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We know many of you will most likely not meet this week but for those of you that are, here are the sermon questions and “answers”:
1. Mixer: What causes you to “flip out” e.g., traffic, Christmas shopping, computer problems, other? the idea behind this mixer is that the things that cause us to “flip out” are often when we are not joyful, praying, or thankful. Again, mixers are optional and offered as a way to get the group talking….a warm up so to speak.
2. 1 Thess 5:16 – Be joyful always
- a. How is joy different from happiness? Unlike happiness, which is dependent on what is happening now, joy’s focus is not merely on present circumstances but on the grace of God given in the past and the future He has promised (Ps. 126:3; Prov. 10:28; Heb. 12:1-2)
- b. What do you learn about joy from these verses: Gal 5:22, Ps 19:8, Ps 16:11? It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), the second of Paul’s list of nine. It is produced in the hearts of those who read the precepts of the Lord (Ps. 19:8). It is generated in the hearts of believers who are in God’s presence (Ps. 16:11).
- c. “Joy is based on both faith and hope”. Explain this statement by Pastor Dave (see Rom 15:13). Faith concerning what God has done in the past to rescue us from the penalty and power of sin and that God will use even the difficult things we face now for His and our good. And the sure hope that He will do what He has promised (James 1:2; Luke 6:22-23).
3. 1 Thess 5:17- Pray continually
- a. Define prayer and list the different types of prayer. Prayer is talking to God but Pastor Dave also stated that it is the heart attitude of: “Whatever our minds or bodies might be doing, because the Lord is our greatest treasure, our hearts are fully occupied with Him.” The types of prayer Dave speaks about in the sermon are not supplication, thanksgiving, etc but the way we pray - outloud, in our mind, arrow prayers, etc.
- b. How does Pastor Dave’s example of puppy love help you understand the heart of this command since we can’t verbally pray 24/7? Those of us who, when we were very young, were “deeply in love” with a special someone probably remember that no matter what we were doing during that season, that other person occupied the full focus of our hearts. Our minds might have been doing algebra. Our bodies might have been doing our chores at home. But our hearts were completely occupied with the love of our life. That is the heart state this command comes from. This “puppy love” preoccupation characterized Paul’s heart toward his Lord and our Lord’s heart toward His Father.
4. 1 Thess 5:18 – Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
- a. List some things that are the opposite of thankfulness. not being thankful or saying thank you, entitlement, critical heart, grumbling and complaining, etc
- b. How is it possible to be thankful in difficult, heart-wrenching circumstances? When we trust our Sovereign Lord and are letting Him rule in our hearts, they will be filled with joy and thankfulness in every situation. When we remember whose we are in Christ and what it cost to get us there, it helps us be thankful.
- c. Why do you think it is God’s will? What is He wanting for us? Answers will vary but some thoughts might be that when we are thankful, focused on Him, then it is best for us and those around us. When we are thankful, we are inviting intimacy with God.
5. Why do you think Pastor Dave selected 1 Thess 5:16-18 as a pivotal passage? Answers will vary but Pastor Dave believes that when we train our heart to obey these things, we are connected to the Lord and fruitful in His kingdom.
6. Why is a joyful, thankful, Lord-connected heart attractive to unbelievers? To our children? To our co-workers? Answers will vary….possible ideas are that these attitudes are rare and break down a false image of boring, unhappy, critical, angry Christians that the world holds of us. When we live like this in the power of the Holy Spirit, we make Jesus attractive!
7. How is obeying 1 Thess 5:16-18 possible? How are you doing? What is one thing you could do differently? It is not possible apart from being filled with the Holy Spirit and born again. answers will vary but this could be a time of confession and repentance. It is also a chance to provide some accountability.
8. Challenge: Search Exodus for different examples of ingratitude. Share what you find. God takes grumbling, critical hearts VERY seriously!
Posted by kellitempleton | Print This Post
Here are the questions for your sermon discussion:
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12
- Share any insights or questions you have after listening to the sermon. This is intended to get people re-engaged with the sermon outline, to review any notes, and hopefully get them warmed up to sharing.
- Read 1 Peter 2:11-20 and use the SPECK method to review the passage:
- S – is there a sin to confess or avoid in this passage? answers will vary but could include abstaining from sinful desires, not living above reproach, not submitting to authority or showing them respect, fear of suffering, etc.
- P – is there a promise to keep or claim? These suggestions might be a stretch: when we live above reproach and do good it will bring glory to God, we are commended before God when we suffer and endure, etc
- E - are there people in this passage that give me an example to follow? What character traits are commendable? Which are not? the author Peter is providing an example with his instructions
- C – Are there any commands to obey? Many….you might want people to pick one. Here are a few: abstain from sinful desires, live good lives among the pagans, submit and respect every authority, live as free men but not to cover up evil, love believers, fear God, honor the king, slaves submit to their masters,
- K – how does this passage help me to know God (Father, Son, or Holy Spirit)? He cares about my soul, He wants the pagans to know Him and uses us to reveal Himself, it is His will that we do good and silence fools, He wants us to submit and respect to authority, Jesus suffered
- Why do you think 1 Peter 2:11-25 is a pivotal passage for us during this post-election season? What does God want you to apply to your life? Submitting to every authority is not easy when you disagree with their policies, have completely different values, distrust them, and/or believe they are immoral or against you. Yet, this is what God commands for His sake and His glory. Our submission and good deeds will cause the world around us to pause and take notice of our Lord.
- Explain what it means to “live in responsible freedom” (from the sermon outline and 1 Pet 2:16). True freedom, true liberty, means that there is freedom to do what’s right. Freedom liberates us to do good. So only as we are slaves to God are we truly free. And the opposite is true for those who choose to use that freedom to do evil. As a matter of fact that is the very definition of slavery. Verse 17 also provides us with some very practical ways to live in freedom - show respect to everyone, love believers, fear God and honor the king.
- When Peter wrote his letter, persecution and slavery made submission to authority difficult. What makes submitting today difficult? Where do you “draw the line” when it comes to submitting to authority? Answers will vary here but could be due to the immorality or beliefs of those in authority, lack of trust, lack of character, etc. We should draw the line in submitting to authority when it goes directly against what God says like we see in Ex. 1:17, Dan 3:16, and Acts 5:29.
- Read 1 Peter 2:21-25 and discuss the following:
- What is your reaction to the fact we are called to suffer? many of us in our climate-controlled environments do not want to suffer and actually think of it as punishment instead of the reality of following a suffering Savior. It is not often embraced and often dreaded.
- How did Christ endure suffering? He committed no sin, did not lie, did not retaliate, made no threats but He entrusted Himself to the Father.
- What about Christ’s example helps you? answers will vary but His trust in the “one who judges justly” is helpful for me!
- How did we benefit from Christ’s suffering? we have His example, we die to sin and live for righteousness, we are healed and we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
- Break into gender group and pray together using the ACTS prayer in your bulletin. Make it personal by praying for our elected officials by name. The ACTS prayer is: A - adoring God, praising Him; C - confessing your sins; T - thanking Him for who He is and what He has done, and S - supplication or bringing our requests to Him. Mark Seekins suggested we pray for our officials by name and not just office - pray for Donald Trump not just our President Elect, etc.
Posted by kellitempleton | Print This Post
Small Group Leaders - here are the questions for sermon discussion this week. I pray that they bring about robust conversation and growth in our Lord!
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:7-8a
- Read or recite Philippians 4:6-7. Share about a time this week where worry started to creep in. How did you respond? this may or may not be a quick discussion question. We are hoping that someone has experienced the peace of God and His goodness as they took Him for His word in taking worry to prayer. This could be a powerful time where everyone gets to see God working in another person.
- Read James 4:1-10 and discuss the following review questions: the purpose of these questions are to get us reading the passage and making some observations as we prepare to apply the passage
- What is the source of ALL quarrels/wars? selfish human desires
- Why are our prayers not answered? these selfish desires corrupt our prayer life in that 1) we are so far away from God that we stop praying (we aren’t asking) or 2) we ask with selfish motives and not considering what the Lord desires
- Why does James call these believers adulterers? As believers, they/we are “betrothed” to the Lord, yoked and “in love” with the One who saved us yet they are in love with the world system that rebels and hates God with Satan as its ruler - spiritual adultery/unfaithfulness
- What are the commands and promises found in these verse? The commands to follow are not limited to these but include submit to God, resist the devil, come near to God, wash our hands and purify our hearts, grieve and mourn, humble ourselves under the Lord; the promises are God gives grace to the humble, the devil will flee, God will come near to us, God will lift us up.
- Why do you think Pastor Dave chose James 4:1-10 as a pivotal passage with specific focus on verses 7-8a? Answers will vary but some reasons might be that friendship with the world system is common as seen by our quarrels/anger/wars; sometimes pray and action are required to experience intimacy with God and freedom from bondage; etc.
- Discuss this statement from Pastor Dave: “Some things we don’t just pray about.” the key word is “just”; we always pray but sometimes we do more than just pray….Pastor Dave used his personal example of needing to confess his fear (draw near to God) and rebuke Satan (resist the devil) verbally to experience freedom from satanic attack. Prayer alone was not enough.
- The “world” as used in James 4:4 is defined as the godless system of thinking and values which is completely anti-God with Satan as ruler. Why is this world system attractive to believers? What can we do to overcome the lure of the world? (John 10:10; 1 John 2:15-17) Be sure to discuss the definition thoroughly. “world” is not the people in the world that God loves and died for as used in(John 3:16; nor does “world” mean creation as used in Acts 17:24. It is the world system as defined a bit in 1 Jn 2:15-17; 5:19;Rom 12:2. This world system is attractive because it appeals to our lusts, cravings, and ego using deception - promising much but delivering destruction and distance from God. We can practice verses 7-10 to overcome the world plus a lot of others things like accountability, soaking and memorizing God’s Word, meditating on God’s goodness, etc.
- How do verses 7-10 help us experience intimacy with God? When we practice humility (a correct view of our self and God), submission to God (put our self under the authority of God, resist the devil, and draw near to God through confession/worship we can experience His nearness and presence in our lives as well as freedom from bondage.
- Challenge: If we have to be humble to receive grace (v. 6), how is it still grace (e.g., getting something we haven’t earned)? since this is a challenge question, no “answer” is provided but consider grace to an unbeliever vs grace given to believers
Break into gender questions to discuss the following: answers will vary but these are intended for personal application and prayer
- Think back over the last month when you were angry, frustrated, or quarrelsome. What desires or motives were driving your reaction? How could identifying your motives help you in your relationship with others and God? Parents, how could this principle help you when your kids are arguing, angry, etc.?
- If you are not regularly experiencing intimacy with God, what specifically from these verses might help you?
