Pastor’s Blog

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Soft: Humility

A series of sermons examining the softer, easier way.  Though persons will travel a hard, disciplined road to attain the tangible things of life (power, money, prestige, etc.), why is it that we avoid that hard road in pursuit of the greater goals of faith, hope, and, most of all, love?

The soft road of pride leads to destruction.

The hard road of humility leads to blessing.

Get rid of pride and become humble by going with Jesus to the cross.

1.)  Read Obadiah 1:3-4; Jeremiah 48:29-31; Zephaniah 3:1-2.  The Lord calls to the people of Edom, Moab, and Jerusalem; but in their pride they will not listen, bringing destruction upon themselves.  What characteristics of pride do you see in these passages?  Why is pride the softer, easier road to travel?  Why does pride lead ultimately, however, to destruction?  What persons can you think of in Scripture who chose the easier road of pride that led to destruction?

2.)  Read Proverbs 16:18 and Proverbs 14:12.  In what ways has pride brought trouble to your life?  How can you recognize pride in your own heart?

3.)  Read Luke 14:7-11 and I Corinthians 8:2.  Pastor Craig identified the “lowest place” in Jesus’ story as the humble acknowledgement that I don’t know that much when it comes to the greatest things in life: faith, hope, and love.  Why is it that, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”?  What does that mean, thinking especially of what kind of “exalting” Jesus would and would not bring to our lives?  Why is humility a hard road to travel?  Why is there blessing on that road?

4.)  Read Psalm 25:9 and Proverbs 11:2.  In what ways have you been blessed when you have been humble?  Can you share an example of a time when pride kept you from some wisdom that you finally received when you became humble?

5.)  Read Mark 14:32-36.  As you focus your heart and mind on Jesus’ humble road to the cross, you will become humble.  How and why does that work?

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Soft: courage

A series of sermons examining the softer, easier way.  Though persons will travel a hard, disciplined road to attain the tangible things of life (power, money, prestige, etc.), why is it that we avoid that hard road in pursuit of the greater goals of faith, hope, and, most of all, love?

Find courage to do the hard things by giving your fears to God.

Find courage to do the hard things by trusting in the One who fights for you.

Find courage to do the hard things by remembering who has already defeated the enemy of your soul.

1.)  Read Nehemiah 1:1-4 and Nehemiah 2:1-6.  In prayer Nehemiah finds the courage to say what he needs to say.  The king might very well be outraged at his request.  What is it about prayer that brings courage to God’s children?  The root meaning of the word “prayer” is, “to pour out your heart.”  What do you experience when you pour out your heart to the Lord?  What does it take to learn how to pray?

2.)  Read Philippians 4:6-7.  Share an experience you have had of finding courage to do a hard thing that confirms the truth of this scripture. What is it that keeps us from experiencing the promise God makes to us here?

3.)  Read Nehemiah 4:6-14.  The Israelites recite a litany of fears.  Why are our hearts so prone to fear?  The hard road of courage would keep the Israelites in Jerusalem rebuilding their great city.  The softer, easier road of fear would have them all disperse out into the countryside and ultimately cease to exist as a nation.  What softer, easier road of fear have you been tempted with?    Pastor Craig spoke of finding courage by trusting the One who fights for you.  What does it mean to say that the Lord fights for you?  In what way have you experienced that?

4.)  Read Zephaniah 3:16-17 and Jeremiah 1:18-19.  What images in these passages speak to your heart?  Why?

5.)  Read Nehemiah 6:10-13 and I John 3:8.  Nehemiah’s enemies seek to deceive and intimidate him into breaking the commandment of God so that they might taunt him with his sin.  Why do they want to taunt him?  How does the enemy of our souls seek to taunt us with our sin?  Pastor Craig spoke of finding courage by remembering who has already defeated the enemy of your soul.  How does that work?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Soft: surrender

A series of sermons examining the softer, easier way.  Though persons will travel a hard, disciplined road to attain the tangible things of life (power, money, prestige, etc.), why is it that we avoid that hard road in pursuit of the greater goals of faith, hope, and, most of all, love? 

We avoid the hard road of surrender because we are afraid of change.

We avoid the hard road of surrender because we are afraid of vulnerability.

We avoid the hard road of surrender because we have a hard time believing God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do.

1.)  Read Matthew 7:13-14.  Discuss each of the contrasts Jesus makes in this passage: narrow and wide, hard and easy, life and destruction, few and many. 

2.)  Read Jeremiah 21:1-4; Jeremiah 21:8-9; Jeremiah 38:4.  Jeremiah tells the people that to fight against the Babylonians is to fight against God, because God has brought the Babylonians against them.  In what ways have you fought against what God was doing in your life?  What was the result?  The Israelites had always been warriors, fighting for their survival and to defend their cities and lands.  Now God was calling them to surrender to His will, which would require a great change.  Now they must cease being warriors, and must give up their cities and lands.  Why are we so afraid of change?  Why does surrendering to God so often involve change?  How can we overcome our fear of change so that we are willing to do the hard thing of surrendering to God’s will?

3.)  Read Jeremiah 38:14-20.  King Zedekiah was afraid to surrender because he was afraid it would make him very vulnerable.  Pastor Craig spoke of the commandments to tithe, to forgive, and to pray without ceasing as examples of commandments that, in different ways, appear to make us vulnerable.  What other commandments can you think of that might seem to make us vulnerable if we obeyed those commandments?  Describe a time you have been afraid to do the hard thing of surrendering to God because it seemed too dangerous to do so.  What was God’s promise to King Zedekiah?  What promises does God make to us that give us courage in the face of vulnerability?

4.)  Read Jeremiah 32:6-16.  What is God saying to the Israelites through Jeremiah’s purchase of the field at Anathoth, and why was it so important for them to hear what He was saying?  How does knowing that nothing is too difficult for God give us the courage and strength to do the hard thing of surrendering to His will?  Pastor Craig stated that often it’s not God that we doubt, but ourselves.  How does the message of the Cross answer our doubts and fears?  How can you relate the story of the Israelites hard road of surrender, exile in Babylon for seventy years, and return to the promised land to your own experiences as a follower of Jesus?

5.)  Read Deuteronomy 30:11.  What commandment has seemed too hard for you?  Why is no commandment too difficult?

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Alone: Bad Religion

A series of sermons examining the root causes of isolation - why do our hearts become isolated, dis-connected, cut-off from God and others?  Even with good friends, good family, a good church, and a great God, persons still find themselves alone.  Why?

Bad religion isolates us - disconnecting us from God and from one another.

Bad religion is the religion of looking good.

Bad religion is the religion of me trusting in me.

Bad religion is the religion of having all the answers.

1.  Read Matthew 23:13-15.  A couple of hundred years before the time of Jesus the “Pharisee movement” was a good, godly, scriptural influence in the life of Israel.  By the time of Jesus it was something quite different.  How does good religion become bad religion?  Have you observed or experienced this?  Describe what happened.

2.  Read Matthew 23:25-28.  Why are we prone to be so very concerned about how we appear to others?  How deep does this desire to look good reach into our souls?  How does this religion of looking good show itself in church life?  How does this religion of looking good cut us off from others and from God?

3.  Read Romans 3:9-12.  Do these words seem to you to be exagerated?  Why, or why not?  How do these words set us free from the religion of looking good?

4.  Read Luke 18:9-14.  Why are we so susceptible to the religion of me trusting in me?  The Pharisee in this parable trusted in his ability to do religious things.  How is that different from working hard at the things of God while still trusting in Him rather than in me?  In what way does this bad religion of me trusting in me cut us off from others and from God?

5.  Read John 15:4-5 and Galatians 6:2-3.  In what ways are these verses good news?  And, in what ways do they set us free from the bad religion of me trusting in me?

6.  Read Matthew 21:23-32.  The Pharisees rejected John the Baptist (who Jesus said was the greatest of all the prophets), and they rejected Jesus Himself (God in flesh standing right before them) because they were so sure that they had all the answers.  What is the deep reason within us that makes it so hard to admit that we don’t have all the answers - that somebody else might be right when I’m wrong, that somebody else might see what I don’t see, that somebody else might know what I don’t know?  How does the religion of having all the answers cut us off from God and others?

7.  Having studied these sermons, in what ways do you see that your heart is isolated, dis-connected or alone; and how would you like others to pray for you?