The God we pray to is the Sovereign King of the universe. While this gives us a great deal of confidence knowing that he is all powerful and can always bring about his will, it also can seem to demotivate our praying at times. We wrestle with questions like,“If God already knows what I'm going to pray, and has the ability to bring about his own will, then what's the purpose of prayer?” In our passage this week we will see two of the main reasons for praying to a God who is King highlighted: We pray for his glory and we pray for our good.
Application Questions
1. Do you more often pray for God's will to be done or for your own will to be done?
2. In what ways do questions about God's sovereignty tend to demotivate your prayers?
3. How might a fresh appreciation for God's glory motivate you to seek him in prayer?
4. How might an appreciation for how praying transforms you motivate you to seek God in prayer?
09. Prayer: Praying to a God Who is King
“Prayer only makes sense if God is King. Otherwise, why would we go to him?”
October 16, 2017
01. The Easy Burden of Following Jesus
April 24, 2017
Jesus explicitly calls his followers to take up their cross and follow him. But just one chapter later, in Matthew's recording of the events, he tells his disciples that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. How can these both be true? How can the radical call of Christ be an easy joy? It's only when we have ordered our loves the way God designed them to be ordered that these two disparate statements can begin to make any sense. Application Questions 1. In what ways are your loves disordered? What do you tend to cherish more than Christ? 2. In what ways do you find the radical call to follow Christ a heavy burden? What loves make that burden heavy? 3. What's one time in your life when you found the yoke of Christ light and easy? 4. How can you practically rest in Christ this week in a way that will lighten your burden?
37. Walking the Discipleship Pathway
June 10, 2018
As we finish a long series on the Discipleship Pathway, we want to make sure we don't leave it behind. The length of the series reflects how useful it can be to understand the basic Christian life and to help you live it. Reflecting on Paul's encouragement to the Colossian church to walk in Jesus Christ, this sermon explores how to use the Discipleship Pathway to help you do just that. What's more, it points you to the person that is more important than any pathway: Jesus Christ our Lord. When we use the pathway well, it points us to Him and His glory. Application Questions 1. Are there ways that you“lose the plot” in your daily life? How do you handle it? 2. Are there ways that the Discipleship Pathway can be useful in the day to day moments of your life to help you recapture the plot? 3. How can the pathway point you towards the person of Jesus, his gospel, and his glory?
01. Discipleship Pathway: Following Jesus
August 21, 2017
It's easy to be overwhelmed by the different ways to live out the Christian faith. Many people lose the forest for the trees and end up frustrated or discouraged when they can't wrap their arms around everything at once. Jesus brings us help: the greatest commandment, which helps us see all the commands of Scripture as trees in the forests of loving God and loving others. As we look closer, we find a way to see the Christian life as a journey of loving God and loving others, all because of the gospel, and all leading us to become more like Christ. Application Questions 1. How do you handle all the different things you're told to do in sermons, Bible reading, and more? How can Jesus'words in the greatest commandment and the discipleship pathway help? 2.Which categories on the discipleship pathway (Bible, prayer, heart work, community, mission, and calling) do you tend to emphasize in your life? Which do you tend to neglect? 3.Are you motivated more by your acceptance in Jesus or by your desire to be a good person on your own? How have you seen that affect your life? 4. What are your goals for your life as a Christian? How do those goals relate to becoming more like Christ?