Summary:
Joy... the angels talked about it, the shepherds experienced it, the wise men found it, and Mary sang about it. So how can we have joy? Scripture gives us great insight into how we can experience joy as we look forward to 2015, and how our response to this joy will shape the outlook of our lives.
1. Read Luke 2:8-12. Are you looking for joy? Where are you looking for it? The shepherds were simply living their normal lives, and when God showed up they experienced joy. Did you know that you can have joy in your current job, relationship, marriage, income level, professional level, and social status? If the shepherds can have it, then so can you!
-Joy was given to us by God. You can't buy it, earn it, be optimistic enough to obtain it, or get lucky enough to win it. Yet, so many people spend their entire lives trying to find something that God has already made available for them right where they are. The message from the angels was "Good News of Great Joy." How can you get this great joy? By understand that the "Good News" is personal to you. What is the "Good News" and how is it for you?
2. READ Luke 2:17-18. Joy should always be shared with others. If someone asked you to tell them about the joy that Jesus gives you, what would you share with them?
3. Read Matthew 2:10. The wisemen had been traveling for 2 years to find the new King that had been born. When they finally arrived, they were filled with joy. Part of their joy experience included a 2 year journey. What do you think were the difficulties they experienced along the way. Can you imagine having to wait 2 years for a pay-off? What faith! What patience! What endurance!
Read Psalm 30:5 and John 16:20. Think about a difficult "journey" that you have had, where you allowed God to lead in your life during difficulty. How did God shows up in the journey, and how did you experience joy in the end?
4. Read Luke 1:29-30. How does Mary respond to the Good News of Great Joy when she first hears it? Now read Luke 1:46-48. How does she respond to the same news later? So what changed?
-Joy is a choice for us, and oftentimes a hard choice. Read Hebrews 12:2. Jesus made the hard choice to endure the cross. Do you think that decision was hard for him?
-Read John 15:11. Since Jesus died on the cross, what does that mean for us? Who is the source of joy? Who defines it? (Jesus is the source, and he defines it! Therefore, he is the only place to get it from!)
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 20, 2014
All I Want for Christmas... PEACE
Summary: If any character in the birth narrative was lacking peace, it would have been Joseph. His fiancé is pregnant, and he's not the father. She still claims she is a virgin and that God gave her the son. What a mess! So Joseph has a personal plan in place to gain peace in his life. God steps in with a gracious interruption, and we learn 3 things from this story that can bring us real peace in life today.
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
1. Read Matthew 18:18-19
a. Joseph reveals his personal plan (divorce her quietly) for obtaining peace in life despite the crazy situation in which he finds himself. What are the personal plans that we strive towards in life that we think will bring us peace? (Money, relationships, family, professional/career, retirement, etc)
b. How have some of those things let you down? Have they come up short in your life despite your consistent striving and straining?
2. READ Matthew 1:20-21
The angel told Joseph to "do not fear" his current situation. Be at peace with what is going on around him, because God is working things out. What areas of your life is God telling you "do not fear", but instead find peace in Him? Why is that so hard sometimes?
3. READ Matthew 1:21
-How does "for Jesus will save his people from their sins" bring about peace in life?
-What is your "peace" story (your personal testimony) of the day you realized that Jesus paid for your sins? (Now would be a great time to share your Jesus story. It may be the first time the group has heard each other's spiritual journey).
4. READ Matthew 1:23
-Why does "God with us" matter? What's the big deal? How does that empower Christians? How does it help eliminate excuses?
-Do you have a "peace" story in your life that was possible because God was with you, and you knew it?
5. READ Matthew 1:25
-How can "he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" result in peace for your life?
-Do you think you are lacking peace because you don't know what to do, or because you know what to do and are filled with fear, anxiety, and worry? How can you address both of those issues in your life? What are the action steps?
-Do you have a "peace" story in your life that was a result of you listening to God and doing what He said?
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
1. Read Matthew 18:18-19
a. Joseph reveals his personal plan (divorce her quietly) for obtaining peace in life despite the crazy situation in which he finds himself. What are the personal plans that we strive towards in life that we think will bring us peace? (Money, relationships, family, professional/career, retirement, etc)
b. How have some of those things let you down? Have they come up short in your life despite your consistent striving and straining?
2. READ Matthew 1:20-21
The angel told Joseph to "do not fear" his current situation. Be at peace with what is going on around him, because God is working things out. What areas of your life is God telling you "do not fear", but instead find peace in Him? Why is that so hard sometimes?
3. READ Matthew 1:21
-How does "for Jesus will save his people from their sins" bring about peace in life?
-What is your "peace" story (your personal testimony) of the day you realized that Jesus paid for your sins? (Now would be a great time to share your Jesus story. It may be the first time the group has heard each other's spiritual journey).
4. READ Matthew 1:23
-Why does "God with us" matter? What's the big deal? How does that empower Christians? How does it help eliminate excuses?
-Do you have a "peace" story in your life that was possible because God was with you, and you knew it?
5. READ Matthew 1:25
-How can "he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" result in peace for your life?
-Do you think you are lacking peace because you don't know what to do, or because you know what to do and are filled with fear, anxiety, and worry? How can you address both of those issues in your life? What are the action steps?
-Do you have a "peace" story in your life that was a result of you listening to God and doing what He said?
Saturday, December 13, 2014
All I Want for Christmas... LOVE
Summary: Love is defined in many different ways, shown in many different ways, and sought after in many different ways. In a culture that had many different definitions and understandings about what "love" was, Paul wanted to communicate with clarity to the church how followers of Jesus are to show the true love of Jesus to others (both inside and outside of the church). Paul gives a simple equation for us:
Grace --> Joy --> Generosity = LOVE
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 8; 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
GRACE:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1
1. What is grace? How would you define it or describe it? A dictionary definition of grace is "receiving something that you did not deserve." According to that definition, what has God given or made available to you that you don't deserve? (God's grace that Paul is talking about is the forgiveness of sin, salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus being made available to us).
2. God's grace is not only a one time grace given by Jesus, but grace given to us each day. What grace does God give you each day? (life, health, provisions, family, friends, job, influence, etc).
The first step to understanding how to love Jesus and how to show the love of Jesus to others is to embrace this gift of grace and remind yourself of it daily!
JOY:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:2
Next Sunday we are going to talk about how you can have real joy in life. DON'T MISS IT! BRING A FRIEND!
1. Imagine that you were in the middle of facing some hard tests in life. What if right now your life was filled with agony, suffering, and great pain (affliction defined). Financially, put yourself in someone's shoes that is facing "extreme poverty."
Paul mentions that some Christians in Macedonia (Northern Greece) were experiencing these same things. Yet, he described them as having "abundant joy." How can that be? How could those terrible things not choke the joy out of their life? What would your response be?
2. Read Habakkuk 3:17-18. EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) went wrong in this guys life! But his response was rejoicing and joy in God. Here is the key: Joy is linked to your source of life, not your experiences in life. God's grace (the source) produces joy no matter what your experiences (death, loss, hardship, poverty, pain, suffering) may be.
Without focusing on the source, you'll never have joy; and remember that the source that Paul mentions is the understanding of the grace of God.
GENEROSITY:
Read 2 Corinthians 3-5.
1. List some of the things that happen when Grace leads to Joy, and Joy produces generosity.
a. Gave according to their means (obedient to the tithe in their giving)
b. Gave beyond their means (faithful generosity over-and-above the basic tithe)
c. Of their own accord, begging us to give (no one forced them to give or guilted them into it)
d. Taking part in the relief of the saints (they identified needs around them and tackled them)
e. Gave themselves first to God (their lives, their heart, their soul, that went first)
f. By the Will of God (did you know that God's will for your life is to be generous unto Him?)
g. Gave themselves to us (they didn't just look after their own needs/ministries/church, but to other needs as well)
READ 2 Corinthians 8:8
1. An understanding of grace, joy, and generosity lead to a powerful show of the love of Jesus. The church in Macedonia had no idea that their obedience and faithfulness would produce a story that was told not only 350+ miles south in Corinth, but in the pages of Scripture for billions of people to read.
What is your "love" story? If the story of your response to grace, your joy, and your generosity were told, would it be a powerful show of what the love of Jesus looks like? Or would you be embarrassed or ashamed? You can start a new story today! Start with embracing grace in your life, and see what God does in you and through you to show the love of Jesus to the world.
Grace --> Joy --> Generosity = LOVE
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 8; 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
GRACE:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1
1. What is grace? How would you define it or describe it? A dictionary definition of grace is "receiving something that you did not deserve." According to that definition, what has God given or made available to you that you don't deserve? (God's grace that Paul is talking about is the forgiveness of sin, salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus being made available to us).
2. God's grace is not only a one time grace given by Jesus, but grace given to us each day. What grace does God give you each day? (life, health, provisions, family, friends, job, influence, etc).
The first step to understanding how to love Jesus and how to show the love of Jesus to others is to embrace this gift of grace and remind yourself of it daily!
JOY:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:2
Next Sunday we are going to talk about how you can have real joy in life. DON'T MISS IT! BRING A FRIEND!
1. Imagine that you were in the middle of facing some hard tests in life. What if right now your life was filled with agony, suffering, and great pain (affliction defined). Financially, put yourself in someone's shoes that is facing "extreme poverty."
Paul mentions that some Christians in Macedonia (Northern Greece) were experiencing these same things. Yet, he described them as having "abundant joy." How can that be? How could those terrible things not choke the joy out of their life? What would your response be?
2. Read Habakkuk 3:17-18. EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) went wrong in this guys life! But his response was rejoicing and joy in God. Here is the key: Joy is linked to your source of life, not your experiences in life. God's grace (the source) produces joy no matter what your experiences (death, loss, hardship, poverty, pain, suffering) may be.
Without focusing on the source, you'll never have joy; and remember that the source that Paul mentions is the understanding of the grace of God.
GENEROSITY:
Read 2 Corinthians 3-5.
1. List some of the things that happen when Grace leads to Joy, and Joy produces generosity.
a. Gave according to their means (obedient to the tithe in their giving)
b. Gave beyond their means (faithful generosity over-and-above the basic tithe)
c. Of their own accord, begging us to give (no one forced them to give or guilted them into it)
d. Taking part in the relief of the saints (they identified needs around them and tackled them)
e. Gave themselves first to God (their lives, their heart, their soul, that went first)
f. By the Will of God (did you know that God's will for your life is to be generous unto Him?)
g. Gave themselves to us (they didn't just look after their own needs/ministries/church, but to other needs as well)
READ 2 Corinthians 8:8
1. An understanding of grace, joy, and generosity lead to a powerful show of the love of Jesus. The church in Macedonia had no idea that their obedience and faithfulness would produce a story that was told not only 350+ miles south in Corinth, but in the pages of Scripture for billions of people to read.
What is your "love" story? If the story of your response to grace, your joy, and your generosity were told, would it be a powerful show of what the love of Jesus looks like? Or would you be embarrassed or ashamed? You can start a new story today! Start with embracing grace in your life, and see what God does in you and through you to show the love of Jesus to the world.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
All I Want For Christmas... HOPE
Summary: Hope today is at best "wishful thinking." It's like a Christmas wish list for most people. Maybe you'll get lucky. Maybe something good will happen. Maybe you'll receive what you asked for. All you can do is hope.
Scripture shows a very different viewpoint of hope. For Christians, what we hope FOR is always secondary to what we hope IN. Because of the faithfulness and power and love of God, our hope is strong, steady, and stable.
Text: Hebrews 6:13-20
1. Part of our Hope is built on what God has already done for us. So many times He has proven Himself reliable, faithful, powerful, and true.
a. Read Hebrews 6:13-16 and Genesis 12:1-3. What were the promises that God made Abraham? Why would these things make Abraham so full of hope?
b. What has God done for you already that would reinforce the hope you have in Him moving forward? How has God already shown his faithfulness to you that should make your future hope in Him easier?
c. We don't always put our hope in God, though. What are some of the other areas of our lives in which we rest our hope? (job, money, family, spouse, ourselves, government, others)
2. Read Hebrews 6:17-18
God wants to show you the hope that He offers. He wants you to see Him for who He really is through that hope.
a. What does scripture say that this hope will do for us? (it will encourage us). We often desire hope when times are hard, but why is hope important for us even when life is going well? (the Christian life will be filled with risk and steps of faith. If you're ever going to be obedient in your relationship with God, then your hope in Jesus is essential).
b. How do you "hold fast" to this hope? (study it, wrestle with it, be familiar with it, remind yourself of it, embrace it, keep in on the forefront of your mind, live in a constant state of hope).
3. Read Hebrews 6:19-20 and Hebrews 10:23
What we hope FOR is secondary to what (or who) we hope IN.
a. How is the "hope" that Christians have significantly different from any other "hope" in the world today? (Because our hope is in someone, not something. And that someone is perfect, true, righteous, flawless, fully God, fully man, sacrificial, and loving).
b. When scripture says that the hope of God is like "an anchor for the soul" what is God promising to us? (steadiness, stability, firm foundation, provision). What does this language NOT communicate? (won't remove us from all storms, won't make the waves always go away, won't take us out of all tough situations, won't totally eliminate storms).
Scripture shows a very different viewpoint of hope. For Christians, what we hope FOR is always secondary to what we hope IN. Because of the faithfulness and power and love of God, our hope is strong, steady, and stable.
Text: Hebrews 6:13-20
1. Part of our Hope is built on what God has already done for us. So many times He has proven Himself reliable, faithful, powerful, and true.
a. Read Hebrews 6:13-16 and Genesis 12:1-3. What were the promises that God made Abraham? Why would these things make Abraham so full of hope?
b. What has God done for you already that would reinforce the hope you have in Him moving forward? How has God already shown his faithfulness to you that should make your future hope in Him easier?
c. We don't always put our hope in God, though. What are some of the other areas of our lives in which we rest our hope? (job, money, family, spouse, ourselves, government, others)
2. Read Hebrews 6:17-18
God wants to show you the hope that He offers. He wants you to see Him for who He really is through that hope.
a. What does scripture say that this hope will do for us? (it will encourage us). We often desire hope when times are hard, but why is hope important for us even when life is going well? (the Christian life will be filled with risk and steps of faith. If you're ever going to be obedient in your relationship with God, then your hope in Jesus is essential).
b. How do you "hold fast" to this hope? (study it, wrestle with it, be familiar with it, remind yourself of it, embrace it, keep in on the forefront of your mind, live in a constant state of hope).
3. Read Hebrews 6:19-20 and Hebrews 10:23
What we hope FOR is secondary to what (or who) we hope IN.
a. How is the "hope" that Christians have significantly different from any other "hope" in the world today? (Because our hope is in someone, not something. And that someone is perfect, true, righteous, flawless, fully God, fully man, sacrificial, and loving).
b. When scripture says that the hope of God is like "an anchor for the soul" what is God promising to us? (steadiness, stability, firm foundation, provision). What does this language NOT communicate? (won't remove us from all storms, won't make the waves always go away, won't take us out of all tough situations, won't totally eliminate storms).
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