Week 6, Day 5

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Week 6, Day 5

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

One of the best schemes of the enemy is to get you to run instead of taking a stand.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Ephesians 6:13

Before we can stand our ground, we need solid ground to stand on. Our past struggles, mistakes, weaknesses, and insecurities often feel like shaky ground. So the tendency is to run from our past. After all, we know our past better than anyone else. But you can’t run from it, because it follows you. The fact is that you can’t escape your past, but God can redeem it. So Lay it Down.

The apostle Paul had a past full of many mistakes. He once called himself the chief of sinners, but God redeemed Paul. God’s plan is to redeem each one of us as well.

What part of your past do you need to lay down? For Finn, it was the stormtrooper helmet. He laid it down. Along with that, he needed to lay down his past to redeem it for his future.

If you’re going to become a force for good, there are things you need to resist. There are things you need to pick up. There are things you need to lay down.

Read Revelation 21:5, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 10:14, Romans 8:1, Psalm 103:12, Ephesians 2:1-10

-Is there something in your past that you have been running from? In what ways have you seen God redeem your past?

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?