(pistos).

Peter: John 21: 15-19Peters third response to Jesus question Do you love me (Peter): You know all things, youknow what I did Jesus, you were there, you saw my fear, you heard each lie I spoke 3times of not knowing you, and the last words like a curse saying I did not know you.You looked right at me after I denied you the 3 rd time. I went out and wept bitterly. (Luke22:62)I wonder how many times Peter referred back to his own story to encourage others whowere going to face persecution and even death during the formation of the early church?Our question: How will I stand in my faith, in my work setting, at school and at home?

Conclusion:The hardest lessons we go through are never wasted.Every hard lesson can be redeemed, it has a purpose so we can help challenge andencourage others, to feed the sheep, to not become unbelieving but to keep believing, andto pursue Jesus in obedience, in all he taught us and commanded us.

SERMON NOTES

We are people of grace and gratitude

We Renounce: A Critical Spirit

We Announce: We are people of grace and gratitude

We Affirm: Philippians 2:3-4 Ephesians 4:29

We Commit to Act: We build each other up in love.

Simon the Pharisee:

The Sinful but Forgiven Woman:

Questions to consider: How might we combat the tendency to be modern day Pharisees? How can we practice grace and gratitude in our lives and in our church?

Prayer Garden

1 John 5:14-15

Gods promises to us in prayer grow in the soil of intentional

time and relationship with Him. In the fullness of time those

promises are brought to fruition by God Himself for our

good and the good of His kingdom

Reflection Questions

Assessing the Soil:

Reflecting on your current prayer life, are you mostly maintaining a predictable, low-maintenance prayer lawn, or are you actively preparing space in your daily routine for God to move in specific ways?

Listening for the Seed:

What is one situation or person currently on your heart that you need to bring before Godnot immediately asking for a specific outcome, but asking Him to reveal His promise or perspective for it first?

Practicing Audacity:

Where in your life is God calling you to pray with shameless audacitypersisting in faithful prayer and actively watching for the subtle first signs of growth, even when all you see right now is dirt?

SERMON NOTES

What does living worthy of the calling look like for you this week?

SERMON NOTES

Time is not a resource to exploit, but a sacred gift to share.

Cultural Undertow vs Biblical Reality to Stand On

Time is Scarce vs. God is Eternal and Abundantly Generous

Significance is Earned vs. Jesus Accomplished All Things

Commodifying People and Idolizing Tasks vs. Time is Meant for Love

A Case Study (Luke 10:38-42)

Living it Out

Abide in silence with Jesus.

Dwell in Scriptures; don't just finish chapters.

Delight in something you enjoy with God.

Give the radical gift of your presence

Reflect: Which of the cultural undertows pulls you away from biblical reality? What would it look like for you to stand on the biblical truth instead? How would your life be different if you imitated Mary?