“Look Carefully Then How You Walk”

CrossWay Community Church

Media

“Look Carefully Then How You Walk”

June 9, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 5:15–21

Sermon Overview

Be careful to live in a way marked by wisdom and the work of the Spirit.

1. Wisely use time according to Christ's will. (5:15-17)

2. Welcome the work of the Spirit. (5:18-21)

Digging Deeper:

Read Ephesians 5:15-21

1. Verse 16 says, "Because the days are evil". How did the sermon help us understand this? How does it inform our use of time?

2. Verse 17 calls us to understand the will of Christ. In this context, how can we identify Christ's priorities for our lives? And how do those priorities influence how we spend our time?

3. Discuss wise and unwise ways of making the best use of your time for Christ.

4. Consider your own use of time. How well does it line up with honoring and glorifying God? How are you using your time well? Where would you like to grow?

5. When it comes to your time, where could you use encouragement, advice, or accountability?

6. Verse 18 says, "be filled with the Spirit." How is being filled with the Holy Spirit different from being under the influence of alcohol?

7. How has Brett helped us understand the fullness of the Spirit in our lives?

8. The verses 19-21 describe a life filled with the Spirit. What should we pursue together?

9. How is singing together beneficial for one another and glorifies God?

10. Think about a member of our Gospel Community. Share a way they’ve been encouraging to you in your spiritual life.

11. What is challenging/encouraging in your submission to one another (marriage, parenting, servitude, Gospel Community, accountability)?

12. How does Christ’s Submission to God fuel our submission to one another?

Prayer

Family Made New

June 23, 2024 • Josh Mathews • Ephesians 6:1–4

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview: Families, live wisely by fulfilling your God-given roles. 1. Children, honor your parents (6:1-3) 2. Fathers (and mothers, too), bring up your kids (6:4) Digging Deeper: Read Ephesians 6:1-4 1. What does it mean for children to obey their parents “in the Lord” (v. 1)? 2. Kids, what makes it hard for you to obey your parents? 3. Kids, how does it affect you to know that obeying your parents pleases God? 4. Kids, how is it motivating to know that there's a goodness God intends for your life as a result of your obedience? 5. How might these verses apply to adults who have difficult relationships with their parents? 6. Parents, especially dads, in what ways are you tempted to neglect your family? 7. By just looking at how time is used in your family, what would it communicate about what your family values and thinks is important? 8. Spouses and friends in Gospel Community, how have you noticed the dads in your group leading their families well? Speak encouragement to one another. 9. Parents, what are steps you can take to prioritize the spiritual nourishment of your kids? What have you done well? Where can you grow? http://10.what does it mean to “provoke”(v4) children, and what might that look like? http://11.how can children and parents seek forgiveness and healing when these instructions have not been followed in the past? http://12.how can our church community support families in living out these instructions? Prayer

Marriage Made New

June 16, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 5:22–33

Sermon Overview: Married Christians, in your use of and response to authority, imitate Christ and the church. 1. Wives must respect their husbands' authority. (5:22-24) 2. Husbands must love their wives sacrificially and for their spiritual good (5:25-33) Digging Deeper: Read Ephesians 5:22-33 1. Verses 22-24 and 33 refer to the respect for the Husband’s authority. How did the sermon help us understand this? 2. Brett said, “Jesus modeled the headship, and headship conveys authority.” What did he mean by this? 3. How is the Biblical view of submission different from the secular view? Consider Jesus’s submission to the Father (his own identity and purpose didn’t change as He submitted to the Father) versus one-sided dominance, individual autonomy, downplayed leadership, and loss of the wife’s dignity. 4. Discuss what is implied and not implied in a wife’s’ submission to her husband 5. According to verse 25, for what purpose did God give authority to Husbands? 6. What are the limits of a husband's authority? How can a husband sin or fail in exercising his authority? 7. How does the way Christ loves the church (v. 25) inform how husbands should love their wives? 8. What can a husband do for the spiritual good of his wife? 9. What are some practical ways a husband can show sacrificial love to his wife and a wife can show respect and support to her husband? 10. Reflect on a relationship in your life where you can apply the principles of sacrificial love and respect. How might this change the dynamic of that relationship? http://11.how can marriage build in us a servant’s heart today? 12. Marriage can be challenging. Will you be willing to seek help, and if so, where can the spouses go for help/counseling? Hints: Elders, godly women and men http://13.how/what do singles and those aspiring to marry prepare themselves to be good spouses within the church now? For example, by visiting or inviting a married family's home, learning from their struggles, and understanding the lessons from their marriage. http://14.how can we encourage/pray for husbands and wives of Crossway? Prayer

"Walk as Children of Light"

June 2, 2024 • Brett Wendle • Ephesians 5:3–14

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview: Pursue God-pleasing purity together Because you are light in the Lord… Flee impurity of body, heart, and mouth (vv 3-7, 11a) Give thanks (v 4c) Bear fruit (vv 8-10) Expose evil in the world and one another (vv 11b-14) Digging Deeper: Read Ephesians 5:3-14 The passage describes two lifestyles, one that God’s people should pursue and another that God’s people should avoid. What are some of the descriptors used for each group? There are at least three ways to approach a lifestyle of following God: (1) try really hard to obey, (2) ignore the commands or (3) allow the gospel to motivate you to obedience. What difference does it make which approach you take? What are the consequences? (for example, if one tries to follow these commands by trying really hard, it could lead to pride if they are achieved or self-hatred if they are not. If one ignores these commands, there’s a grave warning at the end of verse 5.) We are light (vs. 8). Therefore we are called to flee impurity of body, heart & mouth (vv. 3-7, 11a). From the aspects of impurity mentioned in this passage, by which can you find yourself most tempted? Discuss what sexual purity and sexual immorality look like now. What are things the culture advocates as good and permissible that God would say is immoral? What are things that God would say is good that the culture would say is not good? As children of light, we are called to give thanks (v. 4c). How is a thankful heart an antidote to covetousness / greed / idolatry? Have you seen this reality play itself out in your own heart? Please share. As children of light we are called to bear fruit (vv. 8-10). In sharp contrast to the world, we are to live lives marked by what is "good and right and true.” (v. 9). What’s the difference between living a life that merely seeks to avoid certain (bad) things, versus pursuing a life that proactively seeks to do certain (good) things (“bear fruit”)? Bible-believing Christians often have a reputation for what we deny and reject, but not a matching reputation for gracious generosity towards others. Could that ever be true of you? How can you live in such a way that people realize that you love them as well as realizing that you live distinctively (even when that is unpopular)? Because we are light in the Lord, we are called to expose evil in the world and in one another (vv. 11b-14). How did Pastor Brett help us think through what that might look like practically? Given where he has you, how might God be calling you to live this out? What might it look like to do this poorly? What might it look like to do this well? How can we encourage one another to do this well (in a way that is pleasing to God)? Pursuing God-pleasing lives of purity and holiness is not something we can do well on our own. We need each other. What might it look like for your GC to be more intentional about pursuing holiness / purity together? What might be a good next step toward that? Prayer