VBCC Sermons

PSALM 15 - UNSHAKEN

Where do you go to find rest from the war? Where do you search for flourishing?

Why does integrity take such a prominent place in the prayer of David? Of Israel? Of Christ?

What is the connection between language, money, and sacrifice? Do you see these ideas present in other passages of Scripture?

How does grace tie these things together? Why doesn’t grace undo the need for moral excellence? How might grace amplify our integrity and personal sacrifice?

PSALM 62 - GOD ALONE

Slowly read Psalm 62 aloud, pausing when you reach each Selah. After the reading, discuss your experience of the psalm as a reader/listener. As a work of art, how does this psalm affect your focus, emotions, desires, etc?

Verse 1 begins “For God alone my soul waits in silence.” What does it mean to wait for God? What is the importance of the word ‘alone’?

What disorienting circumstances does the psalmist recognize in vv3-4, 9-10? Where/when have you encountered these phenomena in your own life? Or, what other circumstances have brought about a sense of disorientation in your life? What does it look like to hope in God during a season of spiritual disorientation?

Verses 11-12 speak of the power, love, and justice of God. How are each of these evidenced in the cross of Jesus?

Chiasmus (or chiasm) is a poetic structure defined as a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses.” Some scholars recognize a chiastic structure (ABCCBA) in Psalm 62 as shown below. In this case, the central C section is the ‘punchline’ of the psalm. Why might the psalmist structure the psalm this way.

A - Testimony of Trust (vv1-2)

B - Complaint (vv3-4)

C - Testimony of Trust (vv5-6)

C - Testimony of Trust (vv7-8)

B - Complaint (vv9-10)

A - Testimony of Trust (vv11-12)

Verse 8 offers us two instructions. The first is to ‘Trust in him at all times.’ What times are you experiencing in your group right now? Discuss what it looks like to trust in him. Secondly, the verse says, “Pour out your heart before him.” Take some time as a group to pour out your hearts together in prayer before God.

PSALM 133: GOOD & PLEASANT

Read Psalm 133 aloud. Read slowly and pause between phrases to take it in. After the reading, have each person share a single word to describe the feeling they had while the psalm was being read. Where does David lead us emotionally?

Before Aaron was anointed with the holy anointing oil, he was dressed in the holy attire of the high priest. Part of that attire is a breastplate containing 12 gems representing the 12 tribes of Israel. “Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.” (Exo 28:29)

What was the high priest’s role in establishing unity for Israel? What is Jesus’ role in establishing unity for the church? (See Eph 2:11-22 for help.)

David repeatedly describes the downward motion of the oil (v2) and the dew (v3). What is the significance of that motion (see James 1:17 for help)? Why is it important that our unity be founded on shared grace received, rather than shared history, opinion or action?

In Israel, Mt Hermon is the most significant mountain in the north, and Zion is the most significant mountain in the south. These two reference points convey a sense of totality (ie, “from New York to LA”), but also evoke the memory of a 7 1/2 year-long civil war between north and south that began with David’s inauguration as king. In light of that conflict, how does the tone of the poem change?

Create art in response to Psalm 133. Write your own psalm for unity, using imagery from our context. Or, draw/paint unity-themed pictures. If you are brave, share your artwork on our facebook page with the hashtags #Psalm133 #Unity

LUKE 24 - RESURRECTION: WORSHIP, CERTAINTY, WITNESS

When you think about the Gospel message, do you include Jesus’ resurrection as an equal component with his death and burial? Often, the way we talk about the Gospel in evangelical circles makes it seem like Jesus is still in the grave, but that’s not the case; he’s resurrected! What does his resurrection say about the type of faith a Christian has? On a basic level, the Christian faith is a living faith, not a dead faith; a happy faith, not a sad faith; a hopeful faith, not a mournful faith (that’s not to say there aren’t times to mourn of be sad, but the resurrection of Jesus and our future resurrection is the final word in our story of faith and that is an encouraging thought).

Jesus, other than giving physical proofs of his resurrection, the only other proof he used was the Scriptures. Luke wrote his Gospel so that Theophilus (and us) can have certainty. How do you think about the Bible? Is is good stories that teach us to be moral? Is it mostly true with some unbelievable stuff in there? Or, is the Bible the authoritative word of God, true in every word? What would it change about your life and faith to recognize that when we sit down to read the Bible or study the Bible we are sitting down to a totally different category of literature, God’s Word? Do you think the Scripture is sufficient to lead us into salvation and to instruct us in our day-to-day lives? In the past, what other authorities have you put on equal footing with the Scripture?

In considering the resurrected Jesus’ commandment for his people to be witnesses, how does that make you feel? Does it feel weighty or burdensome? Does it feel uncomfortable? Do those feelings change when we consider the fact that in Luke 24, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his followers and that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now resides in us and God’s Holy Spirit is ready to empower our witness? What would change in our lives if instead of feeling like witnessing is a “should” it is a “get to”? Instead of saying that I should share my faith and I should testify to the saving power of the Gospel, I get to do those things and see God work the miracle of faith in the people around me? Maybe this isn’t where you are today, but for me, this is a good place to repent of my lack of belief in God’s promises, and my lack of compassion for those who haven’t heard the Gospel message.