Week 6, Day 1

Celebrate Community Church

Week 6, Day 1

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Our story follows Stormtrooper FN-2187, or Finn, as he is later called. He realizes that in a major war of good versus evil, he is on the wrong side. He desperately wants to be something different, so he seeks to change into a force for good. Of course, this isn’t easy. It’s a struggle that will play out through the whole film. The fact is that we have a similar struggle as well when trying to change. We often want to act differently, but we don’t know how. Paul saw this struggle in his own life. To the church in Rome, he writes:

“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

Romans 7:15

So how do we fight this battle that Paul speaks of? Our first step is to Join the Resistance.

The journey to become a force for good is often little steps in the right direction. While FN-2187 is not part of the Resistance yet, he has begun to resist the evil First Order. That’s where we all need to start, because evil is not a momentary indulgence of fun. It’s a consuming enemy that wants to obliterate the good. You can’t ride the fence between good and evil. There is a battle, and you have to choose a side. Will we allow evil to take over our lives, or will we join the resistance?

Read Joshua 24:14-15, Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 2:15-17, John 15

-What does real life change consist of according to God’s Word? How do you see the battle between good and evil playing out in your life?

Week 7 Discussion Guide

It’s important that God’s Word continues after the message. At Celebrate, we find that you will talk over this week’s message long after our experience is over. That’s because God has lasting impact. The Sermon Discussion Guide is designed to help you continue the conversation all week.

Week 7, Day 6

The Church is not for perfect people. It’s for imperfect people who are working together to become fully mature in Jesus Christ. It’s the place where we rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. So for Riley, joy and sadness come together to the emotional headquarters and join fear, anger, and disgust. Riley’s emotions keep maturing with her growing self-control. “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32 Read Proverbs 16 As you grow a stronger emotional control center, authentic emotions will work together. Sadness and joy are blended into honest emotions. When our emotions work together, we grow in our emotional health and relational health. -What is one way you can mature through your emotions instead of running away from them?

Week 7, Day 5

Throughout the movie, we see the operations console that controls Riley. By the end of the movie, she is upgraded to a bigger emotional control center. Let’s go back to one of the verses we have meditated on this week. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Read Galatians 5 (Again) God tells us that a life fully surrendered to Him will produce the great benefit of self-control. We can’t win at emotional maturity by our own efforts; it takes God to help us build a bigger control center. -How are you doing in your life at becoming a safe place for your emotions to mature?